Search results for ""Jewish Lights Publishing""

The complete guide to spirit-filled speech and speaking with spirit "This book is a spiritual guide to using the holy gift of speech. It is a ... how-to ... grounded in a humble way of being, expressing an attitude of gratitude toward the tongue, in the knowledge that speech is a gift from God and we have a choice to use our mouths virtuously, in the most humble and searching sense of that word." —from the Introduction So much of our time is spent in conversation, yet little time is devoted to thinking about the words we choose to use, or the manner in which we speak. Taking the time to make our words count—to make our speech sacred—can lead to positive changes in our lives, and improve our relationships with others. Sacred Speech is a personal, warm-hearted approach to a complex matter—how we can use speech in holy ways. Drawing support from literary and spiritual sources, Rev. Donna Schaper offers compelling advice from her own experience as a clergyperson, teacher, partner, and parent, empowering us to: Acknowledge the Divine in the words we use Use speech to maximize the possibility of love and care Use speech to minimize fear Link, connect, and contact with others through words A clear invitation to improve our communications with others, Sacred Speech is ideal for spiritual and religious leaders, professionals who work in multifaith settings, the politically correct and the not-so politically correct, and anyone who wants to do more than simply "watch what they say."

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Grounded in the spiritual tradition of Judaism, this book provides healing rituals, psalms, and prayers that help readers initiate a dialogue with God to guide them through the complicated path of healing and wholeness.

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Are we the world's good neighbor or a global bully? This timely book provides us with an opportunity to pause and reflect on what may be the most pressing issue of our day: What are America's global responsibilities as the only remaining superpower? What should we be doing with our resources, energy, talent, and strength? What shouldn’t we be doing? "Those of us who live with spiritual convictions, or who worship in religious communities, sometimes have the opportunity to hear from the pulpit, from the bima, in the prayer hall, in the zendo, or elsewhere what one spiritual leader believes on these issues. This book is for those of us who want a variety of opinions, for those of us who want to understand the issues more deeply and make up our own minds." —from the Introduction Spiritual Perspectives on America’s Role as Superpower invites you to explore these essential questions with sixteen of today’s most profound religious and spiritual teachers. Coming from a wide variety of faiths, including Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Vedantist, and interfaith traditions, this intriguing volume’s contributors bring a crucial point of view to the already-intense national debate centering on America’s place in the world: that of spirituality. An invaluable resource for those wishing to better understand varied spiritual viewpoints on America’s role as superpower, these thought-provoking original essays provide a lucid introduction to the historical, moral, and theological aspects of this controversial issue.

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They struggled to clear a new path for women; these are the stories of modern spiritual pioneers. "I imagine this book as a dinner party where women have eagerly gathered for a conversation about being a woman, a person of faith, and a leader. While some know each other, many do not, but it doesn’t matter. Listening to them in ensemble reveals that all their differences are less important than how much they share as women of faith. Since community and interconnection tend to be feminine traits, sisterhood is important, and I hope that upon finishing the book, the reader may feel that she or he has found a teacher that offers a new way to see women and the Divine." —from the Introduction There is an ancient mystical legend that the Bible was written with black fire on white fire. Now, we can only read the black fire (the letters), but someday we might be able to see the white fire. Today, with their voices and their presence growing ever stronger, women spiritual leaders in America are like white fire, and we can see the previously untapped power of female leadership. This remarkable book gives voice and image to the too often invisible, ignored, or overlooked narrative of women’s spiritual leadership in America today. Revealed through insightful interviews and compelling photographic portraits, the women represent both diversity and sisterhood. They offer us new ways of relating to each other, and the Divine.

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Sandy Sasso's award-winning classic for children of all faiths, all backgrounds--available for the first time in Spanish! Everyone and everything in the world has a name. What is God's name? This modern fable about the search for God's name celebrates the diversity and, at the same time, the unity of all people of the world. Each seeker claims he or she alone knows the answer. Finally, they come together and learn what God's name really is, sharing the ultimate harmony of belief in one God by people of all faiths, all backgrounds.

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When God tells Noah to bring the animals of the world onto the ark, God also calls on Naamah, Noah's wife, to save each plant on Earth. Entrusted with this task, Naamah sets off to every corner of the world, discovering a fabulous array of growing things, and gathering seeds, bulbs, cuttings, spores, and roots. She fills a room on the ark with every type of plant-from amaryllis, soybeans, and wheat to lilies, moss, and even dandelions. Then, after 40 long days and nights on the ark, the most important part of Naamah's work begins.

