Carola Landis Rice was born July 7, 1948 to the late Rev. James Edward McDowell and Lillian Bell Carter McDowell. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky and later at the age of sixteen she made residence in Queens, New York. Here Prophetess Rice would find an inner presence transforming her into a Woman of Power. Anointed and appointed for a spiritual journey that would impact the lives of those she would touch. Prophetess Rice graduated from John Adams High School and attended Clemmie Atkins School of Home Interior Design. Her experience with God and personal stories depict the life of a young girl running so graciously through times of rape, abuse, and persecution. But through it all she gained strength and victory. Prophetess Rice was compelled by the Spirit of God to write and share her story, letting others know that God is a deliverer. The voice of God spoke to Prophetess Rice in the year 1971 and anointed her with the gift of Prophecy. Since that time she has been working for the Master. She has written many spiritual songs which are included in her book. Prophetess Rice has four children, Natalie Johnson, Christina Brown, Regina Johnson and Nathaniel Brown Jr. She has ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Prophetess Rice wrote this book and it is a true story. The characters are real. They may be your next door neighbor, the teacher at school, a lawyer, a sister, a brother or a preacher. But the most important truth that is revealed in her book is the confirmation by God that she is his child.

I relate my life and family experiences from "Tragedy" to "Survival" and "Sorrow" to "Happiness," and from my birth to the present time. I tell of my marriages, my children, my siblings, and people dear to me.

Even as a believer, life has its dark and dawn times, its ups and downs. Life has its smooth and rough times; its troubles, trials, and tests. Life has its difficult, discouraging, and disappointing times; its times of challenges and complications. Life has its share of storms and situations; it has its times of sorrow, suffering, grief, and loss. Life has its times of hurts, heartaches, and pain; its times of struggle. Life has its time of adversity and chaos; its times of frustration and being overwhelmed. Life has its times of bitterness and uncertainty; its times when things go from worse to worse. Life has its times when nothing seems to be going right; times when all feels like it is against you. Life has times when one situation after another comes rushing into your life like the waters of a mighty river. Before one situation is over, two more come in more powerful and hectic than the one that already exists.No, life is not always a time of ease or comfort. Sometimes it is uneasy and uncomfortable. Yet in the midst of life's circumstances, there is good news, and the good news is that God is ever-present. He's always there for you no matter if life's skies are blue or gray. Whatever you face in life, so does God. Good or bad, painful or pleasant, you never face it alone because He's always there for you. Life has times of change and transition, all which are part of God's greater plan and purpose for you and your life. The good news when it comes to life is that no matter what you face or go through in life, your heart can be comforted and your soul at peace in knowing that He's Always There for You.

I have been encouraged for many, many years to write a book. I thought I had nothing of value to say. As the years marched by and I had more adventures, God said, "It's time." In my years on this earth, I have learned so many valuable lessons. More than anything, I have learned some amazing things about God, His Son, and their love for us. And I am still learning. I hope that you will be encouraged by what you read in this book.

This inspiring and moving story, told from the heart of an extraordinary family, recounts the emotional and uplifting journey of raising a transgender son. Janna Barkin's family has come a long way since their child, Amaya, first told them he was a boy and not a girl and this captivating memoir charts the family's experiences of raising Amaya, from birth through to adulthood. With powerful chapters written by Amaya's family and friends, Janna shares personal stories of the support and discoveries her family has encountered and provides a 'care package' of advice for families facing similar issues, including a glossary of terms and a list of hand-picked support sources. Written with warmth and humor, He's Always Been My Son reminds us to accept others for who they are and will support, educate and inspire anyone who reads it.

Remember when you were young and you always wanted to help your dad? Sometimes, there would be things to lift--heavy things. And while your dad would let you help him, he always made sure he carried the heavy end. God is like that. Tough times are coming. Jesus promised they would. But God is always there, and when the burden becomes more than we can bear, He always holds up the heavy end! Written from an educator's perspective, He Always Holds Up the Heavy End encourages us to serve Christ in tough times and reminds us that the power of Jesus Christ overcomes all obstacles in our lives. It shares the accounts of real people, who have lived out the great scripture of Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" It reminds us that our greatest witness for Christ is during those trials and tribulations Jesus talked about. He Always Holds Up the Heavy End is all about bringing the reader closer to Jesus Christ as we realize His greatest promise: "I am with you always, even to the end of the earth." And when the tough times come, He is there, always holding up the heavy end! Thanks be to God! A very special thanks for the overwhelming prayers and support for our son Wesley who is recovering from his heart transplant on August 11, 2022. As this book is in the final stages of being published, Wesley is doing great and we give God all praise and glory. All proceeds from "He Always Holds Up the Heavy End" goes to Wesley, his wife Danielle, and two sons, Cade and Hudson. Our family has had its own private lesson on what this book is all about. And yes, it is and will always be true! HE ALWAYS HOLDS UP THE HEAVY END!!!. In life, in death, in life beyond death, we are not alone. Thanks be to God!

