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Orchid House
by Cindy Martinusen-ColomaLove in a foreign land. A decaying hacienda full of secrets. And a woman searching for the story of her life.A funeral and some family business--that's what Julia Bentley expects when she travels to the Philippines to bury her grandfather. She hopes for a brief adventure, a distraction from her most recent failed relationship and her loose-ends California life. Maybe even a chance to meet some distant relatives she's never known.Instead, she discovers a place where past and present, Spanish and Asian, primitive and civilized mingle in a melange as spicy and colorful as the paella her relatives dish up for special occasions. A place where some children hitch rides on cattle and others wield loaded guns. Where guerillas lurk in the jungle, and volcanoes and governments are threatened to blow. Where stories haunt her ancestral home--the grand but decaying Hacienda Esperanza, Plantation of Hope--and danger lurks behind every tree. Love and orchids bloom in places she never thought to look.How can a land so foreign, and so troubled, fill her with a strange peace? And would staying mean risking her life . . . or finding it at last?
The Orchids
by Thomas H. CookAs the world closes in around them, two Nazis hide out in a tropical paradiseThe servants sense something strange about the two old men. They are not sure what business Dr. Langhof and Dr. Ludtz have in El Caliz, but they are certain that whatever they do in their colonial mansion is the work of the devil. Although they do not know the specifics of the two men&’s crimes, the servants are right to suspect something sinister. The men are Nazis, fugitives from international law who fled to this South American haven in the chaotic days after World War II. Langhof brought with him a cache of stolen diamonds, with which he bought their safety from the small nation&’s corrupt president. He passes his days cultivating a stunning greenhouse full of orchids, and meditating on the evil acts that fill his past. For now they are safe, but fate has many ways of dealing out justice.
Ordained Women in the Early Church: A Documentary History
by Kevin MadiganIn a time when the ordination of women is an ongoing and passionate debate, the study of women's ministry in the early church is a timely and significant one. There is much evidence from documents, doctrine, and artifacts that supports the acceptance of women as presbyters and deacons in the early church. While this evidence has been published previously, it has never before appeared in one complete English-language collection.With this book, church historians Kevin Madigan and Carolyn Osiek present fully translated literary, epigraphical, and canonical references to women in early church offices. Through these documents, Madigan and Osiek seek to understand who these women were and how they related to and were received by, the church through the sixth century. They chart women's participation in church office and their eventual exclusion from its leadership roles. The editors introduce each document with a detailed headnote that contextualizes the text and discusses specific issues of interpretation and meaning. They also provide bibliographical notes and cross-reference original texts. Madigan and Osiek assemble relevant material from both Western and Eastern Christendom.
Order And Disorder: Anthropological Perspectives
by Fernanda Pirie Keebet von Benda-BeckmannDisorder and instability are matters of continuing public concern. Terrorism, as a threat to global order, has been added to preoccupations with political unrest, deviance and crime. Such considerations have prompted the return to the classic anthropological issues of order and disorder. Examining order within the political and legal spheres and in contrasting local settings, the papers in this volume highlight its complex and contested nature. Elaborate displays of order seem necessary to legitimate the institutionalization of violence by military and legal establishments, yet violent behaviour can be incorporated into the social order by the development of boundaries, rituals and established processes of conflict resolution. Order is said to depend upon justice, yet injustice legitimates disruptive protest. Case studies from Siberia, India, Indonesia, Tibet, West Africa, Morocco and the Ottoman Empire show that local responses are often inconsistent in their valorization, acceptance and condemnation of disorder.
Order My Steps
by Marjorie L. KimbroughAll our steps are ordered by the LORD; how then can we understand our own ways? (Proverbs 20:24) Marjorie L. Kimbrough, from the introduction: Well, God, how will you order my steps today? How will you direct my path? How will I know that I am following in your steps and not in my own? Have you ever wanted to ask those questions? I have, and I seek daily to live in the will of God. I need and want to stay on the path that God has directed for me. I want him to order my steps. How about you? Do you want God to order your steps? Are you willing to spend time each day seeking God's guidance through prayer and meditation? Are you willing to be directed by his will and his word? Join me as we approach each day seeking spiritual direction. Order my steps, dear Lord. In Order My Steps, Marjorie L. Kimbrough provides inspiration, hope, and encouragement for centering your day on God and God's will for you. This book of daily devotions, each of which includes Scripture, a Scripture-related daily reflection question, and a prayer, will help you balance the day's tasks and challenges with the joy of living in Christ.
