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Why an Anthology?This anthology comes to you from connect.faith, an organization made up of people who are looking for a place to exercise their spirituality through creativity and justice. We see a world that has put walls around Christianity that seems to try to keep people out. Here, in this Anthology, we are giving people a chance to share their literature, their stories, their poems, their memories in their version of what it means to write progressive Christian literature. We hope you will find your own story in their words, and know that we are on a journey together to spread God's love in this broken and hurting world. In Christ's Love, Pastor Debbie Bronkema

The Alligator's Red Shoes is author Jim Munroe's second children's book. His first book was titled The Sneezing Toucan.The Alligator's Red Shoes is a delightful tralip of an Alligator shopping for red shoes. The people and circumstances the reptile encounters will make children of all ages laugh and want to read it again.Jim Munroe's journey to writing children's books began 25 years ago when his daughter had trouble learning to read. He had already written hundreds of poems in rhyme and knew that it was a fun way to form new words out of just one simple word. His first story, The Sneezing Toucan, was published in 2021 and it received a 5 Star review from Readers' Favorite and has been featured on the popular worldwide podcast, www.sleeptightstories.org. Jim has appeared at numerous Meet the Author events at schools and libraries and his book has been added to the Wake County Public Library System in Raleigh, NC. Jim is a United States Navy Submarine Service veteran and a member of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). When he's not writing children's books, Jim enjoys playing in a pool league, DIY home repairs, gardening and landscaping.

Jan Hahn has written a classic book for children. In his series about a frog named Albert, this volume tells the story about Albert who become a fisherman. In Hahn style, Albert finds himself in all kinds of predicaments on his quest to find a career. The book is writted in English and Spanish, and the pages are suitable for coloring.

I hope this book helps to enhance your alone time with God. Remember a conversation is two ways- talking and listening. Pour out your heart to God, but also listen to hear his voice. Study God's word. Remember any devotional book should be used with your Bible, not as a replacement for it. Now, find a quiet place. "Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalms 46:10

PrefaceWilliam Blake saw a world in a grain of sand.These sculptures and poems go inside the stones to see what centuries have hidden.Sit with this stone art.Feel God's tender love and care. Receive the gift of Peace.The stone poems,go inside the stone sculptures to explain the riddle of life- Hidden through the ages. Some stones were plucked from river beds where rainbow trout came and whispered secrets.When picked up and sawed sparks fly from them, so maybethey contain light of stars.Light to reveal the Mystery of wisdom written on walls of caves.Etched in stone commandments. Sun shining bright.Star of Bethlehem!Bible stone art teaches the significance of life- Jesus is Life.Gentle Galilean Glories Healing words of love.The Glory of God The Word made flesh Heaven's Son ShineAs you meditate upon this art, may you come from scars of stones cast, to comfort of stone art, bowing in wonder. Let this be your prayer:It is by the Goodness of God that I was born into this world in the first place. It is by the Grace of God that I am held every step that I take in life. And it is by the Love of God revealed in the gentle life and tender teachings of Jesus that I am becoming a child of God. Ame

New Life is a discipleship resource that's driven by Scripture and focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ who are equipped to live on mission to make disciples. New Life is a resource for discipleship groups in the church, and the material is designed for utilization in small, gender-specific discipleship groups of 3-5 people.New Life ApproachJesus said that "everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). This problem isn't limited to only a few, but it's the problem of every person ever born into the world. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 3:23 & 6:23a). Every person in the world is born into sin, and each person - in varying ways - quickly becomes enslaved to sin. As a result of these biblical truths, New Life recognizes that this spiritual condition can only be conquered by the saving power of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16, 6:23b, 5:8, 8:1-2, 10:9, etc.).The gospel is the good news that although all of us are sinners, God has made a way for forgiveness and victory over sin through his Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel is the message of the sinless life of Jesus; the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sin; and the burial and resurrection of Jesus that brought victory over sin and death. This message is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, and it is the message that confirms the new life that's possible by God's grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-14).New Life is based on the truth that the gospel is the only hope for those who are enslaved to sin and that the gospel is the only hope for transformation in a life that's been set free in Christ Jesus. There are no steps or processes that can replace the power of the Holy Spirit through the message of the gospel in the life of the one who believes. As a result, New Life focuses on the good news of the gospel that has the power to set someone free from slavery to sin (Galatians 5:1). Through the gospel, God made the way to give us a relationship with him and life with him. Through the gospel, God made the way for us to grow in our new life in Christ, changing us to desire his way over our way and transforming our thoughts by his truth (Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1-2). This is the work of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the work of God in saving us by his grace through faith in Jesus, and it's the work of God in transforming us in his grace to look more-and-more like Jesus.New Life is focused on an intense study of Ephesians 4 and 5, in a format that encourages believers to understand what God's Word means and to apply God's Word to their lives. The goal is growth in the Lord, taking off the old life and putting on the new life that's only possible in Jesus Christ.

