Security for Holy Places is the first comprehensive security guide for religious associations and organizations. While focused on houses of worship (and schools and centers connected to them), the guide also provides important information on securing religious summer camps and its guidance can be used for any faith-based organization, senior center, day care, or school. The book includes chapters on: overall threat types of weapons used by intruders perimeter and inside security where to get professional help how to build a security plan what to know when hiring guards armed versus unarmed guards & volunteers gun laws mental health issues how to use volunteers effectively to strengthen security information on technology that can strengthen the protection of holy places and their immediate surroundings security for day and overnight camps guidance on how to organize security committees to strengthen security checklists for congregations and camps to use immediately

Both traditions recognize and draw theological and historical lessons from some of the same narrative sources, but this is the first comparative resource to provide interdisciplinary coverage of the history and textual sources associated with prophets and prophecy. This thorough treatment of a difficult and increasingly controversial subject area will encourage and cultivate knowledge and understanding. Entries are drawn from five main fields: 1. Ancient Near Eastern Studies 2. Bible and Biblical Studies 3. Judaism and Jewish Studies 4. The Quran and Quranic Studies 5. Islam and Islamic Studies Noegel and Wheeler treat each entry as a compilation of relevant data culled from these different traditions in order to take the reader beyond the expected parameters of research. Originally envisioned as an initial resource for students of comparative religion, the extensive chronology, bibliography, list of acronyms, and the overall accessibility of the passages make the Dictionary suitable for a much wider audience.

The first comprehensive resource for spiritual and pastoral caregivers—a vital resource for clergy, seminarians, chaplains, pastoral counselors and caregivers of all faith traditions. This essential resource integrates the classic foundations of pastoral care with the latest approaches to spiritual care. It is specifically intended for professionals who work or spend time with congregants in acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, rehabilitation centers and long-term care facilities. Offering the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills from the best pastoral and spiritual care texts, research and concepts, the contributors to this resource are experts in their fields, and include eight current or past presidents of the major chaplaincy organizations. Contributors include: Rev. Nancy K. Anderson • Rev. Dr. Willard W. C. Ashley, Sr. • Dr. Nancy Berlinger • Rev. W. L. (Bill) Bross • Rev. Robin C. Brown-Haithco • Rabbi Zahara Davidowitz-Farkas • Paula DeAngelo • Chaplain D. W. Donovan • Dr. George Fitchett • Rev. Bill Gaventa • Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein • Chaplain Dr. Daniel Grossoehme • Sr. Norma Gutierrez • Rev. George Handzo • Rev. Curtis W. Hart • Rev. Brian Hughes • Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs • Chaplain Gerald L. Jones • Rev. Robert A. Kidd • Rev. Yoke Lye Kwong • Rev. Michele J. Guest Lowery • Rev. Marcia Marino • Rev. Lynne M. Mikulak • Rev. Nancy Osborne • Rev. Jon Overvold • Rev. Brent Peery • Chaplain Linda F. Piotrowski • Rev. David B. Plummer • Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts • Rev. Dr. Glenn A. Robitaille • Chaplain Timothy G. Serban • Bishop Dr. Teresa E. Snorton • Rev. Dr. Dane R. Sommer • Rabbi Dr. Shira Stern • Rev. Jo Clare Wilson • Rev. Sue Wintz

* Popular author with broad appeal * New vision for shaping future church leaders The Church's mission is not dependent upon economic or worldly boundaries. The gospel will expand and grow where people respond to God's grace in their lives. The Episcopal Church, along with all denominational churches, is being forced to break out of old training models and traditions of ordination in this new age of mission. The Church must rethink formation of leaders (lay and clergy) to keep up with what God is already doing in the world. Participating in God's mission will press us to reconsider assumptions about the vocations themselves, and their shape for the future.

The Inspirational Story of the Twentieth Century s Greatest Evangelist Billy Graham has preached the gospel message in person to more people than anyone in history, and millions more have heard him through television, radio, and film. His faithful witness is testimony to his great love of God and passion to serve Him. This easy-to-read biography tells Billy Graham s story, including his humble beginnings as a southern farm boy, his calling to the ministry, the start of the crusades, his service to America s leaders, and his later years preaching around the globe. As you read these details of a life dedicated to the cause of Christ, you will be encouraged. Also these stories will inspire anyone who desires to give their life in service to God. Here s a fresh look at a contemporary man of God and giant of the faith."

The Buddhist monk Ashva-ghosha composed Life of the Buddha in the first or second century CE probably in Ayodhya. This is the earliest surviving text of the Sanskrit literary genre called kavya and probably provided models for Kali-dasa's more famous works. The most poignant scenes on the path to his Awakening are when the young prince Siddhartha, the future Buddha, is confronted by the reality of sickness, old age, and death, while seduced by the charms of the women employed to keep him at home. A poet of the highest order, Ashva-ghosha's aim is not entertainment but instruction, presenting the Buddha's teaching as the culmination of the Brahmanical tradition. His wonderful descriptions of the bodies of courtesans are ultimately meant to show the transience of beauty.

Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation

For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http: //www.claysanskritlibrary.org

This exceptional work, with entries from Rav Abba to Rav Zutra, is an unprecedented study of every rabbi in the Talmud. The reader will find concise entries on every rabbinic personality mentioned in the Talmud, major and minor alike, and will discover such facts as their dates of birth, education, and occupation. Most entries are accompanied by a brief story about the rabbinic personality with sources cited for easy reference. Who's Who in the Talmud also includes a lengthy introduction to the Talmud in general and offers a lucid understanding of the timeless importance of aggadic (homiletic) literature. The reader will acquire valuable insight into the issues involved in reading talmudic stories as the author differentiates between truth and parable, law and lore. The author also chronicles the history and development of the Oral Law noting the variety of changes it underwent in its transmission from generation to generation and leaving no doubt as to the wisdom and the ways of our sages from centuries ago.

In The Roots of Pope Francis's Social and Political Thought Thomas R. Rourke traces the development of Pope Francis's thinking from his time as a Jesuit provincial through today. Meticulously researched, the book draws on decades of previously untranslated writings from Father Jorge Bergoglio, SJ, who went on to become archbishop and cardinal; this volume also references his recent writings as pope. The book explores the deepest roots of Pope Francis's thinking, beginning with the experience of the Jesuit missions in Argentina (1500s - 1700s), showing how both the success and tragedy of the missions profoundly formed his social and political views. Subsequent chapters explore influences from the Second Vatican Council through today regarding culture, politics, and economics. In Pope Francis's understanding, there is a perpetual tension between the attempts to redeem the social order through the Gospel and the never-ending attempts to dominate peoples and their lands through a variety of imperial projects that come from the powerful. What emerges is a profoundly Christian approach to the social, political, and economic problems of our time. The Pope is portrayed as an original thinker, independent of ideological currents, rooted in the Gospels and the tradition of Catholic social thought. In a time of division and violence, the writings of Pope Francis often point to the path of peace and justice.

Medieval Europe is a dark and dangerous place. In 1054 the Church tears itself in two, setting the scene for nearly 500 years of turmoil. Empires will collide and dynasties will rise and fall; marriages will be made and alliances broken. It is a place where love clashes with ambition and violence rules - enemies are blinded, rivals are murdered and heretics are burnt at the stake. As the Black Death sweeps the continent and the Mongol hordes threaten its borders, can the kings of the old world survive the dawn of a new era?

In 1799, the papacy was at rock bottom: The Papal States had been swept away and Rome seized by the revolutionary French armies. The cardinals were scattered across Europe, and Catholics feared they would be unable to elect the next pope. Even if Catholicism survived, it seemed the papacy was finished. And yet, just over two hundred years later, the pope still stands "at the very center of the central conversations of our time" (Time). His influence reaches across the world--from Cuban politics to gender equality to the refugee crisis--and the strength of his "soft power" is incomparable. In this gripping narrative of religious and political history, Paul Collins tells the improbable success story of the last 220 years of the papacy, from the unexalted death of Pope Pius VI in 1799 to the celebrity of Pope Francis today. As a historian, journalist, and theologian, Collins also poses pressing, critical questions to the Catholic Church: Does today's church governance stray from the teachings of the gospel? Is the papacy's internal power so great that it might be considered heretical? If so, what can be done to ensure a credible--and Christ-like--path forward? Absolute Power is required reading for anyone interested in the history of today's complex power structures--as well as anyone invested in religious, political, and social progress in the West.

