<div>Sam Gardner has been pastor of Hope Friends Meeting for just four months when ninety-eight-year-old member Olive Charles passes away. What's more shocking news is that Olive has left her entire estate--worth nearly one million dollars--to the meeting. At first the gift sounds to Sam like a like a godsend. Yet as word of the unexpected windfall spreads, it stirs up a storm of conflicting opinions amongst the church members as to how the money would best be used. And before the estate is even released to the meeting, Olive's estranged niece, Regina Charles, turns up tipsy and furious in Hope and threatens a lawsuit over what she believes is rightfully hers. Although it may be an opportune time to ask for a raise, Sam finds himself questioning his future in Hope while trying to guide his lively congregation and find a peaceful way to deal with Regina. </div>

A Lesson in Hope

<div>Bestselling author Philip Gulley offers humorous, small-town storytelling as he follows the foibles and follies of Pastor Sam Gardner. Thanks to an unexpected windfall, Sam Gardner's congregation (with the exception of a few malcontents) is eager to expand their meetinghouse. But before building can commence, the County Environmental Board and the Department of Natural Resources put the quietus on the plan. A colony of endangered Indiana bats have made the tree beside the meetinghouse, and the meetinghouse attic, their place of hanging, mating, and living, which poses a big problem for the congregation. Aside from the fact that their fanged visitors are engaging in sinful acts on church property, until these bats leave for hibernation, Hope Friends Meeting is left without a gathering place. And when an over-zealous Leonard Fink takes matters into his own hands, he may even land himself -- and Sam -- in jail.</div>

A Gathering in Hope

<div>When Quaker Pastor Sam Gardner is asked by the ill Unitarian minister to oversee a wedding in his place, Sam naturally agrees. It's not until the couple stands before him that he realizes they're two women. In the tempest of strong opinions and misunderstandings that follows the incident, Sam faces potential unemployment. Deeply discouraged, he wonders if his pastoral usefulness has come to an end. Perhaps it's time for a change. After all, his wife has found a new job at the library, his elder son is off to college, and the younger has decided to join the military once he graduates high school. Sam is contemplating a future selling used cars when he receives a call from a woman in the suburban town of Hope, Indiana. It seems Hope Friends Meeting is in desperate need of a pastor. Though they only have twelve members, they also have a beautiful meetinghouse and a pie committee (Sam is fond of pie). But can he really leave his beloved hometown of Harmony? </div>

A Place Called Hope

<div>“Part Mark Twain, part Garrison Keillor, Philip Gulley is a breath of fresh air in an over-sophisticated and often jaded world.” —Gloria Gaither, singer and songwriter Master storyteller Philip Gulley shares tender and hilarious real-life moments that capture the important truths of everyday life. When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the twelve members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of them would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to twenty-four million people. Fourteen books later, with more than a million books in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch. “Perhaps more things were resolved on America’s front porches than in any other place, and yet so few are being used today. With this delightful collection of stories, told in a warm and easy style, Philip Gulley invites us to sit again on the front porch—a place of hearth, home, and folks we’ve known.” —Gary Smalley, bestselling author and family relationship expert “The tales Philip Gulley unveils are tender and humorous . . . filled with sudden, unexpected, lump-in-the-throat poignancy.” —Paul Harvey, Jr., American radio broadcaster</div>

Front Porch Tales

<div>“Once again, Gulley gives us a triumph of homespun values, pitched somewhere between Jan Karon and Garrison Keillor.” —Booklist Sam Gardner’s second year as minister in quaint and charming Harmony, Indiana, is fraught with trials and incidents, a crisis of faith, a marital catastrophe, and a church elder’s ill-hatched scheme to scramble scripture with eggs. But a loving heart and a strong sense of humor is almost certain to see Sam through . . . even if all of Harmony is expecting a miracle come Easter morn. “Just Shy of Harmony is just shy of perfect.” —Charles Osgood “A wonderful tale of a fictitious community of colorful characters who share goodness and gossip, controversy and compassion—a real-life microcosm of mankind. Gulley’s stories get at the heart of the simple joys, stranger-than-fiction humor, and day-to-day drama of small-town life, and reveal how even the largest of problems inevitably resolve themselves. No wonder he’s been called Indiana’s Garrison Keillor.” —American Profile Magazine “This story is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly “Filled with grace and forgiveness . . . Sam’s journey in faith teaches through the shared medium of laughter.” —Library Journal</div>

Just Shy of Harmony

<div>Squarely in the crosshairs of the Church's heresy hunters, can Pastor Sam survive?It's a madcap year in Harmony, Indiana, as Sam Gardner struggles through his fourth year as pastor of the Harmony Friends Meeting. Join the thousands of readers who have fallen in love with the charming small town that hosts what BookPage calls "the biggest collection of crusty, lovable characters since James Herriot settled in Yorkshire."</div>

Life Goes On

<div>“In a league with Jan Karon’s Mitford series . . . readers who seek pleasant, witty and occasionally poignant fiction will delight in this book.” —Publishers Weekly It’s another bustling year in the lives of this quirky Quaker community. Dale Hinshaw is back and floating another of his crackpot ministry schemes—this time, quite literally, with his Salvation Balloons project. Pastor Sam Gardner’s wife, Barbara, the 1977 Tenderloin Queen, wins a trip to the Caribbean and thinks she might just go without her workaholic husband. Deena Morrison struggles with being single and alone, while the Friendly Women’s Circle strategizes on how they can “help” her. Jimmy Muldock has a secret only his mother knows, though the ever-curious Furnace Committee is bent on discovering it. Throughout it all, three things are certain: the Friendly Women’s Circle will make more noodles, Dale Hinshaw will push Sam Gardner to the end of his pastoral rope, and the good in human nature will just nudge out the bad. Filled with master storyteller Philip Gulley’s trademark humor and depth of insight, this wise, joyous novel will delight and satisfy both those who know and love Harmony and those who are just discovering it. “Welcome back to a place where the stories are rich and the folks are familiar. Welcome back to the signs and wonders uncovered in small-town life. Welcome back to Gulley’s great writing. Welcome back to Harmony!” —Lynne Hinton, national bestselling author of Pie Town “Evokes a convincing sense that there is at least a spark of goodness in almost everyone . . . [a] wise and gentle book.” —Arkansas Democrat Gazette “A celebration of small-town life.” —Woman’s Day</div>

Signs and Wonders

<div>All across America, ordinary people are going out of their way to help one another and make our country a better place. Unheralded, unrecognized, and often taken for granted, these citizens continue their good deeds, happy just to make a difference.Hometown Heroes tells the stories of fifty such people from all over America, including Moody, Alabama, Ellisville, Illinois, and Lander, Wyoming. Spanning ages fourteen to ninety-three, the heroes inside this book show that it's never too early or too late to lend a helping hand and make inspiring choices. Capturing the true spirit of America&#8212;one of generosity, courage, and tireless devotion&#8212;these heroes warm our hearts and reveal a face of America we rarely hear about.</div>

Philip Gulley
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Books By Philip Gulley (7 Books)

A Lesson in Hope

A Gathering in Hope

A Place Called Hope

Front Porch Tales

Just Shy of Harmony

Life Goes On

Signs and Wonders

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