When the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861, Washington, D.C., was a small, essentially Southern city. The capital rapidly transformed as it prepared for invasion--army camps sprung up in Foggy Bottom, the Navy Yard on Anacostia was a beehive of activity and even the Capitol was pressed into service as a barracks. Local citizens and government officials struggled to accommodate the fugitive slaves and troops that crowded into the city. From the story of one of the first African American army surgeons, Dr. Alexander Augusta, to the tireless efforts of Clara Barton, historian Lucinda Prout Janke renders an intimate portrait of a community on the front lines of war. Join Janke as she guides readers through the changing landscape of a capital besieged.

Starting your research project can feel daunting, but this best-selling project guide has your back! Now in its fourth edition, the book provides easy to follow advice to navigate every step of your research project, from choosing your research question, deciding on your research design and methodology, collecting and analysing your data, and writing up your finished project. Presenting a clear and detailed roadmap to ensure you don't miss a step, the book includes: * Case studies and real-life examples from a range of disciplines so you can learn from other researchers who have been in your shoes * DIY activities so you can practise your skills and get to grips with key concepts * Practical advice on how to organise your writing, develop your flow and build strong arguments * Further guidance on assessing ethical risk, including examples of high, medium, and low risk projects Written in Gary's signature straightforward style, this book is an essential companion for anyone undertaking a research project in the applied social sciences.

In this autobiography by Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade," you have the opportunity to read the behind-the-scenes report of one of this century's most surprising and public confessions of faith.

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.

The nature of classroom practice is undergoing change as more and more adults are being brought into classrooms in response to such trends as parental involvement and the integration of children with special educational needs. The parents, teachers, ancillary staff and support workers comprising these new groups probably fail to recognize themselves as teams, but nonetheless they are characterized by the same stresses which mark teamwork in any other setting. "Effective Classroom Teamwork" is a guide to working together as an effective team, designed to show that the new teams can function with great success if team members recognize that they are part of a team, and employ strategies to minimize chances of failure. Gary Thomas identifies key areas of concern, including poor communication, status barriers and inadequate role definition, and offers guidelines for dealing with these stresses and tensions in teamwork. This book should be of interest to undergraduates and academics, those involved in classroom management, and heads and teachers in schools.

This accessible guide takes you through the process of designing, conducting and writing up a research project using case study methods. In his characteristic warm and friendly style, Gary Thomas covers each step at a confidence-building pace, helping you to get to grips with the theory and practice of doing a case study. Focusing on vital issues like validity, reliability and quality in research, the author helps you ensure your research is rigorous and methodologically sound. This third edition: * Offers an expanded discussion of key ethical issues in case study research * Provides up to date information about using social media in research * Presents a new navigation tool to help you plan your case study project * Enables you to develop the skills you need to become a critical and reflexive researcher Covering international examples of case study in practice and accompanied by downloadable checklists and templates, this book is the perfect companion to help you successfully complete a case study.

Parenting is a school for spiritual formation, says author Gary Thomas, and our children are our teachers. The journey of caring for, rearing, training, and loving our children profoundly alters us forever...even when the journey is sometimes a rough one.Sacred Parenting is unlike any other parenting book on the market. This is not a "how-to" book that teaches readers the ways to discipline their kids or help them achieve their full potential. Instead of a discussion about how parents change their children, Sacred Parenting turns the tables and demonstrates how God uses children to change their parents.Stepping beyond the overly-tilled soil of method books, parents can learn a whole new side of parenting. They'll be encouraged by stories that tell how other parents handled the challenges and difficulties of being a parent - and how their children transformed their relationship with God.The lessons the author writes about are timeless. But in this edition, Thomas adds in some additional insights and stories that he's learned and lived over the past fifteen years of his own parenting. Gary has found that the lessons have remained much the same but there are new applications for the readers in this generation who are just now coming to his book.

