A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice “It can feel to the reader like a kind of miracle. In a word: thrilling.” —The New York Times Book Review “Head and shoulders above the average thriller.” —The Guardian “Pure pleasure from the first page to the last.” —The Sunday Times (UK) An epic Vegas heist. A high-octane international romance. A charismatic thief forced to orchestrate one final, treacherous job to save his family. When Alex Cassidy and Diane Alison meet at a party in Princeton, New Jersey, the chemistry between them is instant and undeniable. She's a single mother, local fixture, and owner of a successful catering company. He's a single father and weekend homeowner -- and leader of an armed-robbery crew that just pulled off a record-breaking, precision jewel heist in Las Vegas. Neither one realizes that their lives have overlapped before, and that the shared history they uncover will threaten everyone they love. Swept up in their burgeoning relationship, Diane joins Alex at his beach house in Tulum, where Alex decides to leave his life of crime behind. It begins as a postcard-perfect weekend until an entanglement with a powerful cartel forces Alex to mastermind one final and unthinkably dangerous job. What ensues is an explosive, adrenaline-soaked journey through the moneyed landscapes of Mexico and Europe, where ghosts from the past collide with unexpected perils in the present. Propulsive, deeply suspenseful, and layered with mesmerizing twists, Love and Theft is a sophisticated thriller about the illusion of control and the high price of past transgressions
A GQ Best Book of the Month • A New York Post Must-Read Book • A Flavorwire Book of the Week • A New York Daily News Can't-Put-Down Novel “[Parish] has got chops, and a feel for dialogue, and is a talent in the making.” —Bill Buford, The Wall Street Journal “Read this book in a beach chair. . . . [A] worldy and propulsive debut.”—GQ An exhilarating novel of reinvention, friendship, and ambition—from the Jersey Shore to St. Andrews in Scotland Tom Alison has it all within his reach. He’s smart, handsome, and about to graduate from a prestigious East Coast boarding school. After that it’s off to the Ivy League and then a job on Wall Street, alongside the power brokers he’s been watching from a distance as the working-class son of a single mom. And then the very life his mother worked so hard to escape catches up with him when he gets busted selling drugs. Lucky for Tom, there are places for boys and girls with ruined reputations. First, he returns to his roots on the Jersey Shore, reconnecting with a hard-living crew and cementing a bond with his new friend Clare Savage—the son of a recently disgraced financier. The two boys spend their summer surfing and partying. When fall arrives, they head to St. Andrews University in Scotland, a haven for Americans in need of a second chance and a favorite of the British ruling class. Tom and Clare escape to Scotland together, but it’s Tom who discovers a world shaped by even more powerful forces of greed and ambition than the one he left behind. Sucked into a maelstrom of sex, drugs, and status, Tom learns what it takes to break the rules—and how we can be broken by them. Driven by a cast of young men and women living in an age of riotous prosperity, Down the Shore is an unflinching and unforgettable story of youth steeped in excess. Stan Parish has crafted a gripping novel that masterfully captures the lives of fallen financiers and the people they bring down with them—and reminds us that not even an ocean can separate us from our family, our friends, or our past.
A field-tested guide to the management and finance of church congregations, revised for a new generation. Clergy are generally equipped to preach and provide spiritual care. But when it comes to budgets, insurance, fire safety, and church management many find themselves at a loss. The Church Administration and Finance Manual is the classic guide to running a church, written to answer key questions for clergy and lay leaders. Not simply a theoretical resource, the Manual provides suggestions for almost every aspect of parish administration: position descriptions, financial forms, materials for stewardship and Christian education, building use and safety issues, employee record keeping, and much more. This revised edition offers guidance on many new topics that are of vital importance to churches, including protecting children, information security, approaches to preventing and responding to violence, planned giving, social media, and hybrid work and worship. Whether clergy are just out of seminary or well-seasoned in parish life, the Manual is full of excellent guidelines, tools, and forms for improving the management of the parish.
This important text addresses three key questions which face modern Catholicism, especially in Africa: What is the ecclesiology of Pope Francis? How does this ecclesiology meet the challenges facing the universal church in today's complex world? And how can one translate the practices of this new approach into a theological aesthetics to meet the challenges and opportunities of the African social context?
What if the sanctification of war and contempt for women are both grounded in a fear that breeds hostility, and a hostility that rationalizes conquest? The anti-Gospel Christian history of war-loving and women-hating are not merely similar but two aspects of the same dynamic, argues Stan Goff, in an "autobiography" that spans millennia. Borderline is the historical and conceptual autobiography of a former career army veteran transformed by Jesus into a passionate advocate for nonviolence, written by a man who narrates his conversion to Christianity through feminism.
