Letter to a Christian Nation


Sam Harris - 2006
    Letter to A Christian Nation is his reply. Using rational argument, Harris offers a measured refutation of the beliefs that form the core of fundamentalist Christianity. In the course of his argument, he addresses current topics ranging from intelligent design and stem-cell research to the connections between religion and violence. In Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris boldly challenges the influence that faith has on public life in our nation.

Who Stole My Spear?


Tim Samuels - 2016
    From relationships, religion, and the rise of ISIS, to porn, fatherhood and the oppression of office life. Nothing is taboo: Is it less serious when a man has an affair? Why don’t new parents want boys?Who Stole My Spear? is an inspiring rallying call for men and ‘good masculinity’ which cannot be ignored – that will leave you rethinking much about life’s big questions. And for women who wonder what’s on a man’s mind, this is the book that offers the entertainingly explosive answer.

Walking the Walk: Putting the Teachings Into Practice When It Matters Most


Pema Chödrön - 2014
    But it's another thing to walk the walk--or to put into practice the good advice we've been given. What does it mean to walk the walk in our everyday lives? According to Pema Ch�dr�n, it means being down-to-earth, genuine, and perhaps most importantly, it means engaging in the teachings in order to actively confront anything and everything we've heretofore rejected in our attempts to find happiness. Created to help us respond with compassion and authenticity when our spiritual ideals are put to the test, Walking the Walk brings you four inspirational sessions with Pema Ch�dr�n, as you explore:Stabilizing the Mind--awareness, presence, and the foundation of the spiritual path- Unconditional Friendship with Yourself--getting unstuck from the patterns that create our own misery- Freedom from Fixed Mind--how to release biases and prejudices to revitalize your everyday experiences- Taking Care of One Another--essential guidance in the ability to truly be there for othersThe teachings in these sessions are not about perfection or unrealistic standards. Baby steps are okay when learning to walk the walk, explains Pema. No matter the situation you find yourself in, here is a program for remaining true to the values we seek to live by, and staying open to the kindness and love that is always available to support us.Course objectives: Discuss how the practice of Stabilizing the Mind, through awareness and presence, is the foundation of the spiritual path.- Define and practice Unconditional Friendship with Yourself as a way to get unstuck from the patterns that create suffering, while opening to the kindness and love that is always available to support us- Summarize how the practice of Freedom from Fixed Mind invites you to release biases and prejudices to revitalize your everyday experiences- Discuss the practice of Taking Care of One Another as essential guidance in the ability to truly be there for ourselves and others

Infinite Potential: What Quantum Physics Reveals About How We Should Live


Lothar Schäfer - 2013
    With his own research as well as that of some of the most distinguished scientists of our time, Schäfer moves us from a reality of Darwinian competition to cooperation, a meaningless universe to a meaningful one, and a disconnected, isolated existence to an interconnected one. In so doing, he shows us that our potential is infinite and calls us to live in accordance with the order of the universe, creating a society based on the cosmic principle of connection, emphasizing cooperation and community.

The Edgar Cayce Primer: Discovering the Path to Self Transformation


Herbert Puryear - 1985
    Here are the readings of The Sleeping Prophet, condensed and simplified--the wisdom to help us make the right decisions affecting all facets of our lives.  Cayce speaks out on:  The sources of psychic development, reincarnation, Karma and grace, dreams, meditation, prayer, personal health (including diet and exercises,) holistic healing, sexuality, spirituality, rejuvenation, religion, spiritual psychology, and much more.   Cayce offers us the keys to insight, enlightenment, and total fulfillment.

