What do you do when life hasn't turned out the way you expected? When it feels like everyone else has it together but you're still figuring it out? And if God is meant to be your guide, why do you feel so lost? Tola Doll Fisher has asked these questions countless times and still doesn't have the answers. But as she explains in this series of 100 'life lessons' maybe that's okay... Refreshingly relatable and heartbreakingly honest, this is a book about discovering joy in the journey of a messy, work-in-progress walk of (sometimes failing, but still standing) faith.

This is the story of one family's pain, passion and will to survive as their loved one clings to life. We have all heard the saying, 'Miracles can happen every day,' but until you see one with your own eyes, you rarely believe that to be true. This story will help you believe in that saying. In April of 2017, Maria DeLuca Mckee and her entire family witnessed a miracle first-hand that will forever strengthen their faith, and the belief of everyone around them. An entire community came together for a cause that appeared hopeless until the very end. Maria was in a coma for nearly two weeks and the diagnosis was grim to say the least. It wasn't the first time in her life she was on the cusp of staring death in the face though, and that journey is also detailed in this tale. It is woven perfectly from past to present with dramatic reality in every chapter. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger that will keep you wanting more as you will need to know what happens next. Included are very shocking details never before shared. This book goes beyond the patient on the table, and explores further into the family around Maria that went through every step of this hell with her. The story is told by her youngest son, Vince, who refused to give up hope and created a movement he lovingly titled "Fight Maria, Fight!"

A remarkable collection of essays written by an international team of contributors explores different aspects of religion in Japan. Subjects discussed include new religions in postwar Japan, beliefs about fox-possession in the Heian period, and the religious life of the first shogunate in the late twelfth century. The essays offer fresh insights into the rich religious traditions of Japan, many of which have been previously neglected in the English-language writing on Japan.

For many in the West, the ecstatic dancing ritual of whirling dervishes is
the most recognizable aspect of Sufism. Sufism is the mystical branch of
Islam, with which Muslims throughout the world identify. It emphasizes
direct knowledge of the divine within each person. Its adepts see
meditation, music, song, and dance as integral to the spiritual quest.
The Chishti Sufi order is among the oldest and most popular of all Sufi
traditions. Though most often identified with South Asia, today its devotees
can be found from California to Kuala Lumpur. What are the distinctive
practices of the Chishtis, and how do they differ from other orders? Who
were the founding figures, and what were the seminal texts that provided the
basis for this tradition? And how has this legacy continually been
reinterpreted until the present day?
Sufi Martyrs of Love provides access to the voices of Sufi authorities
through the translation of texts being offered in English for the first
time. It also offers a critical perspective on Western attitudes toward
Islam and Sufism, confronts the prejudices of the academy and the media, and
offers a clarification of the contemporary importance of Sufism from Asia to
America.

How can my congregation become more vital?
How can we both honor the past and embrace the future?

" The Self-Renewing Congregation]" calls for renewal from within, not without a renewal that begins with institutional self-reflection, proceeds through a process of self-engagement, and ends with self-generated innovations that can deepen the synagogue congregation as a sacred community. The core of this book offers any congregation seeking this path a compelling and realistic roadmap, a vision, and a process that is rooted in applied research and practical experience. from the Foreword by Dr. Ron Wolfson, codeveloper, Synagogue 2000;
author of "Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath"

Revitalizing and re-imagining the organization of our synagogues takes work Combining expert advice and experience garnered from congregations throughout North America, " The Self-Renewing Congregation" shows us how transformative change is possible. A complete resource full of ideas, information, and support, this is a guide for those of us involved in, or interested in, energizing our spiritual communities.

Isa Aron, founding director of Hebrew Union College s Experiment in Congregational Education (ECE), offers concrete, practical information on how to bring about change through collaborative leadership, and helps us grow dynamic, successful congregations.

Discover the elemental approach to spirituality keys to self-healing and re-connection to the earth.

"When we explore and savor and interact with these elements, we are both remembering a primal connection and forging it anew. Welcome, then, to this travel guide for a journey with a particular purpose: connecting with the elements that are so basic and universal to all of us. We will look at the many ways that different faiths have danced with earth, water, fire, and air throughout history, coming to a deeper appreciation of each way s uniqueness and a greater respect for one another s paths, at the same time remembering the commonality of our human beginnings." from the Preface

The root of human spirituality is grounded in four elements earth, water, fire, and air. They are common to all people and almost every spiritual path; they are the keys to our understanding of Spirit; and they can help you achieve personal fulfillment and re-connection with others.

