Search results for ""Skinner House Books""

Editor Erin J. Walter and contributors offer essays, interviews, and resources to revolutionize our understanding of ministry by lifting up the rich diversity of community ministries. Community ministry is the fastest growing type of ministry in Unitarian Universalism and many ministers serve in some combination of parish and community work. But what is community ministry? It’s not often clearly understood, and nonprofit work, justice movement leadership, and other forms of community ministry are still widely unknown or considered radical. When many people think minister, they still imagine only a church minister. In Care for the World: Reflections on Community Ministry, editor Erin J. Walter and contributors offer essays, interviews, and resources to revolutionize our understanding of ministry, lifting up the rich diversity of community ministries—both lay and ordained and led by religious leaders with a broad range of life experiences, identities, and communities of care—within Unitarian Universalism. These reflections show the immense and vital work that Unitarian Universalists are doing in the world and will inspire readers to live a spirited, purposeful life, rooting their daily work in their deepest values and faith. This collection will also support seminarians and religious professionals in, or who are considering, community ministry, and inspire congregations to nurture and affiliate with community ministries. Without knowledge of the important work of community ministry, potential leaders may not answer their call. And the world needs this sacred, vibrant work now more than ever.

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Forged at the intersection of faith and justice, BLUU Notes: An Anthology of Love, Justice, and Liberation is the first publication from Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU). Editors Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin and Rev. Mykal Slack, both on BLUU's Organizing Collective Board of Directors, have collected original poems, prayers, and short prose pieces by Black Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist writers, musicians, worship leaders, and liturgists. This rich and profound collection can be used for personal study, private meditation, and worship that amplifies a Black Unitarian Universalist perspective and worldview. Selected music and additional resources round out this transformative collection.

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Have you wondered how to integrate your heartfelt beliefs into your life? In this thoughtful collection a wide range of contributors describe the small everyday practices that bring meaning to their lives. What shapes your efforts into an everyday spiritual practice is your commitment to making the activity a regular and significant part of your life. Forty inspiring contributors share their personal, daily spiritual practices—from meditation and prayer, to recycling and vegetarianism, to quilting and art. This collection suggests a wide variety of ways in which you can spiritually examine, shape and care for your life, to achieve wholeness and happiness.

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The light must spill to shine. The thing you must be is yourself. Intimate and uncompromising, Rev. Julián Jamaica, Soto’s debut collection Spilling the Light, is a luminous offering to their communities and a defiant declaration of their worth in a world hostile to their queer, disabled, and brown being. “America, is this freedom?” they ask. “I cannot prove to you that / I am a person,” writing boldly of identity, community, liberation, and erasure through a prism of tender moments and powerful reckonings. These are poems of broken hallelujahs and codes/witching, of hunger and fire, of hope and resilience. They are complex, tender, and empowering. They embolden us to become our truest selves, willing us to survive.

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“I love this book! Khim Fam’s illustrations bring Desmond Tutu’s enduring quote to life, while Matt Meyer cleverly navigates the metaphor to teach young readers about the power of community action.” —Innosanto Nagara, author and illustrator of A is for Activist, Counting on Community, and M is for Movement “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” —Archbishop Desmond Tutu Every morning Desmond the mouse wakes with the sunrise and spends the day playing in the beautiful meadow where he lives. And every night he goes to sleep under the starry sky. That is until one night he wakes up and finds an elephant asleep on his tail! Desmond asks for help from every kind of animal passing by but no one wants to disturb the sleeping giant. How will Desmond get free? With Matt Meyer’s thoughtful story and lush watercolor illustrations by artist Khim Fam, Desmond Gets Free introduces young readers to timely and nuanced concepts of justice and liberation in a kid-friendly and accessible way.

