From bestselling author Michele Andrea Bowen, the uproarious sequel to her hit novel Church Folk. It is now 1986, and the preachers of the Gospel United Church are preparing for their much-anticipated Triennial General Conference. The last time readers encountered the good Rev. Theophilus Simmons, he was a newlywed and the pastor of a modest-sized congregation in Memphis. Now he's the father of three and running a congregation in St. Louis. His best friend, Rev. Eddie Tate, is now with a fast growing church in Chicago, but he is getting real frustrated with the way things are run in the Gospel United Church. Marcel Brown and his father, Ernest, along with Sonny Washington and Bishop Larsen Giles have had two decades to perfect their slimy methods of "tapping" church funds and other misdeeds. Now they've found a secret weapon that will allow them to make fast money and accomplish what they failed to do 20 years ago--buy off enough power to dominate the entire denomination, put their cronies in key spots, and ransack the church like it is the spoils of war. It won't be long before the two opposing sides face off..."church-folk" style.

Theophilus Henry Simmons is young, single, sexy, and just about the finest black man any wishful mother and daughter have ever seen in Charleston, Mississippi. He's also a pastor. And when he starts courting the quiet, homespun Essie Lee Lane-and she accepts his marriage proposal-a few of the church folk decide to teach Essie what it really means to be a pastor's wife, and show her how little she knows about them. But as Theophilus gains prominence in his denomination, Essie evolves from a mousy parishioner into an independent and Godly woman. Now sporting an afro and driving her new purple Cadillac, Essie teaches the church folk what it really means to stand by your man-and your beliefs.

When the members of the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church prepare for its one-hundredth anniversary celebration, the unexpected death of the pastor sets the congregation at odds over who the replacement pastor should be.

The lives of the saints are either too grisly for little kids or too saccharine for older ones. But this collection appeals to both groups with a combination of gentle humor and frankness – battle-tested at the author’s weekly chapel services at the school where she teaches. It’s organized into two full school years, with each saint’s story falling on or near his or her special day so that each story can be a springboard to a creative seasonal teaching unit or small festival. Saints represent a wide variety of ethnic and geographic backgrounds.

This book combines a description of folk Islam, biblical perspectives, and strategies for church planting among Muslims. In his theory on Muslim evangelism, Love tackles the major issues of encountering spiritual powers, contextualization, and leadership development. Teachers of Islamic subjects and practitioners in Muslim countries enthusiastically welcome this book.

Michele Andrea Bowen made a name for herself years ago during the African-American inspirational fiction craze. Now, in Pastor Needs a Boo, she's back with an amazing journey of faith, drama, and love. It was a regular New Jerusalem Gospel United Church work day for Reverend Denzelle Flowers when Veronica Washington, Keisha Jackson, and Marsha Metcalf showed up after losing their jobs on the same day, same morning, and almost at the same time. Denzelle struggled to solve that first problem. The other problem—the lovely Marsha—would be much harder to solve. Denzelle didn't even know how to fight wanting to turn in the playah's card and getting "booed" up with the poster girl for "church girls." Marsha Metcalf and her fellow unemployed church members aren't Denzelle's biggest problem, though. He is running for bishop, and his enemies—a more ruthless consortium of corrupted clergy—want power badly enough to go to rather extreme lengths for it because the stakes are just that high. Now, his ex-wife was back and sleeping with the enemy, digging for dirt. Reverend Denzelle can't fight this battle alone. This pastor needs a ‘boo' who will stand by his side. Before the dust settles, both Marsha and Denzelle's faith and love will be put to the ultimate test.

This book has served the missiological community for twenty-five years as a resource for understanding human spirituality in any context. Thousands of students have incorporated the principles of this book into ministry around the globe. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition seeks to enable those who now bring their passion for mission to contemporary contexts affected by globalization, climate change, and political perspectives unimagined when this book originally appeared. Every community, wherever it is on earth, has its share of beliefs and values that manifest themselves in practices that reflect spiritual engagement. Those engaged in mission need to appreciate how underlying beliefs and values are reflected in handling spiritual power, worship and blessing, and interaction with others. Gospel communicators must account for these elements as they seek to make God's intentions known to people who are searching for God. The models presented early in the book are essential for establishing what people consider spiritually critical. Applying these models in any religious environment will enable message-bearers to engage with beliefs and practices that promote a gospel presentation that makes sense. To that end, we commend this book for effective missional engagement.

The enthusiastic response to Church Chuckles has paved the way for More Church Chuckles, another hilarious installment of Christian cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Dick Hafer. From the uptightness of those lovable fundamentalists, to the sidesplitting antics of our more liberal brethren, Hafer's keen eye and artistic fingers combine for a send-up of the more humorous aspects of today's Christian community. Get one for a friend, then get one for yourself.

A thrilling new voice in fiction injects the absurd into the everyday to present a startling vision of modern life, “[as] if Kafka and Camus and Bradbury were penning episodes of Black Mirror” (Chang-Rae Lee, author of My Year Abroad). “Stories so sharp and ingenious you may cut yourself on them while reading.”—Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble With a focus on the weird and eerie forces that lurk beneath the surface of ordinary experience, Kate Folk’s debut collection is perfectly pitched to the madness of our current moment. A medical ward for a mysterious bone-melting disorder is the setting of a perilous love triangle. A curtain of void obliterates the globe at a steady pace, forcing Earth’s remaining inhabitants to decide with whom they want to spend eternity. A man fleeing personal scandal enters a codependent relationship with a house that requires a particularly demanding level of care. And in the title story, originally published in The New Yorker, a woman in San Francisco uses dating apps to find a partner despite the threat posed by “blots,” preternaturally handsome artificial men dispatched by Russian hackers to steal data. Meanwhile, in a poignant companion piece, a woman and a blot forge a genuine, albeit doomed, connection. Prescient and wildly imaginative, Out There depicts an uncanny landscape that holds a mirror to our subconscious fears and desires. Each story beats with its own fierce heart, and together they herald an exciting new arrival in the tradition of speculative literary fiction.

Bestselling author Michele Andrea Bowen follows up Pastor Needs a Boo with Praying Like Crazy , another story of drama, faith, and love, set in the black church, about the four women of the Pastor's Aide Club. Veronica Washington gets fired from her high-profile PR job before she even has a chance to step in the building--frantic, upset, she believes she has fallen as low as 'she can get'. But when her moment of hardship leads her directly to Charles Robinson, the sharp-dressed and undeniably fine owner of Rumpshakers Hip-Hop Gentlemen's Club, her problems only compound. Veronica cannot deny that, despite his occupation, Charles is a true gentleman and is willing to spend as much time as it takes to help her get back on her feet. What Veronica doesn't know is the true reason behind Charles' 21st Century brand of chivalry. Despite being surrounded constantly by gorgeous women, Charles is drawn to Veronica. Beautiful as any magazine-cover-worthy celebrity, and smart as a whip, she's the kind of companion Charles can never have-she's a saved woman, and the difference between her life and Charles's is just too great. But bigger issues are on the horizon for them. Veronica getting fired only scratches the surface of a much more sinister plot involving a host of shady characters. As immoral men, just barely on the right side of the law, and a former Mafia man move in on Charles, it's going to take a whole lot more than his bank account to keep his enemies at bay. What he'll need most of all is a good woman by his side, and enough faith to pray like crazy.