I heard him most every day around noon, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs in the alley below my office window. It was "F this" and "F that" and other choice words, a stream of profanity spilling forth from his troubled mind.He was clearly in need of help, wandering the Financial District and North Beach for years, self-medicating and telling all the world of his dire need for mental health services.In San Francisco, those cries for help fell on deaf ears.On the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 10, police answered a call about an unresponsive man on Commercial Street. That's where they found Sean Messer, age 42, address unknown. He had died alone on a parklet in front of a Chinese restaurant.And now, the streets and alleys of the Financial District have gone quiet.I asked the security guard in our building about this poor soul, and he knew exactly who we were talking about.When the history is written, years from now, we will be judged harshly for standing by helplessly while our fellow man wallowed in the depths of addiction and mental distress. For allowing hard-working merchants to fail as a result of dirty streets and filthy conditions. They'll judge us for a shocking inability to maintain order and provide compassionate care.They'll judge us for ignoring Sean Messer's cry for help. And that is our shame to bear ... collectively.

The early American landscape painters would often paint, in the background of their art, magnificent towering mountains. These beautiful mountains represented the power and majesty of God. Whatever the landscape, we are drawn to the great hope and protection found in God the Creator.Mountains have also been seen as having a special place to the understanding of the spiritual life. Both Moses and Jesus had important events on the mountain. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou may teach them." (Exodus 24:12) "And after he (Jesus) had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. Immediately before choosing his twelve apostles." (Mark 6:46)In Japan, Mount Fuji is very much understood as a spiritual mountain for the Japanese. Mount Taylor in New Mexico is seen as a sacred mountain to the Navajo Nation. In almost every nation, there are mountains that call for the spiritual part of our life to lift our eyes unto the hills. Some take pilgrimages up the mountain. There is a sense of being closer to God, not so much in physical distance but in spiritual awareness.Mondays are the beginning of the week for secular life. Saturday and Sundays are marked as days of rest and worship. As some say, "we live for the weekends." And that leaves Monday as the culprit of ending our happy time. We are called back to our work, our labor, our schedules set by others. There is this feeling of beginning all over to make it to Friday. And yet, Monday is a day that God has given to us. It is a day that all of God's promises hold true for us. The word Monday came from an earlier English word for Moon. The Moon is essential for the immigration of birds and the impact of the ocean tides. It is the work of our Mondays to guide us into a new week. Just as our spiritual life is to guide us, so are the Mondays that we face. It really becomes an opportunity to adjust our secular understanding of Monday to a spiritual awareness that every day is a good day in God's realm.Mountain Monday is a simple way to express that God has made both the mountains and our Mondays for His glory and our good. It is just how we want to make the day. On a mountain or not, we are God's greatest love.Bruce Sloan

I have shared numerous devotionals on Facebook over the last five years. Most were biblically based, and others were reflections on life or humorous stories from my youth. Many of those were published earlier in "The Rainbow Book: A Collection of Facebook Devotionals." This book isa companion work.This house and barn were built about 1925, and my grandparents moved here in 1932. Following their deaths, my uncle and aunt lived here many years, and the house became the center of Voss family life. The old homeplace became my residence in 2017, and I cherish the opportunity to call it home.I am grateful to the many readers who have enjoyed these devotionals over the years and have commented on them. They have been a vital part of my writing work and interest. I am also especially grateful to Jeffery McClendon for his tireless work and meaningful contributions as an editor. Many of my earliest memories are associated with the house and barn. I was able to take pictures of both that seem to capture the essence of "the old homeplace" that is dear to so many relatives and friends. I hope you enjoy the pictures, and I also hope that the devotionals are a great blessing to you

Do you sense that something is missing? Could it be just one indispensable thing? Here is the simple but profound answer: It is the love of Jesus. "Many big books are like a shallow lake. Ed has written a little book, which I liken to a well, that may be small but is deep. Reading this book, like the best of the devotional classics, brings spiritual refreshment. The message is so simple and fundamental that the reader is left wondering why did I drift away from the course for years. And like any classic, we need to re-read it in a regular basis in order to plumb its depths. Drink from this well and will want to come back for more."-Dr. Eddie Gibbs, Senior Professor, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary"Ed Gross has a holy and heart-felt zeal for the Love of God, which he rightly believes is the source of all spiritual vitality. Whether we realize it or not, we are starving for God's love...and hurting others by our failure to love. Letthe Holy Spirit use this warm-hearted book to fill you with the love of Jesus."-Dr. Phil Ryken, President of Wheaton College"Everyone who hears Jesus's new commandment, 'Love one another,' will want to revel in 'Let Love Win Through You!'"Dr. Gerry Beshears, Professor of Theology and Program Director-Master of Applied Biblical Leadership at, Western Seminary. "We use 'love' all the time, but almost always misunderstand it in relation to biblical truth. Ed's refreshingly simple and helpful approach offers us a solid picture of love. With that picture I gain hope-hope that God's perspective can get us back on track with his love as the foundation from which we can love others as he does."Dr. Scott Moreau, Professor Emeritus of Intercultural Studies, Wheaton College. Former Editor, Evangelical Mission Quarterly. Edward N. Gross, Doctor of Missiology, is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a Coordinator of Discipleship Renewal with Compassion for Life International. His ministry has included calls to serve in missions, church planting, pastoral ministry and theological education. Married to Debby, they live in Delaware. Visit Ed at www.compassionforlife.org or www.disciplesgo.com

