This is a book about faith and moral issues facing American troops and veterans. As someone who spent four years wearing a U.S. army uniform, Edgar S. Welty has plenty of "soldier stories." But he does not start this book with those stories. Instead, Welty introduces his work with the telling of Simon's service when he carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He argues that "service" is the same as Jesus's call to "go an 'extra' or 'second' mile." Americans are called by Jesus to walk a "second mile" for American troops and veterans. This act of service is necessary because many troops are in trouble, as is demonstrated by suicide rates. Each section of this book focuses on a new issue surrounding troops and veterans.

"Over 2,000 entries covering the who, what, where, when and why of U.S. history."--Thumbnail.

What is being done in worship when national holidays are celebrated, the American flag is displayed and honored, and songs are sung that extol the nation? Are these benign gestures? Or could they actually be idolatrous? In this insightful and persuasively argued study Craig M. Watts contends the inclusion of elements of American nationalism in worship is detrimental to the integrity of Christian worship. He maintains that in faithful worship the story of Jesus must be re-presented and performed in such a way that the only affections and loyalty that are fostered are those Christians everywhere rightfully share. To do otherwise opens the door to idolatry and leaves the church doing what Watts calls "bowing toward Babylon." He reviews the development of the symbols, songs, and gestures that celebrate America and how they were introduced into worship. Watts concludes that the spirituality of American Christian nationalism does not complement the faith of the church but distorts it, hindering global Christian unity and the peaceable witness of the church in a divided world.

A companion to the holiday covering its history, lore, traditions, foods, and symbols, including primary sources, poems, prayers, songs, hymns, and recipes, supplemented by a chronology, bibliography with web sites, and index.

The Bride Wears Army Boots!Spiritual Weapons and Tools for Healing and Development offers itself as a get ready manual for the Lords soon return. It is a comprehensive field guide to both the broken and to their helpers who recognize themselves called of the Lord to serve and make better a broken humanity. It gives insights as to how a person can become internally wounded, even broken to pieces, and filled with core emotional pain, and it lays out the biblical prescriptions for transformation of spirit, soul, and body. Gods blueprint for spiritual development is an exciting revelation that unfolds the mystery as to how one can grow spiritually to become part with the Bride of Christ (also, Sons of God). The Bride Wears Army Boots! avoids the pitfalls of abstraction by incorporating the authors accounts of some real-life experiences that she and her husband, Doug, underwent. This approach clearly witnesses to the testing of the guides model and the ways of applying ministries that bring about change. The examples are candid, down-to-earth, and spoken in understandable language. They will enrich with understanding and wisdom and equip the hearer for service. Whether you are new to responding to Gods call to serve broken humanity or you are a veteran of the Gospel who is seeking to reapply yourself with renewed vigor, The Bride Wears Army Boots! stands ready to inspire you to trust that God is able to work through cleansed, faith-filled, Spirit-anointed believers to perform His good will in cleansing the Bride of Christ from all Her spots and wrinkles. God indeed wants to use you!

Christmas has become a celebration of excess and conspicuous consumption. Frequently overwhelmed, nostalgia becomes the antidote to frantic preparations, endless shopping and huge expense that leaves us bone weary. The sermon title, "TLC: Thanksgiving Leads to Christmas," caught Pastor Elaine Eachus' imagination and she began to wonder how thankfulness might be the key that unlocks the richness of each day of the Christmas season. Being truly thankful takes time---to appreciate, to look deeply inside, to see myriads of connections coming together for good, to incorporate life changes, and to share these new insights. Living into this dimension is to see with the wide-eyed wonder of a child. For Eachus, little moments contain the TLC--- a granddaughter coloring a Christmas tree, making candy with a friend, or a father giving his young daughter a copy of Handel's Messiah. No matter our age, there is magic and wonder within the Advent season. Eachus invites us on a twenty-eight day journey to discover God-with-us. Accompany her on this trip that can take each of us a lifetime as we look for our unique Christmas heart.