Living Into Community

Every church, every organization, has experienced them: betrayal, deception, grumbling, envy, exclusion. They make life together difficult and prevent congregations from developing the skills, virtues, and practices they need to nurture sturdy, life-giving communities. In Living into Community Christine Pohl explores four specific Christian practices -- gratitude, promise-keeping, truth-telling, and hospitality -- that can counteract those destructive forces and help churches and individuals build and sustain vibrant communities. Drawing on a wealth of personal and professional experience and interacting with the biblical, historical, and moral traditions, Pohl thoughtfully discusses each practice, including its possible complications and deformations, and points to how these essential practices can be better cultivated within communities and families.

For most of church history, hospitality was central to Christian identity. Yet our generation knows little about this rich, life-giving practice.

Whether looking at divided cities or working with populations on the margins of society, a growing number of engaged academics have reached out to communities around the world to address the practical problems of living with difference. This book explores the challenges and necessities of accommodating difference, however difficult and uncomfortable such accommodation may be. Drawing on fourteen years of theoretical insights and unique pedagogy, CEDAR—Communities Engaging with Difference and Religion—has worked internationally with community leaders, activists, and other partners to take the insights of anthropology out of the classroom and into the world. Rather than addressing conflict by emphasizing what is shared, Living with Difference argues for the centrality of difference in creating community, seeking ways not to overcome or deny differences but to live with and within them in a self-reflective space and practice. This volume also includes a manual for organizers to implement CEDAR’s strategies in their own communities.

This book is a description of what the church ought to be. Gish purposes to deal with the concrete issues of what it really means to be a Christian community, the body of Christ.

A "strengths"-based guide to inspiring congregations presents a unique plan for building community by encouraging individuals to share their talents with the group.

Winner of the 2008 American Alliance for Theatre and Education "Book of Distinction" Award. Theatre is a primal language that used to be spoken by everyone; everyone included the "living community". Weaving together Systems Theory and the groundbreaking work of Fritjof Capra , Theatre of the Oppressed and the revolutionary work of Augusto Boal , and his own 25 years of practical experience in community-based popular theatre, David Diamond creates a silo-busting book that embraces the complexity of real life. Some of the questions Theatre for Living asks and attempts to answer: From a perspective of biology and sociology, how is a community a living thing? How do we design a theatre practice to consciously work with living communities to help them tell their stories? How do we accomplish this without demonizing those characters with whom we disagree? Must we constantly do battle to defeat an endless stream of oppressors, or can we imagine a world in which we stop creating them? Why is this important? What should we be on the look-out for (both positive and negative) when doing this work? What practical games and exercises can we use to awaken group consciousness? Who will be interested in Theatre for Living? Artists; community development workers; educators; activists; people working in social services, mediation and conflict resolution; health care professionals; anyone with an interest in finding new ways to approach the intersection of culture and social justice. "I greatly admire the achievements of David Diamond and his Headlines Theatre. He is following his own path, doing extraordinary and groundbreaking work in several fields, like his work with many First Nations communities in Canada and the US, and his adaptation of Forum Theatre on TV and on the Internet. This book relates the experiences of his life in theatre. For what he has already done, is doing, and certainly will do, David Diamond deserves all our support." Augusto Boal, founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, author of Theatre of the Oppressed, Rainbow of Desire, and Legislative Theatre David Diamonds work has been an inspiration to performers, artists, community leaders throughout Canada and beyond. The ideas in Theatre for Living are large, daring, challenging; but the steps by which Diamond follows and implements the ideas are precise and accessible. As I read I found myself being taken further and further into the life that is both theatre and the making of theatre, which is to say I was led into how life can be given its meaning. Hugh Brody, anthropologist and film-maker, author of Maps And Dreams, Living Arctic and The Other Side of Eden

and • Discusses the need for confrontation and • Emphasizes the "iron sharpens iron" concept and • Motivates students to love and encourage each other Finally a small group discipleship study that meets your teens where they are. With options for seven different types of groups, discipleship tips, reproducible handouts, and more, you now have the freedom to customize your small group lessons. Whether your students are new christians, advanced learners, full of adrenaline, or anything in between, this series is your tool to help them grow to be more like Jesus. Each book includes four sessions plus an experiential learning session that will take youth to the next level--the commitment of the heart and the knowledge of the mind become the actions of the the hands.

"When Someone You Know Is Living in a Dementia Care Community is an accessible guide offering answers to such questions as: How do I choose a place for my loved one to live? What can I find out by visiting a candidate memory-care community twice? What do I do if my loved one asks about going home? How can I improve the quality of my visits? What is the best way to handle conflict between residents, or between the resident and staff? How can I cope with my loved one's sundowning? What do I do if my loved one starts a romantic relationship with another resident?An indispensable book for family members and friends of people with dementia, When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community touches the heart while explaining how to make a difficult situation better.