We live in an age of unprecedented access to sexual temptation. Previous generations faced adultery, prostitution, and brothels. But not every person had a brothel in their pocket. Our society’s obsession with sex, coupled with the technologies that make pornography so accessible, make it more challenging than it’s ever been.  The result is that our families, our churches, and our society are being devastated by a pornography epidemic. In More than a Battle, pastor and author Joe Rigney offers hope for Christian men who are seeking to live with integrity and faithfulness in the face of the sexual temptation around them. Drawing on the Scriptures, his personal experience, and his pastoral counseling, Rigney frames the struggle with lust beneath the banner of Galatians 5:16: "Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  The struggle with lust is a fierce battle, an enslaving addiction, and a deep brokenness. Rigney shows us that through the gospel it is the Holy Spirit that gives us victory, sets us free, and heals our wounds.

    With long hours at the hospital and a six year old always in tow, Tess barely has time to take a deep breath. When Courtney Anderson finds herself with some time off work and agrees to take on some appointments for her brother's computer repair business, she doesn't expect to become intrigued by a single mother who perpetually looks as if she is about to unravel. Neither woman is looking for a relationship, and neither is interested in the mess of emotions that come with one. Will they be able to handle a no strings attached friendship... or will they both end up with more expectations than they bargained for?

    Using a womanist methodological approach, Pamela R. Lightsey helps readers explore the impact of oppression against Black LBTQ women while introducing them to the emergent intellectual movement known as queer theology. The author privileges their narratives and experiences as she reviews several doctrines and dogma of the Christian church. Theological reflection on contemporary debates such as same-sex marriage and ordination rights make this book a valuable resource to clergy, students of theology, LGBTQ persons and allies. "Writing in the shadow of mass killings of unarmed black persons in the United States, Lightsey's Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology is a timely publication. This valuable interdisciplinary resource provides a succinct overview of the doctrine of creation that is informed by a discussion on identity. Our Lives Matter challenges readers to move beyond theory and to acknowledge the full humanity of all persons and is a must-read for any who self-identifies as Christian." --Angela D. Sims, Dean of Academic Programs and Associate Professor of Ethics and Black Church Studies, Saint Paul School of Theology Pamela R. Lightsey is an associate dean and clinical assistant professor of contextual theology and practice at Boston University School of Theology. She is also a self-identified queer lesbian ordained elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church. A national leader among LGBTQ social justice activists, Dr. Lightsey's writings have appeared in Washington Post (online), Religion Dispatches and Black Theology Journal.

    With pastoral sensitivity and respect for biblical authority, Keen breaks through current stalemates in the debate surrounding faith and sexual identity.The fresh, evenhanded reevaluation of Scripture, Christian tradition, theology, and science in Keen’s Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships will appeal to both traditionalist and progressive church leaders and parishioners, students of ethics and biblical studies, and gay and lesbian people who often feel painfully torn between faith and sexuality.

    So when Byron is found dead, they’re shocked. They’re even more shocked when they learn that nothing is what they originally thought, and they’re being held accountable in the man's death.With Junior called in for questioning, Boo is determined to clear their names by finding Byron’s true killer. It’s a quest in which Boo will have to face down crooked cops, crazed guard dogs, a rival security crew, the Irish mob and—worst of all—his own ingrained prejudices.Action-packed, outrageously funny, and brutally honest, Rough Trade brings back crime fiction’s favorite bouncers and takes them well out of their comfort zone in a novel that’s whip-smart, hilarious, gritty and above all human, proving that Todd Robinson is one of the most important voices in crime fiction.

    Just because a thought comes into your head doesn’t mean it's yours; it doesn't mean you have to think about it or entertain it. God apprehended me when I was 29 years old. I pray as you read this book you too will have a personal encounter with Almighty God who stands at the door of your heart and knocks.Mark 11:22-25 Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.  Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.”What mountain is threatening you? It’s time to talk to your mountains. We talk to ourselves and each other about our problems all day long, when we should be talking to our problems. Jesus said, “Say to this mountain.” He has given us authority and power over fear, worry and every negative stronghold oppressing us. God has already made the way for you and for me through Jesus Christ to confront every obstacle in the way of our peace and joy. We just have to realize that it is ours. Because Jesus is our rock, there is nothing we cannot overcome and conquer.Get ready to learn some eye-opening truths. Jesus died so we could live, not just survive, but live an abundant, fulfilling and productive life. It’s time for us to take back what the enemy has stolen from us. The Bible says that we have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of his beloved Son and from this day forward let's plan to live like it.

    

    We meet three families, one Irish, one Italian and one black, confronting the legacy of the past in 1999 Cambridge, MA.Kalayla: a feisty bi-racial, 11 year old loner whose world implodes when she discovers her parents belong in the Guinness Book of World Records for being “The World’s Biggest Liars” about her mother’s family. Maureen: Kalayla’s mother cocoons herself in art projects, deflecting the pain of her parent’s rejection. Her husband’s sudden death catapults her into life as a single mother raising a rebellious, incomprehensible daughter. Lena: their landlady, financially successful, seventy-two years old, wears only black, and lives in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment. Lena is tormented by memories of the dead--her twin sons and husband, and the living--two sons from whom she is estranged. Anyone who has experienced the angularities, rigid pockets and soft spots of family life can take hope from reading Kalayla which shows that pathways for change do exist--and if we choose to, we can find them.

