This book tells a story of perseverance, and inspiration. This reflects my thoughts and realization through the years.

Table of Contents Introduction The Little Milkmaid The Story of St. Dhanna The Doors of God’s House The Bear – a Story from Ancient Egypt The Chosen Ones Beliefs in Horoscopes The Missing Prayer Wheel “Be Not Thee Afraid” Shabri Krishna and Sudama Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction When I wrote my book, Experiments In Faith , I began to think that I had been to so many places and read so many books, as well as scriptures and listened to so many stories of different cultures and faiths, that I could compile some of the more beautiful ones in a book of fairytales for children and adults alike. This is a book of ordinary human beings like you and I. Some of them are centuries-old. Some of them just happened the other day. But they are stories of ordinary miracles which are a part and parcel of the human fabric until we recognize them. Many of the stories are local folklore, and you are not going to see them very often in books, but they have been part of the social fabric for hundreds of years. Apart from traditional stories, I would like to tell you some real stories of faith, told by the elders, and how it has the power to change fates. Some of the stories have been taken from literature, some of them are real-life, some of them have been spoken by word-of-mouth, from generation to generation, but all of them talk about the power of faith. And how Gods can be moved and ordered by their devotees as in the case of Saint Dhanna. Along with that, you are going to read about my possible meeting with the Tibetan version of "The Wandering Jew," so if you still do not believe that angels and the great ones walk among us, you might yet change your mind. Do not read this book as a cynic. Many of us are so inclined to scoff, thinking, hey, this cannot happen, miracles do not happen, but that is because we have lost the innocence of a simple faithful heart, and we are much more apt to look at everything through dark-colored glasses. So browse through them to your hearts content, and read them at your leisure and for your pleasure. These are stories of different religions, and different faiths from different parts of the world, but all of them are ones I heard as a child, as fairytales or traditional folklore. Now let me start with my favorite story, the story of a river and a little milkmaid.

The novel is set in the late Victorian period in England. It concerns conflicts in attitude to social class and destitution and religion. The central character is Sir Gilbert Stanley, Tory politician and great landowner. Like many rich men, he had taken peasant mistresses in his youth, later abandoning them with no means of support. These women all died evil deaths, and the children were placed in the workhouse. Sir Gilbert longed secretly for these children and watched their progress to adulthood. Unaware he was their father, the children became absorbed into his household as servants. He favoured them, and their status became ambiguous. The outside world was horrified, and the household imploded. Murder and chaos followed.

Some memories are permanently seared into our childhood brains with a hot iron of adrenaline and fear. For five-year-old Greg, it was the memory of his ma walking back to the house after confronting his stepdad with a splintered, bloodied baseball bat in her hand. Greg Stier was raised in a family of bodybuilding, tobacco-chewing, fist-fighting thugs. He never knew his biological father because his mom had met his dad at a party; she got pregnant, and he left town. Though his mom almost aborted him, in a last-minute twist, Greg’s life was spared for so much more. Unlikely Fighter is the incredible story of how God showed up in Greg’s life—and how he can show up in yours as well. This is a memoir of violence and mayhem—and how God can transform everything.

A call for a warmhearted faith from former President Jimmy Carter Former United States President Jimmy Carter’s contagious desire for peace, compassion, and wholeness permeate the notes of this Bible. His decades-long Sunday School teaching ministry, his public service, and his humanitarian engagement form the basis of the book introductions, thoughtful essays, pithy quotes, and honest prayers, calling you to a warmhearted, justice-filled life of faith. This New Revised Standard Version Bible is the foremost Bible translation vetted by Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, and Jewish scholars. Renowned for its beautiful balance of scholarship and readability, the NRSV faithfully serves the church in personal spiritual formation, in the liturgy, and in the academy. Features The text of the New Revised Standard Version (66-book Protestant canon), vetted by an ecumenical pool of Christian academics and renowned for its beautiful balance of scholarship and readability Foreword by Jonathan Reckford, International CEO of Habitat for Humanity Over 600 application-oriented notes, articles, reflections, and prayers gleaned from Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s extensive teaching ministry and public life of service

Trapped in complicated Christianity? Here's permission to come out of confinement! How did so many people wind up trapped by complicated systems of performance-based faith? Why do we push ourselves past our limits in pursuit of more works than any reasonable Pharisee would have demanded? Must we run at a pace somewhere between maddening and insane to prove we're among the faithful? "No!" is the emphatic answer from best-selling author Chuck Swindoll. In Simple Faith, he shows us how to get free from such arbitrary confinement. He reminds Christians that they serve a God who promised freedom, peace, and rest. And it's everlasting---not exhausting---life, remember? Here at last is an exhilarating invitation to simple faith. Move beyond rat-race Christianity and break the bars calculated to wilt free spirits. A cage is no place for a Christian. Welcome to your wings!

