The ambitious 15-year agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 by all members of the United Nations, contains a pledge that “no one will be left behind.” This book aims to translate that bold global commitment into an action-oriented mindset, focused on supporting specific people in specific places who are facing specific problems. In this volume, experts from Japan, the United States, Canada, and other countries address a range of challenges faced by people across the globe, including women and girls, smallholder farmers, migrants, and those living in extreme poverty. These are many of the people whose lives are at the heart of the aspirations embedded in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. They are the people most in need of such essentials as health care, quality education, decent work, affordable energy, and a clean environment. This book is the result of a collaboration between the Japan International Cooperation Research Institute and the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. It offers practical ideas for transforming “leave no one behind” from a slogan into effective actions which, if implemented, will make it possible to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In addition to policymakers in the field of sustainable development, this book will be of interest to academics, activists, and leaders of international organizations and civil society groups who work every day to promote inclusive economic and social progress.

This book is an alternative to what passes for Christianity in movies, television, videos, novels, political campaigns, and, sadly, in many churches. It is for Christians, people of other faiths, and people of no faiths. It is for those who have given up on religion and those with secret doubts about concepts and biblical narratives most Christians seem to believe easily. Douglas Heidt contends that traditional Christian theology deals primarily with intellectual conclusions and emotion, leaving seekers with the idea that if they believe certain propositions, and love God, they will lead safe, happy lives, and go to heaven when they die. But this book argues that Jesus didn't teach a theological or ecclesiastical system. By his words and life he simply revealed a way to live, the way God created life to be lived, the life of sacrificial, eternal, universal love, kindness, forgiveness, justice, and compassion. Life's goal is not to believe certain things and go to heaven. Life's goal is to love your neighbor. This uncomplicated assertion has crucial implications for the church, how we understand the Bible, the Christian story, and the Christian life and its conclusion. It presents ideas that may be challenging, and describes how being Christian is not what you think, it's what you do.

This book discusses false ideas about God's love, especially among Christians, and clarifies biblical ideas, notably that God will never stop loving anyone, that God's sovereignty is subject to his love, and that no believer will be left behind at Christ's return. Enables every believer to say, no matter what their situation in life, "I know God loves me!"

“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Award-winning duo Judy Finchler and Kevin O'Malley are back with another book in the best-selling Miss Malarkey series that makes reading fun! Principal Wiggins has promised to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books this year, and Miss Malarkey is determined to find the right book for every student, including this story's reluctant-reader narrator. Winning her students over book by book, Miss Malarkey will have students loving to read in no time. As the best-selling series continues in paperback, no teacher, librarian, or parent should leave this book behind! Principal Wiggins promises to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books this year. Miss Malarkey is determined to find the right book for each student so they'll participate in the school program, and learn to love reading. She's got a tough audience - video game fanatics, artists, sports lovers - nonreaders all. But she won't give up until Principal Wiggins can flip his purple wig. With all the new pressures being put on teachers these days, the one thing everyone agrees about is the need for all children to learn to love reading. Now, the best-selling Miss Malarkey series uses all the programs and initiatives developed to help children read as fodder for the humor mill, keeping everyone laughing about this important topic. No teacher, librarian or parent should leave this book behind!

When it comes to Christ-centered recovery, we, the church, have work to do. Our legalistic, box-checking, one-size-fits-all programs produce astonishingly high failure rates—which means far too many people are left to fight addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts on their own. This begs some critical questions of the church: • Do we really believe transformational recovery and healing is possible? • Do we really have the right systems and structures to support struggling people? • Do we really carry a kingdom responsibility to restore people gently? • Do we really take time to ask God what more He would have us do in the recovery space? This book is for anyone who can’t offer a resounding yes and amen to each of those questions. With hearts that beat for those struggling with addictions and mental health issues, authors George A. Wood and Brit Eaton present: • A critical reframing of the word “recovery” and an invitation to answer God’s call for more spirit-led, trauma-informed ministry • Deeper exploration into the origins of addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts—and the church’s responsibility to bring God’s healing • Powerful supernatural testimonies and stories of hope, healing, and life restoration as a result of embracing The Uncovery • Practical strategies to help Christ-centered recovery leaders bridge the gap between spiritual and scientific communities to better serve struggling people • A loose and helpful framework for embracing The Uncovery message • Inspiration for recovery leaders to love and lead in a more inclusive, sacrificial, and Christlike manner while maintaining healthy self-care The goal of The Uncovery is to help the church—and the world—see recovery through a grace- laced, gospel lens. Some say recovery is the civil rights movement of our generation because believe it or not, recovery is for everyone. And if that statement bothers you? Recovery might be for you, too. Every single one of us has some trauma or issue from our past that may still be affecting our life today. This book offers readers a not-so-subtle nudge to go deeper in the recovery space for a transformative encounter with Father God to heal from those wounds and lead the promised land life He has planned for us.

No one could have imagined that the hardened heart of a sadistic serial killer beats in a small town like Huntington, West Virginia. Dubbed the Butcher by local media, the elusive murderer has somehow managed to evade the police and wreak havoc on the residents of Huntington. Ellie Stevens, a reporter for the Daily Chronicle newspaper, has been assigned the task of reporting on the beautiful and unfortunate victims of the Butcher. As she grows tired of standing on the sidelines, Ellie decides to launch her own investigation while her lifelong friend, homicide detective Tony Moretti, continues his dedicated mission to hunt down and arrest the killer. As Tony and Ellie walk a fine line between friendship and something deeper, they find themselves not only at odds about how to stop the Butcher, but also about their feelings for one another. But as Ellie edges closer to the Butcher, everything changes in an instant, leaving one of them clinging to life and the other with a monumental decision. In this suspenseful tale, a sadistic serial killer terrorizes a small town and forever changes the lives of a reporter and homicide detective determined to find him and seek justice.