Through all obstacles, I have overcome. Beyond all temptation, I am here. Out of Satan's chains, I have broken. I have found God's light and let it guide me through darkness. The hope I have is leading me to move forward. I pray for bound souls and hope to inspire them to be God's children.

Winston Churchill once said that success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. I have always looked to inspirational quotes like this to get me through hardships, and Churchills words are no exception. Over the years, I have learned firsthand that I, like everyone else, am not perfect. Instead of allowing my failures to discourage me, I have come to see them as learning experiences that have enlightened me and shaped me into the individual I have finally come to love and respect. All things in life have a silver lining. Through my failures, I have become a more efficient problem solver. I have gathered the strength to move forward in life and accomplish things I never thought possible. This is the story of my life. It was not an easy story for me to tell since I am a product of childhood abuse and family neglect. I had to come to overcome my shame of being abused, but I knew that by not telling the story, I would forever remain a victim. To become a survivor, I had to speak out about what I endured. In the early years, I developed coping mechanisms like denial and the repression of feelings. At the time, this was the only way I could survive the harmful effects of my childhood traumas. Seeing firsthand how judgmental people can be, deterred me from being open with others about who I was and what I had experienced. But eventually, I realized that silence and these coping mechanisms I was implementing, were keeping me from becoming a healthy individual. I began by examining the ways in which my childhood either adversely affected or actually helped me. I had to ask myself many painful questions. Could I become the good mother I was never shown to be? Was I able to break the chains of abuse and neglect? Could I finally stop the cycle and show future generations that there is hopethat life could be filled with love and free from abuse? My children were my lightning rod, the reason that I pursued emotional health. They made me realize that I had to finally open up and speak out publicly. I finally understood that I could make the difference in the lives of others and be a positive influence for someone else. Oh, how I wish I had had such a person in my childhood! But I have learned that my troubled past is not only a part of me; it has shaped me into who I have become. When I counsel others and hear all the stories, I am struck by how many people are still troubled by their painful childhoods and their own personal stories of abuse and neglect. Whats remarkable, though, is that now I am able to focus solely on what they are going through. I dont think any more about what I endured; rather, I think about how I can help. I have finally become the person I have always wanted to become, in large part because I have learned to accept, respect, and love myself. This knowledge has enabled me to accept, respect, and love others. I believe that we all go through some sort of failures in life, and at times, many of us have fallen into a cycle of abuse. The only difference between those that stay in that cycle and those that break those chains is personal responsibility. I believe that we all have the potential to break the chains of abuse and neglect. The key factor is whether we chose to do something about it.

Randy s Chase is the former winner of the Editors choice Award. Awarded by the International Library of Poetry in 1999. He writes for young children who need a book that is fun, easy too read and can keep their attention. The author himself was a slow reader and wishes to Thank the Teacher who never gave up on him. Thank you Jewels! You started simple and made me believe in myself, When other Teachers looked the other way. I only wish you could have known the difference you made in my life. This story is for a teacher like you.

Setting the Captives Free After suffering with suicidal thoughts and addictions for many years, Alfred Flett found himself back in the very church he’d attended as a child. Christianity wasn’t practised in his home, but he was made to attend Sunday school, where he heard the life-changing words of John 3:16. But he eventually dropped out of Sunday school and never returned to church until he was an adult. The path he chose left him a broken young man, and life seemed hopeless. He tried self-help techniques like psychology and counselling, but nothing seemed to help. His need went beyond the physical and emotional. He was running away from his Creator who had made him for a purpose. Have you ever asked yourself: Why am I here? Who created me? What’s my purpose? Alfred found the answer in the person of Jesus Christ. He filled the spiritual vacuum in his life, and He can do the same for you!

