An expert in the field of pastoral care, John Patton demonstrates that pastoral care is a ministry of the church. He focuses on the community of faith as an authorizer and source of care and upon the relationship between the pastor and a caring community. Patton identifies and compares three paradigms of pastoral care: the classical, the clinical pastoral, and the communal contextual. This third paradigm emphasizes the caring community and the various contexts for care rather than focusing...

This very practical book offers no-nonsense instructions for pastors,chaplains, and ministers whose real specialty is the practice ofrelational wisdom. Patton provides a helpful, step-by-step template forpastoral counseling sessions and clear guidelines for understanding whento defer and how to refer—all while remaining faithful to the basicpastoral calling to connect persons seeking help with the relationshipsand resources they need to deal with t...

This collection contains the fi rst fi ve books completed by John Patton ODell. They appear in the order they were written. The fi rst four books are volumes of poetry, ranging from epic to lyric. The poetry is emotional, spiritual, and at times religious. The fi rst and fourth books do not contain long poems, nearly half the poems in the fourth book were written as song lyrics. The fi fth book is a collection of short stories which house elements of drama, fantasy, suspense, and the super...

The essentials of pastoral care involve the pastor's distinctive task of caring for those who are estranged--the lost sheep. Taken from the biblical image of the shepherd, the pastor by virtue of his or her professional calling cultivates wise judgment in order to hear the hurting and offer guidance, reconciliation, healing, sustaining presence, and empowerment to those in need. This book will outline the quintessential elements pastors need to wisely minister in today's context by discuss...

The sixth book in New York Times-bestselling Seanan McGuire's witty urban fantasy InCryptid series about a family of cryptozoologists who act as a buffer between humans and the magical creatures living in secret around us."The only thing more fun than an October Daye book is an InCryptid book." —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Sookie Stackhouse seriesImprobable, adjective:

Flux is a somber narrative, an ode to change, a collection of poetry and prose written from the many states of grief over a broken heart. With original illustrations by artist Katie Roberts, Orion Carloto creates a dream world for the brokenhearted and paints a whimsical picture around the themes of love, loss, solitude, depression, sex, nostalgia, and unrequited romance.Flux takes readers through a raw and sorrowful journey of each and every bitter moment of heart...

Kyungjin is her given name.According to Yeo Kyungjin... Even mentioning her name gives me the creeps.There is something unique about her that no one else possesses.This is every man's ultimate goal.to take his girlfriend on a trip across the worldI desired something similar, and it came true when we took a vacation.But destiny...Rather, let me start by explaining how w...

Literary spins on the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres—from Karen Joy Fowler, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, China Miéville, and many more.Over the past three decades, the most adventurous practitioners of the literary arts of science fiction, fantasy, and horror have been transforming those genres into something all but unrecognizable. In Conjunctions' game-changing New Wave Fabulists issue, guest editor Peter Straub has put together an...

"Tough talk for tough times. Silencer is both lyrical and merciless–Wicker's mind hums in overdrive, but with the calm and clarity of a marksman."—Tim Seibles, author of One Turn Around the Sun and finalist for the National Book AwardA suburban park, church, a good job, a cocktail party for the literati: to many, these sound like safe places, but for a young black man these insular spaces don't keep out the news—and the actu...

"Mercenary at Midnight" is a blazing assembly of provocative verse by author, philosopher, and creator Nicholas Ryan Howard. Crafted in the moments of utmost vulnerability—and always after the midnight hour had struck—the poet journeys without allegiance into the harrowing land of introspection armed only with a combination of daring, desperation, and mettle. The 100 poems, tales, and reflections within showcase the author's rebellion against complacency, rage against submission, and insur...

It's 2 AM. She leaves work and begins the long drive home, exhausted after another twelve-hour shift. Suddenly a tire explodes on a desolate stretch of highway, leaving her stranded at the side of the road. With no jack and no cell phone reception, her only option is to wait in the car…and depend on the kindness of strangers.

The Book of the Black Sun is thirty-two Lovecraftian tales of terror arranged in eight sections, each containing a micro, a flash, shorter story and a longer story. Motifs of strange books, evil creatures and spinning disks that form doorways to other realms are woven throughout the tales, making the final product a creepy, self-referential mandala in itself. This book contains all the original stories of the first edition except one. "Black Sun" has been replaced with a new story, "Six Bu...