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Much courage is required to weather the long grief of infertility and the sudden grief of miscarriage and infant loss. The storms that rage are frightening and overwhelming. Though the Darkness Gather Round, a collection of devotions by men and women, ministers, chaplains, and lay leaders who can speak of such sorrow, is a much-needed resource and precious gift for families on this journey and the faith communities that walk beside them.

This book isn't about the quest for love. It is about waking up to the love that is at our essence. Jesus sets the bar high for us with his teachings about love, and great writers, scientists, poets, and teachers take it as a given that love-loving and being loved-is necessary for human beings to flourish. Fierce Love is about learning to see yourself and know yourself as a conduit of love, operating from a full heart instead of trying to find someone to whom you can hook up your emotional hose and fill up your empty heart. Readers who accompany Miley on this journey will find themselves, like her, changed, humbled, and inspired as they explore what it means to respond to God's commandments to love-authentically, fearlessly, deeply, fiercely.

Jesus is universally hailed as a great teacher. It's often forgotten that questions were always part of his teaching. This book seeks to honor this fact by challenging readers to make more room for questions within faith and to hear his questions as being personally addressed to them. Taking eleven of those questions as its core, If Jesus Isn't the Answer . . . leads us into earnest exploration of life's big questions, just as Jesus did. Equal parts testimony, challenge, pastoral counseling, and theological instruction, the book is ultimately an invitation to honest Christian discipleship.

Here's the story: a reverend and a rabbi start a blog. In 2008, Baptist minister Michael Smith and Jewish rabbi Rami M. Shapiro began a virtual conversation via blogspot.com. Called "Mount and Mountain," the blog recorded a long-running dialogue between Mike and Rami in which the pair interpreted, argued about, and interrogated key texts drawn from the canons of their respective religions: the Ten Commandments from the Torah, the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of St. Matthew, and now, in their newest collaboration, the stories of Genesis.Editor Aaron Herschel Shapiro describes storytelling as an "infinite game" because stories "must be retold-not just repeated, but reinvented, reimagined, and reexperienced" to remain vital in the world. Mike and Rami continue their earlier conversations, exploring the places where their traditions intersect and diverge and listening to each other as they respond to the stories of creation, of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Jacob, and Joseph. Mike and Rami change the stories by interpretation as they themselves are changed by story and interpretation. And as we read with them, we too respond and interpret and change.

The Star Wars films have maintained a tremendous following for almost forty years, attracting successive generations of audiences while sustaining their appeal for lifelong fans. As viewers return to these stories again and again, the movies exert tremendous influence on their perceptions of the world. Star Wars offers an accessible starting point for considering substantive issues of faith, philosophy, and ethics. In A True Hope, Joshua Hays explores some of these challenging ideas through the sayings of the Jedi Masters, encouraging Christians to reflect on them thoughtfully. In so doing, Hays examines the ways the worldview of the Jedi is at odds with that of the Bible. Readers who accompany Hays on this journey will continue to enjoy the entertainment of the Star Wars galaxy while strengthening the stability and coherence of their faith.

Sessions with Psalms is a ten-session study unit designed to explore what it looks like for the words of the psalms to become the words of our prayers. Each session is followed by a thought-provoking page of questions that allow for a deeper experience of the scriptural passages. These resource pages can be used by seminar leaders during preparation and group discussion, as well as in individual Bible study. The book of Psalms is indeed the church's prayer book. If we tell the truth about ourselves, then these are our prayers. If we are looking for ten easy steps to prayer, then the psalms are not the right option. But if we want to deepen our relationships with God and each other, our understanding of ourselves and of Scripture, and open ourselves to transformation, then the psalms are exactly the right word.

No one listens better for the voice of God in the noise and clatter of life than Bert Montgomery. -Michael A. Smith Senior pastor, Central Baptist Church of Fountain City and Co-author of Mount and Mountain Guns N' Roses. Jaws. The Statler Brothers. A dead Trappist monk and a living Baptist heretic. With stories about pains, joys, and everyday life, Of Mice and Ministers finds Jesus in some unlikely places and challenges us to do the same. From tattooed women ministers to saying the "N"-word to the brotherly kiss, Bert Montgomery takes seriously the lesson from Psalm 139-where can one go that God is not already there?

