A little God time is what all mothers need but can rarely find in the craziness of everyday life. This daily devotional encourages mothers of all ages to carve out some time for the refreshment and renewal found in God's presence. When life demands your attention, find some time in your day to reflect on the God who truly desires to be with you.

It is often claimed that we live in a secular age. But we do not live in a desacralized one. Sacred forms - whether in 'religious' or 'secular' guise - continue to shape social life in the modern world, giving rise to powerful emotions, polarized group identities, and even the very concept of moral society. Analyzing contemporary sacred forms is essential if we are to be able to make sense of the societies we live in and think critically about the effects of the sacred on our lives for good or ill. The Sacred in the Modern World is a major contribution to this task. Re-interpreting Durkheim's theory of the sacred, and drawing on the 'strong program' in cultural sociology, Gordon Lynch sets out a theory of the sacred that can be used by researchers across a range of humanities and social science disciplines. Using vividly drawn contemporary case material - including the abuse and neglect of children in Irish residential schools and the controversy over the BBC's decision not to air an appeal for aid for Gaza - the book demonstrates the value of this theoretical approach for social and cultural analysis. The key role of public media for the circulation and contestation of the sacred comes under close scrutiny. Adopting a critical stance towards sacred forms, Lynch reflects upon the ways in which sacred commitments can both serve as a moral resource for social life and legitimate horrifying acts of collective evil. He concludes by reflecting on how we might live thoughtfully and responsibility under the light and shadow that the sacred casts, asking whether society without the sacred is possible or desirable.

The study of liturgical reform is usually undertaken through a close examination of liturgical texts. In order to consider the impact of reform on the worship life of Christians, Katharine Mahon takes a wider view of liturgy by considering the worship practices of Christian churches beyond what appears in the rites themselves. Looking at how Christians were taught how to pray and instructed in liturgical and sacramental participation, Mahon explores the late medieval patterns of Christian ritual formation and the transformation of these patterns in the sixteenth-century reforms of Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, and Roman Catholic leaders. She uses the Lord's Prayer-the backbone of medieval lay catechesis, liturgical participation, and private prayer-to paint a panorama of medieval ritual formation integrated into the life of the church in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. She then follows the disintegration and reconstruction of that system of formation through the changing functions of the Lord's Prayer in the official reforms of catechesis, liturgy, and prayer sixteenth-century.

Singing the same song is a central part of the worship practice for members for the Cherubim and Seraphim Christian Church in Lagos, Nigeria. Vicki L. Brennan reveals that by singing together, church members create one spiritual mind and become unified around a shared set of values. She follows parishioners as they attend choir rehearsals, use musical media-hymn books and cassette tapes-and perform the music and rituals that connect them through religious experience. Brennan asserts that church members believe that singing together makes them part of a larger imagined social collective, one that allows them to achieve health, joy, happiness, wealth, and success in an ethical way. Brennan discovers how this particular Yoruba church articulates and embodies the moral attitudes necessary to be a good Christian in Nigeria today.

Singing the same song is a central part of the worship practice for members for the Cherubim and Seraphim Christian Church in Lagos, Nigeria. Vicki L. Brennan reveals that by singing together, church members create one spiritual mind and become unified around a shared set of values. She follows parishioners as they attend choir rehearsals, use musical media-hymn books and cassette tapes-and perform the music and rituals that connect them through religious experience. Brennan asserts that church members believe that singing together makes them part of a larger imagined social collective, one that allows them to achieve health, joy, happiness, wealth, and success in an ethical way. Brennan discovers how this particular Yoruba church articulates and embodies the moral attitudes necessary to be a good Christian in Nigeria today.

How do people experience spirituality through what they see, hear, touch, and smell? Sonja Luehrmann and an international group of scholars assess how sensory experience shapes prayer and ritual practice among Eastern Orthodox Christians. Prayer, even when performed privately, is considered as a shared experience and act that links individuals and personal beliefs with a broader, institutional, or imagined faith community. It engages with material, visual, and aural culture including icons, relics, candles, pilgrimage, bells, and architectural spaces. Whether touching upon the use of icons in age of digital and electronic media, the impact of Facebook on prayer in Ethiopia, or the implications of praying using recordings, amplifiers, and loudspeakers, these timely essays present a sophisticated overview of the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianities. Taken as a whole they reveal prayer as a dynamic phenomenon in the devotional and ritual lives of Eastern Orthodox believers across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

We work hard at life. We try to get better jobs, better homes, better relationships, and even a better spirituality. We are like Jacob in the Old Testament. His name means 'striver, schemer, supplanter, hustler.' He could have been the poster boy for the American Dream.But author Craig Barnes says this is not the way we should be living our lives. We should not try to manipulate and hustle ourselves into a place of advantage with God, a position that has been ours all along. After all, God is the one who climbed down the ladder to be with us. Using true anecdotes from the men, women, and families of the churches he has served, Barnes invites hard-running, stressed-out, burned-out people to stop striving. Life is not something we grasp and clutch to us, but a gift God freely gives. Only when we open our hands can God fill them with the blessings he has been waiting to lavish upon us all along.

