When Carolyn Weber set out to study Romantic literature at Oxford University, she didn't give much thought to God or spiritual matters—but over the course of her studies she encountered the Jesus of the Bible and her world turned upside down. Surprised by Oxford chronicles her conversion experience with wit, humor, and insight into how becoming a Christian changed her. Carolyn Weber arrives at Oxford a feminist from a loving but broken family, suspicious of men and intellectually hostile to all things religious. As she grapples with her God-shaped void alongside the friends, classmates, and professors she meets, she tackles big questions in search of truth, love, and a life that matters. From issues of fatherhood, feminism, doubt, doctrine, and love, Weber explores the intricacies of coming to faith with an aching honesty and insight echoing that of the poets and writers she studied. Surprised by Oxford is: The witty memoir of a skeptical agnostic who comes to a dynamic personal faith in God Rich with illustration and literary references Gritty, humorous, and spiritually perceptive An inside look at Oxford University Weber eloquently describes a journey many of us have embarked upon, grappling with tough questions and doubts about the meaning of faith—and ultimately finding it in the most unlikely of places.

We live in an age when the growth of the Internet has made it easier than ever to gain access to information and accumulate knowledge. But information is not the same as meaning, nor is knowledge identical with wisdom. Many people feel engulfed by a tsunami of facts in which they can find no meaning. In thirteen short, accessible chapters McGrath, author of the bestselling The Dawkins Delusion, leads the reader through a nontechnical discussion of science and faith. How do we make sense of the world around us? Are belief in science and the Christian faith compatible? Does the structure of the universe point toward the existence of God? McGrath's goal is to help readers see that science is neither anathema to faith, nor does it supersede faith. Both science and faith help with the overriding human desire to make sense of things. Faith is a complex idea. It is not a blind leap into the dark but a joyful discovery of a bigger picture of wondrous things of which we are all a part.

In 1967 Milton studies was divided into two camps: one claiming (per Blake and Shelley) that Milton was of the devil's party, the other claiming (per Addison and C. S. Lewis) that the poet's sympathies were obviously with God and his loyal angels. Fish has reconciled the two camps by subsuming their claims in a single overarching thesis.

The emoji is surprised. In this Emoji Emotions Level A reader children can read simple sentences featuring their favorite emoji characters. Emoji Emotions books help young children identify emotions and promote social emotional learning for preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten level readers. Each book follows the simple pattern of showing an emoji character displaying the title's emotion. In SURPRISED, kids will reinforce their understanding through a bunny emoji, a cow emoji, a heart emoji, a lion emoji and more. Each book also contains a note to parents and caregivers, a page of activities to do next, and a word list. Emoji Emotions are very short 8-page books for kids who are just beginning to read. These beginning readers are an excellent part of a Guided Reading Level A classroom collection or a teaching unit on emotions.

One thing about a new day--you really never know where it will go, even if you know where it starts. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is walking on the blanket when he is unexpectedly launched high into the air. Tumbling through space, the bird's-eye view offers our small friend not only a glimpse of the important things in life--his beloved Nana who sleeps in a fancy French bread, a stinky shoe, and a monstrous baby--but also a much bigger picture. Sometimes the most wonderful discoveries are the ones we least expect.

This book explores the deep and abiding human need for contemplation, for coming to terms with and standing in awe of the nature and character of the God revealed in the Scriptures. When so much is wrong in the world, when our lives are troubled by so many threats, both real and imagined, we must learn to look to God and to see all things, including ourselves, in the light of who he is. A life of faithful contemplation begins to free us from the bad desires, false expectations, and corrupting illusions that bind us against our will and keep us from the fullness promised in the gospel.

“Our God is a God of surprises... Am I open to the God of surprises?”—Pope Francis, 2014 Responding to this challenge, Surprised by God explores what it means to reflect on life and our journey of faith. Theological reflection has been primarily used in academic training for ministry preparation, but it is an essential tool for any person pondering Pope Francis’ questions. Christina Zaker provides an in-depth look at the foundational elements of theological reflection including definitions and guidance through various methods. Offering a lens for reflection based on the unique way Jesus’ parables surprise and invite listeners to collaborate in the reign of God, the book foregrounds the importance of reflection as a spiritual practice committed to justice. Reveling in the many ways God surprises us, we learn how to respond to the invitation of faith with open minds and hearts.

There is no process, no beginning, no middle or end to grief; it just is. And that simple existence changes everything. Author Pat Brown lost the love of her life in 2005. When Tom, her husband of eighteen years, died of a hemorrhagic stroke, she was surprised and sometimes dismayed to discover that grief reopened all the questions often described as spiritual, questions she thought had been settled long before. Her unease, even distrust, of religious answers to mystical conundrums made the journey difficult. But she hung in, bracketing her disbelief, while keeping an open mind and a cocked eyebrow. In Surprised Pink Geraniums, she shares stories of her life with Tom stories filled with love, tenderness, humour, and sometimes the annoyances of loving another human being. Irish Wolfhounds played major roles in their lives, and these great beasts contribute their own version of charm and devotion. Even so, Surprised Pink Geraniums is not a depiction of happy couples romping with dogs. It is a story of grievous loss, of connections, and of recreating meaning. This memoir is not focused on redemption only on the human possibility for joy.

Here you’ll read the eye-opening, often heartrending life stories of ten people who struggled with some of the most difficult issues human beings face – and who, as they struggled – were drawn out of pain and darkness by the beauty of Catholic teachings about life, marriage, and human sexuality. Dramatic and thought-provoking, these intensely personal stories address virtually every controversial issue surrounding life, including in vitro fertilization, abortion, contraception, and more. Gathered by popular Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid, they turn on its head the oft-heard charge that Catholics embrace the Church’s teachings on life only “because they are Catholics.” These good folks show the opposite: they are Catholics because of the Church’s pro-life teachings. In these pages you’ll meet, among others: AnneMarie S., one of San Francisco’s highest paid call girls, made pro-life – and then Catholic – by a Catholic radio talk show. Leticia A., the sexually-abused Texas Baptist teenager, whose life of wild promiscuity was brought abruptly to an end by her need for true marriage, which she found only in the Church. Heather S., the pregnant teenager whose soul was awakened to the Faith by ten pro-life words from Pope John Paul II. Jewels G., the post-abortion pro-abortion crusader, whose failed suicide left her alive long enough to meet good Catholic women who explained the Church’s teachings, turned her pro-life, and won her to the Faith. Leila M., the contracepting, pro-sterilization wife whose views were overthrown by the stark contrast between Planned Parenthood and the sweet memory of the wise pro-life teachings of her college ethics teacher, good Father Ryan. Chris A., the sexually profligate Jewish lawyer, who too late came to see the evil of the abortions he enabled, and now works as a Catholic apologist seeking to end this American holocaust. Plus others, who came into the Church after being “Surprised by Life.”

For C. S. Lewis, merriment was serious business, and like no book before it, Surprised by Laughter explains why. Author Terry Lindvall takes readers on a highly amusing and deeply meaningful journey through the life and letters of one of the most beloved Christian thinkers and writers. As Lindvall shows, the unique magic of Lewis's approach was his belief that explosive and infectious joy dwells deep in the heart of Christian faith. Readers can never fully understand Lewis, his life or his legacy until they learn to laugh with him.