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"Here we have a Catholic exegete, on the basis of a close analysis of the New Testament texts, challenging his church to a reexamination of its disciplinary tradition: if the meal practice of Jesus embodied a never-failing presence of the Lord to his ever-failing disciples, then should not the church think twice before excluding faltering members from communion? Moloney's stimulating study gives food for thought even to Protestants who may consider that their own communion discipline has relaxed to the point of disappearance. In any case, this book makes a significant contribution to reflection on the ways to hold together the divine generosity in forgiveness, the call of sinners to repentance, and the responsibility of the church as beneficiary, messenger, and steward of the gospel."--Geoffrey Wainwright, Robert Earl Cushman Professor of Christian Theology, Duke University

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Library Journal, Harper’s Bazaar and more “Profound and affecting.”—Chloe Benjamin “Broken People leads us through the winds of time and memory to offer a riveting portrait of transformation. I am better for having read it.”—Jamie Lee Curtis A groundbreaking, incandescent debut novel about coming to grips with the past and ourselves, for fans of Sally Rooney, Hanya Yanagihara and Garth Greenwell “He fixes everything that’s wrong with you in three days.” This is what hooks Sam when he first overhears it at a fancy dinner party in the Hollywood hills: the story of a globe-trotting shaman who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on emotionally damaged people. For neurotic, depressed Sam, new to Los Angeles after his life in New York imploded, the possibility of total transformation is utterly tantalizing. He’s desperate for something to believe in, and the shaman—who promises ancient rituals, plant medicine and encounters with the divine—seems convincing, enough for Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care. But are the great spirits the shaman says he’s summoning real at all? Or are the ghosts in Sam’s memory more powerful than any magic? At turns tender and acid, funny and wise, Broken People is a journey into the nature of truth and fiction—a story of discovering hope amid cynicism, intimacy within chaos and peace in our own skin.

The Body Broken is an honest and moving meditation on the Gospel imperative to love one another as brothers and sisters, even as we choose to live and express our faith in differing ways. A lifelong Christian and seeker, Robert Benson has shared the prayers, rituals, conversations, and practices of many different denominations. His broad range of ecumenical experiences have led to moments of great joy and deep fellowship, but they have also opened his eyes to the misunderstanding and the intolerance that constantly threaten to dismember the whole Body of Christ. Benson writes longingly about the things of the faith that bind us together and gracefully about the things that keep us apart. He recounts his own journey from Nazarene to Methodist to Episcopalian and introduces us to the people and the differing expressions of faith he encountered along the way. We meet ordinary folk, including Benson's family and childhood friends, as well as legendary religious thinkers as Henri Nouwen. Some of the stories--particularly the ones about his own brother's suicide--are heartbreakingly painful; others bring to light the joy and grace of Christian love as found in acts of common worship and compassion. Although Benson acknowledges that there are--and always will be--very real differences in the ways that Christians seek to live out their faith, he reminds us of the essential beliefs that we share about God and our common dependency on God's mysterious mercy and grace, even as we look for God as through a glass darkly. In poetic prose that is reminiscent of the writing of Frederick Buechner and Annie Dillard, Benson illuminates, with wit and wisdom and humility and passion, one of the most difficult challenges that face the Church. The Body Broken is a powerful, important examination of the intolerance and divisiveness that have become an all too familiar part of the Church and a gentle, poignant call for a Christian community that embraces a spirit of love and unity even as it honors our differences.

Blessed, Broken, and Scared. What does that mean? We know that Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it with His friends saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." The Last Supper challenges us to live in such a way that we actually become the sacred food of Jesus Christ for others as we share our lives with them. And that can be scary! Blessed, Broken, and Scared calls the reader to a conversion from living a scared life to living a shared life. It is in sharing our life with others that we find the healing and peace we truly seek. All people are wounded by the world and have areas of hidden brokenness in their life. This book offers hope, healing, and change as it explores the profound implications of God's mercy, forgiveness, and love. "Brian addresses some very important issues in a conversational style that invites you into his book. Let this book, in a "sea of purple," be a place for us to share and be blessed. This book will truly encourage us to be Eucharist for one another." Fr. Martin Schratz OFM Cap. Brian has been sharing his Blessed, Broken, and Scared retreats around the country for years. Now the message has been captured in this book. Here is what some past retreatants have had to say: "Brian opens himself to all and helped us see that our brokenness isn't a deterrent to God's love and healing. Our retreat was truly a special day." "Should be required for today's Christians and Catholics." "One of the best day retreats that I have attended in nearly 40 years! So much to reflect on and put into action." "I have been to many seminars, webinars, retreats and have been blessed to have read many great books, but I have to say...this retreat impacted my life as to learning more about God's will in my life than any other book, resource, event ever has! Thanks be to God!" Brian Pusateri is a Christian author and speaker. Brian felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending a retreat in 2011. With the God-inspired message of mercy and unconditional love, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, talks, and retreats. Brian and his wife of 45 years, Mary Beth, live in, and love the Carolina mountains.