A field-tested guide to the management and finance of church congregations, revised for a new generation. Clergy are generally equipped to preach and provide spiritual care. But when it comes to budgets, insurance, fire safety, and church management many find themselves at a loss. The Church Administration and Finance Manual is the classic guide to running a church, written to answer key questions for clergy and lay leaders. Not simply a theoretical resource, the Manual provides suggestions for almost every aspect of parish administration: position descriptions, financial forms, materials for stewardship and Christian education, building use and safety issues, employee record keeping, and much more. This revised edition offers guidance on many new topics that are of vital importance to churches, including protecting children, information security, approaches to preventing and responding to violence, planned giving, social media, and hybrid work and worship. Whether clergy are just out of seminary or well-seasoned in parish life, the Manual is full of excellent guidelines, tools, and forms for improving the management of the parish.
In this book, Stan Chu Ilo offers an integral theology of development and a critical social analysis of different development theories and practices in the world, especially in Africa. Ilo offers a comprehensive biblical, anthropological, and theological foundation of the principles and praxis of Catholic social ethics from the Second Vatican Council to Pope Francis. Drawing from the social encyclical Charity in Truth, Ilo shows how Catholic social teaching responds to some of the challenging questions and concerns of our times in relation to human rights, ecology, globalization, international cooperation, development and aid, human and cultural development, business ethics, social justice, and the challenges of poverty eradication. He creatively applies these principles to the social context of Africa, and lays a groundwork for sustainable Christian humanitarian and social justice initiatives in Africa.
Secret Evesham explores the lesser-known history of the town of Evesham in Worcestershire through a fascinating selection of stories, unusual facts and attractive photographs.
The Corona Virus of 2020 has brought a devastation of life and economy very few of us have seen in our lifetime. As many as 500,000 people may die before the pandemic is fully arrested, but can you imagine a pandemic so horrible and so deadly that 25 million people died? It took place over a four-year period from 1347 to 1351 and was called the Black Death or the Great Plague. By the time it was over, half the population of Europe had been wiped out. Julian of Norwich was herself a victim of the deadly epidemic. Born in 1342, she was five-years-old when the plague swept through her home town in East Anglia, taking the life of her beloved mother. Through the grace of God, Julian would servive to enter the novitiate of a Benedictine convent and eventually become a highly revered Anchoress and Spiritual Director to countless hundreds who sought her advice. This historical fiction, JULIANA, tells her story and the story of the young woman she befriended and guided by the name of Maggie. In the book, Maggie or Margery Kempe was physically abused by her own father, a prominent figure as the mayor of Bishop's Lynn. From such dark and desperate threads, this amazing mystic of the 14th century would weave a tapestry of incomparable beauty and hope. In these deadly and uncertain days of pandemic, do we not need now just such a path of light?
Modern life presents many difficult and challenging situations -- but as the Hebrew scriptures tell us in rich detail, that's nothing new for God's people. Indeed, the Bible shares the epic story of how God's faithful followers were formed and shaped through centuries of trial by fire. In this inspiring collection of powerful messages based on the First Readings from Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary, five master practitioners of the homiletic craft explore passages from the Old Testament and the Book of Acts, and show how the wisdom contained in those ancient texts offers vital moral and spiritual guidance for contemporary living. Building on stories in which God moves ordinary people to extraordinary heights, these sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the entire church year passionately proclaim the good news of God's continuing presence -- and the possibilities that offers for our lives, our churches, and the world. This essential resource is useful for: - Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts - Inspiring preaching illustrations and sermon starters - Understanding scripture passages - Bible study and discussion groups - Personal devotions and inspirational reading Tony S. Everett is currently the Dewey F. Beam Professor of Pastoral Care at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, where he also consults with congregations in spiritual growth, leadership training, and conflict management. Everett is a graduate of Youngstown State University (summa cum laude), Hamma School of Theology, and Boston University School of Theology. Schuyler Rhodes is the pastor of Temple United Methodist Church in San Francisco, California. He is an honors graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam and Drew University Theological School. Stan Purdum is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio. Stan is a graduate of Youngstown State University, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and Drew University Theological School. David J. Kalas is the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Union Theological Seminary of Virginia. Timothy J. Smith is currently the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Smith received his M.Div. degree with an emphasis on preaching and worship from United Theological Seminary and his B.A. degree in American history from Millersville University.
