Drawing on first-hand accounts of action research in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, The Heart of Community Engagement illustrates the transformative learning journeys of exemplary catalysts for community-based change. Practitioners' stories of community engagement for social justice in the Global South elucidate the moments of insight and transformation that deepened their practice: how to deal with uncertainty, recognize their own blind spots, become aware of what is emergent and possible in the moment, and weave an inclusive bond of love, respect, and purpose. Each successive narrative adds a deeper level of understanding of the inner practice of community engagement. The stories illuminate the reflective, or inner, practice of the outside change agent, whether a planner, designer, participatory action researcher, or community development practitioner. From a shantytown in South Africa, to a rural community in India, or an informal settlement in peri-urban Mexico, the stories focus attention on the greatest leverage point for change that we, as engaged practitioners, have: our own self-awareness. By the end of the book, the practitioners are not only aware of their own conditioned beliefs and assumptions, but have opened their minds and hearts to the complex and dynamic patterns of emergent change that is possible. This book serves as a much-needed reader of practice stories to help instructors and students find the words, concepts, and examples to talk about their own subjective experience of community engagement practice. The book applies some of the leading-edge concepts from organizational development and leadership studies to the fields of planning, design, and community engagement practice. Key concepts include the deep dive of sensing the social field, seeing the whole, and presencing the emergent future. The book also provides a creative bridge between participatory action research and design thinking: user-based design, rapid prototyping, and learning from doing.

Drawing on first-hand accounts of action research in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, The Heart of Community Engagement illustrates the transformative learning journeys of exemplary catalysts for community-based change. Practitioners' stories of community engagement for social justice in the Global South elucidate the moments of insight and transformation that deepened their practice: how to deal with uncertainty, recognize their own blind spots, become aware of what is emergent and possible in the moment, and weave an inclusive bond of love, respect, and purpose. Each successive narrative adds a deeper level of understanding of the inner practice of community engagement. The stories illuminate the reflective, or inner, practice of the outside change agent, whether a planner, designer, participatory action researcher, or community development practitioner. From a shantytown in South Africa, to a rural community in India, or an informal settlement in peri-urban Mexico, the stories focus attention on the greatest leverage point for change that we, as engaged practitioners, have: our own self-awareness. By the end of the book, the practitioners are not only aware of their own conditioned beliefs and assumptions, but have opened their minds and hearts to the complex and dynamic patterns of emergent change that is possible. This book serves as a much-needed reader of practice stories to help instructors and students find the words, concepts, and examples to talk about their own subjective experience of community engagement practice. The book applies some of the leading-edge concepts from organizational development and leadership studies to the fields of planning, design, and community engagement practice. Key concepts include the deep dive of sensing the social field, seeing the whole, and presencing the emergent future. The book also provides a creative bridge between participatory action research and design thinking: user-based design, rapid prototyping, and learning from doing.

Daphne, a young Jewish Greek artist, finds her life under threat during the Nazi occupation of Athens. In love with her Austrian art teacher, together they must risk it all to escape his dangerous brother, an SS officer. Pursued across Greece, their journey ends on the island of Corfu. In 2023 Liverpool, fine art restorer Flora is planning her Granny Daphne's 100th birthday. Nearing the end of her life, Daphne tells Flora of a valuable piece of art from her youth. A masterpiece which bought her freedom but cost her everything she held dear. Realising she knows so little about Daphne's story, Flora heads for Corfu to uncover the shocking secrets of her family's past.

If you love Lucinda Riley and Elizabeth Edmondson, you'll love this perfect summer read from the author of Islands of Secrets and Villa of Secrets. Sent away to a convent school in Dublin at the age of five, Irini McGuire has always had a strained and distant relationship with her mother, Bridget, a celebrated archaeologist who lives on the paradise island of Santorini. So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in a coma, she knows it is finally time to return to the island of her birth. Reading through her mother's notes at her bedside, Irini starts to realise how little she knows about Bridget's life. Now, driven by rumours that her mother's injury was no accident, Irini must uncover the dark secrets behind her family's separation. Will she discover the truth about her parents and her past before it is too late? What readers have said about Patricia Wilson's Islands of Secrets and Villa of Secrets: 'Island of Secrets is a book full of raw emotions, family vendettas, hidden secrets and three very strong women. It's a book I enjoyed very much and one which fans of Victoria Hislop and Debbie Rix are sure to enjoy' 'So well written and utterly heartbreaking . . . a story that needs to be told' 'Page-turning, enthralling and heartbreaking by turns' 'Made me laugh and cry, just couldn't put this book down' 'A perfect read' 'Heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time' 'What a thoroughly engrossing book' 'Written with such depth and understanding'

The election of Barack Obama in 2008 -- historic and controversial. But what was it like for the legions of volunteers drawn into the political fray for the very first time? In Believing in Obama, a new book by Patricia Wilson-Smith, you will relive the history of the 2008 election through the eyes of a citizen activist and volunteer.

Patricia Wilson offers practical suggestions for people who worry too much in this book of 28 daily devotions. Based on the Psalms, each day's reading helps the reader turn toward God in a time of worry rather than obsess over all of his or her concerns. Wilson emphasizes God's loving nature and steers readers away from guilt if worry doesn't disappear immediately.

