Popular notions of Christian spirituality today tend to focus on getting us out of the world or getting the world out of us. Many are looking to spirituality as a means of disengaging from this life--to experience the transcendent or discover personal wholeness. On the other hand, much of popular Christian thought seems to be about avoiding the corruption of the world by being pious and following the rules. But Jesus offers a radical model for living. As the Incarnate One who dwelt among us to accomplish the mission of God, he teaches us how to dwell in the world for the sake of the world. If we are to become like him, we must learn what it means to live out this missional spirituality in the places we dwell. What does a Christian life deeply rooted in the logic of the Incarnation look like? Missional teacher and pastor Barry Jones shares his vision for authentic Christian spirituality focused on becoming more like Jesus. We dwell in a specific place and time in history, with unique bodies and in a world for which God has great purposes of redemption. This presence in the world should lead us to pattern our lives after the life of Jesus who was a boundary breaker, a shalom-maker, a people-keeper, and a wounded-healer. "Jesus' life shows us what it looks like to be fully human, to be whole and holy . . . to be in the world and not of the world, to live passionately for the world and not protectively withdrawn from it, " says Jones. "Allowing the logic of the Incarnation to inform our vision of the spiritual life corrects the tendency toward a self-oriented pursuit of transcendence or a negative spirituality of behavior modification and disengagement from the world." Including practical suggestions for real-life application and questions for discussion, Jones describes living a missional life from a place of deep connection with and dependence on God. Not only must we have a clear and compelling vision of the life we want to live, but we must also cultivate the spiritual disciplines necessary to live out our vision in the specific contexts of day-to-day life. We need a renewed vision of Christian spirituality that leads us to be conformed into the image of Christ who dweltwith us for us.

Top World Guild Awards Best Nonfiction Book of the Year What if our neighbors were our friends? When Lynda MacGibbon moved from a small city in eastern Canada to a high-rise apartment in Toronto, she decided to follow Jesus' famous commandment to "love your neighbor" a bit more literally. In the past, she would have looked first for friends at her new job or her new church. This time, though, she decided to look for friends among the strangers who shared her apartment building-her actual neighbors in her new "vertical neighborhood." In this charming and relatable memoir, MacGibbon tells the story of the community that took shape as neighbors said yes to weekly dinners and a writing group, Christmas morning brunch and even a Bible study. It's a story of the simple, everyday risk of reaching out with love to those around us, and of the beauty and messiness of real human relationships. It's a story of the risks-and rewards-of taking Jesus at his word.

MISSION: To investigate the shady goings-on at the exclusive private boarding school Willis Firth Academy. LOCATION: The mountains of New England. POTENTIAL VICTIMS: The brothers of Gamma Theta Theta, the most elite fraternity on campus, seem to be on the receiving end of all of Firth's biggest (and most dangerous) problems. SUSPECTS: The members of the frat may seem like brothers to everyone else, but Gamma Theta Theta insiders know that within the ivy-covered walls the boys are definitely not one big happy family.... This mission requires your immediate attention. This message will be erased in five seconds.

As Helen Keller observed, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
To Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, so much of how we have learned to experience and understand the faith has been divorced from the overarching adventure inherent in our God and in our calling. This book is a corrective to the dull, adventureless, risk-free phenomenon that describes so much of contemporary Christianity. It explores the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and the implications for church, discipleship, spirituality, and leadership.

Christendom is dying and needs to be removed from its life-support system. Starting with this frank assessment of the current church, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch present an alternative model for ministry in today s postmodern world. Instead of mourning the demise of the Western church as the center of society, the authors explain how the church can be reborn through incarnational mission, messianic spirituality, and apostolic structure. Church leaders who heed the authors call will see death turned into new life through the creation of a vital, missional church.

[Frost and Hirsch s] contribution brings an in-depth theological reflection as well as providing a broad scope informed by their extensive reading in theology, culture and mission as well as their on-site visits to missional churches in the USA and the United Kingdom.
" Eddie Gibbs, Donald A. McGavran Professor of Church Growth, Fuller Theological Seminary

This book is a bountiful multi-course meal, each serving presented with charm and class. It will satisfy even eclectic appetites, and please the most discriminating palates. Four Stars.
" Leonard Sweet, Drew Theological School, George Fox University

In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head--even if you're totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.
"A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don't really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing."
Nah, not his thing. Ali's got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there's a dude looking for trouble--and, somehow, it's always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy's gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it's all small potatoes; it's not like anyone's getting hurt.
And then there's Needles. Needles is Noodles's brother. He's got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It's cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn't mean anything by it.
Yeah, it's cool...until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be...somewhere they never should've been--where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.

In a time when the need for and the relevance of the Gospel has seldom been greater, the relevance of the church has seldom been less. "The Shaping of Things to Come" explores why the church needs to rebuild itself from the bottom up. Frost and Hirsch present a clear understanding of how the church can change to face the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. This missional classic has been thoroughly revised and updated.

Hot romance is the cure for heartbreak in this sequel to "The Vincent Boys."
"Getting a boy to fall head-over-heels in love with you isn't easy. Especially when he's been in love with your cousin for as long as you can remember."
Lana has lived her life in her cousin's shadow. Ashton always made perfect grades, had tons of friends, and looks model-perfect. And she's always had Sawyer Vincent--the only boy Lana's ever wanted--wrapped around her finger. But now things are different. Lana has a chance to make Sawyer see her, and she's taking it. If only he'd get over Ashton--because Lana is sick of second-best.
Sawyer's heart is broken. He's lost his best girl to his best friend. And then Lana comes to town. Ashton's cousin has always been sweet and soft-spoken, but now she's drop-dead gorgeous as well. Sawyer doesn't know if Lana can heal his broken heart, but spending time with her might at least make Ashton jealous.
What starts as a carefree fling becomes a lusty game of seduction. Sawyer and Lana may have different motives, but their scintillating hookups are the same kind of steamy. . . .