The man of Benares knew this and much besides. He became my friend because of the very simplicity of my questions. At evening he would bestow on me the alms of a bowl of rice. Often he let me spread my litter in his reed hut. At night under the stars he taught me concerning the creation, and imparted to me his knowledge of all things. It was he who expounded to me the great mystery of Fetishes, since which I have lived without care for the morrow. Later, a Parsee, a great grain merchant, took me to your Algiers, and thence brought me here, where I have remained. But all that I have seen of the world has but confirmed my belief in the profound wisdom of the illustrious fakir of Benares.”...FROM THE BOOKS.

Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected is a fascinating look at how we can handle and harness surprise in our work, relationships, and everyday lives. Pop Quiz! Do you prefer when: A) Things go according to plan? B) When the unexpected happens? Most of us pick control and predictability. Yet research reveals a counterintuitive truth: surprise is the key that unlocks growth, innovation, and connection. It is also the secret ingredient in our best memories. Through colorful narratives and compelling scientific findings, authors Tania Luna and Dr. LeeAnn Renninger shine a light on the world's least understood and most intriguing emotion. They reveal how shifting our perception of surprise lets us thrive in the face of uncertainty. And they show us how surprise acts as a shortcut that turns a typical product into a meaningful experience, a good idea into a viral one, awkward small talk into engaging conversation, and daily life into an adventure.

This ebook edition contains artwork adapted from the print edition to fit the digital format. "My hope is that this volume will help you to see the Savior more clearly, to understand his grace more deeply, to confess your struggle more honestly, to worship him more fully, and to find in these meditations the motivation to continue to follow the Savior even when he’s leading you into unexpected and hard places.” —Paul David Tripp Best-selling author Paul David Tripp invites you into his personal reflections on his experience of God’s ever-present grace through the ups and downs of his life. He shares his celebrations, disappointments, cries for help, confessions, and confusions in the form of 120 meditations that were written over many years through various joys and struggles. Vulnerable yet pastoral and wise, these meditations in the form of verse showcase how God’s amazing grace intersects with the mundane, unexpected, messy, and beautiful moments of everyday life.

An after-work walk to clear her mind was what Mallory Kerrigan intended, but spotting Caitlyn Gooding on the river trail interrupts her plans. At work she had watched as a distraught Caitlyn signed over the deed of her house to her ex-husband. Caitlyn's finances are none of Mallory's business, but she strikes up a conversation anyway. Their long conversation begins a friendship and their compatibility leads the newly divorced Mallory to propose that Caitlyn and her two sons move in with Mallory and her daughter to share expenses. It seems an ideal arrangement--except to Zoe, who is no happier about sharing her house than she is about her parents' divorce. But life is full of surprises ... including a friendship that deepens into far more.

This is a romantic novel about an ordinary woman who never gave up on her dreams and finds her true love and is fulfilled with passionate love making her dreams come true. Why did God bless her with a loving spouse, wonderful children and a dog which completed their family of happiness but suddenly destroys her dreams?

Find a new sense of hope and security as you witness the thoroughly unpredictable ways God intervened in the experiences of men and women in the Bible. Examining six “But God…” moments in Scripture, popular Our Daily Bread author Bill Crowder focuses your hope on the eternal wisdom and perfect purposes of God in every situation.

The launch of a funny new series about three 12-year-old best friends who start a babysitting club in their small California town. No parents. Unlimited snacks. And, okay, occasionally watching other people's children. What could possibly go wrong?

At its beginning Christianity was surprising, powerful, creative, world-shaking. Today in the West it is many times familiar, common, and expected, losing its power to surprise and transform. We have developed societal amnesia and ignorance of what Christianity originally was – and what it still can be. We need to recover the surprise of Christianity. We need to ask the same fundamental questions as the early Christians, which will help us rediscover the surprising power of Christianity in our midst. Focusing on the surprise of the gospel message takes us into the heart of what it is to understand Christianity at all, and thus what it is to remember and relearn the life-giving power and witness that went with being Christian at the beginning. This remembering and relearning can, in turn, surprise us all over again and chart a course for our witness today.

Statement of responsibility from front cover.