2015 Readers' Choice Award Winner "Deep gratitude springs up from within," writes pastor and bestselling Korean author Joshua Choonmin Kang. "To become truly grateful is incredibly difficult, but the difficulty of the process makes the results all the more lovely." God invites us to enter into this world of thankfulness at every moment in our lives, even in the hard times-perhaps especially then. Pastor Kang continues: "Gratitude heals us and holds us, tethering us to one another, offering us joy and strength." As with Deep-Rooted in Christ, this book has fifty-two short chapters that can be read in weekly sabbath reflection or daily devotional use. So come and discover a spirituality of gratitude.

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 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.

For decades, Operation World has been the world's leading resource for people who want to impact the nations for Christ through prayer. Its twofold purpose has been to inform for prayer and to mobilize for mission. Now the research team of Operation World offers this abridged version of the 7th edition called Pray for the World as an accessible resource to facilitate prayer for the nations. The Operation World researchers asked Christian leaders in every country, "How should the body of Christ throughout the world be praying for your country?" Their responses provide the prayer points in this book, with specific ways your prayers can aid the global church. When you hear a country mentioned in the news, you can use Pray for the World to pray for it in light of what God is doing there. Each entry includes: Timely challenges for prayer and specific on-the-ground reports of answers to prayer Population and people group statistics Charts and maps of demographic trends Updates on church growth, with a focus on evangelicals Explanations of major currents in economics, politics and society Join millions of praying people around the world. Hear God's call to global mission. And watch the world change.

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.

Female Images of God in Christian Worship: In the Spirituality of TongSungGiDo of the Korean Church examines problems that arise from the use of exclusively patriarchal images in modern Christian worship. The author asserts that female images in the Bible could help worshippers find a relationship with God and provide encouragement and comfort in difficult situations. As a Korean Christian, MyungSil Kim explores the possibilities of employing God's female images in the services of the Korean Church, noting that Korea's native religions, the ancient religions and Muism, had many female deities unlike patriarchal foreign religions such as Buddhism and Confucianism. These female deities have comforted the Korean people when they experienced han, a distinctive emotion of deep sadness and resentment that is characteristically Korean. TongSungGiDo, the unique Korean prayer style of communal lament, provides an opportune space and time for the consideration of female images in the Bible. MyungSil Kim examines how female images could more effectively function in the context of TongSungGiDo in accordance with traditional practices to express the complementarity among the concepts of han, lament, female images of God, and prayer. This book is strongly grounded on biblical studies, feminist studies, Christian ethics, and religious studies, including principles of inculturation. The volume is a valuable resource to pastors who are sensitive about language justice in worship and to those seeking to explore feminist theology and particularly feminist liturgical studies.

""During my boxing career, you did not see the real Muhammad Ali. You just saw a little boxing. You saw only a part of me. After I retired from boxing my true work began. I have embarked on a journey of love.""
So Muhammad Ali begins this spiritual memoir, his description of the values that have shaped and sustained him and that continue to guide his life. In "The Soul of a Butterfly" the great champion takes readers on a spiritual journey through the seasons of life, from childhood to the present, and shares the beliefs that have served him well.
After fighting some of the fiercest bouts in boxing history against Joe Frazier and George Foreman, today Muhammad Ali faces his most powerful foe -- outside the boxing ring. Like many people, he battles an illness that limits his physical abilities, but as he says, "I have gained more than I have lost....I have never had a more powerful voice than I have now." Ali reflects on his faith in God and the strength it gave him during his greatest challenge, when he lost the prime years of his boxing career because he would not compromise his beliefs. He describes how his study of true Islam has helped him accept the changes in his life and has brought him to a greater awareness of life's true purpose. As a United Nations "Messenger of Peace," he has traveled widely, and he describes his 2002 mission to Afghanistan to heighten public awareness of that country's desperate situation, as well as his more recent meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Ali's reflections on topics ranging from moral courage to belief in God to respect for those who differ from us will inspire and enlighten all who read them. Written with the assistance of his daughter Hana, "The Soul of a Butterfly" is a compassionate and heartfelt book that will provide comfort for our troubled times.

