A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, and the Human Soul


J. Philip Newell - 2011
    PhilipNewell emphasized the Celtic view of the oneness of creationand humanity as expressed through Christ. In that poetic treatmentof the wisdom of Celtic spirituality, Newell pointed the way to amore peaceful, harmonious, integrated Christianity. A New Harmonytakes the next step forward in emphasizing the need to overcomedivisions and find common ground and to reclaim the best of ancientChristian spirituality and a more holistic, natural way of thinkingabout faith.Offers a view of spirituality rooted in ancient insights thatincludes and extends beyond ChristianityPresents the case for the need for "a new harmony" that is bothmystical and relationalThe author J. Philip Newell is a well-known expert on CelticChristianity and the author of the acclaimed Listening for theHeartbeat of God.

Echoes of Memory


John O'Donohue - 1994
    Just as To Bless the Space Between Us was being published, he died suddenly at the age of fifty-two. His powerfully wise and lyrical voice is profoundly missed, but his many readers are now given a special opportunity to revisit John in his first book, a collection of poetry.      O'Donohue's readers know him as both a spiritual guide and a poet. In the same spirit as his bestselling works, readers will be inspired yet again by John's depth of wisdom and artistry.

Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing


Thomas Merton - 2007
    He sent his journals, a novel-in-progess, and copies of all his poems to his mentor, Columbia professor Mark Van Doren, for safe keeping, fully expecting to write little, if anything, ever again.? It was a relatively short-lived resolution, for Merton almost immediately found himself being assigned writing tasks by his Abbot?one of which was the autobiographical essay that blossomed into his international best-seller The Seven Storey Mountain. That book made him famous overnight, and for a time he struggled with the notion that the vocation of the monk and the vocation of the writer were incompatible. Monasticism called for complete surrender to the absolute, whereas writing demanded a tactical withdrawal from experience in order to record it.? He eventually came to accept his dual vocation as two sides of the same spiritual coin and used it as a source of creative tension the rest of his life.? Merton's thoughts on writing have never been compiled into a single volume until now. Robert Inchausti has mined the vast Merton literature to discover what he had to say on a whole spectrum of literary topics, including writing as a spiritual calling, the role of the Christian writer in a secular society, the joys and mysteries of poetry, and evaluations of his own literary work. Also included are fascinating glimpses of his take on a range of other writers, including Henry David Thoreau, Flannery O'Connor, Dylan Thomas, Albert Camus, James Joyce, and even Henry Miller, along with many others.

Why Be Catholic?: Understanding Our Experience and Tradition


Richard Rohr - 1989
    It would alsomake a good RCIA resource as well as a blockbuster stimulus fordiscussions."—Book Nook, Pecos BenedictineThe authors answer the question, "Why Be Catholic?" fairly and squarely, showing a deep appreciation about what is good in Catholicism and a penetrating honesty about the Church's shortcomings. Rohr and Martos also examine what it means to be Catholic in the United States today. Finally, to answer the title question in a more personal way, they present portraits of some outstanding Catholics, especially those we call saints, who have found personal fulfillment by living their faith to the utmost.After reading this book, you will appreciate more fully the unique heritage of the Catholic Church. You will understand how its magnificent tradition enriches the lives of Catholics today and propels the ever-changing Church into the 21st century and third millennium. A popular resource for RCIA, evangelization and religious education.

The Rebirthing of God: Christianity's Struggle for New Beginnings


John Philip Newell - 2014
    In many parts of the West that collapse can only be described as seismic.... There are three main responses or reactions to this collapse. The first is to deny that it is happening. The second is to frantically try to shore up the foundations of the old thing. The third, which I invite us into, is to ask what is trying to be born that requires a radical reorientation of our vision. What is the new thing that is trying to emerge from deep within us and from deep within the collective soul of Christianity?"--from the IntroductionIn the midst of dramatic changes in Western Christianity, internationally respected spiritual leader, peacemaker and scholar John Philip Newell offers the hope of a fresh stirring of the Spirit among us. He invites us to be part of a new holy birth of sacred living. Speaking directly to the heart of Christians--those within the well-defined bounds of Christian practice and those on the disenchanted edges--as well as to the faithful and seekers of other traditions, he explores eight major features of a new birthing of Christianity:Coming back into relationship with the Earth as sacredReconnecting with compassion as the ground of true relationshipCelebrating the Light that is at the heart of all lifeReverencing the wisdom of other religious traditionsRediscovering spiritual practice as the basis for transformationLiving the way of nonviolence among nationsLooking to the unconscious as the wellspring of new visionFollowing love as the seed-force of new birth in our lives and world

