Search results for ""author jon m. sweeney""

A memoir for the bookish-inclined, using personal stories to demonstrate how books have a magical way to move a person from one stage of life to the next.“This is a small gem of a book, tender, humble, loving. —Mary Gordon“Sweeney makes a charming companion, telling stories in joyful reflection.” —Jeff Deutsch, author of In Praise of Good BookstoresFormer bookseller, longtime publisher and author Jon M. Sweeney shows—with history and anecdotes centering around books such as Thoreau’s Journal, Tagore’s Gitanjali, Martin Buber’s Hasidic Tales, and Tolstoy’s Twenty-three Tales—what it means to be carried by a book. He explores the discovery that once accompanied finding books, and books finding us. H

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St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated Christian figures, and his profound teachings, deep love of nature, and commitment to simplicity have resonated with generations of followers. St. Francis of Assisi, the latest title in the Essential Wisdom Library, offers a simple and universal introduction to Francis’s life, his key teachings, and the spiritual practices that enriched his faith and the lives of those who follow his legacy. Author Jon M. Sweeney, one of the most popular Francis interpreters, introduces the iconic Christian as a man of his time and as one whose wisdom transcends eras. Beginning with a timeline of the saint’s life, St. Francis of Assisi includes the teachings that made Francis such a unique and powerful figure. His words apply to a diverse set of situations - from advice for people in positions of power, to teachings on gratitude, and the Rule of Life which governed every facet of life for Franciscans. The book concludes with explanations of some of his most powerful practices, which can offer wisdom and insight for our own lives. St. Francis emphasized the importance of living a simple, truthful life, making his spiritual practices just as impactful and relevant in the modern day as they were centuries ago. St. Francis of Assisi is the perfect guide for anyone looking to learn more about the saint or hoping to incorporate his wisdom into their own spiritual lives.

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The definitive biography of one of the most beloved and respected figures in American religious life.In this comprehensive biography, Jon Sweeney, official biographer of Tickle’s literary estate, explores every aspect of her life, a more than 50-year legacy of poetry; plays; literary, spiritual, and historical/theological work; and advocacy. Sweeney examines Tickle’s personal and professional roots, from her family, long marriage, and life on The Farm in Lucy, Tennessee, to early academic career and move into book publishing, where her role as founding editor of the Religion Department at Publishers Weekly influenced the growth of spiritual writing and interfaith understanding during the 1990s. Sweeney also looks at pivotal relationships with John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, and Brian McLaren, as well as her great influence on the increasing number who adopted fixed-hour prayer, the Episcopal Church as a whole, and the Emerging Church, for which she served as historian, forecaster, and champion. A look at her early, passionate advocacy for the LGBT community, lecture circuit controversies, and projects left unfinished completes the picture.

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What does it mean to be young and spiritual today-when the New Age isn't exactly new, when female rabbis and ministers are no longer unusual, and when Eastern religion's ideas and practices are no longer considered exotic? Who are the faces behind today's fresh approaches to faith, approaches that are destined to shape the future of spiritual life in America? "Religion is not a crutch for the weak-minded. It is merely spirituality in its simplest, most rudimentary form. We have witnessed the hypocrisy, the moral and spiritual mediocrity of succumbing to tradition for tradition's sake. In an age when there are books on everything for dummies, my generation has opted to find out for themselves. I am a new adult, with decisions to make about my identity and my future. I am not about to surrender this newfound privilege. I am content with discovering my spiritual self through my own avenues. I am not in need of a crossing guard." -from God Within God Within represents citizens of the twenty-first century who are faced with a dizzying array of spiritualities: believer, seeker, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Wiccan, to name just a very few. The result of a nationwide challenge extended to young adults born after 1974, in this book they share their experiences with all of these beliefs-some confident, some questioning-and introduce us to many shades in between. Sometimes irreverent-but more importantly, always relevant-this thought-provoking collection of writings, poetry, and art showcases the voices that are defining the future of religion, faith, and belief as we know it.

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Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk (1863—1950) is popularly celebrated for his fascinating spiritual life. How could one man, one deeply spiritual man, serve as both a traditional Oglala Lakota medicine man and a Roman Catholic catechist and mystic? How did these two spiritual and cultural identities enrich his prayer life? How did his commitment to God, understood through his Lakota and Catholic communities, shape his understanding of how to be in the world? To fully understand the depth of Black Elk’s life-long spiritual quest requires a deep appreciation of his life story. He witnessed devastation on the battlefields of Little Bighorn and the Massacre at Wounded Knee, but also extravagance while performing for Queen Victoria as a member of “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Show. Widowed by his first wife, he remarried and raised eight children. Black Elk’s spiritual visions granted him wisdom and healing insight beginning in his childhood, but he grew progressively physically blind in his adult years. These stories, and countless more, offer insight into this extraordinary man whose cause for canonization is now underway at the Vatican.

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A spiritual guidebook for bringing prayer into our bodies The power of words is nowhere more evident than when we use them to pray, but prayer is also the place where we most often come up against the limitations of words. In this intriguing book of reflections and accompanying photographs, we see how our bodies, in particular our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in a way that words alone cannot. Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. These spiritual practices are from a broad range of religious traditions—from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker. Some may be familiar, some new; all demonstrate the universal importance people of all faith traditions have given to embodied prayer. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands.

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