Will your church be part of the thirty-three percent unable to spot the kindling of conflict before it flares up and results in the dismissal of a pastor? Firestorm describes the six successive phases of conflict and explains the causes of that conflict, strategies to cope with controversy, and what can be done in the firestorm's aftermath to restore faith and hope.

From woolly scarves and plump orange pumpkins to crunchy leaves and smooth wicker baskets, readers will delight in all the different textures fall has to offer. With simple, rhyming verses and sweet, vibrant illustrations, youngsters can celebrate the season with this touch-and-feel board book that's perfect for small hands.

This book explores the legal dimension of the Islamic State, an aspect which has hitherto been neglected in the literature. ISIS' dystopian experience, intended as a short-lived territorial and political governance, has been analyzed from multiple points of view, including the geopolitical, social and religious ones. However, its legal dimension has never been properly dealt with in a comprehensive way, assuming as a point of reference both the Islamic and the Western legal tradition. This book analyzes ISIS as the expression of a potential though never fully realized legal order. The book does not describe ISIS' possible classifications according to the standards and the criteria of international law, such as its possible statehood or proto-statehood, issues that are however touched upon. Rather, it analyzes ISIS' own legal awareness, based on the group's literary materials, which show a considerable amount of juridical work. Such material, mainly propagandistic in its nature, is essential in understanding which kind of legal order ISIS aimed at establishing. The book will be of interest to students and academics in the fields of Law, International Relations, Political Sciences, Terrorism Studies, Religion and Middle Eastern Studies.

Tibetan yoga is the hidden treasure at the heart of the Tibetan Tantric Buddhist tradition: a spiritual and physical practice in pursuit of an expanded experience of the human body and its energetic and cognitive potential. Ian A. Baker progressively introduces the core principles and practices of Tibetan yoga in this pioneering overview. In addition to meditations, visualizations and practices for the breath and body, these include elements rather less familiar to yoga initiates in the West, including sexual yoga; dream yoga or lucid dreaming; and yoga practices enhanced by psychoactive plant or mineral substances. Baker draws on contemporary scientific research and contemplative and humanitarian traditions to enable the reader to understand these practices. The book includes ethnographic photography and works of Himalayan art that have never been published before, as well as illustrations of yogic practice and theory from historical books of instruction.

A step-by-step guide to developing an embodied relationship with Egyptian divinities * Details the nine stages of the ancient Egyptian initiatory path, describing each stage's powers as well as the culminating ceremony called "The Crown of Isis" * Provides profound guided meditations for each of the nine stages and illustrates the manifestation of this path's principles through stories of awakening * Shares the author's personal journey as a Garment of Isis and her own powerful interactions with Isis, which culminated in her serving as Oracle of Isis at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1993 The Sacred Science of ancient Egypt was an initiatory spiritual system, a technology of consciousness designed to birth a mystical communion with the divinities, an embodied union of being between the eternal and the mortal. After initiation was completed, the re-identified being, now divinely possessed, was known as a Garment of Isis, signifying that the goddess Isis dwelt within them. Offering a practical guide to the key principles within the Egyptian temple tradition, Naomi Ozaniec explores the process of creating and developing a personal relationship with the Neteru, the divinities and forces of creation of ancient Egypt. She details the nine stages of this initiatory path, which are divided into three phases--heartmind, spiritmind, and soulmind. This step-by-step, interactive process culminates in a ceremony called The Crown of Isis. The author provides profound guided meditations and illustrates the manifestation of the initiate's powers through stories of awakening brought on by this spiritual path. She also shares her personal journey as a Garment of Isis and her own powerful interactions with Isis. An accessible yet substantive guide to initiation into the Egyptian Mysteries, this book details how to gradually awaken and attune your mind to the symbolic, open access to higher realms of consciousness, and enter into a mystical marriage between personal and divine consciousness.

This book explores how the Muslim scholars of Daghestan, an important Muslim region within Russia, experienced the 1917 Russian Revolution and how they attempted to gain religious and political authority in the new post-imperial environment. Covering the period between the February Revolution and the first massive repressions of the scholars of Islam, it provides new insights into the complexities of the relations between Muslim reformers and Bolsheviks. It challenges the prevailing view in Western scholarship that the relationship was antagonistic, revealing that relations were pragmatic rather than ideological. It argues that there was cooperation on issues of modern education and language policy, and alliances against assumed common threats, such as the British, Wahhabis and local Sufis, along with disagreements related to the Bolsheviks' atheism and their concept of class struggle. Overall, it demonstrates that the Islamic reformist discourse in Daghestan, although influenced by the wider Islamic debate at the turn of the twentieth century, was an integral part of Soviet modernity.

