Norma Cook Everist – författare

You love your work. You love the people--most of the time. They respect you, most of the time. You work together with colleagues, staff, and laity, with energy and enthusiasm, most of the time. But then something goes wrong: a word spoken in anger, a misunderstanding, and things turn sour. What do you do? How do you deal with conflict, whether it be long or short-term, low or high intensity? Conflict is a part of the human predicament, yet it need not define or control your ministry. This book is designed to help the reader ask certain key questions about the nature and scope of the conflict they are experiencing and, based on the answers to those questions, move beyond conflict. The author lays out the variety of responses to conflict, running the gamut from avoidance to accommodation to compromise to collaboration. Written with the real needs of congregations in mind, this book will serve as a reliable guide to all who wish to move through conflict into a more effective and authentic fulfillment of their calling.

How can faith speak directly to people''s real lives? How can conversation around Scripture make "all the difference" in the arenas of one''s daily world? People who have heard the Bible many times--or for the first time--want to know in the terms and images of their life situation. "When my world seems to be shaking all around me, why doesn''t it help to hear ''You are forgiven''?" And further, "What can I say to someone who feels totally alienated from God?"Seventy Images of Grace in the Epistles will help people make connections and empower them for their ministries in daily life. The book presents an interplay of stories of people''s actual lives and Epistle images of grace. Readers will begin to recognize the depth of the human predicament and the power of the gospel, thereby becoming equipped for Christian discipleship and vocation, not from duty or guilt, but from freedom. "Guides for Engagement" will help readers turn the book into a learning event.

Everist Vos challenge congregations to take a new look at and mission -- to see themselves as God's people in the world. Explore exciting new understandings that come from starting with people in the world rather than with church structures. Professors Everist (clergy, Wartburg Theological Seminary) and Vos (laity, Muhlen-berg College) bring their insights to bear on how people's daily struggles, needs, and hopes can connect to God's mission through practical steps. These include spiritual growth and the challenge of mutual accountability. A reflections section helps readers discern God at work in their lives.