Lillian Daniel shares how her congregation re-appropriated the practice of testimony one Lenten season, a practice that would eventually revitalize their worship and transform their congregational culture.

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY BEST CLASSIC BANDS For the first time, legendary singer and songwriter and Grammy Hall-of-Famer Aaron Neville tells his personal story of overcoming poverty, racism, addiction, and loss through faith, family, and music. Aaron Neville’s first #1 hit, “Tell It Like it Is,” was released in 1966. In the mid-70s he formed the Neville Brothers with Art, Charles, and Cyril—now known as the “First Family of New Orleans”—and they released more than a dozen influential albums. Given his one-of-a-kind, soaring falsetto, Aaron was the breakout star, and over the next six decades, he had four platinum albums, three #1 songs, numerous film and television appearances, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. His triple-platinum duets with Linda Ronstadt (including the Grammy-Award-winning hit “I Don’t Know Much”) showcased the softer side of his voice, and the smoking hot funky soul of the Neville Brothers cemented his legacy as an R&B legend. But few people know the challenging and circuitous road Aaron took to fame. Born in a housing project in New Orleans of Black and Native American heritage, Aaron struggled as a teenage father working to raise a family while building his career as a musician, surviving a stint in jail for car theft and many years battling heroin addiction. ​Recognized by the dagger tattoo on his cheek and his St. Jude medallion earring, Neville credits St. Jude—the patron saint of lost cases—for turning his life around. He found healing and salvation in music. Aaron Neville is a man who by all accounts should not have made it. Tell It Like It Is shares his story for the first time.

Can you imagine a young, vibrant, spontaneous and intelligent child having the potential to develop into a successful, high-achieving adult? Well, Alice experienced the opposite. Being raped at a tender age, she blocked out the event; could not tell her parents, and chose to pretend that life is dandy, living a faade and creating the illusion that all is well. Thus, with many unresolved emotions and thoughts which became debilitating beliefs, spilling over into devastating behaviours, Alice carried these into adulthood which caused much pain and suffering. Many stumbling blocks were encountered, conflict and challenges she had to face and found herself at continuous cross roads and did not know which way to go. Was a breakdown imminent? Three pertinent questions are raised which baffles people because they have not considered it before. When are you the abused? When are you the abuser? When are you self-abusive? After deep and honest introspect she courageously had to deal with her representational and belief systems, conditionings, habits and patterns. How it leads to consequences and the impact it has on the self, family, friends, work and society at large. There is clarity!

If you haven’t learnt about how to preserve your happiness, then you haven’t learnt anything in life F a o : Teens and the Parents of Teens. FOR YOUR OWN HAPPINESS IN LIFE, YOU MUST NOT HARM NEURONES. Who has ever been successful in life without reading important books? This book is not to read only but to understand the important stuff in life. It emanates a good sense of humour but makes you feel calmer at the end. It aims to uphold your happiness while making you aware of the dangers. This book is reserved for our children at a time where the rate of mental health sufferings is rising around the world. Please help yourself in protecting the children’s mental health and well-being. Children represent the future of the world. One in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children are suffering from mental health problems at present; so we must act on now to prevent it spreading further. Nip trauma in bud. Prevention is the best treatment. Every parent wants to see their child prosper and succeed in life. Every child has got his or her dream to enjoy life. This is entirely possible when a child has not been emotionally damaged. When things go wrong despite good intentions, both the parents and children will not experience success and happiness in life. When a child is harmed, happiness disappears from the family. Misery and sorrow will persist in the life of a child victim when ‘hope’ is dashed into smithereens by a wrongful behaviour of someone known or unknown to the child. This book is here to raise awareness of the important mental health issues in a child’s life. Knowledge is medicine. This book is a prophylactic medicine in the prevention of a child’s mental health sufferings. Therefore, not only a child should take knowledge from this book but also a responsible parent should feed the child with all the ‘contents’ of this book at the same time. This book (volumes I and II) aims to ward off sufferings of a child in relation to mental health. A sustained state of mental well-being is essential for every child to succeed and enjoy life. Effective learning comes with laughter. Learning is fun. This book is entirely free from jargon. It is based on scientific advances and useful to woo all societies. This book contains humour palatable to the young minds as well as several educational photos for the readers. It contains exotic lullabies, tickling jokes along with chuckling bed-time reads designed to bring a positive change in a child’s life in relation to Mental Health. It has stuff that works with children. It is unique. Volume I explains the structure and the role of Mind and Neurones in the origin of our sufferings. It also describes the dangers of Trauma and consequences of traumatised Mind. It tells you the dangers of Head injuries. Every child should read and understand the contents of ‘a letter to parent by a parent’ in Volume I, Chapter 7. The meaning and the significance of human Emotion and Relationship with the world have been thoroughly explained. Cause of suicide and self-harm has been explained. Every child should understand the origin of Anger and its impacts on life. Effects of domestic violence on mental health have been discussed thoroughly. A great emphasis has been given in making a child aware of ‘Depressive illness’, 'Child abuse’ by adults, and ‘Learning difficulty’. Share responsibility to mitigate sufferings. Don’t run away. How Are You? Tell it like it is (Vol.1) is Volume I. Also check out Volume II Harangue with Meringue. It is no use crying over spilt milk (Vol. II) ISBN: 978-1-78222-178-4 Volume II explains the dangers of Obesity, Alcohol use and abuse of Sex. The importance of Self-esteem is explained. A great deal of effort has been made to explain the Stigma of mental illness and its implications in life. Chapter 18 has been devoted to explain ‘life’ as a vehicular allegory. Every young mind should understand this article on life compared with a moving vehicle. ‘Attention/concentration difficulties’ and ‘Autism type of difficulties’ are well explained, because it’s very important for all children to have a basic knowledge of these conditions. The importance of knowing about Dementia is highlighted. The scientific basis of the importance of Talking Therapy in ameliorating sufferings is explained. One chapter describes the symptoms of traumatised mind where the reader is expected to identify any features s/he has at the time of reading. The last chapter contains Hard Talk (FAST) which every new generation should have a fair understanding of the contents... Knowledge is an antidote to sufferings. Knowledge is panacea. A bad behaviour induces suffering; so it must be stopped. Every piece of information in the book is educational to the young minds and a must-read for every teenager. Please spread the knowledge to prevent the illness spreading. Life is hell without a sound mental health. Think of it!