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Insights from a pioneering leader in world religion, on the intersections of the sacred & the secular. "As Christians - indeed as people of faith of any tradition - we are called to tend to the needs of the least among us. Our response to them must be the response of faith. God gives us a new heart to do this work, and every time we gather to do it, God offers a pacemaker jolt to tweak our heart's rhythm. The challenge is this: will our hearts respond with a strengthened beat, in tune with God's own heartbeat, sending more life out into the world?" - from the Introduction Explore our connections - as human beings with each other, as one nation with all other nations, as the human species with the whole of our environment - through the lens of faith. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, examines these connections as she looks at the intersections of faith with the major issues of our day: How does faith speak to poverty, climate change, the economy, health care, and what is the faith response? How can believers from many faith traditions find common ground while honoring the Divine, serving one another, and creating deeper community? How do we best use the resources of faith to connect us to the hearts of our neighbors and to the heart of God?

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Caregiver, educator, trustee of institutional traditions, public religious voice and, occasionally, prophet: in an increasingly multifaith, multicultural, global world, the role of the college or university chaplain has changed. This book examines experiences and perspectives that arise at the intersection of religious practice, distinct campus culture, student counselling and the secular context of the modern academic institution. Contributors who are actively engaged in the work of college chaplaincy-from educational institutions as diverse as Stanford University, Williams College, Jesuit-affiliated Creighton University and Louisiana's historically black Dillard University, and from many faith traditions-explore the practice, theology and joys of campus ministry and the chaplain's calling to support, challenge, stir the imagination of and address this generation's urgent longing for connection and meaning.

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The interfaith movement is taking root. More and more of us are exploring it. At the same time interfaith finds itself at a crossroads. Where do we go now? Rev. Steven Greenebaum, not only suggests the faith of Interfaith as a positive way forward, but, also, offers a practical, down-to-earth approach to a more spiritually fulfilling life. In this accessible how-to guide, Greenebaum addresses: · What it means to practise Interfaith as a faith and why you might want to embrace it. · Why you can choose Interfaith as a faith and still keep your own spiritual tradition. · How to establish the necessary foundations to start an Interfaith spiritual community. · How to choose the right minister for your Interfaith community. · What you can expect as your community forms and grows. · And much, much more. Along with offering resources such as Interfaith liturgy and guides to Interfaith church governance, he includes the voices of members of the Living Interfaith Church, the community he founded, to share their whys and hows of participating in an Interfaith church.

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Do you ever yearn for more out of life? Have you ever felt stuck? Do you ever long to experience even more of God's presence during the season of Advent yet find the time of preparing for Christmas is so busy? With shopping, family gatherings, community events, decorating and baking, it seems as if there is no time for prayer. This daily retreat and devotional book is for those who yearn for God and find themselves struggling with no time to take an extended retreat for soaking the soul in God's presence and prayer. This daily devotional invites the reader to create reflections beyond words through the use of mandalas. Optional creative arts of icon gazing, lectio visio, meditative movement and audio lectio bring a fresh twenty-first-century perspective, transforming the interior posture of prayer and retreat to daily life. Intended for personal or small-group use for each week leading up to Christmas, the book offers daily contemplative meditations based on scripture and the author's personal experience, step-by-step creative exercises, and instructions and reflection questions for guiding the reader through the Advent season. The result, at the end of Advent, is a personal pictorial journal of the season that will awaken fresh possibilities as you celebrate the birth of Jesus and enter the new calendar year.

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Feminism has brought many changes to Christian churches. From inclusive language and imagery about the Divine, to an increase in the number of women ministers, churches will never be the same. Yet, even now, there is a lack of substantive structural change in many churches and a certain complacency within denominations. The contributors to this book are the thought leaders of the future who are shaping and, being shaped by, the emerging directions of feminist Christianity. They speak from across the spectrum and from the many racial and ethnic groups that make up the Christian community. Taken together, their voices offer a starting point for building new models of church and society. Issues covered include: . Feminist Theological Visions . Feminist Scriptural Insights . Feminist Ethical Agendas . Feminist Liturgical/Artistic Frontiers . Feminist Ministerial Challenges A must-read for anyone in Christian ministry, as well as religious feminists in and beyond the Christian tradition and church-based study groups.