Discover new ways of connecting with God by understanding how he uniquely created you to worship him. The Sacred Pathways video study will help you learn: How you naturally express yourself in your relationship with God How to develop new ways of drawing near to him Key biblical figures who share your spiritual temperament How to understand others who connect with the Creator differently As believers in Christ, many of us today fall into the trap of thinking we have to approach God in a certain way. But our Creator made us all unique, and he designed us to connect with him in our own ways. For some, this might look like quiet contemplation. Others express praise through caregiving or theological discussions. It's important to discover the particular pathway that will best help you to experience God's presence. Bestselling author and speaker Gary Thomas reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments to give you insight into how you naturally worship and how your personal walk with God might look different from those around you. Unlike the Enneagram and other personality assessment tools, Sacred Pathways gives you tools to investigate how you naturally relate to God. You will discover the strengths and impulses in your devotional approach so that you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into scripted methods of worship and praise. There is one thing that each of us as Christians can do that nobody else can--give our personal love and affection to God. This Study Guide includes: Discussion questions, reflection questions, and a personal assessment test to discover your pathway Personal Bible study for between sessions A guide with best practices for leading groups Sessions include: The Journey of the Soul - Introduction to the Pathways Pathways of Wonder - the Naturalist, Sensate, and Traditionalist Pathways of Contemplation - the Intellectual, Ascetic, and Contemplative Pathways of Action - the Caregiver, Activist, and Enthusiast Tending the Garden of the Soul - How the Pathways Apply to Your Life Designed for use with the Sacred Pathways Video Study available on DVD or streaming video, sold separately.

The perfect gift for engaged, newlywed, or married couples! This two-in-one book and devotional from bestselling author Gary Thomas helps couples discover how marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God and each other. Marriage is much more than a union between you and your spouse. From the love you share to the forgiveness you both offer and seek in turn, it is a spiritual discipline ideally suited to help you know God more fully and intimately. Shifting the focus from marital enrichment to spiritual enrichment, Thomas offers practical tools and techniques to make your marriage happier by becoming holier husbands and wives. This special-edition two-in-one book and devotional includes: Sacred Marriage Starting with the discovery that the goal of marriage goes beyond personal happiness, writer and speaker Gary Thomas invites you to see how God can use your marriage as a discipline and a motivation to love him more and reflect more of the character of his Son. Devotions for a Sacred Marriage A companion to Sacred Marriage, this book of 52 devotions encourages you to build your marriage around God's priorities. From learning to live with a fellow sinner to the process of two becoming one to sharing our lives as brothers and sisters in Christ, Devotions for a Sacred Marriage challenges couples to embrace the profound and soul-stretching reality of Christian marriage.

In this six-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Sacred Marriage, writer and speaker Gary Thomas invites you to see how God can use marriage as a discipline and a motivation to reflect more of the character of Jesus. Your marriage is much more than a union between you and your spouse. It is a spiritual discipline ideally suited to help you know God more fully and intimately. Sacred Marriage shifts the focus from marital enrichment to spiritual enrichment in ways that can help you love your mate more. Whether it is delightful or difficult, your marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God. Everything about your marriage-from the history you and your spouse create, to the love you share, to the forgiveness you both offer and seek by turn-is filled with the capacity to help you grow in Christ's character. In addition to life-changing insights, you'll find a wealth of discussion questions in this Participant's Guide that will spark meaningful conversation in your group, between you and your spouse, or to simply ponder by yourself. You'll also find self-assessments, activities, and highlights all created to help you engage deeply and prayerfully with the content of this study. Sessions include: God's Purpose for Marriage: More Than We Imagine The Refining Power of Marriage The God-Centered Spouse Sacred History Sexual Saints Marriage: The Love Laboratory Designed for use with the Sacred Marriage Video Study (sold separately).

Inclusion is a buzzword of the 1990s. Politicians now stress their commitment to inclusion and social justice - not competition. For schools, inclusion means accepting and educating all children, irrespective of their difficulties.
The new inclusive mood is about including everyone in society's institutions. It has created a growing demand for schools to find effective ways of including and teaching all children - even those who at one time would have been sent to special schools.
The book combines a theoretical examination of inclusion and its rationale with the story of a group of schools in which teachers, assistants and children have striven to make inclusion happen.
This new book
* explores the arguments for inclusive schools
* examines the international evidence about children's well-being and academic progress in inclusive schools
* describes how the pioneers have developed their practice for inclusion
* presents the findings of an in-depth 18 month study of a group of schools which have striven to make inclusion happen

Inclusion means educating students of all abilities in mainstream schools, it has become an important topic - politicians now stress their commitments to inclusion as proof of their commitment to wider social justice. The inclusive mood, which is about including everyone in society's institutions, has created a growing demand for schools to find effective ways of including and teaching all children - even those who at one time would have been sent to special schools. The book combines a theoretical examination of inclusion and its rationale with the story of a group of schools in which teachers, assistants and children have striven to make inclusion happen. It explores the arguments for inclusive schools; examines the international evidence about children's well-being and academic progress in inclusive schools; describes how the pioneers have developed their practice for inclusion; and presents the findings of an in-depth 18 month study of a group of schools which have striven to make inclusion happen.

