A Positive Life: Living with HIV as a Pastor, Husband, and Father »

Shane Stanford is the Senior Pastor of Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Shane is the author of six books and travels extensively sharing his story as an HIV positive hemophiliac and Christian minister. Shane is married to his high school sweetheart, Dr. Pokey Stanford, and they are the parents of three daughters. Learn more about Shane and his teaching ministry at www.shanestanford.com

If you want to appreciate life to the fullest, this unabridged audio download of A Positive Life reveals nine basic yet powerful lessons for living with passionate faith and joy. Through his story of living with HIV, Shane Stanford will hlp you find contentment in your own life, no matter the circumstances.

Publishers Weekly

“I have learned that when life breaks us, we can work to own it before it owns us.” Those words of the author, a United Methodist pastor, ring true in his account of a life spent battling hemophilia, HIV, and accompanying illnesses, as well as debilitating spiritual and emotional challenges. Stanford contracted the disease in the 1980s, when HIV/AIDS was a death sentence. Yet the period was also the start of research and new medicines that kept him alive. Stanford takes readers through his childhood, when he spent much time under the benign mentoring influence of his grandfather; his adolescence, when he was diagnosed and met his future wife; and his struggle to become a pastor despite his HIV-positive status. His story is more than just a battle against prejudice and HIV/AIDS; it's a love story, a tale of forgiveness, a picture of resilience, and a witness to God's grace. Included are a loving afterword by his wife, Pokey Stanford; Stanford's speech at the 2006 Global AIDS Summit; and a nine-lesson study guide. (Apr.)

Foreword Kay Warren 11

More Than the Sum of What We Can Say 15

1 The Day Before 29

2 Somewhere This Side of Normal 47

3 The Shallow Water 57

4 T Cells and Thresholds 75

5 Putting Our Future Where Our Faith Is 87

6 Conversations for Other Places 103

7 The Cost of What We Cannot Afford 123

8 Glimpses of a Straight Line So Precious 139

9 A Matter of the Heart 161

10 The First Day of the Rest of My Life 175

11 What Happens Next, Daddy? 183

Afterword Pokey Stanford 191

Speech at the Global AIDS Summit 197

Nine Lessons from a Positive Life: A Study and Reflection Guide 201

Acknowledgments 215

For Further Reading 217