Offers an inspirational and compassionate approach to understanding the problems of life, and argues that we should continue to believe in God's fairness.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising

Life isnt easy for a little boy who isnt responsible. Sometimes hes late for school. He makes a mess when he eats because he doesnt pay attention. His big brother calls him a dumb little kid, and its so frustrating when he forgets to do his homework! Even worse, being irresponsible can get him into big trouble. Why Does Everything Happen to Me? tells the story of one young boy, learning the importance of responsibility. Its hard being a kid, remembering so many things: homework, lunch money, and soccer practice. Why should a kid so small be expected to remember so much anyway? There is a valuable lesson to be learned, however, even when we mess up. The little boy must come to terms with it, especially when his mom asks, Who forgot his homework? Who forgot his lunch money? Who is to blame? Even little kids cant always depend on adults to get things done; sometimes little kids have to be responsible. Its all part of growing up!

The inspiring new book from the author of Emotional Bullshit reveals why no one is to blame-but everyone's accountable. For many, a rare day goes by in which the need to blame does not arise-be it to cover one's own errors or just to assign an unfortunate event some kind of name (i.e., "If only X hadn't said X, we wouldn't be in this mess.") And even for those who are somewhat better at keeping the impulse in check-it is still there. According to psychologist Carl Alasko, blame is such an intrinsic part of how we humans communicate that we rarely take a look at what we're actually doing-and how it can affect our relationships. In this book, Alasko reveals that the need to assign blame when something bad happens stems from a very deep desire we all share to "see justice done". Understandable when a grave crime has been committed, but it can become a dangerous habit if we begin to operate as though placing blame were somehow necessary if we want to change something or someone in our world. Yet this feeling that "someone has to pay" is seldom productive in initiating positive change. In Beyond Blame, Alasko teaches readers to recognize destruction that blame causes in their lives-oftentimes without their even being aware-and to put an end to it once and for all. The path to eliminating blame is not a quick or easy one but, as Carl Alasko demonstrates, it is a road that must be traveled if we hope to achieve true peace in our lives.

This simple, comprehensive tool teaches readers that the suffering, distress, and frustration they've encountered are not outside the assistance of God's grace.

New York Times bestselling author, Personal Transformation guru, and life coach for the Steve Harvey Show and Today, Lisa Nichols shares her journey from scarcity to abundance, outlining steps everyone can take to create abundance in career, relationships, self, and finances—while creating a legacy for others to follow. Twenty years ago, Lisa Nichols was a single mother dependent on public assistance and jumping from one dead end job to the next. Determined to break out of the defeatist mindset, negative behavior, and bad habits that were holding her back from success, she resolved to change her life. Today, she leads the life of her dreams. In Abundance Now, this icon in the field of personal transformation shares her secrets to creating a life that is rich in every way possible. Focusing on the four areas of life that must be refined to bring true abundance, or the 4 E’s—Enrichment, Enchantment, Engagement, Endowment—Nichols identifies the framework upon which a fulfilled existence is built. Abundance Now offers provocative lessons, actionable plans and real-life case-studies, and makes clear what we must do every day to attract abundance, how to act as if we are already leading abundant lives, and how to open the door to a life of richness in our work, our relationships, our finances, and in our view of ourselves.

The generation of Catholics who have come of age since Vatican II is different in many respects from Catholics of their parents' generation. These younger Catholics have grown up in a world - and a Church - which has changed tremendously in a very short period of time. They were raised in a society which encouraged them to question what their parents accepted on faith. They were formed by a system of religious education which was in many ways struggling to keep up with rapid social change. John Paul II is a pope for these times. He recognizes that today's young people have many questions. He sees emerging in them a deep and sincere faith struggling for definition and for support. In response, he has designated a special, bi-annual event - World Youth Day, where he comes to youth to bring the truth and the love of the Roman Catholic Church. In this book, Mary Beth Bonacci joins with John Paul II in bringing young Catholics a clearer understanding of the Church and their role in it. She takes his quotes from the five World Youth Day events and "unpacks" them, explaining the truths of the faith clearly and concisely. This book is perfect for the Catholics of "Generation X" - and for Catholic "youth" of any age who wish to understand and to deepen their faith. "Bonacci conveys the pope's message with excitement and verve. I wish I had this book as a teenager. Mary Beth speaks to teens with a rare openess and understanding." -Karl Keating, Author, Catholicism & Fundamentalism "A long overdue, down to earth but precise presentation of the truths of our Catholic Faith, not only for young people, but even for older folk who may have never been presented with the solid content of the Church's faith." - Rev. Msgr. Michael Wrenn, Author, Catechisms and Controversies