This life story of one of the few women in her generation to devote herself entirely to the pursuit of meditation also includes Dipa Ma's spiritual teachings, which have made her a major figure in contemporary Buddhism. Dipa Ma was the first truly accomplished female meditation master in the Thereavada tradition to teach in the United States and, while she had a deep devotion to the tradition, she also had a fierce understanding that the spiritual accomplishments of women could be in every way equal to those of the predominantly male religious hierarchy. Her influence on the teaching of insight meditation practice in the West is presented here through stories and encounters told by sources such as family members, her students in Calcutta, and several of America's leading Buddhist and meditation teachers.

Sukhmani (The Pearl of Happiness) is a popular Sikh text by Guru Arjan, which inculcates the Sikh religious ethos and philosophical perspective on wellbeing and happiness. The book features a new translation of this celebrated Sikh text and provides the first in-depth analysis of it. The Sikh View on Happiness begins with an overview of the nature of suffering and the attainment of happiness in Indian religions. This provides the foundation for the examination of the historical, social, and religious context of the Sukhmani and its contribution to the development of the Sikh tradition. In addition to exploring the spiritual teachings of the Sukhmani, Nayar and Sandhu draw upon the Sikh understanding of the mind, illness, and wellbeing to both introduce key Sikh psychological concepts and illustrate the practical application of traditional healing practices in the contemporary context. In doing so, they highlight the overlap of the teachings in the Sukhmani with concepts and themes found in Western psychotherapy, such as mindfulness, meaningful living, and resilience.

Have you ever been thrust into a surprising place of leadership? Are you looking for a mentor who has had similar experiences? Ebony S. Small is a young leader with a wealth of experience in both churches and organizations. She's got practical and biblical wisdom to offer whether you are just starting or are looking for a fresh start in your life and leadership. Every life experience-good, bad, or indifferent-is a distinct marker that God used to hardwire you for purpose and help you lead from an authentic and healthy place. The power of God's presence is not just for your benefit but also for all in your sphere of influence. This book invites you to discover your unique leadership gifts and skills, showing how our obedience to God unleashes a ripple effect that can alter the destiny of generations to come.

A sizeable minority of people with no particular connection to Eastern religions now believe in reincarnation. The rise in popularity of this belief over the last century and a half is directly traceable to the impact of the nineteenth century's largest and most influential Western esoteric movement, the Theosophical Society. In Recycled Lives, Julie Chajes looks at the rebirth doctrines of the matriarch of Theosophy, the controversial occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891). Examining her teachings in detail, Chajes places them in the context of multiple dimensions of nineteenth-century intellectual and cultural life. In particular, she explores Blavatsky's readings (and misreadings) of Spiritualist currents, scientific theories, Platonism, and Hindu and Buddhist thought. These in turn are set in relief against broader nineteenth-century American and European trends. The chapters come together to reveal the contours of a modern perspective on reincarnation that is inseparable from the nineteenth-century discourses within which it emerged, and which has shaped how people in the West tend to view reincarnation today.

The book investigates the intricate relationship between Friday sermon and the worshippers' opinion in Jordan. The author examines the religious sphere in Jordan in an attempt to unravel the apparent and hidden actors who produce and intake Friday sermon in an ostensibly westernized yet profoundly religious society. It fills a major gap in literature on how Islamist movements and groups use and produce the Friday sermon and its sociopolitical context. Covering the period before, during and after the Arab Spring, the book also challenges the lack of field investigation on framing and agenda-setting. The state, Islamist groups, and the media all vie to usurp the loyalty of the worshipper through the Friday sermon.

Con influencia, usted puede lograr el exito en el hogar, el trabajo, y en toda area de la vida.