The Order of Melchizedek
by Rev Daniel Chesbro Rev James EricksonThe teachings of Melchizedek-a totally balanced, authoritative incarnation of Christ-on topics such as reincarnation, spiritual development, and free will, are presented in this manual that relates a positive approach to the current transitional stage of spiritual evolution. Contending that the unconditional love of God is bombarding the earth in an influx of neutrinos, this account provides a history of Melchizedek, who is a major influence in both the New and Old Testaments but is vastly understudied in most churches. Promoting a harmonious view of religion-where there is one God, understood and worshiped in a variety of different ways, each serving a purpose to those worshipping and to the overall understanding of spirituality-this testament to the Order is both down-to-earth and profound.
The Order Of The Ages: World History in the Light of a Universal Cosmogony
by Robert BoltonTHE laws which relate the modern world to earlier ages, and the position of our own era in a universal time-cycle, are explained in this book in a way which reveals the essential nature of time. It is shown that time imposes patterns of its own on the order of events, which reveal themselves by numerical regularities. By means of a Platonic view of creation, which connects temporal with non-temporal realities, it is shown to be possible to see how man's inner life holds the balance between these two kinds of objective reality. Traditional cosmological doctrines form the background to the ideas presented, which include insights into the power of universal time to realize evil, and how this can be overcome by those who understand it. Both non-Christian and Early Christian sources are also quoted in this connection, to illustrate the universality of the cyclic idea of time. Connections are made between metaphysical ideas of time and the scientific idea of entropy and its varied applications. The cyclic idea of time is used to resolve the apparent conflict between the vast tracts of time which have elapsed before Homo Sapiens and the relatively recent appearance of revealed religion. The last two thousand years are analyzed numerically in terms of traditional cosmology, so as to make it possible to calculate our present position in a universal era, together with the time within which this era will end, Finally, there is a review of the possibility that this ending may coincide with the Last Times, and the implications that this would have for current values and religious beliefs.
Order of the Eastern Star
by F. A. BellIn this excellent small tome F. A. Bell delves into the mysteries of the Masonic Order of the Eastern Star including the role and history of the women who shaped and served the order.“The spirit of modernity now pervades even our Ancient Mysteries, so that they must bear the stamp of recent investigation. Too little has been written about the splendid Order of the Eastern Star. It is almost impossible to find any printed article bearing on its history, which may be used in making an address on the subject. In this little book will be found a concise account of the development of the Order through the ages, from the early Mysteries to the present time.”
Order of the Eastern Star
by F. A. BellIn this excellent small tome F. A. Bell delves into the mysteries of the Masonic Order of the Eastern Star including the role and history of the women who shaped and served the order. “The spirit of modernity now pervades even our Ancient Mysteries, so that they must bear the stamp of recent investigation. Too little has been written about the splendid Order of the Eastern Star. It is almost impossible to find any printed article bearing on its history, which may be used in making an address on the subject. In this little book will be found a concise account of the development of the Order through the ages, from the early Mysteries to the present time.”
The Order of the Solar Temple: The Temple of Death (Routledge New Religions)
by James R. LewisIn October 1994, fifty-three members of the Order of the Solar Temple in Switzerland and Québec were murdered or committed suicide. This incident and two later group suicides in subsequent years played a pivotal role in inflaming the cult controversy in Europe, influencing the public to support harsher actions against non-traditional religions. Despite the importance of the Order of the Solar Temple, there are relatively few studies published in English. This book brings together the best scholarship on the Solar Temple including newly commissioned pieces from leading scholars, a selection of Solar Temple documents, and important previously published articles newly edited for inclusion within this book. This is the first book-length study of the Order of the Solar Temple to be published in English.
