National Network for Equitable Library Service

Just as a physically healthy person-at an ideal weight and with good blood pressure and cholesterol numbers-might not actually be fit enough to run a 5k, so churches can appear healthy-with no obvious issues, maintaining a healthy size-and yet not exhibit fitness. A fit church is one that is not satisfied with merely coasting along with no problems. A fit church is actively making disciples, maturing in faith, developing strong leaders, reaching out to the community, and more.

Everyone suffers disappointment, rejection, injustices, and losses, perhaps even traumatic ones. The spiritual pain born of such suffering can paralyze us, leaving us broken inside and barely getting by with the motions of life. Whether we remain stuck or move forward is determined in large part by our resilience.

In this culmination of his widely read and highly acclaimed Cultural Liturgies project, JamesK.A. Smith examines politics through the lens of liturgy. What if, he asks, citizens are not only thinkers or believers but also lovers' Smith explores how our analysis of political institutions would look different if we viewed them as incubators of love-shaping practices'not merely governing us but forming what we love.

The deep pain of childhood abuse-whether physical or emotional, whether a child was neglected or wished nothing more than to be left alone-doesn't just go away. There's simply no just getting over it. Even if no physical scars remain as evidence of the victim's suffering, the deep wounds on their minds, hearts, and souls are still there. But it is possible to become whole and happy. Author of the successful Healing the Scars of Emotional Abuse, Dr.

How Listening Well Builds Stronger Communication and Deeper Connections No relationship is perfect-but it can be better. The secret to stronger relationships isn't to become more charming or funny or to solve the world's problems or to just try harder. All you have to do is listen. It's that simple. Yet our noisy culture hasn't equipped us to do this.

For decades, Steven Curtis Chapman's music and message have brought hope and inspiration to millions around the world. Now, for the first time, Steven openly shares the experiences that have shaped him, his faith, and his music in a life that has included incredible highs and faith-shaking lows.

Jen Bricker was born without legs and with her heart on the opposite side of her chest. Shocked an uncertain they could care for a child with two birth defects, her biological parents gave her up for adoption. In her loving adoptive home, there was just one simple rule: "Never say 'can't.'" And pretty soon, there was nothing that this small but mighty powerhouse set her sights on that she couldn't conquer: rollerskating, volleyball, power tumbling, spinning from silk ribbons 30 feet in the air.

One of the most enigmatic figures in history, Nostradamus - apothecary, astrologer and soothsayer - is a continual source of fascination. Indeed, his predictions are so much the stock-in-trade of the wildest merchants of imminent Doom that one could be forgiven for forgetting that Michel de Nostredame, 1503-1566, was a figure firmly rooted in the society of the French Renaissance. In this bold new account of the life and work of Nostradamus, Denis Crouzet shows that any attempt to interpret his Prophecies at face value is misguided. Nostradamus was not trying to predict the future.

A new and expanded edition of a highly successful textbook on world religions with a comparative approach which explores how six major religions are lived and expressed through their customs, rituals and everyday practices.

Our culture as a whole, and often the Christian culture in particular, discourages confidence in women. Tricia Lott Williford explores how confidence and self-awareness can be a path toward stronger and richer faith. She offers stories and strategies to inspire and lead women to develop the confidence to stand firm in the face of the blows, losses, and disappointments in life.Readers of this book will think, laugh, and gain confidence to do what is set before them. They will feel hopeful, courageous, strengthened, encouraged, present, and confident.