Book picks similar to
A Baptist Preacher's Buddhist Teacher: How My Interfaith Journey with Daisaku Ikeda Made Me a Better Christian by Lawrence Edward Carter Sr.
buddhism
religion
memoirs
powells-bestsellers
Conquer Your Deliverance: How to Live a Life of Total Freedom
John Ramirez - 2021
Focusing on key Bible strategies, John Ramirez teaches you how to shore up your defenses after winning a battle and how to put your life back in order so that when the next attack comes, you are stronger, wiser and more knowledgeable than ever.
The Children of Main Street
Merilyn Howton Marriott - 2018
Broken. Suffering. Learning to survive. These are not the clients Katie Collier expected to help when she went to work at the mental-health clinic.But Katie and her husband can't have children of their own, so her natural compassion flows. Still, Katie wonders why God gives babies to some women who seem unwilling to care, feed, love, shelter—even hold, and leaves other women barren.Then one day it happens. A little girl named Bailey walks into Main Street Clinic … walks straight into Katie’s broken heart.Forced to choose between her husband and her career, Katie fights to hold onto both in order to save Bailey. When her husband gives her the ultimate ultimatum, Katie finds the children of Main Street are not the only ones feeling cast out and lost.Written for the General Market (G): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language.
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Barbara Ehrenreich - 2014
A staunch atheist and rationalist, she is profoundly shaken by the implications of her life-long search. Part memoir, part philosophical and spiritual inquiry, Living with a Wild God brings an older woman's wry and erudite perspective to a young girl's uninhibited musings on the questions that, at one point or another, torment us all. Ehrenreich's most personal book ever will spark a lively and heated conversation about religion and spirituality, science and morality, and the "meaning of life." Certain to be a classic, Living with a Wild God combines intellectual rigor with a frank account of the inexplicable, in Ehrenreich's singular voice, to produce a true literary achievement.
Here If You Need Me
Kate Braestrup - 2007
Stunned and grieving, she decided to pursue her husband's dream of becoming a Unitarian minister, and eventually began working with the Maine Game Warden Service, which conducts the state's search and rescue operations when people go missing in the wilderness. Whether she is with parents whose 6-year-old daughter has wandered into the woods, or wardens as they search for a snowmobile rider gone under ice, or a man whose sister left an infant seat and a suicide note in her car by the side of the road, Braestrup provides solace, comfort, and spiritual guidance when it's needed most. And she comes to discover that giving comfort is both a high calling and a precious gift.In her account of her own life and the events of her unusual job, sometimes joyful, sometimes heartbreaking, Braestrup is warm, unsentimental ("No one is immune to the Plucky Widow story!" she acknowledges), and generous. Here If You Need Me is a funny, frank, and deeply moving story of faith and hope.
Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine
Eric Weiner - 2011
Face-to-face with his own mortality, and spurred on by the question of which spiritual principles to impart to his young daughter, he decides to correct this omission, undertaking a worldwide exploration of religions and hoping to come, if he can, to a personal understanding of the divine.The journey that results is rich in insight, humor, and heart. Willing to do anything to better understand faith, and to find the god or gods that speak to him, he travels to Nepal, where he meditates with Tibetan lamas and a guy named Wayne. He sojourns to Turkey, where he whirls (not so well, as it turns out) with Sufi dervishes. He heads to China, where he attempts to unblock his chi; to Israel, where he studies Kabbalah, sans Madonna; and to Las Vegas, where he has a close encounter with Raelians, the followers of the world's largest UFO-based religion.At each stop along the way, Weiner tackles our most pressing spiritual questions: Where do we come from? What happens when we die? How should we live our lives? Where do all the missing socks go? With his trademark wit and warmth, he leaves no stone unturned. At a time when more Americans than ever are choosing a new faith, and when spiritual questions loom large in the modern age, Man Seeks God presents a perspective on religion that is sure to delight, inspire, and entertain.
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women
Jay Allison - 2006
Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others. Featuring a well-known list of contributors--including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike--the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk from Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells Yellow Pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs--and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them--reveal the American spirit at its best.
Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope
Don Van Ryn - 2008
This shocking case of mistaken identity stunned the country and made national news. Would it destroy a family? Shatter their faith? Push two families into bitterness, resentment, and guilt? Read this unprecedented story of two traumatized families who describe their ordeal and explore the bond sustaining and uniting them as they deal with their bizarre reversal of life lost and life found. And join Whitney Cerak, the sole surviving student, as she comes to terms with her new identity, forever altered, yet on the brink of new beginnings. Mistaken Identity weaves a complex tale of honesty, vulnerability, loss, hope, faith, and love in the face of one of the strangest twists of circumstance imaginable.
The Mystic's Gift: A story about loss, letting go . . . and learning to soar
Skip Johnson - 2021
. . forever.Join Royce on this captivating, often poignant trek spanning two continents as he tries to reclaim his strength, courage, and hope.You may find that the life changed most . . . is yours.