Order out of Chaos: Islam, Information, and the Rise and Fall of Social Orders in Iraq (Religion and Conflict)
by David Siddhartha PatelOrder out of Chaos explains why Iraqis turned to the mosque after state collapse. In 2003, the US-led invasion of Iraq destroyed the Bathist state. Despite this the citizens of Basra established predictable routines of daily life and social order as the familiar and customary structures of state-imposed order collapsed. What enabled individuals in Basra to work together to produce order amid anarchy? The answer: the Friday mosque. A week after the regime fell, Shii imams introduced Friday congregational prayers and associated sermons for the first time in most places since the 1950s. These sermons facilitated the spread of common knowledge and coordination, both locally and nationally, and contributed to the emergence of a relatively cohesive imagined community of Iraqi Shia that came to dominate Iraq's political order.Combining rational choice approaches, ethnographic understanding, and GIS analysis, David Siddhartha Patel reveals the interconnectedness of the enduring problem of how societies create social order in a stateless environment, the origins and limits of political authority and leadership, and the social and political salience of collective identity.
An Ordered Love
by Louis J. KernAn Ordered Love is the first detailed study of sex roles in the utopian communities that proposed alternatives to monogamous marriage: The Shakers (1779-1890), the Mormons (1843-90), and the Oneida Community (1848-79).The lives of men and women changed substantially when they joined one of the utopian communities. Louis J. Kern challenges the commonly held belief that Mormon polygamy was uniformly downgrading to women and that Oneida pantagamy and Shaker celibacy were liberating for them. Rather, Kern asserts that changes in sexual behavior and roles for women occurred in ideological environments that assumed women were inferior and needed male guidance. An elemental distrust of women denied the Victorian belief in their moral superiority, attacked the sanctity of the maternal role, and institutionalized the dominance of men over women.These utopias accepted the revolutionary idea that the pleasure bond was the essence of marriage. They provided their members with a highly developed theological and ideological position that helped them cope with the ambiguities and anxieties they felt during a difficult transitional stage in social mores.Analysis of the theological doctrines of these communities indicates how pervasive sexual questions were in the minds of the utopians and how closely they were related to both reform (social perfection) and salvation (individual perfection). These communities saw sex as the point at which the demands of individual selfishness and the social requirements of self-sacrifice were in most open conflict. They did not offer their members sexual license, but rather they established ideals of sexual orderliness and moral stability and sought to provide a refuge from the rampant sexual anxieties of Victorian culture.Kern examines the critical importance of considerations of sexuality and sexual behavior in these communities, recognizing their value as indications of larger social and cultural tensions. Using the insights of history, psychology, and sociology, he investigates the relationships between the individual and society, ideology and behavior, and thought and action as expressed in the sexual life of these three communities. Previously unused manuscript sources on the Oneida Community and Shaker journals and daybooks reveal interesting and sometimes startling information on sexual behavior and attitudes.
The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle
by Madeleine L'EnglePraise for The Ordering of LoveBy Madeleine L'Engle"In a brilliant marriage of myth and manner, histories sacred and profane, prayers of petition and of praise, these poems both articulate and illumine the trouble in the gap in which we live-the gap between human affections and Divine Love. L'Engle is unfailing in her willingness to see through-not around-human suffering, and in so doing announces no final severing of spirit and flesh but an enduring vision of resurrection in that crux, in the cross, in the One in Whom all things meet, continuing." -Scott Cairns, author of Slow Pilgrim and Philokalia: New and Selected Poems"I love L'Engle's poetry for the way it incarnates not only the great Truths of the faith, but all the little truths of our ordinary existence-our working and playing and loving and fighting and dreaming and idling and all the rest of it-and for the way it shows us that those big and little truths should not, cannot, be separated."-Carolyn Arends, recording artist and author"Why is L'Engle one of the defining poets of our time? Because when life hurts, she does not shrink from the wounds. She clarifies the murk with hope as we feel the lift of grace."-Calvin Miller, Beeson Divinity SchoolBirmingham, Alabama"We are, all of us, the richer for this carefully crafted and prayerfully rendered collection."-Phyllis Tickle, Author, The Divine Hours"Poetry, at least the kind I write, is written out of immediate need; it is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great to be borne until it is ordered into words. And then it is written to be shared."-Madeleine L'EngleMadeleine L'Engle's writing has always translated the invisible and intricate qualities of love into the patterns and rhythms of visible life. Now, with compelling language and open-hearted vulnerability, The Ordering of Love brings together the exhaustive collection of L'Engle's poetry for the first time. This volume collects nearly 200 of L'Engle's original poems, including eighteen that have never before been published. Reflecting on themes of love, loss, faith, and beauty, The Ordering of Love gives vivid and compelling insight into the language of the heart.From the Hardcover edition.
