Belong is the story of Divaker - a common and ordinary man like one of us. Belong is the tale of ordinary human life with all its problems and challenges, as seen and experienced through the eyes and life of Divaker. He is one of us, an average human being. He belongs to a 'lower-middle income' family of a remote village in West Bengal, but the family kept on moving from place to place ever since Divaker was a child with all the utensils, table-fan, mattress and radio. Papa was an average government servant. As a child, Divaker had seen people moving away before becoming friends, people who never came back ever. Before he could mix-up with local kids at school, it was time for Divaker to move off to a new place. Divaker saw a lot of turbulence in his teen years. Mama and Papa separated, and he was sent to a Hindu boy's missionary school up in the hills, where life started everyday at five-thirty in the morning, all twelve months of the year. He had jumped into manhood by the time he passed high school. He somewhere missed the inquisitiveness and curiosity of teen age and the heavenly-dreamy period of youth. He was a full-grown man at twenty, a man with invisible wrinkles on face. Divaker crawled, stood on his feet, walked and ran for career, life and money. He tasted varied flavors of success, failures and disgust. He carved out a small position for himself in this big-biiiiig world. Life taught him the way this world goes round the sun- harder way round. Divaker married, after a full-time romance of four years, it was then he discovered and learnt few other things in life, not all of them pleasant- yes, the harder way round.

Have you ever wondered why a true sense of fulfillment, abundance, freedom, joy, and connection seems elusive? Sometimes our biggest questions are answered in ways we just didn’t consider. With insight and exuberance, Bible study teacher Candace Payne walks through the five ways God names Himself in relation to us and how each name adds a layer of truth to how we belong. It has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with Him and He meets us at every turn to prove it. In this six-session video Bible study, dig deep into the characteristics of the God who claims us, considers us, names us, and loves us. Understanding who we are through who God says He is erases all the boxes we’ve put ourselves and others into and unleashes joy-filled freedom. This study challenges groups to get honest and real in their discussion time and to explore the truth in what Scripture says about who God is and what that means about us. It also includes personal “fun work” instead of homework that will inspire you to think differently and respond to all things more like a true Child of God. Sessions include: Do I Belong? The Good Shepherd The Heavenly Father The Bridegroom The Head of the Body The Source of Belonging Designed for use with You Belong Video Study available on DVD or streaming video, sold separately.

Using insightful teachings as well as beautifully described real-life experiences, the stories in In Love, Where I Belong weave together the profound reality that God’s love is for everyone, not just the “super-spiritual,” and that we all have a place where we belong—in His heart. Author Brenda VanWinkle knows what it’s like to be shackled to fear and loneliness. She also knows the sweet triumph of overcoming and finding genuine peace in the Lord. Her early childhood, though idyllic in spots, was also marred by the death of her mother. Over time, however, the discovery of God’s love for her washed away the insecurities. Today, she ministers with her husband, repairing broken relationships around the world.

For too long, the world’s lonely and vulnerable children have been forgotten and ignored. Millions of children are abandoned for a life on the streets or live with unsafe families or in soulless institutions. Now the tide is turning. Pioneers like Mick Pease and his remarkable charity SFAC lead a global movement for change. This insightful and uplifting book takes us on a journey that spans three decades and five continents. We meet judges and social workers, missionaries and aid workers, the children and families themselves. Mick asks tough questions, such as: Would you want your children in a safe family or in an institution? Would you want them to belong to something or to someone? He offers proven solutions for children separated from their families in widely different societies, from the hills of Myanmar to the sprawling cities of Brazil. SFAC supports measures to keep children in their families and communities or to find safe alternatives where this is not possible. The key is always the best interests of the child. It is an extraordinary journey from the Yorkshire coalfields to advocacy and influence in the corridors of power. It offers practical wisdom and a hope for the future.

A practical guide for those struggling to build a community of believers in a culture that wants to experience belonging over believingWho is my neighbor? Who belongs to me? To whom do I belong? These are timeless questions that guide the church to its fundamental calling. Today terms like neighbor, family, and congregation are being redefined. People are searching to belong in new places and experiences. The church needs to adapt its interpretations, definitions, and language to make sense in the changing culture.This book equips congregations and church leaders with tools to: • Discern the key ingredients people look for in community • Understand the use of space as a key element for experiencing belonging and community • Develop the “chemical compound” that produces an environment for community to spontaneously emerge • Discover how language promotes specific spatial belonging and then use this knowledge to build an effective vocabulary for community development • Create an assessment tool for evaluating organizational and personal community health

You Belong to Christ explores the way that the Apostle Paul sought to form the social identity of one of his most important Christ-following communities. It sheds light on the way various social identities function within the Pauline community and provides guidance concerning the social implications of the gospel. Drawing from contemporary social identity theories as well as ancient source material, J. Brian Tucker describes the way 1 Corinthians 1-4 forms social identity in its readers, so that what results is an alternative community with a distinct ethos, in contrast to the Roman Empire and its imperial ideology. This book contends that previous identities are not obliterated "in Christ," but maintain their fundamental significance and serve to further the Pauline mission by means of social integration. Providing a comprehensive survey of Christian identity in Pauline studies as well as an interesting look into the material remains of Roman Corinth, this volume provides a social-scientific reading of 1 Corinthians 1-4, and argues that Paul's strategy was to form salient "in Christ" social identity in those to whom he wrote.