The Bible: Enter Here: Bringing God's Word to Life for Today's Teens
Spencer C Demetros - 2021
But for many teens, and even many adults, God's message can be lost in the Bible's often confusing terminology, dry language, or lengthy history lessons. Who begat who-and why should I care? The Bible: Enter Here opens the door to God's Word by breathing new life into key Bible stories, retelling them in a fresh, fun, and relatable way. You'll discover that the Bible is packed with drama, suspense, and even humor. You'll see that the Bible's main characters were real people, with the same flaws, fears, and dreams you have. And most important, you'll learn how Jesus' teachings are vital to your life today.Here are a few of the characters you'll meet:- JACOB: The guy who wrestled God-and got a nation named after him- PHARAOH: Ten plagues, and still didn't learn his lesson- DELILAH: Irresistible ... and dangerous- SHADRACH, MESHACH, and ABEDNEGO: The ultimate trial by fire- VIRGIN MARY: On parenting the Son of God- PETER: His agony and triumph, in his own wordsLearn how one man's life, death, and resurrection changed the world forever, and what that could mean for you-if you're ready to knock on the door and enter.
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing
Reba Riley - 2015
This was transformation by spiritual shock therapy. Reba would find peace and healing ... if the search didn't kill her first. During her spiritual sojourn without leaving home, Reba: Danced the disco in a Buddhist temple; Went to church in virtual reality, a movie theater, a drive-in bar, and a basement; Was interrogated about her sex life by Amish grandmothers; Got audited by Scientologists, mobbed by NPR junkies, and killed (almost); Fasted for thirty days without food - or wine, dammit!; Washed her lady parts in a mosque bathroom; Learned to meditate with an Urban Monk, sucked mud in a sweat lodge with a Suburban Shaman, and snuck into Yom Kippur with a fake grandpa; Discovered she didn't have to choose religion to choose God ... or good. For everyone who has ever needed healing of body or soul, this poignant, funny memoir reminds us all that transformation is possible, brokenness can be beautiful, and sometimes we have to get lost to get found.
The Wealth of My Mother's Wisdom: The Lessons That Made My Life Rich
Terrence Jenkins - 2013
It's a life he could have only imagined growing up in Queens, born to a seventeen-year-old mother. But it was the lessons he learned from his mother, Lisa, that helped make him a man—lessons about sacrifice, courage, loyalty, dreams, and perseverance. Lisa pushed Terrence to succeed from an early age, led by example, and always put her son first—even if it meant leaving New York, the only home they'd ever known, in search of a safer environment for him. Her drive eventually became Terrence's drive.Inspirational, funny, and down-to-earth, with stories and advice straight from Terrence J and his mom, as well as some of his famous friends, including Kevin Hart, Ludacris, T.I., Trey Songz, and Laz Alonso, The Wealth of My Mother's Wisdom offers a positive, powerful message: with a strong family bond, the possibilities are endless.
Sunset: On the Passing of Those We Love
S. Michael Wilcox - 2011
Although at the time he was not intending that it would ever be published, he gradually came to recognize our “sacred covenant to share our burdens, our mourning, our comforts, and our witnesses.” The lessons he offers in this thoughtful and sensitive book are more than a chronicle of his own journey; they are important reminders to all of us to cherish every day we have with the people we love, to treasure the gift of our mortality, and to turn to the Lord in all our trials.
When Will the Heaven Begin?: This Is Ben Breedlove's Story
Ally Breedlove - 2013
But it wasn’t his first time there. Ben suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart condition that posed a constant risk of sudden death. His condition, a thickening of the heart muscle, worsened over time, leaving him weak and fatigued. It also led Ben to some close calls medically, in particular cardiac arrest on four separate occasions, during which he felt the presence of angels and experienced the perfect peace of heaven.Precocious and warm, Ben was close with his family and two siblings, and forged deep relationships with his friends. He loved to wakeboard and wakesurf, and he had dreams of visiting foreign countries around the world. He created the YouTube channels TotalRandomness512 and BreedloveTV, and cocreated the channel OurAdvice4You, where he posted videos about everything from dating advice for girls to more serious topics like his spirituality and heart condition.Unbeknownst to his parents and family, Ben created a two-part video called “This Is My Story,” in which he used flash cards to tell the world about his near-death experiences and his beckoning toward heaven.When he died a short while later at the tender age of eighteen, his family and the rest of the world stumbled upon these videos. The world responded with overwhelming acceptance of the message Ben shared.Ben’s vision of heaven was his gift to his family, and to the world. And now this is the Breedlove family’s gift to us—an in-depth look at the life and near-deaths of Ben, the strength and faith of a family, and, ultimately, the hope of heaven.Do you believe in Angels or God? I Do.—Ben Breedlove
Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
Eben Alexander - 2012
Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander knew that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress.Then, Dr. Alexander’s own brain was attacked by a rare illness. The part of the brain that controls thought and emotion—and in essence makes us human—shut down completely. For seven days he lay in a coma. Then, as his doctors considered stopping treatment, Alexander’s eyes popped open. He had come back.Alexander’s recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today Alexander is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to. That it happened to Dr. Alexander makes it revolutionary. No scientist or person of faith will be able to ignore it. Reading it will change your life.
Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment
Krista Lester - 2014
Whether you're a fan of cute bunnies or a devotee of the comforting wisdom of Buddhist thought (or both), this delightful and deceptively simple book will offer insights, surprises, and joy. Based on a popular Twitter feed these heartfelt observations have attracted a loyal following.A bunny who is happy and peaceful brings joy wherever he hops.What the bunny mind dwells on, the bunny becomes.Simple things can be extraordinary to the bunny who chooses to see them.One must hop carefully, for every hop has the potential to cause pain.The wise bunny knows the carrot will not hop to him.The wise bunny hops even when the way is unclear.With 500 inspiring entries and 40 adorable illustrations, the book will be a gift, a touchstone, and a gentle guide to hopping along the wise path of life.