Before Dawn He cried so loud. He cried so sad. During his birth, his mother almost lost her life trying to save his. There were so many complications that some people said he would have been better off if he had been still born, rather than to have lived. He was an ugly baby. He cried a lot when strangers held him. They outwardly scorned him, and they secretly abused him. A big brown medicine ball worn over his bulging naval caused him to be cut off from his little friends much of the time. He grew up in a kind, loving, and faithful sharecropper family. But he saw suffering in his family early. When he was just six years old, his family was thrust out of their home and cast into the wilderness. This happened because his parents tried to make progress. They tried to buy some land and break the sharecroppers curse from the family. The wilderness living experience was tough. His mother's faithful prayers helped the family to cope; the barren land, the creeks, the woods, the wild animals, the things that crawled the earth. Meeting miss Dolly, a scary but sad woman, and seeing his brother dangling over fast moving water after falling off the foot log were terrifying experiences for him. Could he pull himself up by his bootstraps? Well, he started a self-assessment program in seventh grade. He left home at age sixteen hitch hiking, down a long, lonely, dangerous highway. He was searching for a schoolhouse.

Pain is inevitable. But did you know there is a divine purpose for suffering? The Furnace of Affliction will help those who are struggling with the "why" of pain find hope. This book will encourage readers to look to God, who is bigger and greater than any affliction. Horace Williams, Jr., a stroke survivor, well-acquainted with pain, The Furnace of Affliction blends real stories, practical advice, and biblical truth. Together these elements create a salve that is intended to change how you view pain and re-evaluate your response to it.

Explore the Book is not a commentary with verse-by-verse annotations. Neither is it just a series of analyses and outlines. Rather, it is a complete Bible survey course. No one can finish this series of studies and remain unchanged. The reader will receive lifelong benefit and be enriched by these practical and understandable studies. Exposition, commentary, and practical application of the meaning and message of the Bible will be found throughout this giant volume. Bible students without any background in Bible study will find this book of immense help as will those who have spent much time studying the Scriptures, including pastors and teachers. Explore the Book is the result and culmination of a lifetime of dedicated Bible study and exposition on the part of Dr. Baxter. It shows throughout a deep awareness and appreciation of the grand themes of the gospel, as found from the opening book of the Bible through Revelation.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.