New Releases by Michael Allen

These twelve essays span nearly twenty years of research and activism that chronicle one man''s search for his family. Together, they explore the concept of personal identity from the perspective of someone who was erased completely by adoption in The State of New York. "The Last Invisible Continent is an important book, a superb mixing of the personal and the political." -- The Columbus Free Press

Michael is an editorial photographer for Southern Bride Magazine, and has traveled all over the South, from Florida to New Orleans, and to such destinations as Mexico. His wedding photography style is beautiful and keeps his studio booked year round with weddings. Michael''s commercial photography projects have also attracted a lot of attention, he shoots for major companies photographing such celebrity music stars as Lauren Alaina, Dierks Bentley, and many more. He has recently worked on a major shoot with Conde Naste for GQ magazine as an assistant photographer for Sebastion Kim, the worlds top fashion photographer. One of his recent portrait clients includes Leigh Anne Tuohy from the film "Blind Side". This book goes into detail about shooting high end weddings, photography styles, business management, marketing and the gear needed. A perfect book for new photographers that want to gain insights into the editorial side of wedding photography & what it takes to be a successful photographer.(Revised Edition)

The authors sober, straightforward, no-holds-barred warning prepares the readers to answer hard questions for themselves as to Where in the World Is the Church When All Hell Breaks Loose? Is this the end or just the beginning in this crucial, climactic, redeeming chapter of human history? A gripping fictionalized account of real events that will occur on planet Earth. A story that could begin with tonights broadcast of the evening news.

Urban trees on the prairies are essential to our changing landscape environment. I have helped thousands of people with their tree problems over the past 43 years. Tree diseases and how to deal with them continue to plague a very large number of people. "Where can we get more information about these tree problems?" is a question I am constantly being asked. This book will help you to narrow the search for the problems plaguing your trees by going through the images and accompanied text. As well, there are also helpful detailed instructions on how to take care of the nutritional requirements of your trees. Keeping a tree healthy can reduce its susceptibility to diseases much as good nutrition does with people and animals. You can always reach me on line at www.treeexperts.mb.ca if you need any further help. Enjoy your trees!

Seeking to move beyond current heated debates on justification, this accessible introduction offers a fresh, alternative approach to a central theological topic. Michael Allen locates justification within the wider context of the gospel, allowing for more thoughtful engagement with the Bible, historical theology, and the life of the church. Allen considers some of the liveliest recent debates as well as some overlooked connections within the wider orbit of Christian theology. He provides a historically informed, ecumenically minded defense of orthodox theology, analyzing what must be maintained and what should be reconfigured from the vantage point of systematic theology. The book exemplifies the practice of theological interpretation of Scripture and demonstrates justification''s relevance for ongoing issues of faith and practice.

Understanding Peace: A Comprehensive Introduction fills the need for an original, contemporary examination of peace that is challenging, informative, and empowering. This well-researched, fully documented, and highly accessible textbook moves beyond fixation on war to highlight the human capacity for nonviolent cooperation in everyday life and in conflict situations. After deconstructing numerous ideas about war and explaining its heavy costs to humans, animals, and the environment, discussion turns to evidence for the existence of peaceful societies. Further topics include the role of nonviolence in history, the nature of violence and aggression, and the theory and practice of nonviolence. The book offers two new moral arguments against war, and concludes by defining peace carefully from different angles and then describing conditions for creating a culture of peace. Understanding Peace brings a fresh philosophical perspective to discussions of peace, and also addresses down-to-earth issues about effecting constructive change in a complex world. The particular strength of Understanding Peace lies in its commitment to reflecting on and integrating material from many fields of knowledge. This approach will appeal to a diverse audience of students and scholars in peace studies, philosophy, and the social sciences, as well as to general-interest readers.

