If a cheerful heart can cure like medicine, this collection is an industrial-strength dose of delight. Nudged from the funny bones of such well-known authors as Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson, Brennan Manning, Luci Swindoll, G. Ron Darbee, Martha Bolton, and Phil Callaway, the forty-plus essays in this hilarious collection provide reasons to smile in practically every situation -- from the delivery room to the last laugh. Virtually no target is beyond the pointed pen of these quick-witted observers who celebrate friendship as they discuss dentures, bear suits, male bonding, Jell-O, and fishing. Accompanied by quick-read quips, it's a relaxing and affirming book that men and women of all ages would find laughable -- in the best sense of the word.

The night Brad Warner learns that his childhood friend Marky has died, Warner is about to speak to a group of Zen students in Hamburg, Germany. It’s the last thing he feels like doing. What he wants to do instead is tell his friend everything he never said, to explain Zen and what he does for a living and why he spends his time “Sitting. Sitting. Sitting. Meditating my life away as it all passes by. Lighting candles and incense. Bowing to nothing.” So, as he continues his teaching tour through Europe, he writes to his friend all the things he wishes he had said. Simply and humorously, he reflects on why Zen provided him a lifeline in a difficult world. He explores grief, attachment, and the afterlife. He writes to Marky, “I’m not all that interested in Buddhism. I’m much more interested in what is true,” and then proceeds to poke and prod at that truth. The result for readers is a singular and winning meditation on Zen — and a unique tribute to both a life lost and the one Warner has found.

I have a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and his name is Jesus. Solomon spoke a word in Proverbs 17:17, saying, "A friend loves at all times." Talking about a friend that sticks closer than a brother and a friend that loves at all times, I had biological brothers and sisters, but none of them were in my life. I was the only one out of eight that was not in the home with them. On September 25, 1975, when I found my way to the Cross, Jesus told me, "I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you. I'm going to be with always." On June 19, 2021, I was at my church that Saturday morning, crying and praying. I felt so all alone. I was under such heavy burdens. I felt like what the prophet Isaiah said, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood." As I was crying, talking to the Lord, telling him, "I feel so all alone. I don't have anybody," I heard Jesus say unto me, "I am your friend that sticks closer than a brother." Jesus told me, "Begin writing the book, and title it I Have a Friend That Sticks Closer than a Brother, His Name Is Jesus."

Alice Brown fell in love with Jack the day she moved into her freshman dorm. Problem is, she's been stuck in the friend zone ever since. After another meaningless breakup, she's ready to confess her feelings to Jack. Jack Sullivan has mistaken friendship for love once before and has vowed never to do it again. A varsity sports player, he's determined to enjoy college with no strings attached. Peter Wells is Jack's best wingman. He enjoys his popularity as team captain and when he meets Alice, he's ready to steal her heart. When Jack sees Alice and Peter together, jealousy hits him hard. But will he break his vow to never date a friend? Meet new characters and catch up with old ones in the second book in the Just Friends series. Friend Zone is part of the Just Friends new adult college romance series. Reading order: Book 1 Let's Be Just Friends Book 2 Friend Zone

Despite the high regard in which Francesco Petrarca (1304-74) held St. Augustine, scholars have been inclined to view Augustine’s impact on the content of Petrarch’s thought rather lightly. Wedded to the ancient classics, and prioritising literary imitation over intellectual coherence, Petrarch is commonly thought to have made inconsistent use of St. Augustine’s works. Adopting an entirely fresh approach, however, this book argues that Augustine’s early writings consistently provided Petrarch with the conceptual foundations of his approach to moral questions, and with a model for integrating classical precepts into a coherent Christian framework. As a result, this book offers a challenging re-interpretation of Petrarch’s humanism, and offers a provocative new interpretation of his role in the development of Italian humanism.

"A Letter to a Gentleman in the Country, from His Friend in London" by Anonymous This book gives an authentic and circumstantial account of the confinement, behaviour, and ... as attested by the gentlemen who were present. The book acts to give you a fly on the wall perspective as you read the letters of how different life in London and life in the English countryside really are.