Got 3 minutes to spare? You'll find the spiritual pick-me-up you desire in "3-Minute Devotions for Women. "Written especially the twenty-first-century woman, this delightful devotional packs a powerful dose of comfort, encouragement, and inspiration into just-right-sized readings for women on the go. Minute 1: scripture to meditate on; Minute 2: a short devotional reading; Minute 3: a prayer to jump-start a conversation with God. This portable package makes a fabulous any-occasion gift for every woman.

Rediscover the space you need in between your work, your schedule, and your limits by eliminating unneeded frustrations and reflecting on how you spend your time. From Richard Swenson, author of the bestselling book "Margin," this devotional's 180 daily readings offer encouragement, healing, and rest as you deal with time management, stress, and busyness.

This book, which developed from an understanding of the dialectical relationship between theology and the church, provides information about the function and domain of language in the church through an analysis of its creedal statements. The study begins with an historical investigation of the crisis in linguistic interpretation in the church and theological community. Subsequently, a philosophical framework is presented through an investigation of particularly significant aspects of Ludwig Wittgenstein's later writings. Following a discussion of the alternative readings of Wittgenstein by theologians, examples are presented for ways in which we can apply Wittgenstein's linguistic approach to the interpretation of creeds. After distinguishing optional approaches to the creeds, the book presents an understanding of creedal statements in light of Wittgenstein. Reclaiming the functional nature of doxological language within its liturgical context provides a central connection between the language of the church and the actions of its members.

Right across denominational boundaries lay theology is dominated by negatives: the laity simply defined as the non-ordained, the alleged exclusion of the laity from full participation, the sole focus on what they cannot or should not do, and, above all, the total absence of an ecumenical lay theology. In a unique approach, this volume sets out to find ways of overcoming these negatives so predominant in current lay theology. The author explores positions and perspectives put forward in Roman Catholic theology from Vatican II up to the present. These are compared and contrasted with concepts and suggestions of present-day Anglican Theology as well as with those of liberative theologies in Latin America and Asia. Rethinking the content, language, and metaphors of lay theology, in the final part of this volume the author proposes a new image for discussing the Church, a model focusing on the interdependence and collaboration of all the people in the Church. This is then used to sketch out the framework for a new type of lay theology. Imbedded in ecclesiology, in the concept of all believers together being the Church, the author endeavours to suggest a lay theology that is indeed positive, ecumenical and universal.

Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) has long been known as a great spiritual master. His many works of prose and poetry are beginning to be more accessible in translation in Western languages. They possess the remarkable quality of being able to speak to people of all walks of life and belief, across the apparent barrier of many centuries and differing cultures. Despite this growing interest, the prayers which are attributed to him remain little-known. They provide a most precious glimpse into the real practice of the mystical life within the Sufi tradition. This is the first time that any of Ibn 'Arabi's prayers have been published in another language. This particular collection is one of the most beautiful, having been revered in the Islamic world for centuries. There are fourteen prayers, one for each day and night of the week. They include not only the most astounding expressions of contemplation and devotion to God, but also an unparalleled depth of knowledge of Union (tawhid). As the translators show in their introduction, the very structure of the prayers is a mode of contemplation, since for Ibn 'Arabi the weekly cycle itself is sacred. These prayers are presented with notes and appendices.

Despite the numerous famous examples of "les litanies" in French poetry, the manner in which the structures of this form of worship affect the versification strategies of poems has not previously been discussed thoroughly. Litanic verse, whose origins are as ancient as those of the litany genre, is recognized in works whose poetic diction, in whole or in part, includes the distinctive features of the litany, such as enumeration, parallelism, anaphora, and epiphora. The third volume describes the development of litanic verse from troubadour poetry and Old French religious verse up to World War II. This rich and multifaceted material is presented in chronological order and in the context of different literary genres.

Among other relevant issues, this book adds new insights to the proposed Igbo Christian rites of reconciliation. Towards an inculturation, the resolutional equations of the Igbo cultural method of reconciliation - oriko in ala di mma - are balanced with the sacrament of reconciliation in operational life of the people who are pastorally concerned. In this context, the author refers to the Owerri archdiocesan working document on emume nsacha na ndozi, meaning a ritual of purification and peace, as well as to the Igbo Christian rite of reconciliation proposed by Augustine Echema. The method of these new rites is para-liturgical in nature which highlights the importance of reconciliation of human beings with themselves, their neighbours and God, whenever sin has taken place. Paradoxically, this new method of reconciliation can broaden ecumenism and strengthens the social, cultural, political and religious lives of the people. In this sense, reconciliation can be seen as a natural spiritual cord that ties people to themselves and to God in a communal and Christian environment.

A new translation of the foundation texts of the Zoroastrian religion, the Gathas (songs) composed by Zoraster himself, together with the Liturgy in seven chapters composed shortly after his death some 2600 years ago. After a substantial introduction to Zoroaster's religious thought, West presents the translations with facing page explanations of the meaning of each verse.

