Religious & Inspirational Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

The Shape of My Eyes: A Memoir of Race, Faith, and Finding Myself

A touching, humorous account of the author's cultural reckoning with his Korean heritage and hidden family secrets. A surprising diagnosis of PTSD led Dave Gibbons to look to his past for clues to explain the unexpected result. Born to an American soldier and a Korean mother in the wake of the Korean War, Dave has spent his life struggling to blend his Korean roots and his very American upbringing. The family joins a conservative church that embraces a strict, rule-based faith, and they try to navigate life as one of the few mixed-raced families in their community. But when tragedy strikes, tearing the family apart, Dave is forced to face long- buried secrets that he can no longer ignore. As he explores his family's difficult past, he confronts his own pain and the persistent feelings of not quite fitting in either in America or his mother's home country. And when a DNA test ultimately reveals a truth that shatters everything he understood about his history, he begins the journey to reconcile his American upbringing with his deep Korean roots, and he is forced to confront the traumas he unknowingly carried. The Shape of My Eyes beautifully weaves historic reference points of the oppression and discrimination against Asian Americans with Dave's own personal story. Dave's wrestling with belonging in his family, in America, and in the church creates a raw, thought-provoking memoir about race, religion and finding home.

Dave Gibbons (Author), Dave Gibbons, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior

Explore the interwoven lives of King Herod and Mary, Mother of Jesus as New York Times bestselling author Kathie Lee Gifford brings these biblical figures into a new light. Follow Herod from boyhood as he strives and fails throughout his life to become a beloved king. Walk in the steps of Mary of Nazareth as she navigates the repercussions of Herod's deadly obsession. Delve into the complex history of Herod the Great-his rise to power and ultimate fall in pursuit to be the 'King of the Jews.' Under a flourishing yet tumultuous background of Jerusalem, consider Mary of Nazareth's place under Herod's rule and the promise of a Messiah to free her people. Kathie Lee Gifford with Bryan M. Litfin, Ph.D. deftly weave a truthful historical narrative full of accurate details and sweeping prose that ushers in the true King and glorifies God's powerful plan to bring a savior into the world through unlikely means. A coda between the authors, full of honest revelation and insightful meaning, follows each chapter for added in-depth reading. The first installment in the Ancient Evil, Living Hope series, Herod and Mary begins with the tragic life of King Herod-Christianity's first true persecutor. As an impressionable boy, he is forever marked by the raw power of Rome. Throughout the course of Herod's career, he gains power, fame, and riches beyond belief. Yet murderous intrigues stalk this man-and infect his own dark soul. Under the rule of King Herod, Jerusalem becomes a prominent city of wealth and prosperity, but Mary saw the struggle of her people under a tyrant. Like all Jewish women, she knew the promises of Torah and longed for a deliverer. But no one could have prepared her for what the angel of God revealed: that the Messiah wouldn't arrive with the blaring of trumpets, the clash of arms, or the fanfare of a mighty host. He would arrive as an infant within her own womb. The light of the world was born in a cave: not a king who maims and destroys, but the gentle King of the Jews. This riveting narrative nonfiction work reveals deep insight to how Herod came to power, how corruption and an ancient evil threatened the stability of a nation, and how a teenage Mary was called to traverse these obstacles to bring the Savior, Jesus, our living hope, into the world.

Kathie Lee Gifford (Author), Bryan M. Litfin, Kathie Gifford, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Gospeler: Turning Darkness into Light One Conversation at a Time

Do you want to share your faith more easily and naturally? Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty says that if you can tell someone about your spouse, kids, friends, school, pets, and hobbies, you know how to talk about the most important thing in your life, your Lord! Could you share the gospel with another person? Would you know where to start? Do you even know what the gospel is? It's the Good News of Jesus, and a gospeler is simply someone who shares it with others. Willie Robertson writes about his story of faith, which came about in large part because a stranger went out of his way-as well as his comfort zone-to have a spiritual conversation with Willie's father, Phil. And from that story, he tells readers how they, too, can talk about Jesus with their family, friends, neighbors, and even people they meet along the way. Gospeler will help readers: - Celebrate the gospel genealogy that led to their faith and be inspired to grow their spiritual family tree. - Understand that sharing the gospel is not preaching but having a conversation. - Keep sharing the gospel with someone, knowing that Jesus never gives up on us. - Focus on what's truly important (Jesus) instead of what's not (religion). Being a gospeler is not complicated. And the more you share Jesus, the easier it gets. Maybe you believe other people are better at sharing their faith and it is not your gift. Maybe you think you don't know the Bible well enough. Or you might say you haven't figured it all out yourself, so you aren't equipped to help anyone else. Whatever may be holding you back will be covered in this book, giving you the inspiration, guidance, and encouragement you need. When the gospel is heard, accepted, and responded to, it's not just a cool story, it is a game-changer. And it can spread across the world-starting with one conversation you have with another. In addition to this book, an accompanying 64-page booklet is available to share with others.