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"As people of faith, we are the people of hope." From this inspirational premise, Rev. Campbell leaps into the underlying question: "How do we live into this hope?" Drawing on her amazing life experiences, this visionary minister speaks out on the pressing issues that face us today: race, reconciliation, forgiveness, love, justice, choices and community. With a bold, distinctive voice, Campbell asserts that we have the capacity to transcend the barriers we have constructed that separate us from one another. She poses that "who is my neighbour?" may well be the most crucial question in our world where so many are hungry and hurting and weary of war. She calls us to life lived fully-not carefully or cautiously, but fully engaged with the world and with the messiness of humanity. And she dares us to act as the one people we are called and created to be-to claim our freedom to care, to risk and to step out into the unknown. The first book by Dr. Campbell, LIVING INTO HOPE captures the essence of her wisdom gained from years of world travel and experience and offers inspiration and challenge for all who would claim their lives as people of hope.

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For the millions of people who head for the mountains for fun, escape and community, SPIRITUAL ADVENTURES IN THE SNOW enhances the experience by focusing on the renewal of spirit that comes with tuning in to the rhythms of gliding across trails or down the mountain. The authors articulate and affirm what adventurers in the snow already sense about alpine life - that there is something sacred about these outdoor cathedrals of winter. Out of their passion for snow sports, and their belief that spirituality is fed by play and challenge, attentiveness and the wonder of nature, they explore snow sports as tangible experiences of the spiritual essence of our bodies and the earth. With humour and grace, they seek out the life lessons to be learned from adventures in the snow and offer new ways of seeing life's ups and downs as part of a sacred rhythm. Each chapter also features a "Conversation with an Adventurer," highlighting interviews with professionals, such as former Olympians, a backcountry skier and a spiritual skiing guide, that capture their extraordinary experiences and inspirational stories Appendices include "A Week of Meditations for Spiritual Adventures in the Snow," as well as ideas for planning a soul-filling spiritual adventure in the snow for families, youth and young-adult groups, ski clubs and holidaymakers.

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In many ways attending a mosque is similar to attending church or synagogue or any other place of worship. In many ways mosques are distinctive. What do children and their parents and friends do in a mosque? What's a qibla? How do people prepare to pray? What are the 'Five Pillars of Islam.' And what do they mean in people's everyday lives? Through concise but enlightening description and photos from mosques Aisha Karen Khan answers all their questions and more. WHAT YOU WILL SEE INSIDE A MOSQUE will: · Satisfy kids' curiosity about what goes on in mosques broadening awareness of other faiths at an important age when opinions and prejudices can first form. · Provide Muslim children with a deeper understanding of the practices of their own religious tradition. · Give children the opportunity to ask questions making them more active participants. Ages 6 - 10

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This practical guide gives you the inspiration, encouragement and practices you need to cultivate a hopeful spirit and, thus, live a more fulfilling and joyful life. Writing from personal experience and her broad knowledge of many faith traditions, Marcia Ford helps you recognise - or develop - your own personal images of hope and create a place where you can go to see the many evidences of hope in your life any time despair seeps in. She provides important learning tools that you can apply to everyday life experiences, inspiring personal stories of hope from the famous and not-so-famous and realistic exercises for creating the overall balance and peace you look to achieve in living your life connected to God. Drawing from Christian and Hebrew scripture and the wisdom of spiritual teachers from all traditions, Ford helps you realise that we all can receive a gift of hope and grace from the Divine - we just need to be open to accept it. Topics include: Dealing with Disappointment It's Not Wishful Thinking Impossible Situations Recovering from Loss Hope amid Suffering Overcoming Hopelessness Real and Imagined Threats The Heart of Healing Cultivating a Hopeful Spirit Freedom's Fascinating Power

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Journey through these fascinating stories and you will see how myths and tales retold from many cultures bring universal themes from love and life, fears and foibles, straight into your heart. From the learned housekeeper who imparts her wisdom on the importance of listening, to a juggler who shows that gifts from the heart are truly the best of all, these stories offer timeless insight and inspiration. They will allow you to connect with the strength and value of your own myths and tales. Drawn from many cultures and faith traditions including Irish, Scottish, English, European, Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern each retelling illustrates the healing and powerful connection that stretches across the globe and unites us all in an embrace of wisdom through words. You will see your own struggles and successes mirrored in the lives of the characters contained in these pages: As you travel through their stories, you will hear a gentle voice urging you to tap into your own endless power and potential.

