"I'd never done anything crazy like this before – a pilgrimage walk. I was not a hiker, and I wasn't a Catholic. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was a Christian. On the last government census when I had to state my religion, I'd said I was a Buddhist, mainly because they've had such a hard time in Tibet and I felt they needed my statistical support.I was also not an adventure traveler. For me, adventure travel was flying coach. All this backpacking and wearing of heavy boots and flyi...

The rural church has been profoundly affected by economic and social change, and by theological and liturgical revolution in the wider church. How have these forces for change affected rural congregations in Aotearoa New Zealand, and where are they heading in future?Bill Bennett looks in depth at the traditional churches that still maintain a rural presence and their ministries — Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Anglican. He includes revealing profiles of several parishe...

Discover a prayer to cover every aspect of rural life.A musician and composer of many hymns, Anglican priest Bill Bennett understands the complexity of rural life with its overlapping communities and its deep dependence on seasonal life. This understanding shines through this book.117 prayers are arranged into broad themes: the seasons, environment, community, mission and ministry, work, crisis and loss.There are also six sets of Eucharist liturgies...

Would you like a simple, quick way to engage with the RCL Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel readings for each Sunday and other important days in the church calendar?Bill Bennett’s short introductions to each Bible reading will get you started.There are several ways you can use this book:As a preface to the Bible reading in a service:Before delivering each Bible reading from the lectern, read aloud the relevant short introduction given in this bo...

Warning! This book is intended for mature readers. It contains scenes of graphic violence, graphic sex, drug and alcohol use, and foul language. (You know – the good stuff.) Reader discretion is advised (and reading this book is encouraged). Meet Bill Bennett, a.k.a. Billy the Biker – a veteran, ex-con, ex-junkie, 1 percenter, two-time stroke and cancer survivor, and founder of a nonprofit that helps veterans in need. In Cheatin' the Reaper, he recounts his crazy life and what he's learned...

The Tui (Parson Bird), with its tuft of white feathers at the neck, is highly adaptive, has a distinctive call, is protective of its domain, is an imitator of song and speech and is an enduring example of survival and adaptability.This essay on rural ministry reflects on its long evolution, its current challenges, and its continuing viability for the future in Aotearoa New Zealand.Bennett highlights some key issues and opportunities for rural ministry today, including:...

A compelling on-the-ground account of Native activism in the NorthwestA relentless advocate for Native rights, Ramona Bennett Bill has been involved in the battles waged by the Puyallup and other Northwest tribes around fishing rights, land rights, health, and education for over six decades. This invaluable firsthand account includes stories of the takeover of Fort Lawton as well as events from major Red Power struggles, including Alcatraz, Wounded Knee, and the Tr...

*Winner of the Firebird Book Award, Literary Titan Gold Award, and an American Book Award Finalist.*A death on Florida’s coast. A detective who won’t let silence win.When the body of a young woman washes ashore in Crystal Cove, Detective Ava Martinez is called to investigate. What begins as a suspicious drowning soon unravels into something far more dangerous: ecological sabotage, corporate corruption, and a marine biologis...

She spun around and saw a shape, a form, a presence. In shadow. Dark on dark. With gleaming eyes and teeth, and an old dank smell of gravesites and death. Then a sudden glint of metal – a flash of steel – a sword. A sword she’d seen before. It jolted her with fear. The moonlight shifted and glanced his face. Lily gasped and stepped back from the Fallen Priest. He was holding the Soul Cutter.To prepare herself for the final climactic battle between dark and light, ...

Here, veteran teacher Cheri Pierson Yecke details the chronological history of the middle school movement in the U. S. by tracing its evolution from academically-oriented junior high schools to the dissolution of academics in the middle schools of the late 1980s and beyond. In this book, evidence is presented to show how leaders of this movement designed to use the middle school as a vehicle to promote non-academic goals, contrary to the desires of parents and the community. Favored instru...

She turned and saw them. Three black shapes in a crowd of colour, moving slowly like scuttling roaches.Three women, dressed in leathers, carrying biker helmets.They had come here to find someone.They had come here to hunt.Three hundred years ago, her ancestor broke a solemn promise signed in blood. And now Lily is thrust into a shadow world where Satan is real, witches exist and evil is an ancient living thing that seeks to w...

The second gripping novel in acclaimed Australian filmmaker Bill Bennett's compelling series about modern-day witchcraft.Lily heard a sound that sent her into a sudden inexplicable panic.A sound so primitive, it chilled her to her bones.Try as she might, Lily could not control the fear that surged through her.The creature was an emissary of Satan.As the celestial firestorm night of Unholy nears, Lily finds herself cau...