Dr. Owen Whitfield is the elderly Oxford professor of history who first appeared in Michael O''Brien''s novel The Father''s Tale. In the events of The Sabbatical, which occur sometime later, Dr. Whitfield is looking forward to a sabbatical year of peace and quiet, gardening in his backyard, and tinkering with what he calls his latest "unpublishable book". As the year begins, he is drawn by a series of seeming coincidences into involvement with a group of characters from across Europe, including a family that has been the target of assassination attempts by unknown powers. During his journey to Romania, the situation in which he finds himself becomes more sinister than it first seemed. The story deals with the tension between fatalism and the providential understanding of history, with the courage and love that are necessary for navigating through a confusion of signs, and with the triumph of faith and reason over the forces of destruction.

How can you use adversity in your life to propel you to success? It's impossible to make it through life unscathed from trauma or adversity. Not facing these experiences directly often creates dysfunctional coping mechanisms which can lead to burnout or roadblocks for even the most successful people. Filled with stories of modern women who made changes to live more in sync with their purpose and passions, The Resiliency Effect includes actionable advice and exercises, as well as chapters dedicated to realizing common dreams such as how to change careers, take a sabbatical, or start a business. This book will teach you to embrace and overcome adversity so you too can live your biggest dreams. You'll also learn how to determine what habits and coping strategies are blocking you from success and to take tangible steps to make lasting changes in your life.

Planned time away from the parish for study, rest, and spiritual renewal can be beneficial-and often necessary-for any pastor, as well as for the congregation. In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of Alban’s popular Sabbatical Planning for Clergy and Congregations, Bullock and Bruesehoff provide the definitive guide to putting together refreshing pastoral sabbaticals that can help keep ministry vital and growing for the long term

Two cubicle convicts. One jungle village. A life without boundaries. In this real-life comedic memoir, Laura Berger and Glen Tibaldeo expose the blessings and ironic struggles of ditching their cut-throat corporate jobs for life in a tranquil jungle paradise. Following the spirit and encouragement of friends met on a desperately needed vacation two years earlier, they leave their Chicago home with eleven suitcases, two laptops, and two cats to land in Pair-o-Dice Village, the scene of their big life gamble. Surprisingly intense life changes immediately prompt a slew of rarely contemplated questions. Could you: Completely change your sources of happiness? Let a boa constrictor loose in your house to get rid of the bats? Drink mystery potions from a shaman? Brave cliff sides when you're deathly afraid of heights? Make friends with your pesky inner voice at all costs? Join a journey of laughter as Laura and Glen pick apart the foibles in all of us. Find yourself rooting for a couple in a life adventure, at the brink of losing everything they have to get everything they've ever wanted. From random wildlife dropping from the sky and battles with vipers to culture clashes and visits with shamans, Radical Sabbatical captures the thrills and realities of boldly following a dream in a story any thrill-seeker-armchair or roaming-will love.

This journal was written during the last year of Henri Nouwen's life, ending shortly before his death in 1996. In it, he describes his struggles with other people, his difficulty discerning what God intends for him, the direction his ministry is to take, and, woven throughout the book, are the continual, endless and beautiful themes of God's reconciling love, the Eucharist, forgiveness, friendship and love.Three weeks after writing his final words of this book, Nouwen died following a heart attack.

For too long, we’ve been participating in “hustle culture” which says if we’re not moving and achieving, we’re not enough. Sometimes, the only way to release ourselves from this exhausting feedback loop is to take a break from work. Sabbaticals provide time and space for a reset and can give us energy to launch something new, adjust priorities, or rediscover passions. Most people would love to take an extended sabbatical, but the truth is, you probably haven’t made a plan to address fears that arise the moment you step away from full-time work. Informed by case studies and personal experience, The Art of the Sabbatical tackles questions like: --How will I afford this? --What will my family or colleagues think of me, and how do I create a support system? --How do I get the most out of my sabbatical? --How do I return to the workforce and communicate with future employers? You can have a transformational work break, whether it’s something you’ve been dreaming about for months, or it sprung up as something unplanned or out of your control. This illuminating guidebook is filled with thoughtful insights and journal prompts which will give you the courage and resources to design your life-changing sabbatical.

