|
Showing 1 - 7 of
7 matches in All Departments
IN THIS MOVING AND LIFE AFFIRMING BOOK, VIRGINIA STEM OWENS GIVES A
CLEAR AND REALISTIC ACCOUNT OF THE MANY CHALLENGES OF CARING FOR AN
ELDERLY LOVED ONE. ALONG THE WAY, OWENS NOTES THE SPIRITUAL CRISES
SH ENCOUNTERED, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH INCLUDED FEAR OF HER OWN
SUFFERING AND DEATH. THIS BOOK WILL BE A HELPFUL COMPANION TO THOSE
WHO HAVE RECENTLY ASSUMED THE ROLE OF CAREGIVER, HELPING THEM
ANTICIPATE SOME OF THE EMOTIONAL TURBULENCE THEY WILL ENCOUNTER
ALONG THE WAY.
Prayer is essential to the Christian life, bonding us to God. Yet
we find it difficult in our frenetic world to keep our minds
focused for long. All kinds of external noise and inner voices
clamor for our attention. How can we slow down and quiet down so as
to truly wait on the Lord? Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens
offer a solution that calls on the physical senses to break through
to the spiritual ??? praying with beads. The use of prayer beads,
which has a long history in practical spirituality, is now becoming
more widespread among Protestants. Doerr and Owens here show
readers how to use what have become known as Anglican or Christian
prayer beads. Readers can then use the basic prayer structure
provided by the beads to pray their way through each day ???
morning, noon, and night ??? and through the church year. These
prayers can be enhanced and enriched by the mindful and meditative
practice of using beads.
When a prisoner on death row is executed, it's not just the
families of the murderer and the victim who feel the effects. The
attorneys, the jury, the law enforcement officers, the prison
guards, the wardens overseeing the execution, the chaplains and
advisors, the technicians "who prepare the syringe and prick the
vein" - all of these people are affected, and they all have
powerful stories to tell, stories that are woven together in the
riveting narrative of "Living Next Door to the Death House."
Authors Virginia Stem Owens and David Clinton Owens live in
Huntsville, Texas, which has earned a reputation as the death
penalty capital of the United States. They call Huntsville "a
company town," where the company in question, the Texas Department
of Criminal Justice, employs almost a quarter of the residents.
With so much of the population directly connected to the prison
system, the ultimate punishment - meted out as often as once a week
- is always "next door."Through candid, compelling interviews with
those in Huntsville connected both personally and professionally to
the Texas prison system and death row, the authors explore how the
steady stream of executions in the town has affected these people
and the community at large. As the Owenses show, the ever-present
death chamber "reaches out like tentacles to touch the lives of
everyone who lives here." Some of the people they talk to are in
favor of the death penalty, some are against it, many are
conflicted. "Living Next Door to the Death House" shows
unforgettably the human face of one of the most controversial and
hotly debated issues in the United States today. "A marval of
clear-eyed journalism, human sympathy, and judicious reflection." -
Annie Dillard
To read the books of Virginia Stem Owens is to understand what
Dylan Thomas once called ?the mystery of having been moved by
words.? Her style is contemplative, ecstatic, tender ? always
yearning for a purer vision of reality and grace. Wind River Winter
is her account of watching the world die and be reborn in the
desolate Wind River mountains of Wyoming. By attuning her mind to
the enormous cadence of autumn and winter, she contemplates the
balance of life and death?the world's and her own. Her writing, as
beautiful as the best of Annie Dillard or John McPhee, will appeal
to anyone who finds the power of language as awesome a power as
nature itself. Virginia Stem Owens is the author of several books,
including the critically acclaimed Feast of Families. She is a
frequent contributor to the Reformed Journal and other
publications. She lives near Huntsville, Texas.
This stunningly fresh and original volume explores the person
and work of Jesus as seen through the eyes of a wide variety of
people who encountered him face-to-face during his lifetime.
Reflecting on thirty Gospel stories, Virginia Owens suggests how
certain characters--such as Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan woman,
Zacchaeus, and Nicodemus--dealt with Jesus. With her retelling of
each scenario we see Jesus' character take shape as the biblical
personalities come to life. Indeed, Owens finds that how Jesus
acts, particularly in relation to other people, reveals as much
about him as his teachings.
|
You may like...
Gloria
Sam Smith
CD
R238
R194
Discovery Miles 1 940
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|