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Argues that children do not often receive the pastoral care they deserve, and explains how to use puppets, games, art, storytelling, or writing to help them express their concerns
In this ground-breaking book, pastoral counselor Andrew Lester demonstrates that pastoral theology (as well as social and behavioral sciences) has neglected to address effectively the predominant cause of human suffering: a lack of hope, a sense of futurelessness. Lester examines the reasons that pastoral theology and other social and behavioral sciences have overlooked the importance of hope and despair in the past. He then offers a starting point for the development of addressing these significant dimensions of human life. He provides clinical theories and methods for pastoral assessment of and intervention with those who despair. He also puts forth strategies for assessing the future stories of those who despair and offers a corrective to these stories through deconstruction, reframing, and reconstruction. This book will be invaluable to pastoral caregivers who are looking for a vantage point from which to provide care and to pastoral theologians who are seeking to develop a theological lens through which to understand the human condition.
Is it okay to get angry? Andrew Lester thinks it is, and in this accessibly written book he shows the reader how to understand anger so that it will be helpful, not hurtful, to Christian life. Lester, a popular professor and author, challenges misconceptions about anger that have followed Christians for centuries. By comparing the research of psychologists and sociologists with the teachings of Christianity, Lester uncovers a basic truth: anger occurs when you, or those people or things close to you, are threatened. Lester explores the biblical teachings about anger, focusing on the destructiveness of the dark side of anger as well as the creativity that can result from appropriate anger. Anger must be faced, he says, or it will become destructive. He shows how to face your anger and also how to know when it is time to get help.
In this work, respected scholar Andrew Lester discusses and incorporates the newest behavioral research models, contemporary biblical and theological scholarship, constructivist philosophy, and narrative theory into a comprehensive pastoral theology of anger. In revisiting through the lens of theological anthropology the very subject that brought him to the forefront of scholarship in pastoral care, Lester presents engaging new material and innovative new methods of interventions for dealing with this often-confusing human emotion.
The Lesters discuss how the increase of intimacy in marriage allows for communication, power, anger, and faith issues to be approached more creatively and effectively. With tested exercises and a clear discussion of contemporary perspectives on marriage, this book is an indispensable resource for couples and counselors. - Publisher.
Steven Spielberg is the director or producer of over one third of the thirty highest grossing films of all time, yet most film scholars dismiss him as little more than a modern P. T. Barnum--a technically gifted and intellectually shallow showman who substitutes spectacle for substance. To date, no book has attempted to analyze the components of his worldview, the issues which animate his most significant works, the roots of his immense acceptance, and the influence his vast spectrum of imaginative products exerts on the public consciousness. In Citizen Spielberg, Lester D. Friedman fills that void with a systematic analysis of the various genres in which the director has worked, including science fiction (E.T.), adventure (Raiders trilogy), race films (The Color Purple, Amistad), and war films (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List). Friedman concludes that Spielberg’s films present a sustained artistic vision combined with a technical flair matched by few other filmmakers, and makes a compelling case for Spielberg to be considered as a major film artist.
Amid mounting concern over the loss of jobs to low-wage economies, one fact is clear: America's prosperity hinges on the ability of its businesses to continually introduce new products and services. But what makes for a creative economy? How can the remarkable surge of innovation that fueled the boom of the 1990s be sustained? For an answer, Richard K. Lester and Michael J. Piore examine innovation strategies in some of the economy's most dynamic sectors. Through eye-opening case studies of new product development in fields such as cell phones, medical devices, and blue jeans, two fundamental processes emerge. One of these processes, analysis--rational problem solving--dominates management a...
It all started because of a rifle. The Rifle is an inspirational story and hero’s journey of a 28-year-old U.S. Marine, Andrew Biggio, who returned home from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, full of questions about the price of war. He found answers from those who survived the costliest war of all -- WWII veterans. It began when Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand Rifle, the most common rifle used in WWII, to honor his great uncle, a U.S. Army soldier who died on the hills of the Italian countryside. When Biggio showed the gun to his neighbor, WWII veteran Corporal Joseph Drago, it unlocked memories Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years. On the spur of the moment, Biggio asked Drago to sign the r...
In this ground-breaking book, pastoral counselor Andrew Lester demonstrates that pastoral theology (as well as social and behavioral sciences) has neglected to address effectively the predominant cause of human suffering: a lack of hope, a sense of futurelessness. Lester not only looks at the reasons why addressing the ideas of hope and despair has been overlooked by pastoral theology and other social and behavioral sciences. He also offers a starting point for the development of addressing these important dimensions of human life. He provides clinical theories and methods for pastoral assessment of and intervention with those who despair. He also puts forth strategies for assessing the future stories of those who despair and offers a corrective to these stories through deconstruction, reframing, and reconstruction.