Sometimes Rain

Celebrate the four seasons of the year and all of the fun that comes with them with this lyrical, rhyming picture book from the author of I Heart You. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it snows, sometimes the sun shines, and sometimes the trees change color. But no matter what the seasons bring, there is lots of fun to be had! This lyrical exploration of the four seasons and all of the wonder that they bring is illustrated with vibrant watercolors.

Despite widespread skepticism on the matter, a significant number of people today have stories of religious experience—moments of inexplicable terror or rapturous joy, visions, near-death experiences of the afterlife, encounters with angels, heavenly voices, and premonitions. How should rationally minded people respond? What would your reaction be if someone told you that, one night while sitting alone, she saw through the window a brilliant light descend from the sky until it was so large that it filled the room—and that it radiated a feeling of “pure love”? And what would you say if a friend confided that one night he woke up and could not move, felt he was being suffocated, and sensed an evil spirit in the room? By default in the secular age we are skeptical about anything mysterious or supernatural. More likely than not, most people would respond to the stories above with embarrassment and concern about the person’s grasp of reality, or they would attempt to explain them away through rational or scientific means. But the truth is that religious experiences like these are not as uncommon as they seem—although talking about such experiences often is. This is the case even in a faith tradition such as Christianity, despite the Bible’s numerous accounts of miraculous and mysterious happenings. In Encountering Mystery, noted biblical scholar Dale Allison makes the argument that stories of religious experience are meaningful and not to be marginalized—and that we have a moral prerogative to lovingly engage with such stories regardless of whether we have had similar experiences. Through a close look at phenomena such as moments of inexplicable terror or rapturous joy, visions, near-death experiences of the afterlife, encounters with angels, heavenly voices, and premonitions, Allison shows how ordinary practices of faith need not be at odds with individual religious experiences. Above all, he enjoins us to be honest about the persistence of religious experience in a secular age and to make space for those who encounter mystery in their lives.

The monograph focuses on agricultural meteorology and climate change and its impacts on different crops. Comprising of chapters from experts, the book discusses and provides first-hand information to the long term shifts in weather patterns and temperature impacting soil, water and crops. Each chapter focuses in detail on the impact of plant- water – soil nexus and climate change on agriculture and food security. Covering the basic concepts about the temperature, pressure and humidity correlation with the increased demands of food, the book explores in detail the impact of adverse climatic conditions like drought, floods, increasing levels of carbon dioxide emissions and other simultaneous effects like soil fertility depletion on the cropping systems and overall crop productivity. The book touches the challenges of climate change, adaptive methods, mitigation strategies, with careful explanation of governance, plans and policies required to provide guidelines to stake holders so they can best prepare for the negative climate change impacts. While touching the agricultural challenges faced globally due to climate change, the book serves as a reference book for students, researchers and policy makers, involved in horticulture, agriculture and environmental sciences and climate change.