It's easy to get discouraged at the reports of continuing decay in our inner cities and impoverished rural areas. Yet in the midst of the dark realities, some churches are transforming lives and reclaiming communities through effective, holistic ministries. 'Restorers of Hope' tells their stories and identifies the keys to their success. And it goes further by challenging churches to take up Christ's command to love your neighbor and offering specific, practical guidance on how to reach out. By understanding the challenges of persistent poverty - and the opportunities afforded by welfare reform - you and your church will be better equipped to engage in redemptive ministry that presents the gospel as the true solution.

It's easy to get discouraged at the reports of continuing decay in our inner cities and impoverished rural areas. Yet in the midst of the dark realities, some churches are transforming lives and reclaiming communities through effective, holistic ministries. 'Restorers of Hope' tells their stories and identifies the keys to their success. And it goes further by challenging churches to take up Christ's command to love your neighbor and offering specific, practical guidance on how to reach out. By understanding the challenges of persistent poverty - and the opportunities afforded by welfare reform - you and your church will be better equipped to engage in redemptive ministry that presents the gospel as the true solution.

Brokenness is something we see all around us in our world, our communities, and our relationships. Yet we each have our own story of brokenness as well. What parts of brokenness have pressed in and pushed forward in your life? And where is hope when brokenness comes close? Designed to help you call that brokenness by name, Finding Hope: From Brokenness to Restoration will give you tools to identify your story of brokenness and see God's hope in the messes of life. Brokenness isn't where the story ends. God doesn't flee or leave us in the middle of the mess. Instead, when we call brokenness by name, we can more clearly see God's hope alive and well in our daily lives. Jesus Christ enters into our brokenness and brings restoration. Join author Heidi Goehmann on a journey to call out brokenness in your life and unveil it for God's healing. Book jacket.

“This is a powerful word for our times.” ~Rick Joyner, bestselling author of The Final Quest Your Spirit will be Revived Harbinger of Hope will help you believe once again in God’s provision and goodness. While praying through Psalm 91, Robin McMillan was shown a prophetic vision of five “wagons.” Robin soon discovered each wagon contained a specific symbolic message for our generation: Wagon #1: Deliverance from what we deserve Wagon #2: Deliverance from criticism Wagon #3: God’s provision Wagon #4: Hope for the future Wagon #5: New vision for America If you are hungry for a word from Heaven and if you appreciate the teachings of Bill Johnson, and Shawn Bolz, then you will love the message found in Harbinger of Hope.

We all need to believe in radical hope; that our lives can be fuller, our relationships can be stronger, and our futures are bright. This 365-day devotional, by New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge, will guide you through a year of healing, restoration, and renewal. Each day, Eldredge shares a timeless Bible verse, a thoughtful devotion, and a closing prayer to encourage and uplift you as you go about your day with optimism and peace. Inspired by Eldredge's bestsellers Wild at Heart, Captivating, Fathered by God, and more, Restoration Year will equip you to pursue lasting transformation in your relationships, in your spirit, and in your faith. As you read your way through Restoration Year, you'll find your hope ignited as you learn how to: Refuel and sustain your friendships Deepen your empathy and connection to your community Reignite a passion for your Creator Renew your joy Understand the future that God has planned for you Let this year be your restoration year!

New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge offers readers a breathtaking look into God’s promise for a new heaven and a new earth. This revolutionary book about our future is based on the simple idea that, according to the Bible, heaven is not our eternal home--the New Earth is. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, the next chapter of our story begins with "the renewal of all things," by which he means the earth we love in all its beauty, our own selves, and the things that make for a rich life: music, art, food, laughter and all that we hold dear. Everything shall be renewed "when the world is made new." More than anything else, how you envision your future shapes your current experience. If you knew that God was going to restore your life and everything you love any day; if you believed a great and glorious goodness was coming to you--not in a vague heaven but right here on this earth--you would have a hope to see you through anything, an anchor for your soul, "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God" (Hebrews 6:19). Most Christians (most people for that matter) fail to look forward to their future because their view of heaven is vague, religious, and frankly boring. Hope begins when we understand that for the believer nothing is lost. Heaven is not a life in the clouds; it is not endless harp-strumming or worship-singing. Rather, the life we long for, the paradise Adam and Eve knew, is precisely the life that is coming to us. And that life is coming soon.

Veteran church consultant calls church leaders back to the hope that God can and does restore churches, equipping them with practical tools to bring about healthy growth.

The pace, intensity, and scale at which humans have altered our planet in recent decades is unprecedented. We have dramatically transformed landscapes and waterways through agriculture, logging, mining, and fire suppression, with drastic impacts on public health and human well-being. What can we do to counteract and even reverse the worst of these effects? Restore damaged ecosystems. The Primer of Ecological Restoration is a succinct introduction to the theory and practice of ecological restoration as a strategy to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. In twelve brief chapters, the book introduces readers to the basics of restoration project planning, monitoring, and adaptive management. It explains abiotic factors such as landforms, soil, and hydrology that are the building blocks to successfully recovering microorganism, plant, and animal communities. Additional chapters cover topics such as invasive species and legal and financial considerations. Each chapter concludes with recommended reading and reference lists, and the book can be paired with online resources for teaching. Perfect for introductory classes in ecological restoration or for practitioners seeking constructive guidance for real-world projects, Primer of Ecological Restoration offers accessible, practical information on recent trends in the field.

Culture is a continuing, forward process-the gradual unveiling of truth as life. But often we get ensnarled. We can only imagine culture as a war, a gritty ideological and religious struggle where every arena is bloody with strife: art, philosophy, cuisine, music, literature, science. But at its foundation, culture is about building, not conflict. The time has come for us to beat our swords into plowshares. By realizing the Bible's vision for a cultivated earth, we can build a more comprehensive, radical, holistic culture, resistant to compromise and dedicated to a Trinitarian aesthetic. What does this culture look like? It is the development of the earth into a global fabric of gardens and cities in harmony with nature-a glorious garden-city. Plowing in Hope provides a positive, clear, and colorful introduction to this transformational topic. "David Hegeman's approach is refreshingly different. He maps out a positive theology of culture building rooted in Creation and extending into the New Jerusalem. His wonderful little book, based on sound Biblical exegesis, presents a compelling case for why and how we should build a culture that magnifies God and ennobles men." -David Ayers, Grove City College, Pennsylvania

The story of Pandora is one of the most resonant in Greek mythology. As Healing Pandora shows, it’s also one of the most relevant. Psychologist Gail Thomas has used Pandora in her practice for two decades, often with profound results. Cast in popular accounts as the evil bringer of doom to humanity in divine retaliation for Prometheus stealing fire, Pandora, in Thomas’ view, is a much more complex character, with enormous healing powers as well as her better-known destructive capacity. In this revelatory book, Thomas shows Pandora’s true nature as the dark but all-giving feminine, the archetypal vessel of culture and city with the power to heal our culture. Pandora’s task is to help us transform our overwhelmingly material civilization into a culture of undivided participation and engagement. Part one discusses Pandora’s multifaceted persona as both beautiful evil and divine benefactress. Here Thomas contextualizes Pandora in the cycle of myth and archetype. In part two, the author proposes a series of healing rituals—“Healing Our Fear of Sacrifice,” “Healing Our Dis-Ease,” “Healing the Control of Patriarchy,” and others—inspired by Pandora. Both practical guide and inspiring study, Healing Pandora argues persuasively for manifesting our inner work concretely on the cultural, not just personal, level.