Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. Identifying nine areas where commonplaces of modern Western thought diverge with the text, the authors ask us to reconsider long-held opinions about our most beloved book.

Small churches are the norm in America: 90 percent of churches see fewer than 200 weekly attendees. In this revised and expanded edition, Brandon O'Brien reveals how small churches aren't just surviving--they're thriving by leveraging their unique strengths. O'Brien explains that the smaller church is not a problem to solve or a liability to neutralize but a strategic advantage that can be leveraged for effective ministry in a variety of contexts. Smaller congregations offer powerful ministry opportunities in an era craving authentic community. In this transformative book, you will: ● learn from real-world case studies of successful small churches making significant impact ● unlock methods for higher lay involvement and commitment in smaller settings ● discover why small churches encourage bridge building across age and lifestyle barriers ● find help for implementing flexible strategies that larger churches struggle to adopt ● explore how to meet the growing desire for services that are personal, local, and intimate O'Brien shows how small churches can take full advantage of their size and analyzes how other churches can learn from their strategies. This new edition includes 20 percent new material and incorporates insights from O'Brien's thinking on local church ministry after nearly two decades serving pastors worldwide. It is perfect for church leaders, students, and ministry teams seeking to maximize their impact regardless of size and includes discussion questions for pastors.

Historian Brandon O'Brien unveils an untold story of religious liberty in America. Between theocracy and secularism, Baptist pastor Isaac Backus contended for a third way—religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all Americans, regardless of belief. Backus's ideas impacted his era, giving us insight into how people of faith today can navigate political debates and work for the common good.

Is Your Biggest Ministry Obstacle Writer’s Block? As an active member in ministry, writing is usually inevitable. Perhaps you approach these opportunities with excitement—or maybe you procrastinate to avoid the task altogether, your pages remaining forever blank. No matter how you feel about writing, approaching a project can be overwhelming. Knowing what to say can be as confusing as knowing where to begin. Perhaps for you, the first step in the writing process is simply to demystify the writing process, to realize that you are capable of accomplishing your projects. If so, then Writing for Life and Ministry is for you. Seasoned writer and writing coach Brandon J. O’Brien examines the obstacles that often inhibit ministry leaders from thriving as writers. Most importantly, he simplifies the writing process, so it is both accessible and flexible to fit your style. Don’t let the craft of writing keep you from flourishing in your ministries. With this resource, you’ll learn how to plan, draft, and revise. The included exercises will enable you to hone your craft and develop your skills. Best of all, you’ll be ready to tackle that writing project you’ve been putting off with confidence.

Tidy categories may suit the media, but people are more complex up close. News outlets, historians, and sociologists can (and do) tell us all about the statistics, but they don’t (and can’t) tell us about what it’s really like in a given place—how the squish of creek water between your toes or the crunch of autumn leaves on a city sidewalk shape your sense of normal and good and right. To understand that—to understand the people in the places—we need stories. We need to listen, get to know the nuance of people, and have empathy for their way of seeing things. Brandon O’Brien is, in many ways, a man torn between places. Raised in the rural South, educated in the suburbs, and now living and doing ministry in Manhattan, he’s seen these places, and their complexity, up close. With the knack of a natural storyteller, he shares what he learned about himself, faith, and the people who make up America on his own journey through it.

Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien explore the complicated persona and teachings of the apostle Paul. Unpacking his personal history and cultural context, they show how Paul both offended Roman perspectives and scandalized Jewish sensibilities, revealing a vision of Christian faith that was deeply disturbing to others in his day and remains so in ours.

The March/April 2018 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by Sarah Pinsker, A.T. Greenblatt, Emma Törzs, Sarah Monette, Vina Jie-Min Prasad, and Brandon O'Brien, reprinted fiction by Nalo Hopkinson, essays by R.F. Kuang, Neile Graham, Marissa Lingen, and Karlyn Ruth Meyer, and poetry by Fran Wilde, Cassandra Khaw, Brandon O'Brien, Beth Cato, Sonya Taaffe,Hal Y. Zhang, and Andrea Tang, interviews with A.T. Greenblatt and Vina Jie-Min Prasad by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Nilah Magruder, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.

In a world of chaos, during a time of dread and faith, an epileptic child shall be touched by divinity. He and his mother, along with many companions, journey into their darkest nightmares as they quest in the name of the lord. A war has started, demons run amuck and the people of the world are caught in the crossfire. Only Shorty and his angelic protectors stand between the salvation or damnation of every soul in the world. They will travel to the oldest, most forgotten places of the world, facing horrors beyond imagination. Only faith guides them, only the power of good, and their belief. The combined might of heaven will clash with the entire hatred of hell in a massive display of courage and madness. In the end, only one will stand victorious.

An artist shares his struggles in life through his captivating poetry. He talks about the pains and struggles in life and in love.

Cthulhu meets hip-hop in this book of horror poems that flips the eldritch genre upside down. Lovecraftian-inspired nightmares are reversed as O'Brien asks readers to see Blackness as radically significant. Can You Sign My Tentacle? explores the monsters we know and the ones that hide behind racism, sexism, and violence, resulting in poems that are both comic and cosmic.