Based on the best selling book It's a Mitzvah by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Making a Difference presents both ethical and ritual mitzvot, such as Rodef Shalom, Tzedakah, Kashrut, and Tefillah, as well as practical and creative suggestions on how to observe them. Students study the wisdom of Jewish sacred texts and examine through a Jewish lens who they are, the kind of adults they want to become, and how the mitzvot can help them achieve their goals. Each chapter presents a mitzvah and includes the following writing activities: Self-Portrait (exploring the mitzvah in personal terms) You Don't Say (finding meaning in the wisdom of ancient and modern sages) It's a Dilemma (responses to real-life situations) Mitzvah Journal (a record of each teen's experience of observing the mitzvah) In addition, the book presents the stories of Jewish teens who have made a difference in their communities through mitzvah projects, such as spending a month teaching in Cuba's Jewish community and creating a mural in a children's hospital. The book uses the same dynamic graphics and layout that teens respond to in popular magazines and on websites. More than 130 photographs illustrate and enrich the text. Contents: Getting Connected Taking Action Tzedakah: Giving Justly Rodef Shalom: Peacemaking Shabbat: An Extraordinary Day Ahavat Tziyon: For the Love of Israel Bal Tashhit: Every Day Is Earth Day Kashrut: You Are What You Eat Sh'mirat Habriyut: Be Your Best Friend Bikkur Holim: Reach Out and Touch Someone Kibbud Av Va'em: The Most Difficult Mitzvah? Sh'mirat Halashon: Weigh Your Words Tefillah: An Open Line Talmud Torah: Learning Matters Going Forward Resources

Sanctified Sex draws on two thousand years of rabbinic debates addressing competing aspirations for loving intimacy, passionate sexual union, and sanctity in marriage. What can Judaism contribute to our struggles to nurture love relationships? What halakhic precedents are relevant, and how are rulings changing? The rabbis, of course, seldom agree. Underlying their arguments are perennial debates: What kind of marital sex qualifies as ideal-sacred self-control of sexual desire or the holiness found in emotional and erotic intimacy? Is intercourse degrading in its physicality or the highest act of spiritual/mystical union? And should women or men (or both) wield ultimate say about what transpires in bed? Noam Sachs Zion guides us chronologically and steadily through fraught terrain: seminal biblical texts and their Talmudic interpretations; Talmud tales of three unusual rabbis and their marital bedrooms; medieval codifiers and mystical commentators; ultra-Orthodox rabbis clashing with one another over radically divergent ideals; and, finally, contemporary rabbis of varied denominations wrestling with modern transformations in erotic lifestyles and values. Invited into these sanctified and often sexually explicit discussions with our ancestors and contemporaries, we encounter innovative Jewish teachings on marital intimacy, ardent lovemaking techniques, and the art of couple communication vital for matrimonial success.

This is the first Chicken Soup book to focus specifically on stories of faith, including 101 of the best stories from Chicken Soup's library on faith, hope, miracles, and devotion.
This Chicken Soup book focuses on stories of faith, hope, miracles, and devotion. The heartfelt true stories written by regular people will amaze, inspire, and amuse readers. Many of them are stories of prayers answered miraculously, amazing coincidences, rediscovered faith, and the serenity that comes from believing in a greater power.
The first Chicken Soup for the Soul books was published in 1993, and became a publishing industry sensation, ultimately selling eight million copies. Since then, more than 150 Chicken Soup titles have been published, selling more than 100 million copies.
Chicken Soup for the Soul has won dozens of awards over the last 15 years, and its founders, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen have become celebrity motivational speakers and authors.

