How do we actually pursue the flourishing of our neighborhoods? This field guide walks you through a simple, powerful process for blessing your own neighborhood, with six sessions on discovering the gifts of your community, imagining the possibilities, and pursuing the common good. Exercises and assessments provide practical tools for bringing your hopes into concrete reality.

When Christians join together to pursue the common good of our neighborhoods, we bring hope to the world, credibility to the church, and glory to God. Filled with original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries, this book from Don Everts offers constructive, practical ways that Christians and churches can bless our local communities.

In this field guide to the future, esteemed Harvard University botanist Peter Del Tredici unveils the plants that will become even more dominant in urban environments under projected future environmental conditions. These plants are the most important and most common plants in cities. Learning what they are and the role they play, he writes, will help us all make cities more livable and enjoyable. With more than 1000 photos, readers can easily identify these powerful plants. Learn about the fascinating cultural history of each plant.

Civil rights leader John Perkins and CCDA president Wayne Gordon revisit the founding principles of the Christian Community Development Association, seeking to provide the terms for a new discussion around the emerging priorities of Christian community development today. Includes profiles of thriving urban ministries.

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.

Discover your gifts with this practical guide that describes twelve different kinds of gifts and gives examples of how each can be used in church, family, work, and society. By using this workbook alongside the Discover Your Gifts book, you can grow in your understanding and use of your own gifts and become better equipped to recognize and unleash the gifts of others.

What does public health have to do with Christianity? How should Christians and churches in Atlantic Canada and beyond respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic? In this first volume of East Coast Theology, the faculty of Acadia Divinity College reflect biblically and theologically on these questions. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health for Nova Scotia, offers his insights as well. This book provides church members and leaders with theological foundations and practical ideas for ministering through health care. As a result, we hope that followers of Christ will be at the forefront of efforts for relief and healing on Canada's East Coast both today and in the future. As people called by God to care for others, our vision should be nothing less than this.

Each of us has gifts to offer to the world around us, but we have not always identified or deployed them effectively. Incorporating new research on the impact that our gifts can make, Don Everts explores the many kinds of gifts God gives, whether spiritual, civic, artistic, or entrepreneurial. Discover how our gifts can pave a way for reconnecting with our communities.

In Louisiana, every bite of food and each turn of phrase is an expression of cultural literacy. Correctly pronouncing "Tchoupitoulas" or "Atchafalaya," knowing the difference between the first Governor Long and the second one, being able to spot the artwork of Caroline Durieux, and honoring the distinction between a Creole and a Cajun roux serve not just as markers of familiarity; they represent acts of preservation. The Louisiana Field Guide: Understanding Life in the Pelican State expands on this everyday communion of history, delving into the cultural patchwork that makes the Gumbo State both thoroughly American and absolutely singular. An authoritative lineup of contributors reintroduces Louisiana through the lenses of environment, geography, history, politics, religion, culture, language, sports, literature, film, music, architecture, food, and art. Whether describing the archi-tectural details of the Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter or sharing the family history of Bourgeois' Meat Market just outside of Thibodaux, the essays in The Louisiana Field Guide present a fresh and expansive look at the enchanting and perplexing Pelican State. At once an accessible primer and a rich omnibus, this volume explores the well-known destinations and far-flung corners of Louisiana, from Cameron Parish to Congo Square, offering an enlightening companion guide for visitors and a trust-worthy reference for residents.

Embrace the tension of unmet longing and choose hope—even when life doesn’t look like you thought it would. Maybe you’ve chosen to bury your dreams, denying your desires and sleepwalking through life. Maybe you’ve let your longing take the driver’s seat and now you feel frantic and out of control. Even worse, you find yourself growing cold to God, wondering, If I never get what I want, is God still good? This book tackles that hard question—and many others. When It Hurts to Hope will show you the middle ground between burying your longings and overindulging them. Rachel Miller offers encouragement and practical advice on how to honor God and honor your desires at the same time, sharing tools for readers to be emotionally and spiritually healthy. Through storytelling, Scripture, and humor, this book will help you choose hope in tough seasons like unwanted singleness, infertility, chronic illness, and career frustrations. Ultimately, Jesus is the only one who can meet every longing. Delayed dreams can deepen our intimacy with God while we hope for the day when he wipes away every tear and heals every heartache.