What to do if it's time to take stock—and you have no time! Have you ever fantasized about taking time for yourself just to reflect on the quality of your work life? Are you doing what you really want to be doing? Or are you spinning your wheels so fast that you're headed for burnout? And most importantly, is there a way to revitalize and refocus your career to your satisfaction? If you're like most people, that annual vacation doesn't do the trick, and weekends are just a time to collapse before it starts up again on Monday. If you can't afford the luxury of a full-fledged sabbatical, then Clarity Quest is for you. This powerful eight-week "training" program, which culminates in a week of self-discovery, is something that will fit into the busiest of schedules. Pamela Ammondson offers simple exercises to help you: * Break away from career confusion, and let go of old fears * Renew your physical, mental, and emotional energy so that you can think clearly and creatively * Identify your core values * Gain the strength, stamina, and calm needed to make important career and life decisions * Clarify what you really want, and take control of your life with a new sense of purpose and vision For seven weeks, you'll follow the plan, do all the groundwork for your future, and watch your dreams come into focus. When you hit the eighth week, you'll take a week-long sabbatical to fine-tune those goals, recharge your batteries, and commit to making the decisions that will change your life for the better.

Learn the art of thread painting from Instagram sensation Michelle Staub Cats and dogs seem to always have a paw planted firmly in our hearts. Capture the life in their eyes and the texture of their fur with a unique embroidered pet portrait! Insta-famous artist Michelle Staub puts a modern spin on thread painting with her easy-to-learn approach. Get started with 4 basic embroidery stitches, and follow the detailed tutorials to hone your skills. Capture awe-inspiring details of your pet with lessons in full-color thread painting or go clean with a simple line drawing—the choice is yours. Learn to personalize your art piece with names, dates, and decorative accents. With 20 sample patterns to customize, you can easily recreate any breed! Paint stunningly realistic pet portraits with just a needle and thread Try your hand at two styles—minimal outlines and incredible full-color renderings Make it modern with floral garlands, personalized banners, and crisp lettering Start today with 4 easy stitches and 20 customizable projects

Their son is gone. Deep down, they think they're to blame. Summertime in Bleak Harbor means tourists, overpriced restaurants, and the Dragonfly Festival. One day before the much-awaited and equally chaotic celebration, Danny Peters, the youngest member of the family that founded the town five generations ago, disappears. When Danny's mother, Carey, and stepfather, Pete, receive a photo of their brilliant, autistic, and socially withdrawn son tied to a chair, they fear the worst. But there's also more to the story. Someone is sending them ominous texts and emails filled with information no one else should have. Could the secrets they've kept hidden--even from one another--have led to Danny's abduction? As pressure from the kidnapper mounts, Carey and Pete must face their own ugly mistakes to find their son before he's taken from them forever.

Offering expertise in the teaching of writing (Kim Jaxon) and the teaching of science (Leslie Atkins Elliott and Irene Salter), this book will help instructors create classrooms in which students use writing to learn and think scientifically. The authors provide concrete approaches for engaging students in practices that mirror the work that writing plays in the development and dissemination of scientific ideas, as opposed to replicating the polished academic writing of research scientists. Addressing a range of genres that can help students deepen their scientific reasoning and inquiry, this text includes activities, guidelines, resources, and assessment suggestions. Composing Science is a valuable resource for university-level science faculty, science methods course instructors in teacher preparation programs, and secondary science teachers who have been asked to address the Common Core ELA Standards. Book Features: Provides models for integrating writing into science courses and lesson plans. Focuses on the work that science writing does, both in the development and dissemination of ideas. Addresses the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core ELA Standards. Includes samples of student work, classroom transcripts, and photographs that capture the visual elements of science writing. “The pedagogy described in Composing Science doesn’t only recapture the sense of the uncertainty of discovery, it also articulates and examines the social and collaborative writing practices that science uses to produce knowledge and reduce uncertainty. Without question, teachers of science will find this book inspirational and useful, college teachers for sure, but also teachers up and down the curriculum.” —Tom Fox, director, Site Development, National Writing Project “This book will be invaluable, not only for the genuinely new and wonderful ideas for teaching, but also and maybe more for the rich examples from the authors’ classes. Through the lens of writing we see students doing science—and it is truly science—in surprising and delightful ways.” —David Hammer, professor, Tufts University