After more than 450 years of European intrusions into South America's rainforest, small groups of people across Europe now gather discreetly to participate in Amazonian ceremonies their local governments consider a criminal act. As devotees of a new Brazil-based religion called Santo Daime, they claim that they contact God by way of ayahuasca, a potent psychoactive beverage first developed by native communities in pre-Columbian Amazonia. This bitter, brown liquid is a synergy of plants containing DMT, a mind-altering chemical classified as an illicit "hallucinogen" in most countries. By contrast, Santo Daime members (daimistas) revere ayahuasca as a sacrament, combining it with rituals and theologies borrowed from Christian mysticism, indigenous shamanism, Afro-Brazilian spiritualism, and Western esotericism. The Santo Daime religion was founded in 1930 by an Afro-Brazilian rubber tapper named Raimundo Irineu Serra, now known as Mestre (Master) Irineu. Presenting results from more than a year of fieldwork with Santo Daime groups in Europe, Marc G. Blainey contributes new understandings of contemporary Westerners' search for existential well-being on an increasingly interconnected planet. As a thorough exploration of daimistas' beliefs about the therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca, this book takes readers on an ethnographic journey into the deepest recesses of the human psyche.

Many communities are ravaged by problems associated with poverty, crime and drug and alcohol abuse. Substantial answers to the urban crisis are all but non- existent. 'Christ, the Cross and the Concrete Jungle' is the story of a young man's deliverance from a lifestyle of desperation and delinquency to a new life of freedom and hope. This books reveals the remarkable journey of transformation and redemption that is made possible through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A biography of Rachel Saint, a missionary who worked among the Auca Indians of Ecuador after members of that tribe murdered her brother and four other missionaries.

What happens when a nineteen-year-old boy leaves home and heads into the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of South American Indians? For Bruce Olson, it meant capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture. But what he discovered by trial and error has revolutionized then world of missions.

From Cannibals to Christ-Followers--A True Story In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson risked their lives to share the gospel with the Sawi people of New Guinea. Peace Child tells their unforgettable story of living among these headhunters and cannibals, who valued treachery through fattening victims with friendship before the slaughter. God gave Don and Carol the key to the Sawi hearts via a redemptive analogy from their own mythology. The "peace child" became the secret to unlocking a value system that had existed through generations. This analogy became a stepping-stone by which the gospel came into the Sawi culture and started both a spiritual and a social revolution from within. With an epilogue updating how the gospel has impacted the Sawi people, this missionary classic will inspire a new generation of readers who need to hear this remarkable story and the lessons it teaches us about communicating Christ in a meaningful way to those around us.

An army is on the horizon sending forth a warrior's cry. Its mission is indestructible. Are you one of those warriors? An indestructible daughter stepping forth in full revelation of all God created you to be? In Indestructible Daughters, author Karen Schagunn guides women into overcoming the most vulnerable and prevalent challenges they are facing today. With a powerful life story interwoven with biblical wisdom and a down-to-earth bootcamp approach, Karen breaks through the barriers of culture, religion, fear and unbelief to shine a light of truth into the hearts of women about their rightful place in the world. Indestructible Daughters reveals the global vision of a woman's role in the kingdom of God and the power of the gospel that will set you free from bondage and brokenness and equip you to live life as a warrior-chosen, loved, and indestructible. This book embodies the ripple effect of one woman; set free in God's power and healing, mobilizing an army of unshakable women. Her story, woven into practical biblical teaching, empowers those reading it to go forth boldly in faith and confidence; it is a message all generations need to hear! -Whitney Bunker, Executive Director/Co-founder at City Without Orphans Karen's personal story is so powerful . . . the most compelling part of the book/study. This is a good guidebook for Christian women. -Liz Harrison, Co-anchor, ABC30 News, and Emmy-winning reporter With Biblical authority and straightforward reasoning, Karen Schagunn lays out the roadmap for women of God to overcome the past, empower the present, and propel into the future. You will be challenged and emancipated for personal growth and entitlement of all God's desires for your life. Ladies, there will be no excuses left as we work to finish God's work. -Bonna Rogers-Neufeld, MD

Rick Renner unearths a rich treasure trove of truths in his remarkable devotional. Drawing from an extensive study of both the English Bible and New Testament Greek, Rick illuminates 365 passages with more than 1,285 in-depth Greek word studies. Far from intellectualizing, he blends his solid instruction with practical applications and refreshing insights. Find challenge, reassurance, comfort, and reminders of God's abiding love and healing every day of the year.

The Yanamamo of the Amazon -- endangered children of nature or indigenous warmongers on the verge of destroying themselves? Now for the first time, a powerful Yanomamo shaman speaks for his people. Jungleman provides shocking, never-before-answered accounts of life-or-death battles among his people -- and perhaps even more disturbing among the spirits who fight for their souls. Brutally riveting, the story of Jungleman is an extraordinary and powerful document.