If you want to have a conversation with God, then you need to do two things: pray and fast. In this primer focusing on these fundamental activities of faith, Rev. Dr. Lionel Stokes shares her transforming life experiences, exploring

what the Bible says about prayer;

why there are so many misconceptions about fasting; and

how fasting and praying interact with each other.

True prayer is a conversation with God, but many think of it as a monologue because of the way it occurs in church. It's often like a one-way telephone conversation, in which one person goes on endlessly without the slightest pause for even an "aha" from the other party-and then the caller hangs up before a response can be made. Whatever our circumstances or situations, there are times when we want or need to communicate with God or to hear from Him. The means by which we do this, therefore, must be simple and clear.

If you want to have a real conversation with God and develop a stronger relationship, with Him, then praying and fasting are the answers-but you need to do it right. Take a balanced approach that's safe and effective, and move closer to the Lord with Prayer and Fasting.

Although little is known about Elizabeth Dabney's youth, she often said she learned the value of prayer from her mother, who always kept a family altar in their home. Mother Dabney sat down and documented for the world, her detailed thoughts and experiences about really living a life devoted to prayer and what the resulting effects would be to personal ministry.

Islam is more than a system of rigid doctrines and normative principles. It is a diverse mosaic of subjective, often contradictory interpretations and discrepant applications that prohibit a narrow, one-dimensional approach. This book argues that to uncover this complex reality and achieve a more accurate understanding of Islam as a lived religion, it is imperative to consider Islam from the point of view of human beings who practice their faith. Consequently, this book provides an important contribution through a detailed ethnographic study of two contemporary Sufi communities. Although both groups shared much in common, there was a fundamental, almost perplexing range of theological convictions and ritual implementations. This book explores the mechanism that accounts for such diversity, arguing for a direct correlation between Sufi multiformity and the agency of the spiritual leader, the Shaikh. Empirical research regarding the authority by which Shaikhs subjectively generate legitimate adaptations that shape the contours of religious belief are lacking. This study is significant, because it focuses on how leadership operates in Sufism, highlighting the primacy of the Shaikh in the selection and appropriation of inherited norms.

This interdisciplinary collection is a new landmark in the study of the world's pilgrimage traditions. Experts from many disciplines approach the subject from a variety of perspectives that are designed to lead to the understanding of pilgrimage in general. Specific case studies represent most of the major religious traditions of the world. Anthropologists, historians, sociologists, social psychologists, and students of religion will find that these theoretical and case studies suggest new areas for further research. Alan Morinis presents a many faceted examination of sacred journeys in India, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, West Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. The introduction provides a framework for the case studies which follow. In-depth accounts of patterns of pilgrimage ranging from Hindu practices to a comparison of Catholic and Baptist pilgrimage in Haiti and Trinidad, to a narration of a Maori sacred journey, provide valuable comparative information. Pilgrimage is viewed in relation to methodological issues, and an analysis is offered showing how pilgrimage and tourism are related. Victor Turner's foreword and Colin Turnbull's postscript lend authoritative weight to this increasingly significant field of study.

The study assesses the main issues in the current debate about the early history of Pesach and Easter and provides new insights into the development of these two festivals. The author argues that the prescriptions of Exodus 12 provide the celebration of the Pesach in Jerusalem with an etiological background in order to connect the pilgrim festival with the story of the Exodus. The thesis that the Christian Easter evolved as a festival against a Jewish form of celebrating Pesach in the second century and that the development of Easter Sunday is dependent upon this custom is endorsed by the authora (TM)s close study of relevant texts such as the Haggada of Pesach; the a oePoem of the four nightsa in the Palestinian Targum Tradition; the structure of the Easter vigil.

This volume gathers together studies on various ""engagements"" between Judaism and Christianity. Following an introduction on ""my odyssey in New Testament interpretation,"" Professor Davies examines such topics as the nature of Judaism, canon and Christology, Torah and dogma, law in Christianity, and the promised land in Jewish and Christian tradition. Part II focuses on Paul and Judaism, with special attention to Paul and the exodus, Paul and the law, and the allegory of the two olives in Romans 11:13-24. Part III looks at the background and origins of the Gospels, centering specifically on Matthew and John. Part IV takes up an exclusively American engagement with Judaism, that is, the Mormon's claim to be Christian and their assertion that they are genealogically connected with Jews and therefore physically a recovered, restored, and reinterpreted Israel. The volume concludes with a discussion and critique of ""mystical anti-Semitism,"" that is, ascribing to ""The Jews"" (not to ""Jews"") the central role in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, leading to a view of ""The Jews"" as essentially satanic or demonic. This collection of seminal essays by a preeminent New Testament scholar highlights the encounter of two great religious traditions and stimulates the dialogue between them. W. D. Davies was Emeritus Ivey Professor of Advanced Studies and Research in Christian Origin at Duke University. He was the author of many books, including Paul and Rabbinic Judaism and Jewish and Pauline Studies.

Using Kenneth Burke's concept of dramatism as a way of exploring multiple motivations in symbolic expression, Tibet on Fire examines the Tibetan self-immolation movement of 2011-2015. The volume asserts that the self-immolation act is an affirmation of Tibetan identity in the face of cultural genocide.

