Women live uniquely demanding lives as providers, managers, caretakers, and, amidst those many roles, both chosen and cast upon them, the individual spirit sometimes loses her voice. To awaken this voice, Martha Bourlakas began a group for women in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia called "Our One Word" to pray about and observe the secular, holy, and personal significance of one word each week. This simple goal affects participants in profound ways, and now Bourlakas shares their practice with the rest of us in book form. She provides a structure and resource for those who want to start a group, as well as meditation for anyone who wants to expand her or his own spiritual horizons. The book encompasses words Bourlakas has offered to groups in the weekly format and at weekend retreats. Each chapter focuses on a different word, such as Joy, Heart, Change. There are brief quotations from religious texts, literature, music, etc. that explicate the word, combined with her own perspective. Our One Word offers a way for individuals or groups to cultivate a hospitable, constant presence, modeling the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives-a way to celebrate, pray, just be.

How are leaders facing a crisis supposed to handle and overcome an unknowable set of issues? This book demonstrates how effective leaders under pressure work from an understanding of the situation at hand and of their impact on others, and explains how leaders can best apply their internal strengths. Most leaders are steeped in risk management, crisis response tactics, readiness for disaster, continuity-of-operations planning, and logistical and agility capabilities. These preparations are critical but not complete. The reality is that even experienced leaders themselves need guidance when it comes to managing a crisis. This standout book fills that need, drawing on interviews with successful leaders; research findings on trauma, neuroscience, and crisis management; and the authors' own extensive career experiences. The chapters suggest and probe ideas from various angles rather than promoting simplistic formulas or nostrums that are unlikely to apply to all circumstances and present new angles on self-awareness and management under pressure for the practitioner. The book leads off with a description of organizational disaster and crisis leadership-topics of considerable concern as disasters are becoming the "new normal." The authors then explore three critical but very different types of responses by leaders at such a time: recognition and response, care of self and others, and storytelling. A detailed case study of a leader in the midst of Hurricane Katrina-the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history-provides readers with a real-world practicum for the theories and ideas suggested. Comprehensively addresses a universal and very important concern of leaders: "How will I respond in a crisis?" Identifies clear expectations for leadership performance in the immediate moments after an organizational shock and in the succeeding hours, days, and months Highlights how a leader's skills and willingness to create meaning through story is an essential capability in a crisis Draws from a variety of social science research as well as leadership stories to make key points that may be unexpected and counterintuitive

With autism diagnoses rising, more and more parents find the challenges of caring for an autistic child added to the everyday strains and stresses—and joys—of family life. In a deeply personal, honest, humorous set of essays, Martha Johnson Bourlakas grapples with life—life as a person of faith, life as a wife and mother, life as a clergy spouse (her husband is bishop of Southwestern Virginia), life as the parent of a developmentally disabled young adult, life as one unable to maintain pretense. Reading these essays is like sitting down over coffee with a good friend to commiserate and laugh with someone who understands.

Women and Power in Africa: Aspiring, Campaigning, and Governing examines women's experiences in African politics as aspirants to public office, as candidates in election campaigns, and as elected representatives. Part I evaluates women's efforts to become party candidates in four African countries: Benin, Ghana, Malawi, and Zambia. The chapters draw on a variety of methods, including extensive interviews with women candidates, to describe and assess the barriers confronted when women seek to enter politics. The chapters help explain why women remain underrepresented as candidates for office, particularly in countries without gender-based quotas, by emphasizing the impact of financial constraints, fears of violence, and resistance among party leaders. Part II turns to women's experiences as candidates during elections in Kenya and Ghana. One chapter provides an in-depth account of a woman's presidential bid in Kenya, demonstrating how gendered ethnicity undermined her candidacy, and another chapter presents a novel evaluation of the media's coverage of women candidates in Ghana. Part III turns to women as legislators in Namibia, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, asking whether women engage in substantive representation on gendered policy issues once in office. The chapters challenge the assumption that a critical mass of women is necessary or sufficient to achieve substantive representation. Taken together, the book's chapters problematize existing hypotheses regarding women in political power, drawing on understudied countries and variety of empirical methods. By following political pathways from entry to governance, the book uncovers how gendered experiences early in the political process shape what is possible for women once they attain political power. Oxford Studies in African Politics and International Relations is a series for scholars and students working on African politics and International Relations and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on contemporary developments in African political science, political economy, and International Relations, such as electoral politics, democratization, decentralization, the political impact of natural resources, the dynamics and consequences of conflict, and the nature of the continent's engagement with the East and West. Comparative and mixed methods work is particularly encouraged. Case studies are welcomed but should demonstrate the broader theoretical and empirical implications of the study and its wider relevance to contemporary debates. The series focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, although proposals that explain how the region engages with North Africa and other parts of the world are of interest. Series Editors: Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy and International Development, University of Birmingham; and Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Professor of the International Politics of Africa, University of Oxford.

Overweight and Weight loss is challenging to many people. Being over weight often contributes to disease. Do you really know that you are over weight or do you know how much overweight you are? The Center for Disease and Prevention gives helpful insight on how you may lose weight to live a healthy lifestyle. Set realistic goals for yourself and get started living a healthier lifestyle.