Most Christians have experienced the "laundry list" phase of spiritual life, in which praying means giving God an agenda of needs to handle. But how do you move to having real conversation with God? How do you hear what God is saying back to you? How can you make your experience of God's presence part of everyday life? In this six-session LifeGuide(R) Bible Study, Jan Johnson covers the disciplines of prayer and of practicing God's presence. Going deeper in these areas will help you to draw closer to God in everything you do. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions--making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

This book highlights the history of Islamic popular devotional art and visual culture in 20th-century India, weaving the personal narrative of the author's journey through his understanding of the faith. It begins with an introductory exploration of how the basic and universal image of Mecca and Medina may have been imported into Indian popular print culture and what variants it resulted in here. Besides providing a historical context of the pre-print culture of popular Muslim visuality, the book also explores the impact the 1947 Partition of India may have made on the calendar art in South Asia. A significant portion of the book focuses on the contemporary prints of different localised images found in India and what role these play in the users' lives, especially in the augmentation of their popular faith and cultural practices. The volume also compares the images published in India with some of those available in Pakistan to reflect different socio-political trajectories. Finally, it discusses why such a vibrant visual culture continues to thrive among South Asian Muslims despite the questions raised by the orthodoxy on its legitimacy in Islam, and why images and popular visual cultures are inevitable for popular piety despite the orthodox Muslims' increasing dissociation from them. This work is one of the first books on Indian Muslim poster art, with rare images and simple narratives, anecdotes about rituals, ceremonies and cultural traditions running parallel to research findings. This second edition contains a new Afterword that discusses challenges to religious plurality arising on account of changing political landscapes, economic liberalisation, technology and new media, and socio-religious developments. It will appeal to the lay reader as well as the specialist and will be especially useful to researchers and scholars in popular culture, media and cultural studies, visual art and performance studies, and sociology and social anthropology.

FEW BRITISH EXPLORERS IN ARABIA have produced books whose importance as travelogues is trans-cended by their literary quality. One such is The Holy Cities of Arabia, published to critical acclaim in 1928, with its author hailed as a worthy successor to Burckhardt, Burton and Doughty. Unrivalled among works by Western travellers to Islam's holy cities, this account of a pilgrimage to Makkah in 1925-26 is made all the more remark-able by its author's timing. In 1925 `Abd al-`Aziz Ibn Saud brought to an end centuries of rule over the Hijaz by the Hashimite sharifs and their Ottoman overlords. Rutter, living as a learned Muslim Arab in a Makkan household, had a ringside seat as Riyadh imposed its writ on Islam's holy cities. As striking as his account of life in Makkah before modernization are his interviews with Ibn Saud, and his journeys to al-Ta'if and to the City of the Prophet, al-Madinah. The Holy Cities of Arabia proved to be its author's only full-length work. After a brief career as a Middle East traveller, Rutter lapsed into obscurity. This new edition aims to revive a neglected masterpiece and to establish Rutter's reputation. Little was known about him until now and the introduction tells the story of his life for the first time, assessing his talents as a travel writer and analysing his significance as a British convert.

The issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions has not been examined before as a process involving various methods to affect the socio-cultural cognition of the community. It is therefore essential to consider the context of "divinizing" and to analyse what groups, institutions or individuals define the discourse, what are the ideological positions that they represent, and who or what is being divinized. This book deals with the issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions. It aims at studying cultural questions related to the representations and the mythologizing of the divine. It also explores the human relations to the "divine other." It studies the interpretations of the divine in religious texts and the embodiment of the "divine other" in ritual practices. The focus is on studying the phenomenon of divinizing in its religious, cultural, and ideological implications. The book comprises eight chapters that explore the question of divinizing from the 2nd century CE up to present-day in North and South India. The chapters discuss the issue both from insider and outsider perspectives, within the framework of textual study as well as ideological and anthropological analysis. All articles explore various aspects of the cultural phenomenon of being in relation to the divine other, of the process of interpreting and embodying the divine, and of the representation of the divinizing process, as revealed in the literatures and cultures of South Asia. Applying theoretical models of religious and cultural studies to discuss texts written in South Asian languages and engage in critical dialogue with current scholarship, this book is an indispensable study of literary, religious and cultural production in South Asia. It will be of interest to academics in the fields of South Asian studies, Asian Studies, religious and cultural studies as well as comparative religion.

Learn to listen for the voice of the One who loves you most.

God is not silent. We know that He speaks to His people. Throughout the pages of Scripture, He guides, instructs, corrects, and encourages. But what does He say to you? How does He say it? How can you know when you’ve heard Him?

Hearing His Voice is a beautiful 90-day devotional to help you discover patterns and practices you can adopt to hear God better, illustrated with beautiful color art. If we listen, He will speak—and His words are powerful and life-changing.

