A beautifully illustrated children’s book that shows us all how to find a new way forward in a world that can be scary for kids and adults alike, from the acclaimed author of Faith After Doubt and the beloved storyteller behind How Not to be Afraid Cory the raccoon and Cory’s best friend Owl love their happy, peaceful village and want to keep it that way. But things begin to change for the worse when some of their neighbors, including Badger, Fox, and Weasel, become fierce and angry critters who fight and bully others in the village, driving away those who they deem “dirty and bad.” It breaks Cory and Owl’s hearts to see their village filled with anger, fear, and fighting—but what can they do? A wise visitor named Switfhorse arrives and helps Cory and Owl understand six old stories that explain what is happening: The story of power to dominate, the story of striking back with fury and hate, the story of running to find a safe place, or pointing at others to shame and disgrace, or being stuck in self-pity for the pain we’ve been through, or of me having more Shiny Objects than you. Finally, Cory and Owl find a way to reunite all of the villagers through a new story—the seventh story—where the story is peace and the hero is love! Children and parents alike will delight in this hope-filled tale that teaches us how we can all extend peace, love, and laughter to everyone we meet.

A 2022 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist, What Beauty There Is is Cory Anderson's stunning novel about brutality and beauty, and about broken people trying to survive—"Intense, brutal, and searingly honest," perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Laura Ruby, and Meg Rosoff. To understand the truth, you have to start at the beginning. Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years, Ava’s father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He’s taught her to love no one. But then she meets Jack. Living in poverty, Jack Dahl is holding his breath. He and his younger brother have nothing—except each other. With their parents gone, Jack faces a stark choice: lose his brother to foster care or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money. Suddenly, Jack’s and Ava’s fates become intimately—and dangerously—linked as Ava’s father hunts for the same money as Jack. When he picks up on Jack’s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or speak and fight for Jack’s survival. Choices. They come at a price.

We live in a time where we seem more afraid than ever. The rise of populism, polarization and aggression in politics, the media and popular culture, and the climate crisis have coincided with the collapse of previously cherished norms and expectations about economic stability, community life, and even the future of the planet. And all this before the pandemic struck. No wonder we are overwhelmed by anxiety. Popular speaker, storyteller and activist Gareth Higgins exposes the root causes of fear and shows how we can break its power through life-giving stories, simple spiritual exercises and practical steps to take as individuals and communities. He contends that it’s time to tell ourselves new stories about the world in which we live, stories that will liberate the greater forces of love, courage and joy. Reflecting on his experience of growing up during the Troubles in Ireland, he shares authentic wisdom that can enable us not only to find calm in the storm, but even to calm the storm itself.

A beautifully illustrated children’s book that shows us all how to find a new way forward in a world that can be scary for kids and adults alike, from the acclaimed author of Faith After Doubt and the beloved storyteller behind How Not to be Afraid Cory the raccoon and Cory’s best friend Owl love their happy, peaceful village and want to keep it that way. But things begin to change for the worse when some of their neighbors, including Badger, Fox, and Weasel, become fierce and angry critters who fight and bully others in the village, driving away those who they deem “dirty and bad.” It breaks Cory and Owl’s hearts to see their village filled with anger, fear, and fighting—but what can they do? A wise visitor named Switfhorse arrives and helps Cory and Owl understand six old stories that explain what is happening: The story of power to dominate, the story of striking back with fury and hate, the story of running to find a safe place, or pointing at others to shame and disgrace, or being stuck in self-pity for the pain we’ve been through, or of me having more Shiny Objects than you. Finally, Cory and Owl find a way to reunite all of the villagers through a new story—the seventh story—where the story is peace and the hero is love! Children and parents alike will delight in this hope-filled tale that teaches us how we can all extend peace, love, and laughter to everyone we meet.