"The Work of Day and Night" (Amal al-yawm wa'l-layla) was written by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti as a guide to correct conduct and worship in accordance with the example of the Prophet and the Pious Predecessors. Translated into English by Rashad Jameer, "The Work of Day and Night" contains some of the most beautiful prayers in Islamic devotional literature, and Suyuti has provided guidance for nearly every situation that one is likely to encounter day-to-day. In it the reader will find: the prayers said upon awakening, before eating and when dressing; the acts carried out at various times of the day and between prayers; and much else. A special section is dedicated to prayers that are recommended for reading at times of need due to their widely recognised protective qualities. "The Work of Day and Night" is invaluable for learning the Sunna of the Prophet and integrating it into one's life, as Suyuti took great care to explain precisely how to perform each of the daily practices in accordance with the example of the Prophet Muhammad.---It is hoped that this bilingual volume of "The Work of Day and Night" will enable a wider English-speaking audience to access one of the treasures of traditional Islamic knowledge and practice, and that it will provide Muslim readers with a source of inspiration in everyday life. A selection of the most beautiful and useful prayers has been transliterated and included in an appendix so that all worshippers may benefit by reciting them-regardless of Arabic ability. There is also a glossary of the most important religious terms.

Renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller writes the book his readers have been asking for: A year-long daily devotional, beautifully designed with gilt edges and a gold ribbon marker. The Book of Psalms is known as the Bible's songbook-Jesus knew all 150 psalms intimately, and relied on them to face every situation, including his death. Two decades ago, Tim Keller began reading the entire Book of Psalms every month. The Songs of Jesus is based on his accumulated years of study, insight, and inspiration recorded in his prayer journals. Kathy Keller came to reading the psalms as a support during an extended illness. Together they have distilled the meaning of each verse, inviting readers into the vast wisdom of the psalms. If you have no devotional life yet, this book is a wonderful way to start. If you already spend time in study and prayer, understanding every verse of the psalms will bring you a new level of intimacy with God, unlocking your purpose within God's kingdom.

The twenty-seven books of the New Testament present the life and teachings of Jesus, the history of the early church, and instruction for believers throughout the ages. Studying these books not only provides a greater understanding of Jesus Christ, but are the primary source for inspiration and direction in the Christian life.

"Living the New Testament" offers a concise explanation of key biblical passages from Matthew to Revelation as well as practical applications for living out the truths and teachings of Jesus. Beginning with a selected Scripture passage, each daily reading encourages and stimulates spiritual growth and ends with an inspirational thought to ponder throughout the day. Writing in his classic accessible style that readers came to love in "Approaching God," pastor, teacher, and theologian Paul Enns delivers an easy-to-read devotional that will challenge, instruct, and encourage readers' walks with God.

Story and Song: A Postcolonial Interplay between Christian Education and Worship examines the roles of Scripture and hymnody in a Christian community in the twenty-first century, an era marked by a growing awareness of complex issues and migrating contexts. This work identifies the divisions that have existed between these two disciplines. The postcolonial approach employed here offers insights that uncover the colonial assumptions that led to division rather than integration of worship and Christian education. Furthermore, this book seeks to employ qualitative research methods in studying a Korean-Canadian diasporic congregation and a Korean feminist Christian group. Such research demonstrates how the Gospel Story and the congregation's stories can be woven together in a particular context, while the Song of Faith can help to build a postcolonial feminist community. Readers will be equipped to mend the divisions between Christian education and worship, to respond to the needs of non-Western Christian communities, and to attain postcolonial insights. A balanced theoretical work with reflective practical descriptions, this volume will be useful to those who are looking for a text to guide Christian education and worship courses and contribute to the readings of courses in practical theology, postcolonial studies, feminist pedagogies, and feminist liturgies.

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.

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.

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.

Take Time Out of Each Day to Relax and Grow Together In the midst of the stress and pressure of everyday life, Moments Together for Couples will give you and your mate a chance to pause, relax, and draw upon the strength of the Lord. This easy-to-use devotional helps you set aside anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes every day with your spouse to grow closer to God and closer to each other.

This Advent book invites readers to commit to the practice of daily prayer. The collection of meditations from The Upper Room daily devotional guide is arranged to coordinate with the themes of the four candles on an Advent wreath: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Meditations are included for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Sunday after Christmas. A complete Leader's Guide for small groups and instructions for making an Advent wreath are included.

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.