Kirjahaku

UPHILL BOTH WAYSHe left her a bike and a map-but why?Maggie Cooper and her husband had been looking forward to retirement together-but everything changed when "Coop" Cooper died suddenly of a heart attack while restoring his vintage motorcycle and sidecar. After decades of marriage and following God's call to get out of their comfort zone and immerse themselves in multi-cultural friendships and ministry . . . now what?Then Maggie discovers that Coop had had plans for a cross-country trip on that motorcycle to revisit the various stops on their life journey, though she wasn't sure why. Nostalgia? A trip down memory lane? That didn't sound like Coop. Maybe the only way to find out was to honor her husband's wishes and take that trip-against everybody's advice. After all, she was sixty-five Her kids thought she ought to just sell the bike, sell the house, and settle into a retirement village.But she knew at least two people who would say, "Go Maggie " Her now-departed husband and her estranged youngest son. And God. Yes, Maggie had a sense God was up to something.Accompanied by her dog and an unexpected runaway, Maggie sets out on an unforgettable journey, and invites YOU to come along for the ride."It's okay to look behind you.Sometimes it's the best wayto get yourself home."-An African saying

What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student and a married mother of two have in common?Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a prayer group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends? I almost didn’t even go to the Chicago Women’s Conference—after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn’t exactly my “comfort zone.” But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together, and the Yada Yada Prayer Group” was born! When I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound Sisters to show me what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group seems invincible-until tension and distrust shake its very foundation. Jodi Baxter is slowly recuperating from a horrific car accident, but before she's fully recovered, other problems arise within the Yada Yada Prayer Group-big problems. The turmoil starts when a heroin-addicted woman charges into a prayer meeting with a knife and isn't afraid to use it. Things really take a turn for the worse when grim accusations are made against Jodi's husband. Racial division, pain, and pride are tearing this close-knit group of women apart, and Jodi isn't sure if she and her spiritual sisters will be able to survive the mess. The Yada Yadas are forced to get down to the nitty-gritty in their relationships and in their prayers. But is forgiveness possible-not just of their closest friends ...but also of their enemies?

The sisters of the Yada Yada Prayer Group are learning how to be real-with each other and with God. After a particularly exhausting year with the Yada Yada Prayer Group, all Jodi Baxter wants is a break. She even asks God for a little "dull and boring" in the new year. Instead she finds that when you're open to His plans, life is unpredictable-in the best and hardest ways. Jodi's life is suddenly full of changes, and they can be described as anything but boring. Out of all the Yada Yadas, God has Leslie "Stu" Stuart move into the Baxter's upstairs flat, which requires a lot of patience-and tongue-biting-on Jodi's part. She's continually unnerved by guilt stemming from the accident and dreads the day when she comes face-to-face with Hakim's mother. Plus, Bandana Woman, who was safely locked up in prison, has returned. Phew! Through prayer and friendship, the Yada Yadas are getting real. Dull and boring? Not a chance.

Sometimes you find hope in the last place you look.Gabrielle Fairbanks has nearly lost touch with the carefree, spirited young woman she was shen she married her husband sixteen years ago. But when the couple moves to Chicago to accommodate Philip's ambition, Gabby longs for the chance to find real purpose in her own life.A chance encounter with a homeless woman suddenly opens a dooor she never expected. The women of Manna House Women's Shelter need a Program Director--and she has the right credentials. Gabby's in her element, feeling God's call on her life at last, even though Philip doesn't like the changes he sees in her. But she never anticipated his ultimatum: quit your job at the shelter or risk divorce and losing custody of our sons.In this moment, Gabby's entire foundation shifts. She must find refuge, as in the song they sing at Sunday worship: "Where do I go when there's no one else to turn to . . . I go to the Rock I know that's able, I go to the Rock."For everyone who loves the best-selling Yada Yada Prayer Group novels comes a brand new series sprinkled with familiar faces and places from the Yada Yada world. It's the perfect novel to start with--or to meet friends from past Yada stories.

In the last place she ever imagined she'd be, Gabby will discover what she's made of--and for.Gabrielle Fairbanks knew her husband was upset with her. But she never expected him to change the locks on their Chicago penthouse, cancel her credit cards, and disappear with their two boys. Now she's literally on the streets with her elderly mother, her mom's dog...and $220 to her name.Thank goodness she has somewhere to go--Manna House, the women's shelter where she works. But even in the bustling shelter--surrounded by residents and the Yada Yada Prayer Group--Gabby feels more alone than ever. She longs for someone she can really talk to, someone to help mend together the pieces of her broken life. Her warm-hearted lawyer seems ready to offer more than legal counsel...but is he the answer to prayer or just a pleasant distraction?As her fragile plans fall apart, Gabby hits on a possibility so wild and wonderful it has to be one of those "God things." Something she's only seen happen to other Christians. Until now.For everyone who loves the best-selling Yada Yada Prayer Group novels...The Yada Yada House of Hope series features familiar faces and places, with a fresh new life all its own.

You can only walk forward when you learn how to lean.Just months after her husband threw her out of their penthouse and sent their two sons away, Gabrielle Fairbanks is finally getting back on her feet. She has a job she loves at the homeless shelter, an apartment for her and the boys, caring friends, and even a new love interest. Best of all, an unexpected windfall has given her a brand-new dream--a House of Hope for homeless mothers and their children.Piece by piece, Gabby's new life is coming together--but the old one keeps dragging her back. First her husband Philip hints at a reconciliation...then hits her up for a loan to pay his gambling debts. And when Gabby tells him no, he makes a desperate move that puts them all in harm's way. How can she even think of embarking on a new venture when so much is up in the air?Gabby is realizing that she needs something far greater than her own strength or even that of her friends. That to move forward, she must first lean on the only One who knows what the future holds.

Gabby knows God is the God of second chances. But can she give one to the man who betrayed her?When she was thrown out of the penthouse she shared with her husband and their sons, Gabby didn’t know if she’d ever find a soft place to land. But after seeking refuge at the shelter where she works, extraordinary things happen as she is reintroduced to God.From the ashes of her marriage comes the House of Hope—a safe haven for homeless moms and their children. But now those ashes of her destroyed marriage are being stirred again. When her long-gone husband’s life hits rock bottom, he reappears and asks for one more chance. And Gabby faces what feels like an impossible choice. Take him back. Or keep moving forward without him. Toward someone new who hasn’t betrayed her.Is God redeeming what Gabby thought was gone forever? Or is He leading her down a different path and giving her something—and someone—new?

Sometimes the person you most need is the one least like you.Kathryn Davies is a bright young woman from a prominent Phoenix family. But after making a leap of faith at a Christian music fest, dropping out of med school, and moving to inner city Chicago, her family all but disowns her.When Kat discovers SouledOut Community Church, she longs to become a part of the multicultural church family. But her tendency to immediately say whatever she’s thinking steps on the toes of nearly everyone she meets—especially Avis Douglass.Avis has a strong faith, is the principal of one of Chicago’s highest performing elementary schools, and is a founding member of SouledOut. But the country’s economic downturn has thrown both her and her husband’s jobs in question. And Avis hasn’t heard from her youngest daughter in months—an estrangement that gnaws at her every day. Where is God in this?Kat’s flamboyant zeal for living a “radical” Christian life is a stark contrast to Avis’s more reserved faith. But in God’s timing, the two women discover they need each other in ways neither of them expected.