In this honest guide meant for young men and those who mentor them, leadership coach Daniel Allen shares how we can thrive in our faith, vocation and relationships. Including a four-session study guide, this book gives practical, real-life advice for shaping a godly view of manhood, building character and growing in spiritual practices and leadership.
On December 10, 1953, tragedy was visited on a family when Nathaniel Allen was murdered on the Sampit River by his white employer, who lured him into the meeting under the false promise of reconciliation. Allen's death was recorded as an accidental drowning, a deliberate cover-up of the bullet hole seen by more than one witness. Three generations later, Phil Allen Jr. revisits this harrowing story and recounts the "baton of bitterness" that this murder passed down in his family. Through interviews, difficult conversations, and deep theological reflection, Allen takes up the challenge of racism today, naming it for what it is and working to chart a path toward reconciliation. Open Wounds, and the documentary that accompanies it, is a transformative experience of listening and learning as a grandson looks, laments, an ultimately leads his family and his society forward toward a just and reconciled future. It's an essential part of our national reckoning with racism and injustice.
For more than 160 years, the cannabis industry was a valued and trusted friend of the American people. Thirty-one consecutive presidents, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, didn’t have a problem with the cannabis plant. It was the most valued commodity traded for on the free market until 1937. In Secrets of the Cannabis Industry, author Chuck Allen Jr. provides a look at the cannabis industry and the men and women who risk their family, friends, and freedom to work within it. Each chapter narrates a story from the subculture of cannabis entrepreneurs. There’s Professor Muzzo, who unknowingly helped one of his students achieve financial success by selling a popular fast-food item spiced with a secret ingredient; a postal employee with a secret garden in his basement; an entrepreneur who made a fortune selling franchises for indoor-growing opportunities; and a fireman’s wife who owned a video store with extra-special movie-rental benefits. Secrets of the Cannabis Industry considers the courage and the determination of these entrepreneurs and shares the secrets of how they became independent and financially successful in the cannabis industry.
From the author of Conclave and All the Pope’s Men comes the story of Pope John Paul II’s last days, the behind-the-scenes dynamics within the College of Cardinals that led to the choice of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. On April 18, 2005, the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church gathered to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II. Faced with several potential candidates, the cardinals made a bold choice, entrusting the Keys of the Kingdom to 78-year-old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a man whose views on the challenges facing the Church and the broader culture could not be more unambiguous, or controversial. Questions arose as the world watched while Ratzinger was installed as Pope Benedict XVI, the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church. Why Ratzinger? Why someone so clearly identified with the previous pope? Why not a “compromise” choice? Why a Cardinal from Western Europe and not from Africa or Latin America? What would this mean for the future of the Catholic Church? No one can tell the story of exactly what took place during the closed doors meeting, known as the conclave, when Cardinals from around the world cast their votes for the next pope, better than John L. Allen, Jr. As a correspondent for National Catholic Reporter and a Vatican analyst for CNN and National Public Radio, Allen has spent years covering Vatican politics and personalities, and his unique access to Roman halls of power has enabled him to write the ultimate behind-the-scenes account of the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The Rise of Benedict XVI is based on extensive research and exclusive interviews with eight cardinals representing five nationalities, guaranteeing readers an intimate glimpse into this monumental decision. But Allen’s insight also means that he is in a unique position to evaluate the accomplishments and legacy of the man now known as Pope Benedict XVI, and to provide some analysis of the direction he would take the Catholic Church in the coming years. Ratzinger’s long career as a major Vatican insider, force of influence, and occasionally polarizing figure, has ensured that his pontificate will be one of the most fascinating in the history of the Catholic Church. Benedict XVI would certainly have a major impact on the lives of the faithful around the world, and John Allen’s riveting new book is the definitive work on this turning point in history.