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A firsthand account of two colonial pipelines and their resistance: the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock and the Line 3 pipeline on Anishinaabe lands. This is a story of becoming and un-becoming. When the living waters that crisscrossed the Standing Rock reservation came under threat, minister of the nearby Unitarian Universalist congregation Karen Van Fossan asked herself what it means, as a descendent of colonialism, to resist her own colonial culture. When another pipeline, Line 3, came to threaten Anishinaabe ways of life, the question became even more resounding. In A Fire at the Center, Van Fossan takes readers behind the scenes of the Dakota Access Pipeline conflict, to penitentiaries where prisoners of war have carried the movement onward, to the jail cell where she was held for protesting Line 3, to a reimagining of decolonized family constellations, and to moments of collective hope and strength. With penetrating insight, she blends memoir, history, and cultural critique. Guided by the generous teachings of Oceti Sakowin Camp near Standing Rock, she investigates layers of colonialism—extractive industries, mass incarceration, broken treaties, disappearances of Indigenous people—and the boundaries of imperial whiteness. For all those striving for liberation and meaningful allyship, Van Fossan’s learnings and practices of genuine, mutual solidarity and her thoughtful critique of whiteness will be transformational.

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A rich and vibrant collection of stories that will be treasured by all who wish to broaden their understanding of Islamic tales and traditions. Winner of the 2004 Aesop Prize, Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs draws from the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics, the Qur’an and the hadiths, and also from a rich history of mystical verse, folk tales and figures of the Islamic narrative. Ayat Jamilah gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, which stretches from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south. This singular anthology, with its thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand, or to teach, geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.

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“Here is the definitive handbook for those courageous souls taking on the creative and ethical challenge of writing a spiritual memoir.—Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice In Writing the Sacred Journey, readers will discover how to construct a well-crafted spiritual memoir—one that honors the author's interior, sacred story and is at the same time accessible to others. Award-winning writer and teacher Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew provides practical advice on how to overcome writing obstacles as well as guidance for transforming the writing process into a spiritual practice. A writing instructor and spiritual director, Andrew teaches spiritual memoir at Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

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Inspired by the pandemic and her own teenage daughter's upcoming departure from home, editor Vanessa Rush Southern set out to collect an anthology of reflections on the spiritual gifts and challenges of raising young people and the ways that those who nurture and teach children are nurtured and taught themselves. In reflecting with others, she found an array of life experiences, choices, struggles, and insights. She found joy and deep meaning pressed up against all the hard parts, tumbling out between diapers and carpool runs, bursting like fireworks in the midst of casual conversations and rainy days. She found that the young lives that intersect or get invited into relationship with our own shape and change us and those we love in ways both startling and universal. This inclusive and diverse anthology includes all kinds of families, chosen and biological, extended families, single parents, divorced parents, and more-a beautiful spectrum of people reflecting on the place children and young people have played in their lives and in their larger search for meaning. LITTLE DID I KNOW goes well beyond the sentimental to an honest reckoning with the vulnerability and beauty of parenting and caregiving.

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In TRUSTING CHANGE, minister and award-winning writer of Writing to Wake the Soul, Karen Hering offers pastoral support and spiritual skills building for individuals on the cusp of personal change within the collective context of a world that is reshaping itself at a faster pace than ever. The book's ten thresholding skills give readers practical tools for living on the threshold and through change, but this is not a typical "how-to" guide and its beautifully written and evocative language will connect readers with their own deeper consciousness. From the book's first page, the reader is greeted by a warm storyteller ready to journey with them through uncertainty and change. Hering does not pretend that change is easy but notes its inevitability and some of the ways readers can participate in it, allowing them to trust it more in the future. Sharing wisdom found in nature and in metaphors, the reflections include evocative questions and creative, often embodied exercises that invite the reader into a larger story of change. This book is a conversation with the reader meant to also stir conversations between readers as we learn to live into and through our transformative times together.

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Drawing on scores of personal interviews, this straightforward, yet introspective, volume of actual accounts provides a real sense of the challenges and blessings of aging. Unlike many books on the topic, IN LATER YEARS focuses particularly on older people - those in their late seventies, eighties and nineties. Interviewees thoughtfully share their joys, regrets, accomplishments and things left unfinished, while, also, considering the ways they cope with diminishing physical and mental abilities. Weaving these personal reflections and accounts together, Marshall explores questions of meaning and spirituality that, ultimately, reveal larger themes and hold up the opportunities for discovery, connection and renewal available to us in advanced age. The book, also, serves as an invaluable resource for family members and carers, suggesting ways to understand and help with the issues that arise as people grow old. Detailed appendices provide tips and a simple curriculum for gathering and facilitating group discussions.