I remember going to seminary thinking that I would find God there. But I didnt. I read peoples thoughts about God in books and wrote papers on their thoughts, but I never actually met God in seminary. Where I met God was in my encounters with other people. Not really surprising when you stop to think of it. Of course, we are more apt to encounter God through other people because God incarnated as one of us in Jesus. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Consequently, it is through other people that we are most likely to catch a glimpse of God just as others encountered God in Jesus. Throughout the years of my ministry and life, that has been my continuing experience. I have also met God through my own failures and losses, met God when I went through my divorce, even met God when I was in depression. God came to me through others who came to me and offered hope. But I never met God because of what someone else told me I should believe about God or in any doctrine about God.

The average person tells at least six lies a day is it any wonder we struggle to sort fact from fiction in the modern world? Thanks to remarkable increases in the speed and ease of information sharing, the ability to critically judge the integrity of information around us is more necessary now than ever before. Luckily, it is possible for any individual to evaluate information in a much more critical fashion, based largely upon a simple process of deductive reasoning. This book explores the elements of truth and fiction across the expanse of our daily lives. Through examination of public figures and members of popular culture who have been caught in the act of deception, the reader is encouraged to consider what information can best be used to judge the legitimacy of any event, as well as considering our own culpability in perpetuating a culture of deceit. From the evolution of deception to the private fictions we tell ourselves, this book will guide the reader to a new perspective on the role of lying in modern society. Like Dan Ariely and Daniel Kahneman have opened our eyes to the fallibility of human judgment, Lori Badura opens our eyes to the psychological and social mechanisms that enable humans to distort the truth both consciously and unconsciously. Daryl Wansink, PhD (social psychologist) Tell It Like It Isnt is a fresh voice in the increasing debate surrounding the growing prevalence, impact, and tolerance of deception. She has brilliantly elevated the discussion to the level of our society, allowing us to consider the deceptive individual within the context of their environment. In my experience, it is rare to find psychological theory presented so clearly and compellingly. John C. Parker, PhD (social psychologist)

A sharecropper, a warrior, and a truth-telling prophet, Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977) stands as a powerful symbol not only of the 1960s black freedom movement, but also of the enduring human struggle against oppression. A Voice That Could Stir an Army is a rhetorical biography that tells the story of Hamer's life by focusing on how she employed symbols—images, words, and even material objects such as the ballot, food, and clothing—to construct persuasive public personae, to influence audiences, and to effect social change. Drawing upon dozens of newly recovered Hamer texts and recent interviews with Hamer's friends, family, and fellow activists, Maegan Parker Brooks moves chronologically through Hamer's life. Brooks recounts Hamer's early influences, her intersection with the black freedom movement, and her rise to prominence at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Brooks also considers Hamer's lesser-known contributions to the fight against poverty and to feminist politics before analyzing how Hamer is remembered posthumously. The book concludes by emphasizing what remains rhetorical about Hamer's biography, using the 2012 statue and museum dedication in Hamer's hometown of Ruleville, Mississippi, to examine the larger social, political, and historiographical implications of her legacy. The sustained consideration of Hamer's wide-ranging use of symbols and the reconstruction of her legacy provided within the pages of A Voice That Could Stir an Army enrich understanding of this key historical figure. This book also demonstrates how rhetorical analysis complements historical reconstruction to explain the dynamics of how social movements actually operate.

"For those new to philosophy, 'Tetralogue' is a marvellous way into the subject. For those who are old hands, it neatly poses serious questions about truth and falsity, relativism and dogma."--Dust jacket flap.