Literally all healthy relationships will benefit by understanding and appreciating this historically first true clarification of love eliminating confusion over what it is and how to find and build upon it. This useful descriptive definition of love is invaluable for those interested in increasing the success of any relationship. One of a host of interesting insights is that genuine love is more than emotion. Janet Ackerman-Smith BSN, MA, MS During a fifty-year ministry this is one of my very few "absolute endorsements" because Dr. Joseph Smith has put together a manuscript of such thoughtful and practical concern. Most of the books on the counters of our local bookstores are not of the same caliber that he offers. Reading this manuscript was, for me, an adventure of discovery. I find his book not only fulfilling but exciting. The organization quickly brings the reader to an appreciation that "love defined" can really have an impact on not only the way we understand and then react with others, but how we may do this responsibly. This is the secret genius of this book Reverend William J. Murphey

What was the Holy Grail? A cup? A stone? A platter? According to the author, this sacred relic was none of these things. While setting forth the history of the Grail and its literature, Frank Tribbe demonstrates conclusively that the Grail was none other than the Shroud of Turin, protected in a rectangular box covered with a patterned cloth--a "greille.

This systemic study discusses in its historical, cultural and aesthetic context the postmodern American novel between the years of 1960 and 1980. A general overview of the various definitions of postmodernism in philosophy, cultural theory and aesthetics provides the framework for the inquiry into more specific problems, such as: the broadening of aesthetics, the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, the transformation of the artistic tradition, the interdependence between modernism and postmodernism, and the change in the aesthetics of fiction. Other topics addressed here include: situationalism, montage, the ordinary and the fantastic, the subject and the character, the imagination, comic modes, and the future of the postmodern strategies. The authors whose fiction is treated in some detail under the various aspects thematized are John Barth, Donald Barthelme, Richard Brautigan, Robert Coover, Stanley Elkin, Raymond Federman, William Gaddis, John Hawkes, Jerzy Kosinski, Thomas Pynchon, Ishmael Reed, Ronald Sukenick, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Price and Turner explore the legends and lore of the Southwestern Great Plains. "The Cruel Plains" seeks to both inform and entertain while delving into and uncovering the mysteries that make western folklore so engaging.

George R.R. Martin's acclaimed seven-book fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire is unique for its strong and multi-faceted female protagonists, from teen queen Daenerys, scheming Queen Cersei, child avenger Arya, knight Brienne, Red Witch Melisandre, and many more. The Game of Thrones universe challenges, exploits, yet also changes how we think of women and gender, not only in fantasy, but in Western culture in general. Divided into three sections addressing questions of adaptation from novel to television, female characters, and politics and female audience engagement within the GoT universe, the interdisciplinary and international lineup of contributors analyze gender in relation to female characters and topics such as genre, sex, violence, adaptation, as well as fan reviews. The genre of fantasy was once considered a primarily male territory with male heroes. Women of Ice and Fire shows how the GoT universe challenges, exploits, and reimagines gender and why it holds strong appeal to female readers, audiences, and online participants.

Writing Strategies for Talent Development helps educators incorporate effective and engaging writing strategies into their classroom that are designed to reach struggling and gifted students alike. This guide demonstrates how teachers can provide the means to write (with appropriate tools and classroom structures), the motivation to write (through engaging genre-based lessons), and the opportunity to write more frequently across multiple subjects. Covering genres from fantasy, crime, and humor, to horror, non-fiction, and even romance, this book provides the tools to support every writer in the room.

The classical doctrine of God expresses that the God of the Bible is triune, a se, simple, immutable, impassible, eternal, and the sovereign Lord over his creation, which he created from himself. Modern streams of theology, within the evangelical circle, continue to promote a doctrine of God that sharply contrasts the classical view--the traditional view of God in Christian theism. Therefore, a critical response to such a theology is needed. This study is a comprehensive analysis and sustained critique of Thomas Jay Oord's open/relational doctrine of God. Oord's model substitutes process metaphysics for classical metaphysics, while attempting to retain foundational Christian doctrines that were established within a classical metaphysical framework.

Do you want to craft your own book blurbs, but don't know where to start? Enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an intriguing blurb that captures attention and encourages people to hit the ‘buy’ button. Unfortunately, not all book blurbs are created equal, and the difference between a good or bad book blurb can impact your sales. In this no-fuss, actionable book, you’ll learn the art of writing book blurbs with one main aim: to sell more books. Topics covered include: - What a book blurb is, and more importantly, what it isn’t - The essential components of a book blurb - What to include in a book blurb and what to leave out - Examples from a range of fiction genres - How a book blurb should look (and why) - The difference between fiction and non-fiction book blurbs - Terrific taglines, tone of voice, plus much more! Whether this is your first or twentieth book, your book deserves an impossible-to-resist ‘I want to read more’ book blurb that converts book browsers to readers and proves to the world that your book is worth reading. This book will show you how. Belinda Williams is a copywriter turned fiction author with more than twenty years of experience in marketing. She can switch from writing steamy romance to punching out attention-grabbing sales copy before you have time to say, ‘book blurb!’ With her unique skill set, she aims to help other authors market their books.

Witty and thought provoking, two Vatican astronomers shed provocative light on some of the strange places where religion and science meet. “Imagine if a Martian showed up, all big ears and big nose like a child’s drawing, and he asked to be baptized. How would you react?” —Pope Francis, May, 2014 Pope Francis posed that question—without insisting on an answer!—to provoke deeper reflection about inclusiveness and diversity in the Church. But it's not the first time that question has been asked. Brother Guy Consolmagno and Father Paul Mueller hear questions like that all the time. They’re scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. In Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? they explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason: How do you reconcile the The Big Bang with Genesis? Was the Star of Bethlehem just a pious religious story or an actual description of astronomical events? What really went down between Galileo and the Catholic Church—and why do the effects of that confrontation still reverberate to this day? Will the Universe come to an end? And… could you really baptize an extraterrestrial? With disarming humor, Brother Guy and Father Paul explore these questions and more over the course of six days of dialogue. Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial will make you laugh, make you think, and make you reflect more deeply on science, faith, and the nature of the universe.