In today's secular society, many people struggle with terms like love and happiness. Few consider that these vital concepts are connected with worshipping God, but we know equally that they have little to do with how much we earn and possess. Maybe the answer lies in relationships, but these can be changeable and troublesome. Is there a larger story we can be part of again? A framework within which our lives can make sense? Where can we get good advice? In the style of "The Road Less Travelled", Larry Culliford tells stories of his work as a psychiatrist. Through these, he shows us how to face adversity, protect ourselves and others from self-destructive acts and temptations, and grow in maturity. We have more than our own resources to draw on. Bringing together East and West, ancient and contemporary traditions, he sees his patients using their "wisdom mind" to reach wholeness. This intuitive faculty connects us again with the universe, which science and materialism have rendered remote and uncaring. This is the route to a new sense of belonging and a meaningful life. It is our path to emotional health, happiness and maturity. Much more than self help is involved. Larry shows how, following this path, we will also be helping the world.

This book focuses on dual belonging within Hindu-Christian contexts. Written by experts in a variety of fields, the chapters explore the theological, philosophical, and cultural anthropological debates relating to religious pluralism, religious language, and social identity while addressing the fact that both Hindu and Christian forms of self-understandings have been significantly moulded through their interactions in South Asia and across certain Euro-American horizons. The limits of the definition of dual belonging are tested via case studies, and contributors address the question of whether there is anything distinctive about dual belonging across Christianity and Hinduism specifically. A timely contribution to the emerging subject of dual religious belonging, this book will be of interest to academics in the fields of Hindu studies and Christian theology, Hindu-Christian comparative theology, religious pluralism, interreligious relations, the sociology and anthropology of religion, and comparative theology and philosophy.

Teaching Contemporary Yoga provides a novel look at how modern yoga is understood, practiced, and taught globally. Utilising perspectives from several academic disciplines, the authors offer an analysis of the current state of modern yoga and the possibilities for future experimentation and innovation. The authors draw on anthropological, performance, and embodiment theories to understand yoga practice as a potentially powerful ritual of transformation as well as a cultural product steeped in the process of meaning making. They craft a unique analysis that contrasts asana with the largely unexamined philosophy underlying the practice of vinyasa, while imagining a vibrant future for the evolution of yoga through excellence in teaching. Unlike other writings about yoga, the authors offer a critique of the current practice of yoga as both diminished and utilitarian, while providing a path to reinvigorating the discipline based on current scientific knowledge and methods for teaching and practice. Along with these theoretical perspectives and the analysis of contemporary yoga in the West, the authors offer practical applications to address the challenges of teaching yoga in a society where individualism and materialism are core values. Open-ended exercises in reflection and experimentation offer opportunities for readers to apply what they have learned to their teaching and personal practice. This is a vital guide for any yoga-oriented scholar, teacher, or practitioner and is an essential companion for contemporary teacher training.

An accessible introduction to the life and work of renowned psychoanalyst Michael Eigen. Covers key concepts and explains them clearly. Provides a map of Eigen's background and clinical and theoretical work throughout his life.

?Que pasaria si algunos de nuestros mas grandes teologos no fueran considerados como tales, en absoluto? Kat Armas es una cubanoamericana de segunda generacion que crecio en las cercanias del famoso vecindario La Pequena Habana de Miami. Su temprana formacion teologica provino de su abuela, que huyo de Cuba durante el apogeo de los disturbios politicos y crio a sus tres hijos sola tras la muerte de su esposo. Combinando la narracion personal con la reflexion biblica, Armas nos muestra el modo en que las voces marginadas --las que a menudo son rechazadas, aisladas y oprimidas debido a su genero, estatus socioeconomico o falta de educacion--, tienen mas que ensenarnos en cuanto a seguir a Dios que lo que nos damos cuenta. Abuelita fe cuenta la historia de teologas anonimas e ignoradas en la sociedad y en la Biblia --madres, abuelas, hermanas e hijas-- cuya supervivencia, fuerza, resistencia y perseverancia nos ensenan el verdadero poder de la fe y el amor. La exploracion de la autora en cuanto a la teologia de abuelita ayudara a personas de todos los origenes culturales y etnicos a reflexionar sobre las abuelitas en sus vidas y sus ministerios, y sobre las formas en que pueden vivir la fe de abuelita cada dia. Kat Armas (magister en Divinidades y en Teologia del Seminario Teologico Fuller) es una escritora y oradora cubanoamericana, que presenta el podcast The Protagonistas, en el que destaca historias de mujeres de color comunes y corrientes, incluidas escritoras, pastoras, lideresas de iglesias y teologas. Ha escrito para Christianity Today, Sojourners, Relevant, Christians for Biblical Equality, Fuller Youth Institute, la revista Fathom y Missio Alliance. Armas tambien trabaja en el proyecto Living a Better Story en el Fuller Youth Institute y habla periodicamente en conferencias sobre asuntos raciales y de justicia. Vive en Nashville, Tennessee.

