Spiritual growth and health. So essential . . . so valuable . . . and so difficult to maintain. Why? That's the question every burned-out or morally fallen youth worker has asked. And all of us in youth ministry wrestle with the seemingly endless battle against spiritual fatigue. Fortunately, veteran youth and missions minister Paul Borthwick gives us a fresh understanding of the battle and a game plan for developing and maintaining a dynamic spiritual life in Feeding Your Forgotten Soul. Borthwick takes a frank look at the hurdles to spiritual growth, what it takes for us to resume the path to spiritual health, and offers clear guidelines on how to keep our lives firmly on the spiritual balance beam. He addresses topics like -- Understanding how the drive for success affects our spiritual integrity - Confronting and surviving the battle with sexual temptation - Building spiritual discipline back into our lives - Learning to forgive ourselves -- Feeding Your Forgotten Soul is clear without being simplistic. Borthwick avoids the quick-fix mentality, instead pointing us to a long-term path to solid spiritual development. And he doesn't' speak from a pedestal. He is brutally honest about his own struggles with loss of perspective, spiritual fatigue, and temptation. You'll find Feeding Your Forgotten Soul to be as sensitive as it is challenging, as compassionate as it is honest. And you'll come away with a new motivation for strengthening your personal walk with God.

Jasmine Peirce was doomed from the day she watched her mother die in her arms. At nine years old she was put into an orphanage where her life changed radically after she came face to face with evil. With her innocence lost, and no one to turn to, Jasmine feels trapped. Having disaster strike in every aspect of her life, and the grief of living in her poverty stricken country, she now must overcome more obstacles than she had ever imagined.

The author describes the multiple mental disorders she suffered as a child and adolescent and chronicles how the support of family, friends, and doctors helped her cope with her disabilities and gain confidence, self-esteem, and independence.

What is the impact of physical exercise on the spiritual life of clergy as they try to be good stewards of their body while being faithful to fulfill their pastoral call? The problem is that clergy, in a sedentary occupation, can become physically unhealthy by engaging in meaningful ministry but neglecting to take care of themselves as they care for others. This work is a beacon to the church community that the Apostle Paul, modern day writers, twenty-six clergy and the researcher declare a correlation between physical fitness and the spiritual life of clergy. Physical health can positively affect a person's spiritual health. There is not only a link between physical and spiritual disciplines but there is a benefit to clergy, their families, and their church community when clergy are physically active. It is important for clergy to be good stewards of their bodies while developing a regular rhythm of physical activity. In so doing, they will be equipped, in a greater way, to faithfully fulfill their call.

Most of the time, we walk around showing everyone what we want them to see, putting on a front like life is all sunshine and roses. Meanwhile, we are dying inside and trying to desperately find something or someone to fulfill our every need. We start feeling depressed and dissatisfied, unaware that there has always been someone watching over us and listening to us. In The Formerly Lost Soul, author Jubilee Ortiz reminds us that one day God will make his presence known to us through his gentle touch and loving wordseven when we are experiencing times of difficulty and pain. Jubilee shares her own personal story of overcoming, as she struggled through challenges and obstacles before feeling Gods presence in her life and listening for his words and guidance. God can be our best friend, and he knows us better than we know ourselves. He has given us the power to change our lives, and his words can be our foundation and the lamp that guides us forward. Although we cannot control what life brings, we can trust in God to help us overcome whatever we may face.

Every day millions of Tamil women in southeast India wake up before dawn to create a kolam, an ephemeral ritual design made with rice flour, on the thresholds of homes, businesses and temples. This thousand-year-old ritual welcomes and honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and alertness, and Bhudevi, the goddess of the earth. Created by hand with great skill, artistry, and mathematical precision, the kolam disappears in a few hours, borne away by passing footsteps and hungry insects. This is the first comprehensive study of the kolam in the English language. It examines its significance in historical, mathematical, ecological, anthropological, and literary contexts. The culmination of Vijaya Nagarajan's many years of research and writing on this exacting ritual practice, Feeding a Thousand Souls celebrates the experiences, thoughts, and voices of the Tamil women who keep this tradition alive.

Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry is the first academic textbook that introduces youth ministry students (whether undergraduate or graduate level) to a marriage of solid research, real life, and accessible design. Whereas most college-level texts may reflect a thorough (though impenetrable) mastery of the field, they tend to expect readers to plow through unnecessarily thick prose and bland design because “it’s good for them.” Youth Specialties doesn’t agree. In this debut title to a continuing academic book line, college and seminary students will be introduced to real-life research, real-life youth ministry dilemmas, and real-life solutions.Contributing writers represent a spectrum of Christian Education thought and practice, as well as widespread recognition in their field...transdenominational, yet the perfect background to ministry in any denomination or ministry organizationThis text includes thorough indexes, design, and graphics that compel readers from page to page (now that’s a first for a college text!); organization that permits professors to use any part of the text, in any order, rather than plod through the entire book from beginning to end; a perfect primary text that gives students a rich, academic, and readable (though not “popular”) grasp of every aspect of youth ministry a typical Intro course touches, while also serving as an ideal secondary text.

It’s more common in youth ministry than we want to admit—burnout and failure. Exhaustion, frustration, disappointment, and conflict bring many youth workers to a point where they either choose a new church, a new career, or someone makes that choice for them. After thirty years of youth ministry experience, Len Kageler wants to help youth workers avoid the pitfalls that are common to their calling, and give them the tools to not only survive, but also to thrive in youth ministry. Along with his own wisdom, Len offers insights gained from his 2006 survey of more than 300 burned out or fired youth workers who come from a variety of ministry contexts and denominations. If you’re new to youth ministry, or you’ve been at it for a while and feel like you may be on the verge of burnout, The Youth Ministry Survival Guide will help you: • deal with conflict and compromise • determine the causes of burnout (and how to avoid them!) • discover how your personality, and the personality of those you work with, affects the dynamics of your ministry experience • develop the best plan for working with senior pastors, church leadership, parents, and students, so you can… • do youth ministry in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond! Don’t let burnout force you out! Inside this book you’ll find steps you can take to help build fences against failure, and you’ll learn what it takes to survive and thrive in youth ministry.

She held Daddy's hand looking down into an empty hole, our basement of our new house being built, She didn't know the horror that lay in wait for her! The basement wasn't just a place to play dolls in! At the age of five, she was sexually assaulted by someone there and continued as she grew. She was introduced to sexual things no little girl (or boy) should ever be! She told her mother, she looked at her coldly and said "Nice girls don't act like that, never talk about this again"! She must not be "a nice girl" because it was happening to her, now she knew she had no one to help her! No one! As she grew up this terrible secret was making her sick! She tried anything, to get rid of this inside pain and still look "normal" outside! As she grew it took her down a dark spiral staircase into a world of sex, drugs, alcohol to numb the pain in her mind and heart which were growing darker, and harder by the moment! Her life was raw, in your face! She tells it as she lived it! The pain will follow us through life, if we don't face it, deal with it! She found hope on her quest to live a "normal" life! Take this journey with her, see there is hope for you as well!