"Are you a Belieber? Justin Bieber’s meteoric rise from a regular kid in small-town Canada to “the most famous teenager on the planet” has captivated the imagination of a generation of young devotees known as “Beliebers.” With record-setting album sales, more than 11 million followers on Twitter and the highest-grossing concert film of all time, the 17-year-old pop star has legions of fans around the globe who hang on his every word. Is there something more to Bieber’s unprecedented success than his innate cuteness and preternatural musical talents? Could a powerful spiritual yearning be lurking behind all the purple and puppy-love lyrics? With the keen eye of a veteran religion journalist and culture watcher, Cathleen Falsani takes an in-depth look at how the bold yet humble faith of this teenage uber-celebrity is not only a key to his staggering popularity, but an influence that is shaping the lives and hearts of young people (and more than a few of their parents) worldwide."
"Fans of the eccentric and edgy films of the Coen brothers know there's more going on in their films than meets the eye. Award-winning author and columnist Cathleen Falsani is the perfect guide for Coen fans, inviting them to take a deeper look at the popular films, from their debut Blood Simple to the recent Burn After Reading and all the strange and wonderful films in between.
Falsani looks at the deeper meanings that can be mined from each quirky and enduring Coen film, including such cult favorites as Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and No Country for Old Men. With a journalist's keen analysis, she unpacks the theological, mythological, ethical, and philosophical content. Readers will discover that the critically acclaimed Coen brothers speak to eternal questions with darkly intelligent humor.
Coen fans, churched and unchurched of all faiths or none, will find in this book a spirited, thoughtful conversation with a good friend (who happens to be a film buff). Readers will appreciate this examination of the intersection of popular culture and spirituality."
"Grace is everywhere, all around us, all of the time. We only need the ears to hear it and the eyes to see it. It is much easier and perhaps more helpful to describe what grace feels like through stories and images that illustrate the varied ways grace is experienced when encountered in the wild, than it is to attempt to define it definitively, to trap it, and cage it. Maybe that’s why Jesus was so fond of parables: nothing describes the indescribable like a memorable yarn.Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace is a collection of stories about the author's experiences with grace—in ridiculous moments and in those that seem trivial but are anything but; in wacky adventures and quiet walks; with family and with strangers; in bars, nightclubs, the occasional house of worship, and in her own home; and through conversations with people—some famous and some not—who have introduced her to grace in new ways that in turn have shaped her faith and the way she tries to live it."