"Allen interweaves the dreams of the father and daughter, slowly bringing them to reality. The characters are drawn well. The details of Chris'' life--his painting and woodworking are compelling and well crafted." When a near fatal accident separates a single father from his daughter, fate has a way of finding her a good home. While Chris fights for his life in a coma for nine years, his daughter Krista is raised by a couple with good intentions who have no idea how to properly raise a child. Gilmer has wild ideas that he doesn''t think through. Maggie knows the basics, and figures the rest out as she goes. But there is one thing they have in common, the love for the little girl who stole their hearts while her father was absent. When Chris awakens from his coma, his amnesia keeps him from remembering he has a daughter. Putting his life back together, he takes to furniture repair and then design. But, he picks up a paint brush one day when an apparition of a little girl soon starts haunting him even while he is awake. He captures scenes of her on canvas, but can''t figure out what connection they have. While he paints who he has affectionately been calling Angel, she becomes more and more real to him. Years go by and Chris has developed an entire life with a girl he knows only through paintings. He keeps them locked up in a private room while his other paintings have gained notoriety throughout the art community as the "Insider''s Secret." The exposure he is getting brings him face to face with Maggie and a teenage girl named Krista. Something strange suddenly stirs in both of them. Family is a strong connection. Even when it''s the one you adopt, not the one you come into this world knowing. A River in the Ocean is a heartwarming tale about two lost souls. He didn''t know he was looking and she didn''t know she needed found.

What does the Bible say about heaven and hell? How do I distinguish biblical promises from sentimental myths? How can I be ready? Exploring the wonders of heaven while taking an honest look at the realities of hell, pastor Michael Allen Rogers provides us with a clear and accessible summary of all things related to the afterlife. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to answer the crucial question of what happens after I die?

How would your life be if you had special gifts that with training allowed you to become both immortal and eternal? Would you behave or consider yourself to be a god? Follow Chalon as he writes his journal about his life starting from the beginning from childhood to the end of all creation.

This reader from Karl Barth''s multi-volume Church Dogmatics offers an introduction to the whole work, key readings in reasonable portions with introductions and provides helpful hints at secondary material. An ideal textbook for all beginners studying the work of one of the most important theologians of the last century.

This landmark study is a detailed textual and thematic analysis of one of Nietzsche''s most important but least understood works. Stanley Rosen argues that in Zarathustra Nietzsche lays the groundwork for philosophical and political revolution, proposing a change in humanity''s condition that would be achieved by eliminating the decadent exisiting race and breeding a new race to take its place. Rosen discusses Nietzsche''s systematically duplicitous rhetoric messages in Zarathustra, and he places the book in the contexts of Greek, Christian, Enlightenment, and postmodernist thought.

The Christ''s Faith coheres with orthodox Christology and Reformation soteriology, and needs to be affirmed to properly confirm the true humanity of the incarnate Son. Without addressing the interpretation of the Pauline phrase pistis christou, this study offers a theological rationale for an exegetical possibility and enriches a dogmatic account of the humanity of the Christ. The coherence of the Christ''s faith is shown in two ways. First, the objection of Thomas Aquinas is refuted by demonstrating that faith is fitting for the incarnate Son. Second, a theological ontology is offered which affirms divine perfection and transcendence in qualitative fashion, undergirding a Chalcedonian and Reformed Christology. Thus, the humanity of the Christ may be construed as a fallen human nature assumed by the person of the Word and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The dogmatic location of The Christ''s Faith is sketched by suggesting its (potential) function within three influential theological systems: Thomas Aquinas, federal theology, and Karl Barth. Furthermore, the soteriological role of the doctrine is demonstrated by showing the theological necessity of faith for valid obedience before God.

The burgeoning "theological interpretation of Scripture" movement has gained much notoriety, but it has yet to demonstrate consistently that dogmatic reflection both aids and flows from exegesis of biblical texts. This volume includes essays on critical passages related to a number of key doctrinal loci (e.g. Genesis 1, Exodus 3, Proverbs 8, John 1). It also intentionally offers examples of theological commentary on various genres of Scripture (on biblical narrative, poetry, wisdom, gospels, and epistles), showing how the whole Bible can be read theologically for the church. The volume includes essays by notable scholars conversing with the canon, the creed, and our contemporary culture: including Kevin Vanhoozer, Michael Horton, Henri Blocher, R. W. L. Moberly, and D. A. Carson.