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"As the generations rise and fall, the wars of the past are surpassed by the wars of the present age, prosperity and poverty diverge in new ways, and new technology remakes the world in ways Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ken Patton, Olympia Brown, or Francis Watkins Harper could hardly have comprehended. New words of love and truth, new memorable phrases, new encouragements are in order. Assumptions, sometimes unconsciously made in previous eras, have been challenged and rethought. Contemporary voices in this new century still revere both love and truth and find ways in worship of moving out of the familiar and into new territory. Styles of imagery and poetry that might have startled our ancestors encourage us to live out lives of depth."—Mark Belletini, from the PrefaceMore than 250 readings are collected here to reinvigorate and update Unitarian Universalist worship. Just as Singing the Journey supplemented the hymns in Singing the Living Tradition with more diversity in perspectives and styles, Lifting Our Voices supplements the SLT readings with modern voices from an array of cultures and theological perspectives. Chosen with care by Revs. Mark Belletini, Kendyl Gibbons, Angela Herrera, Abhi Janamanchi, and Hope Johnson, these new readings, from Unitarian Universalists and acclaimed authors and poets are sure to become instant classics.

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Words ancient and modern on life's final passage. Useful for composing eulogies, readings at memorial services and funerals and writing sympathy and condolence cards. Selections also offer comfort to the bereaved and personal reflection during mourning and recovery. Searl has been a UU minister for more than 25 years and is the author of In Memoriam.

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Las voces del camino presents 75 songs in Spanish, including songs from Singing the Living Tradition plus fresh selections from Spanish-speaking cultures the world over. Perfect for churches with Spanish-speaking congregants and others seeking multicultural programming. For songs that are not in Singing the Living Tradition, a synopsis of the lyrics is provided. Spiral bound"There are many of our favorite hymns from Singing the Living Tradition rendered in poetic, idiomatic Spanish. There are many new songs from Taizé and other original sources. There are also hymns based on folk songs and familiar melodies including the Jewish tradition. The music in this hymnal spans the globe! I will urge my congregation to buy copies of Las Voces del Camino as I truly believe its inclusion will enhance worship and open the door to another section of the demographic of our city. I strongly recommend this hymnal. I believe that it will soon be seen as an enduring blessing to the UU community." - Dr. Leon Burke III, Eliot Chapel, St. Louis, MO"The UUA's new Spanish language songbook, Las Voces del Camino is a powerful new worship resource for UU congregations and choirs - whether they are bi-lingual or they hope to expand their cultural and spiritual perspective through incorporation of Spanish texts and music in worship. Italian director Federico Fellini said, "A different language is a different vision of life." Las Voces del Camino offers us a different, expanded vision of our living tradition - one that is sure to enrich and enliven our worship and congregational lives." - Elizabeth Norton, director of adult choirs, First Parish, Concord, MA"Las Voces del Camino joins other Unitarian Universalist songbooks in offering expanded congregational repertoire. Singable translations of music already known to UUs combine with new songs. This publication will do much to encourage congregations in spiritual growth and to continue to develop a world community." - Keith Arnold, minister of music, Jefferson Unitarian Church

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Every day you meet your child’s spiritual and emotional needs—you just don’t know it. In this short, accessible, and comforting book, expert J.L. Shattuck provides insight into your child’s earliest rituals. Have you ever wondered why your toddler will only drink from a specific cup, or only eat if you turn mealtime into a game? Have you ever found yourself following along with—and maybe even enjoying—your child’s increasingly elaborate bedtime routines? In The Tending Years: Understanding Your Child’s Earliest Rituals, J.L. Shattuck argues that these behaviors are not just habits but rituals—patterns of behavior young children naturally develop to reassure themselves they are safe and loved. Shattuck draws on child developmental theory and more than two decades of experience as a teacher, religious educator, and parent to explore the spiritual roots of this behavior. She demonstrates how adults and young children instinctively work together to support each other’s growth during this unique developmental period. Unlike parenting books that ask you to change the way you interact with your child, this easy-to-read volume details the ways in which you’re already tending to your child’s needs and offers inspiration and support to help you through the preschool years and beyond.

