Central to the Christian life is the practice of prayer. But what, theologically speaking, is going on when we pray? What does prayer have to do with religious belief and action? Does prayer make a difference? Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed addresses these and other key questions regarding the Christian theology of prayer. Beginning with Evagrius of Ponticus's 'On Prayer', Ashley Cocksworth finds in this early document a profound expression of the 'integrity' of the experience of prayer and theological thought. Seeking throughout to integrate systematic theology and the spirituality of prayer, individual chapters explore the meaning of some of the core doctrines of lived Christian faith - the Trinity, creation, providence, and the Christian life - as they relate to the practice of prayer. Complete with an annotated bibliography of sources on prayer to promote further reading, this volume appeals to academics and general readers alike.

A volume in Transforming Education for the Future Series Editors Jing Lin, University of Maryland and Rebecca L. Oxford, Alabama A & M University This book will expand the horizon of higher education, helping students, faculty and administrators to return to their roots and be in touch with their whole being. This book stresses that learning is much more than just accumulating knowledge and skills. Learning includes knowing ourselves-mind, body, and spirit. The learning of compassion, care, and service are as crucial or even more important in higher education in order for universities to address students' individual needs and the society's needs. Higher education must contribute to a better world. The book acknowledges that knowing not only comes from outside, but also comes from within. Wisdom is what guides students to be whole, true to themselves while learning. There are many ancient and modern approaches to gaining wisdom and wellness. This book talks about contemplative methods, such as meditation, qigong, yoga, arts, and dance, that help people gain wisdom and balance in their lives and enhance their ability to be reflective and transformative educators and learners.

In this easy-to-read, biblically based book, Gwendolyn Crumbly takes you on a journey through her struggle to identify, accept, and seek healing from personal struggles. Desperately seeking inner peace, she faced adversity, criticism, and multiple emotional challenges. If you are faced with recurring problems that seem to keep you stuck in the maze of repetitive destructive behaviors, hobbling along yet going nowhere, you just may be suffering from the "Mephibosheth Syndrome." The Word of God will lead you to the King's table and return you to your place of divine inheritance. You are about to embark on a true spiritual journey. This book is for anyone who is ready to be healed from their brokenness and start a new life fully restored.

"The Egypt Experience" is an uplifting, inspirational book. A book that will inspire the reader to forge ahead and never to give up when faced with difficult or adverse situations. "The Egypt Experience" gives us to know that somewhere in our lives we will face some rough times but that God will always be there to see us through until the end and that we are never alone. "The Egypt Experience" gives the readers the blessed assurance that God is still in control of our lives and He will always protect and provide for His children.

"Does God Exist? Yes, Here Is the Evidence" considers one of life's most enduring questions. To find an answer, Hendrick Park follows a trail of evidence that uncovers arguments for the existence of God in the characteristics of the natural world, in the moral and religious experiences of people's lives, and in the knowledge contained in divine revelation.

Presented in three parts corresponding to the types of evidence, this exploration draws upon the work of a variety of scientists, philosophers, and theologians. In addition, narratives of Park's personal encounters with the actions of God in his own life provide illustrations that amplify the conclusions expressed by authorities in the various fields of thought.

If you believe in God, but wonder about the reasons for faith that reside in the natural world, human experience, and divine revelation, then "Does God Exist? Yes, Here Is the Evidence" will help to strengthen the foundations of your faith. By asking this one big question-does God exist-you may find yourself asking and then seeking answers to other deep questions about your ultimate destiny with God. "Does God Exist? Yes, Here Is the Evidence" will serve as your guide along the way.

This book provides a fascinating historical and cultural overview of traditional beliefs about spirit possession and exorcism around the world, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East to the Americas. Possession and exorcism are elements that occur in nearly every culture. Why is belief in spiritual possession so universal? This accessible reference volume offers a broad sample of the traditions and cultures involving possession and exorcism, presenting thoughts on this widely popular topic by experts from the fields of anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, neuroscience, forensics, and theology. The entries cover the subject of possession and exorcism across all inhabited continents, from the Bronze Age to the 21st century, providing information that is accessible and intriguing as well as scholarly and authoritative. Beyond addressing the Christian tradition of possession and exorcism, Pentecostalism, and "New Age" and less widely known Western concepts about possession and exorcism, this work examines ideas about possession and exorcism from other world religions and the indigenous cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It also covers historic cases of possession and presents biographies of famous theologians, exorcists, and possessed individuals. High school and undergraduate readers will learn about world history, religious and spiritual traditions, and world cultures through a topic that figures prominently in popular culture and modern entertainment. Bibliographies that accompany each entry as well as a selected, general bibliography serve to help students locate print and electronic sources of additional information. Provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the subject of spirit possession, reflecting the work of scholars and experts from many fields Covers a wide range of cultures, traditions, and phenomena with up-to-date, little-known information that is difficult to find through independent research Includes primary documents that give students accounts of exorcism and spiritual possession and serve to foster critical thinking skills and media literacy Features sidebars that illuminate key points and present related information, with special attention paid to exorcism and spirit possession in popular culture

