Readers' Choice Award Winner Best Books About the Church from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Bookstore Fast food. Fast cars. Fast and furious. Fast forward. Fast . . . church? The church is often idealized (or demonized) as the last bastion of a bygone era, dragging our feet as we're pulled into new moralities and new spiritualities. We guard our doctrine and our piety with great vigilance. But we often fail to notice how quickly we're capitulating, in the structures and practices of our churches, to a culture of unreflective speed, dehumanizing efficiency and dis-integrating isolationism. In the beginning, the church ate together, traveled together and shared in all facets of life. Centered as they were on Jesus, these seemingly mundane activities took on their own significance in the mission of God. In Slow Church, Chris Smith and John Pattison invite us to leave franchise faith behind and enter into the ecology, economy and ethics of the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loved the church.

Looking for an ideal toast, quip, or remark for that special occasion--or the perfect pithy comment to enliven an everyday conversation? Ask Shakespeare!

A wedding vow--"To you I give myself, for I am yours" ("As You Like It")

A birthday greeting--to me, fair fried, you can never be old. (Sonnet 104)

Party time!--"Let's mock the midnight bell." ("Antony and Cleopatra")

The plays and poetry of the Immortal Bard make up a vast repository of wit and wisdom, insight and passion. If there's an occasion that needs commemorating, chances are there are some lines from Shakespeare that will do the job right. Whether you want to "speak the speech" with verve and flair or craft an elegant toast, lecture, or missive, world-renowned Shakespearean director and teacher Barry Edelstein will help you find the perfect "Bardism" for any occasion.

In a world that views absolute truth, right and wrong, and salvation as being subject to individual interpretation, the Bible's unwavering proclamations and miraculous stories seem obsolete in modern times. But it is not God's Word that has changed. Indeed, its relevancy and its power to transform lives are intact. What has changed is the number of people who consult it. Now more than ever the need to read the Bible, to understand the big picture of its storyline, and to grasp the relevance this has for your life is critical.

As with its companion volume, For the Love of God-Volume 2, this devotional contains a systematic 365-day plan, based on the M'Cheyne Bible-reading schedule, that will in the course of a year guide you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Old Testament once.

In an effort to help preserve biblical thinking and living, D. A. Carson has also written thought-provoking comments and reflections regarding each day's scriptural passages. And, most uniquely, he offers you perspective that places each reading into the larger framework of history and God's eternal plan to deepen your understanding of his sovereignty-and the unity and power of his Word.

Following the news, engaging in political debate, or going to the opera is all well and good, but from time to time you just need to sit back and look at some old-fashioned beefcake. Team that with some crayons, pens, and markers, and what do you have?
HEAVEN
IN AN ACTIVITY BOOK
"Color Me Swooon" will leave you weak in the knees as you and your pens caress chiseled features and chest hair. Along with coloring, you'll rate more than sixty gorgeous guys on swoon-worthy-ness, as well as learning what in their lives (beyond their killer looks, duh) makes them so hot. From Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Will Smith to Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, and even One Direction, all the heartthrobs are here, and in no particular order. (Except for Ryan Gosling, who is first. Obviously.)
So what are you waiting for? Get out your crayons and color those hotties good.

The Truth Revealed

Freemasons have been connected to the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, the French Revolution, the Knights Templar, and the pyramids of Egypt. They have been rumored to be everything from a cabal of elite power brokers ruling the world to a covert network of occultists and pagans intent on creating a new world order, to a millennia-old brotherhood perpetuating ancient wisdom through esoteric teachings. Their secret symbols, rituals, and organization have remained shrouded for centuries and spawned theory after theory. The Masonic Myth sets the record straight about the Freemasons and reveals a truth that is far more compelling than the myths.

These popular and proven workbooks help students build confidence before attempting end-of-chapter problems. They provide short exercises that focus on developing a particular skill, mostly requiring students to draw or interpret sketches and graphs. New to the Third Edition are exercises that provide guided practice for the textbook's Problem-Solving Strategies, focusing in particular on working symbolically.

From houseplants and succulents to container gardens and vegetable patches, track your gardening progress and plot your growing dreams in this charming, cheeky plant journal. Container gardeners, newly-minted homesteaders and eager plant parents rejoice! Full of informative sidebars, guided growth charts, recommended varietals and adorable illustrations, I Love My Plants is a unique and useful journal for keeping up with your green thumb. This concealed spiral-bound journal is as practical as it is beautiful, with three notched sections for easy reference, fresh tips for keeping plants thriving and a durable, matte-laminated cover. With room to track progress for both indoor and outdoor plants, as well as sections for free-form writing and planning, I Love My Plants is the perfect addition to any indoor, or outdoor, gardener's toolkit.