For anyone who longs for a consistent prayer life yet struggles with distractions, doubts, or knowing where to start, bestselling writer and beloved speaker Chrystal Evans Hurst offers a simple and heartfelt method for having meaningful conversations with God, one day at a time. The kind of intentional, fervent prayer life we'd like to experience often seems intimidating or just out of reach. Chrystal knows how that feels and shares her own relatable journey through the challenges and joys of deepening her prayer life. Showing up to pray just one day at a time, Chrystal found a simple yet powerful practice that made consistent prayer amazingly doable. A warm and encouraging writer, Chrystal shares the same supportive help she found for talking with God specifically and intentionally throughout the day. With relatable stories and timeless Scripture, The 28-Day Prayer Journey offers three prompts each day to guide you through an easy yet intimate prayer experience. From giving thanks, hearing God, and making requests to simply knowing what to say, Chrystal gives practical explanations and easy steps for the core tenets of prayer, including: Praise and Thanksgiving--offering gratitude to God Repentance--seeking forgiveness from God Asking--presenting your requests to God Yielding--surrendering to God The 28-Day Prayer Journey will strengthen your faith and transform your life with the profound experience of communicating with a loving God. Whether you are new to prayer or well-versed in communication with God, this hopeful and supportive guide will help you experience God's presence in ways you never have before through the practice of meaningful prayer.

PRAYER AND CONFESSION OF SCRIPTURES ARE THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPONS WE CAN HAVE IN LIFE

"Twilight Anointing Prayers" rout out demonic influences and release God's power to work in your situation. Your breakthrough is not negotiable. You have the divine power to go into the enemy's camp, battle, decree, and declare the victory over your health, your finances, and your family. God loves to see his children victorious.

IT IS TIME TO RECLAIM WHAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN FROM YOU

In the sixteenth century, the famous kabbalist Isaac Luria transmitted a secret trove of highly complex mystical practices to a select groups of students. These meditations were designed to capitalize on sleep and death states in order to effectively split one's soul into multiple parts, and which, when properly performed, permitted the adept to free oneself from the cycle of rebirth. Through an in-depth analysis of these contemplative practices within the broader context of Lurianic literature, Zvi Ish-Shalom guides us on a penetrating scholarly journey into a realm of mystical teachings and practices never before available in English, illuminating a radically monistic vision of reality at the heart of Kabbalistic metaphysics and practice.

This is an excellent book that adds to the anthropological and historical literature on shared sacred sites. The majority of the articles are very well written, present strong arguments that are revealed with important research. The result is that the book adds to and clarifies some of the debates about the sacred sites, how they are shared as well as the role of the various actors involved in the process. The cases are varied, rich and evocative. Furthermore they are of contemporary importance and relevance. . Karen Barkey, Columbia University

"Shared" sites, where members of distinct, or factionally opposed, religious communities interact-or fail to interact-is the focus of this volume. Chapters based on fieldwork from such diverse sites as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, and Vietnam demonstrate how sharing and tolerance are both more complex and multifaceted than they are often recognized to be. By including both historical processes (the development of Chinese funerals in late imperial Beijing or the refashioning of memorial commemoration in the wake of the Vietnam war) and particular events (the visit of Pope John Paul II to shared shrines in Sri Lanka or the Al-Qaeda bombing of an ancient Jewish synagogue on the Island of Djerba in Tunisia), the volume demonstrates the importance of understanding the wider contexts within which social interactions take place and shows that tolerance and intercommunalism are simultaneously possible and perpetually under threat.

Glenn Bowman is Reader in Social Anthropology at the University of Kent where he directs the postgraduate program in the Anthropology of Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Identity. He has done extensive field research on Jerusalem pilgrimages as well as on intercommunal shrine practices in the Middle East and the Balkans. In addition to this research on holy places he has worked in Jerusalem and the West Bank on issues of nationalism and resistance for nearly thirty years and has carried out fieldwork in the former Yugoslavia on political mobilization and the politics of contemporary art.

Shared ritual practices, multi-faith celebrations, and interreligious prayers are becoming increasingly common in the USA and Europe as more people experience religious diversity first hand. While ritual participation can be seen as a powerful expression of interreligious solidarity, it also carries with it challenges of a particularly sensitive nature. Though celebrating and worshiping together can enhance interreligious relations, cross-riting may also lead some believers to question whether it is appropriate to engage in the rituals of another faith community. Some believers may consider cross-ritual participation as inappropriate transgressive behaviour. Bringing together leading international contributors and voices from a number of religious traditions, Ritual Participation and Interreligious Dialogue delves into the complexities and intricacies of the phenomenon. They ask: what are the promises and perils of celebrating and praying together? What are the limits of ritual participation? How can we make sense of feelings of discomfort when entering the sacred space of another faith community? The first book to focus on the lived dimensions of interreligious dialogue through ritual participation rather than textual or doctrinal issues, this innovative volume opens an entirely new perspective.

Innovation-making is a classic theme in anthropology that reveals how people fine-tune their ontologies, live in the world and conceive of it as they do. This ethnographic study is an entrance into the world of Buryat Mongol divination, where a group of cursed shamans undertake the 'race against time' to produce innovative remedies that will improve their fallen fortunes at an unconventional pace. Drawing on parallels between social anthropology and chaos theory, the author gives an in-depth account of how Buryat shamans and their notion of fortune operate as 'strange attractors' who propagate the ongoing process of innovation-making. With its view into this long-term 'cursing war' between two shamanic factions in a rural Mongolian district, and the comparative findings on cursing in rural China, this book is a needed resource for anyone with an interest in the anthropology of religion, shamanism, witchcraft and genealogical change.

Have you ever wanted to pray for your children but been unsure of what or how to pray? Whether it's for their salvation, for them to live a godly life and stand firm in what they believe, or for them to stay pure, what better way to pray than using God's Word?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV).