In an island realm surrounded by darkness, a battle between order and chaos brews . . . The world is young, dark, and rough. But the bright light of civilization illuminates the highly advanced Island Nation of Athlan, a country of order, balance, and progress. However, the world is changing, and what is solid becomes fractured. Amidst this epic era of devolution, the never-ending cosmic battle for control of earth has centered on Athlan. While celestial forces gather, wielding power unimagined, the Marfach Gardai, human defenders of Athlan, ready themselves for the final conflict with the lethal, mindless Armies of the Night. Athlanians, great and small, men and women, will die in bloody droves, incapable of understanding or escaping their fate as Great Athlan destroys itself. Witnessing the battle for her planet, Mother Earth joins the fray with a small but extremely potent cadre of once-women who defend the earth with their lives. In the end, everyone will become a pawn on the empyrean board of life and death, and the game is in doubt . . .

The term “community organizer” was deployed repeatedly against Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as a way to paint him as an inexperienced politician unfit for the presidency. The implication was that the job of a community organizer wasn’t a serious one, and that it certainly wasn’t on the list of credentials needed for a presidential résumé. In reality, community organizers have played key roles in the political lives of American cities for decades, perhaps never more so than during the 1970s in Chicago, where African Americans laid the groundwork for further empowerment as they organized against segregation, discrimination, and lack of equal access to schools, housing, and jobs. In Crucibles of Black Empowerment, Jeffrey Helgeson recounts the rise of African American political power and activism from the 1930s onward, revealing how it was achieved through community building. His book tells stories of the housewives who organized their neighbors, building tradesmen who used connections with federal officials to create opportunities in a deeply discriminatory employment sector, and the social workers, personnel managers, and journalists who carved out positions in the white-collar workforce. Looking closely at black liberal politics at the neighborhood level in Chicago, Helgeson explains how black Chicagoans built the networks that eventually would overthrow the city’s seemingly invincible political machine.

Content Description #Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

"In Crucibles of Leadership, esteemed leadership author and thinker Robert J. Thomas profiles successful leaders from all walks of life, focusing on the role experience has played in their success. In vivid stories of leadership from United Parcel Service to the United States Marine Corps, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Hells Angels, you see firsthand how leaders learn from experience, and how they leverage what they learn." -- Back Cover

We often see setbacks and disasters as events that keep us from our best life. But they're really opportunities to grow in leadership. The problem of suffering is a spiritual hurdle for many that disorients us and those we lead. Gayle D. Beebe tackles the existential crisis head-on, revealing that, although we are bewildered at first, these situations ultimately prepare us. Previously viewing these challenges as insurmountable, he has come to recognize them as essential passageways in our relationship with God. Beebe identifies seven crucibles—powerful catalysts for transformation—that, when embraced, shape us on this profound journey. Each chapter of this book delves into one of the crucibles, which Beebe intimately understands and has personally faced. Amid the realities of life's suffering, use this illuminating guidebook and find how colossal setbacks become a bedrock for a better, richer faith.