Why does divorce cause so much strain and long-term distress for children of all ages? Andrew Root, a recognized authority on youth ministry and a child of divorce himself, explains that divorce causes children to question their core identity. Since a child is the product of the union of a mother and father, when that union ends, he or she experiences a baffling sense of loss of self--a loss of his or her very sense of being. Root redirects efforts for assisting children of divorce to first address this fundamental experience.
This unique book examines the impact of divorce not only from a theological and spiritual perspective but also from a young person's perspective. It will benefit those who have experienced divorce and those who minister to children of divorce.

Have fun, save money, and improve your home with these easy step-by-step projects

Are you looking for a way to make your bathroom a little more beautiful? Or maybe you'd like to give your tired furniture a face-lift, improve your home's air quality, or fix a toilet. No matter your DIY needs and no matter whether you're a DIY novice or expert, home improvement guru Andrea Ridout, host of the nationally syndicated radio show Ask Andrea, has ideas, expertise, and advice to share with you.

If I Had a Hammer offers easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations designed to make home improvement simpler than ever. With a little help from Andrea, you'll be able to tackle repairs, painting and decorating, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, wood care for furniture and floors, and much more with projects that often take as little as an hour. Also, you can try a few of Andrea's energy-conserving projects that can dramatically improve your utility bill--Andrea's projects are friendly on the environment and on your wallet With If I Had a Hammer, you'll have the tools to keep your home functioning and looking as good as--or even better than--new.

What's at stake in our worship? Everything. Worship is the dangerous act of waking up to God and God's purposes in the world. But something has gone wrong with our worship. Too often worship has become a place of safety and complacency, a narrowly private experience in which solitary individuals only express their personal adoration. Even when we gather corporately, we often close our eyes to those around us, focusing on God but ignoring our neighbor. But true biblical worship does not merely point us upward--it should turn us outward as well. In this prophetic wake-up call for the contemporary church, pastor Mark Labberton reconnects Christian worship with biblical justice. From beginning to end, worship must pursue justice and seek righteousness, translating into transformed lives that care for the poor and the oppressed. Labberton shows how to move beyond the comfort of safe worship to authentic worship that is awake to the needs of the world.

This sweet blue gingham baby book for boys is 64 pages of keepsake records of a baby's birth and first year. There are prompted pages to fill in, scrapbooking pages for photos and more, small envelopes for the hospital bracelet and a lock of hair from the first haircut, and 2 full pockets for assorted keepsakes. The pages carry quotes, poems, prayers and verse from Scripture - all conveying the beauty and design of bringing forth this new life.

The padded cover has a die-cut photo frame for you to insert your own favorite picture. A magnetic flap keeps the book closed and tidy. The full-color pages are acid-free.

- 64 Full-Color Pages,Padded Cover

- Magnetic Closure

- Die-Cut Cover Photo Frame

- Acid-Free Paper

- Packaged In Gift Box With Acetate Window

The Cowl is one of the most iconic symbols of Batman, the world's greatest Super Hero. This is a high-quality, one-of-a-kind collectible replica for fans of the Dark Knight. Kit includes: * 6-inch tall Batman cowl with illumination feature at the lenses. Operates with two AAA batteries (not included) * Die-cast metal base * Removable display cover * 48-page hardcover book, Shades of Black: The Many Costumes of the Batman, on the Super Hero's many different looks throughout the years, featuring full-color illustrations

La apologetica catolica es la parte de la teologia que busca explicar las razones de la fe. Demuestra las razones de la doctrina ante los adversarios y senala los errores para proteger su integridad. A este respecto decia Juan Pablo II: "Es esencial desarrollar en vuestras Iglesias particulares una nueva apologetica para vuestro pueblo, a fin de que comprenda lo que ensena la Iglesia y asi pueda dar razon de su esperanza...En un mundo donde las personas estan sometidas a la continua presion cultural e ideologica de los medios de comunicacion social y a la actitud agresivamente anticatolica de muchas sectas, es esencial que los catolicos conozcan lo que ensena la Iglesia, comprendan esa ensenanza y experimenten su fuerza liberadora. Sin esa comprension faltara la energia espiritual necesaria para la vida cristiana y para la obra de evangelizacion" En este libro recopilo los que considero mis mejores articulos apologeticos publicados a lo largo de 12 anos.

