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Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas
by Omar MouallemJournalist Omar Mouallem travels to thirteen remarkable mosques and discovers the surprising history of their communities. But what he finds also challenges his own long-held personal beliefs, and even his sense of identity.&“Until recently, Muslim identity was imposed on me. But I feel different about my religious heritage in the era of ISIS and Trumpism, Rohingya and Uyghur genocides, ethnonationalism and misinformation. I&’m compelled to reclaim the thing that makes me a target. I&’ve begun to examine Islam closely with an eye for how it has shaped my values, politics, and connection to my roots. No doubt, Islam has a place within me. But do I have a place within it?&” Omar Mouallem grew up in a Muslim household, but always questioned the role of Islam in his life. As an adult, he used his voice to criticize what he saw as the harms of organized religion. But none of that changed the way others saw him. Now, as a father, he fears the challenges his children will no doubt face as Western nations become increasingly nativist and hostile toward their heritage. In Praying to the West, Mouallem explores the unknown history of Islam across the Americas, traveling to thirteen unique mosques in search of an answer to how this religion has survived and thrived so far from the place of its origin. From California to Quebec, and from Brazil to Canada&’s icy north, he meets the members of fascinating communities, all of whom provide different perspectives on what it means to be Muslim. Along this journey he comes to understand that Islam has played a fascinating role in how the Americas were shaped—from industrialization to the changing winds of politics. And he also discovers that there may be a place for Islam in his own life, particularly as a father, even if he will never be a true believer. Original, insightful, and beautifully told, Praying to the West reveals a secret history of home and the struggle for belonging taking place in towns and cities across the Americas, and points to a better, more inclusive future for everyone.
Praying with Angels
by Richard WebsterReverence for angels spans culture, faith, and time. But can these heaven-sent messengers answer our prayers? Time and time again, the angels have proven that yes, they're there for us—we just need to reach out and ask them for guidance. From an expert on angelic spirits, you will discover a myriad of simple and rewarding methods to communicate with the specific angel you need.Explore the fascinating roles of angels: guardian, zodiac, elemental, and othersLearn prayers and rituals for healing, protection, abundance, and moreEngage in meditations and practical exercises that aid in angel awarenessImagine a lifelong relationship with these celestial helpmates who can grant you the rewards, enrichment, and peace that you've been searching for.
Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year
by Nan Lewis Doerr Virginia Stem OwensPrayer is essential to the Christian life, bonding us to God. Yet we find it difficult in our frenetic world to keep our minds focused for long. All kinds of external noise and inner voices clamor for our attention. How can we slow down and quiet down so as to truly wait on the Lord? Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens offer a solution that calls on the physical senses to break through to the spiritual -- praying with beads. The use of prayer beads, which has a long history in practical spirituality, is now becoming more widespread among Protestants. Doerr and Owens here show readers how to use what have become known as Anglican or Christian prayer beads. Readers can then use the basic prayer structure provided by the beads to pray their way through each day -- morning, noon, and night -- and through the church year. These prayers -- a thoughtfully chosen combination of quotations from Scripture and gleanings from the Book of Common Prayer -- can be enhanced and enriched by the mindful and meditative practice of using beads. Doerr and Owens encourage readers to use beads as "something to hang onto, a lifeline to the Presence that lies, often hidden or forgotten, at the center of our lives." Praying with beads, as outlined and embodied in this little book, has the potential to transform one's prayer life.
Praying with Body and Soul
by Jane E. VennardPraying with Body and Soul involves the whole person: our senses, our bodies at rest or in motion, our imaginations, as well as our minds and emotions. By paying prayerful attention to the body people will not only recognize the ways in which they already pray, but will learn how to deepen their relationship with God. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, and practical exercises, such as drawing, walking meditation, fasting, making music, dancing, and praying in sickness and disability. This guide to prayer can be used by individuals, prayer partners, and small groups.
Praying with Every Heart: Orienting Our Lives to the Wholeness of the World
by Cláudio CarvalhaesThis book develops an understanding of prayer from a liberation-theological perspective. "Praying with" offers a distinctive way of praying that can help orient our prayers around the "where" we pray and "with whom" we pray as the locus of the body's and heart's theological praxis. The book helps create language to pray with people and in situations we are not used to praying with; it insists on praying amidst racism, poverty, violence, and suffering; it calls us to pray at night and at the end of the world when we are overcome by fear, hurt, climate disaster, or economic impoverishment; it ventures into interfaith prayer settings; and it claims a sense of "self" that is not discrete, encapsulated in its own thinking or feeling--rather, it understands the notion of the self as entangled with the whole earth and each sentient and nonsentient being. Thus, to "pray with" in this book is to take the location of one's prayer more seriously and, individually and collectively, to gain an awareness of our grounding and positionality, therefore creating a theological structure that assumes both the listening of our own heart and the voices of everything around us.
Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice
by Vanessa Zoltan&“In these soaring, open-hearted essays, Vanessa Zoltan writes with fierce brilliance about suffering, survival, and the kind of meaning in life that can withstand real scrutiny.&”—John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed A deeply felt celebration of a classic novel--and a reflection on the ways our favorite books can shape and heal us.Our favorite books keep us company, give us hope, and help us find meaning in a chaotic world. In this fresh and relatable work, atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Informed by the reading practices of medieval monks and rabbinic scholars from her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women, Harry Potter, and The Great Gatsby, Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope, meaning, and even magic in our deeply fractured times. Brimming with a lifelong love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection, the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards.Whether you're an avowed "Eyrehead" or simply a curious reader looking for a richer connection with the written word, this deeply felt and inspiring book will light the way to a more intimate appreciation for whatever books you love to read.
Praying with Power (Women of Faith Study Guide Series)
by Patsy Clairmont Women Of FaithIf you are like most Christians, you know you should be praying more often, taking it more seriously, and giving it more priority in your life. But what often gets missed is that prayer is not a requirement but a privilege! Prayer is the pathway to building a relationship with the Savior. Through prayer, the Creator and Sustainer of everything actually listens to us. In Praying with Power, you will explore what the Bible has to say about this fascinating two-way communication with God. You will explore journaling prayers, praying the Scripture, and how to pray your way through a desert or valley. You will also discover the incredible power of prayer and the promises God provides when you go to Him with your needs. The Women of Faith® Bible Studies provide intriguing insights into topics that are relevant to women's lives today. Each guide includes twelve weeks of study, down-to-earth illustrations, and reflections to help you move the truth from your head to your heart. A leader's guide for use with small groups is also included.
Praying with Women of the Bible
by Nancy KennedyA fresh approach to a topic of perennial interest—women of the Bible In the last few years a number of best-selling books have focused on the lives of women of the Bible. Now, Nancy Kennedy takes a fresh approach by reflecting on the significant prayers of women in Scripture. Praying with Women of the Bible features some of the Bible’s most notable women, including Deborah, Hannah, and Mary, all of whom prayed for different things, in different ways. By using the examples of these godly women, the book is designed to show different types of prayer, as well as different reasons to pray. The types of prayer include willingness and surrender, praise and worship, thanksgiving and personal supplication, pleading for mercy, intercessions and perseverance, bold requests, and a prayer of faith. Features include: • Explores the lives and prayers of ten women of the Bible • Relates the biblical examples to the lives of women today • Concludes each chapter with a sample prayer to give readers a starting point for their own continued prayer
Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace
by J. Philip NewellWe as Jews, Christians, and Muslims share a common spiritual descent, yet painful divisions between us lie at the center of much conflict and war in the world today. Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace articulates the deep longings for peace that unite these great spiritual traditions. For each morning and evening of the week, John Philip Newell provides strikingly beautiful and profound prayers that call us to be the people Jesus named blessed: “those who know their need,” “those who weep,” “the humble,” “those who hunger for earth’s oneness,” “the forgiving,” “the clear in heart,” and “the peacemakers.” Whether prayed alone or with others, these richly illustrated, simple liturgies invite and inspire us to live as those whose hearts yearn for peace.
Praying with the Holy Father
by Jaymie Stuart WolfeWhat if the words of the Pope-or many popes-were offered in language so accessible that young Catholics could understand them? That is what Pauline Kids offers in the series of prayer books: Thoughts and Prayers of the Pope for Young Catholics. Praying with the Holy Father includes prayers of fourteen popes about a wide range of topics and concerns including: prayer, families, vocation, the Church, the world, difficult times, living the faith, the saints, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Praying with the Psalms: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections (G - Reference, Information And Interdisciplinary Subjects Ser.)
by Eugene H. PetersonA devotional prayer book focusing on one year with the Psalms, the most sensitive and honest words written about daily stress and daily blessings.
Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice (Encounters: Explorations in Folklore and Ethnomusicology)
by Tom Boylston Angie Heo Jeffers Engelhardt Vlad Naumescu Jeanne Kormina Daria Dubovka Simion Pop&“These essays advance the understanding of Eastern Orthodox spiritual practices from a religious studies perspective.&”—Reading Religion How do people experience spirituality through what they see, hear, touch, and smell? In this book, Sonja Luehrmann and an international group of scholars assess how sensory experience shapes prayer and ritual practice among Eastern Orthodox Christians. Prayer, even when performed privately, is considered as a shared experience and act that links individuals and personal beliefs with a broader, institutional, or imagined faith community. It engages with material, visual, and aural culture including icons, relics, candles, pilgrimage, bells, and architectural spaces. Whether touching upon the use of icons in the age of digital and electronic media, the impact of Facebook on prayer in Ethiopia, or the implications of praying using recordings, amplifiers, and loudspeakers, these timely essays present a sophisticated overview of the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianities. Taken as a whole they reveal prayer as a dynamic phenomenon in the devotional and ritual lives of Eastern Orthodox believers across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. &“Precisely by looking at so varied a group of locations home to Orthodox practice, this book conveys the fragility―and durability―of traditional religion in a postmodern, secular age.&”—Nadieszda Kizenko, author of A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People
Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight
by J. I. Packer Carolyn NystromMerit Award, World Guild Christian Living Book Praying is an action that is of the essence of Christian existence. It involves our beliefs, emotions, values, hopes and fears, certainties and uncertainties, knowledge and ignorance. As J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom explain, "Our aim is not just to clarify Christian understanding but to foster Christian living. In real praying, head, heart, and hands go together." With wisdom, humility, and sincerity the authors lead us through different moods of praying, including brooding, praising, asking, complaining, and hanging on. In Praying the authors offer hope for those of us who daydream when we try to listen to God and stumble when we try to speak. Yet they don't just teach us about prayer; they challenge and inspire us to do it by pointing us to a clearer realization of the reality of God and his character. Let Packer and Nystrom guide your praying to our powerful God, and let him move your praying through mere duty to delight.
Pre-Modernity, Totalitarianism and the Non-Banality of Evil: A Comparison of Germany, Spain, Sweden and France
by Steven SaxonbergThis book provides a comparative and historical analysis of totalitarianism and considers why Spain became totalitarian during its inquisition but not France; and why Germany became totalitarian during the previous century, but not Sweden. The author pushes the concept of totalitarianism back into the pre-modern period and challenges Hannah Arendt’s notion of the banality of evil. Instead, he presents an alternative framework that can explain why some states become totalitarian and why they induce people to commit evil acts.
Preach Better Sermons
by Shane StoneThe objective of this book is to address the following premises: <P><P>Premise number one: The purpose and aim of Christian preaching/teaching is to produce spiritually faithful, biblically capable, and productively active disciples of Jesus Christ. <P><P>Premise number two: Conventional preaching/teaching philosophies and methods are not achieving the desired effects in far too many cases. This is evidenced by the numbers of lukewarm churches and spiritually broad-but-not-deep Christians. <P><P>Premise number three: A paradigm shift in how sermons and Bible lessons should be prepared and communicated will help alleviate the problem and is long overdue. <P><P>This book addresses the shortcomings of modern Christian preaching, envisions the strongest and deepest approaches to biblical teaching and learning, and lays out specific steps to get churches’ classrooms and pulpit ministries from where they are to where they need to be.
Preach to Yourself: When Your Inner Critic Comes Calling, Talk Back with Truth
by Hayley Morgan Emily LeyBreak the cycle of doubting yourself, take God at His word, and talk back with truth - a new message of freedom from bestselling coauthor of Wild and Free Hayley Morgan.We know Christ came to speak life, but then how come our inner critic keeps showing up and stealing the mic? If we’re honest, she’s a harsh one, saying things we’d never dream of saying to others: You’ll never measure up, you’ll fail again tomorrow, you just can’t get it right. It has been said that the eighteen inches from head to heart is the soul’s longest journey. Our head knows the good news is true, but our heart struggles to believe it, and it is in this gap that we battle to believe the promises of God.Hayley Morgan, coauthor of bestselling book Wild and Free, has wrestled with this tension her whole life. In Preach to Yourself, she tackles it head-on to discover how we can renew our minds to renew our lives. For every woman who struggles with repetitive, negative self-talk, this book will show you how to identify the toxic loops where you get stuck and replace them with the truth of God we can believe with our whole selves.This is not a “try harder” reprimand, it’s a “believe better” invitation: to take God at His word when He tells you who you are. Come along and learn a simple practice to break free from the lies holding you back, and step forward into the fullness of life God has planned.
Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday
by Mike ThalerWith hilarious stories and nutty pictures, the Tales from the Back Pew series offers kid’s a unique view of church. Enjoy plenty of giggles with your child—and learn fun, important truths about God, church, and the Bible. Mom is taking me to church this Sunday. I’ve heard a lot about church. You have to stand up, sit down, and kneel a hundred times. It’s called being in the service—I’m too young to be drafted!