The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle
by Madeleine L'Engle"In a brilliant marriage of myth and manner, histories sacred and profane, prayers of petition and of praise, these poems both articulate and illumine the trouble in the gap in which we live--the gap between human affections and Divine Love. L'Engle is unfailing in her willingness to see through--not around--human suffering, and in so doing announces no final severing of spirit and flesh but an enduring vision of resurrection in that crux, in the cross, in the One in Whom all things meet, continuing." -Scott Cairns, author of Slow Pilgrim and Philokalia: New and Selected Poems. "I love L'Engle's poetry for the way it incarnates not only the great Truths of the faith, but all the little truths of our ordinary existence--our working and playing and loving and fighting and dreaming and idling and all the rest of it--and for the way it shows us that those big and little truths should not, cannot, be separated." -Carolyn Arends, recording artist and author. "Why is L'Engle one of the defining poets of our time? Because when life hurts, she does not shrink from the wounds. She clarifies the murk with hope as we feel the lift of grace." -Calvin Miller, Beeson Divinity School Birmingham, Alabama. "We are, all of us, the richer for this carefully crafted and prayerfully rendered collection." -Phyllis Tickle, Author, The Divine Hours. "Poetry, at least the kind I write, is written out of immediate need; it is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great to be borne until it is ordered into words. And then it is written to be shared." -Madeleine L'Engle. Madeleine L'Engle's writing has always translated the invisible and intricate qualities of love into the patterns and rhythms of visible life. Now, with compelling language and open-hearted vulnerability, The Ordering of Love brings together the exhaustive collection of L'Engle's poetry for the first time. This volume collects nearly 200 of L'Engle's original poems, including eighteen that have never before been published. Reflecting on themes of love, loss, faith, and beauty, The Ordering of Love gives vivid and compelling insight into the language of the heart.
Ordering Your Private World
by Gordon MacdonaldWe have schedule planners, computerized calendars,and self-stick notes to help us organize our business and social lives everyday. But what about organizing the other side of our livesùthe spiritual side?One of the great battlegrounds of the new century is within the private world of the individual.The values of our Western culture incline us to believe that the busy, publicly active person in ministry is also the most spiritual.Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in a lot of good people on the verge of collapse.In this timely update of his classic Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.ôWith much enthusiasm I recommend this book to all of you who, like me, need order in your private world.öùCharles Swindoll, Chancellor, Dallas Theological SeminaryôThis book was the primary instrument that God used to motivate me to integrate spiritual disciplines into my daily walk with Christ . . . I shudder to think where IÆd be today had I not read it.öùBill Hybels, Senior Pastor,Willow Creek Community Church
Ordering Your Private World
by Gordon MacdonaldWe have schedule planners, computerized calendars,and self-stick notes to help us organize our business and social lives everyday. But what about organizing the other side of our lives--the spiritual side?One of the great battlegrounds of the new century is within the private world of the individual.The values of our Western culture incline us to believe that the busy, publicly active person in ministry is also the most spiritual.Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in a lot of good people on the verge of collapse.In this timely update of his classic Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness."With much enthusiasm I recommend this book to all of you who, like me, need order in your private world."--Charles Swindoll, Chancellor, Dallas Theological Seminary"This book was the primary instrument that God used to motivate me to integrate spiritual disciplines into my daily walk with Christ . . . I shudder to think where I'd be today had I not read it."--Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor,Willow Creek Community Church
Ordering Your Private World
by Gordon MacdonaldHas anyone seen my time? I’ve misplaced it.We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, smart phones, and sticky notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives?the spiritual side?One of the great battlegrounds is within the private world of the individual. The values of our Western culture would have us believe the busy, publicly active person in ministry is also the most spiritual. Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in many good people on the verge of collapse.In this updated classic Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.“With much enthusiasm I recommend this book to all of you who, like me, need order in your private world.”?Charles Swindoll, Chancellor, Dallas Theological Seminary“This book was the primary instrument that God used to motivate me to integrate spiritual disciplines into my daily walk with Christ . . . I shudder to think where I’d be today had I not read it.”?Bill Hybels, Senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church
Orderly Chaos: The Mandala Principle
by Chogyam TrungpaAccording to the mandala principle, a prominent feature of tantric Buddhism, all phenomena are part of one reality. Whether good or bad, happy or sad, clear or obscure, everything is interrelated and reflects a single totality. As Chögyam Trungpa explains in this work, from the perspective of the mandala principle, existence is orderly chaos. There is chaos and confusion because everything happens by itself, without any external ordering principle. At the same time, whatever happens expresses order and intelligence, wakeful energy and precision. Through meditative practices associated with the mandala principle, the opposites of experience--confusion and enlightenment, chaos and order, pain and pleasure--are revealed as inseparable parts of a total vision of reality.
Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World
by Michael S. HortonRadical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.” Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace. Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering, Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life.
Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift
by Gloria GaitherBy award-winning author and lyricist, Gloria Gaither The companion picture books My Father’s Angels, Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift and I Am a Promise all come with a bonus CD, making a trio of great music, inspiring lyrics, and dazzling art. My Father’s Angels—This story reminds young hearts that God’s heavenly protectors are always at hand. The words to Gloria Gaither’s wonderful, reassuring song and enchanting artwork weave a promising message that children can sing along to, with CD included. Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift—In this heartwarming story, celebrated author and award-winning lyricist Gloria Gaither makes use of her song “Ordinary Baby” as the basis to share the timeless truth of Jesus’ birth and life. Written in a way that is simple and easy to understand, children can read along with the CD. Ordinary Baby makes known the story of not just why Jesus came, but why he chose to come to earth as a baby. With its vibrant and engaging illustrations,Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift is certain to become one of your child’s most treasured books, with CD included. I Am a Promise—Because every child is full of promise, potential, and possibility, kids can be assured that with God’s help they can become anything he wants them to be. Beautiful full-color art will delight young readers as they sing along with the music on the bonus CD. GLORIA GAITHER is an award-winning lyricist, author, scriptwriter, former adjunct professor of songwriting at Anderson University, recording artist with the celebrated Gaither Trio for thirty years, mother, and grandmother. Gloria and her husband, Bill, live in Alexandria, IN.
Ordinary Christology: Who Do You Say I Am? Answers From The Pews (Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology)
by Ann ChristieOrdinary Christology is defined as the account of who Jesus was/is and what he did/does that is given by Christian believers who have received no formal theological education. In this fascinating study Ann Christie analyses, and offers a theological appraisal, of the main christologies and soteriologies operating in a sample of ordinary churchgoers. Christie highlights the formal characteristics of ordinary Christology and raises questions about how we should respond to the beliefs about Jesus held by ordinary churchgoers. Empirical findings have important pastoral, theological, and missiological implications, and raise important questions about the importance (or otherwise) of 'right' belief for being Christian. This book presents a model for how the study of ordinary theology can be conducted, with the in-depth theological analysis and critique which it both requires and deserves.