"As I looked back over the landscape of my life, and the many setbacks I had endured, I saw that every loss also offered a gift, even if I didn't recognize it at the time. Whenever I was called upon to loosen my grip on some cherished part of my life, I was consequently given the opportunity to start again, to create anew something of value . . . every ending carried the seeds of possibility, a chance to start over." --Janine Shepherd Defiant chronicles the remarkable life of Janine Shepherd, an elite ski racer whose bid to represent Australia in the Olympics was cut short by a tragic accident. She recalls the ten days she hovered between life and death, faced with the difficult choice to let go or return to a body that would never be whole again. After six months in hospital battling to rehabilitate her permanent disabilities, she not only taught herself to walk again--she earned her wings as both a pilot and an aerobatics instructor. Happily married and raising three children, her life was again upended when she was forced to face a painful divorce, the loss of her home, and financial ruin. Undaunted, Janine persevered in managing her again-reinvented life as a single mom, as well as celebrated author and international speaker. Janine Shepherd shares with candor and compassion the practical lessons she has learned throughout her continuing journey. Defiant offers hope and encouragement for anyone facing a life challenge, sharing the author's hard-won wisdom and priceless advice for navigating one's way from loss to healing.

Outreach Resource of the Year Foreword INDIES Award Finalist Saints are people too. The word saint conjures up images of superstar Christians revered for their spectacular acts and otherworldly piety. But when we take a closer look at the lives of these spiritual heavyweights, we learn that they also experienced struggle, doubt, and heartache. In fact, we learn that in many ways they're not all that different from you and me. Narrating her own winding pilgrimage through faith, Karen Marsh reveals surprising lessons in everyday spirituality from these "saints"—folks who lived and breathed, and failed and followed God. Told with humor and vulnerability, Vintage Saints and Sinners introduces us afresh to twenty-five brothers and sisters who challenge and inspire us with their honest faith. Using the included conversation starters, you can join Karen on her journey with the likes of Augustine, Brother Lawrence, and Saint Francis, as well as Amanda Berry Smith, Søren Kierkegaard, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Flannery O'Connor, and many more. Let their lives and their wisdom be an invitation to authentic life in Christ.

God Cares More About How You Eat than What You Eat Christians should have their heads on straight about food—but too often our eating is complicated by burdens and rules, by diets and dependencies. So how can we keep a spiritually healthy view of what we eat? Should Christians stop eating white sugar? Does the Bible ask us to go paleo? Most questions about food aren’t really about nutrition but about how we understand God. In Broken Bread, Christian Book Award–winner Tilly Dillehay challenges us to abandon the concept of good and bad foods and instead offers a way to… celebrate food without obsession make healthy choices without bondage to rules feed our families without feeling frazzled find satisfaction without using food as an emotional crutch This isn’t another diet book. You won’t find any system or plan for eating but rather a joyful call to develop a vision of Christ that informs the way you eat. Take delight in food again, and discover a feast for today that whispers of the eternal feast to come.

An intimate examination of the everyday lives and suffering of Mexican migrants and indigenous people in our contemporary food system. An anthropologist and MD in the mold of Paul Farmer and Didier Fassin, Seth Holmes shows how market forces, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism undermine health and healthcare. Holmes’s material is visceral and powerful. He trekked with his companions illegally through the desert into Arizona and was jailed with them before they were deported. He lived with indigenous families in the mountains of Oaxaca and in farm labor camps in the U.S., planted and harvested corn, picked strawberries, and accompanied sick workers to clinics and hospitals. This “embodied anthropology” deepens our theoretical understanding of how health equity is undermined by a normalization of migrant suffering, the natural endpoint of systemic dehumanization, exploitation, and oppression that clouds any sense of empathy for “invisible workers.” Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies is far more than an ethnography or supplementary labor studies text; Holmes tells the stories of food production workers from as close to the ground as possible, revealing often theoretically-discussed social inequalities as irreparable bodily damage done. This book substantiates the suffering of those facing the danger of crossing the border, threatened with deportation, or otherwise caught up in the structural violence of a system promising work but endangering or ignoring the human rights and health of its workers. All of the book award money and royalties from the sales of this book have been donated to farm worker unions, farm worker organizations and farm worker projects in consultation with farm workers who appear in the book.