Robert D Smith

Poems on the Art of Disappearance is a touching journey told through the experiences of Dorothy's Place founder, Robert Smith, whose empathy for the suffering of other human beings strikes to the reader's heart, evoking a deep understanding of the people, place, and circumstance of disenfranchisement. Illustrated by the photographs of Kenny King. Forward by artist David Ligare.

Life is full of lessons learned, and the earlier we learn them, the more fulfilling the remainder of our lives can be. The Christian life has a unique set of lessons. All of us face the daily challenges of discerning God's will and reconciling the ultimate source of truth and guidance-the Bible-with the influences and pressures of secular society. These challenges can be daunting, and the pathway to success can be tortuous and full of obstacles. In his well-articulated and entertaining take on some important lessons of the Christian life, author and songwriter Robert D. Smith, Jr. provides thought-provoking insights for those engaged in all phases of the faith journey-from nonbelief to Christian maturity. He shares these life lessons by calling upon decades of experience in navigating the Christian walk and making decisions along the way, not all of them the best ones. He intersperses relevant lyrics from his thirty years of contemporary Christian songwriting into the text as a poetic complement to the narrative. His goal is for readers to learn the lessons it has taken him a lifetime to learn early enough in their lives to make a difference. Whether you are a skeptic, questioning the relevance of the Bible or even the existence of God; a new Christian seeking direction for your life; or a mature believer with years of devotion and service behind you; there is wisdom to be gained from reading this book. As long as we continue to breathe, there is always room to learn and grow. No matter how old you are or where you faith resides, these ten lessons will bring clarity to your path forward. 1

This fascinating reference covers the weapons and armor used by warriors from the 4th to the 15th century and discusses how and why they changed over time. In the Middle Ages, the lack of standardized weapons meant that one warrior's arms were often quite different from another's, even when they were fighting on the same side. And with few major technological advances in that period, the evolution of those weapons over the centuries was incremental. But evolve they ultimately did, bringing arms, armor, and siege weapons to the threshold of the modern era. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance, Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact covers the inexorable transformation from warrior in the mail shirt to fully armored knight, from the days of spears and swords to the large-scale adoption of the handgun. Medieval Weapons covers this fascinating expanse of centuries in chapters devoted to the early medieval, Carolingian, Crusade, and late medieval periods. Within each period, the book details how weapons and armor were developed, what weapons were used for different types of battles, and how weapons and armor both influenced, and were influenced by, changing tactics in battles and sieges.