"Padman made me smile, chuckle, laugh out loud, cry and all theemotions in between..." --Diana Stroud, Amazon.com In this collection of personal essays, Mark Elswick offers humorousepisodes about being a man and father. Whether it's his daughter sendinghim to the store to buy those... well, things that transforms him into"Padman"; his realization that at forty-two, he is slowly turning into anold man; or his reaction to his middle school aged daughter dating a"man" two years older than her, readers--male and female alike--willfind themselves cracking smiles when they aren't busy laughing out loud. Elswick also has a serious side to him. Interspersed with the comicaltales are heartfelt looks into the lives of people who experience a TraumaticBrain Incident (TBI) injury, including his own story of being in alife-threatening car accident that left doctors predicting he would be avegetable for the rest of his life. With compassion and insight, while retaininghis sense of humor, Elswick writes to raise awareness about TBI;a portion of Padman: A Dad's Guide to Buying... Those, and Other Tales'proceeds will go to TBI research. Acclaim for Elswick's Padman "I am officially announcing my own support for Mark Elswick, thewriter who won his own battle with TBI and is now giving back of himselfto those who are continuing or just beginning theirs. Padman offersan 'edutaining' read on a subject that is anything but humorous. And itunderscores the importance of embracing now the devastation of TBIamong the general public, as well as in the face of our affected troops returninghome." --Joseph Yurt, Reader Views "Mark Elswick's style of humor will be appreciated by any male readeras he pokes fun at himself and the feminine world that he often perceivesto be threatening his masculinity. Plus, what's better than helping a goodcause (Traumatic Brain Injury research) while getting some laughs!" --Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD, author of the award-winning Narrow LivesHumor: Topic - Marriage & Family Learn more at MarkElswick.com Available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook editions From the Reflections of America Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com

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When Hindus and Sikhs become followers of Christ, what happens next? Should they join Christian churches that often look and feel very unfamiliar to them? Or to what degree can or should they remain a part of their Hindu/Sikh communities and practices? Uncomfortable with the answers that were provided to them by Christian leaders in northwest India, six followers of Christ began Yeshu satsangs (Jesus truth-gatherings) that sought to follow Christ and the teachings of the Bible while remaining connected to their Hindu and/or Sikh communities. Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-faith Context analyzes the contextualized practices and identities of these leaders and their gatherings, situating these in the religious history of the region and the personal histories of the leaders themselves. Whereas Christians worry that the Yeshu satsangs and related "insider movements" are syncretizing their beliefs and are not properly identifiable as "churches," Ecclesial Identities analyzes the Yeshu satsang's narratives and practices to find vibrant expressions of local church that are grappling with questions and tensions of social and religious identity. In addition to its ethnographic approach, Ecclesial Identities also utilizes recent sociological and anthropological theory in identity formation and critical realism, as well as discussions of biblical ecclesiology from the book of Acts. This study will be a helpful resource for those interested in global Christianity, the practices and identities of churches in religiously plural environments, and the creative ways in which Christ-followers can missionally engage people of other faiths.