Cualquiera que sea su vocacion o aspiracion, usted puede aumentar el impacto que tiene sobre los demas al convertirse en una persona de influencia.

Ya sea que desse crear un negocio, fortalecer a sus hijos, o alcanzar al mundo, usted puede lograrlo elevando su nivel de influencia en la vida de los demas.

Evangelicals stand divided in their view of women in the church. On one side stand complementarians, arguing the full worth of women but assigning them to differing roles. On the other side stand egalitarians, arguing that the full worth of women demands their equal treatment and access to leadership roles. Is there a way to mend the breach and build consensus? Sarah Sumner thinks there is. Avoiding the pitfalls of both radical feminism and reactionary conservatism, she traces a new path through the issues--biblical, theological, psychological and practical--to establish and affirm common ground. Arguing that men and women are both equal and distinct, Sumner encourages us to find ways to honor and benefit from the leadership gifts of both.Men and Women in the Church is a book for all who want a fresh and hope-filled look at a persistent problem.

"Your only job is to help your players be better." That single idea had a huge impact on Tony Dungy when he heard it from one of his earliest mentors, and it led him to develop the successful leadership style so admired by players and coaches throughout the NFL. Now, a storied career and a Super Bowl victory later, Tony Dungy is sharing his unique leadership philosophy with you. In "The Mentor Leader," Tony reveals what propelled him to the top of his profession and shows how you can apply the same approach to virtually any area of your life. In the process, you'll learn the seven keys of mentoring leadership--and why they're so effective; why mentor leadership brings out the best in people; how a mentor leader recovers from mistakes and handles team discipline; and the secret to getting people to follow you and do their best for you without intimidation tactics. As a son, a football player, and a winning coach, Tony has always learned from others on his path to success. Now you can learn to succeed for your team, family, or organization while living out your values--by becoming a mentor leader.

The full text of the trustworthy New King James Version with robust study notes and dozens of study resources in a convenient size to help you grow deeper in your faith. Available for the first time in large Comfort Print, the beloved Foundation Study Bible is now more readable and helpful than ever! A rich resource for everyone longing to understand more of God's Word, whether you're a beginner or an experienced disciple, The Foundation Study Bible includes extensive study helps: verse-by-verse study and theological notes, full-color maps, a concordance, and cross-references. Featuring an easy-to-use layout that is concise and trustworthy, with straightforward and broad study notes that help you study God's truth, the NKJV Foundation Study Bible, Large Print Edition is a great choice for any Bible student or church leader. Intended for both beginning and experienced students of Scripture who want a Bible that contains the key features of a study Bible in a convenient and portable size, even in large print, the NKJV Foundation Study Bible, Large Print Edition is a solid foundation to build one's faith upon. Features include: The Presentation page is a special place to personalize this special gift by recording a memory or note Bible book introductions provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Over 32,000 End-of-page cross references allow you to find related passages quickly and easily Concise study notes with over 293,000 words provide helpful comments on passages of Scripture Over 300 theological notes and index draw attention to important doctrinal themes Ribbon markers make it easy to navigate and keep track of where you were reading Extensive study aids: Prayers of the Bible of nearly 100 prayers in the Bible, who prayed them, and what they prayed about. Prophecies of The Messiah Fulfilled in Christ provides 43 Old Testament prophecies and where they have been fulfilled in the New Testament. Harmony of the Gospels details the life and ministry of Jesus in chronological order showing where each event and teaching occur in the Gospels. Miracles of Christ shows where you can find 37 miracles in the Gospels. Concordance with over 1,000 terms provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Full color maps show the layout of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Durable and flexible Smyth-sewn binding allows the Bible to lay flat wherever you are reading Easy-to-read large 11-point NKJV Comfort Print

"New York Times" Bestseller The momentous third and final volume in the Pope's international bestselling Jesus of Nazareth series, detailing how the stories of Jesus' infancy and childhood are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.
In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order "to make known the figure and message of Jesus." Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of hope found in the birth of Jesus and the affirmations of surrender and service embodied in his parents, Joseph and Mary. This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for the redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God as seen in the faith of Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, when he is in the presence of the Christ child. Ultimately, Jesus' life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.