Because this writer spent much of her own life wondering if and where she belonged, there is now a compelling unction to reach out to those with similar feelings of uncertainty. She is trusting that, by the grace of God, this book will be able to minister some degree of healing and significance to you - the hurting who are already a part of the Body of Christ; but, most especially to you - who do not yet even realize that God loves you and that He has a very unique plan for your life. "...the product of a sincere heart in search of the Living God...explores questions and answers found over the course of a lifelong pilgrimage. Each chapter is a conversation with a trusted friend who remains ever in awe of her Savior." John Abuso, D.Min., LMFT "...an excellent book that holds the reader's attention from start to finish. It inspires new, struggling, and seasoned "believers" alike to access God's love and all of its benefits." Veronica Montgomery, LCSW "...insight into God's enduring love for us expressed in this book is that which can only be discovered through an intimate relationship with Him. The real life examples bring to life the Spirit of His plan for us in an easy-to-read style." Dana R. Pina, BSN, RN "...an instrument of holistic healing...practical, transparent approach...filled with life-changing principles that will augment your mindset and perception of life...with purpose and direction." D. H. Dawkins, Senior Pastor Praise Tabernacle International, Ft. Lauderdale, FL E-mail: wheredoIbelong@att.net BE BLESSED...and BE a BLESSING!!!

A leading expert shows how, by learning from refugee teachers and students, we can create for displaced childrenÑand indeed all childrenÑbetter schooling and brighter futures. Half of the worldÕs 26 million refugees are children. Their formal education is disrupted, and their lives are too often dominated by exclusion and uncertainty about what the future holds. Even kids who have the opportunity to attend school face enormous challenges, as they struggle to integrate into unfamiliar societies and educational environments. In Right Where We Belong, Sarah Dryden-Peterson discovers that, where governments and international agencies have been stymied, refugee teachers and students themselves are leading. From open-air classrooms in Uganda to the hallways of high schools in Maine, new visions for refugee education are emerging. Dryden-Peterson introduces us to people like JacquesÑa teacher who created a school for his fellow Congolese refugees in defiance of local lawsÑand Hassan, a Somali refugee navigating the social world of the American teenager. Drawing on more than 600 interviews in twenty-three countries, Dryden-Peterson shows how teachers and students are experimenting with flexible forms of learning. Rather than adopt the unrealistic notion that all will soon return to Ònormal,Ó these schools embrace unfamiliarity, develop studentsÕ adaptiveness, and demonstrate how children, teachers, and community members can build supportive relationships across lines of difference. It turns out that policymakers, activists, and educators have a lot to learn from displaced children and teachers. Their stories point the way to better futures for refugee students and inspire us to reimagine education broadly, so that children everywhere are better prepared to thrive in a diverse and unpredictable world.

“This is not a time to hunker down and lock our doors. I see clearly that the Lord is calling us out of ourselves, to get up and walk.” —From the Foreword by POPE FRANCIS Drawing on the wisdom of Pope Francis and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Austen Ivereigh has written a captivating spiritual guide for our turbulent age. Designed as an eight-day Ignatian retreat, First Belong to God serves as a roadmap to deeper discipleship. It does this by focusing on the three foundational forms of belonging: to God, to creation, and to others. Structured around the core principles of St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, First Belong to God encapsulates the key aspects of the Francis pontificate: the essence of being “God-belonging” entities the way God’s mercy challenges our self-reliance the journey to building the Kingdom in the footsteps of Christ heeding the cry of the earth and the stranger striving for fraternity by championing synodality Whether you’re embarking on a solitary spiritual expedition or a journey with like-minded individuals, First Belong to God offers the next best thing to a personal retreat with Pope Francis: a full-soul immersion into his wisdom via the classic Jesuit retreat that shaped him so profoundly.

Set against the glorious backdrop of World War Two Ireland, this dramatic, emotional and romantic novel is perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Lorna Cook, Tracy Rees and Jenny Ashcroft! 'A romantic saga writer to watch' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH She lost everything in one night. Now she must fight for happiness. It's 1943 and Ireland has escaped the worst of the war raging in Europe, but life is not without its hardships. When fire breaks out at the convent in Cavan where she has spent the past ten years, orphan Eva Fallon barely escapes with her life. She's offered a bed for the night by Ma Scully, whilst her nephew Cathal, visiting from Dublin, helps battle the blaze. Seventeen-year-old Eva has never known such kindness but she's too proud to take advantage, and finds a job at Blackstock's farm, setting in motion a chain of events that will change her life forever. Amidst tragedy and hardship, the only ray of light is the friendship of Ma Scully and her growing, secret love for Cathal. And through it all Eva clings to her hope that one day she will find a place where she can truly belong. Don't miss Cathy Mansell's next powerfully heartrending family saga of three sisters in 1950s Ireland - The Dublin Girls - out now! Here's what readers are saying: 'Glorious - a cross between Maeve Binchy and Catherine Cookson' 5* early reader review 'A superb saga' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH 'A heart-warming story full of characters you'll come to love' ROSIE GOODWIN 'Page-turning and compelling... Most highly recommended' MARGARET KAINE 'Rarely have I read a book where every character springs from the pages so authentically' JEAN CHAPMAN 'A warm-hearted, engaging story' MARGARET JAMES, WRITING MAGAZINE