The Randy Palmer Collection for GoTell

“While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:51) Graphic by Randy Palmer

For a number of years Randy Palmer has been creating graphics for Sunday morning worship at Grace United Methodist Church where we attend here in Dayton, Ohio. With the blessing of Senior Pastor Sherry Gale, Randy has gifted the graphics to GoTell. We will add them here and there to existing story pages. The Randy Palmer Collection will also be used on the new story pages we plan for the coming years. We are grateful to Randy and to Grace Church for this generous gift.

The graphic displayed here would work well for Ascension Sunday, May 28.

A Breath of Fresh Air

This is me about a month ago having just walked into the kitchen from the mailbox with the first copy of my book in hand. Take a picture, Tom! And he did.

by Amelia Boomershine

A Breath of Fresh Air: Biblical Storytelling with Prisoners challenges the behemoth of mass incarceration through the convergence of biblical storytelling pedagogy, restorative justice principles, and peacemaking circle structure. It introduces a method of spiritual formation through biblical storytelling which I have named “Circle of the Word.”

Circle of the Word is an interactive, creative process of engagement with biblical stories. It is a spiritual intervention that addresses an American criminal justice system that is retributive, discriminatory, and out of control. A Breath of Fresh Air reports on the impact of Circle of the Word for incarcerated men and women. Circle of the Word is grounded in a multifaceted foundation: the study of the Bible as performance literature, the history of prison reform in Enlightenment England, the doctrine of the Word of God, and the development of hope theory.

Since the purpose of the book is both advocacy and empowerment, a how-to chapter is included with details for implementation. Participation in Circle of the Word has proven to be a transformative experience for men and women directly impacted by mass incarceration where they discover community in the midst of isolation and hope in the midst of despair.

You can order from the publisher, Wipf & Stock, or from Amazon, who also have it in Kindle version. Or you can order from GoTell for $25.00 and free shipping anywhere in continental USA.