One of the most respected journalists in the United States and the bestselling author of The Future Church uses his unparalleled knowledge of world affairs and religious insight to investigate the troubling worldwide persecution of Christians. From Iraq and Egypt to Sudan and Nigeria, from Indonesia to the Indian subcontinent, Christians in the early 21st century are the world's most persecuted religious group. According to the secular International Society for Human Rights, 80 percent of violations of religious freedom in the world today are directed against Christians. In effect, our era is witnessing the rise of a new generation of martyrs. Underlying the global war on Christians is the demographic reality that more than two-thirds of the world's 2.3 billion Christians now live outside the West, often as a beleaguered minority up against a hostile majority-- whether it's Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, Hindu radicalism in India, or state-imposed atheism in China and North Korea. In Europe and North America, Christians face political and legal challenges to religious freedom. Allen exposes the deadly threats and offers investigative insight into what is and can be done to stop these atrocities. “This book is about the most dramatic religion story of the early 21st century, yet one that most people in the West have little idea is even happening: The global war on Christians,” writes John Allen. “We’re not talking about a metaphorical ‘war on religion’ in Europe and the United States, fought on symbolic terrain such as whether it’s okay to erect a nativity set on the courthouse steps, but a rising tide of legal oppression, social harassment and direct physical violence, with Christians as its leading victims. However counter-intuitive it may seem in light of popular stereotypes of Christianity as a powerful and sometimes oppressive social force, Christians today indisputably form the most persecuted religious body on the planet, and too often its new martyrs suffer in silence.” This book looks to shatter that silence.
Martin Luther King used news cameras as a means of exposing anti-Black violence by white mobs in the 1950s and 60s. Darnella Frazier used her phone to record and post the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin in May 2020. These are just two of many people who have captured images of injustice for the world to see. The Prophetic Lens takes an important look at the use of the video camera as an indispensable prophetic tool for the security of Black lives and greater possibility for racial justice. Phil Allen shows how the camera can be a catalyst for cultural change, using Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination as a framework for understanding the concept of "prophetic." Chronicling the use of the camera, particularly in film from J.D. Griffiths' Birth of a Nation to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Allen's historical approach reveals how effective this technology has been in achieving the goals of its respective storytellers. The book highlights both the prophetic potential of the camera and the context of Blackness as a liminal existence amid a context dominated by whiteness.
In a time before computers, GPS, the Internet, and other technological advances, reliance on blood, sweat, tears, and an old-fashioned work ethic were often the only tools people had to survive. And for an infantryman in the early days of Vietnam, helicopter rides into hot landing zones, coping with leeches, enemy combatants, difficult orders, and surviving in the jungle took all the grit and determination necessary both to endure and to approach victory. In Storm in the Jungle, a soldier chronicles his life caught seemingly in the middle of nowhere between a strange land and culture, as he is sent to war in a troop ship and tasked to set up base camps, engage in search and destroy missions, and manage tense relations with his fellow brothers in arms. As he sees the tragedy of death unfold before him for the first timeand many other times thereafterhe and the other men around him cannot help but be changed forever. Personally facing the enemy in combat and battling his way through the physical, mental, and psychological turmoil of the Vietnam War, discover how for this young infantryman the tolls of war are paid with his blood, sweat, and tearsand almost a chance at coming home.
We live in a leader-centric culture. But what if leadership isn't our goal? Can we use our skills to perform with excellence—as followers? In Embracing Followership, Allen Hamlin Jr. showed that you don't need to be a leader to make a difference. In this 16-part study guide to the book, you'll discover what following well looks like in your own life—unpacking key themes from Embracing Followership and looking to role models in the Bible for guidance on how to thrive as a follower. Additional discussion questions will also spark conversation among leaders and followers walking through the guide in a group setting. Embrace your role as a follower more fully with the Embracing Followership discussion guide!
A framework for the courageous school leadership our students deserve. From the foreword by Gholdy Muhammad... "In Leading With C.A.R.E., Dr. Allen provides a way to disrupt the harms that systems, teachers, and leaders may inflict on children. He uses the richness of his personal and professional experiences to speak to the true purpose and power of schools, which is to disrupt disparities and affirm students’ cultural identities and brilliance. In doing so, Dr. Allen reminds educators that we must examine the structures of education historically and in the present so that we can dismantle harmful practices. The framework of C.A.R.E. presented here guides educators to lead with Culturally Responsiveness in teaching and learning, while Affirming children’s identities, and building positive Relationships with youth. Dr. Allen posits that this leads to spaces of Empowerment. This book provides the what, the why and importantly, the how. The C.A.R.E. framework helps leaders center the genius and joy of youth and teachers, while recognizing the social times we live in and elevating the education of children, especially those who have been historically excluded in schooling and in society. The framework provides a way forward for leaders to lead differently—with care, belonging, and excellence; providing every child with what they deeply deserve." With learning goals, summaries, and reflection questions included in each chapter, this guide offers actionable strategies educators can use to establish a culture that prioritizes students’ experiences and affirms their identities.