This inspiring guidebook explains the role of the elements in different faith traditions and how they ve been incorporated into religious practices and ceremonies. You will be encouraged to explore your own spiritual connection to the elements through engaging activities, enlightening meditations, and evocative poems and prayers.

Earth, Water, Fire, and Airis a celebration of how all people are connected by the elements. You will come away with a deeper relationship to others, your own spirit, and this sacred planet.

You can t help but be drawn into the elemental approach to spirituality detailed in these pages. Identifying the four basic elements as humanity s first ways of knowing Spirit and reminding us of their value for spiritual nourishment, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air reveals our human interconnectedness and offers a fascinating look at element-based symbols, traditions, and ceremonies.

Explore the spiritual traditions that have incorporated the elements into their practices, including:

Buddhism Christianity Earth-honoring paths Hinduism Islam Judaism

Creative activity suggestions serve to enrich our spiritual relationship with each element both individually and in community with others and to help us discover how deeply nourishing it can be to live in an elemental way.

In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Jeff Levin explores the latest compelling evidence of the connection between health and an array of spiritual beliefs and practices, including prayer, attending religious services, meditation, and faith in God. Drawing on his own and other published studies, Dr. Levin shows how religion’s emphasis on healthy behaviors and supportive relationships influences one’s overall health and how the optimism and hopefulness of those who profess faith promote the body’s healing responses. Filled with dramatic personal stories, God, Faith, and Health will alter the way you think about your body and your faith and will show you the path to improving your own health through spiritual practice.

"Jeff Levin writes with incredible clarity, style, and passion. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the religion-health connection, especially those wondering if such a connection exists at all."
–Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, and author of The Healing Power of Faith

"Beautifully written and packed with compelling scientific evidence for the spirituality-health connection . . . . With the precision of a scientist, the courage of a true pioneer, and the artistry of a storyteller, Levin reminds us of what we can no longer afford to ignore: that our spiritual life matters mightily to our health and well-being at every level."
–Janet F. Quinn, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor, University of Colorado School of Nursing

Fear has countless faces: from the fear of failure to worries about everyday life, from financial or environmental uncertainties to the universal despair we all experience when faced by the loss of a friend or loved one. Even when surrounded by all the conditions for happiness, life can feel incomplete when fear keeps us focused on the past and worried about the future. While we all experience fear, it is possible to learn how to avoid having our lives shaped and driven by it. In these pages, Thich Nhat Hanh offers us a timeless path for living fearlessly.

Jim Palmer's critically acclaimed Divine Nobodies was only half the story - the deconstruction and shedding of a religious mentality that hindered his knowing God. In his next book, Jim takes the reader along into the wide open spaces of exploring and experiencing God beyond religion. Jim writes, "It is no secret that God can be lost beneath the waving banner of religion. Divine Nobodies is my story of how this happened to me. Sometimes you have to disentangle God from religion, even Christ from Christianity, to find the truth. With the help of some unsuspecting nobodies, I uncovered a new starting line with God. As I've put one foot in front of another, I've experienced God in ways that are deeply transforming."

Each chapter revolves around a central question related to knowing God on fresh terms: Is God a belief system? Is the Bible a landing strip or launching pad? Can what we're feeling inside be God? Are we too religiously minded to be any earthly good?

Brian McLaren wrote, "I am tempted to say that Jim Palmer could well be the next Don Miller, but what they have in common, along with an honest spirituality and extraordinary skill as storytellers, is a unique voice."

The Library Reviews said of him, "Jim Palmer's casual, yet compelling writing style cuts through the religious rhetoric and gets to the real issues...readers will love this author His sense of humor is alternately mixed with shocking sentences and poignant moments. Laced throughout is a refreshing honesty that ties his ideas together with a ribbon of reality...each turn of the page strips away a little more of the contrived mystery of Christianity until the simplicity and sincerity of it stands in realistic splendor."

More and more people seek a deeper spirituality beyond status-quo religion. Others are left empty and weary from a shallow and narrow pop-Christianity. Palmer says that God's kingdom of love, peace, and freedom can be a present reality in any person's life. He proclaims that God is indeed in the process of birthing something deep and wide among unlikely people in unconventional ways, which is changing the world...one "nobody" at a time.

