Arthur Paul Boers

Trekking 500 miles on the ancient Camino de Santiago was not just an item for Russ Eanes to check off his bucket list. It was a journey he had dreamed of taking for decades. At age 61, with his children grown, he was too young to retire but wise enough to know that he needed to reorient the hurried pace of his life. He left his work and took a sabbatical to "reset" himself and the first step was to head to the Camino. With everything he needed in a 16-pound pack and, equipped with a set of seven simple principles, he took off from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to walk, as pilgrims have for twelve centuries, across Spain, to realize his dream. It was the Walk of a Lifetime. In a style that is part personal memoir and part travel memoir, he combines history, spirituality, coffee, culture and humor into an engaging journey of personal rediscovery.

How do we deal with crime? It is inescapable. Since 1960, crime in the U. S. has increased 500% while the population has grown by only 41%. What is our responsibility to the victim and the offender? What is the Christian response? Explore the inadequacies of North American criminal justice systems and discover the alternative the Bible has to offer. Listen to stories of those involved in the system and from those pursuing a more "restorative justice." Hear clearly God's words of hope, challenge, and counsel. Endorsements: "Boers's critique of criminal justice is a call to the churhc. His challenge of traditional concepts of justice calls the church to apply its mission of reconciliation to those hurt by criminal acts: the offender, the victim, and the community. Anyone looking for a study/discussion source that examines a Christian response to criminal justice will find this book both disturbing and enlightening." --Harold R. Regier, Former Director, Offender Victim Ministries, Inc. "No one can be content with the state of our prisons today, Here is a book which may help us forward. It gives us new perspectives of hope on complex issues, involving both victim and offender. Above all, it is accessible to people hwool ack expert knowledge of the criminal justice system. It has a freshness and a wisdom sorely needed in the discussion of penal affairs today." --Rt. Rev. R. M. Hardy, Former Bishop of Lincoln, England, and Former Bishop to HM Prisons About the Contributor(s): Arthur Paul Boers teaches pastoral theology at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. A Mennonite minister and Benedictine oblate, he has pastored in rural and urban settings in the U. S. and Canada. The author of six books, his degrees include the following: DMin, MTh in Pastoral Counseling, MDiv, and an MA in Peace Studies. Boers, a Canadian, is the oldest child of Dutch immigrants. He and spouse Lorna McDougall are the parents of two young adults.

Do we touch God and meet Jesus in a church or a soup kitchen? In a monastery or on skid row? In a Bible camp or a housing project? In heaven or on earth? Such distinctions are false, says Arthur Paul Boers. We can't experience God in heaven without loving the needy on earth. Nor can we truly love the needy on earth if not empowered by God in heaven. ""Too often personal spirituality and social justice pass each other as ships in the night. Based on biblical insights and rich personal experience, Arthur Boers creatively links them together in true biblical fashion."" --Donald B. Krayhill, author of The Upside-Down Kingdom ""Boers attests to the huge necessities of worship and prayer in our lives. He shares his much-tested conviction that a contemplative life is not an alternative to--but the root and foundation of--active life."" --from the Foreword by Eugene H. Peterson, author and former pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church Arthur Paul Boers teaches pastoral theology at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. A Mennonite minister and Benedictine oblate, he has pastored in rural and urban settings in the U. S. and Canada. The author of six books, his degrees include the following: DMin, MTh in Pastoral Counseling, MDiv, and an MA in Peace Studies. Boers, a Canadian, is the oldest child of Dutch immigrants. He and spouse Lorna McDougall are the parents of two young adults.

The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards finalist Pilgrimage is a spiritual discipline not many consider. Aren't the destinations far? Don't they involve a lot of time and walking? Just a few years ago, Arthur Paul Boers wasn't thinking about pilgrimage either. But he began to sense a deep call from God to walk the five-hundred-mile pilgrimage route known as Camino de Santiago, ending in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, at a cathedral that is said to hold the relics of the apostle James. In these pages he opens to us his incredible story of renewed spirituality springing from an old, old path walked by millions before him. It's a story of learning to pray in new ways, embracing simplicity, forming community, living each day centered and focused, depending on God to provide. Joined by hundreds of others from all over the world, Boers points the way to deeper intimacy with God--a way made by walking in faith.

No church is immune to the problems that can arise when parishioners behave in difficult ways. Responding to such situations with self-awareness and in a manner true to one's faith tradition makes the difference between peace and disaster. In this must-read book, Boers shows how a better understanding of difficult behavior can help congregational leaders avoid the trap of labeling such parishioners and exercise self-care when the going gets rough.