The excitement of the spiritual life is as fulfilling as friendship, as mysterious as the soul, and as infinite as the universe. This book is a jumpstart in the faith for those who have tried religion and not found the spirit, or have tried pleasure and not found joy, or have chased after life and not found deep meaning, or thought God to be imagined and not been awakened.

The book includes chapters on the infinite interior life, expectant faith, mystery traveler, sex in God's creation, beautiful simplicity, storytelling, difficulties connecting with God, religion unfettered, the New Evangelization, with humor throughout. The final chapter, titled "Evolutionary Christogenesis," includes quotes from Teilhard de Chardin.

The author, a Catholic priest, writes unabashedly of straitjacket rituals, institutional stonewalling, and the cynicism of people. Positively, he conveys an enthusiasm in the surge of goodness that is present in this generation. He conveys how you can become a fully rigged ship with sails unfurled in the sea of God's spirit. The divine force has never been absent from nature's scene or from human relational ways. We are called to be faith rebels.

Holy Women Icons wouldn't be a book without first being a series of paintings. So, I am grateful for those galleries that have hosted them: Shell Ridge, Karma, Blue Lotus/Woven Soul, and Barnhills. I'm also tremendously grateful for all the people who have supported my art by purchasing or commissioning an original icon or buying a print. It means a great deal for someone to find enough value in my paintings to actually hang them in their home. The fact that these Holy Women are scattered all over the world, providing inspiration for friends, family, colleagues, and strangers is a gift. And these paintings would have never been written about had Xochitl Alvizo not invited me to become a regular writer on Feminism and Religion, featuring one icon each month and expounding upon her story. Xochitl would not have discovered these paintings if Kittredge Cherry had not interviewed me about my beloved queer saints on Jesus in Love. So, I am grateful to these two women who have helped my icons find voices in the wider public. And I am grateful to the Feminism in Religion community for offering encouragement, constructive feedback, and inspiration along the way.

Fifty-Two Weeks with God is composed of fifty-two meditations on God, God's creation, and men and women who gave their lives for others. The book begins with New Year, the time we think of what we have done before and repent and resolve to correct ourselves. We sit in awe at God's magnificent creation and what He has done for us. We meditate on the lives of others who felt the call to follow Christ and care for those in need. We meditate on the innocent children whose characters and beliefs we mold as we care for them by word and deed. We meditate on the spirit of God, the spirit of love and truth. We meditate on God's promise for us to be with him in the warmth of his love for eternity if we follow His example and teaching.

"Whatever is true, whatever is good, whatever is honorable, whatever is of good report. Whatever is lovely, whatever is pure; think on these things (Philippians 4:8)."

Have you ever stopped to evaluate the quality of your life? Today you can move toward the next level of enjoying your highest level of living. Life is more than existing. We merely exist when we live our lives without definition and divine purpose. To live life with definite purpose is to live life at its best, with the faith and the great expectations that bring us to our destiny of all we were meant to be and all we were predestined to experience.

These memoirs depict the triumphs of an African-American preacher's son in the segregated South who succeeds as a social activist, educator, founding pastor, and bishop. It tells remarkable stories of the "Old Folks" and the renowned social activists, educators, and religious leaders who in some way have touched the destiny of the whole human race. We shall never forget their legacy or their endless contributions of labor and love. We shall forever treasure their memory and dare not ever forget the urgency of their silent voices echoing to us "Carry on ... carry on ... carry on."

A mother's biological experience of "birth" overwhelmingly captures every ounce of her physical being and has drawn endless cultural attention as a cataclysmic event. The actual moments of birth are indeed spectacular and amazing - a miraculous event that reflects the Heart of God. But surprisingly this sensorial transaction accounts for perhaps one tenth of what is actually packed into this small window of time. The remaining ninety percent of this phenomenal wonder occurs in a world unseen by our human eyes. There is a supernatural process of radiant creativity in operation that goes back to the beginning of time and forward to the end of time. Birth, the biological moment of transition, merely connects the small tangible piece of the flesh to the bigger pieces of a supernatural journey which is stunning and amazing, because Yahweh God is an absolute genius at doing life. As a believer in Yeshua the author's journey to fulfill her destiny has led her down an exquisite path of discovery into this unseen world. Working as a Midwife for the last 50 years has taught her to live life, not from this small, tangible, temporary world, but from the magnificent spirit world that encompasses it and lasts forever. The true stories in this first book have focused on redeeming the gift of Kairos moments for God's Kingdom, and a tiny bit of how angelic forces help us do that in the midst of a world of darkness. This book is not about birth or midwifery. It is a collection of stories that demonstrate the faithfulness of Yahweh God, the designer of birth, and the author of its supernatural dimensions, who engages intimately with earth to touch our every need. It is His story written through the lives of His people.