A leading scholar of ascetical studies, Richard Valantasis explores a variety of ascetical traditions in late Antiquity developing a theory of asceticism informing the analysis of historical texts and opening the way for postmodern ascetical studies. Wide-ranging in historical scope and in developing theory, these essays address asceticism for scholar and student alike. The theory will particularly interest students of cultural theory and analysis, while the history offers researchers access to a corpus of academic writing on asceticism. "In the context of belligerently hedonistic Western society, Richard Valantasis's 'The Making of the Self' has never been more relevant. Valantasis proposes that past and present can best be compared, not through ideas, but through analysis of practices and what they produce. Informative and inspirational, The Making of the Self should be required reading for all who seek to make intentional choices that shape the self." - MARGARET R. MILES author of A Complex Delight: The Secularization of the Breast, 1350-1750 "A tour-de-force journey through the theory and practice of asceticism in late antiquity. Valatansis focusses on the transformative power of ascetic performance portraying asceticism through the ascetic's eyes. He compels us to reflect anew on the nature and role of asceticism in antiquity, and, in the process, to consider its meaning and relevance today." - JAMES E. GOEHRING author of Ascetics, Society, and The Desert "A coherent and compelling presentation of Valantasis's mature theorizing about a complex and fascinating phenomenon. Valantasis had already taught me much about asceticism. But this book is Valantasis at his best - articulate, creative, witty, feisty, provocative, brilliant." - VINCENT L. WIMBUSH editor of Ascetic Behavior in Greco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook RICHARD VALANTASIS is Professor of Ascetical Theology and Director of the Anglican Studies Programme at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of The Gospel of Thomas, Centuries of Holiness: Ancient Spirituality Refracted for a Postmodern Age, and The New Q: Translation and Commentary.

Love is the main component that binds a marriage together, but it doesn't end there. Sharing affection allows a couple to perceive that love. In "Starved for Affection, " Dr. Randy Carlson teaches why affection is so important and how to develop that essential, active ingredient in marriage: the affection that demonstrates love for each other and makes a marriage the rich experience every couple craves.

Making the Right Choice unravels the entangled relationship between marriage, morality, and the desire for modernity as it plays out in the context of middle-class status concerns and aspirations for upward social mobility within the Sinhala-Buddhist community in urban Sri Lanka. By focusing on individual life-histories spanning three generations, the book illuminates how narratives about a gendered self and narratives about modernity are mutually constituted and intrinsically tied to notions of agency. The book uncovers how "becoming modern" in urban Sri Lanka, rather than causing inter-generational conflict, is a collective aspiration realized through the efforts of bringing up educated and independent women capable of making "right" choices. The consequence of this collective investment is a feminist conundrum: agency does not denote the right to choose, but the duty to make the "right" choice; hence agency is experienced not as a sense of "freedom," but rather as a burden of responsibility.

Many American Christians have come to understand their relationship to other Christian denominations and traditions through the lens of religious persecution. This book provides a historical account of these developments, showing the global, theological, and political changes that made it possible for contemporary Christians to claim that there is a global war on Christians. This book, however, does not advocate on behalf of particular repressed Christian communities, nor does it argue for the genuineness (or lack thereof) of certain Christians’ claims of persecution. Instead, this book is the first to examine the idea that there is a “global war on Christians” and its analytical implications. It does so by giving a concise history of the categories (like “martyrs”), evidence (statistics and metrics), and theologies that have come together to produce a global Christian imagination premised upon the notion of shared suffering for one’s faith. The purpose in doing so is not to deny certain instances of suffering or death; rather, it is to reflect upon the consequences for thinking about religious violence and Christianity worldwide using terms such as a “global war on Christians.”

In the enchanted world of Braj, the primary pilgrimage center in north India for worshippers of Krishna, each stone, river, and tree is considered sacred. In Climate Change and the Art of Devotion, Sugata Ray shows how this place-centered theology emerged in the wake of the Little Ice Age (ca. 1550-1850), an epoch marked by climatic catastrophes across the globe. Using the frame of geoaesthetics, he compares early modern conceptions of the environment and current assumptions about nature and culture. A groundbreaking contribution to the emerging field of eco-art history, the book examines architecture, paintings, photography, and prints created in Braj alongside theological treatises and devotional poetry to foreground seepages between the natural ecosystem and cultural production. The paintings of deified rivers, temples that emulate fragrant groves, and talismanic bleeding rocks that Ray discusses will captivate readers interested in environmental humanities and South Asian art history. Art History Publication Initiative. For more information, visit http://arthistorypi.org/books/climate-change-and-the-art-of-devotion

This book aims to go beyond merely confrontational or complementary treatments of the relationship between market participation and business ethics. Reviewing the attitudes towards the market embedded in religious ethics and scholars, it explores the symbiotic relationship between the economy, ethics and morals. Moving the discussion beyond a static and traditional economy envisaged by scripture, it explores the impact of an evolving and globalised economy based on the value systems of moral philosophy and religious ethics. The Author aims to expand the conventional view of business ethics, encouraging readers to interpret markets and morality as intertwined concepts, and use them to inform further research.