Could these crystal clear waters hide the secrets of her past? Present day For years Shelly Summer has buried herself in her work, trying to forget her past. The only time she feels truly herself is when she's diving in the Mediterranean - the calm and stillness of the clear waters help her forget. Back home, Shelly stumbles across the belongings of her great-grandmother, Gertie Smith including a recording of Gertie's memoirs. As Shelly listens to it, she starts to uncover the secrets of Gertie's past, which might just hold the key to letting go of her own. 1916 When trainee nurse Gertie Smith signs up for the war effort, she is thrilled to learn that her destination will be Greece. With a head full of blue skies and handsome men, she boards the Titanic's sister ship, the ill-fated hospital ship Britannic. Unprepared for the horrors of war, she heads for the Greek island of Lemnos on a mission to rescue three thousand wounded British soldiers. But tragically, the Britannic never reaches its destination. When rescued, Gertie is taken to the Greek island of Kea, where she meets and falls in love with a Greek fisherman, Manno - but she finds herself torn between him and her duty to an English soldier. Gertie cannot shake the guilt she feels from that tragic night the ship sank and is afraid her past will eventually catch up with her. Escape to paradise this Christmas with an irresistible tale of love and loss.

Here at last is a book that attends both to the call for more inclusive language in worship and to the traditional claims of Trinitarian theology. The authors insist that the Trinity must remain at the heart of Christian worship. But this need not confine us to a single formula or a narrow range of images; indeed, new forms of language are essential if we are properly to praise the unnamed, all-named, triune God. This book is brimming with liturgical resources, including prayers, hymn texts, and sample sermons.

If you love The Island and Cartes Postales from Greece by Victoria Hislop, you will love this perfect summer read from the author of Island of Secrets. Rebecca Neumanner's marriage is on the brink of collapse, as her desire to be a mother becomes an obsession. Then she receives news from her estranged family in Rhodes. Called back to the beautiful Greek island of her birth, she realises how little she knows of the grandmother she has eluded for over a decade. Bubba has never spoken of the Nazi occupation during her youth, but there have always been whispers. What desperate measures did she take that terrible day in 1944 when her family was ripped apart? Can the rumour she had blood on her own hands really be true? But Bubba intends to take her secrets to the grave. However, as Rebecca arrives on Rhodes, bringing the promise of new life, this broken family must come together. The time has come to tell the truth about the darkest of days . . . What readers said about Island of Secrets: 'Island of Secrets is a book full of raw emotions, family vendettas, hidden secrets and three very strong women. It's a book I enjoyed very much and one which fans of Victoria Hislop and Debbie Rix are sure to enjoy' (NetGalley Reviewer) 'So well written and utterly heartbreaking . . . a story that needs to be told' (NetGalley Reviewer) 'Page-turning, enthralling and heartbreaking by turns' 'Made me laugh and cry, just couldn't put this book down' Ready for your next incredible read from Patricia Wilson? Island of Secrets is available now. Search 9781785762789.

The new escapist novel from the author of Island of Secrets. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore and Lucinda Riley. 'I am Sofia. I am searching for my daughter, born 1st November 1972. Can you help me?' On the beautiful beaches of Crete, an old woman is handing out scraps of paper. Sofia, eighty-five years old, unable to speak, is desperate to find a daughter she has never known. After a tragic childhood in Athens and a soaring career as a singer, the brutal treatment of the man she loved by a tyrannical regime forced her to give up her daughter mere days after her birth. Now she longs to be reunited with her child before it's too late. Meanwhile in London, Zoe is searching too. In the months since the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Zoe's life has crumbled apart. Her husband has left her, her son feels forgotten, and every day is a struggle. But Zoe is desperate to track her daughter down, even if she doesn't want to be found . . . And why not check out The Island Escape Collection, two books in one, consisting of Patricia Wilson's Villa of Secrets and Secrets of Santorini, for more perfect escapist reads. Search B0886JHJG6.

In this emotional novel based on Greece's real history we follow three generations of one family, broken apart by secrets and war, as Olivia travels to the island of her mother's birth to piece together a century's worth of her family's past. On the Greek island of Castellorizo young Sofia must put her big dreams on hold to support her older sister Maria with her large family. But World War II is looming and while the idyllic island may seem far from harm at first, there are unspeakable dangers on the horizon - perils that will change the sisters' lives forever . . . Devastated by her divorce and the death of her dear mum, Olivia seeks solace on Castellorizo. Her Granny Sofia fled the beautiful Greek island during the war, but Olivia knows little else about her family's history. The only link to the Island she has left is her elderly great-uncle George. As his memory begins to fail, Olivia feels her one chance at uncovering the truth about her grandmother start to slip away. As a mother's sacrifice echoes throughout the generations, will Olivia discover some things are best left in the past?

Patricia Wilson-Kastner's wonderfully crafted work views the liturgy as a cosmic drama, enacting a sacred meal that grounds us in the universe, draws us into God's creation and redemption, and poses stiff ethical challenges "deep in our bones" to Christians in community. "Liturgy reconnects us with God and with all creation, rekindles in us the vision of the restoration of all in God, and clarifies and nourishes again in us the hope in which we can live now in justice, peace, and love with each other," she says. Though we don't have all the details of this script, we are deeply implicated in the plot. A gifted preacher and writer, and no stranger to church battles, Wilson-Kastner brings a confident faith in the transforming power of worship. Her rich, ecumenically oriented introduction to the liturgy leverages people's great hunger for spirituality and community into deep commitment to justice within church and society.