The Dusty Sandal began years ago as I watched my own children and realized that when Jesus died, there must have been children in the streets of Jerusalem. Also, there were children wanting to be around Jesus when he walked the areas of Judea. Chapter 19 of Matthew tells us the apostles tried to run them off. These two realizations inspired the story of how the young beggar boys, Jesse and Bart, found one of the sandals belonging to Jesus and witnessed his death and resurrection.

I'm continually amazed by the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures regarding our Savior and King. They never fail to take my breath away! The disciple, Matthew, learned from his Master how to bring "out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:52). In other words, more than any other gospel writer, Matthew ties Old Testament Scriptures to the realities of our New Testament messianic King. Matthew gained wisdom by being covered in his Rabbi's dust. This expression relates to this former tax collector's willingness to leave all and follow Jesus. Christ and his disciples walked together, ate, ministered, rested, and celebrated together. Jesus' wisdom was imparted to these committed followers. In Dusty Sandals: A Woman's Walk Through the Prophecies and Promises of Matthew, we learn that disciples of all times have been commissioned to not only be disciples, but to go on to maturity and to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Matthew does this as he composes his account, passing on words of life, shaping a new generation of disciples like you and me. So, let's jump in with Matthew to walk the dusty roads of Israel, learning from our Rabbi, Lord, and King! Dusty Sandals: A Woman's Walk Through the Prophecies and Promises of Matthew is a three volume Bible study. Volume 1 covers the Gospel of Matthew chapters 1-10. The study is divided into 10 lessons with each lesson further divided into three days. Author, Nancy Gemaehlich, has a passion to equip and encourage women in the Scriptures. She works alongside her husband, Bill Gemaehlich, as a pastor's wife and is the Director of Women's Ministries at Calvary Chapel Honey Creek in Weston, Texas. Nancy earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education with an emphasis on Ministry with Women in 2019 from Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

A tour de force of life on a journey with Jesus. By all means, take this journey if you can.—Chuck Colson, Founder, Prison Fellowship With our society’s sometimes unfavorable view of Christians, it is all the more important that believers display what Dr. David Jeremiah calls signs of life — signs that Jesus has transformed us and that we are committed to Him and His kingdom. They are signs that ought to be detected from across the street, over the fence, down the hall, throughout the office, or in the pews, for it’s not enough to just talk about Jesus. It’s also not enough to serve Him in secret with our acts of private devotion. We have to display the lifestyle of the Nazarene in the midst of a corrupt and darkened culture. In a world starved for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, honesty, relevance, and compassion, Christians should specialize in exactly those things through public expressions of private faith. It’s by our smile, our compassion in the face of misfortune, our friendliness, our simple lifestyle, our willingness to commit random acts of kindness, our social ministries, our tears, and our words that unbelievers recognize Who we represent. Signs of Life will lead you on a journey to a fuller understanding of the marks that identify you as a Christian. Signs that will advertise your faith. Personal imprints that can impact souls for eternity and help you become a person of influence who radiates relevancy, authenticity, generosity, and compassion every day — just like Jesus did.

You can’t trust the Bible; it’s been translated too many times. Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah or God. Science has proven that miracles don’t happen (so the Bible is a fairytale). All religions basically teach the same thing (so all paths lead to God). Have you heard these? People say a lot of things about the Bible, God, Jesus, and Christianity that are simply not true. Like the guys on the popular cable show Mythbusters, it’s time we put these commonly held myths to the test. Following a brief summary of a recurring myth or misconception about the Christian faith, Fred explains why the myth is false and provides biblical and historical evidence in his response. He masterfully weaves together serious discussion with a touch of humor in his responses, all the while keeping the focus on the Scriptures. He avoids making fun of the people who hold views which differ from his own, but the views themselves are fair game. So grab a cup of coffee and find a cozy corner. Let’s do a little myth busting of our own.

Lisa wants to have a child; it has been her dream since she was a little girl. Although she was diagnosed at a young age with polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormone condition that can lead to infertility, she married young and believed then that she had enough time to seek fertility treatments to become pregnant. At thirty-six, after years of trying and failing to conceive, she decides the time had come to get aggressive with her treatments. She attempts fertility medications and various treatments, but to no avail. Her medical conditions would not allow her to become pregnant and carry a baby. Desperate, Lisa and her husband, Al, elect to try in vitro fertilizationonly to discover that she has uterine cancer. She has a hysterectomy to save her life, but now having her own child suddenly becomes an impossible dream. Then, Lisa and Al learn about the possibility of using a surrogate mother. Lisa happens to catch a television show about a clinic in India that focused on IVF and surrogacy with success. Using this information, their quest for parenthood truly begins.

What if you were to look at human suffering, pain, and loss with another lens? Not as something that you merely make it through but as something that you move around within. In this fresh, creative, and provocative new book, Jeffrey Tucker explores suffering in new ways, challenging our existing beliefs and theologies while offering a healthier and more helpful approach to viewing ourselves, our faith, and others in the face of suffering. Tucker addresses specific and practical questions that we often ask ourselves when we suffer--attempting to locate our suffering, our identity, the persons of the Divine, our support, and our hope in the process. He also engages us along the way by wrapping wisdom within the framework of a story of an old man on an island who is seeking answers to his pain and loss. The journey takes unexpected turns as the old man learns new ways to walk and to live in the midst of his pain. As we join the old man in his walk, we learn new ways as well. This highly readable and accessible book offers thought-provoking and transforming ideas for persons of every walk of life and faith.

While big changes are coming to her Mexican village, 9-year-old Rosalba hears that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 and dreams of an ancient Mayan boy, eyes bound in a shamanistic ritual, who hints at what Rosalba can do to make a difference.

The author of Becoming George Sand has crafted a “standout novel of a tested friendship . . . highlighted by fine prose and finely drawn characters” (Publishers Weekly). When her old friend Hannah doesn’t show up at her house in the south of France, everyone assumes that Claudia, who has known Hannah since their shared years at boarding school, will know where she is and what has happened. But as Claudia travels from the United States to France to help her friend’s husband and children conduct their search, she is forced to deal with her old jealousy of Hannah, as well as her own relationship in the present with her French lover, Alexandre. As events unfold, Claudia begins to wonder if Hannah and Alexandre may have had an affair and if that has something to do with Hannah’s mysterious disappearance. In this exquisitely written, Ferrante-esque novel the question of whether or not Hannah will come back becomes urgent and bewildering. And if she doesn’t return, what will the lives of her friends and family be without her?

Jennifer R. Durant, busy career woman, wife, and mom of two, made a drastic career change. In the lexicon of ministry, God called her to be an Episcopal priest, and Jennifer answered. Several years later, in the final weeks of seminary, Durant's world changed dramatically again, when the persistent weakness in one of her hands was diagnosed as ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease). In Sparrow, completed with her husband, Matthew, Durant recounts her battle and brings the reader with her on her spiritual journey through her priesthood and ministry which, despite her illness, continued to her death—with the aid of a speech box, she preached her final sermon on the Sunday before her death. Durant leads readers forward through the confusion of our caffeine-fueled and perpetually exhausted world to discover, as she did, a renewing sense of God-given purpose and sacred light which even the darkest of circumstances cannot extinguish, a place where even in silence, God is present, whispering through us. An inspiration to any who suffer from a debilitating disease (or know someone who does) and those who provide pastoral care to others. It is a story of God's redemption and new life.