Trading Places: The Best Move You'll Ever Make in Your Marriage


Les Parrott III - 2008
    Ever feel like you're stepping on each other's toes? Then maybe it's time you put yourselves in each other's shoes. Of course that may sound uncomfortable. But it's easier than you think---and it will revolutionize your relationship. In fact, bestselling authors Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott reveal the little-known secrets of putting the time-tested strategy of trading places to work in your own marriage. In this book, chock-full of practical helps and tips you've never thought of, you'll learn the three-step-strategy to trading places and, as a result, you're sure to: - Increase your levels of passion- Bolster your commitment- Eliminate nagging- Short-circuit conflict- Double your laughter- Forgive more quickly- Talk more intimatelyIn short, you'll be more understanding and better understood. In other words, you'll experience---day after day---the unconditional love every couple longs for. 'We've often fantasized about being able to literally hand a box of mutual empathy---the revolutionary tool for instantly improving a relationship---to the couples that attend our seminars. Well, this book is the closest we'll ever come to being able to do just that.' --Les and Leslie Parrott Most couples never discover the rewards of trading places. For example, did you know it's the quickest way to get your own needs met? It's true! And Les and Leslie show you how. They also disclose exactly how trading places improves your conversations and how it's guaranteed to fire up your sex life. Truly, your love life and your entire marriage will never be the same after you learn the intimate dance of trading places.This book also features a powerful, free online assessment, powered by eHarmony Marriage that instantly improves your inclination to trade places. How? By zeroing in on exactly what you'd most like your spouse to accurately understand about you. In addition, two workbooks with no-nonsense exercises---one for you and one for your spouse---will help you apply each chapter to your own marriage. Les and Leslie have made it easy. So why not walk a few steps in your spouse's shoes, starting today? Whether you're a newlywed couple or you've been married for decades, it's never too early or too late to attain the power of trading places.

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living


Shauna Niequist - 2016
    I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey, and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most to us.In these pages, you’ll be invited to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.

Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion


Alain de Botton - 2011
    Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them – because they're packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, Alain (a non-believer himself) proposes that we should look to religions for insights into, among other concerns, how to:- build a sense of community- make our relationships last- overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy- escape the twenty-four hour media- go travelling- get more out of art, architecture and music- and create new businesses designed to address our emotional needs.For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing lots of peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.

The Family that Lies: Merci Restored


Lakisha Johnson - 2019
    Three years ago, Merci realized she’d been a part of something much bigger than she ever could have imagined. Sure, every family has their secrets, hidden truths and ties but Merci had no idea she’d been born into the family that lies ... without caring who it hurts! Now, years later, Merci finds herself in the midst of grief, a new baby and marriage while still learning how to pick up the broken pieces of her life. All while Melvin is still raising hell! In this special edition of The Family that Lies, there will be questions answered and new drama but I have to warn you ... there will also be tragedy, hurt and of course LIES!

Summary: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck


Mark Manson - 2018
    If you don't have time to read the whole book?then this Summary is for you!

Surfacing (Returning #3)


