In education administration, the key to a successful organization is engaging your staff, governance boards, and constituent communities. Successful engagement can bring about advancement and reward, while failure to do so can result in struggling schools and even loss of position. In this guide for school leaders, Dr. Charles M. Ivory makes the case for engagement through personal anecdotes drawn from his forty-six-year career in education, serving in roles from teacher to superintendent of schools. He advises building relationships with each of the various communities that interact with the educational organization, from administration and teachers to general citizenry and students. Ivory addresses not only student-teacher relationships but also those with and among staff, parents, and the community as a whole. Developed properly, this level of engagement can lead to improvement and change, promote compatibility and inclusivity, and enable greater student achievement. Open Doors to Open Minds shares leadership behaviors that build the community consensus needed to promote expectations for higher student achievement-a new insight into what drives school improvement.

Open Hearts & Open Minds Open Doors—Volume I & II, intends to stimulate creative thought. John K. Fox, Ph.D., explains the source of his opinions and his approach to creativity and life by referencing his experiences. The Open Hearts & Open Minds Open Doors series is best understood if we consider that the North and South Poles of our Earth, and the flow of Electrical Current, share the same essence as described in the Oriental concept of the Yin and the Yang. That theme-central is that the Female and the Male are not Opposite Sexes—they are Essential-Inseparable-Compatibles. Dr. Fox asserts that the essential difference between the Oriental and the Occidental is well illustrated in the depiction of the fat-bellied Buddha. The Buddha was in truth, a thin man. According to Oriental perception, the belly (the umbilical) represents the center of each person. In moments of personal sadness, the Occidental might say, “my heart is breaking.” The Oriental might be more inclined to feel that the human longing for comfort originates in the abdomen. Yet, we Occidentals share the Oriental abdominal perspective when we reference the inner strength found within a person, colloquially, as, “having guts!”

Nationally representative studies confirm that LGBTQ individuals are at an elevated risk of experiencing intimate partner violence. While many similarities exist between LGBTQ and heterosexual-cisgender intimate partner violence, research has illuminated a variety of unique aspects of LGBTQ intimate partner violence regarding the predictors of perpetration, the specific forms of abuse experienced, barriers to help-seeking for victims, and policy and intervention needs. This is the first book that systematically reviews the literature regarding LGBTQ intimate partner violence, draws key lessons for current practice and policy, and recommends research areas and enhanced methodologies.

Most of these biblically-based dramas offer a woman's point of view about a scripture story or a scripture message. Some of the "main characters" are biblical people and some are contemporary people. The scripts are suitable for both contemporary and traditional worship services.

This book takes the view that Christian truth is the basis for all answers to social issues and that there are not two opposing but equal answers within Christian truth that are equally valid and equally acceptable to God. Any so called truth or "right" that circumvents or undercuts the required sacrifices, disciplines and self denial demanded by God in any given social or moral issue ceases to be truth, ceases to be right the moment it becomes a force unto itself, outside of or independent of the Scripturally required obedience. Human history has shown over the millennia that when the letter and spirit of God's laws are not obeyed, the truth is abused, nations become confused and people are used. Many of our political and social issues are rooted in our misplaced belief that tolerance, inclusion, equal respect for unequal truth and live and let live is the way to greater peace and prosperity. They are all wrong. Each individual, government and nation is judged by their response to Christ. The Christian nation or one which ascribes to being one, is tasked to set the Christian standard as every nation's point of reference. It is the Christian's duty to show that the valid rule of God's law, the letter of God's law and the spirit of God's law are superior to any other alternative standard. The biggest obstacle to Christianity today is the undisciplined, misinformed and unfaithful lifestyles of professing Christians. The Church has become so indoctrinated in its aversion to any form of discrimination that it has placed a higher priority on keeping the peace by compromising than by keeping the truth by discriminating. By accepting a false peace and rejecting a hard truth that resists compromise, it begets neither peace nor truth.

The Diocesan Commission on Church Art and Architecture for the Archdiocese of Chicago has prepared this set of guidelines to be used with those outlined in Built of Living Stones. They will be useful for all those involved in any building or renovation project of a church or chapel.

Behind the Open Door, The Book of Light, is the first work in a five part series, unveiling the life of eight year old Cassie Murphy, a highly gifted and telepathic child and her invisible dog-friend Patrik. Cassie has unique abilities which uncover the secret past of their home in Maine and its connections to the elemental kingdom, the vibrational forces of nature, and the Angelic realm. Cassie’s talents and behaviors are not well understood, and the story revolves around the two worlds she lives in: her experiences within the dynamics of her family, school and social spheres; and her adventures with Patrik through portals to multiple dimensions. The Book of Light is a magical and delightful story which creates a passageway to open our minds and hearts to envision a world beyond the present, a world of acceptance and connective enlightenment.