Introduction by Ronald F. Thiemann Foreword by Elaine Pagels By a founder of the Centering Prayer movement Originally a Wit Lecture by one of today's key spiritual writers, this is a reflection on contemplative prayer, the search for happiness, and our need to explore the inner world. The search for God, Keating says, is also the search for ourselves, but our self-consciousness gets in the way. He takes the unique angle of the contemplative journey as "divine therapy" for the illness of the human condition, a method for opening up to our own wounded unconscious. As we move into a global culture, he says, this process of letting go of attachments and of self-centeredness is more important than ever. A work of beauty and clarity, The Human Condition - - draws from a wide range of classic and modern spiritual sources, as well as from solid common sense - explains how God is the only true security and how divine love is the full affirmation of who we are - shows how even a life of action needs contemplation and the practice of the presence of God

Ken Davis is a very funny guy. And as his friends and family will tell you, he's also a very wise one. After all, who but a wise guy would blow the toilet in his new home to smithereens with an M-80 firecracker? Or end up in a hotel lobby wearing nothing but strawberry underwear and the latest addition of USA Today? Only Ken Davis could pull these stranger than life stories together and use them to drive home insights that cut to the heart of Christ-like living. Because Ken, being Ken, knows what human fallibility is all about. He knows how tough we adults can be on ourselves. He knows how hard we try to appear more together than we really are. And to all of us, he offers two words of very solid wisdom: LIGHTEN UP! Ken's hilarious and touching stories underscore one simple, encouraging theme: God's grace is for you. You're not perfect, but you are perfectly loved by God. So take heart. God doesn't just love you, he enjoys you. No reason you shouldn't, too!

This study explores the way in which, by way of the Christian mysteries, divine action impacts human life. The triune God acts in Jesus Christ by means of historical events whose effects transcend time and which are mediated through their celebration in memorial and worship. Drawing on both Evangelical and Catholic writers, Nichols provides evidence that the general portrait of Jesus found in the Pauline letters and the four Gospels rests on reliable historical witness. On this basis, he offers a concise Christology which presents Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of the Old Testament; explores his unique being as laid out in the teaching of the great Ecumenical Councils of the first Christian millennium, and describes how the classic theologian of the Latin tradition, St Thomas Aquinas, sees the chief historical events of Christ's life as affecting humanity throughout future time. Nichols then looks at the Christian concept of God - namely, Trinitarian monotheism. God so conceived can act efficaciously in the created order and does so by the deployment of his Word and Spirit in ways which express for a fallen, historical world, the dynamics of the interaction of the divine Persons in eternity - Persons who now draw human beings within their range. Those gains in understanding are then applied to the individual mysteries of the life of Christ, from his biological conception to his coming Parousia. For each mystery, Nichols describes a biblical preamble; an account of how the mystery is seen by the Liturgy and the Fathers of the Church; illumination from the three theological masters whom the author makes his own in this work - Aquinas, Balthasar and Bulgakov;- and a visual image drawn from the treasury of sacred art.

Turn Your Radio On tells the fascinating stories behind gospel music's most unforgettable songs, including 'Amazing Grace, ' 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic, ' 'He Touched Me, ' 'I'll Fly Away, ' 'Were You There?' and many more. These are the songs that have shaped our faith and brought us joy. You'll find out: What famous song traces back to a sailor's desperate prayer, What Bill Gaither tune was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1969 -- and won a Grammy, What song was born during a carriage ride through Washington, D.C., at the onset of the Civil War. Turn Your radio On is an inspiring journey through the songs that are part of the roots of our faith today

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.

Most of us realize that traffic laws exist to preserve our lives, not cramp them. Yet when it comes to moral laws, 66 percent of Americans believe there are no absolutes. Is it any wonder, then, that the highway of our postmodern culture is strewn with wrecks? Broken marriages, overcrowded prisons, murder in the classrooms, babies having babies - -they're what happen when we confuse liberty with ignoring the rules of the road. That's why Michael Moriarty is convinced that the Ten Commandments really are The Perfect 10. Behind them lie God's concern for our welfare and his understanding of the indelible truths that govern our world, our relationships, and our inner being. One by one, Moriarty reveals the Ten Commandments as the keys to wholeness and freedom and shows their far-reaching application for us today. For the Perfect 10 remain the ideal ethical compass. They help us align our lives with the character of God; and to a world hurtling blindly down the dead-end road or moral relativism, they point the way back to sanity, restoration, and life.

