Arthur White

30 years ago, Arthur White and Ian McDowall dramatically met God and were changed from drug-dealing, knife-carrying underworld thugs to all-out followers of Jesus. Coming together as Tough Talk along with Joe Lampshire, their passion for God took them onto the streets and into prisons, churches and schools telling everyone they could about the love of God. They still spend hours every week sharing their personal testimonies and telling people about Jesus through their power-lifting demonstrations, dynamic stories and infectious honesty. From meeting murderers in a South African prison, to bench press competitions in schools, Lifting the Darkness shares some amazing stories from 30 years on the road. Up front, straight down the line and ruthlessly authentic, these men take God seriously. Their message has touched countless lives and they hope it will encourage you in your faith too! Lifting the Darkness: * Shows how God can make a difference in even the most challenging circumstances * Reveals how following Jesus can provide lasting change in your life * Inspires you to step out in faith right where you are * Is an inspirational gift of hope to anyone needing encouragement * Helps you see how you can share the gospel more effectively

Plague and Pleasure is a lively popular history that introduces a new hypothesis about the impetus behind the cultural change in Renaissance Italy. The Renaissance coincided with a period of chronic, constantly recurring plague, unremitting warfare and pervasive insecurity. Consequently, people felt a need for mental escape to alternative, idealized realities, distant in time or space from the unendurable present but made vivid to the imagination through literature, art, and spectacle. Pope Pius II experienced both plague and war during his reign and he exhibited many escapist behaviors typical of his period: the building of his “Shangri-La” at Pienza, his constant sight-seeing travels, his passion for natural scenery or Roman remains, his public spectacles, andthe humanism that immersed him in an idealized Roman past. This see-saw mentality of the period could plunge into melancholy when facing harsh realities and then propel them into ecstasies of makebelieve to counter their dispair. Plague and Pleasure uses the life and times of Pope Pius II as the framework for presenting a view of the Renaissance that the public can understand and appreciate and which may at least narrow the gap between the past known to scholars and that known to the public they ultimately serve.

The autobiographies of Tough Talk founder members Arthur White and Ian McDowell. Revised edition of the original book Tough Talk, bringing their stories up to date. Arthur's story - World Champion Powerlifter, successful businessman, happy family man. But cocaine, steroids, and an affair changed everything. Arthur's life spiralled out of control. Ian's story - Body building was Ian's life - that and becoming No.1. Being a doorman, debt collector and drug dealer kept Ian supplied with illegal steroids. Life for Ian was a cesspool of lies, deceit and violence. What changed them?

Arthur White was a world champion power-lifter, a successful businessman, and a happy family man, until his life spiralled out of control. Cocaine, steroids, and an affair changed everything. Arthur lost his business, family, and his own health was severely threatened. Death seemed the only way out until an incident with a knife..... Arthur's life story is straight out of the annals of crime thriller and his conversion to the Christian faith dramatically demonstrates the reality of God's amazing grace.