Willie Robertson (Author), Willie Robertson (Narrator)

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The Hope in Our Scars: Finding the Bride of Christ in the Underground of Disillusionment

Aimee Byrd peels back the church's underlying and pervasive theology of power to face the shame that lurks there and find the lasting hope of belonging in Christ. Some things happening in the church these days should provoke our anger. It's racked with scandals of fraud, abuse, cover-up. It's embroiled in racism, misogyny, marginalization, and hatred. The truth is that we have to fight to love Christ's church. Many of us are left wondering what kind of hope can the church offer if its leaders will not care for its wounds, admit their complicity, and move toward true reconciliation with God's people. From the author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood comes a passionate plea to work through our disillusionment with the church and rediscover what's true and beautiful about our covenantal union with Christ. Having tread her own path of disillusionment, Aimee Byrd invites us to see Christ among the chaos so apparent in his church. Along the way, Aimee guides us through deeply theological and personal reflections on how we can: - Cultivate healthier forms of trust by recognizing power structures at work. - Understand the limits of authority, and free ourselves from tribes and celebrity culture. - Take appropriate social risks by speaking up when we're uncomfortable. - Rediscover how our stories matter to God. This book is written to those who have been wounded by the church. To those who have suffered abuse at the hands of church leaders and are left with deep scars. To those who are disillusioned or deconstructing their faith, The Hope in Our Scars offers a way forward with a God who walks with us in our affliction and wants to make it into something beautiful.

Aimee Byrd (Author), Aimee Byrd (Narrator)

Audiobook

It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping: Interpreting the Language of Our Fathers Without Repeating Their

An honest and lyrical coming-of-age memoir of growing up in South Africa at the height of apartheid, and an invitation to recognize and refuse to repeat the sins of our fathers-from the bestselling author of Never Unfriended Born White in the heart of Zululand during the racial apartheid, Lisa-Jo Baker longed to write a new future for her children-a longing that set her on a journey to understand where she fit into a story of violence and faith, history and race. Before marriage and motherhood, she came to the United States to study to become a human rights advocate. When she naïvely walked right into America's own turbulent racial landscape, Baker experienced the kind of painful awakening that is both individual and universal, personal and social. Yet years would go by before she traced this American trauma back to her own South African past. Baker was a teenager when her mother died of cancer, leaving her with her father. Though they shared a language of faith and justice, she often feared him, unaware that his fierce temper had deep roots in a family's and a nation's pain. Decades later, old wounds reopened when she found herself spiraling into a terrifying version of her father, screaming herself hoarse at her son. Only then did Baker realize that to go forward-to refuse to repeat the sins of our fathers-we must first go back. With a story that stretches from South Africa's outback to Washington, D.C., It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping is a courageous look at inherited hurts and prejudices, and a hope-filled example for all who feel lost in life or worried that they're too off course to make the necessary corrections. Baker's story shows that it's never too late to be free.

