We are all seekers. Some find their path on pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple in India or the Haji Ali mausoleum as they embark on a journey to Mecca; others find God at the burial site of St. James in the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Author and environmentalist Doug Alderson meets the Great Spirit through the ancient spiritual practice of walking. The Vision Keepers is the compelling true story of a seeker who, under the guidance of Bear Heart, a Muskogee Creek Indian and Medicine Man, finds unity with our nation’s native people and reconnects with the earth through profound and mysterious means. At a time when our global community is in great conflict, we can learn much from Native Americans. The Vision Keepers not only recounts the story of one man’s experience with native people and their spirituality, but it offers unique insight into the struggles of an entire culture, personal reconciliation, world peace, and preservation of the Earth and its ancient wisdom.

The Kid and the Keepers: Dream Visions chronicles the fantastic adventures of its young, trumpet-playing protagonist, Jeru “the Kid” Johnstone. The action opens with Jeru petitioning his father for permission to quit his instrument during their weekly trip from his private lessons in Harlem. He struggles sorely to express his dissatisfaction and finds a welcomed diversion in a strange bird that distracts him so completely that he abandons his appeal. Later, the bird visits Jeru’s house, enters his open bedroom window, summons him with a wink, and hops into his trumpet’s bell. Seconds later, Jeru “falls through” his trumpet and comes to a stop at the New York’s A train of the 1940s. This train that inspired a jazz standard (“Take the A Train”) takes the two adventurers to Harlem where Jeru follows the bird and a small group of musicians to Minton’s Playhouse, the place where bebop jazz was created. While there, he befriends Dizzy Gillespie and gains insight and perspective about jazz musicians and their music. In addition, during various dream visions, he learns important things about himself. The most important lessons occur during his dream of a trip to a jazz Camelot, where he confronts and defeats the practice monster, the entity that chokes and feeds on the passion and ambition of jazz musicians until they become uninspired and abandon their art. Later he meets Buddy Bolden (the creator of jazz) and Louis Armstrong, among other prominent jazz musicians. Before his journey home, he recognizes and embraces his role as a keeper of not only jazz music but also of family history, roots music, faith, and other aspects of cultural heritage. His adventures, both those in present day Harlem and in Harlem of the 1940s, enable him to confront various fears and to become a more confident, learned, and ambitious character.

Even if it was only this one last day, it was as if time stood still, the clock broken years earlier. This was our history, our family and identity. The lucky few among us had been bestowed another round, another chance. Our parting shots insinuated insults to those who listened through unknowing ears, but words of love from brothers of the heart. Set in the shady world of illegal gambling and based on true events spanning three decades, Keepers of the Book presents an insightful, behind-the-scenes memoir of lifelong friends caught up in a high-stakes bookie operation gone awry. One is a pathological gambler with a deep-seated inferiority complex who is recognized as an easy mark; another has a sadistic bent and a bad habit of not paying his customers. Undesirable traits for those who hang a shingle advertising themselves as Bookies, and the reason their scheme to manipulate the Las Vegas point spreads is doomed from the start. Some get away with it, and a few get caught-others aren't so lucky.

Pat Croce's management and motivational expertise are world-renowned. His fresh, daring leadership philosophy launched a small physical therapy practice into a nationwide franchise and revitalized Philadelphia's famed 76ers basketball team -- stories that were relayed in his bestselling memoir, I Feel Great and You Will Too! Now, in Lead or Get off the Pot!, the irrepressible count of carpe diem offers a unique leadership prescription that turns conventional wisdom on its ear. Everyone -- regardless of age, position, or station in life -- has the opportunity to take control and improve the lives of those around them. You can become a true leader: one who challenges, mediates, motivates, communicates, and inspires those in your workplace, community, or personal life. In this practical and accessible guide, Pat shares his bold and unorthodox strategies for developing personal passion, a can-do attitude, and the motivation essential for cultivating leadership skills. His advice includes: Twelve Ways to Build a Passionate Team; Croce's Three Rules for Praise; Learning to Listen with a Leader's Eye; and much more. Lead or Get Off the Pot! is an informative and highly practical collection of leadership lessons that can be used by everyone. Don't wait to gain a so-called leadership position to lead. Do it now!

Changing Models of Ministry Education In a rapidly changing church landscape, how should ministers be prepared to serve in diverse contexts? "Multiple Paths to Ministry" affirms the continued role of seminaries and divinity schools, yet also asserts that American Protestantism can no longer rely on graduate theological schools as the sole educational institutions charged with ministerial preparation. The essayists in "Multiple Paths to Ministry" researched the graduate theological education programs of the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Canada, and the United Methodist Church, from which they share powerful models for successful ministerial preparation. Contributors include Janet Silman, Carol Bell, Isaac McDonald, Richard Sales, Bert Affleck, Minka Shura Sprague, Glenn Miller, Ken McFayden, and Thomas Ray.

The Shaman Within explains how our ancient wisdoms can now be employed to tackle the big issues that trouble our minds, ravage our bodies and quash our spirits. Through a very personal journey; the travels, experiences, rituals, highs and lows of the protagonist, an amazing tapestry of insights and answers is woven before our very eyes. And the threads of this tapestry consist of the incredible healing and empowerment that our long-forgotten ‘rites of passage’ afford us. The lessons within enable us to feel more complete, at one with ourselves, our environment and the universe that created us. This book speaks to all who seek true fulfilment and imparts the tools to achieve it. ,