Do you want more joy in life? Make room for a daily encounter with the Lord. In Pause in Wonder, Eddie Ensley recounts stories from his own spiritual journey as a Native American and a Catholic deacon to show how you can experience joy even in the most difficult circumstances. Simple, spiritually sound prayer practices—based on scripture and tradition—heighten your sense of wonder and bring you greater joy in everyday life. “Joy has its tendrils in God,” writes Deacon Eddie Ensley. “It draws on the infinity of his love. Having joy is a matter of being in relationship with the wellspring of joy, not due to our circumstances. God is always available, always ready to touch us. The question becomes: Are we willing to touch him? Do we want to seek deep joy in our lives?” With compassion and wisdom, Ensley draws from his Native American heritage and spiritual journey to the Church to explore joy’s true meaning and how to find it and experience it in both happy and discouraging seasons of life. Combining prayer exercises with his personal testimony, Ensley and his ministry collaborator Deacon Robert Herrmann will help you appreciate in a new way the life-changing power of the sacraments and other riches of the Church, and to be more mindful of the invisible realities all around you. Ensley and Hermann offer step-by-step pointers to help you cultivate practical spiritual habits such as engaging in contemplative prayer and journaling to enrich your prayer life. You will also learn how to: Choose joy, centering your whole being on God Become the custodian, rather than the prisoner, of your thoughts and emotions Experience release from stresses and worries by learning to “sing with the angels” Pour out your joy upon others through the intentional practice of compassion. You will discover how to encounter God in deeply personal yet practical ways. Fresh approaches to prayer combined with scripture and the wisdom of the saints will help you rejoice always and appreciate life in all its messy excellence.

These days, many of us live in a state of overreactive fight-or-flight response and chronic stress. The demands of modern life pull us in all directions and can often put the meaningful connections in our lives at risk--connections to our deepest selves, to others, and even to God. But there is good news. New developments in brain science have recently proven that an intentional practice of pausing for a few minutes of meditation, prayer, or other contemplative practice actually rewires our brain in ways that make us calmer, less reactive, and better able to see the bigger picture. In Practice the Pause, spiritual director and writer Caroline Oakes offers easy-to-understand explanations of how this new brain science is confirming what every spiritual tradition has been telling us for millennia: by practicing the pause, we become more self-aware and better able to understand others. We become more "God aware." With a refreshing focus on the Eastern Christian understanding of Jesus as a master of wisdom, Oakes shines a spotlight on Jesus's own centering pause practice as a transformative path for personal and social change. We learn that even a seven-second pause practice can move us beyond the fight-or-flight responses of our ego in our daily lives and actually equip us to cultivate the common good in the world.

This book is God’s Word. Experience Him more deeply through daily readings that will take you through the Bible in one year, two years, or four years. With a book-at-a-time reading plan that immerses you in an Old Testament and a New Testament passage daily, this daily reading Bible also gives you time to pause with a time of reflection on the seventh day. Includes reflection questions as well as Eugene H. Peterson’s introduction to the Bible and to each individual book. These introductions set the stage for each book and help you understand that book’s unique message. Text taken from the best-selling The Message//REMIX.

The child stood in the road wearing a blue flannel nightie, her feet bare and dirt-splattered. Her blonde flyaway hair was golden, aglow from the fires behind her. Stumbling over, Lizzie reached her. The little girl’s eyes were closed, her palms facing upwards. If she’d been in church, you would have thought she was praying. September 1940, London As the German Luftwaffe begin a terrifying bombing campaign that will come to be known as the Blitz, thousands are evacuated to safety. But Lizzie Mackenzie finds herself heading towards London. She knows she must help in the war effort. But she has another reason for leaving the security of her Scottish village: the illegitimate child she gave up for adoption nearly five years before is somewhere in the city. And – as the bombs rain down – she will stop at nothing to find her and make sure her little girl is safe. Then she finds herself trapped in a dark theatre during a bombing raid, where she meets Pilot Officer Jack Henson. Against all her instincts, she falls in love. But what chance is there for that love to flourish? Because if he discovers the secret shame of her past, he may never forgive her. And with Jack facing the enemy every day in the sky, and Lizzie’s job guiding pilots into battle – life and love has never felt so fragile. Until a chance encounter with a little orphaned girl changes everything, forcing Lizzie to ask herself what truly matters. Because, in the darkest days of war, every life counts. And – when tragedy strikes – saving one child’s life might just give Lizzie a reason to survive… An unforgettable story about sacrifice, love and heartbreak set in World War Two London during the Blitz. If you liked All the Light We Cannot See, My Name is Eva and A Fire Sparkling, you will love Under a Sky on Fire. Readers love Under a Sky on Fire: ‘OMG! I felt the fear and the terror within the pages as if I was there living it. … It is heartbreaking but it is also heartwarming. I laughed and I cried and by the end I felt I had lived those lives alongside those women… You cannot come through Under a Sky on Fire unscathed… You will feel that you have lived it too… By the end of the story I was so moved and in tears… Will remain with you for a long time to come.’ Confessions of a Bookaholic ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A 10 Star book in every aspect! It has intrigue, romance, action, drama, and twists… could not put the book down.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Historical fiction at its best! An amazing story of the bravery of women during the war… To read this story is to feel as though you were actually there during the Blitz.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Three words: Have. Tissues. Ready… Fantastic… The emotion that pours from the pages is absolutely heart-wrenching. I loved every minute of this book, even though it left me a sniffling mess by the end.’ Fireflies and Free Kicks ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A spine-chilling account of Hitler's relentless bombing of the city, against the backdrop of the equally relentless courage of the British… A book you will not be able to put down!… A gripping story, and one you do not want to miss!’ Christian Novel Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘By reading Under a Sky on Fire, you understand what life was like in England during WWII, the sacrifices everyone made… The incredible determination, faith and enduring spirit of English people… I highly recommend the book.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Under a Sky on Fire is a story of tenacity, endurance, love and friendship. Above all it is a story of bravery during World War 2. I felt like I was in the shelters with them… Suzanne Kelman is a born storyteller.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Under an Amber Sky is simply Sublime. I was cast under a spell and was completely enthralled. Definitely a feast of different emotions. I loved it!’ – Dash Fan, Blogger From the bestselling author of GARDEN OF STARS comes a heartwarming and emotional story of hope and second chances.

Sometimes a family’s deepest silences hide the most important secrets.

Under a Wartime Sky is an enthralling historical novel by Liz Trenow, based on real-life events at a top-secret wartime research station. Telling the story of the heroes behind the discovery of radar, it’s perfect for readers of Kate Furnivall and Rachel Hore. Bawdsey Manor holds a secret. 1936: the threat of war hangs over Europe. Churchill gathers the brightest minds in Britain at a grand house in Suffolk. Bound to complete secrecy, they work together on an invention that could mean victory for the Allies. Among them is Vic, a gifted but shy physicist who, for the first time, feels like he belongs. Local girl Kathleen wants to do more than serving tea and biscuits to ‘do her bit’. So when the Bawdsey team begin to recruit women to operate their top secret system, she dedicates herself to this life-or-death work. Kath and Vic form an unlikely friendship as the skies over Britain fill with German bombers. Little does Kath know just whose life she will change forever, one fateful night . . . Based on the real history of Bawdsey Manor, Under a Wartime Sky is a novel about courage, belonging and hope. Praise for Liz Trenow: ‘The characters shine . . . Fabulous’ - Dinah Jefferies ‘It was a wrench to put the book down after the last beautifully written page’ - Gill Paul ‘Trenow’s exquisite novel puts a real focus on the characters’ journeys’ - Woman