For Ijeoma, it's an ordinary afternoon. She's curled up in a comfy chair, reading a novel, and enjoying her time off from school. Then her mother storms into the room and asks a question that will change the teenage girl's life forever: "Are you a witch?" Dumbfounded by the ridiculous charge, Ijeoma further learns that her classmate, a beautiful young girl named Adaugo, is dead. But before she died, Adaugo confessed to being a witch, and claimed that Ijeoma was one, as well. Ijeoma vehemently denies this charge, but her mother does not believe her. Worse, neither does her beloved father. Their entire Nigerian village soon hears of the charge, and Ijeoma is judged accordingly. Helpless, vulnerable, naïve, and inexperienced, Ijeoma is abandoned by her loved ones and forced to face the indignities of those who want her punished. But in the midst of the ashes of her life, Ijeoma clings to her faith and determines to discover the truth behind the deceit. Intense and thought-provoking, A Cry of Innocence reveals the tragic consequences suffered by those falsely accused and serves as a stark reminder of society's responsibility to the truth.
When I moved to Salzburg in 2002 I followed in the footsteps of thousands of others and fell in love with this quaint old city and its beautiful surroundings. I am a historian by trade and I was enchanted with walking the city's streets and identifying where various historical events had taken place. I am also Jewish, so I read all I could about the history of Jews in Salzburg and began to fit what I learned into the geography of the streets and buildings that I so much enjoyed. As I learned more about the city and its history, I found it unsettling to see the shadows of a very ugly past in the city I have come to love. I liked my first apartment, but I was not happy that one of Adolf Eichmann's associates lived in an apartment downstairs after it had been taken away from an elderly Jewish man... There are many such shadows in Salzburg, but it remains a beautiful city with many attractions. I certainly do not want to discourage anyone from coming to Salzburg to enjoy, as I do, its beauty, culture, food and wonderful beers. To the contrary, I would like to encourage others to come and share my pleasure. But I also want to share what I have learned with visitors to Salzburg who might like to know about some aspects of its history that are often neglected by the standard tourist guidebooks. (From the Preface)
‘Set up a trellis for flowering plants to climb all over: it’s there but unseen, supporting all that floral leaf-green beauty.’ In James Reaney on the Grid, Stan Dragland examines an artist fiercely loyal to his artistic practice, deploying the metaphor of the grid to explore the inherited literary patterns and archetypes underpinning works of London poet, playwright and educator James Reaney. With extensive references to Reaney’s considerable oeuvre (from early publications such as A Suit of Nettles and The Box Social to what is arguably his master work, The Donnellys), and to an eclectic collection of theorists, artists and contemporaries whose ideas inform and respond to Reaney’s, Dragland seeks to reveal not only what Reaney’s work is about but also what it does. In so doing, he takes readers by the hand in a surprisingly personal ramble through the processes and productions of one of Southern Ontario’s most influential writers.
The unbearable loss of Jeanette throws Stan’s life into anguished chaos in the opening chapters of A Sea of Troubles, the fifth and penultimate book in the Hindsights series. With his lust for life demolished, the only things keeping him alive are his inability to believe in anything but living, and his vital friendship with Bob. Desperately trying to run before he can walk, Stan falls deeply in love with Lena, and is driven to the brink of suicide – and to an unexpected catharsis. After a year of booze and smoke, Stan regains a little balance thanks to Bob and to the warm companionship of others, but is unable to banish Lena from his mind and life. In the war of attrition between their hearts, minds, wills and bodies, Stan refuses to let her go and she refuses to let him get away. Eventually, Lena succumbs to his persistence; they get engaged, cohabit and marry. They’re happy at last – for weeks, possibly even months. But the unwelcome war has only just begun. With Lena’s disdain towards him increasing, Stan struggles to continue painting in the face debilitating discouragement, and turns instead to further building projects. Lena wants children. Hoping that a family might finally forge the missing bonds, Stan moves mountains to make it possible. But he puts down his brushes and puts away his easel for good.
