I found the story of Francis life to be extremely interesting. He inflamed my imagination. Writing about him, in truth, was a way for me to get to know him better. I didn't realize it, but it was also a way for me to get to know God better.... Francis became my guide, showing me the way. (from a Pilgrimage Diary) The Sun and Moon Over Assisi reveals how the lives of the two medieval saints from Assisi--Francis and Clare--helped to transform the life of a thoroughly modern cynic from Los Angeles, California. The major events of the lives of the two saints are unfolded here in a series of vivid and engaging stories. Alongside the history of Francis and Clare, another story unfolds: the story of the spiritual transformation of the author, Hollywood filmmaker and television producer Gerard Straub, illustrating how Francis and Clare still speak to the present-day, secularized person. The author takes the reader with him, in a series of pilgrimage diaries and reflections, to the beautiful Italian sites important to the two saints. With Straub, we traverse the charming Umbrian hill towns, including Assisi, tour its churches and examine the art of Giotto found there. The Sun and Moon Over Assisi tells of an interior pilgrimage that will inspire the modern reader.

The Sun & Moon over Assisi: A Personal Encounter With Francis & Clare

Religion & Spirituality

Straub, Gerard Thomas

Christian Books & Bibles

Franciscan Media

Gerard Thomas Straub, a former producer of the 700 Club, reveals exclusive, previously unpublished evidence that Pat Robertson believes he is in direct communication with God and that he has been personally appointed by the Almighty to be the chief usher at Jesus' imminent Second Coming.Salvation for Sale takes us behind the scenes at the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). We get to know Robertson as the viewers never see as a power-hungry administrator who controls the lives of his employees "with an iron fist" even while his paternal, kindly television persona convinces the American public of his fairness and brotherly love. This book raises serious questions about the effects Robertson's beliefs could have on national and global affairs. How would a head of state conduct government affairs if he is convinced that he is Christ's anointed, with all the self-righteousness that phrase implies? As Straub says, "I'd be very concerned about a man sitting next to a button who believes Jesus is telling him to press that button."

Salvation for Sale: An Insider's View of Pat Robertson's Ministry

Prometheus+books

Gerard Thomas Straub, a former producer of the 700 Club, reveals exclusive, previously unpublished evidence that Pat Robertson believes he is in direct communication with God and that he has been personally appointed by the Almighty to be the chief usher at Jesus' imminent Second Coming. Salvation for Sale takes us behind the scenes at the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). We get to know Robertson as the viewers never see him: as a power-hungry administrator who controls the lives of his employees "with an iron fist" even while his paternal, kindly television persona convinces the American public of his fairness and brotherly love. This book raises serious questions about the effects Robertson's beliefs could have on national and global affairs. How would a head of state conduct government affairs if he is convinced that he is Christ's anointed, with all the self-righteousness that phrase implies? As Straub says, "I'd be very concerned about a man sitting next to a button who believes Jesus is telling him to press that button."

Salvation for Sale

History

World

At forty-three, Hollywood television producer and writer Christopher Ryan has lost the will to live. Listless, depressed, and suicidal, he withdraws into his study where, immobilized by confusion and self-doubt, he can do little more than reflect on his past and wonder what went wrong with his life. The one thing that keeps him from ending it all immediately is the thought of his ten-year-old daughter, Kate. She lives with Ryan's ex-wife on the East Coast and has never had the chance to get to know her father. Ryan begins a series of long letters in which he attempts to tell Kate everything about himself. At first, the task is difficult, but soon the letters begin to take on a life of their own. Following his own stream of conscious, Ryan's letters go in all sorts of unexpected directions, as they explore his inner thoughts, beliefs, and fears. His plan is to entrust the completed letters to a friend who will deliver them to Kate when she is twenty-one, long after Ryan has killed himself. Described by author Gerard Thomas Straub as a fictional memoir in the form of an epistolary novel, Dear Kate takes the reader on an intense introspective journey that probes fundamental questions about the meaning of individual existence in late twentieth-century America. Much of Christopher Ryan's malaise is ascribed to his strict Catholic upbringing and the guilt and fear instilled in him by the Church. In the process of critiquing himself, Ryan throws a cold light on the oppressive religious, social, and cultural forces in contemporary life that undermine personal self-worth and identity. Dear Kate ends with a shocking revelation of a secret part of Christopher Ryan's life, which he hid from everyone, including Kate.

Dear Kate: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

United States

A powerful collection of black-and-white photographs and inspirational text strikingly reveals the faces of the desperately poor throughout the world. Created by a Hollywood film producer turned documentary filmmaker who has chosen to devote his work to the world hunger cause, this dramatic and compassionate volume captures the plight of impoverished people in nations as diverse as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, India, Jamaica, the Philippines, and Kenya. Accompanying this startling and disquieting series of intensely personal photographs are aphorisms; quotations from noted spiritual writers of different faiths; and statistics and short essays telling the poignant story of the homeless and the poor. Yet more than merely exposing just the agony of life in the slums, these profoundly passionate photographs open our eyes with wordless tenderness to the spirit and humanity of destitute people the world over, their hidden joy and uplifting will to survive. Graced with a foreword by best-selling author Murray Bodo, OFM.