Lisa-Jo Baker (Author), Lisa-Jo Baker, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Do It Anyway: Don't Give Up Before It Gets Good

In her revelatory debut book, Tasha Cobbs Leonard-Grammy Award winner and Billboard's Gospel Artist of the Decade-shares the transformative power of showing up to hard things with resilient faith and perseverance. In this deeply personal account of Tasha's greatest trials and victories, she proves that the moments when we've got nothing more to give are precisely the moments to press on and do the hard thing anyway. Because waiting on the other side of that decision is our breakthrough and transformation. From Googling how to upload an album to iTunes to later releasing a Billboard Top 10 album, from suffering a heartbreaking miscarriage to bringing home her baby boy, from depression so heavy it held her in bed to mentoring others in finding purpose and joy, Tasha has seen God meet her after every resilient step of faith. Tasha has shared pieces of her journey but never with as much depth and vulnerability as now. With sidebar Do-It-Anyway prompts to the reader, Tasha shares never-before-told stories about - Identifying what risks are worthy of pursuit - Not giving up before it gets good - Being courageous in risk and patient in discomfort - Putting hope into action again With true testimony and conviction, Tasha inspires us toward a bolder way of life with the promise that it will always be worth it on the other side.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Author), TBD, Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Narrator)

Audiobook

Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope, and Redemption

In his riveting follow-up to two?New York Times?bestsellers, bounty hunter and reality television star Duane 'Dog' Chapman reveals the story of how God redeemed his life and gave him renewed purpose--and along the way recounts the adventures and exploits that have made him a legend. After everything he had been through including escaping a Mexican prison, surviving the brutal world of bounty hunting with over 10,000 captures, and the ups and downs of being a TV star, Dog was unprepared for the despair he found himself in after his wife's death--and surprised by the miraculous events that would follow. 'Everybody experiences loss,' says Dog. 'But the loss I felt after Beth's passing was especially hard because I was believing for a miracle. When the miracle didn't happen as I expected, I wrestled with the Lord. Little did I know He wasn't done with me yet.' In one of his darkest moments, Dog found himself on a new journey of healing and redemption. Not only did he come to see God's hand in his life--from the prayers of a faithful mother when he was a child, to the way God guided his steps and protected him throughout his dangerous career--but he also found love and renewed purpose through a divine appointment. Now Dog has launched a ministry with his wife Francie, whom he married in 2021, and speaks and preaches all over the country with the purpose of introducing others to Jesus, using their miraculous story as proof that God is alive and working in the world.? Readers will - be encouraged and inspired by Dog's stories of hope and healing even in the face of grief, loss, and brokenness; - gain the behind-the-scenes insights into the real life of the world's most successful bounty hunter; and - see the power of faith and prayer to change lives and reveal each person's unique, God-given purpose. For lifelong fans and those meeting Dog for the first time,?Nine Lives and Counting?is a powerful memoir that reveals a whole new side of a bounty hunter who is living proof that God loves each of his children, has a good purpose and plan for them, and will never stop tracking them down until they come home.

Duane Chapman (Author), Duane Chapman, Francie Chapman, Mike Ortego (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ghosted: An American Story

A riveting look inside a life of poverty, success, and the inner circles of political influence--from the foothills of Appalachia all the way to the White House. New York Times bestselling ghostwriter Nancy French is coming out of the shadows to tell her own incredible story. Nancy's family hails from the foothills of the Appalachians, where life was dominated by coal mining, violence, abuse, and poverty. Longing for an adventure, she married a stranger, moved to New York, and dropped out of college. In spite of her lack of education, she found success as a ghostwriter for conservative political leaders. However, when she was unwilling to endorse an unsuitable president, her allies turned on her and she found herself spiritually adrift, politically confused, and occupationally unemployable. Republicans mocked her, white nationalists targeted her, and her church community alienated her. But in spite of death threats, sexual humiliation, and political ostracization, she learned the importance of finding her own voice--and that the people she thought were her enemies could be her closest friends. A poignant and engrossing memoir filled with humor and personal insights, Ghosted is a deeply American story of change, loss, and ultimately love.

Nancy French (Author), Nancy French, TBD (Narrator)

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Star for Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit): Rediscovering the Grace that Sets Us Free

Growing up, Kimberly Stuart got really good at strapping on her spiritual tap shoes and trying to be a star for Jesus. She could sing all the songs, ace the sword drills, and know all the right theology. From earning creepy Jesus paperweights in her church's faux girl scout program to trying to calm an actual storm on the Mediterranean, she was doing her best. … and still found herself longing for something more. She didn't mean to completely ignore the most beautiful tenets of her faith-the unwavering grace and tenacious love of God-but she did. Which, of course, was the problem. Her best was lackluster, and God wasn't looking for a star performer anyway. Star for Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit), is an invitation for readers to spot unvarnished, amazing grace when they see it. With her trademark wit and transparency, Stuart brings readers through both big and small moments that teach us to cling to the fierce love of God instead of the flimsier versions we find elsewhere. With unflinching honesty and relatable humor, Stuart encourages readers to take another look at unrelenting grace; why, contrary to the cultural narrative, we are not actually enough, and that's good news; how we always, remarkably, have all the grace we need; and why this moment in history is the perfect time to extend no-strings-attached grace to an emotionally bedraggled, wary world. .