"Promise of the Soul is a spiritual workbook. Through simple, accessible exercises and reflections, Kenny offers us practical and proven methods that have enabled thousands of his counseling clients to relinquish their separation from God’s love and live from the heart.... Step by step, Kenny’s approach shows us how we can release ourselves from self-imposed limitations and lifelong feelings of inadequacy to live a more soul-infused life. It is impossible to read this book without finding yourself somewhere in its pages and setting yourself free. It is a real opportunity." —From the Foreword by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings

"An excellent resource for creating a new covenant that will enable you to expand your belief system and your life." —Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine and Miracles and Prescriptions for Living

"This book, like the topic itself, is beautiful and enchanting. This spiritual light is steeped in the great traditions, yet its presentation is original, creative, and brilliant. An essential key to making peace with God is identifying and healing your spiritual covenant and realizing the promise of your soul." —Harold Bloomfield, M.D., author of Making Peace with God

"Promise of the Soul is an exceptional guide to examining the spiritual promises or covenants we make with the sacred. Whether we are Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or of any other faith, this book transcends all paths and beliefs to help each of us identify which sacred promises are limiting and which are beneficial to our spiritual unfolding and inherent well-being." —Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., author of The Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life

"By bringing to light our basic beliefs about how life works, Dennis Kenny gives us room to breathe, to change, to be liberated from prisons of our own making. As a skilled chaplain and teacher, he shows us simple ways to become larger, happier people–all that God really wants us to be. This book might just set you free." —Wayne Muller, author of Sabbath and How, Then, Shall We Live?

Metaphors for God's Time in Science and Religion examines the exploratory work of metaphors for time in astrophysical cosmology, chaos theory, evolutionary biology and neuroscience. Happel claims that the Christian God is intimately involved at every level of physical and biological science. He compares how scientists and theologians both generate stories, metaphors and symbols about the universe and asks 'who is the God who invents me?

Whether resuscitated in the emergency room, struck by lightening or rescued at sea, people snatched from the jaws of death have long reported uncanny or otherworldly phenomena. Survivors of these mystical and occasionally traumatic voyages repeat the same familiar stories; testimonies of tunnels and flowers and light, of hellish or heavenly visions. Where do people go during these encounters? What do they see? Why are their remarkable stories so often correlative? Are they persuasive evidence of life after physical death?

The quest for spirituality is universal, but with so many paths of spiritual nourishment to explore, how do we begin to find the one that is right for us?

Our tradition provides us with appropriate vehicles to express our spirituality within the framework of Judaism. Jewish sages, taking into account the need and makeup of the individual Jew, have been very generous in outlining for us various alternatives . As you become aware of your emotional and intellectual needs, and search for an appropriate path to meet them with integrity, you will soon realize that you have a preference for certain paths among the many. from Chapter 9

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino a self-proclaimed rationalist offers a candid, comprehensive discussion of the major paths to spirituality within the framework of Judaism, and the differing way each path can help us on our quest to nourish the soul and enlighten the mind.

Acts of transcendence, prayer, meditation, study, ritual, relationship and good deeds which is the best path for you? How can you follow it?

Why do some Western women choose to join Christian and Islamic revivalist movements in the present day? Revivalist religions (often called 'fundamentalist') have a reputation for the policing of gender boundaries and roles and the blanket subjugation of women. This study aims particularly to establish what the attractions might be for women who choose to swim against the prevailing consumerist current and affiliate themselves with such groups in a liberal democracy.

Why do some Western women choose to join Christian and Islamic revivalist movements in the present day? Revivalist religions (often called fundamentalist) have a reputation for the policing of gender boundaries and roles and the blanket subjugation of women. This study aims particularly to establish what the attractions might be for women who choose to swim against the prevailing consumerist current and affiliate themselves with such groups in a liberal democracy.

This insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today's myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living.
An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western society
Traces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of today
Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back
Contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the 'good life', helping us to find balance in the demands of twenty-first century living
Written by an acknowledged world-leader working in the field
Completes a trilogy of books including "The Spiritual Revolution" (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and "The New Age Movement" (1996), charting the rise and influence of spirituality today.

Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller reveals the hidden depths within the book of Jonah-the most misunderstood parable in the Bible. Previously published as The Prodigal Prophet The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known parables in the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood. Many people, even those who are nonreligious, are familiar with Jonah: A rebellious prophet who defies God and is swallowed by a whale. But there's much more to Jonah's story than most of us realize. In Rediscovering Jonah, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller reveals the hidden depths within the book of Jonah. Keller makes the case that Jonah was one of the worst prophets in the entire Bible. And yet there are unmistakably clear connections between Jonah, the prodigal son, and Jesus. Jesus in fact saw himself in Jonah. How could one of the most defiant and disobedient prophets in the Bible be compared to Jesus? Jonah's journey also doesn't end when he is freed from the belly of the fish. There is an entire second half to his story-but it is left unresolved within the text of the Bible. Why does the book of Jonah end on what is essentially a cliffhanger? In these pages, Timothy Keller provides an answer to the extraordinary conclusion of this biblical parable-and shares the powerful Christian message at the heart of Jonah's story.

This text addresses a fundamental question in the philosophy of religion. Can religious experience provide evidence for religious belief? If so, how? Keith Yandell argues against the notion that religious experience is ineffable, while advocating the view that strong numinous experience provides some evidence that God exists. He contends that social science and other non-religious explanations of religious belief and experience do not cancel out the evidential force of religious experience. The core of the argument conveyed in the book concerns the formulation and application of an appropriate principle of experiental evidence. A final chapter considers the relevance of nonexperiential, conceptual issues. A feature of the book is that it does not confine its attention to any one religious cultural tradition, but tracks the nature of religious experience across different traditions in both the East and the West.

En Cambios que Sanan el autor combina sus conocimientos profesionales, en el campo de la psicologia, con la Palabra de Dios para ayudarle a entender su pasado de modo que pueda asegurarse un futuro saludable. Cambios que Sanan destaca algunos de los siguientes puntos: Tres ingredientes del crecimiento, como entablar relaciones sanas, discierna lo bueno de lo malo, como convertirse en un adulto maduro. Cambios que Sanan enriquecera su vida y le preparara para enfrentar los desafios con una actitud vencedora."

A brilliant blending of modern midrash and the life stages of Erik Erikson's developmental psychology. How can the pain, pleasures, and drama of the great characters in Genesis provide insights for our own life journeys? Many of us feel alone in the struggles and triumphs we face during different stages of our lives. Norman Cohen shows how the pathways of our lives are quite similar to those of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, and Joseph. Voices from Genesis brings to life the leading figures of Genesis to speak directly to us, telling of their spiritual and emotional journeys, struggles, frustrations, and confusions from birth to maturity to death as if they were in conversation with us right now. Combining midrash (finding contemporary meaning from ancient biblical texts) with the developmental psychology insights of Erik Erikson, a twentieth-century psychoanalytic legend, Cohen explores the great characters of Genesis, letting the wisdom of the ancient text resonate with our own modern lives."

From Zen Buddhist practitioner to rabbi, East meets West in this firsthand account of a spiritual journey.

Rabbi Alan Lew is known as the Zen Rabbi, a leader in the Jewish meditation movement who works to bring two ancient religious traditions into our everyday lives. One God Clappingis the story of his roundabout yet continuously provoking spiritual odyssey. It is also the story of the meeting between East and West in America, and the ways in which the encounter has transformed how all of us understand God and ourselves.

Winner of the PEN / Joseph E. Miles Award

Like a Zen parable or a Jewish folk tale, "One God Clapping" unfolds as a series of stories, each containing a moment of revelation or instruction that, while often unexpected, is never simple or contrived. "One God Clapping, "like the life of the remarkable Alan Lew himself, is a bold experiment in the integration of Eastern and Western ways of looking at and living in the world.

This volume addresses research topics within the field of Bhakti literature, the devotional poetry and other compositions of devotional character in the earlier literature of the modern South Asian languages. Its papers range from the roots of the Bhakti tradition in the early history of Krsna to its modern adaptations in nineteenth- and twentieth-century culture. Geographically, they span Bengal to Sind, Panjab to Maharashtra. Contemporary study of the modern Indian languages has broadened the scope of scholarship to consider today's Hindu attitudes, and those of a mixed society, against the background of ancient culture. Here, materials in six modern Asian languages are discussed: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi in its main literary forms, Marathi, Panjabi and Sindhi; with assessment also of material in Sanskrit, Arabic and Chinese. In addition to studies of literary (and orally transmitted) works in the Krsna or Rama traditions, and of Sufi compositions and their interpretation, there are papers on the early history of sacred sites, the emergence of the religion of Rama, later religious formulations throughout the subcontinent, and the interaction of the Islamic and the Hindu.