Showing results by narrator "Lisa Larsen" in All Categories

Vacationing on beautiful Sanibel Island off Florida's Gulf Coast, Ellen Bennett has never felt so guilty - or more alive. This wasn't the way things were supposed to turn out. The 45-year-old successful career woman, wife, and mother traveled to the island paradise for solitude and a much-needed break from her family. But a chance encounter with a fellow traveler sparks a powerful attraction, forcing Ellen to make a decision that could change her life forever. Against an idyllic backdrop of white sand beaches and lush palms, Ellen struggles to subdue a firestorm of emotions.

If you feel overwhelmed, you're not alone. Three out of five people admit to doing more than they can manage. Thinking God requires this, we say, "I must be everything to everyone". Then we struggle and feel selfish and guilty when we say no, grow weary, or snap at someone out of sheer exhaustion. Is this what God desires? Somewhere along the line of being a good Christian, wife, daughter, or friend we lose sight of who we are in Christ.

In 2017, five-year-old Julia traveled with her mother, Guadalupe, from Honduras to the United States. Her harrowing journey took her through Mexico in the cargo section of a tractor trailer. Then she was separated from her mother, who was held hostage by smugglers who exploited her physically and financially. At the United States border, Julia came through the processing center as an unaccompanied minor after being separated from her stepdad who was deported.

Leisa Yeats has always defined herself by the things that are important to her - a good family, a loving relationship, and a meaningful job working with kids. Life is good. But within a span of a few weeks, all of that changes. She’s always known she was adopted, but newly revealed lies and secrets kept by her parents make her question everything she thought she knew about her beginnings. Her 10-year relationship with her partner, Nan, is unexpectedly on shaky ground when she discovers that Nan, too, has kept a secret from her all these years.

The unconscious emotional conditioning that most people have received in their lives keeps us stuck in negative patterns of anxiety, depression, addiction, and aimlessness. We've been taught to live in reaction, not in intention. In reality, life is not as hard as it's been made out to be. When you live your life on purpose, you transform into the person you've always wanted to be. You don't need years of therapy and struggle to get there. All you need are The Commitments.

Single mother and baker Eden Lambert arrives in quaint Village Green looking for a home for herself and her eighteen-month-old son, Jake. Her warm welcome by her elderly hostess, Mary Jo Piermont, is offset by the cold disdain of Mary Jo's self-appointed protector, Joe Wolfe. At first, the long-legged blonde and her kid look like trouble to Joe. Mary Jo saved the builder's life years ago, and he will do no less for the woman he considers a surrogate mother. But as he keeps an eye on the unwanted guests, Joe's suspicions soon become replaced by admiration and respect.

Sheila Bright talks to the dead including the ghost of her mother who wants to move to California. Kira Graves can produce money out of thin air. The two of them, Shape Shifters, Pookas, Lost Boys and more all inhabit the Crossroads, where good and evil collide.

Travel Israel alongside Harvard-trained biblical archaeologist Amanda Hope Haley and learn about its history, people, and God. Through the memories Amanda brought back from her explorations and excavations, you can witness sites and artifacts that bring the Bible to life. In The Red-Haired Archaeologist Digs Israel, Amanda shares with you her humorous travel stories, including her misadventures with customs agents, eye-opening experiences with international cuisine, and crash-course education on driving in a new culture.

Are humans close to living forever? With advances in medicine and new therapies that prolong life expectancy, we are on track to make aging even more manageable. This new entry in the exciting Alice in Futureland series explores both the science and cultural impulse behind extending lifespans, and the numerous ways the quest for eternity forces us to reevaluate what it means to be human. Some experts believe that we haven’t fully realized our true human potential, and we are about to embark on an extraordinary evolutionary shift.

When her close friend, Reese Marigold, goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles’ retreat on a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, no-nonsense lawyer Ann Stone infiltrates the retreat. Ann quickly realizes there’s more to Last Chance than meets the eye. The extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates hint that the retreat is a front for a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe, keeping a low profile until the premier, or did something sinister occur after all?

We are just witnessing the start of the radical changes in retail that will revolutionize shopping in every way. As Amazon and other disruptors continue to offer ever-greater value, customers' expectations will continue to ratchet up, making winning (and keeping) those customers all the more challenging. In The Shopping Revolution, Barbara E. Kahn, a foremost retail expert and professor at the Wharton School, examines the companies that have been most successful during this wave of change and offers fresh insights into what we can learn from their ascendance.

Too often, fatness has been viewed as a moral failing. Fat Christian women in particular are shamed and marginalized by the message that they are failing God because they can't change their bodies. More of You will challenge that status quo, teaching listeners to resist the shame and guilt that is pressed onto them by the world and instead to embrace their bodies, take up space, and learn to navigate the world in ways that allow them to flourish. With wit and candor, Amanda Martinez Beck compiles her hard-won wisdom to give the skinny on thriving in a fat body.

Dr. Tracy Thomas has created a groundbreaking technique for living life to the fullest, breaking damaging and addictive behaviors, and reaching your highest potential. In The Method, she shares her road map to achieving personal transformation by learning how to live truthfully with your deepest inner self through radical self-inquiry, assertive and rigorously accurate speech, and positive action. Most importantly, she teaches how you can be your own best coach and therapist, setting up a plan to deal with your personal problems, hang-ups, needs, and goals.

When a Delaware real estate mogul is murdered, Reverend Candice Miller is called to minister to the grieving family. She quickly realizes that the killer has adopted the symbolism of sin eating, a Victorian-era religious ritual, as a calling card. Newspaper journalist Brian Wilder wants the scoop on the killing, including the meaning behind the mysterious loaf of bread left with the corpse.

What happens when a quirky artist meets a bad boy? Ember never thought she'd fall for a bad boy like Vance, even if he did read Hemingway. Vance and Ember didn't love each other at first sight. They didn't even like each other. Ember, with her quirky ways, and Vance, and his angry, broody exterior. But there was more to both of them than met the eye. And when layers were peeled back, all their broken pieces exposed, they soon got a lot more than they ever bargained for....

We all long for meaningful relationships, the Colossians 3:14 kind that fulfill our desire for unity and connection with God, our friends, and our community. But where do we start? Craving Connection is a journey with (in)courage writers sharing real-life stories, practical scripture application, and connection challenges.

God's Little Book of Answers to Big Questions provides a quick and easy way to find answers to 150 big and challenging questions that believers and unbelievers alike want to ask - such as "Why does God allow suffering?" Every question comes with an answer from the Bible, a short devotional to add context, and a promise from God. The audiobook can be used as a devotional or reference guide, or as a resource to help others who have questions about how faith in God works out practically in our lives.

Reese Marigold saved Ann Stone from a life of addiction by introducing Ann to AA and serving as her sponsor in recovery. Despite their differences - Reese is a hopeless romantic, while Ann is a no-nonsense attorney - the women remain close 10 years later. So when Reese goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles’ retreat off the coast of Hawaii, Ann infiltrates the retreat.

"Critical Race Theory" is consuming conservative America. The mounting attacks on a once-obscure legal theory are upending public schooling, legislating censorship, driving elections, and cleaving communities. In this much-needed response, renowned scholar David Theo Goldberg cuts to the heart of the claims expressed in these attacks. He punctures the demonization of Critical Race Theory, uncovering who is orchestrating it, funding the assault, and eagerly distributing the message.

God's goodness and grace abounds whether your heart is full or your needs are many. Discover how a spirit of gratitude brings peace and hope to your days in I Will Give Thanks, a 90-day devotional by author and illustrator Becky Shannon full of thoughtful reflections.