Showing results by narrator "Nan McNamara" in All Categories

Goldie Hayes took risks, sacrificed love, and kept secrets to rise to the top in Hollywood. In an instant, it all comes crashing down. She's at the center of a Tinseltown scandal, with her career in free fall. Her only choice is to hide until things blow over. Luckily for her, Irish Hills is the perfect place to disappear.

In our age of increased social isolation and growing reliance on technology, genuine connection can feel more difficult than ever. But what if community and closeness are nearer than you thought? The New Loneliness is about experiencing the authentic relationships God created you for by identifying and overcoming today's biggest relational obstacles. Cindi McMenamin explores how our current cultural environment and dependence on electronic devices have hindered our ability to connect, and she offers uplifting guidance, biblical insights, and encouraging action steps to help you

For decades J.J. Tucker has brought laughter and sunshine to the Sandbar Sisters. But her life has spiraled out of control. A disaster has turned Irish Hills upside down and has left J.J. alone and unsure. She can't bear to look back on her life and moving forward hurts too much. Her future, once bright and filled with love, feels lonely and hopeless. J.J. faces a very different future than she had planned and one she's not sure if she wants. She will have to face her fears and her past if she wants to find the laughter in her life again.

Come explore quieter, more intentional ways of being, and how these might attune us to the slow work of God in order that we might love one another and the world as God does. Our chapters pair a lure to move fast with an invitation to slow. Becoming slow to anger is an invitation to empathy, slow to judge is an invitation to humility, and slow to grasp is an invitation to contentment. Ultimately, each of these invitations is a movement toward God.

Vivian Blackwood has been through the wringer. The scans say all clear, but is she really? Over the last year, her life has centered around fighting cancer and worrying if she could win. Now her doctors say she's okay. But doubt and fear are ruining what should be the best time of her life. That's when her daughter, Siena steps in. Siena has made a deal for both of them to start fresh in Irish Hills. Siena has devoted herself to bringing back her mother's love of life. To Viv's dismay, Siena has set aside her own dreams for her mom's.

Four years have sped swiftly by, and Kelly Flynn and her friends are all happily busy with children and careers. Baby Jack is now a rambunctious four-year-old preschooler who keeps Kelly on her toes. She needs all of the coffee she can drink at Pete's Porch Cafe. Her friends at Lambspun knitting shop are all immersed in the wonderful world of fiber, until they are shocked by the murder of one of the cafe's lovable staff.

Is your church a rowboat church or a sailboat church? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Arguing that churches should be "sailboats," Joan S. Gray encourages listeners to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to fresh ideas that can be found using the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

What is your purpose in life? This is the question we ask ourselves far too often. In Lean Forward Into Your Life, author Mary Anne Radmacher invites you to find a new way to live: by leaning forward. When you’re trying to see something better, you lean toward it. When you are listening to someone and can barely hear, you lean in. When the really exciting part of a basketball game comes, you lean forward in your seat. When you’re trying to catch, to see, to listen to the best bits—you lean forward.

We in the church do not speak the same language as the culture. We use many of the same words, but they rarely mean the same thing. And speaking louder isn't the answer. If we are to faithfully and effectively share the Good News, we have to translate Jesus. Embracing and unpacking the bilingual nature of spreading the gospel, pastor and teacher Shauna Pilgreen shows you how to learn the language of the culture so that you can clearly communicate the love of God in the three places Christ and culture meet: the gate, the cross, and the table.

Teaching kindergarten in Thailand wasn’t the job Dian Seidel had in mind when, at age sixty and craving adventure, she convinced her husband that they should try working abroad. But coping with rambunctious children, sweltering heat, and COVID-19 turned out to be the challenge she needed. Struggling to understand Thai culture, their school, and their marriage, could she learn Thailand’s essential lesson: mai pen rai, don’t worry, keep cool? Part travel memoir and part second act story, Kindergarten at 60 is a retirement tale like none other.

On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, asserting that the Constitution did not confer the right to abortion. This ruling, in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, was the culmination of a half-century of pro-life activism promoting the idea that fetuses are people and therefore entitled to the rights and protections that the Constitution guarantees. But it was also the product of a much longer history of archaic ideas about the relationship between pregnant people and the fetuses they carry.

This epic novel follows one extraordinary American woman as she grieves and triumphs through the horrific realities of three wars that threaten the men she loves.

Ditch negative thought patterns and comparisons, and step into God’s promises with these 10-minute devotions for teens and young adults. With more pressure than ever to have it all and curate the perfect life, it’s a daily challenge to preserve our happiness and inner peace. Embracing Imperfect contains a year’s worth of assurances that God loves you, exactly as you are.

In May of 1976, twenty-four-year-old Carol Menaker was impaneled with eleven others on a jury in the trial of Freddy Burton, a young Black prison inmate charged with the grisly murders of two white wardens inside Philadelphia's Holmesburg Prison. After being sequestered for twenty-one days, the jury voted to convict Mr. Burton, who was then sentenced to life in prison without parole.

There are more challenges than ever facing you at work: Many corporate cultures still struggle to fully respect differences. Health impacts at work and at home are rising from ever-present technology and the wake of COVID-19. And recession threats can wreak havoc on job security. As a result, too many rising stars like you get pushed out of the leadership pipeline, suffer through toxic work situations, or see their careers cut short. Don’t stay in a job that is the wrong fit. Go! shows you how to listen to your gut and make a thoughtful and savvy plan toward a truly fulfilling career.

The Angels of Christmas: Hearing God's Voice in Advent, a four-week Advent study by Susan Robb, explores the four angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. In this study, the listener will explore the visits and dive deep into the history of the angel Gabriel—and other angels—in the Old Testament. The Angels of Christmas uses these four angelic appearances to discuss God's presence in history and our lives today. The messages of the angels hold meaning for listeners both then and now.

One child holds the key to the survival of the Fae and humanity. But with King Jarvok a shadow of his former self, Asa has chosen to disobey him and disguise herself as a member of the Court of Light to find answers. Together, she, Indiga, Dora, and the Familiars undertake a perilous mission to rescue the Little One who can lead them to the prophecy child. Yet, even if they save him, they still have many powerful enemies who will do anything to prevent the prophecy child from being found and fulfilling their destiny.

Somebody's getting married . . . And Jen's going to be a grandma, any minute. Her daughter-in-law's mother has dropped the ball for the baby shower and the wedding has come out of the blue. Faith, Carrie, and Jen have to manage both events—but will any of them be the star of the show?

Hope Venerable's life took a detour, then a left turn, and before she knew it her dream to own a restaurant hit a dead end. Raising kids, paying bills, and being a wife became her life. Add to that her husband putting his own schemes before her dreams made owning a restaurant about as likely as winning the lottery. A food-inspired life is Hope's joy, her gift, and she never stopped working to make at least a small part of her dreams come true. When her husband betrays her and tries to crush her ideas again, she knows she needs a change.

On the cusp of her fiftieth birthday, Libby Quinn's Pinterest-perfect life has turned into a disaster. When her husband leaves with all her money, Libby is left broke, alone, and unemployable. A surprise invitation from her aunt to enjoy a retreat at the family's old summer beach house could be the balm she needs.