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“In a divided world where the stories we tell often exclude those who are different, Laura Alary offers us a beautiful legend large enough for all people to see themselves in its words. Here is a delightfully illustrated book with a tale that promises to heal divisions and bring us together.” —Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, author of many award-winning children's books including God's Paintbrush and In God's Name Mira is a girl with big questions. She knows two different stories about the way the world came to be. Which story is right? Can they both be right? Is there room for more than one way to think about the world and our place in it? Follow her on an inspiring journey as she discovers a story big enough to include everyone. Along the way, Mira learns to respect and revere the traditions and beliefs of others. Teach children kindness and acceptance with this beautifully illustrated and compelling tale. It is sure to keep young ones enthralled. Ages 8 and up.

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Give thanks for the earth and all its creatures from A to Z with Earth Day. Children and adults will delight in Earth Day, a litany of gratitude that celebrates earth's diverse species, from apricots to groundhogs to junebugs, from quahogs to zinnias, zucchini and zebras with bright and whimsical illustrations. In alphabetical order, the wonders of nature arise from the page, reminding readers that every day is a reason to give thanks and that miracles are as simple as ABC. For ages 3 and up.

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This one-of-a-kind picture book is a colorful introduction to Unitarian Universalism for children ages five to nine. Simple language and appealing illustrations offer children accessible answers to commonly asked questions such as: Who are we? What do we believe? How do we worship? Who leads us? Do we read the Bible? What is our religious symbol? Do we pray? What is Sunday school? How do we celebrate?

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"Designed for the novice storyteller as well as the seasoned professional, this book reminds us that stories are both medicine and nourishment." -- Margo McLoughlin, author of Seeds of Generosity Fonts of timeless wisdom, folktales are meant to be told aloud and this collection curates fifty such tales along with guidance for telling them well in gatherings of all sizes. The stories explore a broad range of themes, including authenticity, forgiveness, generosity, death, faith, hope and many more. Some funny, others poignant - all of the tales draw listeners in. Each story is accompanied by a brief descriptions, story maps and reflective questions. A comprehensive index of themes and principles rounds out this comprehensive folktale resource.

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A poignant and inspirational guide for a journey toward ecological spirituality and sustainable culture. Each chapter contains an essay and spiritual practices designed for both group and individualized reflection. Exercises include a wide range of suggestions such as guided meditations, journaling prompts, creative art projects, and ideas for concrete action. Readers can choose the exercises that best suit their personalities, lifestyles, and unique journeys

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"Our congregations will find in this songbook music that will shape our community and give new voice to our values as we move forward, supporting our deepening faith and a more effective voice for justice."--William Sinkford This 75-song supplement presents an exceptional variety of music for congregational singing."We live in an experiential age, a subjective time, and the new supplement reflects this. Move me emotionally, we are saying, and I will then move intellectually and morally. Inspiration is what we want. Singing the Journey provides it in spades. " --W. Frederick Wooden, UU World

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Filled with practical advice and psychological insight, The Gift of Faith celebrates the importance of nurturing our children's spiritual growth. Eloquent and inspiring, The Gift of Faith celebrates religion in the lives of children. Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar draws from her own personal stories and experiences to illustrate how religious community plays an integral role in deepening the faith of parents, who are children's primary educators. She encourages parents to communicate their beliefs in words and in actions and to become part of a religious community that supports these beliefs. She offers ways to foster spiritual awareness in the home and includes practices for marking the many events in children's lives as religious occasions.

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Revision is the spiritual practice of transformation - of seeing text and, therefore, the world with new eyes. Done well, revision returns us to our original love. In LIVING REVISION, award-winning author and teacher, Elizabeth J. Andrew, guides writers through the writing and revision process. With insight and grace, Andrew asks writers to flex their spiritual muscles, helping them to transform their writing as they in turn transform into more curious and reflective human beings. Her expertly honed techniques, exercises and personal examples will help writers invigorate their work and themselves as they engage the human heart within and across the page. LIVING REVISION is no mere guide with tips and tricks - although it does have those - but a deep and reflective well for writers to draw from as they strengthen their relationship to the creative source.