For fans of Beverly Lewis and Cindy Woodsmall, Rosalind Lauer’s uplifting Lancaster Crossroads novel A Simple Faith brings together disparate lives in a warm Amish setting. BLESSINGS BORN OF TRAGEDY A LOVE TO HEAL ALL FEARS Rushing to the scene of a tragic highway collision, nursing student Haley Donovan draws on her training to care for the passengers in the crumpled van. The experience wins her a place in Lancaster County’s tight-knit Amish society, and draws her to kindhearted psychologist Dylan Monroe. Working side by side with Dylan, who is bringing counseling services to the small town of Halfway, Haley feels an undeniable attraction between them, yet she senses that Dylan is holding back, scarred by the wounds of his past. Elsie Lapp, the manager of Halfway’s country store, is a voice of cheer and goodwill for her customers. But Elsie’s serene world spins out of control with the terrible crash, and the young woman finds herself grappling for the simple faith that has always sustained her. Her burden is eased by Ruben Zook, a neighbor known for his snide jokes. In the aftermath of the accident, Ruben reveals a tender heart that could easily sweep her away. However, Elsie carries secrets that keep her from surrendering her heart. Exploring the ways that faith, hope, and charity bring everyone together, A Simple Faith resonates with the sweetness, purity, and power of love. Praise for Rosalind Lauer and A Simple Faith “The lives of four people converge in the wake of a horrific accident in the small Pennsylvania town of Halfway. . . . As the four connect, faith, hope, and love begin to bloom. . . . Lauer’s new Amish series launch is sure to be a hit with fans of her ‘Seasons of Lancaster County’ series.”—Library Journal “A lovely story of two sweet couples, this story will warm your heart and spirit.”—The Parkersburg News and Sentinel “Sweet, touching . . . The Amish culture, religion and way of life feel accurately depicted.”—RT Book Reviews “[Lauer] definitely sets the bar high for Amish romance stories.”—Fresh Fiction, on A Simple Winter

Man shares his 'Faith' in book A simpler approach to the Bible January 2, 2012 By Jason Raiche ([email protected]) , Daily Press ESCANABA - Escanaba resident and Swedish native Bo Lange has recently released a book on Christian faith, now available online. The book, called "Simple Faith," touches on Biblical Christianity, in the culture of religions and secularism, as noted in the book's subtitle, and stemmed from a book Lange wrote in his native Sweden. "Simple Faith" offers a look at Christian faith "as represented solely in the Bible," according to an overview of the book on publishing company WestBow Press' website. Lange said "Simple Faith" is essentially about having confidence the Bible is God's word, as he is concerned with secularism and religion dominating our culture, which has led him to reintroduce the Bible to readers. The book breaks down arguments about Christianity "to the most basic yet powerful aspects of the Christian faith," according to the overview. "I have the preconceived idea that the Bible really is the word of God, which means you can still trust it," explained Lange, adding, if the Bible truly is God's word and "it is the revealed word of God to man," that makes it no ordinary book. He said the word "simple" helps define the concept behind faith, and also represents his own mind. "I have a simple mind," said Lange. "Some people, especially those who are more sophisticated, they have a hard time with me, because I'm so simple. So I decided to write the book about simple faith by a simple mind." By simple, Lange does not mean simple in the way of "easy believism", where if you believe, then you're a Christian, but "simple," as in the concept of faith itself. "First of all, one of the chapters has to do with 'How does a person reconcile with God', or how is a person, like they usually say, 'saved'?," said Lange. "And I say, it's only by faith. Very simple." He said "Simple Faith" is based on an earlier book he wrote in the Swedish language, about the Christian faith in the Swedish philosophical world, which was called "The Dividing Line," and discusses the dividing line between religion and Christian faith. "Simple Faith," which he finished writing this last year, essentially evolved from "The Dividing Line," he said. "Coming from a secularist society and humanistic parents, I have gone through all these issues," he explained. "You wonder how in the world did you come up with an idea like that if you grew up in a very liberal, progressive country? And I still believe it, so that's why I decided I'm going to write it and say, 'You can still believe this.'" Lange said the book is for those seeking to figure out whether they can believe the Bible, for those who have just become Christians, for those long-time Christians as a reminder they can still believe the Bible, and for "sophistic philosophers," such as priests or pastors who have gone away from this message. The process for getting the book published this time was different from what he did on his first two books in Sweden, he said. "The two first ones I wrote in Sweden, I went to the printer and said, 'This is what I want you to print,'" said Lange. "So this time I did a lot of web searching, and I found this WestBow Press, which I had heard a little bit about before. And they do all the publishing." WestBow is a Christian book company, with all books published having Christian messages, said Lange. Though he had a friend from Marquette edit the book, he said WestBow has cut out a lot of the work he had to do from the first two times he was published. "The second book in Sweden I printed 1,000 copies and I had to distribute them and it was so hard, so they (WestBow) do the distribution on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, and it's an eBook." He said the company will print the book according to needs, and keeps 50 percent of proceeds from each book, which costs $9.95. Lange will be requesting 100 copies from the company, and the book will be sold locally at Canterbury Bookstore, he said. There will also be a book signing coming up at Stones Cafe when copies of the books arrive in approximately two to three weeks. Lange comes from an Evangelical Covenant Church background and said he has been a confessing Christian since his childhood. He also has served 38 years as a pastor, serving both denomination and non-denomination congregations. Currently he resides in Escanaba with his wife, Diana, and has recorded Scandinavian music on both cassettes and CDs. He has also helped organize area Scandinavian festivals, teaches Swedish classes at the University of Wisconsin in Marinette, and also teaches Swedish online. For more information on "Simple Faith," search for the it online at westbowpress.com.