Books published by Resource Publications (CA)

This volume presents the narrative of the author's personal spiritual journey, which is marked by numerous constructive life-changing paranormal experiences that can only be accounted for as special initiates of the divine spirit providing intimations and illuminations. These events are set in the context of the rich literature available, which reports similar events in the lives of many other persons, under both normal and extreme circumstances. The author, a clinical psychologist and pastoral theologian, interprets this broad panoply of psycho-spiritual data in terms of psychological science and biblical perspectives. He concludes that the divine spirit is pervasive throughout the universe and present in all the dynamics of life forms, constantly endeavoring to communicate with humans. Thus, the paranormal may well be more normal than the normal human experience and the veil between time and eternity, between the mundane and transcendent worlds, and between life and the life to come is apparently more permeable in both directions than we suppose.

Why does it feel like most of the world today considers irrelevant the gospel we cherish and so faithfully proclaim in our churches? Why do our Christian responses fail to satisfy the heart quests of our neighbors? Does the shallowness of our neatly packaged answers alienate us from them and from each other?More Questions than Answers offers the hope of reconciliation through exploring how we can develop listening relationships. Walking together in what becomes a spiritual accompaniment, we learn to attune ourselves to one another and to the Spirit within us. Then we dare to reach across the chasm that separates us and discover an authentic faith emerges.

Christian theology is increasingly recognized to be now a non-western enterprise since the high concentrations of Christians in the world are no longer found in the Western societies. Christian Theology and African Traditions takes seriously this present recognition of the southward movement of Christianity from the western world to a non-western setting. It seeks to reposition Christian theology and faith to engage the African traditions in classical category of theology proper, bibliology, anthropology, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology and provides unique insights and problems that these classical and systematic categories poses to African Christianity. Similarly, it provides theological blueprint for non-Africans who are interested in knowing the nature and shape of the Christian theology in non-western settings. Consequently, Christian Theology and African Traditions goes beyond the mere criticism of Western misrepresentation of African traditions to seeing how the Christian theology in its systematic character engages the African traditions. With this methodological template, the work describes in the space of twelve chapters the different classical teachings of the Christian faith on God, scriptures, spirits and demons, the nature of the human person, the persons of Christ, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church, and the future life in dialogue with some specific traditions of the African people.

Here is the true story of a man from India who comes to the United States to go to seminary, which he finds to be both a demanding social environment and a vigorous philosophical and theological world. After four years of seminary he gets married and completes a doctorate in philosophy. Soon he finds himself in a profound spiritual crisis teaching philosophy in an ivory tower. He hears protests in the streets for civil rights, peace, and environmental integrity. Events conspire to produce a critical turning point in his story. He finally goes into the ministry but is now forced to face the terrors of his own emotional immaturity. The lessons are hard to learn and the road is steep that leads to personal and intellectual adulthood. The energy that drives The Meaning of These Days is the quest for personal, spiritual, and philosophical integrity in a world of suffering beings, both human and nonhuman. The author identifies with the magi, in W. B.Yeats' well-known poem of 1914, who search for ""the uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor."" Religious leaders of many backgrounds and all informed seekers after Truth in today's busy marketplace of ideas will welcome a book that combines philosophy and world theology with the spiritual life in such an engaging, poetic, and novel way.

Norma Jean Duncan found God following a personal revelation of his love. In a life now dedicated to him, she offers her readers an account of her journey that illustrates the difficulties of living in a secular world with a heavenly perspective. Duncan weaves personal reflections into her discussions on the glory of God, prayer, love, forgiveness, obedience, and terminal illness and shows the relevance of scriptural wisdom to the life of every modern believer. There are chapters on eternal scriptural truth, and the factors that corrupt it and lead to the promotion of intolerance and injustice in organized religion. The author examines this difficulty in relation to subjects like creation, sexuality, gender submission, faith and works, the spiritual standing of those who have no knowledge of Christ, and the rise of aggressive atheism. Through discussion of these controversial but important topics, her intention is that the Christian community will lead and not follow the contemporary secular world.

What is the relationship between the gospel and the church's responsibility toward the poor? Can social action be evangelism? Wasted Evangelism is an exploration in the Gospel of Mark on the subject of evangelism and social action. A proclamation-centered definition of ""evangelism"" based on the etymology of the word ""evangelize"" and a few isolated proof-texts is devoid of much of the biblical content that Mark offers to us through his Gospel, detaching the concept of evangelism from the narrative meaning that Mark gives to the gospel of Jesus Christ.In Wasted Evangelism Chip Anderson develops an exegetically based, narrative understanding of biblical evangelism, which, according to Mark's Gospel, includes God's care for the economically vulnerable and his concern for the issues of poverty. The studies gathered in this volume propose that social action should not be considered a separate, distinct responsibility for the church, but is rather a vital component of evangelism. A close examination of Mark's Gospel and the biblical texts associated with idolatry, poverty, and justice provides an opportunity for church leadership to rethink the evangelistic activities of their churches and to reconsider what it means to engage their surrounding communities as agents of God's kingdom.

We the Storytellers provides examples and techniques for expressing deeply held beliefs through the oldest form of communication--stories. This book can be used as a resource on narrative theology for preachers, teachers, and storytellers.Narrative theology is about peeling back the known to discover the unknown. Rather than pronouncing facts, it gives an opportunity for an ""ah ha"" experience. In a sermon it allows the hearer to grasp an element of truth through fiction or personal story--Jesus's method. And narrative theology is about revealing the relationship between God and God's people. What better way to look at relationships than through stories?The book is written in two parts. Part 1 asks what is a sacred story and offers a number of possibilities. Part 2 is a workshop on acting, writing, and presentation skills aimed at those who are drawn to expressing themselves through stories.The stories here are from Sally's own life experiences--the monologues from her imagination. Each story is related to a theme and is humorous, poignant, and human. We the Storytellers will inspire and equip its readers to develop and perform their own sacred stories.