This revised edition of a popular text offers students an updated and comprehensive overview across special education. It critically examines the intellectual foundations of special education and considers the consequences of their influence for professional and popular thinking about learning difficulties. The chapters place inclusion within a social and political context to highlight how concepts have been influences by theory and ideology across the years.  The book offers guidance to students on specific issues such as reading and behavioural difficulties with theoretically grounded information. With a fresh chapter discussing current research, intersectionality and increased marketisation within education this book reflects the new landscape and legislation of special education.  “Essential reading for anyone studying or working in either special or inclusive education… Few could build the case as well as Thomas and Loxley.� Melanie Nind, Professor of Education, University of Southampton, UK “Few books in the field of education merit the soubriquet 'must read'. This is one such."  Philip Garner, Professor, Brunel University, UK “An absolute must-read for all of us committed to realising genuine inclusion within schools and society!� Jan Valle, The City College of New York, USA "Finishing your first reading of their book makes you realise that you must return to it, such is the richness of the analysis and reach of its detail.  This is a tour de force, a line in the sand for all successive work in the field of inclusive education." Roger Slee, Diamond Jubilee Professor of Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK

If a person has extra time, nothing to do, and finds themself looking for ways to fill their empty days...this book is definitely not for them. No Is a Beautiful Word is designed and crafted for people whose plate is full, whose margin is thin, and whose life feels overloaded. They are looking for help, relief, and wisdom to navigate the countless options that life offers on a daily basis. This book is needed by people who: Go to bed with a "To Do" list that never seems to get totally done. Kindly say, "Yes" and secretly regret it five minutes later. Feel pain and live with guilt when they have to say, "No." Were taught that "No" is a dirty word. Believe that saying "No" is a sign of weakness. Feel trapped by unwise past commitments. Want to say "Yes" to what matters most in life but are too exhausted. Know that their life is out of balance and are seeking to fix it! It will be valuable for: Leaders who have a tough time making the hard decisions because they fear hurting someone's feelings. Executives who feel over extended and pressed to the edges of their capacity. Parents who feel overworked and under appreciated. Students who are trying to balance the intensity of school, work, and their relational world. Retired people who find themselves saying, with subtle humor but aching regret, "I am more busy now than I have ever been!" Single people who go to bed at night exhausted because the day left no margin and offered no oasis of peace. Married people who love their life but secretly dream about time to play, space to relax, and taking a nap. No Is a Beautiful Word is designed to be read briskly, chewed on thoroughly, and acted on practically. The chapters are brief by intention. They range from one paragraph (that's right, some chapters are only a few sentences long!) to four pages. The goal of this book is give people clear concepts, paint a picture of what it looks like to live out the idea, and then move on to the next thought. The vision is to help people learn to say "No" to the things that don't matter (or don't matter as much) so they can say "Yes" to the things that bring life, hope, peace, and lasting meaning.

The wedding day is just one day in the life of a couple. But God's design is for marriage to last a lifetime. So how can someone know that the person they're with is the one they can truly build a life with--especially when so few marriages around them work? Pastor Scott Kedersha has worked with more than 5,000 premarital couples to prepare them for the biggest decision of their lives. In Ready or Knot? he offers practical and Christ-centered guidance for couples for all of the days after the wedding day. Through authentic stories from real couples about the decisions they made (or wish they'd made), Scott asks the hard questions so his readers can break free from the watered-down Hollywood version of marriage and build their lives together on the right foundation--the unchanging Word of God.

Millions of married couples have pledged to "love and to cherish, until death do us part." Most of us understand and get the love part... but what does it mean to cherish your spouse? Why do we say it once at the wedding and then rarely ever mention it again? In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on personal stories and teachings from the Bible to show how cherishing can have a powerful effect on marriage. Learning to truly cherish each other turns marriage from an obligation into a delight. It lifts marriage above a commitment to a precious priority. Cherish is the melody that makes a marriage sing. If you find yourself going through the motions in your marriage, Thomas will walk you and your spouse through real ways to reverse the pattern: Erase contempt and honor your spouse Stop comparing and focus on the unique traits in your spouse Let go of hurts and forgive your spouse Go beyond serving and showcase your spouse Don't stop trying. The more you cherish your spouse, the more you will cherish your spouse. Many couples survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. Or they find themselves just "going through the motions" in their relationship. But cherishing your spouse can reverse this pattern. Cherishing can breathe light, hope, and new life into a marriage--even one marred by neglect and disrespect. The Cherish Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions. Sessions include: To Love and to Cherish Your Honor Taking Your Marriage to the Next Level Cherishing Your Unique Spouse This Is How Your Spouse Stumbles Keep on Cherishing Designed for use with the Cherish Video Study (9780310080749), sold separately.