A selection from Underhill's enduring devotional writings, chosen for their pertinence to Lenten themes. Half a century has passed since Evelyn Underhill's death, yet her devotional writings have endured as a beacon to those who seek a deeper understanding of the interior life in the mystical Christian tradition. The editor's personal discovery of Underhill's works when he was a young student at General Theological Seminary moved him to pursue an extensive knowledge of her writings. From these he has skillfully culled readings appropriate for every day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve and broadly following liturgical themes. Now back in print, these selections were chosen with the purpose of deepening Lenten observance by allowing the reader to follow the thought of Underhill, from the spiritual stocktaking theme for Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday's joyous anticipation of God's ultimate Gift.

This book explores theologically the practice of hospital chaplains seeking to meet the spiritual needs of parents bereaved by baby death in-utero. The lived experience of bereaved parents, gathered through a series of in-depth interviews, informs such an exploration. Parents describe the trauma of late miscarriage and stillbirth as still being shrouded by silence, myth and misunderstanding in contemporary society. Up-to-date theoretical understandings of grief are also re-examined in light of parents' stories of living with baby death. This book offers suggestions as to how the actual spiritual needs of parents may be met and their grief sensitively facilitated through the sharing of rituals co-constructed by parents and chaplain which seek to have theological integrity yet be relevant in our postomodern age. In our prevalent culture of caring, where increasingly ongoing professional and personal development are regarded as normative, recommendations are made which may aid reflection on current, or shape future, practice for chaplains, pastors, students and various healthcare professionals.

Scholars and experts in anthropology, theatricality, ethnoscenology, dance, religious studies, theology, history and art have contributed to the inspiring exchange of intellectual inquiry in this book. It presents the revised lectures and a selection of the revised papers from the international and interdisciplinary conference Religion, Ritual, Theatre which took place in April 2006 at the University of Copenhagen. The aim of the book is to intertwine new theories with concrete case studies in an empirical and practical manner. Case studies from different places and various cultures in Europe, South Africa, the Near East and India demonstrate noticeable parallels concerning the notions of embodiment and practice. Even though these upcoming perspectives share a rather redundant vocabulary they nevertheless seem to contribute to a common ground of a phenomenology of the body, of action and perception.

He is risen Now what? How does the resurrection of Jesus impact my everyday life, and why should I care? Pastor Ray Johnston provides a resource for individuals and communities who want to explore the implications of the Resurrection on Christian life. This Changes Everything explores thirty practical ways Christ's victory over the grave changed the lives of early believers and can transform us today. This resource has been given to thousands of new Christians at Bayside Church where the author is the founding pastor. While not primarily an apologetics text, This Changes Everything provides helpful apologetics resources while speaking practically about the impact of the resurrection of Jesus in ordinary life. Let your whole life declare, "He is risen, indeed "

Religion and politics have often been called taboo topics for polite dinner conversation, but in political campaigns and religious services, the two often mix. This book looks at how religious worship remains embedded with inherent political messages and behaviors, showing that conflicts between church and state exist not just in the public arena, but in each sanctuary and house of worship. To explore this religious-political tension, the book first examines more obvious examples of worship as political action, such as when candidates speak during church services or when political parties hold prayer services at party events. The initial analysis acts as a foundation for the idea of worship serving a political purpose, and is followed by analysis of non-partisan and less obvious political worship services. Religious sacraments (such as baptism, confirmation, communion/mass, and confession) function as key moments in which religious participants pledge allegiance to a power that resides outside Washington, D.C. or statehouses, thus highlighting the alternative political messages and space carved out through worship.

The "Celtic Wheel of the Year" offers an original and inspiring selection of prayers for individual use. Divided into monthly sections, it incorporates Celtic Christian and Celtic Pagan traditions in a single pattern of prayer. Prayers combine the Christian seasons with the seasons of the Solstices and Equinoxes. But they also reach beyond both traditions, dancing together and finding a new way of worshipping; one that we can enjoy in private spirituality or as a partaker of established religion.

In the time of the church, transformation, renewal, and the process of coming-to-faith rely on the symbolic efficacy of speech, where God is encountered as a word. The Sacramentality of Preaching examines the thought of Louis-Marie Chauvet and incorporates it into contemporary homiletical theory in order to bolster and renew Christian proclamation that has an intentionally sacramental character. Liturgical preachers will find practical pathways, frameworks, and common language through the use of this innovative sacramentology.

The anagrams, or more generally, the mathemata and morphologically related kalophonic forms of Byzantine melopoeia, constitute the artistic creations by which Psaltic Art is known in all its splendour and becomes an object of admiration. Kalophony as ars nova was born following the recovery of the city of Constantinople after the Latin occupation of Byzantium (AD 1204-1261) during the long reign of Andronicus II (1282-1328) and reached its final form in the first half of the fourteenth century. During the years 1300-1350, four key composers and teachers of the Psaltic Art imposed a new attitude of melic composition on the preexisting forms and designated new compositional techniques dominated by the beautifying kallopistic element. They created new compositions in the new spirit of kallopismos and musical verbosity. This new musical creation was christened with the term kalophony and this period is the golden age of Byzantine Chant. Originally published under the title Hoi anagrammatismoi kai ta mathemata tes byzantines melopoiias (1979 plus seven reprints), this publication thoroughly investigates and reveals for the first time the entire magnitude of Byzantine kalophony with its individual forms, serving as a systematic introduction to the Greek Byzantine music culture and that of the Byzantine Psaltic Art at the height of its expression.