How do we actually pursue the flourishing of our neighborhoods? This field guide walks you through a simple, powerful process for blessing your own neighborhood, with six sessions on discovering the gifts of your community, imagining the possibilities, and pursuing the common good. Exercises and assessments provide practical tools for bringing your hopes into concrete reality.
When Christians join together to pursue the common good of our neighborhoods, we bring hope to the world, credibility to the church, and glory to God. Filled with original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries, this book from Don Everts offers constructive, practical ways that Christians and churches can bless our local communities.
In this field guide to the future, esteemed Harvard University botanist Peter Del Tredici unveils the plants that will become even more dominant in urban environments under projected future environmental conditions. These plants are the most important and most common plants in cities. Learning what they are and the role they play, he writes, will help us all make cities more livable and enjoyable. With more than 1000 photos, readers can easily identify these powerful plants. Learn about the fascinating cultural history of each plant.
Part memoir, part handbook for the heartbroken, this powerful, unsparing account of losing a premature baby will speak to all who have been bereaved and are grieving, and offers inspiration on moving forward, gently integrating the loss into life. When Kate Inglis’s twin boys were born prematurely, one survived and the other did not. Inglis’s story can help other bereaved parents, and anyone who has experienced wrenching loss, reflect on: · what it means to keep living post-loss · the unique isolation of bereavement · the fortitude of like-minded community and small kindnesses · dealing with family, friends, and bystanders Inglis’s unique voice—brash, irreverent, and achingly beautiful—creates a nuanced picture of the landscape of grief, encompassing waves of disbelief and emptiness, moments of unexpected affinity and lightness, and the compassion that grows from our most intense chapters of the human experience.
Discover your gifts with this practical guide that describes twelve different kinds of gifts and gives examples of how each can be used in church, family, work, and society. By using this workbook alongside the Discover Your Gifts book, you can grow in your understanding and use of your own gifts and become better equipped to recognize and unleash the gifts of others.
What does public health have to do with Christianity? How should Christians and churches in Atlantic Canada and beyond respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic? In this first volume of East Coast Theology, the faculty of Acadia Divinity College reflect biblically and theologically on these questions. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health for Nova Scotia, offers his insights as well. This book provides church members and leaders with theological foundations and practical ideas for ministering through health care. As a result, we hope that followers of Christ will be at the forefront of efforts for relief and healing on Canada's East Coast both today and in the future. As people called by God to care for others, our vision should be nothing less than this.
Each of us has gifts to offer to the world around us, but we have not always identified or deployed them effectively. Incorporating new research on the impact that our gifts can make, Don Everts explores the many kinds of gifts God gives, whether spiritual, civic, artistic, or entrepreneurial. Discover how our gifts can pave a way for reconnecting with our communities.
In Louisiana, every bite of food and each turn of phrase is an expression of cultural literacy. Correctly pronouncing "Tchoupitoulas" or "Atchafalaya," knowing the difference between the first Governor Long and the second one, being able to spot the artwork of Caroline Durieux, and honoring the distinction between a Creole and a Cajun roux serve not just as markers of familiarity; they represent acts of preservation. The Louisiana Field Guide: Understanding Life in the Pelican State expands on this everyday communion of history, delving into the cultural patchwork that makes the Gumbo State both thoroughly American and absolutely singular. An authoritative lineup of contributors reintroduces Louisiana through the lenses of environment, geography, history, politics, religion, culture, language, sports, literature, film, music, architecture, food, and art. Whether describing the archi-tectural details of the Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter or sharing the family history of Bourgeois' Meat Market just outside of Thibodaux, the essays in The Louisiana Field Guide present a fresh and expansive look at the enchanting and perplexing Pelican State. At once an accessible primer and a rich omnibus, this volume explores the well-known destinations and far-flung corners of Louisiana, from Cameron Parish to Congo Square, offering an enlightening companion guide for visitors and a trust-worthy reference for residents.
Finally, a comprehensive book on land conservation financing for community and regional conservation leaders. A Field Guide to Conservation Finance provides essential advice on how to tackle the universal obstacle to protecting private land in America: lack of money. Story Clark dispels the myths that conservationists can access only private funds controlled by individuals or that only large conservation organizations have clout with big capital markets. She shows how small land conservation organizations can achieve conservation goals using both traditional and cutting-edge financial strategies. Clark outlines essential tools for raising money, borrowing money, and reducing the cost of transactions. She covers a range of subjects including transfer fees, voluntary surcharges, seller financing, revolving funds, and Project Related Investment programs (PRIs). A clear, well-written overview of the basics of conservation finance with useful insights and real stories combine to create a book that is an invaluable and accessible guide for land trusts seeking to protect more land.
This volume brings together original essays by both seasoned professionals and emerging scholars who examine state-of-the-art scholarship and pedagogy in ecologically-alert theology. Authors assess what various theologians have to offer, and draw implications for reshaping religious and environmental studies, as well as preparing the next generations of church leaders or pastoral workers. What needs to be done, these authors ask, to bring biblical studies, systematics, social ethics, practical theology, spiritual formation, and liturgy up to speed with eco-justice thought and action on environmental questions?
