LOVE ONE'S COMMUNITY by Paul Nixon

As I reflect on my love for my community, in terms of the physical gathering of human beings that live within five miles of my house, it makes me homesick.  As I write this, I am almost 8000 miles from home, as the bird flies.  I do not live in a perfect place - far from it - in fact there are aspects of the city I call home that are just detestable - but it is a place that I have embraced nonetheless.  It is home.  Across the years, I have lived in ten cities.  Of the ten, I fell in love with all but one.  Ironically I was sent to the one as a United Methodist pastor, and it was about the worst job I ever did trying to pastor anybody or anything.  

LOVE ONE ANOTHER By Kim Shockley

I know, I know - Love One Another sounds so “churchy” – why did we use this as a chapter title?  Well because, it is the central message of the Gospels!  We worked hard with this chapter to make sure that it got to the heart of Jesus’ message of love - that it is much harder than being “nice” to one another.  Being “nice” has that fake feel to it, that veneer that covers over my real thoughts and feelings in order not to upset the applecart or rock the boat.  Jesus’ call to love one another has a deeper, richer meaning that moves us to helping other people find the best within themselves and hold them accountable to living as Jesus’ taught.

SEEK SIGNIFICANT GOD-ENCOUNTER by Paul Nixon

Americans are mostly sick of church.  Fact.  But they are fascinated and hungering for God-encounter.  The odd thing is that many of the churches are scared of God-encounter.  I helped to edit a simple resource for daily reading through the Book of Acts entitled Catch Fire in 50 Days!  The cover featured a lit match.  One of the pastors I coached suggested this resource to some of his congregation's leaders.  One particular woman revolted, "There is no way - I didn't join this church to read Fundamentalist stuff."  And the fact was all the contributors to the daily readings in the book were progressive laity and clergy, most from the San Francisco bay area.

THE SURPRISE FACTOR--WHY? by Kim Shockley

Getting a book from idea to publication is quite a process.  I remember the day that my husband, Gary Shockley and my friend, Paul Nixon came to our apartment in Nashville to pitch this book idea so that I would have something to do in the fall of 2010!  Having just moved there from Orlando FL, and not yet having a job, they felt it was important for me to have something meaningful to do.  Here we are nearly 2 ½ years later with the book arriving for sale any day now!

COMING SOON!!