In the post-communist era it has become evident that the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe will be determined by many factors, only some of them political. Throughout the region, the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Greek Catholic churches have tried to impose their views on democracy through direct political engagement. Moreover, surveys show that the churches (and the army) enjoy more popular confidence than elected political bodies such as parliaments. These results reflect widespread disenchantment with a democratization process that has allowed politicians to advance their own agendas rather than work to solve the urgent socio-economic problems these countries face. In this penetrating study, Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu investigate the interaction of religion and politics in one such country, Romania. Facing internal challenges and external competitions from other religions old and new, the Orthodox Church in Romania has sought to consolidate its position and ensure Romania's version of democracy recognizes its privileged position of "national Church", enforcing the Church's stances on issues such as homosexuality and abortion. The post-communist state and political elite in turn rely on the Church for compliance with educational and cultural policies and to quell the insistent demands of the Hungarian minority for autonomy. Stan and Turcescu examine the complex relationship between church and state in this new Romania, providing analysis in key areas: church collaboration with communist authorities, post-communist electoral politics, nationalism and ethno-politics, restitution of Greek Catholic property, religious education, and sexual behavior and reproduction. As the first scholars to be given access to confidential materials from the archives of the communist political police, the notorious Securitate, Stan and Turcescu also examine church archives, legislation, news reports, and interviews with politicians and church leaders. This study will move the debate from common analyses of nationalism in isolation to more comprehensive investigations which consider the impact of religious actors on a multitude of other issues relevant to the political and social life of the country.
Ada tuned into a song while walking into the house. Instead of the excitement and pleasure that usually came with singing, a haze of vagueness and emptiness hung on her mind. What was that for? She just couldnt tell. Maybe seeing her son, Chideraa, would make her feel better. She had left him in the sitting room. But Chideraa was not in the sitting room when she walked in. Ada searched under the bed, and table. She looked up to the ceiling and the walls, even though she knew Chideraa could not have climbed there. When she couldnt find him, she screamed, Chideraa! But there was no response. Love, suspense, intrigue, conspiracy, deceit, treachery, pain, and anguish are all here in author Stan-Collins Ubakas latest book, Chideraa: Love and Bruises. Ubaka tells a story most of us can relate to. Ada was a young, innocent girl in love. This supposed beautiful feeling resulted in pain, then gain, then pain, and then The emotional roller coaster seemed never-ending. Chideraa: Love and Bruises educates you about the many ills in our society. You will also find there is hope despite how things look at times.
What if youre a non-combatants in the midst of combat? How can you be a Man of God, in hell? Can you walk with the Infantryman where ever he goes, share in his training, stand with him, lie with him, duck with him, support him? Why is the soldier there? Why are you there? Is there anything helpful in the Bible that cant be found in Playboy? The military sends its chaplains off to war with its soldiers, some of whom are conscripts, yet chaplains are volunteers. Can you speak of love and peace in the midst of bombs and bullets and booby-traps, and the stinking sight of blood and bits of yours and theirs in pain, dying and dead? Walking with Grunts is about one such Padres confusions, and the men of one such Battalion, at war in a place many back home thought they should not be.
This book is about criminologist Maurice Godwin's Internet social movement that sprang to life during the Baton Rouge serial murder case. The movement was a response to the Task Force failing to find serial killer Derrick Todd Lee, as citizens in Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, and South Mississippi no longer wished to wait in fear. This is a story of citizen empowerment in a time of crisis. Both scholars and ordinary citizens will be inspired by the way the people in Baton Rouge helped themselves by putting pressure on investigators for improved results. Godwin's innovative Internet movement, involving geographic mapping and online discussions with Baton Rouge citizens, developed into a hub of information to expedite the finding and arrest of Lee. The author sociologically describes and analyzes the key players, the major controversies, and the internal dynamics of the movement that led to the arrest of the serial killer on May 27, 2003.
