James in the Suburbs  has been awarded the 2019 Readers' Favorite Silver Medal in the Christian - Devotion/Study Do you consume God's blessings, or do you share them? Most Christians are consumers.  We are obsessed with knowing the right theology and following the right set of rules in hopes that God will bless us. Yet, no matter how much God blesses us, we are still looking for more. James says our faith is dead.   But there is another type of Christian, one who craves being put to work as the servant of God to share God's blessings with others. Their faith spurs them on to become the hands and feet of Christ. James says their faith is alive. James in the Suburbs is far more than your ordinary Bible study guide. It is also a parable--an energizing story of the lives of six men and women--that wraps itself around the Epistle of James, making its teachings immediately applicable to modern life. You will walk away with not only a thorough understanding of the epistle, but also the unforgettable story of people just like you, whose lives the Holy Spirit turned upside down. This book can be read casually by an individual or studied within a group. The final chapter provides everything readers need for a guided twelve-week study. If you are using James in the Suburbs as a small group or church wide study, there are some free handouts and planning information that you might find helpful at aprillovefordham.com. " James in the Suburbs has been awarded the 2019 Readers' Favorite Silver Medal in the Christian - Devotion/Study James in the Suburbs: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle of James by April Love-Fordham is a devotional plus inspirational book that picks powerful lessons from one of the Epistles that focuses on the theme of faith: The Epistle of St. James. In fact, James states that faith without works has no substance. In this book, the author draws powerful lessons from James and shows how a group of men and women have been able to transform their faith into something tangible by translating it into service. April redefines faith and helps readers understand its application in contemporary society. It is interesting to see how many lives get changed when we allow our faith to lead and guide us. In this book, we are introduced to a group of faith-filled people using their gifts to positively influence the lives of people around them. There are lessons on dealing with the challenges they face as a group, the spiritual and physical benefits of worship, and how the message in James can be applied to contemporary society. James is one of the biblical letters that is very practical when it comes to understanding and practicing faith and this book offers readers the path to making their faith a living testament in the eyes of the world. James in the Suburbs: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle of James is written for Christians who want to deepen their faith and it shows the link between faith and charity and how surrendering to the demands of faith transforms us into people who make a difference in our communities. It is beautifully written, inspiring and filled with engaging stories. A book that offers great material for Bible study and personal reflection. This book teaches you what to do when it is challenging living the faith. "In the same way Clarence Jordan made the Bible relevant in the Cotton Patch of Southwest Georgia, April Love-Fordham brings the disruptive letter of James to our American suburbs whose inhabitants are anxiously in need of some true undefiled old-time religion. We, the non-poor, hunger for intervention and April's parable about how James could and should be read and lived is the kind of balm for the sin-sick soul that will challenge us to redirect our lives to find harmony with Jesus's teachings." --Kirk Lyman-Barner, Director of US Field Operations, Fuller Center for Housing, Americus, GA "A must-read for every suburban Christian, James in the Suburbs is packed with memorable characters and sound Christian wisdom from a pastor who sees into the soul of the suburbs." --Tom Kennar, Team Rector, North End Team Ministry, Portsmouth, UK " James in the Suburbs by April Love-Fordham may be the most engaging biblical commentary I've ever read. Cleverly setting her exegesis in the context of a fictional Bible study group of three men and three women, Love-Fordham shows us through narrative how the teaching of the book of James concretely impacts the lives of people of faith. This is a must-read for every Christian leader." --Kenneth Swanson, Rector, St. David's Episcopal Church, Roswell, GA Look for other books in the Disorderly Parable Series:  Dismantling Injustice  (Song of Solomon) and  St. Francis and the Christian Life  (Galatians). April Love-Fordham, with a BEE and MSEE from Georgia Institute of Technology, spent twenty years in the corporate world including several in Washington DC as a technology advisor. Having worked her way to the executive suite, she retired from