On one of the green slopes of the Sierra Morena, shaded by a few cork-trees, and with wild craggy heights and bare brown wastes stretching far above, there stood, about the middle of the sixteenth century, a castle even then old and rather dilapidated. It had once been a strong place, but was not very spacious; and certainly, according to our modern ideas of comfort, the interior could not have been a particularly comfortable dwelling-place. A large proportion of it was occupied by the great hall, which was hung with faded, well-repaired tapestry, and furnished with oaken tables, settles, and benches, very elaborately carved, but bearing evident marks of age. Narrow unglazed slits in the thick wall admitted the light and air; and beside one of these, on a gloomy autumn morning, two boys stood together, watching the rain that pored down without intermission. They were dressed exactly alike, in loose jackets of blue cloth, homespun, indeed, but so fresh and neatly-fashioned as to look more becoming than many a costlier dress. Their long stockings were of silk, and their cuffs and wide shirt-frills of fine Holland, carefully starched and plaited. The elder—a very handsome lad, who looked fourteen at least, but was really a year younger—had raven hair, black sparkling eager eyes, good but strongly-marked features, and a complexion originally dark, and well-tanned by exposure to sun and wind. A broader forehead, wider nostrils, and a weaker mouth, distinguished the more delicate-looking younger brother, whose hair was also less dark, and his complexion fairer. Views: 313
On Halloween night in 1973, young Daniel Taylor was approached by a mysterious horse-drawn hearse driven by a sinister old man. Forty years later, the hearse emerged from the darkness and appeared to Daniel once again - but this time it was carrying a coffin.Weatherton-native Jacob Grayson finally has life exactly how he wants it to be: a nice job, a gorgeous apartment, and a brand new start in Chicago. He appears fine on the outside, but beneath layers of thick skin lies a pain bigger than his seemingly-perfect life. Jacob journeyed hundreds of miles from home not only took him from the place he called home. He was also running from the pain of a bad childhood, the unexpected death of his beloved mother, and the estrangement of his father that caused him years of pain and self-destruction. In the midst of suddenly losing everything, Jacob finds himself far from the quality of life he once knew and places him at a crossroads. One road leads to deeper depression and possibly death, while the other leads him on the path to redemption and an unexpected reunion with his dying father. Will Jacob finally reach out to his dying father and forgive him, or have years of hate hardened his heart forever? Views: 311
A short story set in France towards the end World War IIAfter centuries of believing they were invincible, the Fey receive a rude awakening when a seer reveals the end to their everlasting life. Evil forces threaten to destroy the Fey's homeland, Usue, and its surrounding kingdoms. As a messenger from the god of life, Nadia, the seer offers news of hope in the form of Usue's unborn princess, Poppiena Quindallen Moabe.With the weight of being born as a sacrifice on her shoulders, young Poppy is forced to accept a sheltered life under the constant watch of her knight, Anton.Even with Anton diligently guarding her, Poppy manages to maneuver through life, living as wild and recklessly as her heart desires. Until, her eighteenth birthday arrives and Nadia forces her to challenge the limits of common laws. Poppy embarks on a voyage to find the truth behind her existence and seek out the evil threatening to end the world.Poppy must find the forbidden magic lurking through the kingdoms'. If she's too late, darkness will enslave Nadia's innocent people; forever damning the Fey to an afterlife in pits of Hector's underworld. Views: 298
From the revered teacher and bestselling author of such classic Christian works as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters comes a collection that gathers the best of C. S. Lewis's practical advice on how to embody a Christian life.The most famous adherent and defender of Christianity in the twentieth century, C. S. Lewis has long influenced our perceptions and understanding of the faith. More than fifty years after his death, Lewis's arguments remain extraordinarily persuasive because they originate from his deep insights into the Christian life itself. Only an intellectual of such profound faith could form such cogent and compelling reasons for its truth.How to Be a Christian brings together the best of Lewis's insights on Christian practice and its expression in our daily lives. Cultivated from his many essays, articles, and letters, as well as his classic works, this illuminating and thought-provoking collection provides practical wisdom and direction... Views: 294
This is another 8 short stories for children. Some will get your child thinking that he or she would like to do some of the things William and the others are doing. Other stories will get them interested in reading longer tales that might spark their imagination.Management Science has done tremendous and commendable works to explain human behaviour with approaches of Personality Theory. Despites, it fail explain on applicable grounds of reality. The book intends to review progresses made in this area. It also identifies limitations of theory and reasons for its in-applicability It reinforces existing theory limitations to enable it to explore its true significance vis-a-vis what anticipated of Personality precise. The book has two sections. Section I discusses about Mapping of Personality amidst available and defined set of data. The Section II provides glossary to understand and illustrate true significance and real parlance of Personality. Views: 293
Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive collection. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. Whilst the books in this collection have not been hand curated, an aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature. As a result of this book being first published many decades ago, it may have occasional imperfections. These imperfections may include poor picture quality, blurred or missing text. While some of these imperfections may have appeared in the original work, others may have resulted from the scanning process that has been applied. However, our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. While some publishers have applied optical character recognition (OCR), this approach has its own drawbacks, which include formatting errors, misspelt words, or the presence of inappropriate characters. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with an experience that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic book, and that the occasional imperfection that it might contain will not detract from the experience. Views: 293
Like much of G. K. Chesterton\'s fiction, The Ball and the Cross is both witty and profound, cloaking serious religious and philosophical inquiry in sparkling humor and whimsy. Serialized in the British publication The Commonwealth in 1905-06, Chesterton\'s second novel first appeared in book form in America in 1909, delighting and challenging readers with its heady mixture of fantasy, farce, and theology.The plot of The Ball and the Cross chronicles a hot dispute between two Scotsmen, one a devout but naive Roman Catholic, the other a zealous but naive atheist. Their fanatically held opinions—leading to a duel that is proposed but never fought—inspire a host of comic adventures whose allegorical levels vigorously explore the debate between theism and atheism.Martin Gardner\'s superb introduction to The Ball and the Cross reveals the real-life debate between Chesterton and a famous atheist that provided inspiration for the story, and it explores some of the novel\'s possible allegorical meanings. Appraising the book\'s many intriguing philosophical qualities, Mr. Gardner alerts readers as well to the pleasures of its "colorful style . . . amusing puns and clever paradoxes . . . and the humor and melodrama of its crazy plot." Views: 290
‘Psychs 1st’ is a spin off from the 'Psychs series' that tells the story of young Hassan, a guy with eight ghosts connected to him by the tragic event of his birth. He decided to visit the United States in an effort to put closure to 7 of the ghosts by visiting their families and give them letters with a fake story of how he got them, only to discover that he is there to do more than that.‘Psychs 1st’ is a spin off from the 'Psychs series' that tells the story of young Hassan, a guy with eight ghosts connected to him by the tragic event of his birth. He decided to visit the United States in an effort to put closure to 7 of the ghosts who are connected to him by visiting their families and give them letters with a fake story of how he got those letters, only to discover that he is there to do more than that, and probably to try and survive. Views: 288
Can you trust yourself when you don't know who you are? In a park in London, secret policeman Gabriel Syme strikes up a conversation with an anarchist. Sworn to do his duty, Syme uses his new acquaintance to go undercover in Europe's Central Anarchist Council and infiltrate their deadly mission, even managing to have himself voted to the position of 'Thursday'. When Syme discovers another undercover policeman on the Council, however, he starts to question his role in their operations. And as a desperate chase across Europe begins, his confusion grows, as well as his confidence in his ability to outwit his enemies. But he has still to face the greatest terror that the Council has: a man named Sunday, whose true nature is worse than Syme could ever have imagined ... Views: 286
ON THE ATLANTIC "Come to me, children," said Mrs. Bradley invitingly; "I will be a mother to you, my darlings. You shall not be a burden to the community, but I will take care of you myself." Having said this, she seized the little boy and his sister and pressed them to her heart, while tears trickled down her full, rosy cheeks. "Now you little sweethearts," she said soothingly, "you must not be afraid of me. Let me wipe your tears, and then you will come with me to my quarters, and I will give you something very, very good to eat. But by all means don\'t cry anymore." The children snuggled up to her and she took them by their hands, away from the crowd which had frightened them by their curious stares. There was a sigh of relief when the woman had promised to take care of them, for all on shipboard were glad that the two orphans had found a protector. "God bless thee, Sister Clara," said the minister; "the Lord will reward thee, after thy goodness, both here and hereafter. Nor will He ever forsake or leave thee with the extra burden imposed on thee." "The children are no burden," the woman replied; "but rather a godsend, for both my husband and I have longed for two little angels like these long ago. How they will comfort our hearts in those weary hours of winter when the days are so short and the nights so long! And, please you, sir, there will be enough for us to eat, for the good Lord has blessed us abundantly. But I must not delay to attend to them; so kindly excuse me, I must go." The minister looked after her with grateful eyes, and then turned to the men and women standing around him. "A pious woman she is," he said; "a rich reward will be hers for her great kindness." Then the congregation dispersed, each family departing for the cabins and quarters where they lodged during the long, long voyage over the Atlantic. Traveling at that time was not as comfortable as it is now, for the conversation that we just related took place just three hundred years ago, to be exact in the year of our Lord 1630. Since that time many and great changes have taken place in the world, and should the people of that time rise from their graves, they would be amazed at the transformation that has taken place. At that time the voyage across the ocean was slow and dangerous; the ships were small and propelled by the wind, so that when the weather was contrary, it took the emigrants a long time to reach America. Usually the food was poor, and quite often the water gave out, so that the people on shipboard suffered extremely. At the time of our story there were many who wished to settle in America, and in consequence the vessels were usually crowded to the utmost of their capacity. The result was that sickness spread among the passengers, and many did not reach the country where they hoped to find liberty of conscience. Among these was the mother of the two children, of whom we just spoke. The boy\'s name was Fred, and he was eight years old; the name of his sister was Agnes, and she was seven.... Views: 283
In Both Ways Edward Goble looks into the heart and life of a local minister battling temptation, success and fidelity. A pastor himself for many years, Goble brings to life a story that is full of humor, heartache, madness and grace. With the seemingly epidemic fall of popular ministers to infidelity, this is a topic that is timely and important to the church.Almond Grove, California is home to the growing Community Chapel Church and their charismatic young pastor, Madison Enright. Madison and his newlywed bride, Jill, moved to the struggling church right out of college and, after sixteen years of dedication, had forged it into one of the most exciting, fastest growing churches in the Bay Area. From all appearances, Madison had it all, but successfull ministry has a way of introducing temptations into life that can undo even the greatest among us. An old friend, Dave Bean, himself trying to discover the meaning of life and his purpose in the world, comes alongside Madison at his point of greatest need. But will Madison be able to confide in his best friend, or will he try to manage his own demons without the support of those closest to him. In Both Ways Edward Goble looks into the heart and life of a local minister, a position he held for many years, and brings to life a story that is full of humor, heartache, madness and grace. It is, on one hand, a sad story of sin and brokenness, while on the other, an encouraging message of hope and faith. Views: 278
His Excellency Global Community Potentate Nicolae Carpathia is back, this time as Satan. Resurrected and indwelt by the devil himself, the beast tightens his grip as ruler of the world. Terror comes to believers in Greece as they are among the first to face a GC loyalty mark application site. The gloves are off, as the forces of good and evil begin a battle for the very souls of men and women around the globe. A repackage of the eighth book in the "New York Times" best-selling Left Behind series. Views: 277
A short story about the life of a quirky person who diedThis book contains six of the eighteen fairy tales from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book (1889). The stories have been rewritten sentence by sentence to make them accessible to 21st century American children. The 6 stories include Toads and Diamonds, Beauty and the Beast, Snow-white and Rose-red, Why the Sea is Salty, Felicia and the Pot of Carnations, Hansel and Grettel.The great beauty of Andrew Lang’s Blue Fairy Book, originally published in 1889, is that it brought together many different fairy tale traditions. There are stories written by Charles Perrault and Mme d’Aulnoy, collected by the Grimm brothers and Asbjornsen and Moe, and translated from the Arabian Nights. It is a very rich collection of fairy tales.However, the stories are written in a language that is outdated and in places inaccessible to modern American children (and even their parents). To remedy this problem, I have thoroughly edited half of the stories contained in Lang`s book, keeping the stories as intact as possible, while revising every sentence so the stories can once again be read with pleasure by children. Views: 276
In this text, Lewis attempts to show that a Christian must not only accept but also rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the personal involvement of God in his creation. He challenges the rationalists, agnostics and deists on their own grounds. Views: 275