There is a little land. In that little land, there is a little city. In that city there is a little street, and on that street there is a little wall. When you stand by that Holy Wall, you can hear the footsteps of our father Abraham, and you can hear the trumpet of the Great Day to come. You hear the past and you can hear the future. You can hear the singing of the Levites. Or, you can hear us crying, going into exile. You can hear the six million crying out of the gas chambers, and you can hear the trumpet of the Great Day to come. I was standing one early morning by the Holy Wall, and I was saying Kaddish for my father. But when you stand by that Holy Wall, you say Kaddish for the whole world. Sometimes you feel like saying Kaddish for your own soul, and sometimes you feel like saying Kaddish for tomorrow. Then you hear the words “Yisgadal V’yiskadash Shmei Raba — May G-d’s Name become great and sanctified,” and you remember there is one G-d, and you know that the Great Morning is coming. You know that day and night will get together. The living and the dead, we and the whole world. This is my song, the song of tears, because on that Great Day the tears will march through the world, and the whole world will join them. The tears will clear the world and prepare the world. Everything will come together. We will all come together. It will be a new morning – a new beginning. In this remarkable and life-changing work, the reader is transported to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to be inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zt”l. Masterfully adapted by Rabbi Shlomo Katz (renowned musician and creator of the best-selling and acclaimed The Soul of Chanukah: Teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach), these teachings touch the soul.

After seeing Christianity become increasingly defined in the media as a narrow and punitive political movement, Spayde began to wonder: Are religions now just combatants in the culture wars? Should he leave the organized church? How are ordinary people using faith positively to search for the truth and improve their lives? Spayde takes a journey across America that introduces him to an array of believers, eminent and obscure, who relate their personal stories of active and living faith–how they balance Jesus’s love and judgment, the church’s dictates, and their own free will–to live and love completely while on Earth. Here are veteran religious leaders such as John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopal bishop who advocates a radical reform of Christian teaching that would eliminate talk of miracles and stress social justice, and Kosuke Koyana, an important Protestant voice in Asia whose firsthand knowledge of World War II horrors made him see Christ’s teachings as neither liberal nor conservative but simply “care for the widow and the orphan.” Spayde meets those committed to unorthodox beliefs, such as Joyce Rupp, a Catholic sister dedicated to the concept of the feminine as divine, as well as those who have for the sake of their faith drastically altered their lives, including Cynthia Williams who left a high-powered job in finance to work for a struggling inner-city church in Minneapolis, and Thien-an Dang, a Vietnamese refugee who became a top Radio Shack executive only to quit and work for a Texas ministry deeply connected to Vietnam. We’re also introduced to Mary Forsythe, a self-described “train wreck for Jesus,” who found the roots of her work as an evangelical preacher while serving time in prison, and hospice chaplain Anna Bradshaw, who was transformed by the “aliveness” of people near death and personally touched Spayde’s life while tending to his dying mother. Spayde’s odyssey brought him to a new understanding of why action is more important than the intellect in faith, how true solace is found in forging a personal relationship with God, and why worrying about one’s own “worthiness” is always beside the point. This is a crucial book that reveals the different paths that can lead to the same inspiring place, a book that teaches “how to believe” in ways that honor individuality, allow for personal journeys, and spiritually enrich not just our own lives but the lives of those around us. Advance praise for How to Believe “Jon Spayde has assembled a wonderfully vivid portrait gallery of Christian faith in our times. It’s a wild ride, this mystery tour across the deep divides of contemporary religion into the lives of believers and seekers. These are not ‘arguments’ against atheism or in favor of belief, but compelling voices of struggle and astonishment gathered by a writer of integrity on his own ardent search.” –Patricia Hampl, author of The Florist’s Daughter “Jon Spayde is a convivial and wise spiritual scout, who guides us in the direction of a robust Christianity that is deeply grounded in love. Along the way we meet remarkable figures from diverse religious traditions who inspire with their intelligence, insight and faith. This is the perfect book for all of us who yearn for a greater connection with the divine but still feel a little nervous walking through the church doors.” –Jay Walljasper, senior editor, Ode magazine and former editorial director of Utne Reader

Can you be an atheist and still believe in God? Can you be a true believer and still doubt? Can Zen give us a way past our constant fighting about God? Brad Warner was initially interested in Buddhism because he wanted to find God, but Buddhism is usually thought of as godless. In the three decades since Warner began studying Zen, he has grappled with paradoxical questions about God and managed to come up with some answers. In this fascinating search for a way beyond the usual arguments between fundamentalists and skeptics, Warner offers a profoundly engaging and idiosyncratic take on the ineffable power of the “ground of all being.”