    In Through the Door of Life, Joy Ladin takes readers inside her transition as she changed genders and, in the process, created a new self.    With unsparing honesty and surprising humor, Ladin wrestles with both the practical problems of gender transition and the larger moral, spiritual, and philosophical questions that arise. Ladin recounts her struggle to reconcile the pain of her experience living as the “wrong” gender with the pain of her children in losing the father they love. We eavesdrop on her lifelong conversations with the God whom she sees both as the source of her agony and as her hope for transcending it. We look over her shoulder as she learns to walk and talk as a woman after forty-plus years of walking and talking as a man. We stare with her into the mirror as she asks herself how the new self she is creating will ever become real.    Ladin’s poignant memoir takes us from the death of living as the man she knew she wasn’t, to the shattering of family and career that accompanied her transition, to the new self, relationships, and love she finds when she opens the door of life.“Wrenching—and liberating. . . .[it] opens up new ways of looking at gender and the place of LGBT Jews in community.”—Greater Phoenix Jewish News“Given her high-profile academic position, Ladin’s transition was a major news story in Israel and even internationally. But behind the public story was a private struggle and learning experience, and Ladin pulls no punches in telling that story. She offers a peek into how daunting it was to learn, with little support from others, how to dress as a middle-aged woman, to mu on make-up, to walk and talk like a female. She provides a front-row seat for observing how one person confronted a seemingly impossible situation and how she triumphed, however shakingly, over the many adversities, both societal and psychological, that stood in the way.”—The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide

    Kenneth E. Hagin offers comfort and help from the Word of God concerning issues related to marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Rev. Hagin also brings clarity and understanding to the common miscon

    Starting with a quiz to discover their type of spirit guide, readers will then learn how to communicate with their spirit guides to work through any challenges--be it healing ancestral trauma, growing their business soulfully, or living a life with purpose. This is the first-ever exploration of seven different kinds of cosmic helpers that have communicated with shamans, mediums, priests, and everyday people across cultures and throughout human history. This refreshing guide reveals that the key to success lies in adapting (not appropriating) the proven techniques developed by other spirit communicators around the world. This book is unique in that it not only answers the question of what spirit guides are but helps the reader identify their very own team of guides. Best of all, it reassures the reader that they don't need to be a shaman, witch, priest, or other professional spirit worker, nor have any special abilities to connect with their guides. All they need is an open mind.

    Carnes offers us exercises, inventories, and guided reflections for those of us facing the daily challenges of attaining or maintaining an addiction-free lifestyle.This revised edition of "A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps "is a treasure chest, a rich and powerful resource for anyone working a twelve-step program. Carnes is a gifted teacher and leader in the addiction recovery field.Wendy Maltz, M.S.W., "Sexual Healing Journey"This unique, non-threatening workbook emphasizes common themes at the heart of all Twelve Step fellowships...an especially clear explanation of what "working the program" means.Claudia Black, Ph.D., "It Will Happen to Me"The revised "A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps "gets my highest recommendation. It is a wonderful guide to the journey to restoration and healing.Marilyn Murray, M.A., "Prisoner of Another War"To get through difficult times, we need good friends, wise mentors and compassionate recovery programs. Pat Carnes and his twelve-step guide have been all of these to me, personally, and more. A "Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps Revised Edition "is a principle guide to following the path of the many stages we encounter daily.Brenda Schaeffer, Licensed Psychologist, "Loving Me Loving You "and "Is It Love or Is It Addiction""A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps "has already helped thousands and promises to help many more.Mark R. Laaser, Ph.D., "The Secret Sin: Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction"

    Venturing out of the closet and feeling free (at last!) from small-town America, Steven found his niche among the quirky and kindred spirits of the city's musical theater hopefuls." "But on Christmas Eve of 1980, just after Steven arrived in New Jersey to celebrate the holidays, his father contracted a sudden and rare neurological disorder that left him paralyzed. Stepping up to the plate and back into the closet, Steven returned to West Long Branch to help the family out and to take over Clint's Corner, his father's luncheonette. He soon found himself at the grill flipping porkroll (the unofficial state meat) and serving a counter full of eccentrics including Googie the Gizmo, Half Cup Harold, and Steven's old high-school jock crush, Brent Jamison. And always at his side was the most colorful of them all, Dolores, the crusty head waitress with coke-bottle glasses, a wayward wig, and a particular flair for butchering the English language. From this unusual post, Steven watched as his ailing father refused to accept defeat. Confined to a wheelchair, yet determined and optimistic, Clint Sorrentino ignored all the medical setbacks and even managed to further his own career in local politics. Yet for Steven, the more his father triumphed over the obstacles, the more his own life seemed to stall." Guilty, confused, and stuck behind the counter, Steven made a shocking and desperate decision - not knowing that he was about to stumble upon the secret of his father's resilience. Steven had returned home to save his father, but in the end, his father saved him.

    Get a taste of the real Vietnam and its people on a sometimes funny, always fascinating journey from the bustling cities to the out of the way villages, into Buddhist monasteries and along the Mekong - a real delight for armchair travellers and those contemplating their own adventure.

    Seth is a musical prodigy, a violinist about to start at music college.As the summer holidays begin he joins his mother and sister at the Trenellion Music Festival, an eccentric Cornish institution his family helped to found. One by one, his rash pre-birthday wishes start to come true –- his sister is finally revealed as less than perfect, his father absents himself, he gets to play a prominent solo, and he falls head-over-heels in love. Meanwhile, in London, Mo is pursuing a romance of her own and may be about to arrest Seth’s unhinged papa. Are new sexual equality laws about to be announced? Pigs might fly.Confident and energetic as novels can only be when the writer has no sense of a public, The Aerodynamics of Pork is now often dismissed by its author as seeming overwritten and under-edited. But it remains a cult favourite with his following.