As a pastor, Michael Allen realized there was a real need for Bible study material directed toward the maturing Christian. There is a wealth of information dealing with salvation and the first baby steps a newborn Christian takes. Yet, there seems to be a drought of material aimed at those who are attempting to walk in the deeper things of God. This book is for those who truly hunger for a more extensive knowledge of the most high. Do you genuinely want to draw closer to God? Do you want to know him personally and intensely? Then this book is for you. As the world plummets deeper and deeper into the concept of self as the center of all living, this book is an insightful look into the heart of God. If you wholeheartedly desire a greater intimacy with God, this book will provide insights into his character. Do you dare to see God for who he is? Then read this book and immerse yourself in the knowledge of his amazing power, love, and grace.

How do we see God’s Love for us? What it means for God to be Infi nite How does Faith develop? Windows of Faith How do we Know God? Science and Faith What is Our Own Heaven or Hell? What is God’s Heaven? Religion’s Future Going Home

The story of Charles Dickens'' childhood and work at Warren''s Blacking, a boot polish factory.

Ramon Sanchez''s search for a long-forgotten town in New Mexico reveals the fifty-year-old legend of a colossal service station called Gotcha Gas. July 7th, 1947, dozens of outraged motorists are stranded and unaware they are within the blast radius of a poorly-planned US Army bomb test. A motorcycle gang, a police manhunt, and "The Pickle," an Army helicopter in the final leg of its pre-test reconnaissance, join the pandemonium. Can everyone be saved with just one hour before detonation? Ramon learns about a boom town on the verge of bankruptcy, the mayor''s get-rich-quick scheme, and the broken Coke bottle that triggered the episode. He also uncovers the connection between events at the gas station and a fallen weather balloon near Roswell. A madcap, side-splitting story of military bungling, ham-fisted police, crooked politicians, mob rule, and big business, GOTCHA GAS will forever change your view of the Roswell Incident.

Taking as his starting point the collapse of the medieval world, Gillespie argues that from the very beginning moderns sought not to eliminate religion but to support a new view of religion and its place in human life- and that they did so not out of hostility but in order to sustain certain religious beliefs. He goes on to explore the ideas of such figures as William of Ockham, Petrarch, Erasmus, Luther, Descartes, and Hobbes, showing that modernity is best understood as the result of a series of attempts to formulate a new and coherent metaphysics or theology.

Tom Larkin, an impossibly famous rock icon, dies tragically at the hands of a deranged fan--or so the world believes. In reality, Tom narrowly escapes and recuperates in a secret hospital. His loving but imperious wife Katrinka becomes convinced that it''s safer for everyone if he stays dead. Reluctantly, Tom agrees to live out his days in obscurity until an old enemy reveals that his life is still in danger.

This book introduces Reformed theology by surveying the doctrinal concerns that have shaped its historical development. The book sketches the diversity of the Reformed tradition through the past five centuries even as it highlights the continuity with regard to certain theological emphases. In so doing, it accentuates that Reformed theology is marked by both formal (''the always reforming church'') and material (''the Reformed church'') interests. Furthermore, it attends to both revisionary and conservative trends within the Reformed tradition. The book covers eight major theological themes: Word of God, covenant, God and Christ, sin and grace, faith, worship, confessions and authority, and culture and eschatology. It engages a variety of Reformed confessional writings, as well as a number of individual theologians (including Zwingli, Calvin, Bullinger, Bucer, Beza, Owen, Turretin, Edwards, Schleiermacher, Hodge, Shedd, Heppe, Bavinck, Barth, and Niebuhr).