From the dawning of time, human beings have been spiritual in nature. Every person has an inborn spiritual self to discover. The universe gives everyone clues that can potentially alter and shape their life, but they are often missed or not fully understood.

We are living in an age of spirit, and spirit's desire is to inspire, guide and transform every life. Dancing in the Streets seeks to put you in touch with the language of spirit and enhance your personal connection to the divine. Through synchronistic and spiritual stories and anecdotes, author Nina Darrell offers openings into the language of spirit in new ways. Learn how to interpret spirit's guidance for your life, and discover where spirit has been leading you all along.

You can be inspired and engage with a universe that is always willing to teach and communicate with you. Are you ready to learn?

When a woman from Samaria comes to draw water at Jacob's well, Jesus, known prophetically as Shiloh, Prince of Peace, offers her an incredible gift-living water. All she has to do is ask, which, by the way, still applies today. Jesus explains that everyone who drinks from His well, even those of questionable character like her, will never be thirsty again, and the water will become a spring welling up to eternal life (NIV). In Shiloh's Well you can read all about an overflowing, abundant life that is available to all those who drink of this miraculous living water. "My prayer is that these pages will proclaim a clear, unequivocal message of eternal hope and spiritual truth pointing to the God who has sustained and blessed me my entire life. May Shiloh's Well make you smile, touch your heart, lead you humbly to the feet of Christ, enlighten your spiritual understanding, and challenge your commitment to Christian service "

The content in this work is fiction, fiction in the sense that the main character through which the eyes of this metaphysical and philosophical journey is viewed, Charlie, is not a real character, nor are his counterparts and foils through which he explores various topics such as love, the meaning of existence or the origins of the cosmos and how our understanding of these abstract ideas have evolved since the dawn of civilization. But like any work of fiction, the characters do have some basis in real experience, from which of course nothing can be created. The intent of the work is to explore the foundations and evolution of knowledge and the boundaries between reason and faith, boundaries which from the author's perspective are not quite as clear as some might have us believe. And the point of going through the exercise, the purpose as it were, is not only for the author to come to a better understanding of how all our modern branches of science hang together, how they have come to be given their socio-political and historical context, but also for others to share in his journey and perhaps learn something along the way. Since the birth of language and thought even, going back thousands of years and even prior to the dawn of civilization itself, mankind has attempted to answer two fundamental questions, questions that have spurred countless creative forces and branches of thought over the centuries; namely who we are and from whence we came. The answers to these questions, no matter what race, religion or creed the seeker might be, or what philosophy or religion they might adhere to, are inextricably linked to each other. This journey of trying to understand our place in the world, and the origins of the universe itself, is an ageless quest that in many respects distinguishes mankind from the rest of the creatures on the planet. Furthermore, this very same quest to answer the same questions fuels not only scientific development but also is the basis for theology and religion, both approaching the same set of questions with a different set of tools and with a different mindset but both trying to answer the same set of basic questions as to who we are and how we got here. From the author's perspective, in order to answer these questions effectively in the Information Age, we should have at least some understanding of the history of our answers to these questions as they have evolved over time. For we all build our collective knowledge on those that have come before us, whether we recognize this or not. And in turn, that in building this bridge, a common metaphor used throughout the work, we must leverage the tool of metaphysics, a term originally coined by Aristotle but in the context of this work implies a level of abstraction that sits above physics as we understand it in today's world but also provides a conceptual underpinning to all of the branches of knowledge that collectively make up our ?understanding? of the world and out place in it. In doing so, it is the author's hope that we can not only come to a more complete and fuller understanding of the answers to these basic human questions that have plagued mankind since time immemorial, but also at the same time perhaps develop a deeper understanding of the problems of life in the Information Age and how we might best approach them, or cope with them, in way that not only benefits ourselves as individuals but to society as a whole, to which our individual well-being depends upon whether or not we recognize it or not.