A.L. Knorr - 2018
    Follow Mira's story as she faces life as a single mother, wrestles with the constant call of the ocean to her mermaid nature, and joins an all-male salvage team who is less than thrilled to have her. When my mother died, I ran to the ocean like a coward. Its cradle of salt puckered my memories and withered my sorrow like a grape drying in the sun. I had cheated grief and was foolish enough to think I had gotten away with it.When Nathan died, I couldn’t run away. No matter how much I flinched, bending toward the Atlantic the way ivy strains for rays of light, I could not leave. Grief was back to take what belonged to it for the time it was allotted. I had everything I wanted a few short years ago. My mate. My daughter. A home, a family. It made my head spin to think how much could change so suddenly. I mused, wondering later if I was the only mermaid to ever walk fully through the five stages of grief. But I had my daughter.Targa had yet to turn, the color and shape of her fins were yet to be revealed, but she would. I had been so sure of it then. Siren genes are passed from mother to daughter, without fail. Young legs melded into a shimmering virgin tail in response to a salty sea. But Targa didn’t turn in response to ocean water, not the first time, not any time after that. Something was wrong. I shoved my fear down deep into some dark corner where Targa would not see it and said with a smile that we’d just have to keep trying. I had turned at the age of three, but if there could be late-bloomers in the human race, why not ours too?Her fifth birthday came and went, still she hadn’t turned. Concern sent its barbs into me like a thistle, then it rooted and grew.Targa and I had weekly late night secret swims in the Atlantic, which had once been fun but were now polluted with expectation and suspense. Coaching sessions (my idea), where I attempted human psychology exercises I’d found in outdated textbooks at the library; guided visualization, breathing techniques, and even a failed go at hypnosis. The memory of her skinny little frame sitting in a bathtub containing more salt than water (Targa’s idea) is still enough to fill my eyes with moisture.I don’t know exactly when she lost hope, but she hid it expertly, patiently participating however I asked.I ignored the creeping thoughts that whispered in my mind; she didn’t even like water, didn’t really want to go for swim, couldn’t hear the ocean calling her. I would shove the thoughts away violently, excusing them as nothing but my own anxiety. It was ridiculous. A daughter of a mermaid who disliked the ocean. Impossible. When I muzzled those fears, I became aware of others of a different kind. Not my own, but hers, for me.She could see the want in my eyes. Whatever mechanism bees and dogs used to smell fear, Targa had it for despair. She could sense it on me, reeking like cheap perfume. Her eyes dipped in desperation, her obvious desire not to disappoint me sliced through me like a white-hot blade from heart to gut. She thought she was my tormentor. The realization struck like a hammer and gave me the strength to do what was needed: Let it go.The ocean could call. I’d let the smell of it crucify me, the sound of its waves crash against me, echo through me, call me, beg me.Targa’s need and my love for her was greater. If she never turned and I was locked in a land-cycle for the rest of our lives, so be it.So be it.

Vitamin H


Abhishek Vipul Thakkar - 2020
    It aims to elevate the lives of people by fostering inner confidence and strengthening their faith. In a turbulent and chaotic world, people are in dire need of words of motivation and inspiration. Vitamin H provides the much needed therapy which will successfully cure the diseases such as negativity, pessimism, cynicism and envy. It will awaken the dreamer within you and help you achieve the seemingly impossible.

The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember


Fred Rogers - 2003
    There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure. An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights -- with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty, The World According to Mister Rogers reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us. Culled from Fred Rogers' speeches, program transcripts, books, letters, and interviews, along with some of his never-before-published writings, The World According to Mister Rogers is a testament to the legacy of a man who served and continues to serve as a role model to millions.

Happyness: Life Lessons from a Creative Addict


Yusuf Merchant - 2018
    Providing a wealth of information and practical advice, Happyness is an informative and curative book which busts a mountain of myths.’ —Amitabh Bachchan, actor ‘This book offers a riveting, transformative experience. Dr Merchant has captured the magic of positive energy, a never-give-up spirit, love, and positive intention. This will make you look at your personal evolution in a different, more thoughtful light.’ —Dr Ghazala Afzal Hameed, High Sheriff of Greater London, 2015-16Do you want to help someone who is depressed? Is there a key to unlocking happiness? Do you sometimes feel used or taken for granted in your relationships? How do you deal with anger, jealousy, resentment, or sadness? Can anyone change the destined course of their life? What is the one proven antidote to addictive habits? What is the meaning of life? Is it possible to experience the fifth dimension? Dr Yusuf Merchant, or Doc as he is widely called, has been schooled by adversity from his childhood. He has lost friends and loved ones to dark addictions, endured heart-wrenching betrayal, lived on the streets, and struggled with the trauma of abandonment and the absence of hope.But he hit back against every crisis—and so can you.In this book, the master of mindfulness offers forty-two different ways to live a peaceful and fulfilling life. He punches negativity in the face and uses visualisation techniques to achieve his dreams. Bringing together scientific theories on the functioning of the brain and how it alters under stress, depression and addiction as well as existential questions on karma and the meaning of life, he concludes that it is self-belief along with integrity of character that offers a short-cut to happiness.If you want to lead a more successful and spiritual life, or if you want to take control of your destiny, the answers lie within these pages.

The Second Mountain


David Brooks - 2019
    Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.