"I thought I'd be dead by 21" Great pain produces character. It can just as easily produce fear, rejection, and self-loathing. My early life produced in me a fear that I'd be dead by 21. This personal narrative is my memory of a lifelong search for love, belonging, and a sense of place. Walk with me on my journey through abandonment, panic attacks, fear, rejection, bullying, and unbelief, out into the blinding light of healing love. Adopted touches on the issues nearly every child or adult adoptee must face on the way to maturity, wholeness, and redemption. Along the way it provides valuable insights to adoptive and foster parents who long to see their children whole. And to adult adoptees who wonder why they do what they do and how healing can be the next chapter in their life story.
Have you noticed the toll modern ministry is taking on our pastors? Pastors are in big trouble but have few resources to help. Pastoral fatigue and burnout cost the church more than just money; it costs lives, drying up the pastoral pool. More pastors and church leaders leave ministry today than in the history of the Christian Church. And I almost became a statistic. I learned the hard way how can we equip young pastors to plan for ministry longevity; and, help more experienced pastors foster the spiritual health and renewal that they need after years of ministry?More and more has been written about sabbaticals, yet few comprehensive, but simple, guidebooks are available to assist a pastor to initiate and maximize the gift of his or her pastoral sabbatical. This primer is designed to take a pastor through the sabbatical from conception to conclusion. It contains more than was available to me when I took both my first and second sabbaticals. Though not meant to be scholarly or exhaustive, the content accomplishes the purpose of a primer on spiritual sabbaticals.THE PRIMER ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS: --What is a sabbatical or spiritual renewal leave?--Why take a sabbatical?--Who needs a sabbatical?--Why do I need a sabbatical?--When should I take a sabbatical?--How long should a sabbatical be? What's the criteria?--Where can I find the guidance and resources to plan and carry out a sabbatical?--How do I begin?--What do I do, or what steps do I take before, during, and after the sabbatical?THE PRIMER OFFERS: --A brief, biblical context and rationale for sabbatical and Sabbath--Practical steps and phases for planning, initiating, and navigating the sabbatical from beginning to reentry.--Answers to "honest fears and reservations" pastors have regarding sabbaticals--Helpful tools in the six appendices, along with other samples of proposals, letters, and a "Life Mission Statement" for prioritizing your calling--Encouragement for those who find the whole idea to be overwhelming--Specific references to sabbatical policies, housing, funding sources, and other helpful information to assist in planning the pastoral sabbatical--A brief suggested reading list for sabbatical reading--Helps for the church to understand your spiritual renewal leave-sabbaticalPurchasing the Sabbatical Primer for Pastors is one of the best investments you'll make toward the longevity of your ministry and pastoral health. As part of your decision process, take the time to read WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IT in the reviews. Consider buying one for a friend or colleague in ministry as well. Or sending it as a Kindle gift book.You just may save a calling . . . and a friend.
In Jesus Christ, you are a "son of God." This is not New Age teaching, but is proclaimed through God's Word. Christ made this reality possible as the first-fruit of creation. Jesus is the Firstborn, from the dead, of many sons. He opened the way for us to be the "sons of God."As Christ's disciples, men and women are God's children and brothers of Christ. Whether man or woman, we are all "sons of God"(Gal. 3.26; Rom. 8.14). Being a "son of God" is a glorious truth David Alves illustrates how God has worked in his life and can work in yours. Fully referenced with scripture, Alves outlines a seven-point checklist to facilitate spiritual maturity in you. By assimilating the checklist, you can adopt the right mental and heart environment to become all that God has called you to be. You'll also experience God's deep and abiding love and discover how being a "son of God" affects your life today and determines your future.Sprinkled with anecdotes, We're the "sons of God"...So What? explores the perplexities Christians experience in life. With diligent discipleship, you will find comfort and guidance in the Bible and move higher toward your heavenly calling.This is a revised and improved edition.
If you have ever loved and lost, if you enjoy old stone walls, inlets by the sea, beaches, summer warmth, the green of spring, the barren beauty of winter, and the vivid colors of fall; if you have--or need--hope for the future, then let this chapbook be your introduction to selected early and mid-life poems of New Hampshire author David C Alves. This volume offers selections of his work from 1966 through 2010.At the end of the book, David includes a short essay on "Voice" in inspiring his poetry. He writes about the Voice behind the voice of the poet and speaks of the shared connection between readers and that Voice.