In Britain's highly politicised social climate in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings, this book provides an in-depth understanding of British Muslim identity through the following social constructs: migration history, family settlement, socio-economic status, religion and culture, and the wider societal environment. The author, Nahid Afrose Kabir, has carried out extensive research on young Muslims' identity in Australia and the UK. For this book, newly available in paperback, she conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of over 200 young Muslims in five British cities: London, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds and Cardiff. Kabir's careful analysis of interview responses offers insights into the hopes and aspirations of British Muslims from remarkably diverse ethnicities: Algerian, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Kenyan, Lebanese, Libyan, Malawi, Mauritian, Moroccan, Nigerian, Pakistani, Palestinian, Singaporean, Somali, Sudanese, Syrian, Ugandan, Yemeni, and English, Danish and Scottish converts. By emphasising the importance of biculturalism, the author conveys a realistic and hopeful vision for their successful integration into British society.

The Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) ended a 20-year political battle over same-sex marriage in the USA. The ruling in favor of a constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry reflected growing social acceptance and political rights for gays and lesbians. At the same time, America remains a deeply religious country and many religious organizations have long opposed same-sex marriage. How do religious organizations interpret, process, and respond to shifting attitudes and public policy toward the LGBT community? Examining how religious groups in America have responded theologically and politically to the legalization of same-sex marriage, the book provides case studies from across the American religious spectrum to explore how each group understands same-sex marriage and has reacted theologically, socially, and politically to its new standing as a constitutional right. Each case study focuses on formal statements made by church leaders, incorporates original data gathered from interviews with regional and local religious authorities, and analyzes existing polling data of adherents at large. Offering a comprehensive examination of religious responses to marriage equality in the USA, this book will interest scholars and students in the fields of religion and politics, civil rights, social change, and public policy.

"Wisdom Wide and Deep" is a comprehensive guide to an in-depth training that emphasizes the application of concentrated attention ("jhana") to profound and liberating insight ("vipassana"). With calm, tranquility, and composure established through a practical experience of jhana meditators are able to halt the seemingly endless battle against hindrances, eliminate distraction, and facilitate a penetrative insight into the subtle nature of matter and mind. It was for this reason the Buddha frequently exhorted his students,
"Wisdom Wide and Deep" follows and amplifies the teachings in Shaila Catherine's acclaimed first book, "Focused and Fearless: A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity." Readers will learn to develop this profound stability, sustain an in-depth examination of the nuances of mind and matter, and ultimately unravel deeply conditioned patterns that perpetuate suffering. This fully detailed manual for the mind sure to become a trusted companion to many inner explorers.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 WAINWRIGHT BOOK PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 POLARI FIRST BOOK AWARD 'This is a book to get lost in . . . A disturbing trauma narrative, it's also a work of delightfully low, pants-dropping comedy, and a learned meditation' Guardian 'A brave and beautiful book, electrifying on sex and nature, religion and love. No one is writing quite like this' Olivia Laing 'Turns the nature memoir genre upon its head . . . is a book full of poetry and pathos. More than anything it is a bold and beautiful study of how to be a true modern man' Ben Myers, Spectator At a crossroads in his life, the demons Luke Turner has been battling since childhood are quick to return - depression and guilt surrounding his identity as a bisexual man, experiences of sexual abuse, and the religious upbringing that was the cause of so much confusion. It is among the trees of London's Epping Forest where he seeks refuge. Away from a society that struggles to cope with the complexities of masculinity and sexuality, Luke begins to accept the duality that has provoked so much unrest in his life - and reconcile the expectations of others with his own way of being.