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Quilting is the miracle of giving new life and purpose to fabric scraps. It can rejuvenate your spiritual life too. We affirm that life is here and now in our quilting and its ability to enable our journey. It is the vehicle for our continuing movement along our lifetime of efforts. Our quilts allow both the goal and the process in one magnificent creation after another. Our quilting generates the perfect combination of faith with action, hope with realism, and the universal with the particular, so that we are blissful and grateful in our co-creation experiences. —from the Conclusion What can you learn about yourself through quilt making? What deeper symbolism can you find in the act of cutting and piecing? How can this simple activity help you make your way down a spiritual path? Delve into these questions and more in this imaginative book that will become your spiritual friend, your teacher and your sanctuary. Contemporary quilter Louise Silk takes you through her own quilting journey to discover how the process of making a quilt can be used to explore and strengthen your own spirituality. Each chapter introduces a universal human attribute organized according to the mystical tradition of Kabbalah, relates it to a personal life practice and then applies the attribute and the practice to an original quilt project. Anyone from the novice to the needlework expert—and from any faith tradition—will be nourished and gratified by the patchwork and appliqué experiences offered in this creative, engaging book. These ten projects, carefully designed for you, include: One-Patch Utility Quilt Log Cabin Quilt String Pieced Pillows Straight Furrows Baby Blanket Quilting Carry-all Bag Patchwork Prayer Shawl Folk Art Appliqué Quilt Remembrance Crazy Quilt T-shirt Quilt Rail Fence Signature Tablecloth Plus dozens of variations …

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Spirituality is full of rules. You need to find your own way straight through them. Will tattoos and convertibles keep you from finding "true" spiritual fulfillment? Some people claim that you cannot truly achieve spiritual fulfillment if you’re not a vegetarian. Some say you’ll never find the path if you don’t learn yoga. And some would insist that any display of vanity—cosmetic surgery! hair mousse!—is a sign that inner peace is way out of your reach. With great candor and humor (much of it irreverent!), Dan Wakefield’s Spiritually Incorrect shows that there are as many ways to find spiritual fulfillment as there are individual seekers. Part memoir, part essay, part whimsical illustration from his own life, Wakefield’s reflections break down the barriers that lie in the way of spiritual fulfillment, showing you that rules were made to be broken, and how it’s possible—and imperative—for you to discover a rewarding spiritual life that fits your own personality, your own path. In this age of political correctness and watching what we say, award-winning author Dan Wakefield dares to ask the risky (and sometimes hilarious) questions about spirituality: Why is poverty sacred, wealth profane? Can a coffee house be a sacred space? Does yoga make you a Hindu? Can a man pray in public and still be "macho"? Does eating a steak really taint your soul? Who in our lives and our modern day world deserves to be canonized as a saint? Wakefield’s creative exploration of these questions is a quest to free the spiritual world from pretension, anxiety, and the seemingly endless rules that can dictate how you identify (or don’t) with religion. Humorous stories from his own spiritually incorrect journey to God punctuate Wakefield’s ultimate revelation that spirituality is not about conforming to a set of rules, but rather discovering the practices that uniquely work for you.

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The Innovative Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery Your Spiritual Identity is an undeniable part of who you arewhether youve thought much about it or not, and whether you consider yourself religious or not. Spirituality is not just about what you believe or dont believe, its about how you believehow you approach the ultimate questions and mystery of life, and what you think those questions are. Who Is My God? is a tool for discovering and exploring your own unique spirituality. You can take the Spiritual Identity Self-Test to find out how: Your Spiritual Type (how you believe) Your Tradition Indicator (what you believe) Your Spiritual Identity And, when you learn more about your Spiritual Identity from the results of the self-test, you can continue your own spiritual search by using the descriptions of twenty-eight different spiritual traditions followed in America todayfrom Buddhism to Roman Catholicism, from Sufism to New Consciousness. For each of them, there are People You Should Know who are representative of that tradition, specific suggestions for further exploration, and contact information. Here is a guide to help you walk the path that is your way. Attention:Spiritual directors, professional counselors, and clergy of all faiths and denominations. Who Is My God? is a proven resource for beginning spirituality conversations, suitable for a variety of settings. An ability to discuss religionyour religious background and beliefsis essential for psychological, spiritual, and emotional growth.

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Discover How Hopkins's Spiritual Life and Vision Can Enlighten Your Own "Poetry and art and music seize upon the human experience in ways that reveal new possibilities of intimacy with the Divine. In the way they reach out and grab us by the heart at unexpected times, they reaffirm that the Holy will meet us when it chooses.…" —from the Preface by Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP Gerard Manley Hopkins, Christian mystical poet, is beloved for his use of fresh language and startling metaphors to describe the world around him. Beneath the surface of this lovely verse lies a searching soul, wrestling with and yearning for God. Hopkins writes from a Christian background, and yet his themes speak to people of all faiths who seek a deeper understanding of the presence of God in all of life. This beautiful sampling of Hopkins's poetry offers a glimpse into his unique spiritual vision that continues to inspire readers throughout the world. The poems unite his two devotions, presenting mystical images of Christ in the natural world, which serve as a window through which you might also begin to see the Divine Presence in the world around you.

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