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About the Contributor(s):Mark G. Boyer, a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is the author of 35 books on biblical and liturgical spirituality. He teaches Bible and film courses in the Religious Studies Department of Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri.

About the Contributor(s):Abraham Kuruvilla is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, and a dermatologist in private practice. He is the author of Text to Praxis: Hermeneutics and Homiletics in Dialogue (2009), Mark: A Theological Commentary for Preachers (2012), and Privilege the Text! A Theological Hermeneutic for Preaching (2013). He blogs regularly at www.homiletix.com.

About the Contributor(s):Joe D. Batten, MS, CPAE was the author of fourteen books, over four training, management, sales, and leadership films, presented to over three thousand audiences in seventeen countries, and was the first speaker inducted in the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. His New York Times best-selling book, Tough-Minded Management, was the first management book to reach #1 in America. Mr. Batten worked directly with over 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies and gave the United States Army the phrase ""Be All You Can Be."" Mr. Batten was widely considered the ""Sales Training Dean of America."" Steve Havemann, MS brings an expertise in education, training, and development. Through his programmatic work, Mr. Havemann excels at the art of persuasion and business development. He is a recognized leader within his community and serves on a variety of Boards of Directors. He holds his MEd from Drake University, with a focus in Training in Development.

Description:Life is not fair. What does this reality imply about the nature of God and the destiny of human beings? In this engaging book, Thompson asserts that "fairness" is not an expectation of the faithful within the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. Biblical narrative discloses the mystery of a paradoxical deity that indwells with the suffering of creation and thereby provides a mercy that exceeds the evasive goal of fairness. The process of healing and redemption of this cracked creation occurs through the tears and suffering of the biblical God whose authentic power is revealed within divine vulnerability and weakness. The Jesus of history truly manifested the fullness of this paradoxical God, for he disclosed the richness of the divine Being by emptying himself and taking the form of a redemptive servant. When the church grasps for power and control, avoids compassionate and costly ministries among the poor and powerless, and renders primary focus upon gaining heavenly rewards, it rejects its Christ-centered mission, relinquishes its paradoxical purpose, and ceases to strive toward becoming an extension of the incarnation. Thompson explores various paradoxical facets of each person of the Trinity and richly illustrates with stories from his vast experience as a parish theologian.

About the Contributor(s):Gary Comer is the Outreach and Training Director of Sandals Church in Riverside, California, and the founder of Soul Whisperer Ministries. As the author of Soul Whisperer: Why the Church Must Change the Way It Views Evangelism he brings unique insights on how to lovingly come alongside those outside the faith--to touch their lives in the deepest most profound way. Connect with Gary at www.soulwhispererministry.com.

Description:Everyone Has a Unique Pathway to Faith. Take the First Step!ΓÇó Perhaps you are open to the Christian faith, but in no way convinced. You have legitimate questions or lingering doubts. ΓÇó Perhaps you seek a spiritual rooting--that comes from deep beliefs. ΓÇó Perhaps you hope to experience the living God--in a way that''s real and sticks. ΓÇó Perhaps you are searching for something compelling--a vision for your life! If you are willing, simply, to take the first exploring step, this booklet charts the way forward. It fulfills Jesus''s promise that "those who seek will find." Welcome to a discovery-path of unlimited potential. It can bless you--beyond measure! Vignettes Inside: The First Step ΓÇó A Tale of Two Operators ΓÇó Jesus: Poser or Pedigree? ΓÇó Something Has Gone Really Wrong! ΓÇó Jesus Came to Fix What We Can''t ΓÇó The Meaning of the Cross ΓÇó The Sign of the Resurrection ΓÇó What''s Unique about Christianity ΓÇó Miscues in Approaching Faith ΓÇó Faith & Flying ΓÇó Navigating Forward ΓÇó Rear View Mirror ΓÇó Stepping Up ΓÇó What Surfers Know To pursue your questions, curiosity, and longings, Steps to Faith can be read personally, with a Christian friend, or by a class/group at church.

