Baptism by Toilet Water is Jim Winter's bittersweet memoir documenting the hardship his family endured while, ironically, Jim's grandparents, who exemplified Christian living, were right next door.'Our home life was the furthest thing from a Christian home, yet our grandparents were the spiritual paragons we so desperately needed. Unfortunately, as long as our father remained in the picture, there was little hope. Our grandparents' home served as a sanctuary, but we were still trapped. We could see paradise from our fence, but at best we could only visit from time to time.'Throughout their tumultuous childhood, the Winter children grappled with this stark contradiction of moral values between their father and grandparents, leading them to ultimately learn that good can come from bad. After high school, Jim leaves his home, believing the worst is behind him. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. As illness and death ravage the family, Jim becomes stricken with grief. Convinced God had forsaken him, Jim becomes tormented by guilt from his past. When it seems like all hope is lost, a series of remarkable events begins to unfold in what can only be described as divine intervention. Through Jim'sBaptism by Toilet Waterhe comes to realize that Jesus Christ is illuminating the way through it all.

Baptism by Toilet Water is Jim Winter's bittersweet memoir retracing his difficult childhood and early adult years. Growing up in the sixties with a raging alcoholic for a father, life for Jim, his mother, and four siblings meant years of physical and mental abuse. The intriguing title perfectly describes the paradox of growing up in a dysfunctional home while right next door lived his paternal grandparents, who exemplified Christian living. The two stark environments not only define the irony of Jim's early years, but hint at the main premise of the book, which is how good can come from bad. Fortunately for Jim and his siblings, their grandparent's home provided a much needed respite, but even more importantly, they taught the children a different way of life. Our home life was the furthest thing from a Christian home, yet, right next door lived our grandparents who modeled the Christian life. They were the spiritual paragons we so desperately needed. Despite this haven, we knew we were trapped, for even though we could see paradise from our fence, at best we could only visit it from time to time. After high school, Jim leaves him home, believing the worst is behind him. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. As illness and death ravage the family, Jim becomes stricken with grief. Jim then becomes tormented by his past and is certain God has forsaken him. When all hope seems lost, a series of remarkable events unfolds in what can only be described as divine intervention. Through Jim's Baptism by Toilet Water, he soon realizes Jesus Christ is illuminating the way through it all. Jim Winter lives in Waterloo, Illinois, with his wife, Aimee. He has two sons, Tyler and Zachary, and a daughter, Mallory.

What difference does environment make in a congregation's life and mission? A world of a difference if understood and embraced, say the authors of Church on Earth: Grounding your Ministry in a Sense of Place. Focusing on the congregation as place-a unique nexus for cultivating spiritual, social, and ecological relationships-has implications for the shape of a congregation's particular identity and vocation; for how it embodies and proclaims the gospel in worship, education, evangelism, and service

Who baptized Jesus? Read the story of his baptism and how he was tested.

This book examines the Anglican Church in Malaysia from multiple angles, unpacking its history from British colonialism to today’s Muslim-majority Asian nation. Analyzing tense Christian-Muslim dialogue and volatile intercommunity relations, themes of ethnicity, identity, gender, and multiculturalism intersect in contexts of war, insurgency, and national independence. The Church’s two centuries of history unfold chronologically, but this study goes far beyond mere description of events; it is a critical, multidisciplinary, multilayered discussion that integrates contemporary, archival, and scholarly perspectives. It focuses on high-pressure interfaces between colonialists, clergy, sultans, indigenous, and immigrant groups. The roles of education and healthcare—as evangelism, or perhaps incentivization—are investigated, within evolving models of mission, conversion, and the broader context of Anglicanism in crisis. These diverse threads intertwine to produce a concise but comprehensive three-dimensional portrait of the Anglican Church in Malaysia.

Periods enter the spotlight in this essay collection that raises a variety of voices on a topic long shrouded in shame and secrecy. In this collection, writers of various ages and across racial, cultural, and gender identities share stories about the period. Each of our twelve authors brings an individual perspective and sensibility. They write about homeless periods, nonexistent periods, male periods, political periods, and more. Told with warmth and humor, these essays celebrate all kinds of period experiences. Periods are a fact of life. It's time to talk about them.

For most people, a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis means the certainty of a life ended too soon. But for Isabel Stenzel Byrnes and Anabel Stenzel, twin girls with the disease, what began as a family’s stubborn determination grew into a miracle. The tragedy of CF has been touchingly recounted in such books as Frank Deford’s Alex: The Life of a Child, but The Power of Two is the first book to portray the symbiotic relationship of twins who share this life-threatening disease through adulthood.Isabel and Anabel tell of their lifelong struggle to pursue normal lives with cystic fibrosis while grappling with the realization that they will die young. Their story reflects the physical and emotional challenges of a particularly aggressive form of CF and is an honest and gripping portrayal of the daily struggle associated with long-term hospitalization, the impact of chronic illness on marriage and family, and the importance of a support network to continuing survival. Born in 1972, seventeen years before scientists discovered the genetic mutation that causes CF, the Stenzel twins endured the daily regimen of chest percussion, frequent doctor visits, and lengthy hospitalizations. But in the face of innumerable setbacks, their deep-seated dependence on each other allowed them to survive long enough to reap the benefits of the miraculous lung transplants that marked a turning point in their lives: “We have an old life—one of growing up with chronic illness—and anew life—one of opportunities and gifts we have never imagined before.” In this memoir, they pay tribute to the people who shaped their experience. These two remarkable sisters have much to teach about the power of perseverance—and about the ultimate power of hope.