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Progressive faith is at a crossroads. Liberal pulpits ring with grand sermons about the arc that bends toward justice and about progress "onward and upward forever." Meanwhile, the people in the pews struggle to attend to the suffering of their souls and the tragic aspects of life. In this engaging polemic, using stories and metaphor, Nancy McDonald Ladd issues a call for change. Speaking from a rising generation of clergy and lay leaders who formed their commitments to liberal religion at the end of the optimistic modernist age, she shows how the religious life is not characterised by endless human advancement, but by lurching movement, crisis management and pain. With humour and humanity, Ladd calls religious progressives to greater authenticity and truth-telling rather than blind optimism. She charts a course forward that includes reclaiming rituals of atonement and lament and becoming more vulnerable and accountable in our relationships. She shows how, together, we might build a necessary and greater resilience among ourselves and for the generations to come.

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Every story begins with a word. As a young woman, Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew carried a word within her so potent that it spread through every artery and vein. But she carried it in secret until she was shown a different way and the word inside her turned restless and eager. A beautiful and powerful memoir of coming of age and coming out bisexual, SWINGING ON THE GARDEN GATE describes a period of time in award-winning writer and teacher Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew's life where she came to know her bisexuality as an embodied manifestation of divinity. Andrew not only reconciles her Methodist faith with her sexuality but realises that her body is holy, her sexuality is holy, and the word she carried within her has always been holy. The spark of spirit Andrew identifies in her body she also finds throughout the solid matter of life-in childhood, nature, creativity, loss, death, and especially the coming out process. In addition to being a personal journey through memory, Andrew brings a distinctly queer feminist lens to Christian teachings and answers the question hundreds of young people have posed to her over the years, "Is it possible to be both queer and spiritual?" The act of bringing hidden, personal truths to light is transformational, and for Andrew, a universal calling. This stunning second edition includes a new note from Andrew as she looks back on its twenty-year history.

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This is the most complete introduction to Unitarian Universalism available, covering ministry, worship, religious education, social justice and history. Extensively revised, the sixth edition prepares readers with resources and information for this crucial moment in Unitarian Universalism. It, also, gives voice to many individual Unitarian Universalists - people of all ages, coming from many backgrounds and holding many beliefs - as they share their personal and deeply heartfelt testimonies. Contributors include Rosemary Bray McNatt, Erika Hewitt, Cheryl Walker, Jessica York, Elizabeth Nguyen, Aisha Hauser and Dan McKanan. The foreword was written by lifelong Unitarian Universalist Melissa Harris-Perry - writer, professor, political commentator and editor-at-large at Elle.com.

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Poet Kristen Harper confronts and unpacks the language, imagery, buzzwords, and cultural touchstones that reinforce white supremacy culture and invites readers to radically transform their perceptions of blackness.

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Sexuality researcher, Jane Fleishman, shares the stories of nine fearless elders in the LGBTQ community who came of age around the time of Stonewall. In candid interviews, they lay bare their struggles, their strengths, their activism and their sexual liberation in the context of the political movements of the 1960s, 1970s and today. Each has spent a lifetime fighting for liberation, for the right to live, love and be free. Each has faced challenges arising from their sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, disabilities, kinkiness, nonmonogamy and other identities. With unflinching directness, the elders interviewed explore their struggles within the LGBTQ community: Were they the "right" kind of lesbians or gay men? Were they scrutinised more critically because they came out as bi? Was there insidious racism or classism keeping them down just when they thought they'd finally come home? Were they called names or looked down upon for choosing to be paid for sex, for being fat, for having kinky sexual practices? Were their political credentials dissected when they wore the "wrong" kinds of clothes or lived in the "wrong" kinds of places? What political movements made an impact on them? How did their sexual lives as young people inform their sexual lives as adults? These are the stories of those whose lives were changed forever by Stonewall and who became agents of change themselves. We need to hear these voices.

