“A funny yet surprisingly nuanced look at the legends and ideas of the self-help industry” (People, 3.5 stars), Promise Land explores the American devotion to self-improvement—even as the author attempts some deeply personal improvements of her own. Raised by a child psychologist who was himself the author of numerous self-help books, as an adult Jessica Lamb-Shapiro found herself both repelled and fascinated by the industry: did all of these books, tapes, weekend seminars, groups, posters, t-shirts, and trinkets really help anybody? Why do some people swear by the power of positive thinking, while others dismiss it as so many empty promises? Promise Land is an irreverent tour through the vast and strange reaches of the world of self-help. In the name of research, Jessica attempted to cure herself of phobias, followed The Rules to meet and date men, walked on hot coals, and even attended a self-help seminar for writers of self-help books. But the more she delved into the history and practice of self-help, the more she realized her interest was much more than academic. Forced into a confrontation with the silent grief that had haunted both her and her father since her mother’s death when she was a baby, she realized that sometimes thinking you know everything about a subject is a way of hiding from yourself the fact that you know nothing at all. “A jaunty, cannily written memoir” (Chicago Tribune), Promise Land is cultural history from “a witty and enjoyably self-aware writer…Jessica Lamb-Shapiro’s talent as a storyteller is undeniable” (The New York Times Book Review).

Too often, all oppressed people in America are lumped together under the moniker "people of color," as if each group's experience under the yoke of systemic racism has the same economic and social repercussions. But the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) hold a unique claim to economic and reparative justice: for ADOS, after all, is the only group whose ancestors were forcibly brought to America, enslaved, built much of the wealth of the country, yet continue to be specifically excluded from the same social, political, and economic rights of other Americans. To that end, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby lays out the first theology of the ADOS movement, turning the traditional lens of Black liberation theology from Moses leading escaped Hebrew slaves in Exodus to other biblical leaders like Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah. A Jew born in exile, Nehemiah landed a somewhat privileged position in the Persian king's court. After learning about his people’s dire situation in Jerusalem, Nehemiah wept and was moved to lead efforts to rebuild the wall around the city with money (reparations) obtained from the imperial government. In the stories of Nehemiah and other biblical leaders, Cosby finds inspiration on how to rebuild Black America including the necessity of government reparations for ADOS. Cosby calls all Americans to move from a place of relative nonengagement and detachment to a place of active support of ADOS’s efforts for justice and healing.

The premier real estate book for Christians, Possessing Your Promised Land is the believer's (and non-believer's) guide to SUPERNATURAL real property acquisition. Combining the author's own extensive knowledge as a REALTOR with his numerous miraculous testimonies, this book seeks to inform Christians and non-Christians alike in the practical considerations of buying lands and homes, while intriguing the reader with his remarkable stories of supernatural property transactions. Readers will readily find their faith encouraged to acquire properties for their own homes or investments, while gaining the practical wisdom necessary to see it actually happen. (More information about this title is also available at www.rodneyjohnson.com.) ENDORSEMENTS: Pat Boone: Commit your works unto the Lord, and He will establish your thoughts. Proverbs 16: 3. Another translation says-and He will guarantee your success. I like that even better! The point is this: God created everything there is and wants man to be successful in his stewardship of creation. Rodney Johnson has tapped into that wonderful truth, and shares it with us in very practical ways, from his own experience. What could be better? Dean Jones: My longtime friend, Rodney Johnson, is not only an expert in Southern California real estate, but a man who strives to serve God's purpose in every deal he closes. Does it matter to God where you live? This book will be a vivid reminder that the God who birthed life on planet Earth is still interested in making homes for His people on it. Gavin MaCleod: Rodney Johnson's book, Possessing Your Promised Land: Biblical Principles for Real Estate Acquisition is a read that will inspire, educate, andguide you through any real estate transaction. Our Lord said, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Rodney explains God's word and how your mindset translates into acquiring real estate properties-among other things-according to God's plan. It's a MUST READ-and it's all biblical! Paul McGuire: Rodney Johnson's Possessing Your Promised Land shows the reader firsthand how to develop a mindset geared toward acquiring real estate. His exciting examples culled from almost twenty years of helping people possess their own promised lands make this an enjoyable read. If God has been nudging you to step out into the unknown like He called Abraham to do then, by all means, read this book. Michael Reagan: From the political to the practical, Rodney Johnson covers it in Possessing Your Promised Land. Whether it is using his garage as a polling site in national elections or taking the appropriate tax deduction, he has something to say that should be of benefit to all homeowners and those who want to be homeowners. This book is not about mansions in the sweet by and by. Instead, Rodney uses biblical examples and characters to show us what we need to do in the here and now. I encourage you to read Possessing Your Promised Land and then do what the title suggests. Colin Stewart: Rodney Johnson has performed a unique service for both Christians and non-Christians alike in this immensely readable and inspiring book. His fresh and insightful application of Biblical truth to the subject of real estate ownership places the concept of possessing the land in a context that is compelling and relevant to everyday life in the 21st century. Plus his stories are very funny andenjoyable to read! Lisa Whelchel: Possessing Your Promised Land is full of hope, faith and encouragement to believe your real estate dreams really can come true. Rodney Johnson provides all that plus the practical direction to make it happen. Above all, this unique and timely book reminds us that if we delight in God then He gives us the desires of our hearts, and it is God's heart-desire to give us a home-both earthly and heavenly!