One of the world's most respected religion journalists profiles New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan, one of the country's—and possibly the world’s—most important Catholic leaders through lengthy exclusive interviews. Unique among the current leadership of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Dolan shares his insightful perspective in this series of conversations on the present and future of Catholicism. In these pages Dolan shares a perspective which is typically not part of the information an average person would know through today’s media. This omission often leaves outsiders with a terribly flawed grasp of what’s actually happening in the Church. Legitimate stories on, for example, abuse and Church authority can’t be dissolved by reactive conspiracy theories about how the media is out to get the Catholic Church. That said, if these scandals are all there is to the Catholic Church, why would anyone bother being Catholic? It may not be surprising that there are an estimated 22 million ex-Catholics out there, yet it is revealing that even more people have chosen to remain with the Church. Tens of millions of Americans, and hundreds of millions more around the world, still turn to the Church for inspiration, for its sacramental life, for its experience of community and service. In every diocese in America you can find parishes that are flourishing. The faith represented there is not an exaggerated religious frenzy that feeds an uncritical view of the Church. Catholics are nothing if not sober realists about the humanity of their institutions and leaders. They see the Church not as a debating society or a multinational enterprise, but a family—with all the flaws and dysfunction, but also all the joy and life, of families everywhere. This is why Archbishop Dolan is such an important part of the Church’s emerging landscape. In A People of Hope Dolan is seen at his best, capturing an upbeat, hopeful, affirming Catholicism that’s the untold story about the Church today. As readers spend time with Dolan here, they may find that his love for people and zest for friendship is what’s truly fundamental about the man, not a PR device calculated to conceal some other agenda. Dolan can and does draw lines in the sand when he believes that core matters of Catholic identity are at stake. He’s well aware that we live in a deeply secular world in the West, in which powerful pressures, both subtle and overt, seek to blur the counter-cultural message of Catholicism on many fronts. One key to Dolan’s character, however, is that changing hearts, not knocking heads, is always his first instinct. John Allen draws out a picture of future trends by exploring where Dolan wants to lead, and how will a Church that increasingly bears his imprint look and feel? To understand this, what’s really necessary is to get inside his head and then let him speak for himself. To that end Allen frames questions in a way that allows Dolan to expand on the topic himself as much as possible. The result is a book more “with” Dolan than a book “about” him, which is indeed the best way to understand the man. At the end, one can agree or disagree with Dolan’s outlook, but one may at least be better equipped to understand why thoughtful modern women and men might still believe there’s something worth considering in the Catholic message. Whatever the future may have in store for Dolan—staying in New York until he dies, being called to Rome to work in a senior Vatican post, or something else entirely—he will be a force in the Catholic Church both nationally and internationally for some time to come, and it’s well worth trying to discern what that might mean.
Our Auntie Rosa is the most intimate portrait yet of the great American hero—"the lady who refused to sit in the back of the bus." The family of Rosa Parks share their remembrances of the woman who was not only the mother of the civil rights movement, but a nurturing mother figure to them as well. Her brave act on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, was just one moment in a life lived with great humility and decency. After the deaths of Rosa Parks's husband and brother, her nieces and nephews became her only family and the closest that she would ever experience to having biological sons and daughters. In this book, they share with readers what she shared with them about her experiences growing up in a racist South, her deep dedication to truth and justice, and the personal values she held closest to her heart.
The highly anticipated follow-up to Bishop Robert Barron's hugely successful Catholicism: A Journey to the Faith As secularism gains influence, and increasing numbers see religion as dull and backward, Robert Barron wants to illuminate how beautiful, intelligent, and relevant the Catholic faith is. In this compelling new book—drawn from conversations with and narrated by award-winning Vatican journalist John L. Allen, Jr.—Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, proclaims in vivid language the goodness and truth of the Catholic tradition. Through Barron’s smart, practical, artistic, and theological observations as well as personal anecdotes—from engaging atheists on YouTube to discussing his days as a young diehard baseball fan from Chicago—To Light a Fire on the Earth covers prodigious ground. Touching on everything from Jesus to prayer, science, movies, atheism, the spiritual life, the fate of Church in modern times, beauty, art, and social media, Barron reveals why the Church matters today and how Catholics can intelligently engage a skeptical world.