Description:The Many Sides of Peace comes out of thirty years of living in a Catholic lay community, attempting to understand and practice the compelling ideas of gospel-centered nonviolent love. The book attempts to speak to the signs of these times for those who seek peace and liberation from both war and the looming ecological Armageddon. It is a faith based on the revelation of Jesus and the conviction that a love that is nonviolent will save this environmentally threatened planet and its warlike people from an ""at risk"" status to a more peaceful and sustainable one. This is a message of hope, a ""how to live"" spiritual manual for human/earth survival that can help create a bold and beautiful world. Endorsements:""When it comes to nonviolent and sustainable living, the most prophetic people I''ve met in my journey are Brayton and Suzanne Shanley. The Many Sides of Peace is a beautiful book arising from how well they walk the walk and talk the talk. Treat yourself to the discomfort it will cause, even while it gives you hope.""--Thomas Groome, Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College""Brayton Shanley draws from Scripture, his life experiments with his wife of more than thirty years, and from the wisdom of the prophets of nonviolence to invite us all to explore nonviolent living in an unspeakably violent time. . . . This book could be a handbook for future communities seeking a better and nonviolent way of life.""--Liz McAlister, Cofounder, Jonah House""Brayton Shanley is a peacemaker. He now offers us a stunning account of a life lived for peace, guided by nonviolent love. This is a personal report of a remarkable experiment: a lifelong effort to live with full integrity, that is, to live each day by one''s most basic commitments of mind and heart. The story speaks of the inner life, of the intimate relationships of marriage and family, of building community, and of facing the world as it is and accepting responsibility for the human family.""--David O''Brien, Professor Emeritus of History, College of the Holy Cross""The Many Sides of Peace is a nonfiction account of the workings of consciousness and conscience within the Holy Spirit of nonviolent love towards all--agape, ahimsa--and how that process can bring about actual systemic, social, economic, and spiritual change as it clashes with the values and beliefs of the exploitive empire. It is a clearer call to God and God''s ways and means than a church bell on Sunday.""--Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, International Retreat Leader and Teacher""Brayton Shanley aims to give readers a clear, coherent, and practical message about ways to work toward peaceful relations among ourselves and, as much as possible, with all of planetary being. . . . Why not work, every day, to build rational communities capable of transforming our world? Here is a thoughtful, absorbing book, offering a way forward for peacemakers enamored with agape.""--Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence ""The Many Sides of Peace is a thoughtful account of a family and community deeply committed to nonviolence as a way of life and to sustaining themselves on the land. . . . The teachings of the apostles of nonviolence, from Jesus to Gandhi to Martin Luther King Jr., are made concrete by the community''s involvement in nonviolent resistance to war and injustice. The author faces the challenges of the dominant culture, commenting on recent events and miscarriages of justice, and offering an alternative to the violence of the status quo.""--Michael True, Emeritus Professor, Assumption CollegeAbout the Contributor(s):Brayton Shanley has an MA in Pastoral Ministry from the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. He has a broad study and practice of Christian nonviolence and ministry with a specialty in interfaith perspectives on peace. Brayton has practiced peace by taking his faith into the streets with public vigil, protest, arrest and nonc

This volume throws out a lifeline to all who are running low on hope--those going under, losing their grip, slipping away, falling, failing, listing, losing, lost--as well as to those looking to enliven and embolden their hope.Hope''s Daughters takes a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to hope, drawing inspiration from nature, history, poetry, science, philosophy, religion, psychology, fiction, art, biography, sports, children, and current events.This hope "reader" is deeply personal, drawing on the author''s thirty years spent in hospital chaplaincy plumbing the depths with patients, their families, and their caregivers. Willis writes not from some ivory tower, but out of the hot caldron of human suffering. As "a lover of words, quotations, and stories, and one who aspired to serve others as a hope-prompter," Willis packs every page with a two-minute drill to jumpstart hope each day. For hurried people, this book removes life''s husk and gets straight down to the kernel. As a cornucopia of wisdom and hope, Hope''s Daughters is an eminently practical gift for those seeking to keep hope alive and well."Wayne Willis''s words are a delight, certain to enhance anyone''s devotional life. Willis writes with both a grace and a joy that are contagious, born not from skimming across the surface of life but rather from plunging into its depths. ''Hopefulness can be acquired,'' Willis writes, and with this book, the reader finds this to be true."--Kathleen Long Bostrom, author of Finding Calm in the Chaos"Truly effective preachers help their people imagine a new and better future. In this moving collection of hope-filled stories and reflections, Willis offers a rich resource that pastors will find useful in preaching, teaching, or simply keeping our own hope alive."--J. Whit Malone, senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Hickory, NC"One reader thanked us for providing A Hope Note by saying, ''I open the paper every week to read [Willis''s] column. It''s almost like church. It gives me the boost to keep moving on, even when things get messy. I love it.'' Yes, the notes are thought-provoking without being preachy."--Jo Ann Spieth-Saylor, editor of The Corydon DemocratR. Wayne Willis is Director of Pastoral Care emeritus for Norton Healthcare in Louisville, KY. He holds a BA in Greek and an MA in Church History from Abilene Christian University, an MDiv from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and a DMin from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Willis has also authored P.S. God, Can You Fly? Heartfelt and Hope-Filled Prayers of Children (2002) and Hope Notes: 52 Meditations to Nudge Your World (2004).

Mongolian proverbs reveal important values, while at the same time concealing them. They show the honorable destiny that comes with a good name and the shameful future connected with a bad reputation, assuring a promising future for those who keep Mongolian traditions and customs alive. Unity is important for success, and yet is often elusive in practice. The activities of the unseen world form a major aspect of the Mongolian worldview. When that is understood, the wisdom in their proverbs can be seen from a richer perspective than straight translation reveals. This book sheds light on Mongolian proverbs' enduring wisdom by engaging foreigners in dialogue with native speakers to uncover how their proverbs are used and their intended meanings.

Seventh-century Ireland is becoming a land of saints, scholars, and spiritual foster mothers as well as warriors. The boy Aidan, a descendant of Saint Brigid, is formed by all of these as well as by a pilgrimage, aborted by an Arab uprising, on which he meets a follower of the Prophet Muhammad. He is transferred to Iona, the mother-house of Saint Columba's family of monasteries, where his character is forged. Aidan becomes guest-master to challenging visitors, one of whom conducts a mysterious affair, suffers a midlife crisis, and develops friendships with royal Saxon exiles at the Dunadd court, the seat of the "real" King Arthur. Iona commissions Aidan to evangelize the original WASPs: the White, Anglo-Saxon Pagan invaders of Britain. Aidan offers a radically different approach to that of the Roman missionaries. His gentle grassroots gospel-sharing through friendship, his villages of God that model God's kingdom, his introduction of spiritual foster-mothers such as Hilda to the English, his soul friendships and heartbreaks with successive saintly and power-hungry kings, and his near-death foresight into the future take us inside the heroic spiritual formation of a person and a people in a story that has contemporary significance. Even Aidan's name, Flame, tells a story of its own

It is early in the fourth century AD, and Christianity has become a religion in search of a theology. Roman persecution has ended, but doctrinal debates threaten to tear the church apart as the early church fathers strive to solve a mystery inherited from their apostolic tradition: how both Father and Son might be thought of as God, and yet as distinct, without doing violence to the tenet that God is One.Enter Arius, a Libyan priest who comes to Alexandria to preach an answer: that the Son of God is a created being of a different substance than the Father, and not fully divine. When the Archbishop condemns his teachings and banishes him from the city, Arius' local apostacy expands into a worldwide schism as bishops and clergy throughout the Mediterranean world take sides. Desperate to use the religion as a force for political unity, the Christian emperor Constantine calls a convention of bishops at Nicaea to resolve the dispute. As debate begins, a consensus answer seems out of reach--until a young Alexandrian deacon presses a solution that will forever shape orthodoxy in a different direction.

In the grip of serious numerical decline, American Evangelical churches are now experiencing a missional movement. God is calling his people to return to a biblical lifestyle that goes full circle in continual worship, discipleship, and missions. Mark Powers connects the dots between these three main elements of authentic Christian living. He presents a theology of missional worship, a detailed discipleship plan, and a strategy for local music missions. Going Full Circle uses everyday language to present a simple thought process to move worshipers and worship leaders to become worshiping disciples on mission.Are you a casualty of worship wars? Are you worried about the decline of your church? Are you thrilled with fast growth churches but sense there must be something more than spectator worship? Are you confused by the word ""missional"" that seems to be popping up everywhere? This book is for you and your friends. Read it, share it, and join the movement!

""For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."" Jeremiah 29:11How do we know God's plans for us? How do we know God leads and talks to us daily? How do we become more disciplined in our spiritual walk in order to better hear God's voice and guidance in our lives? There are no easy answers to these questions. However, when we are intentional in our times of prayer, Bible study, and reflection, the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to God's love, allowing us to see opportunities for further direction and growth. Discipleship--A Lifelong Spiritual Pilgrimage offers guidance and gives support to those already involved in this pilgrimage plus encouragement to those wanting to do more in developing good discipleship practices.

Here is the true story of a man from India who comes to the United States to go to seminary, which he finds to be both a demanding social environment and a vigorous philosophical and theological world. After four years of seminary he gets married and completes a doctorate in philosophy. Soon he finds himself in a profound spiritual crisis teaching philosophy in an ivory tower. He hears protests in the streets for civil rights, peace, and environmental integrity. Events conspire to produce a critical turning point in his story. He finally goes into the ministry but is now forced to face the terrors of his own emotional immaturity. The lessons are hard to learn and the road is steep that leads to personal and intellectual adulthood. The energy that drives The Meaning of These Days is the quest for personal, spiritual, and philosophical integrity in a world of suffering beings, both human and nonhuman. The author identifies with the magi, in W. B.Yeats' well-known poem of 1914, who search for ""the uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor."" Religious leaders of many backgrounds and all informed seekers after Truth in today's busy marketplace of ideas will welcome a book that combines philosophy and world theology with the spiritual life in such an engaging, poetic, and novel way.

About the Contributor(s):John Peter Bodner (MA, MDiv) is a Reformed Baptist pastor. Ordained to the Gospel ministry at Grace Baptist Chapel, Tottenham, London, England, he has preached in churches of several denominations. He has served the Canadian Protestant League and Trinitarian Bible Society (Canada). He is currently Pastor at Hope Assembly of Bible Christians, Mississauga, and Preacher at Westfield Chapel, North Huron, Ontario, Canada.

Description:Dr./Major Breathed chooses the cause of the Confederacy over medicine but will that decision cost him the love of his life? James is swept away into a war created by divisions between the northern and southern states. The Broken Circle has elements that mirror a Greek tragedy that sets up the paradoxical inner conflict of saving life as a doctor versus destroying life as a soldier. He re-channels his genius from medical to master warrior and ultimately becomes disillusioned and demoralized. Mollie Macgill utilizes her espionage talents as the two fall in love throughout the course of the war. In the final post-war chapters they both seek redemption from God for their greater devotion to the Southern cause. As they seek to repair their shattered souls the tragic brokenness of James's and Mollie's lives is revealed. The Broken Circle is full of historically accurate battle scenes and the characters are historical people.

Rather than pledging allegiance to the military effort as dictated by Prussian law in 1867, many devout Anabaptists deemed it prudent to become pioneers in Kansas. The year was 1876 and odd numbered sections of railroad land were being marketed by the Santa Fe across Kansas. Towns developed around train depots; local shopping became available. Marie Harder Epp was born in America to these relocated Anabaptists. She was a Kansas Mennonite farmer and also the village poet. Her poems, written for oral delivery, tell the story of life in Holland and West Prussia following the Reformation, the relocation to Kansas, and the creation of a church community on the tall grass prairies. A church was organized to focus these hard-working Germans on divine realities as they buried their dead, married their young, and dealt with the harsh prairie winds. Marie's poems also describe the changeover from buggies to cars, from German to English, and from isolation to global outreach. With time, the Anabaptists learned through cultural adaptation that they could be both staunch Mennonites and also patriotic Americans.

Goronwy Owen (1723-1769) was a Welsh poet and clergyman who spent the last dozen years of his life in Virginia. As a poet, Owen is still revered in his native land as in his work he revived the ancient bardic meters of Welsh poetry. He lived in obscurity in Virginia, first in Williamsburg where he was the Master of the Grammar School at the College of William and Mary, and then in Brunswick County where he was the rector of St. Andrew's Parish. In Brunswick County, Owen wrote "Marwnad Lewys Morys Yswain," widely considered his second greatest poem. Goronwy and Me: A Narrative of Two Lives traces Owen's tempestuous life from his humble beginnings in Wales to his last years in Virginia. Throughout the narrative, Proal Heartwell explores the many intersections between his own life and that of the exiled bard. Goronwy and Me is not a typical biography, but rather a conversation between the author and the reader on the life of a remarkable Welshman.

Committing theology to poetry is not new, but it's not wildly common. The Sunrise Liturgy aims to do just that. It is a sequence, like liturgy, with a start and a procession and a finish. The sun does the processing, and the play on sun and Son is never far from sight. Sunrise gives the cantus firmus to this theological theme and variations, where the going is by turns easy, by turns thickly polyphonic--take a deep breath! The cantus firmus shifts from voice to voice, disappearing, towards year's end, beyond the audible range of human mortals. But there are other mortals in this procession of the year, "acolytes of the Holy Impotence," and under and beside and through it all flows the St. Lawrence River, le fleuve, winding across the page, a tidal presence at once natural and mystical. As are the snow geese. As is the heron. There is an attempt to wrestle with a credible theodicy, especially environmental. There is a profound penchant for the eremitic, with nods to The Cloud of Unknowing and Gregory of Nyssa. And always there is the priestly sense of "performance," enactment, and Eucharist, for this is a priest speaking.

Early literary man learned that free speech and free labor were frequently suppressed or obliterated by powerful governments in the Near Eastern world. This is the source of the Bible's passionate interest in liberation from political and economic repression. Moses and his people in Egypt, for example, experienced the rapid disintegration of their traditional right to religious liberty and self-directed labor. They attempted to rectify the situation at Sinai and in Canaan. Mesopotamians and Egyptians, Greeks, Sicilians, and Romans labored against tyranny as well. Robert Kimball Shinkoskey focuses on stories, laws, and movements dealing with the problem of political idolatry in the ancient world. His purpose is to show that the Bible is a civic narrative as much as a religious one, and that the Ten Commandments are articles in a constitutional law system that promotes the steady rule of law rather than the capricious rule of man.

Norma Jean Duncan found God following a personal revelation of his love. In a life now dedicated to him, she offers her readers an account of her journey that illustrates the difficulties of living in a secular world with a heavenly perspective. Duncan weaves personal reflections into her discussions on the glory of God, prayer, love, forgiveness, obedience, and terminal illness and shows the relevance of scriptural wisdom to the life of every modern believer. There are chapters on eternal scriptural truth, and the factors that corrupt it and lead to the promotion of intolerance and injustice in organized religion. The author examines this difficulty in relation to subjects like creation, sexuality, gender submission, faith and works, the spiritual standing of those who have no knowledge of Christ, and the rise of aggressive atheism. Through discussion of these controversial but important topics, her intention is that the Christian community will lead and not follow the contemporary secular world.

The world has been completely thrown on its head. A nobody from Nazareth, who was brutally executed by the Roman Empire, has conquered all the empires of mankind and brought freedom to all its slaves. A world of ecosystems and communities of life headed towards death is being rescued. You are being called to follow in this movement, sacrificing everything that you have and are. Will you flee or will you follow?

The absurdities of contemporary politics and culture are lampooned in this unique and biting novel, composed entirely of media "sound bites." Here are the voices of our time: politicians, reporters, pundits, and voters, all clashing amid a senatorial campaign between a young conservative woman and a venerable liberal man. The result is a fast-paced satire filled with sharp dialogue and ironic surprises.

Money. Such a little word . . . with such explosive power. For love of money reputations have been ruined, marriages have been destroyed, lifelong friendships have been torn apart, whole nations have bled. For lack of money kingdoms have crumbled, corporations have foundered, lives have faded, dreams have died. But what about us ordinary folk? Most of us spend more time thinking about money (worrying, planning, earning, spending, counting, hoping, envying) than about almost any other subject. So what's money got to do with following Jesus? A great deal, actually. Money is no side issue in the Bible. It's talked about extensively. Just Money offers both insights and suggestions as to how we can live a life of faith in a culture in love with the dollar. Be prepared for some surprises.

Our lives move along with ups and downs, and we cope with them the best we can. But underneath there is a hunger for something more. There are times of stress such as when a loved one dies, a job is lost, a child is on a dangerous path, a difficult situation goes on and on. There are many other stressors that we all encounter.This book offers quotations from ancient and modern authors and poems and reflections that give a thought or image that seeps through the cracks that the stresses have made, and a deeper level is reached. There a new insight occurs, a new reality is discovered, or faith and hope are renewed. William Lancaster said: "Reading these poems . . . I feel planted, secure, that all is right with the world. I put my head down on the desk like a school kid and felt that the hand of God was on my shoulder. This God said, ''Bill, I am your God. You are my child, all of you.''"If you want a deeper and stronger faith in the God who loves you, this book can impact your life."Phil Noble is a mix of wisdom, good humor, deep obedience, and a powerful witness for us. These vignettes bear witness to a life fully lived and a faith fully trusted. His honest self-disclosure will invite reflection, delight, and well-being [so] we may travel the good road he has traveled."--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary"Phil Noble sees the world through a pastor''s and activist''s eyes, and is able to translate what he sees into words that richly capture the insights. This is a collection of poems and quotations that must be read slowly. It is surely nutrition for the soul!"--Stephen A. Hayner, President, Columbia Theological Seminary"Decorated veteran of the battle for civil rights and survivor of personal tragedy, Phil Noble has produced another inspiring book. A collection of the author''s poems, interspersed with quotes from the wisdom of sages, reveals the inner person--a person of profound faith and vivid insight. The reader will find help in the quest for meaning and hope in the face of adversity."--William Baird, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian UniversityJ. Phillips Noble is a Presbyterian minister who served as pastor of four churches, the last being the historic First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He served the Presbyterian denomination as Co-President of its Board of Pensions. He is the author of Beyond the Burning Bus: The Civil Rights Revolution in a Southern Town (2003) and Getting Beyond Tragedy (2005). He is now retired and lives in Decatur, Georgia.

Synopsis:Academic research in alcohol addiction presents diverse results and subject inadequacies. This study identifies conscience and its influence through spirituality on successful recovery as promoting unity and adequacy in the field. The purpose of the study is to analyze the relationship between conscience, spirituality, and recovery from alcohol addiction. This threefold framework underlines the conceptual importance of cognition, affect, behaviour, spirituality, and character in addiction studies. Narrative analysis (NA) is employed for designing the present research. It is utilised for collection, examination, and formulation of the results derived from the participants'' stories. Semi-structured interviews are used within the NA framework to provide the data from the twelve participants. The latter are selected as a homogeneous group based on characteristics of their addiction, spirituality, and recovery. The analysis of narratives defines conscience with its cognitive, emotive, and conative elements as related to spirituality. The conscience''s nature and functioning undergo deterioration during addiction and complete rejuvenation through participants'' spiritual transformation of a transcendent divine experience. Spiritually empowered conscience supports progressive recovery from alcohol addiction. The conscientious approach to self, life, and others is shaped by virtue and spiritual commitment.Author Biography:Yordan Kalev Zhekov holds two master''s and a doctorate in theology, as well as a master''s in addiction psychology and counselling. He continues his research in developing conscience therapy on the professional doctorate programme at Middlesex University, UK. Dr. Zhekov works in the field of homelessness and as a substance misuse counsellor. He is the author of Defining the New Testament Logia on Divorce and Remarriage in a Pluralistic Context (2009).

Set in the mystical kingdom of Iona, a young slave boy named Iskandar learns that he is the son of the King and Queen of Iona, once noble rulers who were seduced by the dark Lord Marduk with a promise of divine power. Iskandar discovers what happened to his family, how he was hidden from his parents by his uncle, the secret power he has that even his immortal parents are afraid of, and the obsessive determination of his elder brother Jakov to use him as an instrument of revenge. Iskandar must travel through forests filled with dangerous creatures, fight battles against impossible odds, draw on the help of a mysterious knight, and learn to use his elemental powers, all while being constantly haunted by the question of whether he really has the courage to confront and even kill the immortal king of Iona, his own father.