Buddy Clay McGohon, an ordained minister, retired in 2004 after 18 years as Director of Mission for the Montgomery Baptist Association, Montgomery, AL. Prior to that he was a pastor for 28 years, serving 6 churches in Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. The last three of those were First Baptist, Vernon (1964-73), and in Birmingham 66th Street Baptist (1973-77) and South Avondale Baptist (1977-85). In retirement he has served as an Intentional Interim Pastor for four congregations in the Birmingham area, the most recent being First Baptist, Center Point. Others were the Indian Springs First Baptist Church, Pelham, First Baptist, Leeds, and First Baptist Irondale. He also served the Birmingham Baptist Association as its Interim Executive Director and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions as a part-time associate. He has also served churches in Alabama, Kentucky and Missouri as a strategic planning consultant. Buddy, a Kentucky native, is a graduate of Georgetown College (Kentucky) and holds the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from The Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, KY. He is also certified as an Intentional Interim Minister by the Center for Congregation Health, Winston Salem, NC. He and his wife Barbara are the proud parents of 3 daughters, Beth, Amy and Alisa, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-granddaughters. They currently live in Birmingham where they recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Mark Sandell has been a pastor for the past 37 years. In that time frame, he has shared a variety of Children's Sermons with countless number of children. Previously to becoming a pastor, Mark had adventured into the field of accounting and psychology. He resides in Boonsboro, MD with his wife. They have three adult children and 8 grandchildren. This book is dedicated to his family who has supported him throughout the many years of ministry and all those who listened to his Children's Sermons.

GOING HOME AGAINThe first seven years of my life, 1945-1952, my family lived in a row house with white marble steps on Dukeland Street in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Aubrey Bodine, a photojournalist, wrote, "The white marble steps of Baltimore have become the city's trademark and a marvel to visitors. Most of them are white marble, from nearby quarries, and housewives vie in keeping them bright. In any block, there is seldom a day that someone is not out scrubbing them." For me, those marble steps are symbolic of my entrance into a life in which family, faith, virtues, church, values, and friendships were essentials. As I reflect on those early years around the marble steps, the memories help me to recognize blessings of which I was unaware at the time. Frederick Buechner once commented, "'For all thy blessings, known and unknown, remembered and forgotten, we give thee thanks,' runs an old prayer, and it is for the all but unknown ones and the more than half-forgotten ones that we do well to look back over the journeys of our lives, because it is their presence that makes the life of each of us a sacred journey." In 1983, after attending a meeting in Baltimore, I decided to visit the old neighborhood. It had been thirty years since my family and I had moved from Dukeland Street to a house on Gwynn Oak Avenue. I was curious about my childhood home. When I drove to Dukeland Street and turned onto our block, I could immediately see the changes. I arrived in front of 610 Dukeland Street. I stopped my car and stayed inside of the vehicle. As I surveyed the property, I noticed that the row house looked smaller than I had remembered. Plywood had been placed over the windows, and the glass in the front door had been broken and poorly repaired. The white marble steps were filthy and appeared as if they had not been scrubbed recently. Of course, the family members I loved and who loved me were no longer there. After some sad moments, I drove to my home in Easton, Maryland, where my wife and children were waiting for me. Perhaps Thomas Wolfe was right, You Can't Go Home Again, as the title of his book correctly expresses my experience. However, in the meditations which I included in this book, I have attempted "going home again" another way. The good and bad memories we have made in our childhood homes continue to influence us throughout our lives. We all are responsible for our decisions and actions and reactions in various situations. Prayerfully, in our backgrounds, though, there are beliefs, attitudes, and values which can become blessings as we grow. Many parents are comforted and challenged by Solomon's wisdom, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22: 6). "Going home again" in that way, we can be recipients of blessings, "half-forgotten" and "unknown." My prayer is that the following meditations will provide a glimpse into my early years and also a challenge for others to remember blessings from the past.