The best-selling author of Sacred Marriage returns to show wives how to revolutionize their marriage through helping, inspiring, and influencing their husbands. Women: you're not alone in your marriage. You never have been, and you never will be. While it may not always feel like it, God wants you to have a relationally healthy, emotionally engaged, and spiritually mature husband. In Loving Him Well, Gary Thomas builds on concepts from his bestselling book Sacred Marriage to reveal the inner workings of a man's heart and mind. He delves into Scriptures that help women gain biblical insight to influence their husbands. Exploring the research of neuroscientists, trained counselors, and abuse victim advocates, Gary also interviews dozens of wives to find what has worked and what hasn't as they've sought to build the best marriage possible. In this newly updated version of Sacred Influence, Gary Thomas outlines practical applications you can begin using today, with study questions at the end of each chapter. With new stories and fresh illustrations to help wives understand, love, and influence their husbands, Loving Him Well offers encouragement and biblically based support for the transformation of your marriage, drawing you and your husband closer together, the way God intended. Thomas desires to "encourage women who are in good marriages that could get even better; and offer hope and a new path forward to women who feel invisible or marginalized in their marriage." You'll discover the influence you can gain and the peace of mind you can build when you go first to God for your worth, validation, protection, and provision and then learn how to use that platform to help your husband draw closer to you and closer to God. Loving Him Well is also available in Spanish, Amandolo bien, in May 2018.

In this six-session video-based small group bible study, Sacred Parenting, Gary Thomas uses a unique lens to look at parenting, moving beyond raising great children to becoming more holy as a person. What if one of God s primary intentions for you as a parent isn t about successfully raising perfect children, but about you becoming more holy? In Sacred Parenting Gary Thomas illustrates how God can transform lessons in raising children into opportunities to grow in the image of Christ. It will help you and your group, rediscover parenting from a different perspective: as a method of spiritual formation expressly designed by God to shape your soul in ways you could not imagine Designed for use with the Sacred Parenting DVD (sold separately), this Participant Guide will help you dig deeper into learning how God can transform dirty diapers, toddler tantrums, and a teenager s silence into occasions for becoming more like Christ. Sessions include: 1. The Soul-Transforming Journey of Parenting 2. God-Centered Parenting 3. The Hardest Hurt of All 4. Embracing Our Insignificance5. Walking on the Wild Side of Parenting 6. The Gold Behind the Guilt"

Your life's calling is too important to let toxic people take it away. When to Walk Away draws from biblical and modern stories to equip you to handle toxic people and live true to your God-given purpose. As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a sibling, parent, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people frequently seek to frustrate our life's calling. While you're seeking first God's kingdom, they're seeking first to distract your focus and delay your work. Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it's time we dedicate our energy to a more worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us by investing in reliable people. It's only when we learn to say no to bad patterns that we can say yes to the good work God has planned for us. Drawing from years serving as a pastor, Gary Thomas, bestselling author of Sacred Marriage, looks at biblical examples from the lives of Jesus, Paul, and Nehemiah to give you insightful, biblical takeaways that you can apply right away. You'll discover how to: Learn the difference between difficult people and toxic people Find refuge in God when you feel under attack Discern when to walk away from a toxic situation Keep a tender heart even in unhealthy relationships Grow your inner strength and invest in reliable people We can't let others steal our joy or our mission. It's time to strengthen our defense, learn to set healthy boundaries, and focus on our God-given purpose. It's time to know When to Walk Away.

The wedding is planned, but are you spiritually prepared for your wedding day? Trusted relationship author Gary Thomas coaches engaged couples on how to grow closer to the Lord in the days leading up to the wedding as a means of preparing them for all the days after the wedding. Engagement is bursting with promise, hope, joy, and anticipation of all kinds. It can also be one of the busiest times your life. For some, planning a wedding, with all the decisions involved, can feel less like the exciting onset of marriage and more like a tedious to-do list. Amidst the busyness, this devotional is designed to encourage and guide you through the spiritual priorities and challenges that lie ahead in order to grow a joy-filled marriage filled with love, grace, and God's blessing. In addition to helping you celebrate the joys of marriage and become radically connected as you create an even deeper passionate relationship, this lovely book also provides encouraging entries that will help you deal with common issues such as: Building physical and emotional intimacy Repairing trust Celebrating differences Being a team player Managing finances With a special section on the marriage vows and thoughtful meditations for the bride and groom, Preparing Your Heart for Marriage will help you grow in your relationship as a couple on your journey from "me" to "we."