Pushed out of the South as Reconstruction ended and as white landowners, employers, and “Redeemer” governments sought to reestablish the constraints of slavery, thousands of African Americans migrated west in search of better opportunities. As the first well-known all-black community on the plains, Nicodemus, Kansas, became a national exemplar of black self-improvement. But Nicodemus also embodied many of the problems facing African Americans during this time. Diverging philosophies within the community, Charlotte Hinger argues, foretold the differences that continue to divide black politicians and intellectuals today. At the time Nicodemus was founded, politicians underestimated the power of African American voters. But three of the town’s black homesteaders—Abram Thompson Hall, Jr., Edward Preston McCabe, and John W. Niles—exerted extraordinary influence over county, state, and national politics. Hinger examines their divergent strategies for leading their community and for relating to white people, which reflected emerging black worldviews across the United States as African Americans grappled with the responsibilities accompanying their new freedom. Hall supported racial uplift, McCabe insisted on achieving equality through politics and legislation, and Niles advocated reparations for slavery. Hall and McCabe, both northerners, had distinguished educations, while Niles, a former slave, was a gifted orator. Their differing approaches to creating a new civilization on the prairie, seeking justice for blacks, and improving the situation of Nicodemus citizens roiled Kansas politics, already in turmoil over temperance and woman’s suffrage. Nicodemus was a microcosm of all the issues facing black Americans in the late nineteenth century, and Hall, McCabe, and Niles are archetypes for powerful philosophies that have persisted into the twenty-first century. This study of their ideas and the ways they shaped Nicodemus offers a novel perspective on the most famous post–Civil War African American community in the West.

This inspired collection of stories is cause for celebration. With stunning language and dazzling characters, Toure introduces Soul City -- a wholly imagined utopia where magic happens and black is beautiful. In a broad range of characterization and styles, The Portable Promised Land is filled with lighthearted humor and heavyhearted issues. Toure challenges form and what's considered politically correct in stories like The Sad, Sweet Story of Sugar Lips Shinehot and Afrolexicolgy: Today's Bi-Annual List of the Top 50 Words in African America. The Portable Promised Land marks the entrance of a new and wildly compelling voice to fiction.

Sixty-six books written by forty people over nearly 2,000 years, in two languages and several different genres. The Bible is clearly no ordinary book. How can you begin to read and understand it as a whole? This excellent overview gives you the big picture, providing both the encouragement and the tools you need to read the Bible with confidence and understanding.