Every family in the world is looking for a way to be happy, content, and valuable. In our ever-changing society the pressure is on to find any way possible to make our families "work". We all want a successful family life. We are looking for answers to all the questions of being a successful husband, wife, parent, and grandparent. We are seeking ways to have a loving, caring, committed family. We want our families to "make it." Everyone is tired of the label "dysfunctional family". People just want this thing called "family" to be functional again. So, what is the recipe for success? What can we do? How can we make the family simple and yet successful?I remember as a child that my parents wanted what was best for me in all things. When our local pediatrician told my parents that I needed to take a multi-vitamin they bought me the regular ones that tasted terrible. I would hide them or pretend to take them. (I guess that is where my own children got that idea) Then the maker of multi-vitamins began producing "fruit flavored" ones. I loved them and took them regularly. The fruit flavoring allowed me to get what I needed and to enjoy the taste. The "fruit flavored" style of leading our families has also been around for many years but is not something that people use. It is a great way to see your family "work". In a world gone wrong, we have a chance to do what is right. For the Christian believer, the Holy Spirit in you is this "fruit flavoring". Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and, self-control, placed in you at conversion by the Holy Spirit, is the "fruit flavoring" that allows the family to function smoothly. The overflow of God's Spirit in you "flavors" your parenting and your family with a workable recipe.This book is the result of years of seeking to be a "fruit flavored" family of faith. Cheryl and I (Garry) have had the honor of being the parents of three children and now the grandparents of four. This is quite a blessing and has allowed us to continue to experience and grow in our lives as a family. So, one can see our parenting journey is well traveled. We are definitely not perfect, but we have been there and love to share. Let me remind you that this book is not intended to be a guide or a teacher. It is a tool to allow God to speak to you directly and be your guide and teacher. The Holy Spirit is always your teacher in faith and practice. (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit will guide you to understand Truth. Although everyone who reads this book is reading the same words, the Holy Spirit will personalize each chapter to guide each individual toward the lesson he or she needs to learn and apply at this given moment in their lives. As our lives and situations in our families change from day to day, (and for us over the years) may the Holy Spirit bring back to your mind and heart what you will learn during this time you will take to read and study. (John 14:26)Finally, as we introduce this writing, never forget that Godly parenting and grandparenting is centered in prayer. It begins there and continues there throughout every task, phase, problem, pain, and victory. Prayer is communicating with God. It is talking to your God and listening to His response. God is always at Work around us and when we "pray without ceasing", God walks and talks with us daily. So we begin this journey with a prayer that God will use this book to speak to your heart. Your children and grandchildren are watching!

If you are seeking a book that goes beyond first principles, this book is for you. If you are seeking a devotional book that not only inspires but also teaches deeper truth regarding Godly living, this book is for you. In his book, "Seeking God's Truth in a Troubled World" Richard covers a plethora of subjects from fear, anxiety, forgiveness, prayer, plus many other pertinent subjects. As you read this, you will realize Godly change results when we surrender completely to God. And once we are surrendered, and the old nature is crucified, we begin walking in the Spirit and Christlikeness ensues. Carl E. RobertsRetired Pharmacist/Sunday School TeacherI loved this book! Richard has taken a very honest and direct approach in showing us what Jesus did, as well as what He tells us to do.The premise of the book is based on a solid foundation of Scripture which should not be debated. He also addresses the provisions in which God has given to us that enable us to live holy and Godly lives. Maybe just importantly Richard shows us ways in which we are to love Jesus.These are 36 powerful chapters in which Jesus is brought to bear in all of them. I see this book in light of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom is a word that is rarely used by the church today, yet Jesus used it all the time. If we are true believers we understand that we are living in the Kingdom now and not in some distant future when we die. Richard has brought honesty and clarity to the Scriptures contained in the 36 chapters of this book. These are passages that represent well the wisdom of Jesus in the Scriptures.Jerry TrousdalePast President Final CommandAuthor, "Miraculous Movements" and "The Kingdom Unleashed"I couldn't put the book down. Thank you for being so transparent. It is a book that I wanted to race through, getting more and more excited with each page. I found myself saying "ouch" every few pages. (But it is an "ouch" with hope and inspiration attached by the Holy Spirit that "yes, you can do this, with my help"). Now, I just want to take each devotional slowly, perhaps over several days or more, and ponder and pray, and live it out in obedience. Richard's book is so refreshing, and very encouraging. He carries the heart of God. It is written in a very conversational style, like he is sitting down and talking to you across the kitchen table. May it draw thirsty people from all walks and stages of life, and give them a long, cool, drink of living water they won't forget.Marty and Elaine MattocksDMM practitioners and trainersAsia Highland Partners, Board AdvisorsThe author shares from his lifelong passion and dedication to serving our Almighty God. In this revealing account of a life lived out through Jesus Christ, you will be challenged to explore the depth of God's power available to all of us. Richard shares from his own lifetime of experience just how deep in God's love we can all live. The truths of these devotionals about God's grace should be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.Robert Reid, RetiredSMSGT, USAF

