Showing results by narrator "Derek Perkins" in All Categories

In a world that will not tolerate the mention of sin, and in churches where it has been defined only in generic, sociological terms, one could make a good case could that repentance is one of the least used words in the English language today. Repentance is essential to true Christianity - Jesus Christ himself said that if we do not repent, we will perish - and there are few better guides that have existed in this or any other area of spiritual experience than Thomas Watson.

Though she wiles away hours immersed in the pages of romance novels, shy and anxious Felicity Goode has vowed never to become a bride. How can she share a life - not to mention a bed - with a man if she can’t bring herself to share a simple conversation without trembling and stuttering? Once news of her obscene inheritance circulates through the ton, she is barraged not only by a slew of suitors, but also several distressing threats against her life. What she needs is a bodyguard.

After his childhood is turned upside down, orphan David Copperfield is forced to navigate and survive the brutal world of the industrial poor. He'll cross classes and paths with kindred spirits, extended family, eccentrics, and adversaries. Throughout his journey into adulthood, he'll be befriended, loved, and conspired against. And each evolving adventure - comic, tragic, and romantic, both at home and abroad - will inform the observant young man's success as he becomes a novelist.

Jodie lives in the year 2075, and more than 50 years have passed since the banning of books and paper; it's a time when no one can own a printed book. In this E-world, experiences are largely simulated, from the reconstituted food, to the zoo that only shows films of all the extinct species. With her student library card, which gives her the ability to time travel, Jodie discovers that she and her friends can experience historical events and meet legendary characters, and can also find and bring home her precious books to keep safe in her secret hiding place.

In this short, accessible account of the Eastern Orthodox Church, John McGuckin begins by tackling the question "What is the Church?" His answer is a clear, historically and theologically rooted portrait of what the Church is for Orthodox Christianity and how it differs from Western Christians' expectations.

Many portions of the New Testament introduce a compassionate Jesus who turns the other cheek, loves his enemies, and shows grace to all. But the Jesus we find in Revelation and some portions of the Gospels leads an army of angels bent on earthly destruction. Which is the true revelation of the Messiah - and how can both be in the same Bible? How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian explores this question and offers guidance for the faithful conflicted over which version of the Lord to worship.

Now infamous for his exploits, Jack Myst is a master thief. As a member of the Thieves Guild, he has fought assassins, reavers, and even a devil - but now he faces his greatest challenge yet, the rank of guildmaster. Ascending to the office after defeating Skorn at Margauth, he launches a daring plan, one to steal what cannot be stolen. A god. But Skorn has retrieved the fragments of an ancient artifact, and has begun construction on the Necrolith, the beacon of ending. He issues a king's bounty on Jack's head, turning governments and guilds against him.

After her brother’s dramatic fall from power and banishment for treason, Lady Margaret’s husband threw her out to save himself. Now her ambitious brother is back in Scotland with the support of Henry VIII - and a plan to again marry off his beautiful, compliant sister to forge an alliance. But Margaret refuses to ever wed again, and she’s desperate to escape.

Eighteen days after the action closes in An Air of Treason, courtier Sir Robert Carey and Carey's surly, larcenous, and loyal henchman, Henry Dodd, are back in Carlisle and the Debateable Lands. A Chorus of Innocents ushers forward Lady Elizabeth Widdrington, a married woman whom Carey adores but respects. It opens when a very pregnant young woman rides to Lady Widdrington's tower, crying that her minister husband has been murdered and she herself has been raped.

Born of magic in the final days of war, Draeken’s power is near absolute - until his soul shatters, leaving five fragments. Each possesses a single magic, and a consciousness of his own. Trained by the Hauntress, they secretly quell threats throughout the kingdoms, and their mastery grows with every passing age. But their time of unity has come, for a dangerous new foe has arrived.

