Michael Scott Moore, a journalist and the author of Sweetness and Blood, incorporates personal narrative and rigorous investigative journalism in this profound and revelatory memoir of his three-year captivity by Somali pirates-a riveting,thoughtful, and emotionally resonant exploration of foreign policy, religious extremism, and the costs of survival. In January 2012, having covered a Somali pirate trial in Hamburg for Spiegel Online International-and funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting-Michael Scott Moore traveled to the Horn of Africa to write about piracy and ways to end it. In a terrible twist of fate, Moore himself was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by Somali pirates. Subjected to conditions that break even the strongest spirits-physical injury, starvation, isolation, terror-Moore's survival is a testament to his indomitable strength of mind. In September 2014, after 977 days, he walked free when his ransom was put together by the help of several US and German institutions, friends, colleagues, and his strong-willed mother. Yet Moore's own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history. Caught between Muslim pirates, the looming threat of Al-Shabaab, and the rise of ISIS, Moore observes the worlds that surrounded him-the economics and history of piracy; the effects of post-colonialism; the politics of hostage negotiation and ransom; while also conjuring the various faces of Islam-and places his ordeal in the context of the larger political and historical issues. A sort of Catch-22 meets Black Hawk Down, The Desert and the Sea is written with dark humor, candor, and a journalist's clinical distance and eye for detail. Moore offers an intimate and otherwise inaccessible view of life as we cannot fathom it, brilliantly weaving his own experience as a hostage with the social, economic, religious, and political factors creating it. The Desert and the Sea is wildly compelling and a book that will take its place next to titles like Den of Lions and Even Silence Has an End.

From time to time God crosses our paths with a book or message we recognize as being uniquely from Him. As I read Dr. Moore's book "Exit Wounds," I had a strong sense of God's special blessing and guidance upon this work. As one who has done ministry, research and writing in the area of pastor-church relationships, I believe Scott Moore's book is unique and desperately needed. It is one of those rare books that speaks equally to layman and ministers alike. With a compelling narrative style of writing, readers are exposed to urgently needed truths in ways that speak deeply to their hearts. In a powerful way, this book will help laypeople and clergy know not only what not to do, but what to do in extending mercy to others. And for those times when hurt occurs, the awesome truth of Romans 8:28 shines brightly for those who are wounded and wronged. Above all, this tool will help prevent the bitterness and lasting damage that is always Satan's goal in church conflict. It is my prayer that every believer and minister will read this book prayerfully. It would not only prevent much hurt, it would channel souls into healing and mercy when hurt occurs. May God grant great mercy, grace and healing to all who read it. Toward greater mercy in Christ's Church, Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell, Spiritual Awakening Specialist Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and the North American Mission Board

The 21st century will witness the collision of two powerful forces - burgeoning population growth, together with a changing climate. With population growth, water scarcity will proliferate to new areas across the globe. And with climate change, rainfall will become more fickle, with longer and deeper periods of droughts and deluges. This report presents new evidence to advance understanding on how rainfall shocks coupled with water scarcity, impacts farms, firms, and families. On farms, the largest consumers of water in the world, impacts are channeled from declining yields to changing landscapes. In cities, water extremes especially when combined with unreliable infrastructure can stall firm production, sales, and revenue. At the center of this are families, who feel the impacts of this uncertainty on their incomes, jobs, and long-term health and welfare. Although a rainfall shock may be fleeting, its consequences can become permanent and shape the destiny of those who experience it. Pursuing business as usual will lead many countries down a 'parched path' where droughts shape destinies. Avoiding this misery in slow motion will call for fundamental changes to water policy around the globe. Building resilience to rainfall variability will require using different policy instruments to address the multifaceted nature of water. A key message of this report is that water has multiple economic attributes, each of which entail distinct policy responses. If water is not managed more prudently--from source, to tap, and back to source--the crises observed today will become the catastrophes of tomorrow.

Jon Lucas and Scott Moore co-write and direct this American comedy starring Mila Kunis, Christina Applegate and Kristen Bell. Amy Mitchell (Kunis) is a 32-year-old, happily married, committed mother-of-two who works as a sales rep for a coffee company. But after finding out her husband is cheating on her, Amy becomes fed up with her stressful life and decides to take action. She quits the PTA in protest of its overbearing leader Gwendolyn (Applegate) and gets together with some of her fellow mothers for a wild and liberating night on the town. Along with town outcast and single mum Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and worn out mother-of-four Kiki (Bell), Amy hits the bars for an all-night bender that allows the trio to let loose in a wild, indulgent trip of liberation before deciding to make some important changes to their lives, including tackling Gwendolyn head-on.

The seven people you will meet in the Wilderness. This book consists of seven vignettes describing the lives of seven characters. Each character will teach you lessons you will need in order to survive the Wilderness experiences of your life. They are the evil talebearer, the radical nonconformist, the juvenile delinquent, the overwhelmed pastor, the unwilling immigrant, the lone ranger, and the silent partner. Why will you meet them in that order? They are ranked from the least helpful to the most helpful to you in handling your Wilderness experience. Each one will post his resume, describe his life, and share his epitaph. They will each issue the same invitation: "follow me."

What would happen if you formed a co-pastoral team consisting of a Spirit-filled "Mary" and a Spirit-filled "Martha?" Could the two polar opposites coexist? Can they effectively work together to start and staff a New Testament church? Join Pastor Sam Anderson (Mary) and businessman Todd Williams (Martha) as they answer these and many other questions.