Ken Boutwell and I became fast friends soon after he sent me a manuscript to publish as his first book in 2016. He was referred to my publishing company by a mutual friend who was his pastor at First Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida..He told me at that time that he was also working on a second book which would address racism and bigotry throughout history with an invitation to join him and others in changing these cruel cultures around the worldKnowing Ken's kind nature, I don't why I had this thought, but I did: "Another book by an angry and judgmental author who was trying to make a difference with the usual judgmental diatribe against other judgmental and angry bigots and racists.." That thought was totally wrong.When I received the manuscript, I quickly realized that this book approached racism and bigotry with a different paradigm-kindness. Boutwell wrote about this malignancy with kindness and hope. Kindness to well-meaning people who were captured by cruel cultures and hope for a future where the largest gathering of racists and bigots would not be each week in houses of worship around the world.Let Justice and Mercy Flow is a primer for anyone who is seeking to live in the world as a non-racist and non-bigoted person.Ken begins his book clearly aware that he, himself, was from a culture which was cruel and unyielding to anyone who was different than his white church, white family, and white friends. He knew there had to be a better way to live than where white people built and maintained an economy and society where non-white people were routinely oppressed and persecuted. As a result, Ken and his wife committed to live a a life and to teach their children to lead lives where they treated all people with the love, respect and equality that Christ worked so hard to teach us. Boutwell ends his book with a call to a better way to live - a way of hope and love for all, especially for those who are non-white, non-Christian, and non-male.The appeal of Let Justice and Mercy Flow is to join others of all faiths, genders, ethnicities who have committed to Loving And Serving Each Other (LASEO) Toward the end of the book, Boutwell invites his readers to sign a Loving And Serving Each Other Manifesto in order to change a cruel culture of bigotry and prejudice to a just and compassionate one. As Bonhoeffer is quoted on the back cover, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, Not to act is to act."If you choose to join the LASEO movement, let us know by sending an email to join@laseonow,com. We'll add your name to our mailing list so you'll know what you and others are doing to unravel cruel cultures and embrace compassionate ones. David Russell TullockFall 2023

Rainbows of Hope, will hang a rainbow in the window of your soul to shine on the stormiest of days. Its photos and poems will hold you in security and give you radiant hope. This is God's promise to you in the first book of the Bible, Genesis 9:13, a promise wrapped in a covenant of kindness.The rainbow poems will sing your soul awake. Poetry matches experience with reality, seeing the relationships between the invisible and visible. Nature poems, using rainbow images that bridge heaven and earth, teach us that all things, are inter-related and inter-connected as one. Rainbows weave Beauty and Wonder into the ever widening circles of our lives making us healthier, happier, and more creative-moving us toward more hope filled lives._____________Dwayne Cole and his wife, Beth met while they were both in seminary studying for the Master of Divinity degree. Dwayne has also earned a Master of Theology and a Ph.D. in New Testament with a major in Greek. They have an adult son and daughter and four grandchildren.They came to Alaska in 2011 to be with family. Their daughter and son-in- law came to start their medical practice and needed help with their two children. This book is number 29 since coming to Alaska. Dwayne's passion is poetry that is inspired by his daily walks in the beauty and wonder of Alaska. You can reach Dwayne- tadpolejr@aol.comRainbows of Promise, Security, and Hope- Wrapped in kindness.

Richard Niebuhr said of faith: "Faith is the attitude of the self in its existence toward all existences that surround it, as being relied upon or to be suspected. It is the attitude that appears in all the wariness and confidence of life as it moves about among the living. It is fundamentally trust or distrust in the being itself." (H. Richard Niebuhr, The Responsible Self, p. 118)People have suffered and enjoyed, lost and won, doubted and believed, regressed and progressed on their faith journey. Ask anyone who has faith, has known doubt. Christian writers possess quiet confidence. This writer sees faith as the complete trust in the God of the gospels. Each human experience is different, but the points of trust as the same.We shun failure because we fear that revealing our weaknesses and imperfections will cause us to be unacceptable, unlovable, and of no use, unmarketable. Failure exposes our vulnerability. Failure is part of humanity. Being human challenges us to recognize life as a gift. Difficulties and failures have essential things to offer us. Children learn to walk by trying, failing, and trying again.Mistakes, errors, failures are ways to learn to live life more fully. God proceeds to stay with us when we are raw and vulnerable, moving in our being with deep care and gentleness. Failure can lead us to the light.Trust and mistrust are ways we relate to our parents and others beginning early in life and running deeply all the years of our lives. I enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence's movie, Joy. Lawrence plays a lovely young woman who believes in our self. She envisions and creates a simple mop. Nobody thinks it will ever be a success. She is strong and despite her many disappointments and pain, she gains faith and success. Failure was her friend. She acknowledge he failure without becoming trapped by it.Reflection enables us to remain responsible, spiritual, emotional, and practical. Failure offers us an opportunity to look and ask and delve into who we are. How do we desire to live life. We don't feel valued by our culture, church or community, or even ourselves. God's love and grace helps us love ourselves. Loving ourselves includes struggling with jealousy and envy toward others whose lives appear easier and more successful than ours. We reflect alone and with others. Sharing experiences of failure with people who know and love us provides encouragement in our times of darkness.Failure reminds us to look back with gratitude for God's faithfulness in the past. We look forward in anticipation to the eternal joy that can become ours. Failure invites us to gather bot the past and future into the present moment that we live fully and faithfully now.The challenge of failure is for us to remain faithful despite our fears, in the middle of the grief, loss, and pain, embarrassment, insecurity, and disappointment.We become even further graced as we grow with compassion, wisdom, and love. If you think you have failed completely with no hope, please read this book, and give a copy to others.Remember Jesus failed. We live on this side of the resurrection, so we miss the anguish and pain of the failure that proceeded it. The world would think that the life and ministry of Jesus were failures. He did not change the hearts of all those who heard him. He was not the type of messiah that brought the reign of God on earth. Jesus even failed to gain the complete loyalty of his disciples. They denied any association with him.Jesus died as a common criminal. He died lonely, in much pain, ridiculed, and taunted. The challenge of faith and faithfulness is to hold that fruit of the Spirit within us, whatever life brings. That is the reality of faith.

