In this heartfelt and thoughtful book, Christopher Heuertz writes of the dangers of isolation, the challenges we face when we join together and the struggles and joys that emerge from genuine community bonding. “Ironically, as much as we yearn for deep friendships and meaningful communities, many of us seem to be unable to find our way into them. Even if we know we’re made for community, finding one and staying there seems almost impossible. Though we hate to admit it, if we stay long enough in any relationship or set of friendships, we will experience failure, doubt, burnout, loneliness, transitions, a loss of self, betrayal, frustration, a sense of entitlement, grief, and weariness. Yet it’s these painful community experiences, these tensions we struggle to navigate, that hold surprising gifts.” —FROM THE PREFACE IN A STRIKINGLY confessional tone and vividly illustrated through story, Unexpected Gifts names eleven inevitable challenges that all friendships, relationships, and communities experience if they stay together long enough. Rather than allowing these challenges to become excuses to leave, Chris Heuertz suggests that things like betrayal, transitions, failure, loss of identity, entitlement, and doubt may actually be invitations to stay. And if we stay, these challenges can become unexpected gifts. *** Betrayal, failure, loss of identity, doubt. If your relationships have suffered from any of these pitfalls, this book will show you that staying together can create something more—even something beautiful. IN THIS HEARTFELT and thoughtful book, Christopher Heuertz writes of the dangers of isolation, the challenges we face when we join together, and the struggles and joys that emerge from genuine community bonding. Whether readers are forming a new community, searching for deeper community, or participating in a longtime community, they will find inspiration, caution, guidance, and encouragement as they discover the beauty of pressing in to the ambiguities of growing relationships in this tender and honest testimony about how we are woven together by grace.

Meet the Becker Street Pack: Pete, Paul, Chad, and Razor, four friends united for life. Seeking a little fun on the night they graduate from high school, the boys find themselves hired by the most powerful mobster in town, a dangerous man known as the Shiv. What starts out as a glamorous, lucrative lifestyle begins to fray the Pack’s friendship over the years. As Pete tries to keep his head down as the gang’s “accountant,” Razor is tasked with meting out justice when people are short of what they owe... even when it’s old friends like Paul and Chad who begin to slip. Torn between loyalty to his friends and fear of the Shiv, Pete finds himself falling into debt just as he meets the love of his life and his father is diagnosed with cancer. In the midst of this whirlwind comes an unexpected gift that may show Pete his true path in life... if he can survive the Shiv’s brutal rule, that is. A tale of friendship, love, crime and cruelty, An Unexpected Gift explores how loyalty is tested when power and money is involved.

Originally written and pressed as Christmas cards for friends and family, An Unexpected Gift: Three Christmas Stories collects and presents three funny, tender, modern tales from Marcel Theroux. A hard-pressed barber gets an angelic last-minute customer, a struggling retailer finds un-looked for freedom, and a grieving anthropologist procures a new piece for her collection. These stories are beautifully crafted and underpinned with a wit, charm and light touch that provide perfect seasonal reading.

Drew Robbins Warren is a mother of two, whose husband has just left her for a younger woman. Leah Cline is a pregnant eighteen-year-old with no family, no friends, and no money. The only thing these women have in common is loneliness. Through their unlikely friendship, Drew and Leah learn to embrace life and everything that has been offered to them. But will either woman open her heart to love another man again?-Author Tour: Northern Georgia

Conflict—The Unexpected Gift Conflict between people can be defined as a difference that causes disagreements. Authors Jack Hamilton and Elisabeth Seaman go to the root of what causes conflict and how to rebuild relationships. Interpersonal conflicts permeate our lives. Sometimes we believe that another person treated us unfairly, and that assumption causes us to become angry at the person. Such conflicts in relationships often are intensified because of old patterns of thinking and behavior that have gotten out of hand. Becoming aware of someone’s true intentions, and the many factors that caused them to behave the way they did, as well as awareness of our own reactions, starts us on the path to mutual understanding and reconciliation. Conflict—The Unexpected Gift: Making the Most of Disputes in Life and Work suggests practical ways to honestly address, talk through and benefit from resolving conflicts. Every chapter has real-life accounts of people’s unresolved issues and the creative ways they resolved them. The book stresses the importance of knowing yourself, clarifying and letting go of unfounded assumptions, apologizing to heal old hurts and moving forward by not only repairing relationships, but also often improving them. Hamilton and Seaman wrote this book to give you the tools to talk through and mend unresolved issues that may have surfaced in your personal relationships.

When city girl Morgan Williams arrived in Seaside, Maine, on Christmas Eve, to claim the cottage she'd inherited, she came face-to-face with the handsomest man she'd ever seen. But looks weren't the only thing that Grant Kincaid had to offer. And when he enlisted Morgan's help to raise money for Good Shepherd Camp for troubled kids, she realized there were more important things in life than expensive cars and fancy clothes. Soon Morgan was yearning for a different life...one that included faith and a strong, steadfast Grant by her side.

An unplanned journey A change of direction The meeting of two lost heartsWhen Evan Brooks sets out to repair his fractured relationship with his family, a broken-down car and an unplanned detour lead him to Holly Cole. Her eyes captivate him. Her words comfort him.Her heart warms him.Is she the unexpected gift he's longed for?Is this just a detour, or the road to happiness?Find out in this heartwarming Christmas story.What is Insta-Spark?When you want a bit of naughty along with the nice. Insta-Spark series from Melanie Moreland are complete standalone reads with one thing in common - lots of sweetness and a guaranteed HEA. Instant attraction, little angst - love and happiness abounds in this series.

A small-town girl from Pennsylvania, author Katie McAndrews-McNeill harbored big dreams of working in the fashion world in New York City. After a twisty journey, she achieved that goal, enjoying success as she navigated through her career. Her priorities were dating, dining, fancying fine wines, and living in beautiful apartments in New York and on the Hudson in Hoboken, New Jersey. Life was more idyllic than she could have imagined. All that changed in 2004 when her only and older sister, Susie, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and died just fourteen months later. The decisions McAndrews-McNeill made changed her life in the most wonderful and unexpected ways. In Unexpected Gifts, she shares the story of the blessings she received after her sisters passing, deciding to forgo her fashion career to become a nanny for Susies two young daughters. Unexpected Gifts offers a message for anyone experiencing illness, death, or tragedy. Its about the strength to continue to live while you can, planning for the what ifs, and believing that in great loss can be found amazing, unexpected gifts if you allow yourself the opportunity.