This is a remarkable collection of sermons. The Baptist world has been needing these voices for a long time, and thankfully these are women who could not wait to proclaim the Gospel. They offer a more comprehensive view of God, who has been urging them to speak all along. -Molly T. Marshall, president Central Baptist Theological Seminary Shawnee, Kansas Hope for the church and the world is alive and well in the words of these gifted women. Keen insight, delightful observations, profound courage, and a gift for communicating the good news are woven throughout these sermons. The Spirit so evident in Addie's calling clearly continues in her legacy. -Dorisanne Cooper, pastor Watts Street Baptist Church Durham, North Carolina Contributors include: Gwen Brown Molly Brummett Caroline Lawson Dean Pamela R. Durso Griselda Escobar Angela Fields Nicole Finkelstein-Blair Karen Hatcher Kimberly Schmitt Holman Erin James-Brown LeAnn Gunter Johns Andrea Dellinger Jones Martha Kearse Veronice Miles Heather Mustain Bailey Edwards Nelson Teresa Pugh Kyndall Rae Rothaus Shelley Hasty Woodruff

Leadership is a treacherous journey, and only the bravest people book passage for the trip. In I'm Trying to Lead . . . Is Anybody Following?, Charles B. Bugg, author of Transformational Leadership, offers ministers and church leaders a roadmap for guiding congregations. Rather than offering the false promise of "seven easy steps," however, Bugg provides us with a view of leadership that has theological integrity, honors the diversity of church members, and reinforces the brave hearts of church leaders who offer vision and take risks in the service of Christ and the church.

What stories compose your spiritual biography? How do biblical narratives echo through your own experiences? Where does your path intersect with God in both profound and mundane moments? In With Us in the Wilderness, Laura Barclay shares her own stories of the intersection of the divine and the everyday, guiding readers toward identifying and embracing God's presence in their own narratives. Through the perspective of faith, hope, love, and each of the four cardinal virtues-Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Courage-Barclay explains how, by exploring our spiritual biographies, we grow toward greater acceptance of our stories, greater understanding of God, and greater participation in the plan God has for our lives.

A Christian year of fifty-two invitations to communion Some scholars suggest that every meal in literature is a communion scene. Could every meal in the Bible be a communion text? The Lord's Supper is betrayal in the upper room, but it is also dinner in Emmaus and breakfast by the Sea of Tiberias. Could every passage be an invitation to God's grace? At the Lord's Table we experience sorrow, hope, gratitude, friendship, and forgiveness. These meditations on the Lord's Supper help us listen to the myriad of ways God invites us to gratefully, reverently, and joyfully share the cup of Christ.

"They didn't teach me that in Sunday school!"All those years in Sunday school and no one ever explained why Eve took the blame for the fall when Adam was beside her . . . or why Phoebe was a "servant" when the same word elsewhere was translated as "deacon" . . . or why only Miriam got leprosy when she and Aaron both questioned Moses . . . or who made the food for the Last Supper and then cleaned up afterward.These are the questions of reflective faith, a faith that asks hard questions and refuses easy answers, a faith that engages with the world and seeks to change it. In Reflective Faith, Susan Shaw offers a set of tools to explore difficult issues of biblical interpretation, theology, church history, and ethics- especially as they relate to women. Reflective faith invites intellectual struggle and embraces the unknown; it is a way of discipleship, a way to love God with your mind, as well as your heart, your soul, and your strength.

For as long as there have been families, families have needed a place to rest. Families are struggling to keep up with the demands of life, figure out the complexities of life, and live through the difficulties of life. Families are trying to keep pace with overburdened schedules and overcommitted calendars. If a book can become, for a few moments, "a place," then, hopefully, the words inside this book can clear out a restful, quiet place where weary families can go for a little while.

Twenty-five years after the very public tragedy of the space shuttle Challenger, June Scobee Rodgers has written her private story-her winding path through childhood poverty, homelessness, and family dysfunction to her teenage marriage and twenty-six years of love and life with Dick Scobee. This is the story, too, of that heartbreaking day in January 1986 when Commander Scobee and his six crewmates "slipped the surly bonds of Earth." That day, June's life took a new direction that ultimately led to the creation of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and to new love and new life with Don Rodgers. Her story of faith and triumph over adversity will inspire readers of every age.