Does your prayer time consist of an ever-lengthening list of requests for yourself and other people? Perhaps you spend a lot of time praying for the health of family or church members, guidance for a child or grandchild, or that God would intervene in global crises. But did you know that you can pray about more than just the things in life that seem to be going wrong? In fact, you can pray that God will transform your anxious and tired heart into a joyful one! It's time to set aside the trials of life for a while and make joy a priority. Not sure how? Let this collection of Scripture-powered prayers from beloved author Linda Evans Shepherd be your guide. Packed with prayers of gratitude, praise, and hope, this inspiring collection will change your perspective, your life, and your heart as you press into pure, God-given joy. The perfect gift for yourself or someone else, Make Time for Joy will help you transform sadness into gladness as you rest on the love, joy, and provision that comes from God.

In this study of the Ndembu of Zambia, ritual is examined under two aspects: as a regulator of social relations over time and as a system of symbols. Social life is thereby given direction and meaning. An extended case-study of a series of ritual performances in the life of a single village community is analysed in order to estimate the effects of participation in these symbolic events on its component groups and personalities.

Prayer can be your greatest asset and source of wisdom in raising teenagers in today's world. Now expanded, this book features updated content on issues like pornography, addiction, self-harm, anxiety, rebellion, technology use, dealing with disappointment, and more. It's never been tougher to be a teen--or the parent of one. Thankfully, from your teen's first date to the next time they borrow the car keys, you can take your concerns to God through prayer. Drawing on the power of God's Word, this updated and expanded edition of Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens equips you to pray about the difficult issues your teen may face: Relationship challenges Doubts about their faith Depression Rejection Sexual purity Substance abuse Eating disorders . . . and much more This book also guides you in praying about everything from your teen's character and safety to the purposes and plans that God has for his or her future. Filled with engaging illustrations, biblical insights, and compelling prayer principles, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens shows how to make the Bible your source for prayers that can powerfully influence your teen's life. With a grace-filled approach and a warm, personal style, author Jodie Berndt encourages you that there is not a need your teen will face that God has not already thought of, and provided for, in his Word--and that, no matter how far away our kids may be, they are never out of his reach.

"When you live according to God's Word and by the power of His Holy Spirit, you can trust that God is moving you into the wholeness, purpose, and blessing He has for you." Through Christ, you've been given an open door to become the woman God made you to be. Stepping through that door means accepting the Lord's invitation not only to follow Him, but also to intimately know Him and understand His heart for you. In The Power of Praying (R), bestselling author Stormie Omartian will help you see your goals, desires, and relationships transformed for God's glory. You'll understand new truths about who God really is and all that He wants to do in your life. You will also be able to partner with Him as you... solidify the foundation of your faith endure trials with purpose, confidence, and hope bless your family and community with His light and love Stormie encourages you to embrace a rich, active prayer life. Selections from some of her bestselling titles create this bountiful gathering of reflections, guidance, Scriptures, and prayers, sure to bless the heart of any woman seeking to draw nearer to God.

Mobile Lifeworlds illustrates how the imaginaries and ideals of Western travellers, especially those of untouched nature and spiritual enlightenment, are consistent with media representations of the Himalayan region, romanticism and modernity at large. Blending tourism and pilgrimage, travel across Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Northern India is often inspired and oriented by a search for authenticity, adventure and Otherness. Such valued ideals are shown, however, to be contested by the very forces and configurations that enable global mobility. The role ubiquitous media and mobile technologies now play in framing travel experiences are explored, revealing a situation in which actors are neither here nor there, but increasingly are 'inter-placed' across planetary landscapes. Beyond institutionalised religious contexts and the visiting of sacred sites, the author shows how a secular religiosity manifests in practical, bodily encounters with foreign environments. This book is unique in that it draws on a dynamic and innovative set of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, especially phenomenology, the mobilities paradigm and philosophical anthropology. The volume breaks fresh ground in pilgrimage, tourism and travel studies by unfolding the complex relationships between the virtual, imaginary and corporeal dynamics of contemporary mobile lifeworlds.

Animism is an important part of many religions - from Shinto, Hinduism and Buddhism to Paganism and a range of indigenous religions - which connects the spiritual and material and holds that humans might not be unique in possessing souls or in being intentional agents. Over recent decades, research into animism has broadened its scope to consider, at one end, the vibrant roles of objects in human lives and, at the other, the possible similarities between humans and other species. "The Handbook of Contemporary Animism" brings together an international team of scholars to examine the full range of animist worldviews and practices. The Handbook opens with an examination of recent approaches to animism. This is followed by evaluations of ethnographic, cognitive, literary, performative, and material culture approaches as well as advances in activist and indigenous thinking about animism. "The Handbook of Contemporary Animism" invites readers to think creatively and critically about the world around us and will be invaluable to students and scholars of Religion, Sociology and Anthropology.