One of Sheed's most popular books, this ideal volume for the layman shows the practical aspects of theology in the life of a Christian believer. Logic, clarity, and simplicity permeate this eminently readable book.

Other poems tell of a path in poetry shared with people the author knows and loves, as well as strangers. Not a path to follow but a path made by walking - a kind of pilgrimage. And there are new poems too ...the walk, the story, the poetry go on ...See how they come: bare feet on the warm earth, disturbing the dust of ages, to the telling place where the joy of birth and beginnings is shared and the colours of hope imagined: for every baby born, a star for all life on earth, a story and a promise. (From A parable of being)

Praying together as a couple, and praying for your mate, is the mortar in a marriage-a way for a couple to turn toward each other rather than away from each other. It also invites God's love into the relationship. To help put feet to readers' prayers and guide them to a better relationship with God and each other, this book packs poignant true stories, actual prayers, inspirational quotes and creative, doable marriage-building ideas into 12 chapters. Whether someone is seeking a better marriage when it's already good, or wanting to improve and stay positive in a struggling marriage, Cheri Fuller offers hope and motivation so that couples will make the most of one of the best gifts God ever gave them: prayer.

The five daily prayers (Salat) that constitute the second pillar of Islam deeply pervade the everyday life of observant Muslims. Until now, however, no general study has analyzed the rules governing Salat, the historical dimensions of its practice and the rich variety of ways that it has been interpreted within the Islamic tradition. Marion Holmes Katz's richly textured book offers a broad historical survey of the rules, values and interpretations relating to Salat. This innovative study on the subject examines the different ways in which prayer has been understood in Islamic law, Sufi mysticism and Islamic philosophy. Katz's book also goes beyond the spiritual realm to analyze the political dimensions of prayer, including scholars' concerns about the righteousness and piety of rulers. The last chapter raises significant issues around gender roles, including the question of women's participating in and leading public worship. This book will resonate with students of Islamic history and comparative religion.

Every significant event in the Bible happened because someone said "yes" to God. Start living the adventure of "yes" today

In this whimsical yet inspiring book," " Shelene tells the stories of real-life paths God took her on to learn some simple truths that changed everything in her life--everything for the better. By "loving" how our Creator made us to "love"; "skipping" comfort and safety to help those who can never repay us; and taking a risk to "jump" into the epic journey God has for our lives, the reality is we are all just one "yes" away from changing everything. Don't miss out on the incredible adventure God has for you. Say "yes" to God--love, skip, and jump your way to his plans for you

In this book, Buddhist temple priest and chef Koyu Iinuma shares the simple and delicious plant-based meals he prepares in the kitchens of Fukushoji temple in Yokohama, Japan. The 73 recipes showcased in Zen Vegan Food are incredibly beautiful and tasty, while also being nutritious, sustainable and ethically responsible. Color photos show the finished dishes, while comprehensive information on Japanese ingredients like seaweed, miso and tofu helps home cooks with shopping and preparation. In this cookbook, readers will find: 28 recipes for vegan congee--the traditional Asian rice porridge dish that is taking the West by storm. These include Congee with Eggplant and Ginger, Soymilk Congee and Congee with Saffron and Chestnuts A chapter on Japanese-Italian dishes with recipes such as Grilled Turnips with Mustard and Olive Sauce, Spaghetti with Pesto and Shiitake and Mushroom Risotto with Nori Seaweed Delicious condiments and starters to brighten up any meal, such as Mushroom Miso Paste and Crunchy Kombu Chips Though we may not typically associate Buddhist monasteries with trendy chefs and temple cafes, a young generation of priests, like Iinuma, are ushering in a new era--one which emphasizes openness and a reconnection to the natural world. Buddhist monastery chefs have been creating delicious vegan dishes for centuries, and Zen Vegan Food offers a modern take full of fun and flavor. For anyone interested in sustainable, plant-based eating, this book will be a revelation--with new ways to prepare delicious meals the whole family will enjoy!