Forged in the Fiery Furnace: African American Spirituality by Diana L. Hayes (Orbis Books, 2012, $22) is an accessible introduction to African American spirituality. It provides a broad overview of developments in both Protestant and Catholic traditions.

Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability and Inclusion by Mark I. Pinsky (Alban Institute, 2012, $18) tells 64 stories about the way faith communities welcome and affirm people with disabilities in worship, ministry, fellowship and leadership. Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other congregations do this not only because it is the right thing to do but because they are made better by the gifts of all people.

Almost Amish: One Woman’s Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life by Nancy Sleeth (Tyndale House, 2012, $14.99) tells how, following a spiritual conversion and an environmental awakening, Sleeth and her family reduced their electricity use to a 10th and their fossil fuel use to one-third the national average.

Dive: Devotions for Deeper Living by Cindy Massanari Breeze (Herald Press, 2012, $16.99) includes 108 meditations, rooted in Scripture and prayer, grouped under 18 topical sections, each ending with a practical guide for “living it out.” It confronts difficult topics, such as trauma and failure, and offers humor, real-life stories and celebration.

God and Charles Dickens: Recovering the Christian Voice of a Classic Author by Gary L. Colledge (Brazos Press, 2012, $19.99) is written for pastors, students and laity and looks at Dickens’ life and work topically, arguing that Christian faith was front and center in some of what Dickens wrote and implicit throughout various characters and plots.

Lamentations and the Song of Songs by Harvey Cox and Stephanie Paulsell (Westminster John Knox Press, 2012, $30) consider two books of the Old Testament that deal with violence and sex. This is the latest volume in the Belief series, which presents a theological commentary on the Bible.

Living Into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us by Christine D. Pohl (Eerdmans, 2012, $20) looks at four specific Christian practices—gratitude, promise-keeping, truth-telling and hospitality—that can counteract the destructive forces of betrayal, deception, grumbling, envy and exclusion that every church and organization has experienced and can help churches and individuals build and sustain vibrant communities. She shows how to cultivate these practices in congregations and families.