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What calls Unitarian Universalists to create multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community? What do congregations need when they embark on this journey? What common threads run through their stories? Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin—a white minister and a lay person of color—share how five diverse congregations encounter frustrations and disappointments, as well as hope and wonder, once they commit to the journey. Mistakes abound. Miracles of transformation and joy emerge too. Extensively researched and thoughtfully written—with reflection questions at the end of each chapter—Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism will guide readers to apply these stories to their own communities, develop next steps, and renew their commitment to this hard but meaningful work.

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Throughout the ages, adherents of religious traditions from around the world have set apart certain writings and teachings as special, calling them scriptures, sacred texts or classics. And they have developed particular approaches to reading these texts. In this insightful new guide, Unitarian Universalist minister, Jonalu Johnstone, provides an introduction to reading sacred texts, discusses Unitarian Universalist views of scripture and suggests ways to use sacred texts within our congregations. Each chapter explores an aspect of engaging with scripture and includes a reading from a sacred text - the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Bible, the I Ching, the Dhammapada, the Qur'an and others, including more modern sources - and offers progressive commentary based on scholarly and spiritual approaches to these writings. SCRIPTURE UNBOUND explores many of these approaches, including historical-critical reading, chant, feminist interpretation, Jewish midrash, Unitarian Universalist practice and more. It provides guidance on selecting translations, considers individual and communal spiritual practice and reflects on some of the dangers of interpreting scriptures, including cultural misappropriation. This engaging volume invites readers into an adventure of encountering first-hand the words and stories that have inspired billions throughout the centuries. Exploring the wisdom of the ages helps equip us to understand the world we share with a diverse and evolving collection of religious voices.

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THE INTERFAITH FAMILY JOURNAL is an invaluable resource for families whose members practise different religions. Interactive exercises and activities help interfaith families reach a mutual agreement about how they want to honour their combined histories, cultures and beliefs in ways that nurture joy, creativity and empowerment. With space for writing directly in the book and suggestions for engaging in deep conversations arising from each partner's journaling, the book becomes a keepsake of the journey toward a family's unique interfaith practice and identity.

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In October 2015, a group of distinguished UU religious professionals of color gathered together in Chicago to embark on a radical project. The conference was sponsored by the UUMA’s Committee on Antiracism, Anti-oppression, and Multiculturalism. It started with the premise that discussions of race in Unitarian Universalism have too often presupposed a White audience and prioritized the needs, education, and emotions of the White majority. The goal was to reframe Unitarian Universalist anti-oppression work by putting the voices, experiences and learnings of people of color at the center of the conversation. The resulting book, Centering, captures the papers that were presented and the rich dialogue from the conference to share personal stories and address the challenges that religious leaders of color face in exercising power, agency, and authority in a culturally White denomination. Centering explores how racial identity is made both visible and invisible in Unitarian Universalist ministries.

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A captivating collection full of the sights and sounds of India, this is a book of stories from Ancient Hindu epics, myths and folk traditions. Thousands of years in their telling and retelling, these stories invite readers of all ages to explore one of the world's most ancient and varied religious traditions. Vivid dramas featuring gods, goddesses, kinds, sages and fools have been selected from Ancient Hindu epics, myths and fold traditions across India. The stories themselves convey key values such as honesty, generosity, devotion and justice and, also, introduce readers to unique religious and cultural observances. Included are vibrant colour illustrations and a resources section which provides background information on Hinduism.

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Here is a complete workshop to help lay people gain experience writing and preaching a full-length sermon for their congregation. This easy-to-use guide for both facilitators and participants provides a step-by-step lesson plan for eight sessions. Workshop members learn about the theory and theology of preaching, then practice writing and speaking with authenticity, gradually building toward composing quality 20-minute sermons. Workshop leaders learn to foster a supportive environment in which participants offer one another helpful feedback. The Shared Pulpit includes a separate leader's guide, readings for homework, sample sermons, and exercises to help first-time preachers polish their preaching craft.