How can people of faith foster love and resilience in our children while building sustainable, diverse communities? That’s the big question Ken Whitt answers in light of the many threats looming in our world. Through wisdom he has gleaned from scientists, scholars and lots of real families, Ken shows how God’s love is a hopeful compass in our lives. He encourages enjoying stories, songs and explorations of the natural world with children, and closes with “100 Things Families Can Do To Find Hope and Be Love.” Because Ken has years of experience working with multi-generational groups, his book encourages reflections and activities with our families that he knows will be both fun and faithful. The cover of his book illustrates a central story he shares about the wonderment families discover when they look up into the starry night sky with their children. “Ken Whitt offers care to weary souls in this book. It is not just his words but the spirit that manifests through the words. Ken says that love is at the heart of reality and love is what he gently breathes on us here,” Christian ethicist David Gushee, author of Changing Our Mind, writes in the book’s Foreword. “As you read this wise and joyful book, I know you will feel both instructed and delighted, and you will agree that your life has been enriched by adopting Ken Whitt as a literary pastor, mentor and friend,” Brian McLaren, best-selling author of more than 20 books, writes in the Preface. “In extensive dialog with scientists and theologians, Ken shows the delightful and enriching complementarity of faith and science. Both can feed us mentally and emotionally, and both are needed to move us in constructive and creative ways in the face of the global perils we face,” writes Daniel Buttry, author of Blessed Are the Peacemakers and the former Global Consultant for Peace and Justice of the American Baptist Churches.

To survey harsh criticisms against Brian Douglas McLaren (1956‒), readers gain the inaccurate impression that he is a heretical relativist who denies objective truth and logic. While McLaren's inflammatory and provocative writing style is partly to blame, this study also suspects that his critics base much of their analyses on only small portions of his overall corpus. The result becomes a caricature of McLaren's actual philosophy of religion. What is argued in this book is that McLaren's philosophy of religion suggests a faith-based intersubjective relationship with the divine ought to result in an existential appropriation of Christ's religio-ethical teachings. When subjectively internalized, this appropriation will lead to the assimilation of Jesus' kingdom priorities, thereby transforming the believer's identity into one that actualizes Jesus' kingdom ideals. The hope of this book is that by tracing McLaren's philosophy of Christian religion, future researchers will not only be able to comprehend (and perhaps empathize with) McLaren's line of reasoning, but they will also possess a more nuanced discernment of where they agree and disagree with his overall rationale.

"As rich and thoughtful as all of Brian McLaren's work, but with a particular urgency!" —Bill McKibben "Riveting. Challenging. Brave. Devastating. Hopeful." —Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR, author of The Amen Effect A deeply insightful exploration of how to live with wisdom, resilience and love in our turbulent times For the last quarter-century, author and activist Brian D. McLaren has been writing at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture. In Life After Doom, he engages with the catastrophic failure of both our religious and political leaders to address the dominant realities of our time: ecological overshoot, economic injustice, and the increasing likelihood of civilizational collapse. McLaren defines doom as the “un-peaceful, uneasy, unwanted feeling” that “we humans have made a mess of our civilization and our planet, and not enough of us seem to care enough to change deeply enough or quickly enough to save ourselves.” Blending insights from philosophers, poets, scientists, and theologians, Life After Doom explores the complexity of hope, the necessity of grief, and the need for new ways of thinking, becoming, and belonging in turbulent times. If you want to help yourself, your family, and the communities to which you belong to find courage and resilience for the deeply challenging times that are upon us — this is the book you need right now.

Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry (SHERM journal) is a biannual, not-for-profit, free peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes the latest social-scientific, historiographic, and ecclesiastic research on religious institutions and their ministerial practices. SHERM is dedicated to the critical and scholarly inquiry of historical and contemporary religious phenomena, both from within particular religious traditions and across cultural boundaries, so as to inform the broader socio-historical analysis of religion and its related fields of study. The purpose of SHERM is to provide a scholarly medium for the social-scientific study of religion where specialists can publish advanced studies on religious trends, theologies, rituals, philosophies, socio-political influences, or experimental and applied ministry research in the hopes of generating enthusiasm for the vocational and academic study of religion while fostering collegiality among religious specialists. Its mission is to provide academics, professionals, and nonspecialists with critical reflections and evidence-based insights into the socio-historical study of religion and, where appropriate, its implications for ministry and expressions of religiosity.

Using piloting as an engaging framework for organizational transformation, Trimble addresses the process of planning, executing, and completing a church revitalization project in 10 easy-to-read chapters: · Decide You Want to Fly · What Kind of Pilot Will You Be? · The Fundamentals of Flight · Your Flight Crew · Charting Your Course · Preflight Checklist · Funding Your Flying Habit · Managing Comms · Mayday Moments · Making a Successful Landing Trimble is the executive director and CEO of the Center for Progressive Renewal (CPR) and has years of experience helping to start new congregations and revitalize older congregations. Piloting Church reflects her learnings as a congregational consultant and national faith leader. Having worked with twelve denominational partners and their congregations, she believes the Church's best days are ahead.