Ordinary Grace 1-17
by Daughters of St. PaulOrdinary Time is a time of grace, an opportunity to reflect on all the aspects of the mystery of Christ, rather than intensely focusing on a certain aspect, as we do in the other liturgical seasons. Let the Daughters of St. Paul lead you in lectio divina on the daily Gospel readings of Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Grace 18-34
by Daughters of St. PaulOrdinary Time is a time of grace, an opportunity to reflect on all the aspects of the mystery of Christ, rather than intensely focusing on a certain aspect, as we do in the other liturgical seasons. Let the Daughters of St. Paul lead you in lectio divina on the daily Gospel readings of Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Graces: Word Gifts for Any Season
by Lucinda Secrest McdowellEveryone loves to receive a gift. And God has given us many, such as his grace—the gift we don’t deserve and can never earn. Promises from the One who declares we are already loved, already accepted, already created in his image. The question becomes, will we truly receive that gift? Will the reality of it actually change the way we think and notice and reach out? God’s Word will stand forever, in any season of life. These truths prompt us to respond with compassion and courage. Through inspiring devotions, Lucinda Secrest McDowell reveals biblical blessings that remind us that: God’s promises give us strength, God’s grace can be most evident at our weakest points, a proper response to our abundance of blessings is simply gratitude, and the “more” we are all looking for is the same abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Would you like to receive these gifts of ordinary grace? Join Lucinda in focusing on one word a day through devotional readings and short benedictions for any and every season to explore the many facets of Grace, Strength, Gratitude, and Life. Ordinary Graces is filled with sweet surprises. Lucinda Secret McDowell presents her readers with one powerful word gift a day. She skillfully defines it within a biblical context, and then challenges us to take an action step. This devotional will transform the way you live each day. I highly recommend it! —Carol Kent, speaker and author He Holds My Hand Author Lucinda Secrest McDowell has given us an extraordinary book with her newest release, Ordinary Graces, Word Gifts for Any Season. Although this wonderful resource is one you'll always want close at hand, it's also one that you'll find yourself sharing with those you meet who need encouragement and hope. McDowell is an author you'll turn to again and again when you're looking to connect with our Heavenly Father in a deeper, more intimate way. Truly a book that is a gift to us all. —Edie Melson, Award Winning Author, Blogger, and Speaker Lucinda always brings me to a place closer to God, deeper in the Word, happier in relationships and more joyful in life with Ordinary Graces. —Pam Farrel, author of 45 books including Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti and 7 Simple Skills for Every Woman Whether read one day at a time or in a season of refreshing, Ordinary Graces by Lucinda Secrest McDowell offers focused reflection on key, attitude-altering words. McDowell's interweaving of quotes from other thoughtful considerers adds even more depth to the beautifully expressed ponderings. —Cynthia Ruchti, author Mornings With Jesus and As My Parents Age Little did Lucinda Secrest McDowell know that my ‘life verse’ is John 1:16: ‘For of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.’ In Ordinary Graces, Lucinda has conveyed the strategic importance of looking for and finding God's grace in our everyday lives. His grace does transform our lives. Gently. Tenderly. Wonderfully. The words she has chosen are exquisitely real and important to my life—and yours. Indulge in the grace-filled truth she is sharing. Take it for yourself. —Ruth Graham, author In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart What a delight to slow down for a few minutes of quiet with this beautifully written devotional, Ordinary Graces. In a world of hurry, Lucinda's words remind us there is grace and strength available if we will just stop to receive. Each day's reading will speak to you from Scripture and change your life for the better. —Arlene Pellicane, author of Calm, Cool, and Connected: 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life In the beginning was the Word ... and there were words ... and they all had meaning and they were good for the spirit of man. And then Lucinda Secrest McDowell came along and took ordinary words and ushered in ordinary graces. These are the words you'd expect in a book such as this, words like gift and life. But there are also words one doesn't expect, words like broken and anger. And perhaps my favorite word of all, sleep. In Ordinary Graces, Lucinda gives us a glimpse of the ordinary to the
Ordinary Jews: Choice and Survival during the Holocaust
by Evgeny FinkelFocusing on the choices and actions of Jews during the Holocaust, Ordinary Jews examines the different patterns of behavior of civilians targeted by mass violence. Relying on rich archival material and hundreds of survivors' testimonies, Evgeny Finkel presents a new framework for understanding the survival strategies in which Jews engaged: cooperation and collaboration, coping and compliance, evasion, and resistance. Finkel compares Jews' behavior in three Jewish ghettos—Minsk, Kraków, and Białystok—and shows that Jews' responses to Nazi genocide varied based on their experiences with prewar policies that either promoted or discouraged their integration into non-Jewish society. Finkel demonstrates that while possible survival strategies were the same for everyone, individuals' choices varied across and within communities. In more cohesive and robust Jewish communities, coping—confronting the danger and trying to survive without leaving—was more organized and successful, while collaboration with the Nazis and attempts to escape the ghetto were minimal. In more heterogeneous Jewish communities, collaboration with the Nazis was more pervasive, while coping was disorganized. In localities with a history of peaceful interethnic relations, evasion was more widespread than in places where interethnic relations were hostile. State repression before WWII, to which local communities were subject, determined the viability of anti-Nazi Jewish resistance.Exploring the critical influences shaping the decisions made by Jews in Nazi-occupied eastern Europe, Ordinary Jews sheds new light on the dynamics of collective violence and genocide.