Mudpuppy On the Farm magnetic letters are lots of fun. Each colorful wooden magnet is a barnyard animal or something else found on a farm, as illustrated by Barn Eyes: horses, cows, sheep, duck, goose, cat, kittens, rabbits, dogs, pigs, hen and chicks and rooster, goat, mule, a bushel of apples, corn, carrots, hay bales, mice, a red tractor, and the farmer himself. Decorate the refrigerator or any metal surface for a real down-on-the-farm good time. The full magnetic backing will hold the letter firmly in position.
- Resealable double snap package closure
- Magnetic pieces made of 80% recycled wood
- Package contains 85% recycled paper
- 40 1-3/4" tall wooden pieces per set
- Printed with nontoxic inks

On the Farm pouch puzzle 12 extra thick pieces for little hands. Packaged in reusable plastic pouch. Phthalate free. Puzzle made of 90% recycled paper printed with nontoxic soy-based inks.

This bestselling Hollywood novel by the witty author of "Wishful Drinking" and "Shockaholic" that was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.
When we first meet the extraordinary young actress Suzanne Vale, she's feeling like "something on the bottom of someone's shoe, and not even someone interesting." Suzanne is in the harrowing and hilarious throes of drug rehabilitation, trying to understand what happened to her life and how she managed to land in a "drug hospital."
Just as Fisher's first film role--the precocious teenager in "Shampoo"--echoed her own Beverly Hills upbringing, her first book is set within the world she knows better than anyone else: Hollywood. This stunning literary debut chronicles Suzanne's vivid, excruciatingly funny experiences inside the clinic and as she comes to terms with life in the outside world. "Postcards from the Edge" is more than a book about stardom and drugs. It is a revealing look at the dangers--and delights--of all our addictions, from money and success to sex and insecurity.

Whether Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, show your House Pride with this unique coaster book celebrating the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This one-of-a-kind gift book features profiles of each of the Houses of Hogwarts, plus a set of five deluxe 3-1/2 x 3-1/2" wooden coasters. Each beautifully designed, full-color spread is devoted to one of the Houses, with a fifth on Hogwarts itself, and each contains a removable House Pride coaster. The embedded coasters in this set are magnetic, giving them dual purpose for both functionality and decor, and make a perfect gift for Harry Potter fans and collectors.

Want to say “FUâ€� to all Conservatives and the mess Bush left behind? Now, when Liberals are pissed off about politics and need to blow off steam, they can do just that with this quirky, edgy journal. For the days when they wake up on the wrong side of the bed and every Conservative is making them want to scream, this journal offers more than 75 activities to scribble, rant, and vent. Featuring hilarious exercises, like defacing a Glenn Beck voodoo doll, writing a scathing letter to Sarah Palin, or playing Conservative Jargon Bingo, this book is the perfect way to keep from completely freaking out on Conservative friends and coworkers. Liberals will love this creative way to cope with moronic Conservatives and everything infuriating about politics.

Ten years ago journalist Jens Muhling met Juri, a Russian television producer whose job it was to sell stories to TV stations in Germany but who always maintained that 'The true stories are more unbelievable than anything I could invent.' Ever since, Jens Muhling has been travelling through Russia in search of stories that appear too unbelievable to be true: a hermit from the Taiga who only recently found out that there was a world beyond the woods, a priest who ventures into the exclusion zone around Chernobyl to preach to those that stubbornly remain there, and many more. Jens Muhling shows us a country whose customs, contradictions, absurdities and attractions are still largely unknown beyond its borders.

Many think evangelism is rooted in a method. It is rooted in something much deeper. It is found in what makes us whole and healthy messengers of God's truth about Jesus. Mack Stiles has lived the life of the healthy evangelist in homes and coffee shops, at universities and farms. He has lived out and spoken about the gospel to Kenyans, Koreans, Arabs and North Americans. What he has learned around the world and at home is summarized here in a few basic truths that can shape any of us into faithful people who bring good news to needy and hurting friends. The whole gospel changes much more than our relationship with God. Stiles shows how it changes all of who we are and what we do. It means learning the whole gospel without shaping its message to meet our tastes. It means not just going through the motions of accepted behaviors. It means showing the unity of witness and justice. It means love. It means community. Join Mack Stiles in a life-giving adventure of boldly knowing, living and speaking the gospel.