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In twenty-two simple yet profound reflections, seasoned minister, Mark Belletini, explores the many and varied forms of grief. His honest, poetic essays serve as a prism, revealing the distinct colours and manifestations of grief in our lives. He addresses the way we respond to the loss of people in our lives, loss of love, loss of focus and loss of the familiar - understanding that grief is as much a part of our lives as our breathing. Belletini uses specific and personal stories to open up to the universal experience. NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY is a gift of awareness, showing how the shades of grief serve our deepest needs.

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Help children cultivate a practice of gratitude and a sense of wonder for the world around them with GOODNESS GRACIOUS. Meaningful, sweet and sometimes downright silly, Kathleen A. Green's "thankful thoughts," her child-friendly term for expressions of gratitude, help children say thank you for all aspects of their lives, from the earth and their families to their pets, teachers and even mac and cheese!

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"With beautiful images and words, The Garden of Time offers a magical path through the seasons and allows the sacred breath of life to blow through all our souls." - Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, author of The Shema in the Mezuzah In this story based on ancient Jewish legend, Adam and Eve walk through the Garden of Eden, noticing what is happening around them and deciding what holidays they will celebrate based on what they see, smell, hear and taste. Gorgeous text and art illuminate Judaism, the calendar and the environment for both children and adults. Guides to the Jewish holidays and Jewish iconography are included.

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An essential resource for anyone who wants to enter the next stage of their antiracist journey—recognizing, analyzing, and confronting the perpetuation of racism in our visual world. Images in the news, social media, advertisements, memes, websites, and selfies shape how we understand ourselves, our society, and our world. Even the images we don’t see have an impact on our daily lives. But images are not innocent. And we don’t have to be passive consumers. Our racial identities, assumptions, histories, and biases filter the images we absorb and affect how we interpret them. Are they problematic? How can you tell? Why should you care? Situated at the intersection of critical whiteness theory and visual culture, Through the Lens of Whiteness: Challenging Racialized Imagery in Pop Culture teaches readers visual literacy tools that expose racist messages, conventions, and symbols in images. Authors Diane S. Grimes and Liz Cooney help readers understand these patterns more deeply with detailed analysis of vivid image examples and personal stories to dismantle existing biases and develop an antiracist perspective. Grimes and Cooney are guided by the principle that white people bear the responsibility for dismantling racist structures and so primarily address white readers, but also offer this book in the hope that it will be a powerful tool of resistance for all readers.

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Groundbreaking in its depictions of joy and community, Authentic Selves celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and their own words. Foreword by transgender activist Jazz Jennings and her mom and fellow activist, Jeanette Jennings.So often trans and nonbinary people’s stories are told only through the lens of their struggles and challenges, including their political battles for legal rights, but trans and nonbinary people live rich and fulfilling lives full of joy and community too. Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members.The compelling stories in Authentic Selves provide a glimpse into the real lives, both the challenges and the triumphs, of these remarkable people and their families—people like Senator Sarah McBride, disability justice advocate Parker Glick, drag entertainer TAYLOR ALXNDR, September 11th first responder Jozeppi Angelo Morelli, model Lana Patel, youth activist Elliott Bertrand, and so many others—all of whom are working to create a more just, diverse, and compassionate world.Developed in collaboration with PFLAG National and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.

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Books about religion and the law are generally aimed at two audiences: lawyers and religious conservatives. These tendencies are a result of expectations on the subject as being either highly technical or arising from a conservative impulse to protect religious and cultural traditions. In FAITH ON TRIAL, legal scholar and Unitarian Universalist minister Mark J. T. Caggiano, argues that concerns about separation of church and state often serve to silence religious viewpoints of people on the Left, many of whom exit the conversation in the hope of protecting important social issues from religious infighting. But it is impossible to win a debate that you never join, and as Caggiano writes, it is paramount in these times that "religious liberals and progressives cultivate and refine an ability to articulate the need for moral changes within the political system. That goal will require an understanding of the law as well as a moral vision for the world." Geared toward religious progressives and liberals-and complete with historical context, legal analysis, and examples of specific legal cases and statues-FAITH ON TRIAL is an invitation to the religious Left to re-enter the societal debate about morals and ethics, with social progress and inclusion at the centre of a national conversation about religion and the law.

