J. D Jackson

We are here at home now, watching the world through our windows. Outside we see the city we know, but not as we've seen it before. The once hustling and bustling streets are empty-well, almost empty. Around the city there are still some people out and about. These are the people keeping us safe, keeping us healthy, keeping our mail and our food delivered, keeping our grocery stores stocked, keeping the whole city going. Brian Floca speaks for us all...

Life on the farm with Granddaddy is full of hard work, but despite all the chores, Granddaddy always makes time for play, especially fishing trips. Even when there isn't a bite to catch, he reminds young Michael that it takes patience to get what's coming to you. One morning, when Granddaddy heads into town in his fancy suit, Michael knows that something very special must be happening and sure enough, everyone is lined up at the town hall! For the...

You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy. A love for rockets, robots, inventions, and a mind for creativity began early in Lonnie Johnson's life. Growing up in a house full of brothers and sisters, persistence and a passion for problem...

One of hip-hop's greatest stars, Tupac Shakur is an American icon, renowned as a powerful wordsmith, poet, and artist. Tupac was a master of the rhyme, penning intense, compelling lyrics reflecting black urban culture. Born in NYC to a prominent woman in the revolutionary African-American political group the Black Panther Party, Tupac showed a strong creative streak from an early age, composing his first play when only six years old. But at home he...

Best-selling author John Eckhardt gives a fresh revelation of our identity as "Zion," the place in which God dwells. In applying the characteristics and blessings in Isaiah 60, this book will teach readers how to do the following: • Access the hidden benefits of Zion, the dwelling place of God • Understand the glory of God and unlock its benefits • Expand to new levels of faith that release blessing, healing, deliverance, promotion, and...

What is the role of corporate prayer in the church? Prayer is as necessary to the Christian as breathing is to the human body—but it often doesn't come quite as naturally. In fact, prayer in the church often gets subtly pushed to the side in favor of pragmatic practices that promise tangible results. This book focuses on the necessity of regular prayer as a central practice in the local church—awakening us to the need and blessing of corporate...

"People called me Harlem. I dubbed myself after that dangerous neighborhood that I'd never seen. I read life is rough in Harlem, and a black man isn't expected to live to see twenty-five. I was twenty-three. The clock was ticking.” When Harlem gets off on a murder charge due to insanity, the asylum he's sent to feels worse than death, with one exception: the beautiful nurse Daphane. As their relationship grows, so do the stakes: she has the ability...

Biblically and practically instructs church members in ways they can labor for the health of their church. What Is a Healthy Church Member? takes its cue from Mark Dever's book What Is a Healthy Church?, which offered one definition of what a healthy church looks like biblically and historically. In this new work, pastor Thabiti Anyabwile attempts to answer the natural next question: "What does a healthy church member look like in the light of Scripture?" God...

Through a series of heart-breaking and poignant letters, come explore the 20-year journey of a child longing for the love of his mentally ill mother while facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Witness Manny's transformation in this coming-of-age story of a forgotten and disfigured child, born into spirit-crushing poverty in Houston, Texas, and thrust into adulthood all too soon. Crying out to the world for understanding and forgiveness, Manny battles...

One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared "contraband of war" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These "contrabands" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation...