Hope and Other Superpowers

Hope and Other Superpowers
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2018-11-06
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1501179667

Overwhelmed by the news cycle and the state of affairs in our world? Pastor, blogger, and powerful voice in the Resistance, John Pavlovitz has the answer: this rousing and inspirational guide, drawing from lessons of our favorite superheroes, for how we can band together, live more heroically (and meaningfully), and save the world. It’s exhausting to give a damn these days, isn’t it? Perhaps you’re feeling anguished about what you see on the news or in your social media timeline, or by your personal circumstances, and are paralyzed waiting for political or religious leaders, or celebrities, to rescue us from it all. But what if you didn’t have to wait for someone else? What if you could be the hero? This book—a spirited call to action—shows you how. In these pages, John offers a path away from the vitriol and toward com­passion, and a plan to transform our burdens into dreams and our outrage into activism. Drawing from lessons of beloved fictional superheroes, John shows us how to identify our origin story, build protective suits of armor, guard against our personal kryptonite, and vanquish our villains. He also identifies ten specific “superpowers” that we can enlist to make our lives and our world better. Along the way, he shares inspiring anecdotes and profiles about ordinary people who saw a gap in the world in empathy or kindness or gratitude and decided to fill it. Hope and Other Superpowers is an invitation to anyone hoping to be the kind of person the world so desperately needs—the kind who can save it. In other words: it’s an invitation to you.

A Bigger Table

A Bigger Table
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2017-09-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611648254

No one likes to eat alone; to approach a table filled with people, only to be told that despite the open chairs there isn't room for you. The rejection stings. It leaves a mark. Yet this is exactly what the church has been saying to far too many people for far too long: “You're not welcome here. Find someplace else to sit.†How can we extend unconditional welcome and acceptance in a world increasingly marked by bigotry, fear, and exclusion? Pastor John Pavlovitz invites readers to join him on the journey to findâ€"or buildâ€"a church that is big enough for everyone. He speaks clearly into the heart of the issues the Christian community has been earnestly wrestling with: LGBT inclusion, gender equality, racial tensions, and global concerns. A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, Hopeful Spiritual Community asks if organized Christianity can find a new way of faithfully continuing the work Jesus began two thousand years ago, where everyone gets a seat. Pavlovitz shares moving personal stories and his careful observations as a pastor to set the table for a new, more loving conversation on these and other important matters of faith. He invites us to build the bigger table Jesus imagined, practicing radical hospitality, total authenticity, messy diversity, and agenda-free community.

Stuff That Needs To Be Said

Stuff That Needs To Be Said
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher:
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2020-04-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780578682501

Over the past few years, John Pavlovitz's blog, Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has become a virtual hub for millions of people from all over the world, drawn there by his clear, compelling words on compassion, equity, love, and justice. This expansive, like-hearted community transcends race, orientation, gender, religious tradition, political affiliation, and nation of origin--and finds its affinity in the deeper place of our shared humanity, which is the True North of his writing. This collection lovingly pulls together some of John's most widely-read and most beloved essays on faith, politics, grief, and the elemental parts of being human. It is an encouraging, inspiring, challenging storehouse of "stuff that needs to be said."

Empathy Is Your Superpower

Empathy Is Your Superpower
Author: Cori Bussolari PsyD
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1647393590

Send them back to school with the superpower of caring for others—an introduction to empathy for kids 5 to 7 Learning to understand and care about the feelings of others is one of the most important steps in a child's development—and it's never too early to help little ones build those skills. This adorably illustrated storybook teaches young kids how to recognize and practice empathy through simple real-life examples that are easy for them to understand. It's written in clear, friendly language and includes questions and activities that encourage kids to talk about what they learned and use it in their lives. Go beyond other social emotional books for kids with: Empathy heroes—Little superhero characters Emmanuel and Emma model easy, age-appropriate ways for kids to practice empathy every day. Ways to set a good example—Kids will learn to put themselves in someone else's shoes, lend a helping hand, and inspire others to do the same. Skills for life—Tips, reflections, and games will help adults foster empathy in children for their whole lives. Get the best in empathy books for kids and encourage them to be kind, considerate, and self-aware.

Suicide of a Superpower

Suicide of a Superpower
Author: Patrick J. Buchanan
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 497
Release: 2011-10-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1429990600

The New York Times–bestselling conservative author explains why he believes certain social trends will lead to the downfall of the United States. America is disintegrating. The “one Nation under God, indivisible” of the Pledge of Allegiance is passing away. In a few decades, that America will be gone forever. In its place will arise a country unrecognizable to our parents. This is the thrust of Pat Buchanan’s Suicide of a Superpower, his most controversial and thought-provoking book to date. Buchanan traces the disintegration to three historic changes: America’s loss of her cradle faith, Christianity; the moral, social, and cultural collapse that have followed from that loss; and the slow death of the people who created and ruled the nation. And as our nation disintegrates, our government is failing in its fundamental duties, unable to defend our borders, balance our budgets, or win our wars. How Americans are killing the country they profess to love, and the fate that awaits us if we do not turn around, is what Suicide of a Superpower is all about. Praise for Suicide of a Superpower “Suicide of a Superpower traces the changes in governance and culture in America that foreshadow a decline of epic proportions. . . . Buchanan is no stranger to controversy. Nor is he prone to exaggerate. The crises he describes are real, and he is not afraid to say they ‘may prove too much for our democracy to cope with.’” —Jack Kenny, The New American Magazine “Progressives may recoil at these assertions as well as his positions on immigration, affirmative action and morality, though they may share his sentiments regarding war and America’s unnecessary military presence around the world. Not to disappoint his loyal followers, Buchanan reveals the essence of conservative thought and its origins with clarity and precision.” —Publishers Weekly

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-09-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646982134

Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible. Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others. This simple phrase, "Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible," could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where: spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are; the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful? it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously; the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system. In If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.

The Awakening #1

The Awakening #1
Author: Michael Carroll
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2008-05-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780142411797

Fans of the hit TV show Heroes will love Quantum Prophecy! Ten years ago, all the superhumans vanished. No one knows what happened to them--until now. Thirteen-year-olds Danny and Colin are shocked to discover that they are in fact the beginning of a renewed superhuman race. As they rise to take the place of the lost generation, the unimaginable truth behind the explosive final battle that occurred ten years ago between the superheroes and the supervillains is exposed. And when the past resurfaces, Danny and his fellow superheroes must face the new challenges that threaten their survival. On the run from everyone, and not knowing who is friend or foe, the one ability the new heroes are going to need most is the power to distinguish good from evil.

Superpower Syndrome

Superpower Syndrome
Author: Robert Jay Lifton
Publisher: Nation Books
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2003
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781560255123

No one is better equipped than psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton-a leading scholar of thought control and mass violence- to make sense of the extreme moment. From Hiroshima survivors to Nazi doctors, from Vietnam veterans to the cult that sarin-gassed the Tokyo subways, he has explained to us global apocalyptic urges, the ravages of psychic numbness, and the psychology of the survivor. Now, as al- Qaeda's desire to purify the earth of "evil" meets the unilateral urge to dominate the globe's sole superpower, Lifton believes we have arrived at a remarkably perilous moment. The United States-from its leaders to much of its people-feels itself painfully vulnerable and thinks of itself as a survivor nation. The combination of such feelings roiling through the land over the last year and an administration with unprecedented military power bent on dominating and purifying the earth adds up to an intensely dangerous atmosphere-in fact, a "syndrome." Unfortunately, there is no therapy available for empires-or rather, the only therapy available is self-prescribed. But while Lifton can't be therapist to the earth's last superpower, he can bring together a half century of wisdom and apply it to Superpower Syndrome.

A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide

A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2020-10-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646980034

A Bigger Table invites readers to envision a church that is big enough for everyone, by holding up a mirror to the modern church and speaking clearly on issues at the heart of the Christian community: LGBT inclusion, gender equality, racial tensions, global concerns, and theological shifts. John Pavlovitz shares moving personal stories, his careful observations as a pastor, and his understanding of the ancient stories of Jesus to set the table for a new, positive, more loving conversation on these and other important matters of faith. Though there are many who would remove chairs and whittle down the guest list, we can build the bigger table Jesus imagined, practicing radical hospitality, total authenticity, messy diversity, and agenda-free community. This new edition includes a small-group study guide complete with ideas for exploring A Bigger Table in a congregation-wide sermon series and program along with a new foreword by Jacqui Lewis and new afterword by the author to explore the challenges of living out the bigger table when voices of hate and exclusion seem stronger and louder than ever.

Superpowers

Superpowers
Author: David J. Schwartz
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2008-06-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307449688

Madison, Wisconsin: In the summer of 2001, five college juniors wake up with . . . not just a hangover, but superpowers. . . . Jack Robinson: Grew up on a farm, works in a chem lab, and brews his own beer. Age: 19. Superpower: SPEED. Caroline Bloom: Has a flair for fashion design and a mother who’s completely out of touch. Works as a waitress for a lunatic boss. Age: 20. Superpower: FLIGHT. Harriet Bishop: Studied violin, guitar, and piano . . . and was terrible at them all. Now writes about music for the campus paper. Age: 20. Superpower: ­INVISIBILITY. Mary Beth Layton: Is managing a 3.8, but feels like she’s working three times as hard as the people around her. Age: 20. Superpower: STRENGTH. Charlie Frost: Has an anxious way about him, and always looks like he’s on day 101 of his most recent haircut. Age: 20. Superpower: TELEPATHY. But how do you adjust to an extraordinary ability when you’re an ordinary person? What if you’re not ready for the responsibility that comes with great power? And how do you keep your head in a world that’s going mad?