Thousands of readers have found an exciting new vision for the second half of life in the best-selling book, Halftime. Bob Buford showed us that we aren t experiencing a midlife crisis that s winding us down to our retirement years, but a break in the game that can prepare us for the most exciting half of life. In Game Plan, Buford gives you a practical way to move from success to significance and create an individual strategy that can get you where you want to be five . . . ten . . . twenty . . . thirty . . . or more years from now. If you sense it s time for a positive change in your life, Game Plan gives you the tools to uncover your best self, aim for your highest dreams, and make your career and personal life more meaningful and fulfilling than ever."

Pope Benedict XVI continues his exploration of the greatest teachers and role models in the history of the Church with these sketches of twenty-six men and women from the Middle Ages and beyond. From the start of his pontificate, the Pope has used his Wednesday audiences to present the timeless wisdom that has been expressed in the writings and lives of holy men and women down through the ages. He began with the Apostles and then moved to the Fathers of the Church. Next he presented the great Christian teachers of the late Roman Empire and the early Middle Ages. In this volume, he picks up the thread in the high Middle Ages with the inspirational St. Francis and St. Dominic, followed by some of the men and women they profoundly influenced, such as Clare, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas. The collection goes beyond the Middle Ages and includes some Counter-Reformation saints, for example, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Robert Bellarmine. It concludes with a very popular saint closer to our own times who was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II: Therese of Lisieux. The theme that unites these men and women across time is the constant need of the Church for renewal. In every generation, God raises up holy ones who challenge Christians to live as they ought--as true disciples of Christ.

Where's the baby? The Gospel of Mark doesn't have a nativity story-so where's the Advent message? It's in every aspect of Jesus' life, to his death and beyond. The Incarnation-God come to earth in human form to be baptized, teach, heal, eat, and die-is what we celebrate at Christmas, and Mark shows us just how radical and celebration-worthy it is! Holy Disruption presents a fresh understanding of the holiness of Christmas grounded, not in a conventional cozy Christmas message, but through Mark's disquieting gospel which invites its readers to experience God's disruptive but transformative love for us and our world.

Rev. Beecher Hicks Jr. knows that great preaching and great storytelling go hand in hand. He believes in the power of imagination to teach us about God and about life, and he knows that nothing can spark the imagination like a story well told. In My Soul's Been Anchored, he presents vivid portrayals of the biblical truth shining through people he has known and experiences he has had. Family, friends, church members, neighbors. . .well-loved faces peer from these pages. In their warm humanity they illustrate simple, profound lessons that touch us all. You'll meet "Uncle Mugga," a woman poor in money but rich in love for neighborhood children. Reverend Jones, whose dentures flew out over the pupil in mid-prayer. Mother Jackson, everybody's mother at Second Baptist Church. Wilson McCray, who ran his shoes off praising God. Each person is a unique, creative snapshot -- sometimes funny, sometimes poignant -- of a living faith that helps us overcome obstacles, love God and each other more effectively, and make this world a better place. Dr. Hicks' stories read the way his sermons preach -- full of life, feeling, and beauty. My Soul's Been Anchored captures in print the oral tradition of the great African-American preachers -- the cadences, the rhythms, the passion, the urgency. And the vision. Dr. Hicks says, "This is a time to rise above our limitations and set our sights on those things that the world believes are beyond us." He encourages us to reach for purpose, to put our faith in motion, to never give up on our potential or God's promises. Here is storytelling at its finest from a gifted writer and preacher, with universal truths that speak to every culture.

This volume provides a theoretically and empirically-grounded study of the significance of landscape in the experience of Christian pilgrimage across different denominations and its intersection with cultural heritage and tourism. The book focuses on pilgrimages to Meteora (Greece), Subiaco (Italy) and the Isle of Man. These are each sites of scenic beauty that boast a rich heritage associated respectively to Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Ecumenical/ Protestant denominations. The study discusses different Christian theologies, practices and perspectives on the nature and the purpose of pilgrimage in these traditions. It draws on participant experiential accounts, archival research, and interviews with clergy, laity and local stakeholders. Special attention is paid to the themes of sacred space and practice, aesthetics, mobilities, embodiment and performance, emotional geographies, theology, cultural heritage, consumption and commodification, and the pilgrim-tourist continuum.

How do we know when we're ready for marriage? What's the secret to having a great engagement? How can we get married without drowning in debt? Where better to turn for answers than those who have gone before -- experts in the area of marriage, relationships, and finance who know from experience what it takes to make the days leading up to the wedding (and the years that follow) a success! How to Know When You're Ready for Marriage--Les and Leslie Parrot - Secrets to Having a Great Engagement--David and Claudia Arp - Getting Married Without Drowning in Debt--Ron Blue - What to Do With Wedding Jitters--Robert and Rosemary Barnes - Making Your Wedding More Than a Ceremony--David and Jan Stoop - How to Have a Great Wedding Night--Cliff and Joyce Penner - Getting Married When Your Parents Don't Approve--John Trent - How to Handle the Wedding Bell Blues--H. Norman Wright - For Those Getting Married Again--Thom Whiteman - After the Honeymoon--Les and Leslie Parrott