When he was assassinated in 1896, Nasir al-Din Shah had sat on the Peacock throne for nearly half a century. A colorful, complex figure, he is frequently portrayed as indolent and self-indulgent. Yet he was in many ways an effective ruler who displayed exceptional resilience in the face of dilemmas and vulnerabilities shared by most monarchs of the Islamic world in the 19th century. In this book-the first in English about Nasir al-Din Shah, Abbas Amanat gives us both a biography of the man and an analysis of the institution of monarchy in modern Iran.

The war may be over, but so long as English magic controls the Highlands, not even a dragon laird can keep his clan safe. What Cathal MacAlasdair needs is a warrior fierce enough to risk everything, yet gifted enough to outwit an enemy more monster than man. What he needs is Sophia. Alchemist Sophia Metzger traveled to Loch Arach in search of knowledge. She never dreamed she'd learn to do battle, ride through the stars on the back of a dragon, or catch the eye of a Highland laird.

Strong as a Viking. Handsome as Adonis. Rich as Midas. Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trewyth, is the stuff that legends are made of. He's the English Empire's golden son - until fate has its way with him. Cole's family is killed and his closest comrade betrays him on the battlefield, leaving him gravely injured. But Cole is not one to dwell on misfortune. He is a man of duty, honor, and desire. And now he's ready for the fight of his lifetime....

Midlan has awoken. Soldiers pour from between the gates, and monsters descend upon the kingdom. When Midlan turns its eye to Copperdock, Kael quickly discovers that no realm is safe from the wrath of the king. But while he fights to keep Crevan's soldiers away from his friends, other powers rise up behind him - including an army so terrible that it threatens to devour everything.

Alesh and his friends have evaded the Broken and his warriors, fleeing into tunnels hidden deep in the earth. They travel to Peralest, a city where they hope to find help, to find sanctuary. But when night falls and the shadows caper, hopes are snuffed out as easily as a candle flame. Betrayed and hunted, Alesh and his companions must learn how to use the magic the gods have blessed them with if they’re to have any chance of survival. But not all magic is good, and not all blessings are kind.

War has erupted across the Seven Isles. Alexander has recovered the Sovereign Stone, and much to his surprise, it has bonded to him, revealing the truth of his bloodline and his duty. He is the Seventh Sovereign of the Seven Isles and champion of the Old Law. Fleeing the wrath of Prince Phane, Alexander has traveled through the Reishi Gate to Ithilian in search of an alliance, only to discover that Ithilian is facing the threat of invasion as well.

After years of exploitation, neglect, and despair, the animals of Manor Farm revolt. They drive owner Mr. Jones off the land and rechristen the property Animal Farm, a utopia of equality and mutual support. But Napoleon, a young boar who assumes command after the rebellion, is hungry for power. And as the pigs consolidate control, all the good intentions of Animal Farm are crushed by a new and inevitable tyranny.

An ill-fated elopement cost English-born governess Bernadette Holly her reputation, her unsuitable lover, and any chance of a future match. She has nothing left to fear - not even the bitter, dangerously handsome Scot due to marry her young charge. Naive wallflower Avaline is terrified to wed Rabbie Mackenzie, but if he sends her home, she will be ruined. Bernadette's solution: convince Rabbie to get Avaline to cry off...while ignoring her own traitorous attraction to him.

Auguste Dupin is one of the few persons in Paris who can identify the rare Cthulhu Encryption inscribed in the flesh of a dying madwoman. The Comte de Saint-Germain has a second cryptogram that's a partner to the one Dupin now owns, and believes it to be the key to a fabulous treasure hoard buried by the pirate Levasseur. Harassed by shoggoths and tracked by Saint-Germain, Dupin must find the key to the complex puzzle. Can the might of Cthulhu be held at bay? And will any answer that Dupin finds enable him and his friends to escape with their lives?

It is said that the true test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. As many as one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse during childhood, and it's estimated that as many as half of the incidents are never reported. This means that countless millions in our societies, both children and adults, carry this complex, often hidden pain. What does the path to healing look like for survivors? And how can ministry leaders, pastors, and counselors best help them as they walk this difficult road? Drawing on both his own experience and his wife's experience as survivors of childhood sexual abuse, minister and lecturer Tim Hein offers his expertise.