Great Beginnings Grand Finales

This collection offers a wide range of appetizers and desserts to be used for more than just the start or finish of a meal. Appetizers are great for light suppers, and desserts add variety to Sunday Brunch.

In the six decades since the publication of the first Junior League cookbook, local Junior League chapters have published more than two hundred individual volumes. With nearly 20 million copies in print, they are recognized and prized by home cooks around the country. These collections feature home kitchen-tested recipes that not only preserve regional food traditions but also have literally changed the quality of life in each community through the funds that they have generated. This collection includes more than four hundred recipes, ranging from classic dishes to contemporary fare that have never before been gathered into one volume. And the original essays on regional cooking and foodways plus dozens of menus make this cookbook engaging and informative as well as a trusted source for the best recipes. Packaged in an easy-to-use concealed spiral binding with a sturdy stain-resistant cover.

Origins and Grand Finale presents an in-depth study of how modern science and astronomy compare to the biblical narrative of the origin of the universe as well as the origin of life. Distinguishing between scientific facts and fairy-tales, as well as biblical facts and poetry, author Gary Haitel attempts to build a perfect harmony between science and theology. In Origins and Grand Finale, Haitel is not proposing new scientific theories. Instead, he merely examines current scientific theories, however bizarre they may seem, and explains how they relate to the biblical narrative. The second part of this guide focuses primarily on biblical end times and the abuse of political authority. In the third part, Haitel reflects upon not only the finale of humanity as described in the Bible, but also the finale of an individual's physical life here on earth and what to expect after the body returns to the dust of the earth. Are we just complex biological accidents, or are we immortal spiritual eternal beings? Written in a straightforward, down-to-earth fashion, Origins and Grand Finale offers a unique opportunity to understand the perfect harmony between science and theology.

We often hear that we are living in apocalyptic times. Wars like those in the Middle East are just more signs that the end is near. That, however, is a misunderstanding of the message of the Bible and the Qur’an. The basic meaning of “apocalypse” is disclosure, revelation, bringing to light what is happening now and what has happened throughout all of history. The “apocalypse” is not about making predictions about the future but about determining who bears responsibility for injustice in the world. In that sense, all times—including ours—are “apocalyptic,” though in a different way than what is usually thought. Since the devastating Greek conquest of the world by Alexander the Great, there have been apocalyptic insights and “revelatory” readings of the whole Hebrew Bible. The same is true of the New Testament with “Rome” as the world power then. The same apocalyptic message is confirmed by the Qur’an when the Byzantines and the Persians fought for mastery of the world. The apocalyptic message is that God will put an end to the unjust dominion of violence, money, and lies. God’s kingdom will certainly arrive, but not through violence—after all, there “is no violence in God” (Diognetus).

In the closing decades of the twelfth century the Cistercian Order found itself in a world rather different from the one in which it had been founded and began to thrive. The Order was justifiably proud of its achievements and unparalleled diffusion across Europe. It had become an important ecclesiastical and economic power in Europe and developed an institutional structure meant to sustain a large, widespread organization. Yet it had lost its influential spokesman, Bernard of Clairvaux, and as the century drew to a close, religious sensibilities were changing. The new mendicant orders, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, and the impulses they embodied, were to shift the center of gravity in Christian religious life for centuries to come.

Preludes for Piano: Complete Collection, contains 20 intermediate to late intermediate piano solos that explore and develop lyrical playing. The pieces are appropriate for church services, wedding ceremonies, receptions, and other events where expressive and moving music is needed. Book 1 Titles: * Prelude No. 1 in A Minor * Prelude No. 2 in C Major * Prelude No. 3 in D Minor * Prelude No. 4 in B-flat Minor * Prelude No. 5 in E-flat Major * Prelude No. 6 in B Minor * Prelude No. 7 in D-flat Major. Book 2 Titles: * Prelude No. 1 in G Minor * Prelude No. 2 in B-flat Major * Prelude No. 3 in D Major * Prelude No. 4 in A-flat Major * Prelude No. 5 in E Minor * Prelude No. 6 in F Minor * Prelude No. 7 in A Major. Book 3 Titles: * Prelude No. 1 in G Major * Prelude No. 2 in C Major * Prelude No. 3 in C Minor * Prelude No. 4 in D Major * Prelude No. 5 in A Minor * Prelude No. 6 in B-flat Minor

This charming collection of sophisticated, late intermediate Christmas arrangements by Catherine Rollin will delight and inspire teenage and adult piano students. Similar in style to Catherine Rollin's Preludes for Piano, these rewarding selections sound more difficult than they actually are. Titles: *Ave Maria *God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen *Hallelujah! *Hark! The Herald Angels Sing *The Holly and the Ivy *We Three Kings of Orient Are