How long does it take to grow a soul, to love and to be loved, and to help repair the world? One lifetime, so it is best to be totally engaged in the process. "Growing Up Absorbed" follows the journey from cradle to grave through an education focus. There are no shortcuts in this spiritual pilgrimage. It can be hard, but we are companioned along the way. What happens is what Gilbert calls "spiritual osmosis," absorbing what the world has to teach us and passing on what we have learned: an absorbing business.

Within these covers lies a history of religious education in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, with reflections on faith development in the 21st century. Beginning with Walt Whitman's poem "A Child Went Forth" as a metaphor, the author concludes with life questions that "empty the room." He finds the journey has its valleys, plateaus and mountain peaks, and is no casual matter. Gilbert shares his excitement on making the journey.

There is an almost desperate quest for spirituality in our time. The "nones" claim to be spiritual, but not religious. Gurus abound; "quick fixes" are everywhere. In Thanks Be for These the Rev. Richard Gilbert provides a spiritual starting point for both the "spiritual" and the "religious" seeker. Here is a collection of meditations written from the perspective of a mystical religious humanist.

Gilbert claims that gratitude is at the heart of the religious experience. It is fundamentally a spiritual act. We are grateful, in the first place, for being itself. Everything else is a bonus. This gratitude is expressed not in the philosophical abstract but in the existential concrete. It is details of the everyday which make life worth living despite our finitude and the inherent messiness of existence.

Gilbert divides the book in two sections-"Thanksliving" for the blessings of being; and "Gratitude in Grief," a collection of materials designed for memorial services at time of death.

Thanks Be for These challenges us to dig deeply into the meaning of our lives. These meditations on gratitude place the responsibility of living gratefully squarely on us-where it belongs.

The role of religious education/faith development among Unitarian Universalists marks the uniqueness of this religious movement. Without dependence on dogma or creed, it is essential that a religious community be free to develop its own distinctive identity. The centrality of religious education was evident in the very beginnings of this liberal denomination. Rev. Richard Gilbert collects many of the most influential statements of religious education philosophy in the anthology In the Middle of a Journey.

From William Ellery Channing's eloquent "Sunday School Address" to the writings of stalwarts Sophia Lyon Fahs and Angus H. MacLean, these carefully selected essays trace the evolution of faith development from a Christian catechism to a broadly based faith-based quest for values, meanings and convictions.

In an age that tends to belittle the past, it is refreshing to realize that if we are to chart where we are going, it is wise to know where we have been. The Unitarian Universalist movement has been in some interesting places, and eagerly seeks an adventurous future.

Whether alone or in community, we often seek moments of peace to reflect on our lives. With reverent insight, author Richard Gilbert ponders special moments discovered in worship alone and with a congregation.

The first section of this book features personal meditations; the second presents meditations designed for congregational worship. From his "Shirk Ethic" to "Saints, Sinners and Seekers," from "It Isn't Fair - Life, That Is," to "The Divine Is in the Details," from "We Are All More Human Than Otherwise" to "Worthy of This Blind Chance," Gilbert reflects on the breadth and depth of human experience.

Gilbert's meditations have been widely used in a variety of settings. "In the Holy Quiet" is a valuable resource for individuals and groups. These selections are offered to provide moments of calm in a hectic world.