In this new volume in the Reading the Old Testament commentary series, Terence E. Fretheim explores themes of indictment, judgment, and salvation in Hosea-Micah. The indictment against the people of God especially involves issues of abuse of the poor and needy and idolatry. The effects of such behaviors are often horrendous in their severity. While God is often the subject of such judgments the consequences, like fruit, grow out of the deed itself. Issues of indictment and judgment are not finally ends in themselves, but in the service of the salvation of God.

"There is a simple formula for sermon preparation that creates messages that apply and engage whether your parish is rural or urban, young or old, rich or poor, five thousand members or fifty," writes Michael Brown in the preface to Making the Timeless Word Timely.The other part of the task, of course, involves being creative and insightful enough to know how to take the general formula for sermon preparation and make it particular in its impact on a specific congregation. Michael Brown guides the reader though the formula and the skills to employ it with excellence and integrity. He also offers twelve examples of sermons that illustrate the approaches and do indeed "make the timeless Word timely."Michael B. Brown is an author, motivational speaker, adjunct professor, and for ten years was the Senior Minister at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, America's oldest existing Protestant congregation. A graduate of High Point University and Duke University Divinity School, Dr. Brown received his Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from Drew Theological Seminary. All across America in civic arenas, at corporate events, on college and university campuses, and for Chautauqua Institutes, Dr. Brown carries the mantle of positivity to audiences of all ages, teaching a proven approach to discovering meaning, healthy relationships, and joy in life. He is a frequent lecturer and preacher at colleges, universities, and Chautauqua communities across America. Dr. Brown is married to Page Plummer Brown, a native of Richmond, Virginia. The Browns are the proud parents of four children: Adam, Alison, Zachary and Katharine, and the delighted grandparents of Anderson Haile.Praise for Making the Timeless Word Timely"Most how-to sermon books use dry, uninspiring writing to encourage dynamic, inspiring messages. Not this one. This is a work that actually practices what it preaches. It is a joy to read and a jewel to share. Thank you, Dr. Michael Brown, for showing us by example how to make the timeless timely." -Susan Sparks, Senior Minister, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, and Author of Laugh Your Way to Grace and Preaching Punchlines

Listen to the landscape of your life. Do we really know the places in which we live? Do we recognize the feel of them? Are we acquainted with their curves? Are we on familiar terms with their people? Do we see the ways God might use us to extend his right-making love in our own neighborhoods and cultures? Are we letting Christ teach us his kingdom worldview and applying it specifically in our own contexts? Exploring where we are and why that matters to God is an incredible, ongoing process. If we are present and attentive, God creatively and continuously widens our view of the world, whether we live in the Amazon or in our own hometown. Join Holly Sprink as she reflects on her places and explores the wider, ongoing conversation between faith and place.

I cannot believe there is anyone whose life wouldn't be subtly and meaningfully enriched by spending an hour or two in the pages of A Hungry Soul. -John Killinger Author of Hidden Mark, The Zacchaeus Solution, and What the Blind Man Saw Part of how we see God is determined by how we listen to God. There is so much noise and movement in the world that competes with images of God. This noise would drown out God's beckoning voice and distract us. We may not sense what spiritual directors refer to as the thin place-God come near. Charles Qualls's A Hungry Soul Desperate to Taste God's Grace: Honest Prayers for Life offers readers prayers for that journey toward the meaning and mystery of God. For a half century, I have directed people who wanted to know how to pray to the Prayers of a French monk named Michel Quoist. Now when they ask me, I will direct them also to A Hungry Soul, an exceptional collection of prayers by a Baptist pastor from Georgia named Charles Qualls. You will learn from both how to converse and commune with God in ordinary happenings of every day. -E. Glenn Hinson Senior Professor of Church History and Spirituality Baptist Seminary of Kentucky

Resistance takes many forms. Sometimes it is violent. Sometimes it proceeds non-violently. Oppression and the imposition of a new culture are often executed by means of harsh and stringent measures. One way of life is brushed aside and forced to give place to another. The loss of cherished symbols of one's identity and accompanying practices confronts the oppressed with a critical challenge: do I go along to get along, or do I take a stand? If the latter, how do I go about it? What form will my resistance take? What form should it take? Daniel is a book about resistance. It was written to people under pressure. In the book, we will see the efforts oppressive regimes take to undermine the faith and identity of God's people. In it, we will also see the strategies God's people employed in resisting the imposition of a foreign culture, and we will see what sustained their efforts. In that vein, the book of Daniel is powerfully relevant.

"What an amazing and heartbreaking and beautiful story." -Anne Lamott New York Times Bestselling Author On July 12, 2009, a bus carrying a youth group from Shreveport, Louisiana, to a youth camp in Georgia overturned when two tires failed near Meridian, Mississippi. Most of the twenty-three passengers were injured. Maggie Lee Henson, age twelve, died three weeks later from traumatic brain injuries sustained in the accident. This story, Maggie Lee for Good, is one part worst-case scenario and three parts God's creative redemption. In it, her parents describe the overwhelming grief of losing a child, their struggle with faith, and the unexpected acts of love and generosity that result from their loss. John and Jinny Henson's story captures the essence of Maggie Lee's boundless faith and will inspire readers who are facing loss, searching for evidence of God's sustaining grace, or looking for ways to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. It is a powerful reminder that there is no tragedy so profound that God cannot bring good from it. One Day One Deed One Difference www.maggieleeforgood.org The life and death of Maggie Lee Henson began a movement of kindness that is still reverberating. More than just a feel-good story, her story is proof that the human spirit will triumph even when the body fails, that people do want good to win, and that God is very much at work redeeming the world and even our worst-case scenarios. The best way to join Maggie Lee for Good is to click the "Like" button at this Facebook page: facebook.com/MaggieLeeforGood. If you would like to present "Maggie Lee for Good" to your school or service organization, visit www.maggieleeforgood.org to access free tools, graphics and printables. Jinny Henson is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, John, launched the Maggie Lee for Good movement. She has traveled the country performing stand-up comedy and attributes God's gift of laughter as one of the secrets to her family's survival of tragic loss. Jinny's blog is jinnyhenson.wordpress.com. John Henson is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is founding pastor of Church for the Highlands in Shreveport, Louisiana. John also serves as Chaplain for Volunteers of America, North Louisiana and maintains a blog at www.revjohnhenson.com.

This eight-session study of Paul's letter to the Philippians explores the centrality of Paul's faith in Jesus Christ, his love for the Philippian church, and his joy in serving both Christ and their church. Paul's letter reminds us of his special relationship with Jesus and calls us into a renewed relationship with Christ, too. Each session concludes with thought-provoking suggestions, making it an ideal resource for Bible study groups as well as individual readers. The Sessions Series is preferred by a number of churches seeking to help people build their Bible study skills. Many groups enjoy studying the Bible book-by-book. This popular approach helps a group discuss a book's basic themes, learn how to interpret that book, and then wrestle with it's meaning for their lives.

Leadership Is a Combination of Art and Science Effective leaders are people who are always studying their strengths and weaknesses and examining the strategies that can make them better in what they do. They realize that change is possible, but also that most change is hard. Transformational leadership involves acquiring the skills and knowledge to help create positive change in the world around us. But it also involves a deep look within. Transformation is a continuous process that forces leaders to examine themselves and ask in what ways do we need to allow God to change us so that we become more compassionate, caring people? In Transformational Leadership, pastor and author Charles Bugg warns us that this journey is not for the faint of heart. It is not for those who believe leadership is merely learning a set of skills. Transformational leadership is the call to allow God to change us, the church, and the church's calling to the world.

Reginald F. Davis believes there is a crisis in black America. Disproportionately, black Americans rank at the top in crime, murders, drug abuse, unemployment, incarceration, poverty, education deficiencies, and HIV/AIDS cases. Physical slavery is past and the civil rights bill has been signed, yet the black community is not saved, is not healed, is not organized, is not liberated. Davis's latest book, The Black Church: Relevant or Irrelevant in the 21st Century?, emerges from his great love, admiration, and deep concern for the future of the black community and the black church. Davis contends that a relevant church struggles to correct oppression, not maintain it. An irrelevant church sees the self-destructive behavior, oppression, and powerlessness of the oppressed but refuses to take the necessary steps to eradicate it. How can the black church focus on the liberation of the black community, thereby reclaiming the loyalty and respect of the black community? Davis also challenges the white church to understand and acknowledge what the malignancy of racism has done and still does to the body of Christ. He asserts that the white church cannot continue to remain silent on issues of oppression; it must preach against racism as well as be an agent of justice and liberation. Ultimately, churches-both black and white-must come together to be the Word of God to the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized.

In his latest book, Choosing Gratitude: Learning to Love the Life You Have, renowned author James A. Autry reminds us that gratitude is a choice, a spiritual-not social-process. Made evident as behavior, gratitude is not the behavior itself. We may automatically respond, "Thank you" or "Appreciate it" in the daily course of our lives. These are polite, conditioned responses, but they are not gratitude. Instead, gratitude is a way of life, a belief system, that means cultivating a spirit of thankfulness even through the negatives of life. It is remembering there will always be more reasons for gratitude than for despair. In a society consumed by fears of not having "enough"-money, possessions, security, and so on-Autry suggests that if we cultivate gratitude as a way of being, we may not change the world and its ills, but we can change our response to the world. If we fill our lives with moments of gratitude, we will indeed love the life we have. James A. Autry, a former Fortune 500 executive, is an author, poet, and consultant whose work has had significant influence on leadership thinking. He is the author of ten books, and his writings have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Featured in Bill Moyers' PBS series The Power of the Word and in Moyers' book The Language of Life, Autry has also been noted on National Public Radio via Garrison's Keillor's "Writer's Corner." He serves on the national advisory board of Poets & Writers, Inc. Autry resides in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife, Sally Pederson, who recently retired as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, and their twenty-seven-year-old son. He has two grown sons by a previous marriage and is a proud grandfather of two.

A reverend and a rabbi start a blog... (stop us if you've heard this one before). As it happens, not long ago Baptist minister Michael Smith and Jewish rabbi Rami M. Shapiro actually did initiate the blog conversation "Mount and Mountain." The blog recorded a long-running dialogue between Mike and Rami in which the pair interpreted, argued about, and interrogated two key texts drawn from the canons of their respective religions: the Ten Commandments from the Torah, and the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of St. Matthew. This book, focused on the Ten Commandments, represents the first half of that dialogue. In Mount and Mountain, Volume One, Mike and Rami discuss the nature of divinity, the power of faith, and the necessity of doubt. From the beauty of myth and story to the achievements, failings, and future of religion, above all they both wrestle with the struggle to live ethically and in harmony with the way of God. Reading along, we are invited to take part, to add our own voices and experience to the task of interpretation, and to craft our own meanings from the text of Exodus. And if, as readers, we take that text in our own directions, we move toward a richer understanding not only of Scripture but also of God and godliness.

"This Is What a Preacher Looks Like" was a hit catchphrase long before any idea of a book ever existed. When Baptist Women in Ministry created T-shirts to celebrate their 25th anniversary, few could have predicted how popular the bright aqua-colored shirts would become! Yet, no one should be surprised about the giftedness of Baptist women preachers. From the first days of Baptist beginnings-as early as the 1630s-Baptist women preached throughout England. Their voices are soft and loud, prophetic and pastoral, humorous and sincere. They are African American, Asian, Latina, and Caucasian. They are sisters, wives, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends.This Is What a Preacher Looks Like: Sermons by Baptist Women is a collection of sermons by thirty-six Baptist women. Just imagine-the work of thirty-six Baptist women preachers in one volume. Yet, the truth is that this book could have contained sermons by 836 Baptist women, all preaching the word of God!

In Making the Good News Good Again, Judson Edwards asks questions shared by many longtime Christians: wouldn't it be great if the Bible fascinated us once again? Wouldn't we do almost anything to sense the presence of God anew in our lives? Wouldn't we pay almost anything to get the wonder back? Wonder is the fuel that keeps Christians going, the element that makes our faith contagious and alive-and it is the greatest need in our churches today. With so many of our spiritual tanks running low, we need to splash around in grace a while and come out laughing and feeling frisky again. Making the Good News Good Again will help readers hear with new ears the sweet, undistilled melody of the gospel.

Judson Edwards believes that it is important for Christian writers to strive to be among the best writers in the world. Following the example of the Apostle Paul, we can see ourselves as stewards of God's mysteries, polishing the message until it shines. In Blissful Affliction: The Ministry and Misery of Writing, Edwards draws from more than forty years of writing experience to explore why we use the written word to change lives and how to improve the writing craft. Simultaneously informative, educational, and inspiring, Edwards' latest work is a guided tour of what it means (and what it takes) to suffer the curse of so beloved an affliction.