Rather than pledging allegiance to the military effort as dictated by Prussian law in 1867, many devout Anabaptists deemed it prudent to become pioneers in Kansas. The year was 1876 and odd numbered sections of railroad land were being marketed by the Santa Fe across Kansas. Towns developed around train depots; local shopping became available. Marie Harder Epp was born in America to these relocated Anabaptists. She was a Kansas Mennonite farmer and also the village poet. Her poems, written for oral delivery, tell the story of life in Holland and West Prussia following the Reformation, the relocation to Kansas, and the creation of a church community on the tall grass prairies. A church was organized to focus these hard-working Germans on divine realities as they buried their dead, married their young, and dealt with the harsh prairie winds. Marie's poems also describe the changeover from buggies to cars, from German to English, and from isolation to global outreach. With time, the Anabaptists learned through cultural adaptation that they could be both staunch Mennonites and also patriotic Americans.

Designed primarily for the layperson, The Catholic Imagination is a journey through the liturgical year by way of weekly reflections on the life of the church. Through reading, thinking, and discussion, the religious imagination is stimulated and structured so the reader can reflect and act upon the richness of our faith to enter into a relationship with God. Reflections on the lives of the saints, their writings, their meaning for our times, the importance and value of creation and the natural world, the significance of the sacraments, sacramental devotions, and the timelessness of the gospel message encourage the reader to coordinate their actions with the weekly topic. Ideas on the church's artistic environment and related Scripture enhance the written materials. Special supplements are provided for Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, due to their importance in the life of the church. Just as we repeat the themes of the liturgical year over and over again, simple little lessons and readings like this go a long way in the continuing education of the lay Catholic with their straightforward message and inspirational writing style that capture the faith.

Early literary man learned that free speech and free labor were frequently suppressed or obliterated by powerful governments in the Near Eastern world. This is the source of the Bible's passionate interest in liberation from political and economic repression. Moses and his people in Egypt, for example, experienced the rapid disintegration of their traditional right to religious liberty and self-directed labor. They attempted to rectify the situation at Sinai and in Canaan. Mesopotamians and Egyptians, Greeks, Sicilians, and Romans labored against tyranny as well. Robert Kimball Shinkoskey focuses on stories, laws, and movements dealing with the problem of political idolatry in the ancient world. His purpose is to show that the Bible is a civic narrative as much as a religious one, and that the Ten Commandments are articles in a constitutional law system that promotes the steady rule of law rather than the capricious rule of man.

This, This...Whenever it is dark in the houseI turn on a small light for comforta small light in the kitchenover the sink.In winter when day fadesI pull a chair to a windowto read by the light of sunsetnews of a distant world,and light from the kitchencollects on the floor in dim puddles.It reminds me that we are poor.It reminds me of my mothercutting sprouts from potatoes,how she would call when I complained""Come. Look!"" water pouring from the tap""Look, this we have in abundance.""James A. Zoller lives and writes in rural western New York where he and his wife, Donna, raised their four children. Simple Clutter is the first of his books, which include Living on the Flood Plain and Ash & Embers. Zoller has spent the last thirty-four years teaching writing and literature at Houghton College. In the near future Zoller looks forward to shifting his attention full time to his writing projects, which includes several more collections of poems, a collection of short stories, and a composition text to be called Crossing the River. In addition to teaching and writing the three books named here, he has written columns for local newspapers, undertaken a travel blog (flood-plain.blogspot.com), published short stories, and written ceremonial poems for various public occasions, including the weddings of his children.

Rev Brinson profoundly presents this subject with a perspective and hope that one day the wrongs of the past will be redressed. Though it is sensitive to the soul and reminds us of our painful past, it yet gives us continuous hope for the future.""Rev. Harold Branch, M/Div, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, VAWith the heart of a believer and honesty of a historian, Reverend Brinson weaves a tapestry of truth, justice, and most importantly, redemption.""Rev. A. McKinley Royal, Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Thomson, GAJohn D Brinson, (M.Div., San Francisco Theological Seminary), the oldest son of a Baptist Minister, and native son of Montgomery, Alabama, was a participant in the Civil Rights Struggles in the late 50''s and 60''s. A Christian Minister in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the author of two other books: ''Ministry of Deacons in North America'', and ''Black Queen Without a Throne''. He is currently acting as advisor for a program whose purpose is to direct and enhance the journey of young black males towards manhood.

If you have never been inside of a prison, there are things you will not know about the community there. You may guess at them, but that is not the same. What it feels like. What it sounds like. What goes on there; these all define portions of what it is. These definitions, or parameters of life inside, come to you quite viscerally. You feel them in and through your skin before you actually give word or shape to understanding them. You sense before you think. The themes that come from a prison poet are varied. Most poems you would not have to know the poet was a prisoner to gain access to the import of the word-pictures. Human experience, while diverse, shares some common archetypal qualities. But, some will grow in meaning knowing where the poems were planted. I think themes about being captive are universal, but when you know the poet is in a prison, it can open you to listen differently. Is that a good thing? I don''t know. But it is true.N. Thomas Johnson-Medland is Director of BAYADA Hospice in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He is the author of In the Same Place; Bathed in Abrasion; Bridges, Paths, and Waters: Dirt, Sky, and Mountains; Cairn-Space; Entering the Stream; Along the Road; From the Belly of the Whale; Danse Macabre; Feed My Sheep, Lead My Sheep; Windows and Doors; For the Beauty of the Earth; Duende; and Turning Within. He lives in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania with his wife, Glinda, and two sons, Zachary Aidan and Josiah Gabriel.