Congregations are story-telling communities. The stories they tell, which link a community's past, present, and future, can play an important role in whether a congregation flourishes or not. The Stories Congregations Tell features detailed case study research from seven dynamic Canadian congregations across theological traditions and geographical regions. Readers will encounter narratives that congregations tell themselves through a myriad of congregational and social transitions, account...

The Hooker. The Madam. The Driver. All on a collision course to a place where madness holds sway.After four years working in a New York brothel to pay off a debt to the mob, Nina is nearly paid up and ready to go home. She just needs to see one more client, a recluse who always pays a half-million in cash for a night with the brothel's best girls, but this last trick soon becomes a battle for Nina's soul. Meanwhile, the brothel's sadistic madam has been secretly hoarding money so s...

Does the Septuagint have authority for the church today?Numerous scholars have explored what the Septuagint is and its history and uses, but less scholarship has engaged with the ways it exercises authority within the Christian tradition. In the first multicontributor volume of its kind, biblical scholars Greg Lanier and Will Ross bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to explore the nature of the Septuagint's authority over the ages.Discover ...

So many people get worn out by the nonsense of internet dating, complaining that "all the men on dating sites are only after one thing" or "women don't give nice guys a chance." Unbeknownst to them, their approach is unwittingly crafting the outcomes they so vehemently despise.The secrets revealed in this book are not the usual well-meaning but impractical advice you find online. This knowledge has been dragged kicking and screaming from real-life experience, actual hard-won life le...

Weird Fiction Quarterly continues the tradition of bringing you the finest in 500 word flash-fiction! (We dare you to find better!)In this, our fifth anthology, we bring you 41 wintry tales of weird wonder guaranteed to make you want to pull up a chair before a warm fire and wrap yourself in blanket and cat, because these stories are cold and will chill you to the bone. You won’t have time to do that, though.This is, after all, Weird Fiction Quarterly.You can never ...

Understanding Esports: An Introduction to the Global Phenomenon places professional Esports, a rapidly growing industry, in both the cultural and athletic landscape. This book explores how the rise of professional gaming has shaped—and been shaped by—media trends, interpersonal communication, and what it means to be classified as an athlete. Ryan Rogers has assembled contributors from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in order to provide a broad view of the history, experie...

Examines effects of the environmental distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes on human health and the ecosystemResistance genes are everywhere in nature—in pathogens, commensals, and environmental microorganisms. This contributed work shows how the environment plays a pivotal role in the development of antimicrobial resistance traits in bacteria and the distribution of resistant microbial species, resistant genetic material, and antibiotic compounds. Readers will discover th...

Starting a new adventure, Baby and Coco are leaving the comfort of their home to face a life of uncertainty.

Christianity Today Award of MeritReaders' Choice Awards Honorable MentionBest Books About the Church from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Bookstore"When . . . faith communities begin connecting together, in and for the neighborhood, they learn to depend on God for strength to love, forgive and show grace like never before. . . . The gospel becomes so much more tangible and compelling when the local church is...

Veterinary Toxicology, 2nd Edition, is a unique single reference that teaches the basic principles of veterinary toxicology and builds upon these principles to offer an essential clinical resource for those practicing in the field. This new edition brings together insights from qualified and well-experienced authorities across all areas of veterinary toxicology to provide an authoritative and in-depth look at all facets of veterinary toxicology, including target organ toxicity, melamine an...

Multi-voiced Church argues strongly and persuasively for churches in which everyone is important for the well-being and growth of the community.The New Testament indicates that the early churches were multi-voiced, participative and expectant that the Holy Spirit would speak through all members of the community. First-generation renewal movements have typically been multi-voiced, recovering this New Testament characteristic. But institutionalization (often accompanied by c...

An essential introduction to microbiome science, a new cutting-edge discipline that is transforming the life sciencesThis book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. Resident microbes in healthy animals--including humans—can dictate many traits of the animal host. This animal microbiome is a second immune syst...