When boys played a man's game and football was hell

"I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me" (John 17:20-21, NLT). For most Christians these words of Jesus seem like an unreachable ideal. Or they promise spiritual unity without a visible demonstration between real people. Some even read these words with a sense of fear seeing this text used for a compromise agenda. How should we understand this prayer offered for all who follow Jesus? What if Jesus really intended for the world to "believe" the gospel on the basis of looking at Christians who live deep unity in a shared relationship with him? What if there is way of understanding what Jesus desired so that we can begin anew to tear down the many walls of division that keep the world from seeing God's love in us? Is our oneness much bigger and deeper than we could imagine? John Armstrong has devoted three decades to the work of Christian unity. His story and ministry have encouraged many around the world and now they are reflected in this memoir of a life devoted to unity.

Literary Nonfiction. Some human lives can be measured in dogs. Writer/musician John Armstrong is such a person, and in A SERIES OF DOGS, he takes the measure of his own, now at nine dogs' lives and counting. A hilarious, perceptive and moving memoir that is really about the dogs that have added texture and meaning to his own journey, A SERIES OF DOGS introduces the reader to a cast of some of the most memorable characters to come along in Canadian literature in some time--all of them dogs.

What does it really mean to love another person? Is there such a thing as the 'perfect' partner? How does infatuation differ from the real thing?The need to love is central to our idea of happiness, yet it sometimes seems that the more we reflect on it the more elusive it becomes. In this lucid and graceful meditation on the deeper meanings of intimacy, John Armstrong explores the ideas that have shaped how we view affairs of the heart. Drawing on poetry, novels, philosophy, paintings and music, he shows how love is inextricably bound up with perception and the imagination: that loving a real, complicated person and being understood and valued by them in turn is not something we find, but rather something we create.

'The love of beauty involves a yearning which is not - and perhaps cannot be - fulfilled. For at the core of beauty is a conception of how we would like life to be and yet we know that life cannot be that way.' The notion of beauty is elusive- we love the things we find beautiful, and yet we are inarticulate when we try to communicate this love or describe its essence. There are people, works of art and places that are universally regarded as beautiful; but we also recognize the personal, individual character of our feel for beauty. In this lucid and lyrical exploration John Armstrong aims to deepen our response to beauty. And, he suggests, our capacity to discover and create beauty in everyday life is intimately connected to the pursuit of happiness.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.