When Did I See You Hungry

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Bright Sky Pr

In these poetic meditations Gerard Straub probes the depths of his soul and the heart of humanity on a search for God. Thoughts of a Blind Beggar grew out of his own improbable journey, inspired by the spirit of St. Francis, which led from the glamour of Hollywood to the worst slums on earth. It was a journey from riches to rags, from unbelief to faith, from hollow success to a more profound happiness than he had previously imagined. But it also inspired a new calling: to awaken others to the reality of poverty, and to inspire compassion and solidarity. In this book, Straub graciously shares his reflections on a journey to God...a journey, he readily admits, that is far from over. Thoughts of a Blind Beggar will open eyes and hearts. It is a book to be savored, a companion for our own journey.

THOUGHTS OF A BLIND BEGGAR: Reflections from a Journey to God

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Orbis Books

In January 2010 a devastating earthquake struck the impoverished island of Haiti, killing over 100,000 people and causing unimaginable suffering. But even before the earthquake, as the photos and reflections in this book make clear, Haiti was already a disaster zone. Filmmaker Gerry Straub was there weeks before the earthquake, and he returned soon after, to continue his project: to capture in words and images the reality of Haiti s poor both their sufferings and their spirit and to find in this reality the face of God. Straub takes us into CitÃ© Soleil, one of the most wretched slums on earth, where kids play amidst the stench of open sewers, where people eat pies made of clay. After the earthquake, he follows exhausted doctors and aid workers working desperately to relieve the suffering. Hidden in the Rubble opens a window on a scene of desperate crisis, but it is ultimately a powerful and haunting challenge to enter into compassionate solidarity with the poor at our doorstep.

Hidden in the Rubble: A Haitian Pilgrimage to Compassion and Resurrection

Americas

Gerry Straub was a successful Hollywood producer when he found himself alone inside a Franciscan church in Assisi. The avowed atheist had little inkling of the radical turn his life was about to take as he began a journey of conversion that would carry him from the heights of career success to the poorest places on earth. His spiritual guide would be a medieval saint with a powerful, yet sublimely simple message for a contemporary world.
 Straub s dramatic story is a modern-day pilgrimage into the prayerful heart of St. Francis of Assisi. The initial jolt of self-discovery Francis was chasing Lady Poverty, while I was chasing Brother BMW gave way to the gradual realization that conversion is a slow, grace-filled process, filled with ups and downs of everyday life. Winding his own spiritual and physical journey along Francis path, Straub discovers first-hand what it might have meant for Francis to live among the homeless, to encounter lepers, and to spend hours in contemplative prayer. His story encourages each of us to look inward and to personally discover how the spirituality that inspired Pope Francis can shape our own spiritual journey. An inspiring, life-changing read.

The Loneliness and Longing of Saint Francis: A Hollywood Filmmaker, a Medieval Saint, and a Life-changing Spirituality for Today

Twenty Third Pubns

The Sunrise of the Soul is the fruit of the last 24 years of an unexpected new life and a journey of transformation that took Gerry Straub from the glamour of Hollywood to the horror of the worst slums on earth. &nbsp; Straub's journey began in an empty church in Rome during a moment of grace in which the hard shell of his ardent atheism was penetrated by a spark of light, allowing him to see that God was real and loved him just as he was. Eventually, Straub felt God telling him to stop filming the poor and to go live among the poor. He now lives in a crowded slum in Haiti where he operates a home of hope and healing for 69 abandoned kids, 24 of whom are still in diapers. Straub says his journey is far from over and will never be finished. As Karl Rahner reminded us, "In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable we ultimately learn that here, in this life, all symphonies must remain unfinished."&nbsp; &nbsp; Living in a home with 69 kids in Haiti means that the stillness and silence needed for contemplation are virtually nonexistent. After more than four years of intense work in Haiti, Gerry began to commit himself to the rejuvenating power of authentic solitude in order to turn his attention to his own inner spiritual poverty. In the silent predawn darkness of each Haitian morning he waits, reflects, and prays. This book emerged slowly from those many lonely hours of silence. &nbsp;

The Sunrise of the Soul: Meditations on Prayerful Stillness, Silence, Solitude, and Service in the Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi (San Damiano Books)

Paraclete Press

Reading Thomas Merton and Longing for God in Haiti: Learning Wisdom in the School of My Life

Pax et Bonum Communications

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Books by Straub, Gerard Thomas