This treasury of more than 350 poems, prayers, hymns, blessings, and dramatic readings provides beautiful, powerful pieces that you can use to mark holidays, milestones, and the passing of the seasons. Discover prayers to Janus from Horace and Ovid, a traditional Scottish blessing for Imbolc, an invocation to Pan by poet Helen Bantock, a salutation to the sun by Aleister Crowley, a pharoah's hymn to Isis, a song for Lammas by Gwydion Pendderwen, and many, many more. In addition to readings and blessings for Pagan holidays and other special days throughout the year, you will also discover prayers for weddings and funerals and to coincide with phases of the moon. Author Barbara Nolan includes brief historical or biographical details to contextualize each piece as well as descriptions of various holidays and festivals to help you integrate these readings into your practice. A Year of Pagan Prayer demonstrates that the literary worship of Pagan deities was never fully lost in the West. This bounteous collection draws from the creative and spiritual legacy of Italian Renaissance poets, ancient Sumerian priestesses, twentieth-century Pagans, French Romantics, Greek playwrights, nineteenth-century British occultists, and Egyptian hymnists, making it a must-have sourcebook for anyone who yearns to embody the eloquent expressions of our Pagan past.

Death and immortality played a central role in Greek and Roman thought, from Homer and early Greek philosophy to Marcus Aurelius. In this book A. G. Long explains the significance of death and immortality in ancient ethics, particularly Plato's dialogues, Stoicism and Epicureanism; he also shows how philosophical cosmology and theology caused immortality to be re-imagined. Ancient arguments and theories are related both to the original literary and theological contexts and to contemporary debates on the philosophy of death. The book will be of major interest to scholars and students working on Greek and Roman philosophy, and to those wishing to explore ancient precursors of contemporary debates about death and its outcomes.

A step-by-step guide to calling on the Fourteen Holy Helpers for healing, success, guidance, and love * Shares modern updated versions of the medieval prayers of the Holy Helpers, one prayer for each of the 14 saints and one prayer to call on all of them together * Explains how, even though these 14 saints are connected to Catholic belief, they are universal in their powers of assistance and will come to the aid of anyone who calls on them * Recommends a healing stone to enhance the effect of each prayer and explains how to use the prayers to create protective amulets for you and your home and write a letter of invocation for love and success The art of invocation--calling on spirits and higher forces for assistance--has been practiced in folk magic traditions for centuries, with roots going back to early pagan and shamanic times. Called on for more than 1,000 years, the Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of Catholic saints venerated together because their intercession has been shown to be particularly effective in difficult times. Although they are part of the Christian tradition, these spiritual helpers are universal in their powers of assistance and will come to the aid of anyone who calls on them. In this guide to invoking the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Christiane Stamm presents modern updated versions of the medieval prayers of the Holy Helpers, which were transmitted to her directly from the spirit world. She explains how, even though these 14 saints are connected to Catholic belief, their invoked powers connect to the original energies dwelling within humans and the Earth and calling on them works as a form of natural magic. She shares short biographies of each saint and details how to access their powers of healing and protection through writing out and reciting their specific prayers during the full moon. The author shares 15 prayers--one for each Holy Helper, used to support healing for specific ailments or issues, and one prayer that is especially powerful because it calls on all 14 Helpers together. For each prayer she recommends a healing stone that can be added to further enhance the effect. The author also explains how to use the prayers to create protective amulets for you and your home and write a letter of invocation for love and success. Offering a step-by-step method to call for spiritual assistance, this book helps us realize the profound power of prayer and belief and reveals how magic still exists in our modern world.

Prayer changes things. It is a stress-reliever. It's a chain-breaker. It's a peace-bringer, and it's necessary for every child of God no matter their age or experience. Throughout history, women have been especially powerful in taking up the mantle of prayer. It is largely the prayers of women that establish the spiritual sanctuary of their family. Praying women warriors fight against oppression and injustice. Their prayers defend the innocent and the untrained. And through their prayers they are seen as shining examples in the darkness of the world. This journal gives you the space to write out your prayers and note how they are answered. It will give you a place to continue your progressive march of empowerment by dreaming like your daughters and praying like your grandmothers.

Drawing on insights from Indian intellectual tradition, this book examines the conception of dharma by Jaimini in his Mimamsasutras, assessing its contemporary relevance, particularly within ritual scholarship. Presenting a hermeneutical re-reading of the text, it investigates the theme of the relationship between subjectivity and tradition in the discussion of dharma, bringing it into conversation with contemporary discourses on ritual. The primary argument offered is that Jaimini's conception of dharma can be read as a philosophy of Vedic practice, centred on the enjoinment of the subject, whose stages of transformation possess the structure of a hermeneutic tradition. Offering both substantive and methodological insights into the contentions within the contemporary study of ritual, this book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of Hindu studies, ritual studies, Asian religion, and South Asian studies.

This book explores the interaction of rituals and ritualised practices utilising a cross-cultural approach. It discusses whether and why rituals are important today, and why they are possibly even more relevant than before.