Spring theme: God Loves Us Psalms | Joel | Jonah | John | Romans | Ephesians | 1 John This spring, lessons in Adult Bible Studies follow the theme, "God Loves Us." God's love for us is evident in Scripture from the creation of the first humans through God's constant interactions with individuals and groups of people in their historical circumstances and developments. A survey of select Old and New Testament Scriptures reveals dynamic and encouraging aspects of God's constant love for humankind God's Eternal, Preserving, Renewing Love Four lessons from First John, Ephesians, John, and Joel depict God's love for humans as primary and as the source of all love. These lessons show that God's love overflows, redeems, unites, and renews. The first lesson depicts God as love and the source of all love. The second lesson concentrates on God's redemptive, overflowing, and uniting love in Christ. The third lesson comes from Christ's high priestly prayer to God describing God's love for Jesus and all who believe in Christ. The fourth lesson shows the ultimate restoring and renewing power of God's love. God's Caring, Saving, and Upholding Love The second unit offers five lessons drawn from Psalms, John, and Romans and revealing God as protector, preserver, healer, comforter, and savior of the people. The first lesson reveals total reliance on God as shepherd who cares for every need of the sheep. The second lesson reveals God's love in sending God's only Son for human salvation. The third lesson recounts the Resurrection event in which God's love is displayed as victory over death. The fourth lesson elaborates on the force and power of God's love in Christ to reconcile, justify, and preserve the believer. The final lesson in this unit focuses on Jesus' words describing himself in the role of the Good Shepherd. God's Pervasive and Sustaining Love Four lessons from the Book of Jonah highlight God's unconditional love for humans and the natural world, as well as God's continuing care and concern for individual and group relationships and developments. The first lesson concentrates on God's care for the natural world and humanity. The second lesson focuses on God's providential care in preserving Jonah in the belly of the fish. The third lesson focuses on God's love and preservation of a nation of people who repent and turn to God. The fourth lesson depicts and elaborates on God's pervasive love for all creation. Developed for use with the student book based on the Uniform Series, this leader resource provides a wealth of information, planning ideas, and lesson guides for each of the 13 lessons in the quarter. This resource includes detailed study of the biblical text, suggestions for developing lessons, teaching options, maps, and charts. It features articles that explore biblical themes related to the passages studied in the lessons. Available in regular print, as a downloadable file or an eBook. Free Extras! All found at adultbiblestudies.com Supplemental Resources Free supplemental resources related to each lesson enhance teacher preparation and small group participation. Current Events Supplement The free Current Events Supplement offers a way to connect each week's lesson to a timely event or topic in the news. The supplements can enhance all resources using the Uniform Series. Register for the Forums and you can post and read comments about the lessons from other readers
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice “It can feel to the reader like a kind of miracle. In a word: thrilling.” —The New York Times Book Review “Head and shoulders above the average thriller.” —The Guardian “Pure pleasure from the first page to the last.” —The Sunday Times (UK) An epic Vegas heist. A high-octane international romance. A charismatic thief forced to orchestrate one final, treacherous job to save his family. When Alex Cassidy and Diane Alison meet at a party in Princeton, New Jersey, the chemistry between them is instant and undeniable. She's a single mother, local fixture, and owner of a successful catering company. He's a single father and weekend homeowner -- and leader of an armed-robbery crew that just pulled off a record-breaking, precision jewel heist in Las Vegas. Neither one realizes that their lives have overlapped before, and that the shared history they uncover will threaten everyone they love. Swept up in their burgeoning relationship, Diane joins Alex at his beach house in Tulum, where Alex decides to leave his life of crime behind. It begins as a postcard-perfect weekend until an entanglement with a powerful cartel forces Alex to mastermind one final and unthinkably dangerous job. What ensues is an explosive, adrenaline-soaked journey through the moneyed landscapes of Mexico and Europe, where ghosts from the past collide with unexpected perils in the present. Propulsive, deeply suspenseful, and layered with mesmerizing twists, Love and Theft is a sophisticated thriller about the illusion of control and the high price of past transgressions
This seven-session study surveys the ministry period of Jesus' life--the time from his baptism to when the journey to the cross began. It focuses on the things Jesus taught and did during that active ministry period, providing insights for us as his followers in the 21st century. Each lesson begins with a story or illustration relation to the topic but drawn from life today, followed by a discussion of the related Scripture, life applications, and discussion questions. Sessions titles are: "Jesus Lived Up to His Baptism," "Jesus Proclaimed the Good News of God," "Jesus Healed the Sick," "Jesus Offered Forgiveness to Sinners," "Jesus Taught with Authority," "Jesus Associated with Bad Company," and "Jesus Withdrew to Pray.
An intimate novel of an eighty-year old women spending the last years of her life at the Institute of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The problems she must face are as different as they are unexpected from anything one can imagine in the 'outside' world, not the least of which is her husband's gradual deterioration under the unforgiving progression of Alzheimer's disease. As we follow the inevitable loss of her own faculties, we discover what unexpected compensations nature offers to those whom no one else can help. Surprisingly, the book is spiced with abundant humor ..."--Page [4] cover.
Olympians, soldiers and abolitionists have all hailed from the bustling shores of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Beginning as a modest seventeenth-century settlement along the hidden river, it became an industrial boomtown and attracted waves of immigrants to its forges, railways and mills. Local journalist Stan Huskey brings together lively vignettes and fascinating firsthand accounts to introduce such characters as Union general Winfield S. Hancock, hero of Gettysburg, and baseball greats Tommy Lasorda and Mike Piazza. From tales of calamitous train wrecks to the bygone era of streetcars, Huskey brings readers back to the glow of the hometown lights.
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