The medical staff was doing their pre-surgical routine, taking vitals and getting my medical information. The nurse was surprised to learn I was currently taken zero prescription medications. "So, if it weren't for this," she said, "you'd be in really good health."I replied sourly, "Ain't that the damn truth." The, "this," was cancer. At age 59, living an active life that included hiking, biking, soccer, and other forms of exercise, I'd suddenly been diagnosed with appendiceal cancer. The first surgery was to remove my appendix. Twelve days later, a second tumor was removed, along with half of my colon. Chemotherapy loomed on the horizon. Until that diagnosis, the end of life was something I thought about only occasionally. Naturally, I dealt with death when it came to other families; that's what a pastor does. But my own final bow was something I assumed was at least thirty years in the future. And why not? My grandmother made it to 96, my father made it to 90, and my mother is still going strong. Sure, my grandfather died much earlier of lung cancer, but he smoked, so that didn't count. And my brother died of cancer at age 43, but that was a fluke. This is what denial sounds like, by the way. So, at age 59, I suddenly had to accept the reality that I might not make it to 62, much less the classic retirement age of 65. But I wasn't alone. A church member had recently received a defibrillator. His grief began when the doctor told him the implant was only good for ten years. That's when this man was confronted by the reality of entering a new stage of life-a stage that comes with an expiration date.

The Memoir of a Baptist Minister whose path at crucial points has seemingly been shaped by divine guidance._____________________Buddy Clay McGohon, an ordained minister, retired in 2004 after 18 years as Director of Mission for the Montgomery Baptist Association, Montgomery, AL. Prior to that he was a pastor for 28 years, serving 6 churches in Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. The last three of those were First Baptist, Vernon (1964-73), and in Birmingham 66th Street Baptist (1973-77) and South Avondale Baptist (1977-85). In retirement he has served as an Intentional Interim Pastor for four congregations in the Birmingham area, the most recent being First Baptist, Center Point. Others were the Indian Springs First Baptist Church, Pelham, First Baptist, Leeds, and First Baptist Irondale. He also served the Birmingham Baptist Association as its Interim Executive Director and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions as a part-time associate. He has also served churches in Alabama, Kentucky and Missouri as a strategic planning consultant. Buddy, a Kentucky native, is a graduate of Georgetown College (Kentucky) and holds the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from The Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, KY. He is also certified as an Intentional Interim Minister by the Center for Congregation Health, Winston Salem, NC. He and his wife Barbara are the proud parents of 3 daughters, Beth, Amy and Alisa, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-granddaughters. They currently live in Birmingham where they recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Will you cross a BRIDGE? Color me BRIDGE is a life question in response to a story in Genesis about Noah, and Paul's life question told in a letter to the Galatians. People can take action building a BRIDGE thru Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (pda.pcusa.org) by:Coloring Talking Reflecting Receiving GivingLearning BRIDGES allPeace,Katherine A. Simons

IntroductionLife questions begin coloring, conversation, reflection and action in response to the New Testament in Acts 9 and times which tell Ananias' and Paul's growing trust and the ways they learn TRUST.The Hebrew scripture in Psalm 139 calls us to begin, grow, and learn trust in God and people. Action can be taken through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (pda.pcusa.org) by assembling clean-up, hygiene or school kits.

The historical stories of the Old Testament provide us with pictures of beautiful beginnings, viral wickedness, ego tripping power, and passionate love. God's impeccable timing and grace were working through each person and each situation in powerful, miraculous ways. God's timeline is ongoing, building detail upon detail in the isolated moments of life, His story, our history, those moments when lives are changed, and life is forever altered. His wide-angle lens continues.