Drawn Into the Mystery of Jesus Through the Gospel of John


Jean Vanier - 2004
    Thoroughly personal and inspiring, Drawn into the Mystery challenges all Christians to encounter the fullness of life lived in close communion with God. Vanier writes: "These insights that I share in this book come from the life of Jesus in me . . . They also flow from my life with people who are weak and who have taught me to welcome Jesus from the place of the poverty in me." Jean Vanier was a friend and influential mentor to the late Henri Nouwen. Toward the end of his life, Nouwen left Harvard to live and work at one of Jean Vanier's L'Arche communities. This was perhaps the most profound experience of Christianity Nouwen experienced. The thought and spiritual direction/discipleship of Jean Vanier is available to all in Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus-through the Gospel of John. +

Singing the Living Tradition


Unitarian Universalist Association - 1993
    Pew Edition: 415 hymns and songs and 317 readings. Hardcover.

Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians


Lawrence Kushner - 2001
    It is a tradition that may at times, for Christians, feel strangely familiar and will, for Christians and Jews, always challenge you to see yourself and your world through a new lens."--from the IntroductionJewish spirituality is an approach to life that encourages us to become aware of God's presence and purpose, even in unlikely places. "This world and everything in it is a manifestation of God's presence," says Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. "Our challenge and goal is to find it and then act in such a way as to help others find it too."In this special book, Kushner guides Christians through the rich wisdom of Jewish spirituality. He tailors his unique style to address Christians' questions, and, in doing so, opens new windows on their own faith.Jewish Spirituality is a window into the Jewish soul that people of all faiths can understand and enjoy. From the Talmud and Torah, to "repentence" (teshuva) and "repairing the world" (tikkun olam), Kushner shows all of us how we can use the fundamentals of Jewish spirituality to enrich our own lives.

The Question That Never Goes Away


Philip Yancey - 2013
    Yet another tsunami or earthquake or flood or fire or war atrocity. One more gun-toting madman stalking young people in idyllic Norway or moviegoers in Colorado or schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut. We turn off the news only to get a phone call about expectant parents with a stillborn baby, or a loved one whose cancer has returned. Really, God? we ask. This again?If we have faith in God, it gets shaken to the core. What was God doing in the moment when that tragedy could have been prevented? If we can’t trust God to keep our children safe or our loved ones from dying in agony, what can we trust God for? In his classic book Where Is God When It Hurts, Philip Yancey gave us permission to doubt, reasons not to abandon faith, and practical ways to reach out to hurting people. Now, with new perspectives and stories gathered across nearly twenty-five years, once again he tackles the hard questions head-on. His visits to three places in 2012 raised the old problems with new urgency. More veteran pilgrim than curious journalist in his later years, Yancey faces with his trademark honesty the issues that often undermine faith, yet he emerges with comfort and hope. Along the way, he shows that Christians have an important role to play in bringing healing to a deeply wounded world.There are hopeful reasons to ask, once again, the question that never goes away. . . .

Afterlife: A Guided Tour to Heaven and Its Wonders


Emanuel Swedenborg - 2006
    Afterlife is an abridged version of Heaven and Hell, with passages specially chosen to highlight the essence of Swedenborg's work.

Inviting Silence: Universal Principles of Meditation


Gunilla Norris - 2004
    Ideal for individuals and spiritual friends to use alone or with one another, "Inviting Silence" is a thoughtful primer on finding silence and a practical manual on meditation for seekers of every persuasion.

