In ‘No Wastelands: How to grow seedbeds of Shalom in your neighbourhood, ‘ Ash Barker shares his personal odyssey of serving on the front line of urban poverty on three continents. Through stories, scriptures, and insights, Ash challenges readers to release the unique potential of their local communities and see lasting change happen. This book is for those who deeply love their neighbourhoods but feel stuck, as well as those just beginning their local adventures and suspect more is possible. Let Ash’s experiences spark your imagination, values, practices, and strategies to grow seedbeds of shalom in your own neighbourhood.
The book includes:
- prompts for personal reflection and group discussion;
- practical exercises to try for yourself and your neighbourhood.
विषयसूची
Foreword by Brian Mc Laren
Introduction: Not Buried, But Planted
Part A. Beating The Weeds (As Best We Can)
Chapter 1: Weeds That Choke Potential
Chapter 2: Invasive Weeds That Choke The Harvest
Chapter 3: Weeds As Signs Of Life In Wastelands?
Chapter 4: Treating Weeds With Hope
Part A. Practices To Try
Part B. Sowing Seeds Of Shalom: What Can God’s Vision Of Shalom Mean Locally?
Chapter 5: Place-making And The Seeds Of Shalom
Chapter 6: ‘Fear Not!’ – Seeds Of Shalom And Resisting Fear
Chapter 7: ‘Great Joy’ – Joy And The Seeds Of Shalom
Chapter 8: ‘Shalom On Earth?’
Part B. Practices To Try
Part C. The Soil We Need
Chapter 9: Soils And Enchanted Worldviews
Chapter 10: Hard Paths – Lacking Awareness
Chapter 11: Stony Fields – Lacking Grit
Chapter 12: Thorny Grounds – Lacking Trust
Chapter 13: Good Soils – Praxis Understanding And Action
Part C. Practices to Try: Toward an Incarnational Spirituality – entering your C.A.V.E daily.
Part D. Sustainable Roots, Branches Ready For Fruit
Chapter 14: Not All Roots And Branches Can Grow The Fruit We Need
Chapter 15: Roots Systems For Sustainability
Chapter 16: Branches Prepared For Fruitfulness
Part D. Practices To Try
Part E. Grow In Seasons (Not Against Them)
Chapter 17: The Celtic Season of Samhain – Winters Of Our Discontent And Discovery
Chapter 18: The Celtic Season Of Imbolc – Spring’s Gestations And Birthing
Chapter 19: The Celtic Season of Bealtaine – Summertime’s Flourishings And Rests
Chapter 20: The Celtic Season of Fomhar – Autumn’s Harvests And Endings (Again)
Part E. Practices to Try: Eternal Seasons Labyrinth Walk
Conclusions: Possibilities for Seedbeds of Shalom
लेखक के बारे में
Rev Dr Ash Barker is an Australian shalom activist, communicator, and Pioneer Minister who has served for over 30 years among urban people and places facing poverty. He now lives in Winson Green, Birmingham, UK, where he founded Seedbeds to help communities growseedbeds of shalom through local leadership programmes, now in the UK, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Australia. An inspiring speaker and author of 9 books, Ash’s Ph D in missiology was informed by his 12 years living in Bangkok’s largest slum.