The still popular blue jeans have their origins in the Old West frontier of San Francisco in the late 1800s. Gathered from collections around the world, here are never-before-seen pictures of antique "Miner''s denim" worn in the frontier communities of Nevada and California, including Levi denim that is over 120 years old. Over a dozen other brands that used this strong, durable fabric, and helped make blue jeans what they are today include Greenbaum Brothers, Neustadter Brothers, S.R. Krouse, A.B. Elfelt & Co., Heynemann & Co., Harman Adams, W. & I Steinhart & Co., Toklas, Brown, & Co., Yung Chow, and others. To avoid patent infringements, these other, little-known brands designed jeans that found a way around the rivet patent of Levi Strauss. Many of these innovative blue jeans designs have been lost in the dust of history and were inaccessible to the public until now. This book offers an extensive look at the whole era of Old West denim. Over three hundred color photos and illustrations chronicle never-before-seen examples, patent drawings, and the histories of the manufacturers. This is invaluable information for fashion historians and collectors alike.

''Textbook on Criminal Law'' has been revised to incorporate all significant case law and statutory material since the last edition. Bringing clarity to this subject the author clearly states the general principles of criminal law and the current state of the law, guiding students through areas of complexity.

This is what we know, this is the truth: CSI is a global television phenomenon. It began in 2000 with "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", a dark procedural drama about forensic science set within the neon escapism of Las Vegas, in which Grissom and his team search within the very vitals of the murder victims they investigate. Nearly 17 million viewers tuned in each week and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" fast became America''s number one show. The success of the series moved it into franchise territory, continuing in 2002 with the body beautifuls and dismembereds of "CSI: Miami" (now the world''s biggest television show) and again in 2004 extending the francise to the melancholic noir of post-9/11 New York with "CSI: NY". "Reading ''CSI''" pieces together the evidence in order to understand what the CSI shows mean to contemporary television culture, both in America and beyond. The varied, intellectually curious and often polemic responses to CSI from critics, journalists and industry professionals focus on a range of issues from the pornographic quality of the CGI effects, the relationship of characters to their narratives, and the reaction of the fans, to the semiotics of Horatio Caine''s sunglasses. This in depth, compulsive read also includes a full episode guide.

In late 2003, inspired by the recommend. of the Pres.¿s New Freedom Comm. on Mental Health, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law undertook a study of board & care homes for people with psychiatric disabilities. A draft report was produced, then on Nov. 18 & 19, 2004, the Bazelon Center hosted a nat. strategy meeting to discuss the findings. This final report incorp. the discussion & recommend. from the Nov. 2004 meeting. It discusses the impact of short-term quality improvement measures in the use of board & care homes. It also calls for a fresh approach to providing housing for people with psychiatric disabilities -- a recovery-oriented approach that revolves around the principles of consumer self-direction & community integration.

Now there is a civil procedure litigation supplement that makes the rules accessible without talking down to students. AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO CIVIL PROCEDURE achieves the perfect balance between complexity and simplicity as it reveals the actual

Here, Michael Allen, focuses on the personal and social issues (anti-social behavior, peer pressure, sex, special education, and lack of parent involvement) that students bring to school each day, which impacts their education. In this book, the author examines how administrators and teachers can wade through the psycho/social dysfunction in order to give their students the survival skills they need to become successful. The Two faces of Education: An Insider''s View of School Reform teaches educators how to identify and protect themselves against the common pitfalls found in schools with diverse student bodies where underlying philosophical and social differences can unexpectedly aggravate tensions that can be transmitted from one student, to many. Based on real-life stories, this book takes a hard and poignant, yet often humorous, look at a different side of education, presenting a fresh perspective on the challenges of school reform by remembering who educators are there to serve--the students.