God is glorified......in ordinary people. We look on the thankless and monotonous moments as roadblocks. Ordinary days are not an interruption. They are miracles. God places human beings in so many places. God chose where you were born before your birth. We glorify God in the simplest ways. When my friend John Killinger suggested writing a book on the magic of being ordinary, I knew he meant not just how to go from ordinary to extraordinary, but the reverse. When we hear the word ordinary, it brings the impression about something not only common, but unnoticed, small, or unimportant. Most people think they must get away from such an existence. The ordinary kind of life is not worthy of our thoughts. Killinger would say we should never run away from the magic of being ordinary. We don't escape the insignificant. We miss the most significant. We lose our smallness and our greatness. There is magic in being ordinary. We are the work of the Master Creator. The correct understanding of the word is that we are wonders. We are one of billions of humans, and yet each one is unique.Instead of sitting down and waiting for life to become extraordinary, we need to take control to start finding joy in the ordinary. Make the world a better place by serving others, the whole community, and all that we touch. My wife volunteers at the community food bank. Whatever you do, be the change. Helping others is a double win. _______________The Rev. Dr. James McReynolds is founder of Visionquests for Joy International. He provides spiritual encounters in local churches, hospitals, colleges and schools of higher education, prisons, businesses, and civic organizations. He lives in Elmwood, Nebraska.

Hello. I'm Caleb Bundon, and I am delighted you picked up this book. Very brave of you. There are 13 stories in this book, which all center around horror fiction. However, these stories are quite different from one another. Each story will start with an introduction like this one. I started this book in early October of 2022. At the time of this writing...or actually, it's typing, I am 13 years old. How coincidental that my age is the number of chapters contained in this book. I live in the metropolitan Charlotte area of North Carolina. I have a YouTube channel named DarkIceeGamer, and I post age-appropriate material on it. Another thing you need to know about me is that I am a Christian writer. Without further ado, happy reading.

Dr. Jan Hahn was born in 1951 in Massachusetts and raised in Vineland, N.J. After graduating from Swarthmore College, he entered Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Upon completing a family practice residency program in Galveston, Texas, he joined the Indian Health Service and worked for four years at Cherokee IHS Hospital in Cherokee, N.C. In 1984, he moved to Lenoir City, TN. where he practiced family medicine until his retirement in July 2012.In 2009, he returned to college to study English, and in 2011, he enrolled in Lincoln Memorial University's post-bac teacher licensure program. He is now certified to teach English 7-12.In 1991, he started a domestic violence program, Crisis Center for Women-IVAS, and continues to be its chairman of the board.This is his fourth book. The first one, entitled Voices, is a collection of poems describing many of the patients he has cared for during his thirty-five-year career in medicine. His second book is A Gallimaufry. Hahn's third book is another story about Albert and the Milk Pail.Dr. Hahn lives with his wife, Dr. Heather O'Brien, a veterinarian, and their seven horses, six dogs, twelve chickens, and one very contented rooster. His three daughters, Micah, Avital, and Mara are away at school. ABOUT THE ARTISTSamantha Berner is a 23-year-old digital artist from Patchogue, New York, who specializes in character design. She dreams of putting her skills and passion to the test by becoming an independent video game designer. She attended East Tennessee State University for two years but is primarily self-taught. She has been drawing with pencil and paper since she was little but has over five years of experience with digital art. ABOUT THE TRANSLATORKatherine Lopez was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Puerto Rico. After graduating from the Univ of TN-Martin with a B.A. in pre-veterinary medicine and veterinary health technology, she enrolled in the Univ of TN School of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. She currently lives in Lenoir City and enjoys ways to promote diversity in her work..

Dr. Jan Hahn was born in 1951 in Massachusetts and raised in Vineland, N.J. After graduating Swarthmore College, he entered Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Upon completing a family practice residency program in Galveston, Texas, he joined the Indian Health Service and worked for four years at Cherokee IHS Hospital in Cherokee, N.C. In 1984, he moved to Lenoir City, TN. where he practiced family medicine until his retirement July 2012.In 2009, he returned to college to study English, and in 2011, he enrolled in Lincoln Memorial University's post-bac teacher licensure program. He taught at Farragut HS from 2013-2016.He returned to medicine in 2017 and is currently practicing in a small rural family medicine office in Madisonville, TN. He continues to teach as an adjunct instructor at South College's Physicians Asst program.In 1991, he started a domestic violence program, Crisis Center for Women-IVAS, and was its chairman of the board until 2017 when he joined IVAS to the Child Advocacy Center -9th Judicial District.Albert and the Milk Pail is a child's tale about an adventurous little frog who gets into a lot of trouble. He is also author of two other books: Voices, a collection of poems describing many of the patients he has cared for during his forty-three-year career in medicine, and A Gallimaufry: Conversation, Observations and Commentary also published by Parson's Porch Books.Dr. Hahn lives with his wife, Dr. Heather O'Brien, a veterinarian, and their four horses, six dogs, thirty chickens, six dogs, one cat and thirteen goats. . His three daughters, Micah, Avital, and Mara are scattered from New Orleans to Louisville, Ky to Anchorage, Alaska pursuing their respective careers.

