How often do you feel overwhelmed by the pace of your life? These days it's easy to work harder and harder, constantly pushing ourselves and those around us so that we and our congregations can be "successful." We forget that our drive to succeed can prevent us from taking the time to stop and listen for what God is calling us and our congregations to be. This book is one pastor's story of his journey from a success-oriented drivenness to a significance-oriented, meandering style of life. What you will find are reflections from a fellow traveler who is now less desirous of doing something spectacular for God and is instead committed to doing something significant with God--who is discovering a more grace-filled, Spirit-led way. This book offers a contrarian take on the more popular practices of leadership found throughout the church today. Meandering leaders are attentive to the promptings of the Spirit. They are guides and mentors who patiently journey alongside those they love and lead. Ultimately, being a meandering leader is about being on a journey with God--personally and corporately slowing down the pace of our lives and following God's Spirit. In the faith journey, we are not so much racing toward a physical finish line as we are meandering toward becoming all that God has in mind for us to be. This book is an invitation to journey into the depths of your own soul and to follow the Spirit's lead in the next chapters of your life.

In the fall of 1966, at a university in the Northeast, 350 students signed up for a psychological survey on personal development and happiness. In 1977, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, then a young psychology professor, came across the study and decided to expand it. She tracked down the study's original participants and questioned them every decade until she had forty years' worth of data. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Whitbourne reveals the findings of this extensive project, a seminal piece of research into how people change over the course of their lifetimes. The results indicate something fascinating: No matter how old or how content you might currently feel, it is never too late to steer your life toward a greater sense of purpose and satisfaction. Western society often paints a pessimistic view of aging, a "best years are behind you" attitude. But Whitbourne challenges this notion and posits that it's possible to find fulfillment at any age. Guided by her research, she identifies five different life pathways and provides a questionnaire that will help you discover which one you are currently on: • The Meandering Way You have a low sense of identity, lack priorities, and feel lost, unable to settle on a clear set of goals. • The Downward Slope You seem to have it all, until one or two poor decisions send your life into a spiral. • The Straight and Narrow Way You embrace predictability, shy away from risk, and don't enjoy shaking up your routine. • The Triumphant Trail Your inner resilience has allowed you to overcome significant challenges that could have left you despondent. • The Authentic Road You take a bold and honest look at your life, assess whether it's truly satisfying, and take the necessary risks to get back on track. Whitbourne shows how you can work yourself off a negative pathway and onto one that is more fulfilling. And if you identify yourself as being on one of the more positive pathways, you'll learn how to keep enhancing your feelings of satisfaction. Filled with insight and candid personal profiles of Whitbourne's subjects, The Search for Fulfillment offers proof that change is not only possible but ultimately rewarding. Revolutionary and inspirational, this encouraging book provides a new way of looking at our lives—and a guidepost for making changes for the better, at any age.

Follow the Way is about how the virtues of humility, gratitude, and simplicity impact prayer and a relationship with God. We learn these virtues from the life of Jesus. Like the dust Jesus kicked up stuck to the sweaty disciples as they followed close behind, our habits and practices of listening, being, and seeing stick on those following us. Humility teaches us to listen. A relationship cannot be a one-sided conversation—humility reminds us to quiet our own voice enough to recognize the voice of God in our lives. Gratitude teaches us to be present. A relationship cannot be based solely on the past or the future—we need to recognize God in the present, in ordinary moments of life. Simplicity teaches us to see. A relationship cannot have clarity without each understanding the other—we need to clear out the noise and interference in order to recognize God’s will and plan for our life. Humility, gratitude, and simplicity empower us to pray intimately and experience an intimate relationship where we truly know God, not just stuff about God.

In an era of rapid change and increasing societal demands, the role of universities as knowledge producers and catalysts for change has come under scrutiny. This open access book offers a fresh perspective on the significance of universities in society, shedding light on how their knowledge can truly matter beyond academia. Drawing upon insightful inquiries from both the Swedish and international contexts, this volume delves into the multifaceted interactions between universities and various knowledge users, emphasizing the need for scholars to reflect on how their knowledge can become useful and applicable to wider society. Organized into three compelling themes, collaboration, engagement, and impact, this book explores the concept of "mattering". Together and jointly, they point at the fluid movement of scholars and scholarly knowledge across academic, political, and public spaces, and the intentional actions of scientists to leverage their expertise for real-world impact. Essential reading for social science and humanities scholars, university management professionals, and individuals keen on a critical understanding of the evolving role of universities, this volume offers a comprehensive examination of how universities have mattered, continue to matter, and can shape the future.

The fourth edition continues to provide psychologists with a fresh and engaging approach to the field of psychology of adult development and aging. It focuses on three themes: a multidisciplinary approach, positive images of aging, and the newest and most relevant research. Recent articles and updates to the information on demography, economics, and public policy are presented. The Aging in the News feature includes a story of a remarkable achievement by a middle-aged or older adult. The Assess Yourself boxes are also updated with new questions. Psychologists appreciate this mix of examples and discussions that make the material come to life.

This proceedings volume contains selected papers presented at the 2014 International Conference on Informatics, Networking and Intelligent Computing, held in Shenzhen, China. Contributions cover the latest developments and advances in the field of Informatics, Networking and Intelligent Computing.

The new edition of the leading textbook on the biopsychosocial processes of aging in adults, fully revised and updated. Adult Development and Aging helps student readers understand the aging process both in themselves and in those around them. Approaching the subject from the biopsychosocial perspective — an innovative model of adult development that takes into account the influences and interactions of complex biological, psychological, and social processes — authors Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Stacey B. Whitbourne explore the latest concepts and applications in this exciting academic discipline. Based on Susan's classroom experience teaching her Psychology of Aging course, this engaging textbook integrates current research, real-world data, detailed explanations, and relatable examples to provide a balanced and accessible examination of the subject. This fully updated and revised seventh edition offers inclusive coverage of recent advances in neuroscience and genetics, cognitive functions, vocational development, sociocultural influences, mental health issues, health and prevention, and much more. "AgeFeeds" provide key information for each chapter, while new graphics, charts, tables, and figures enhance the text's visual appeal and strengthen student comprehension and retention. Acclaimed for its depth, currency, and student-friendly presentation, this popular textbook: Uses a multidisciplinary approach for understanding adult aging and development Offers positive images of aging and the newest and most relevant research in the field Provides new and updated illustrations, references, quizzes, examples, and research Offers practical self-help tips and up-to-date links to online resources Includes extensive supplementary teaching and learning material including a test bank, PowerPoint slides, and an instructor’s manual Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives, 7th Editionis an invaluable source of topically relevant information for traditional college-age learners and mature returning students alike, as well as for instructors and academic researchers in areas of adult aging and lifespan development.

New Techniques of Grief Therapy: Bereavement and Beyond expands on the mission of the previous two Techniques books, featuring innovative approaches to address the needs of those whose lives have been shadowed by loss—whether through bereavement, serious illness, the rupture of a relationship, or other complex or intangible losses, such as of an identity-defining career. The book starts with several framing chapters by prominent theorists that provide a big- picture orientation to grief work and follows with a generous toolkit of creative therapeutic techniques described in concrete detail and anchored in illustrative case studies to convey their use in actual practice. New Techniques of Grief Therapy is an indispensable resource for professionals working in hospice, hospital, palliative care, and elder care settings; clinicians in broader health-care and mental health-care practices; executive coaches; and students in the field of grief therapy.

How reading literature through the lens of visual art sheds new light on the accomplishments of modernist and postmodernist writers