Temples are everywhere in Chiang Mai, filled with tourists as well as saffron-robed monks of all ages. The monks participate in daily urban life here as elsewhere in Thailand, where Buddhism is promoted, protected, and valued as a tourist attraction. Yet this mountain city offers more than a fleeting, commodified tourist experience, as the encounters between foreign visitors and Buddhist monks can have long-lasting effects on both parties. These religious contacts take place where economic motives, missionary zeal, and opportunities for cultural exchange coincide. Brooke Schedneck incorporates fieldwork and interviews with student monks and tourists to examine the innovative ways that Thai Buddhist temples offer foreign visitors spaces for religious instruction and popular in-person Monk Chat sessions in which tourists ask questions about Buddhism. Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand also considers how Thai monks perceive other religions and cultures and how they represent their own religion when interacting with tourists, resulting in a revealing study of how religious traditions adapt to an era of globalization.

God promises to finish the good work he began in us-but that doesn't come without bumps in the road. Life can be hard, faith can wane, and distractions abound. Too many today are at risk of compromising their integrity or giving up on their faith. How can we persevere to the end? Trillia Newbell, a fellow struggler on the journey, offers encouragement and hope for us to run the race well. While life may be full of challenges, we have a true and real hope in Jesus, who provides us with what we need to endure through pain and doubt. Newbell shares theological insights and practical disciplines to train us for faithful, godly living over the long haul. The race is hard, but you are not running it alone. Find strength and courage here to endure and finish well.

New studies examining the religious endowments that have historically played a variety of important roles in Muslim communities
Waqfs (pious endowments) long held a crucial place in the political, economic, and social life of the Islamic world. Waqfs were major sources of education, health care, and employment; they shaped the city and contributed to the upkeep of religious edifices. They constituted a major resource, and their status was at stake in repeated struggles to impose competing definitions of legitimacy and community. Closer examination of the diverse legal, institutional, and practical aspects of waqfs in different regions and communities is necessary to a deeper understanding of their dynamism and resilience. This volume, which evolved from papers delivered at the 2005 American University in Cairo Annual History Seminar, offers a meticulous set of studies that fills a gap in our knowledge of waqf and its uses.

Feelings of worthlessness. Low self-esteem. Illegitimate guilt. The inability to forgive. Bitterness and resentment. Dependency. Unhealthy relationship patterns. These battles rage within the minds of millions of people, including Christians. Although these may be mistaken as private battles, they are part of a much larger battle--the battle between Christ and Satan, the battle for our hearts and minds. Fortunately the battle is not lost. In Could It Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind you'll learn about God's original ideal for the mind and His beautiful plan to restore His children back into His image. Psychiatrist Timothy R. Jennings also exposes many of Satan's subtle tactics that interfere with God's plan to heal the mind. Armed with the tools provided in this book, you can cooperate better with God to achieve emotional and mental well-being and gain real spiritual victory.

You "Can "Win Her Back
Few challenges in life are as difficult as regaining a wife's trust--and few are as ultimately worthwhile. Trust can be rebuilt in your marriage With patient, loving, self-sacrificing effort, it's possible that one day your wife will risk her heart with you again. And she may even have more respect and love for you than before.
In "Worthy of Her Trust, "Jason Martinkus relates how he repaired his own marriage after revelations of sexual addiction. Along with Stephen Arterburn, Jason offers exercises and tools rooted in counseling principles to help your marriage begin again. This comprehensive guide discusses:
- How to be truly and effectively transparent
- Combating the "he must not love me" myth and other untruths
- What to do about the Internet, office temptations, and travel
- Encouragement for wives who wonder if trust can ever be restored
- The "five-minute phone call" and other daily trust-building strategies
- What meaningful forgiveness and restitution look like
- The Amends Matrix--a concrete exercise to admit past wrongs and cast a vision for a faithful future
Including insights from Jason's wife, Shelley, "Worthy of Her Trust "guides you through the process of rebuilding your relationship so it is stronger than ever.