John Thinnes, a detective on the Chicago police force, and Jack Caleb, a well-known psychiatrist, were friends---unlikely friends, maybe, with very different lives, but men who liked and respected each other. And they had one significant experience in common: Both had been "in country" in Vietnam during the war. Their "labels" were different---Thinnes had been in the military police, Caleb a medic, a conscientious objector who chose to fight with his medical equipment and his ability as a doctor as his weapons, whether his patients were wounded on the field of battle or on the crowded, dangerous streets of Saigon. Arriving home, both men would have liked to forget the horrors of that war but could not banish them from their memory. They had left Vietnam, but Vietnam would never leave them. In the years since the war ended, Thinnes married and fathered a son, Caleb prospered with his psychiatric practice and found a gay lover. Later, a series of murders and rapes brought the police officer and the psychiatrist together in an oddly matched friendship, each contributing his special knowledge to try to solve crimes that were hard to unravel. But memories remain---ugly memories of maiming and killing on both sides, not only of soldiers but of innocent Vietnamese farmers and their families, of drug dealers and the city''s poor. And now, on a morning shortly into the new millennium, Jack Caleb is listening to the radio and hears of the shooting death of a Vietnamese immigrant woman in Chicago''s "Little Saigon," and a flashback leaves him trembling. Thinnes''s reaction to the murder is of a different kind. He had been assigned to the murder case, but when his lieutenant learns that Thinnes had known the dead woman in Saigon, had even attended her marriage to his now-dead buddy, he takes him off the case, leaving Thinnes''s partner to use her outstanding talents as a detective under the officer who takes John Thinnes''s place. This, however, does not stop Thinnes from doggedly continuing the search for the woman''s killer. Word on the street in Little Saigon is that the "White Tiger" is now in Chicago. "White Tiger" is the only known name for a mysterious and savage drug dealer and all-around criminal who terrorized even the toughest thugs in Vietnam. Both men dig, together and each in his own way, for the reason this innocent woman was murdered, both thoroughly aware that by searching in the deep, they are offering their own lives to the Tiger''s wrath. Michael Allen Dymmoch has faultlessly linked the horrors of the war in Vietnam, from the viewpoints of those on both sides of the conflict and also from the hearts and minds of two very different men, and has woven them into a thrilling story of terror in the past and in the very present Now.

"The judge will order you to talk and offer to put you in the witness protection program. You said you won''t consider that. Why on earth?" "I have a life, Mr. Norman." "Well, if this man they want to wiretap really is connected, you won''t for long." "It''s not fair!" "But it''s the law." "What if I just refused to talk?" "The judge will jail you for contempt until you testify. And I doubt the mob would trust you to accept an indefinite stay in County. Even in solitary you wouldn''t be safe." "Then I have no choice?" Most of us are lucky that some simple action---one that we''ve performed a hundred times---doesn''t suddenly plunge our entire life into a private hell. But undeserved or not, unheralded or not, that''s what happens to Joanne Lessing, a freelance photographer and the divorced mother of a teenage son. On a fine fall morning, sent to record the aftermath of Halloween in a town park, Joanne turns from the geese she is photographing to see a luxurious foreign car come speeding down the road at the park''s edge. The driver, noticing Joanne aiming her camera and seeming to panic, veers and smacks into a Volkswagen parked at the curb. His car scrapes the curb and leaves. Good citizen Joanne reports the accident and turns over her photos of the offending car to the police. Not until she sees a story in that evening''s local paper does she have an answer to what has puzzled her all day: Why did the police immediately send a man to interview her and pick up her photos for a relatively minor accident in which no one was injured? The news story tells her that one of her neighbors had been murdered, a man who had once been the head of the local mob and has been living quietly in the FBI''s witness protection program. A flock of FBI agents arrive to work with the local police. The agents know who did the killing; they''ve been living with the effort to catch and convict the gang members. Among the single-minded "Feebies" is Agent Paul Minorini. He is the only one who seems to give some thought to the danger Joanne is in if the gangsters learn it was she who caught their car with her camera---and possibly caught some or all of its occupants as well. Minorini''s worry about Joanne''s safety puts him at odds with his partner, and his attraction to the besieged woman makes it almost impossible for him to perform his job. Meanwhile, spunky Joanne, trapped between the mob and the tunnel-vision agents, has some ideas of her own about how to handle her endangered life...if only she can make those ideas work.

What Howard Zinn does for those who are ashamed of American history in his A People''s History of the United States, BEACON OF LIBERTY does for those who are proud of it. From Christopher Columbus to the fall of Saddam Hussein, this book will go a long way in restoring perspective and clarity to our understanding of America''s amazing story, and the noble, Christian principles our country was founded on.