"Creatively drawing on archaeological, architectural, and documentary evidence, this book explores the dynamic strategies employed by German Americans and African Americans in the nineteenth-century American frontier to navigate the exclusionary, exploitative, and insidious forces of the emerging world capitalist system."--Frederick H. Smith, author of The Archaeology of Alcohol and Drinking "Two in-depth and insightful case studies investigating how historical archaeologists can contribute to the current dialogues about self-determination and the subversion of elite designs. Timely and important, this book furthers the cause of socially conscious archaeology."--Charles E. Orser Jr., author of The Archaeology of Race and Racialization in Historic America Using case studies from frontier regions in nineteenth-century Virginia and Illinois, this book reveals how marginalized ethnic and racial communities thwarted the attempts of officials and investors to control them through capitalist economic systems, global commodity chains, and development plans. In backcountry Virginia, German immigrants opted to purchase ceramic wares produced by their own local communities instead of buying manufactured goods supplied by urban centers. Examining archaeology sites and account books and ledgers maintained by local stores, Christopher Fennell reveals how these consumer preferences were influenced by ethnic affiliations and traditions of stylistic expression, emphasizing the community’s cohesiveness. Free African Americans in the town of New Philadelphia, Illinois, worked to obtain land, produce agricultural commodities, and provide services as blacksmiths and carpenters. In doing so, they defied the structural and aversive racism meant to channel resources and economic value away from them. Fennell surveys these racial dynamics--as well as those of Miller Grove, Brooklyn, and the Equal Rights settlement outside of Galena--to show how social networks, racism, and markets shaped individual, family, and societal experiences. The small choices made by these two populations had ripple effects through developments in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States. Looking at the economic systems of these regions in relation to transatlantic and global factors, Fennell offers rare insight into the dynamics of America’s consumer economy.

This book is about six personal life events. These six people have a lifetime of addiction problems and have all achieved sobriety and rescued their lives. Most began hard drug and alcohol use before age ten. These people have been abused and have abused themselves. These people have pulled themselves from the brink of death and have overcome unmentionable obstacles to become not just good people but to also give back to the communities they once destroyed. The men and women whose lives are in these pages have not only been to hell, many fought against themselves to stay at the same time seeing no way out. Methamphetamine, crack cocaine, alcohol, heroin, self-harm, and abuse in every form you can imagine, these young people have fought against the odds to overcome death and destruction to build hope and freedom for themselves and others. The events in this book are true events, and the people in this book represent real people alive today and free from drugs. They have rebuilt their lives from nothing to become well-respected members of communities. All work in recovery programs that help others still suffering from addiction, abuse, and homelessness.

"Every time I hear stories about trials, tribulations and God's mercy and grace I stand in awe of His love for the whole world. Product of Love is not just another book to choke the already glutted shelves in bookstores; it is a true life adventure that needs to be read and passed around to as many people as possible... Thank you Dennis and Diana for sharing your soul with us...For those who take the time to read Product of love closely, and apply the lessons written on the pages, they are in store for some pleasant surprises..." Chuck Dean Author of "Nam Vet: Making Peace With Your Past" "I read the entire book in one long night! Great-Powerful-Wonderful. I can't see how anyone would not be deeply moved. Thanks for impacting my life" ... "This is real adventure as one moment you laugh, the next you weep, the next life's difficulties seem impossible then all works out in glory." "These are two people you will grow to feel close to. The end? The book is not the end- they still go on with the Lord today," "Be blessed, read it! Give it to someone else." Arthur Blessitt

For 312 years the rotstorm has blighted the ruins of the Ferron Empire. Born of an unholy war between gods themselves, it scours the land with acid mists and deadly lightning, spawning twisted monstrosities from its nightmarish depths. On the Stormwall, the men and women of the Stormguard maintain their vigil - eyes sharp, blades sharper - defending the Undal Protectorate from the worst of the rotstorm's corruption. But behind the storm front, something is stirring, kindling the embers of an ancient conflict and a plan to kill a god. Will Stormguard steel be enough to meet the coming tempest? --- Floré returns to the Undal Protectorate to find it blighted by the deadly ice and bitter winds of a Claw Winter. Her people are dying, and she is sworn to save them... but she can think only of her daughter Marta, slowly succumbing to her skein-sickness, trapped somewhere in the far, far north. Now Tullen One-Eye – the man they call the 'Deathless' – has been freed and roams the land once more. There are rumours that the great god-wolf Lothal hunts again. And, deep in Orubor's Wood, the god-bear Anshuka stirs from her slumber... Floré must raise her gauntlet one final time if she is to save her daughter and her people. But will steel alone be enough to take down the gods?