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“A wide-eyed and wonderful spiritual resource for young adults.” —Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice This elegant volume offers itself as a spiritual companion for young adults and all who live amid transitions and tensions. Dozens of carefully selected readings address themes that are prominent for people in their twenties and early thirties. The topics include: passion and purpose, identity, community, losing and finding, and justice and creation. Each section features reflections from Unitarian Universalist young adults, as well as poems, prayers, and opening and closing words from contemporary and ancient peoples. This treasury of uplifting and thought-provoking meditations can serve as a guide and provide comfort on our never-ending journey of becoming.

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In Held: Showing Up for Each Other’s Mental Health, community minister and mental health advocate Barbara F. Meyers illustrates how members of liberal religious congregations can be supportive to those living with mental health problems, and their loved ones, in our congregations and society at large. Meyers addresses the fundamental elements of spiritual support—truth, hope, presence, acceptance, encouragement, authenticity, public witness, and pastoral care—with stories from real life situations and suggestions for how parishioners can provide and advocate for support in their congregations. A study guide for congregations and a list of resources for more information round out this thoughtful and necessary resource.

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Minister, author and activist, Marilyn Sewell, reflects on the everyday, the places we live and work, the thoughts we all have but hardly ever share, though they may carry the most profound of our human concerns. Using a variety of short literary forms - dramatic monologues, vignettes, letters, prose poems, lists, surrealistic tales - Sewell presents quirky, ironic and compassionate slices of life that will bring laughter and at the same time take you deeper into the mysteries of existence. Sewell pushes for the thin, startling light beneath the confusion and chaos of our daily living: a woman worries that her cat loves her partner more than her; a man and a woman talk past each other in a therapy session; a lonely woman is distressed because her plant has stopped blooming. Together these short, compelling readings shine a light on the cultural incongruities and inanities which crowd our existence. We love, we lose, we die and through it all, we ask, "What's it all about?"

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Dan McKanan is the Emerson Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School. He is the author of five books, most recently Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition (Beacon Press, 2011) and Eco-Alchemy: Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy and the Environmental Movement (University of California Press, 2017). A member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford, he lives with his spouse and daughter in Somerville, Massachusetts.

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In this personal and emotionally honest exploration of conflict, the Reverend Nathan C. Walker introduces a creative and compassionate way to develop empathetic responses. He introduces the concept of the moral imagination - a vital character trait used by those who have the courage to project themselves into a conflict and understand all the perspectives, aware that understanding need not imply agreement. CULTIVATING EMPATHY presents a collection of essays about the author's wrestlings with personal and cultural conflicts and his commitment to stop "otherising" - which occurs when we either demonise people or romanticise them. Walker's remedy for these kinds of projections is to employ the moral imagination as an everyday spiritual practice. He shows that through this approach, we can save ourselves from irresponsibly using our imaginations by cultivating genuine empathy for those we previously held in contempt. We can visualise ourselves playing various characters within a conflict and choose not to play a lead role in the drama. Throughout the book he endeavours to find connection with skinheads, murderers, homophobic preachers, privileged 1 percenters and Monsanto executives. An online companion workbook will help readers to hone these skills through a variety of exercises.

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It can be difficult to create space for our spiritual lives in a world crowded with distractions. THE PEN AND THE BELL is about how to achieve mindfulness and creative fulfillment in spite of long to-do lists. It's about gaining access to our deeper selves in the workaday world and bringing forth this authentic self in our writing. With both meditative and writing exercises in each chapter, it will help you awaken your creative soul and find a more rewarding life. "This isn't a book - it's a beautiful, quiet path into the deep woods of contemplative practice through the medium of the written word. Yes, reading its chapters will delight you. Yes, listening to these two wise women talk quietly about their lives and their writing process is a sweet and effortless reading experience that will make you feel as if you are sitting across from them, a cu of tea in front of you, hearing the measure and lilt of their kindly, honest, voices. But the real crux of this book/path isn't their words - it's yours." -- Norman Fischer author Taking Our Places

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