Women's Issues in The Books Store

Every little girl has dreams of being swept up into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess. Sadly, when women grow up, they are often swept up into a life filled merely with duty and demands. Many Christian women are tired, struggling under the weight of the pressure to be a "good servant," a nurturing caregiver, or a capable home manager.

What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating can do for women. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be. By revealing the core desires every woman shares-to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveil beauty-John and Stasi Eldredge invite women to recover their feminine hearts, created in the image of an intimate and passionate God. Further, they encourage men to discover the secret of a woman's soul and to delight in the beauty and strength women were created to offer.

In 2005, Anne Rice startled her readers with her novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and by revealing that, after years as an atheist, she had returned to her Catholic faith.

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana followed.

And now, in her powerful and haunting memoir, Rice tells the story of the spiritual transformation that produced a complete change in her literary goals.

She begins with her girlhood in New Orleans as the devout child in a deeply religious Irish Catholic family. She describes how, as she grew up, she lost her belief in God, but not her desire for a meaningful life.

She writes about her years in radical Berkeley, where her career as a novelist began with the publication of Interview with the Vampire, soon to be followed by more novels about otherworldly beings, about the realms of good and evil, love and alienation, pageantry and ritual, each reflecting aspects of her often agonizing moral quest.

She writes about loss and tragedy (her mother’s drinking; the death of her daughter and, later, her beloved husband, Stan Rice); about new joys; about the birth of her son, Christopher; about the family’s return in 1988 to the city of New Orleans, the city that inspired so much of her work. She tells how after an adult lifetime of questioning, she experienced the intense conversion and consecration to Christ that lie behind her most recent novels.

For her readers old and new, this book explores her continuing interior pilgrimage.

As co-pastor of Lakewood Church--America's largest church--Victoria Osteen understands intimately how day-to-day responsibilities can pile up and at times feel overwhelming. As a wife and mother, she sets the tone for her household and acts as a role model for her family. As a minister, she reaches out to an enormous community of people who look to her for guidance, strength, wisdom, and encouragement. She knows as well as anyone that operating in so many different roles can be extremely demanding, yet she has managed to find balance, living her life in the unforced rhythms of grace. If you ask her, she'll tell you that she loves her life and she wants you to love your life, too.

No matter where you are in your life, no matter what responsibilities you may carry, you can find peace, balance, and enjoyment in every area of your life; but it all starts with you. You have more power inside you than you realize; all you have to do is learn to tap into what you already have! As you begin to recognize your own abilities and influence, and use them in healthy ways, all the other areas of your life will fall into order.

In Love Your Life, Victoria shares from her personal life experiences and her journey of faith the lessons she's learned that have made her the woman she is today. As you read, you'll feel like you're in a conversation with a trusted friend as Victoria shows you how to tap into all that God has given you to live effectively--as a positive influence on the world around you. You'll be inspired by stories of victory and challenged to live at a higher level. You'll read about people who have accomplished incredible things by overcoming their fears, and people who have changed the world around them by simply recognizing their own value.

A life well lived does not come easily; you have to set out for it, look for it, and make it happen. Love Your Life shows how to turn the challenges of each day into opportunities to love and appreciate all that you are.

I am very excited to be working with Amazon.com as an online bookseller and partner for the publication of my new book, Love Your Life. As a leader in e-commerce, Amazon.com is an informative and innovative online resource. Get ready to embark on a remarkable journey. I truly believe women who read this book will be empowered and begin to realize their true higher purpose. Make no mistake: Happiness is achievable. My new book outlines a simple plan for saying “yes” to life’s bountiful gifts and allowing them to enrich you in every aspect of your life as a mother, sister, daughter or friend. I am confident reading this book will help you embrace the choices in front of you each day; whether it’s learning how to balance career, family and relationships, or coping with matters of faith and health. Be encouraged, accept the gift of who you were meant to be and discover how to live happy, healthy and whole.

Believing for God's Best,

Victoria Osteen An Interview with Victoria Osteen

Q: What inspired you to write the book and how did you come to the title?

A: I founded the women’s ministry here at Lakewood Church which now has several hundred women. It was through conversations with these women about the issues that were important to them where I discovered we all share many of the same concerns and issues. I wrote the book in order to address those issues. The title, Love Your Life just came to me one day.

Q: What motivates you in your work on a daily basis?

A: I see how God is using this ministry to touch people all over the world. We get thousands of letters and emails from people whose lives have been changed, who have found hope in the midst of adversity, and who are inspired to keep rising higher in their everyday life.

Q: You have inspired so many people with your message. Who has inspired you the most?

A: My parents and my husband have been my greatest inspiration. I have always been blessed in this way. My parents not only instilled faith in me but they taught me the importance of family as well. Joel inspires me on a daily basis. He lives such a life of mercy, compassion and integrity.

Q: How do you think life has changed for your children vs. how things were for you when you grew up?

A: Actually, things are not that different. My family was very close to one another just as we are today. Perhaps, the biggest difference might be that my kids live near all of their cousins, aunts and uncles while I grew up several hundred miles from mine. My kids are able to interact with their extended family on a daily basis and I think that is great. Growing up, I would have liked to see my cousins as much as my kids get to see theirs.

Q: Does your full schedule allow you some quality time by yourself? What is your favorite way to relax?

A: I enjoy exercising and reading. But my favorite way to relax is to just hang out with Joel and the kids. We laugh and have great fun together.