Preaching, says professor and author O. Wesley Allen Jr., should be considered as a form of conversation. The church, after all, is a community of conversation that exists in part to interpret God's purposes for the world and to participate in those purposes. The idea of the sermon as a conversation, then, is not simply a style or form of preaching but an integral expression of the nature and purpose of the church.
The first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive, controversial organization Opus Dei provides unique insight about the wild rumors surrounding it and discloses its significant influence in the Vatican and on the politics of the Catholic Church. Opus Dei (literally “the work of God”) is an international association of Catholics often labeled as conservative who seek personal Christian perfection and strive to implement Christian ideals in their jobs and in society as a whole. Founded in Spain in 1928, it now has 84,000 members (1,600 of whom are priests) in eighty countries. But far from running bingo nights at local parishes, Opus Dei has become a center of controversy and suspicion both within and outside the Church. It has been accused of promoting a right-wing political agenda and of cultlike practices, aggressive recruiting, brainwashing new recruits, and isolating members from their families. Its notoriety escalated with the publication of the runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code (Opus Dei plays an important and sinister role in the novel) and with the previous pope’s much-debated canonization of its founder (often linked with Francisco Franco’s facist regime) and the discovery that convicted FBI spy Robert Hanson was a member of Opus Dei. With the expert eye of a longtime trusted observer of the Vatican and the skill of an investigative reporter intent on uncovering closely guarded secrets, John Allen finally separates the myths from the facts in Opus Dei. Granted unlimited access to the prelate who heads the organization and to Opus Dei centers throughout the world, Allen draws on a wealth of interviews with current members, as well as with highly critical ex-members, to create an unprecedented portrait of the activities, practices, and intentions behind its veil of secrecy. Allen reveals the remarkable power that Opus Dei commands in shaping Vatican policy and presents a detailed look at the full extent of its network, which includes people in key positions in politics, banking, academia, and other influential arenas. He even describes the arcane rituals—including self-flagellation—performed to preserve and promote a spiritual tradition strange and unsettling to modern sensibilities. For years, Opus Dei has been the subject of conspiracy theories and dark, uninformed speculation. Opus Dei sets the record straight.
This book is not another volume attempting to persuade the reader of the rights of gays and lesbians in society and in the church. Instead it assumes the reader is a minister or student of ministry who already has a passion for this issue and is looking for better strategies to speak out of this passion in the pulpit. Too often progressive preachers avoid speaking about issues related to sexual orientation out of fear of rejection from the congregation, or address them in ways that unintentionally alienates either gay or straight hearers. Askew and Allen offer preachers tools for recognizing and prophetically countering heterosexism in the pulpit while being pastoral toward those in the pews who may not hold the same view as the preacher. The range of issues found at the intersection of homosexuality and the proclamation of the Christian gospel in light of the church's division and the changing landscape of society's attitudes is diverse and complex. Allen and Askew represent the combination of critical theology and contemporary homiletics needed to offer preachers new strategies for advocating against social and ecclesial discrimination directed at homosexuals and for the full inclusion of all in the church.
From his humble beginnings as a child living in The Bahamas without electricity or indoor plumbing, to suffering low-self esteem and battling drug, alcohol and sex addictions, author Leonardo A. Allen, Jr. gives a raw look at what could have been compared to where he is now. In his debut book, he shares how he became a marine, entrepreneur, minister and motivational speaker and why he was led to launch a program to keep young men from making the same mistakes he did in his youth.
