The world is a busy place, and many families rely on fast food. Kent and Shannon Rollins serve up spins on Southern and Western favorites, with a side of spiritual values. Their cookbook is an open invitation to spend time with them, praise the Lord, and pass the biscuits! -- adapted from Introduction.

Life—like any good recipe—requires time, wholesome ingredients, patience, and skill to perfect. ​It’s not every day that a Jesuit priest psychologist who apprenticed in cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in the 1960s and spent nearly 60 years preaching, teaching, and managing academic and non-profit organizations sets aside time to preserve memories of the significant people, moments, travels, and events that have shaped his life. Even more impressive is Father Walter J. Smith’s epic undertaking of presenting a creative collection of enchanting reminiscences through the lens of the foods and recipes he sampled in his extensive travels. Faith, Food, and Friendship chronicles highlights of Father Smith’s life’s pilgrimage by means of 175 carefully crafted classic, original, or adapted recipes assembled from many corners of the globe and every level of society. “Growing up in South Boston in a second-generation American Irish family that ate but never dined, it is remarkable that I developed any interest at all in the culinary arts. Looking back on my own lifetime of discovery, I can affirm that God did not skimp on the good stuff. There has been plenty of butter and heavy cream, truffles and saffron, aceto balsamico and jamón ibérico de Bellota. I invite you to accompany me on this journey, where these words from the author of the Book of Genesis will, it is hoped, prove true: ‘Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.’” Early in his life, Fr. Smith came under the spiritual and intellectual influence of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) who launched him on a rich journey of discovery. He has a doctorate in clinical psychology and degrees in philosophy, theology, French language and literature, and counseling psychology. He spent five decades as a clinician, professor, consultant, trustee, department chair, dean, chief executive officer, and chancellor.

Enhance your family's celebration of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church with this beautifully designed book. Written for all ages and illustrated with icons and more, the book brings alive each of the Twelve Great Feasts (plus Pascha, the Feast of Feasts) with hymns, traditions, Old and New Testament scriptures, explanations of the festal icon, and quotes from the Fathers. A wonderful companion as we journey through the liturgical calendar year after year, deepening our faith one feast at a time.

Food has always been central to religious practice. From fasting at Ramadan to feasting at Diwali, from the laws of kashrut to the taking of communion, a great deal can be learned about a religion through an understanding of its link with food. Six children from six religions tell their stories through words and photographs. The text is in the first person with each child speaking directly to the reader, making an engaging and visually appealing introduction to this important aspect of religion. The book covers six major religions: Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism and looks at celebrations, rules, fasting, and food and drink in rituals. Also included are authentic recipes for pancakes, honey cake, pakoras, coconut barfi and puris. All the children featured are from the respective religions and cultural background. The book has been developed with the help of expert consultants from each religion.

For so many of us, our friends are like family members--we lean on them through our highest highs and our lowest lows--but sometimes those friendships don't turn out quite as we hoped. Bible teacher Kelly Needham debunks our world's constricted, narrow view of friendship and casts a richer, more life-giving, biblical vision for friendship. In Friend-ish, Kelly Needham reminds us that we were called to more than halfhearted friendships and lukewarm connections. We need something more stable, secure, and sacred. We were designed for real friendship--but the difficult truth is that too many of us are settling for less. Kelly deconstructs what Scripture says about the gift of friendship and takes a closer look at the distorted view that most of us have instead. As she shares the lessons she's learned from experience, Kelly paints her own glorious vision of what Christian friendship could look like. With hard-fought wisdom, a clear view of Scripture, and a been-there perspective, Friend-ish teaches us how to: Recognize symptoms of idolatry and toxic dependency Boldly ask for what we need from our community of friends Understand and address the problems that arise in friendship--from neediness to discord Recognize when it's time to end an unhealthy friendship Reorient toward the purposeful, loving relationships we all crave that ultimately bring us closer to God Find the friends you need and start to become that friend for others Join Kelly as she challenges you to view your chosen family in a new light, gain a vision of friendship according to Jesus, and finally enjoy friendships as God intended.

Explores the practice of eating together as Christian worship The gospel story is filled with meals. It opens in a garden and ends in a feast. Records of the early church suggest that believers met for worship primarily through eating meals. Over time, though, churches have lost focus on the centrality of food— and with it a powerful tool for unifying Christ’s diverse body. But today a new movement is under way, bringing Christians of every denomination, age, race, and sexual orientation together around dinner tables. Men and women nervous about stepping through church doors are finding God in new ways as they eat together. Kendall Vanderslice shares stories of churches worshiping around the table, introducing readers to the rising contem­porary dinner-church movement. We Will Feast provides vision and inspiration to readers longing to experience community in a real, physical way.

Written by a group of friends, ?Seven Holy Women? is a one-of-a-kind journey into the lives of seven women saints. Each section of the book includes a story from one saint's life, told vividly and imaginatively in the second person; additional information about the saint to give her context; a reflection on ways the writer, reader, and saint intersect on their journeys; personal surveys for the reader and a friend to complete; and a journal prompt that encourages the reader to explore and document her encounter with themes from the saint's life. Created as both a deeply personal and enriching communal experience, ?Seven Holy Women? speaks directly to the reader, drawing her into the lives of seven saints as it invites her to look more closely and lovingly at her own spiritual journey and her friendship with the cloud of witnesses.