Eric Hanson claimed to follow the most remarkable person in history, yet his life was as exciting as sugarless gum. Confronted with a disparity between a promise of abundant life and what he saw in life surrounding him, he left everything behind for a year to travel around the globe through the world's poorest countries.

Refugees, hermits, prostitutes, mobs, secret police, monks, and a motorcycle gang. A dangerous journey introduces us to a fresh side of faith, God, and a fulfilling life.

"My eyes were opening to whole new levels of pain and poverty, darkness and despair, I saw new and altogether beautiful things become real to me. The Bible is full of God's promises of healing and restoration, but those words always seemed plastic and hollow to me. For the first time in my life, I began to see God move and heal-to truly touch people in the midst of unbearable pain. And in that, God's message of restoration suddenly took on a significant, real-life meaning to me.

As I watched Jose's transformation, my heart was ripped from my chest and squeezed until my muted soul could hear God whispering that this-real change, real love, not contrite phrases in an old book-was the heart of God for His people."

"Eric has written a powerful, endearing account of his adventures around the world. But this isn't a book that will leave you feeling helpless. It will give you faith in your own story and hope for living a more meaningful one." -Jeff Goins, author, Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life

Charlie Parker is an African Gray Parrot. He entered the life of Debby and Michael Smith three decades ago when, at the insistence of their young son, Eli, they brought him home from a downtown Manhattan bird shop. He has been an integral, and voluble, member of the family ever since. Charlie's vocabulary is astonishingly diverse and colorful. He can be demanding, squawking imperiously "Clean my cage" or "Want some water." He can be brutally direct, warning an aggressive business associate who had been yelling at Debby "I'm going to kick your ass, you sonofabitch." He can be mischievous, making meowing noises to a neighbor's confused dog in the elevator. Charlie is a survivor. He ended up recovering on an IV after the collapse of the World Trade Center filled the Smiths' apartment with toxic dust. He is often an entertainer, with a songbook that extends across "Home on the Range" to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." And most of the time he is affectionate, often hanging upside down against the side of his cage and demanding to be tickled. In encountering Charlie's tales in this concise and charming book, we come to realize that parrots are intelligent and loving creatures, to an extent that, as the renowned avian scientist Professor Irene Pepperberg points out in her introduction, they cannot meaningfully be owned by humans but only enjoyed as companions.

This practical book provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of all aspects of the commercial production of blackberries and their hybrids, covering plant growth and development, cultivar description and selection, propagation, pruning, soil and water management, postharvest management, economics and marketing, and pest identification and management. Cultivated blackberries are a relatively new crop, but with new cultivars and cultural practices they are now grown and available worldwide. Production regions have expanded internationally due to innovative methods showing much promise and evidence of human health benefits. Blackberries and Their Hybrids explains the many complex steps involved in producing a conventional or an organic crop for the fresh and processed markets, and: - Contains information gathered from global sources - Is appropriate for areas that can produce blackberries for the local, domestic and/or export markets - Includes full-color images throughout Authored by a team of experts, this book is essential for growers, extension workers, fruit industry personnel, students, and lecturers involved in the commercial production of blackberries and their hybrids.

Raspberry production and consumption is increasing steadily worldwide, and the potential health benefits of the fruit are becoming more widely known. Providing an international overview of the modern raspberry industry, this book covers North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It discusses all aspects of raspberry growing, including plant growth and development, cultivar description and selection, site selection and preparation (including soil and drainage), climate, pest control, irrigation, shipping, economics, harvesting and the marketing of the final product. Much of this publication covers research based information, including hundreds of references and nearly eighty full colour plates. Taking a global perspective, this book provides a comprehensive yet concise reference for all horticulture students, raspberry growers, producers and fruit industry personnel looking for the latest information in raspberry production.

Acedia, a Latin word, is variously defined as apathy, boredom, or sloth, one of the seven deadly sins. It derives from the Greek akedeia, which means grief and is perhaps more appropriate, especially in this case. These definitions, however, seem to allude to a description of symptoms rather than an actual meaning. Acedia is also considered a condition; a spiritual depression or separation from God. Mother Theresa mentions an extensive period of feeling estranged from God in her book Come Be My Light, and it is the source of St. John of the Cross's poem "Dark Night of the Soul." As both Thomas Moore and Robert Wick have observed in Dark Nights of the Soul and Riding the Dragon, respectively, distress can be a great source of personal growth, if one has the determination (or temerity) to face it head-on. These poems, therefore, are a chronicle of both the cause and effect of my own personal descent in to the proverbial abyss. This book is collection of poems about lost love, the soul, and life's journey. They are primarily ballads with some sonnets, and free verse. There is even an occasional one with visual structure. There are 86 poems in this book.

Eric Hanson claimed to follow the most remarkable person in history, yet his life was as exciting as sugarless gum. Confronted with a disparity between a promise of abundant life and what he saw in life surrounding him, he left everything behind for a year to travel around the globe through the world's poorest countries.

Refugees, hermits, prostitutes, mobs, secret police, monks, and a motorcycle gang. A dangerous journey introduces us to a fresh side of faith, God, and a fulfilling life.

"My eyes were opening to whole new levels of pain and poverty, darkness and despair, I saw new and altogether beautiful things become real to me. The Bible is full of God's promises of healing and restoration, but those words always seemed plastic and hollow to me. For the first time in my life, I began to see God move and heal-to truly touch people in the midst of unbearable pain. And in that, God's message of restoration suddenly took on a significant, real-life meaning to me.

As I watched Jose's transformation, my heart was ripped from my chest and squeezed until my muted soul could hear God whispering that this-real change, real love, not contrite phrases in an old book-was the heart of God for His people."

"Eric has written a powerful, endearing account of his adventures around the world. But this isn't a book that will leave you feeling helpless. It will give you faith in your own story and hope for living a more meaningful one." -Jeff Goins, author, Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life