A New Model for Post-Apologetic Preaching in a Pluralistic World. The relationship between preaching and the public sphere has long been debated. Three different theological approaches tend to dominate the discussion. In different ways, these approaches take into account the movement from the modern mindset of the mid-to-late 20th century to the emerging postmodern worldview. In The Sermon without End, authors Allen & Allen thoughtfully offer a fourth option, one that in their view has not received much attention, but which offers a distinct and especially helpful perspective. It is a new and dynamic conversational model, reaching beyond the earlier work of Tillich and Tracy. In this homiletical framework, conversation takes place in multiple directions between the text or tradition and the world today. It is preaching in conversation, not just toward but with voices from the public sphere. The book provides a solid foundation for understanding this post-apologetic approach, but it importantly goes on to offer practical, real-pulpit guidance for implementation in a preaching ministry. It is a book for both scholars and practicing preachers who wish to reach people in meaningful and significant ways, and in ways that make sense for today. "This book deserves to be widely applauded. It provides a post-apologetic lens to illuminate the history of various modern homiletical discourses even as it envisions a postmodern one. ... I strongly recommend this book for homileticians, preachers, and lay people alike." - Duse Lee, Boston University School of Theology - Reviewed in Homiletic
Where Did I Come From? By: Allen E. Grimes, Jr. M.D. This is a book written at the request of Allen E. Grimes’ family members. It is an account of the last 80 years by the oldest living family member about the life, work, travels and interests that occurred “along the way.” It attempts to relate interesting stories that occurred, the people, the places and the events which make life so enjoyable. While others may have different recollections or perspectives, these stories will provide a background for remembrance. Grimes has been fortunate to have been involved with medicine in many various aspects and still makes time to visit and work in many countries, photographing the people, the animals and the sites as a hobby. The Grimes family has been supportive and engaged in every aspect and, hopefully, this book will be a resource for them over the years still to come.
Since the first time evolution was suggested as an answer for explaining our existence a struggle has ensued. Evolutionists struggle to prove themselves right. Creationists struggle to prove evolutionists wrong and the accepted Biblical stories correct. In both cases, the concepts of the other party leave their own explanations incomplete. In this work, Allen serves to set the records straight. He takes into account the words of God as they are actually written and the scientific explanations of the dinosaur bones. The results are both intriguing and eye opening. God created the dinosaur and all other life on earth. However, the true story may not be what you think. This book is your guide to discovering the real truth, as it has never been told.
Joe Allen, Jr.'s poetry reflects and echoes the hard life on the streets. His new collection speaks of redemption and rebirth. His visceral and powerful poetry reveals his struggles, triumphs, and evolution. This is a poet whose voice must be heard. From hopelessness to a state of grace, Joe's journey is compelling."~ Anthony Vigorito, author of "Pier 48 South Brooklyn", "Clefs & Palettes", "17 West", and "Seeing in 17: Art Haiku"; and host of Ken Siegelman's Brooklyn Poetry Outreach, Tom Kane's bookmark Bards
When Michael Andrew Quinlan entered the world in 1942 in Washington, DC, his birth was a miracle. According to at least one physician, his very conception was impossible. Twelve inches long, two-and-a-half months premature and weighing just over three pounds, Mike survived and thrived for the next sixty-six years. But in 2009, he died suddenly, just twelve days after being diagnosed with mantle cell B lymphoma, a virulent form of cancer that is difficult to diagnose. In Mike: A Man for Others, author William Allen Quinlan, Jr., Mikes brother, narrates Mikes story and the significant impact he had on those around him. The author presents a personal history that is part memoir and part biography, chronicling his brothers lifehis birth as the youngest of three boys; his parental background; his upbringing in Bethesda, Maryland; and his days as a student, US Marine, successful food and beverage manager, dedicated and accomplished golfer, certified member of the Golf Nut Society of America; and a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather. Always heartfelt and sincere, and sometimes humorous, Mike: A Man for Others celebrates Mike Quinlans life, shares his stories, and teaches about loving life to the fullest, about giving, not taking.
7370 Allen Drive a poetry collection that represents much of of Richard Spisak's love, science, philosophy and politics and just a touch of follishness.
In this book Wes Allen draws together the strengths of these two approaches into a new genre of homiletical and teaching resource with a focus on the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew will not only be an essential classroom resource to help students learn to link text and sermon, it will also help congregational leaders develop exegetically informed cumulative preaching and educational experiences focused on but not limited to the lections in Matthew. With liturgical sensitivity and exegetical skill, Allen provides a unique preaching resource that will build biblical literacy by assisting both preachers and listeners in understanding Matthew's Gospel as a whole, not just as a collection of vaguely related stories.
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