As I walked in the Beauty and Wonder of Alaska in the last decade, flowers spoke to me, saying, "Take my picture. Write a poem about me." Flowers are never isolated, but are connected with everything that is before them, beside them, under them, and over them. Flowers both clothe and reveal the spirit of nature. A flower poem is nature magically revealing itself. I often capitalize Beauty, Wonder, Tenderness, and Kindness as names for God. At a time when the name, God, is abused and associated with a conservative judgmental spirit, these poems allow me to speak a daisy fresh freeing message. Most of the flower poems were written in the depth of Alaska winters, a time of almost total darkness. This adventurous activity, created in me an invincible spring and summer. Photos and poems bring their own sunshine that warms our soul. Flowers speak Tenderness and the magic of Wonder.

Allow me to share a word about the title - 'Are You Jesus?', and other poems, prayers and ponderings. I wrote the signature poem for this edition while on silent retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist Kentucky. After hearing a retreat talk from Father Carlos, the Guestmaster at the Abbey, I began reflecting on the various ways we experience the presence of Jesus in our day-to-day lives. Father Carlos referenced Jesus' response to Philip in John's Gospel during the "Farewell Discourse" (John 14:8-11). To his request to see the Father, Jesus replied that to see the Son was to see the Father. Having seen Jesus, Philip and the disciples had seen the Father. Granted, I had read this text countless times before. Still, when Father Carlos invited us to consider how, similarly, Jesus was to be seen in us, this simple truth felt amazingly fresh somehow to me. Immediately after returning to my dorm room at the Abbey I sat down and wrote the little poem, "Are You Jesus?" And as I pondered the title for this collection of writings, I kept coming back to the little poem inspired by Father Carlos at the Abbey. For me, this poem attempts to speak to what lies at the core of my understanding of authentic Christian faith. I believe God reaches out to us through us. I cannot speak of my faith apart from my experience of God through others. The language I use to speak of holy things has come to me by human agency. I owe my approach to biblical interpretation and faith to the many teachers and Christian practitioners who have shaped and challenged my thinking through the years. From seminary professors and classmates to clergy colleagues, parishioners and children, authors and spiritual guides, my deepening respect and love for the Holy Scriptures, along with my desire to be a self-denying, cross-carrying, Jesus-follower has been aided by a substantial cloud of witnesses. I cannot begin to speak of my faith journey apart from the impact that others have made on my life. Mine is a very incarnational theology. I believe the Word continues to be enfleshed in us. The book you hold in your hand represents my attempt to speak an authentic word that is both faithful to the Gospel and the human condition. We are fellow travelers in the journey of life, all created in the image of God and of sacred worth. I've tried to fashion these writings with both God and my fellow pilgrims in mind. Please know it is a gift to me that you are taking the time to give these pages some consideration. As amateur poet, ordained minister and 24/7 human being, I've made peace with my many imperfections. Which, maybe, by the grace of God allows me to write with some credibility to the human condition. These poems are by no means the fruit of a master poet. They are, however, the unmistakable byproduct of a lover of words who, having been blessed by God and countless other human beings, cannot deny a hunger to speak to other imperfect human beings, doing the best they can to make it through the day.

Beauty in God's world is everywhere. In fact, it is so all encompassing, it is too easy to run along through life and never really "see" what is all around. Oh sure, a great work of art, a sculpture, a little beaming child, a cuddly puppy, a field of flowers-I may notice those and pause a moment to take it in, but otherwise the pressures of schedule, personal interactions, work and just living in our complicated world can take over and block the "view."One early winter morning, a string of record-breaking bitter cold days was overlain by several inches of un-melting snow. I rounded the corner into the back room of our warm home and saw it: A bright red cardinal sitting on a barren branch of a small tree just outside the window. It was all puffed up and fat looking, but I knew, from an article I read just the day before, that birds fluff up like that to keep as warm as possible in the bitter cold. In the frame of the window, it was a perfect picture in nature's brilliant red against a backdrop of white snow. At first, I only thought of what a neat photo this would make and hurried for my phone camera.As I took several pictures, I realized-the cardinal was not enjoying the scenery and waiting patiently for me to get just the right picture. No, it was waiting for more seed to fill the empty bird feeder hanging in the little tree.It was a beautiful, solitary, probably lonely and very hungry figure.As I looked at the photos I took that morning-before I put on my coat, hat and boots and hurried out to fill the feeder with a new supply of seeds-I realized the contrasts of life were framed for me in that window. There I was, warm and comfortable inside my home. The awesome beauty of just one little bird so brilliantly adorned by God's plan for a world of beauty, love and fullness was ever present. But the scene was overshadowed by what I knew was a life-threatening circumstance for that creature. If the feeder was not replenished with food that provided it nourishment and the warmth of the energy it would create, the bird would likely perish.Every one of God's human children are a creation of intense beauty and awesome value. How often are those having difficulties left out in the "cold" by those inside where it is "warm"? How many of us, through pride or fear or both, stay puffed up and are never willing to show or say what we really need even when times are tough and maybe even desperate?