Clear Mind, Wild Heart: Finding Courage and Clarity Through Poetry


David Whyte - 2002
    When you find yourself without bearings, as Dante Alighieri voiced so well centuries ago, where will you look for guidance?Throughout the ages, teaches David Whyte, the language of poetry has held the power to lend us courage, to give us the vision of those who endured, and to hazard ourselves boldly at the fierce edges of our lives. On Clear Mind, Wild Heart you will join this acclaimed poet and teacher to engage with the poetic imagination as your companion and guide for the difficult terrain we are all traversing.Poetry, teaches Whyte, offers immediate and powerful tools unique from any other tradition. It can help us to see beyond the fragile surfaces of our lives, open us to the universal cycles and patterns that shape our lives, and awaken our conversation with what has been called the Untouchable, the Numinous, or the Eternal.Clear Mind, Wild Heart guides you into the wellspring of this living poetic tradition through six hours of exploration and poetry with David Whyte, including the verses of such inspired voices as Emily Dickinson, William Blake, W.B. Yeats, Marina Tsvetayeva, Rainer Maria Rilke, Antonio Machado, and others. Through their words, you will discover how to apprentice yourself to beauty and find a place of belonging where you can hold loss and grief, the challenges of change, and the wonder of new discovery and adventure.The language of poetry takes us outside of our small selves and calls us to look at ourselves and the world with open eyes, teaches David Whyte. Whether you are a lifelong poetry lover or new to its insights and pleasures, Clear Mind, Wild Heart is an inspiring guide to answering that call.Learn More About: Finding the courage to hazard yourself in the world- Emily Dickinson on the alive-ness of words- Conversing with the unknowable - The harvest of your attention- How the language of poetry teaches us a relationship with silence- Goethe's Holy Longing - Apprenticing yourself to beauty- Blake's reflections on innocence and experience- Creating a house of belonging through speech and imagination- Work, the pilgrimage into identity - Who are you? How presence shrives you of your old identity- Encountering the visitations of loss, grief, and defeat - The poetic spirit in marriage, parenting, and friendship- Six hours of exploration, as taught in David Whyte's acclaimed seminars and retreats

The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy


Calvin Miller - 2007
    "Long ago," Calvin Miller writes, "when the Celts built their own rustic kingdom of God in what would later be the British Isles, their fervor in prayer washed their world in a vital revival." In uncertain and dangerous days of high infant-mortality rates, leprosy and plagues, the Celts breathed candid prayers out of the reality of their lives: Desperate prayers for protection. Praise for the God who was king over all creation. Honest prayers of confession. In these pages, Miller introduces us to six types of Celtic prayer that can connect us to God more deeply by helping us pray out of the circumstances and uncertainties of our own life. "This book proposes a kind of prayer that can end our amputated feelings of separateness from God," says Miller. What was true for the Celts is still true for us: "Hunger for Christ keeps us talking to God till our separation is swallowed up in our unending togetherness with him." As rich as the faith they describe, these pages lead us on an ancient path that gives guidance for present and future prayers, until the day the Celts longed for, when all separation is gone and we live forever in the presence of God.

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better


Brant Hansen - 2015
    The idea of our own “righteous anger” is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet?In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, including: Adjusting your expectations to fit human natureReplacing perpetual anger with refreshing humility and gratitudeEmbracing forgiveness and beginning to love others in unexpected waysIn a humorous and conversational style, Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.

The Present Moment: A Retreat on the Practice of Mindfulness


Thich Nhat Hanh - 1994
    In this live audio retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, you experience firsthand the traditional Buddhist practices designed to touch the energy of mindfulness that you carry within, and learn how to open to the joy that is always present and waiting to enter our lives. As a humble Buddhist monk in 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. Since that time, he has developed a special way of teaching the dharma (essential Buddhist truths) in the West—a way that addresses the spiritual challenges unique to our day, while honoring all faiths. The seeds of internal and external peace are already inside you, he teaches. You need only learn to contact and nurture them. This is the path to transcending fear and anger; this is the path to a more peaceful world.You will learn a treasury of detailed meditations to help you walk, breathe, communicate—even cope with traffic—more deeply and consciously. The Present Moment is a rare opportunity to learn ancient Buddhist practices directly from a living master of the tradition—practices that are life-changing today, just as they were thousands of years ago. More than seven hours of direct instruction from this living master of Buddhist meditation techniques.Learn More About:The Five Skandhas• The Five Wonderful Precepts• The Heart Sutra• The Five Prostrations• Birth and death• How to practice breathing as the living dharma (truth)• The greatest gift of meditation and mindfulness: nonfear • How to break the habit of forgetfulness, and replace it with the real peace of mindfulness• Buddhist awareness practices to apply to driving your car, answering the phone, even eating and reading• The hungry ghost—what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the most important phenomenon of our time• Principles of Buddhist psychology • How to transform difficult emotions within yourself