"When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan's infamous 'suicide forest, ' Tark and the ghostly Okiku must resolve their differences and return to find her. In a strange village inside Aokigahara, old ghosts and an ancient evil lie waiting"--

Why do we so often seek out physical pain and emotional turmoil? We go to movies that make us cry, or scream, or gag. We poke at sores, eat spicy foods, immerse ourselves in hot baths, run marathons. Some of us even seek out pain and humiliation in sexual role-play. Where do these seemingly perverse appetites come from? Drawing on groundbreaking findings from psychology and brain science, The Sweet Spot shows how the right kind of suffering sets the...

"As the leader of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, one of America's largest and most important congregations, located in the heart of Los Angeles, Rabbi Leder has witnessed a lot of pain: "It's my phone that rings when people's bodies or lives fall apart, " he writes. "The couch in my office is often drenched with tears." After 27 years of listening, comforting, and holding so many who suffered, he thought he understood pain and its challenges--but when...

"Have you ever felt emotionally wrung out from an ongoing trial? Though suffering often leaves us feeling isolated, God invites us into the community of the Trinity and offers us many companions in Scripture. Journey in these pages with Wendy Alsup through her story of suffering, and more importantly, with the God who walks with us in the wilderness"--

Book 1 opens by addressing civic-minded Roman citizens looking for happiness in this life - a mistake, Augustine believes. By exploring the problem of evil and questions of suffering and suicide, you'll discover how Augustine's approach toward life differs from the Roman view, yet is arguably more life affirming and even therapeutic.

Immerse yourself in the book of Job, first identifying its biblical genre and unusual literary structure. Witness God's wager with the accuser, who questions Job's faith, and see the unfolding of the guiltless Job's ensuing tribulations and reckoning with God. Contemplate the many historical explanations of God's actions, and what the narrative suggests about divine providence and human value.

Shift your attention from Paul's epistles to the gospels, starting with the Gospel According to Mark. After reviewing what historians know about the author and the book's composition, Professor Brakke surveys the time of Jesus' ministry and death and explicates the key themes of Mark's gospel.

We all fear that the depression will never lift, the disappointment will never stop, the pain will never leave. Here in the pits, surrounded by steep walls, we wonder if our gray skies will ever brighten. Though these unprecedented and challenging times may bring a load of uncertainty and fear that feels too heavy to bear, God gives us this promise: You'll Get Through This.

In You'll Get Through This, pastor and New York

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"As a journalist suddenly skeptical of the power of words to tell the deepest truths of other people's stories, Jeff Sharlet turned to taking snapshots and posting them on Instagram- images that he then reflected on in words of extraordinary intimacy and power. A visionary work of radical empathy, this collection of images and reflections is framed by the two years between his father's heart attack and his own, a time defined by insomnia and late-...

"For most people, sorrow, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. The burden of living comes down to mundane choices that we each must make--like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble considers how carrying on amid great suffering is a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God"--