Kimberly Stuart (Author), Bob Goff, Kimberly Stuart, TBD (Narrator)

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Between Two Trailers: A Memoir

An unforgettable memoir about a girl who escapes her childhood as a preschool drug dealer to earn a divinity degree from Duke University-and then realizes she must confront her past to truly find her way home "Home, it turns out, is where the war is. It's also where the healing begins." Born to drug-dealing parents in rural Indiana, Dana Trent is a preschooler the first time she uses a razor blade to cut up weed and fill dime bags for her schizophrenic father, King. While King struggles with his unmedicated psychosis, Dana's mother, the Lady, a cold and self-absorbed woman whose personality disorders rule the home, guards large bricks of drugs from the safety of their squalid trailer, where she watches TV evangelist Tammy Faye on repeat. Growing up, Dana tries to be the daughter each of her parents wants: a drug lord's heir and a debutante minister. But when the Lady impulsively plucks Dana from the Midwest and moves the two of them south, their fresh start results in homelessness and bankruptcy. In North Carolina, Dana becomes torn between her gritty midwestern past and her desire to be a polite southern girl, hiding her homelife of drugs and parents whose severe mental illnesses have left them debilitated. Dana imagines that her hidden Indiana life is finally behind her after she graduates from Duke University and becomes a professor and an ambivalent female Southern Baptist minister. But Dana was a child of the drug trade. Though she escapes flyover country, she realizes that she will never be able to escape her father's legacy, and that her childhood secrets have kept her from making peace with the people and places that shaped her. Ultimately, Dana finds that no one can really "make it" until they return to where their story began: home.

J. Dana Trent (Author), J. Dana Trent, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sign of Jonas

Begun five years after he entered the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, The Sign of Jonas is an extraordinary view of Merton's life in a Trappist monastery, and it serves also as a spiritual log recording the deep meaning and increasing sureness he felt in his vocation: the growth of a mind that finds in its contracted physical world new intellectual and spiritual dimensions.

Thomas Merton (Author), Tom Mcelroy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness

In the vein of Educated and Hillbilly Elegy comes a young woman's memoir chronicling her harrowing journey from despair to salvation that showcases the depths and resilience of the human spirit and empowers readers on their own paths toward healing, forgiveness, and redemption. Carrie Sheffield grew up fifth of eight children with a violent, mentally ill, street-musician father who believed he was a modern-day Mormon prophet destined to become U.S. president someday. She and her seven siblings were often forced to live as vagabonds, remaining on the move across the country. They frequently subsisted in sheds, tents, and, most notably, motorhomes. They often lived a dysfunctional drifter existence, camping out in their motorhome in Walmart parking lots. Carrie attended 17 public schools and homeschool, all while performing classical music on the streets and passing out fire-and-brimstone religious pamphlets-at times while child custody workers loomed. Carrie's father was eventually excommunicated from the official LDS Church, and she was the first of her siblings to escape the toxic brainwashing of his fundamentalist creed. Declared legally estranged from her parents, Carrie struggled with her mental health during college and for most of her adult life. But she eventually seized control of her life, transcended her troubled past, and overcame her toxic inner voice (and a near death experience)-thanks to the power of forgiveness, cultivated through her conversion to Christianity. She evolved from a scared and abused motorhome-dwelling girl to a Harvard-educated professional with a passion for empowering others to reject the cycles of poverty, depression, and self-hatred. Motorhome Prophecies is the story of Carrie's unbelievable, yet in many ways, very American journey. It resonates with those trapped in difficult situations and awes all who are enchanted by the depths and resilience of the human spirit.

Carrie Sheffield (Author), Carrie Sheffield, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Religious & Inspirational Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature