Author and former missionary Faith Annette Sand points out that while Jesus was on earth, he never displayed fear. So to be made into the image of Christ we must learn to shed our fears and anxieties. Yet so much of our energy centers on trying not to drown in the turbulent waters where we find ourselves−sinking with worries about our security problems, money problems, health problems, insurance problems, retirement problems, and then all the interpersonal problems of dealing with feuding family members, estranged friends and those who would cheat us, berate us, not give us credit where it is due and generally try–too often successfully–to make our lives miserable. In the face of this, what can we do to be serious about our faith walk?

When Linda Hale Bucklin's mother died, an apparent suicide, nothing in her staid world remained the same. Her father, scion of a wealthy San Francisco family, already enamored with Denise Minnelli, fell under her control and Denise managed to end up the sole heir of his vast estate. Linda recounts her pilgrimage of gradually learning to stand up for herself and make peace with her history. But more than the uncertainties about her mother's death, Linda finds herself estranged from her controlling father. Alan Jones, dean of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, calls this a "hard yet tender story" and commends Linda for "a near miracle in telling the truth with compassion." You can e-mail Linda Hale Bucklin at linda@lindahalebucklin.com

Authoritarian parents are so commonplace in our society that teenage rebellion is considered inevitable. We need a change of attitude, say Bob and Janet Aldridge, world renowned peace activists who have raised ten children. Cooperative decision-making in the family is the place to start. Raising nonviolent children means, first and foremost, creating an atmosphere of harmony in the home–where children need to feel nurtured and safe in a society that is increasingly violent. Sharing their faith pilgrimage of raising children in urban Amerrica, reconciling the larger political peace issues with ccreating a loving home, they give us a helpful guide for raising children peacefully and modeling a nonviolent approach towards decision-making.

Award-winning photographer Karen Ande and veteran journalist Ruthann Richter have put together this intriguing book which offers a moving portrayal of life in Africa in the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Its combined photography and narrative capture the hopes and joys, struggles and sorrows of orphaned children left to survive on their own, often caring for younger siblings. It pays homage to the care-giving grannies, the little-known heroes of Africa, who have kept families together as traditional social networks collapse. It also presents some of the special challenges faced by children who are living with HIV. It also profiles the activists–working at the grassroots level to help the well-being of thousands of children and families affected by the epidemic.