Preacher's Boy
by Katherine PatersonIn 1899, ten-year-old Robbie, son of a preacher in a small Vermont town, gets himself into all kinds of trouble when he decides to give up being Christian in order to make the most of his life before the end of the world.
Preachers Dare: Speaking for God
by Bishop William H. WillimonPreachers Dare is adapted from Will Willimon’s Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale and is inspired by a quote from the great theologian Karl Barth. In a world in which sermons too often become hackneyed conventional wisdom or tame common sense, preachers dare to speak about the God who speaks to us as Jesus Christ. Willimon draws upon his decades of preaching, as well as his many books on the practice of homiletics, to present a bold theology of preaching. This work emphasizes preaching as a distinctively theological endeavor that begins with and is enabled by God. God speaks, preachers dare to speak the speech of God, and the church dares to listen. By moving from the biblical text to the contemporary context, preachers dare to speak up for God so that God might speak today. With fresh biblical insights, creativity and pointed humor, Willimon gives today’s preachers and congregations encouragement to speak with the God who has so graciously and effusively spoken to us.
Preachers of Hate: Islam and the War on America
by Kenneth R. TimmermanAnti-semitism among Muslims has outrun the number of Jews in the world, and now threatens Americans in particular and all Westerners in general, says investigative journalist Timmerman. He spouts such notions as Arafat's reign of terror and the Islamic Republic of America. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
Preachers, Partisans, and Rebellious Religion: Vernacular Writing and the Hussite Movement (The Middle Ages Series)
by Marcela K. PerettIn early fifteenth-century Prague, disagreements about religion came to be shouted in the streets and taught to the laity in the vernacular, giving rise to a new kind of public engagement that would persist into the early modern era and beyond. The reforming followers of Jan Hus brought theological learning to the people through a variety of genres, including songs, poems, tractates, letters, manifestos, and sermons. At the same time, university masters provided the laity with an education that enabled them to discuss contentious issues and arrive at their own conclusions, emphasizing that they held the freedom to make up their own minds about important theological issues. This marketplace of competing religious ideas in the vernacular emerged in Bohemia a full hundred years before the Reformation.In Preachers, Partisans, and Rebellious Religion, Marcela K. Perett examines the early phases of the so-called Hussite revolution, between 1412, when Jan Hus first radicalized his followers, and 1436, the year of the agreement at the Council of Basel granting papal permission for the ritual practice of the Utraquist, or moderate Hussite, faction to continue. These were years during which the leaders of competing reform movements needed to garner the laity's support and employed the vernacular for that purpose, translating and simplifying basic theological arguments about the Bible, the church's ritual practice, and authority in the church. Perett illustrates that the vernacular discourse, even if it revolved around the same topics, was nothing like the Latin debates on the issues, often appealing to emotion rather than doctrinal positions. In the end, as Preachers, Partisans, and Rebellious Religion demonstrates, the process of vernacularization increased rather than decreased religious factionalism and radicalism as agreement about theological issues became impossible.
PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities
by Ben KirbyFounder of the phenomenon social media account PreachersNSneakers tackles how faith, capitalism, consumerism, and (wannabe) celebrity have collided.What started as a joke account on Instagram has turned into a movement. Through this provocative project, the founder of PreachersNSneakers is helping thousands of Jesus followers wrestle with the inevitable dilemmas created by a culture obsessed with image and entertainment.In PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities, the author boldly confronts many of the difficult questions plaguing countless Christians&’ minds, such as:Should pastors grow wealthy off of religion, and why do we get so angry when they do?Is it okay to stoke envy among others with curated &“lifestyle&” images on social media?Do we really believe that divine blessings are monetary, or is that just religious wallpaper to hide our own greed?Is there space in Christendom for celebrities like Kanye and Bieber to exist without distorting the good news?What about this: Is it wrong for someone like this author to call out faith leaders online and leverage &“cancel culture&” to affect change?PreachersNSneakers will navigate these challenging questions and many more with humor, wit, candor, and a few never-before-published hijinks. Each chapter will explore the various sides of the debate, holding space for readers to make up their own minds. The book will doubtlessly become a staple for church small groups, college ministries, and book clubs, emboldening struggling believers who want to live a more genuine faith.After all, the Lord works in mysterious colorways.
Preaching
by Fred B. CraddockThe appearance of this 25th anniversary edition of Fred B. Craddock's highly original and influential textbook on preaching is a cause for celebration, not only of the book itself but also of Fred Craddock, the preacher and teacher. While Preaching, as a textbook, has its own integrity and takes a justifiably proud place in the literature of homiletics, it is almost impossible for many of us to read this volume without hearing Craddock's unmistakable and delightful voice and oral style crackling through its pages. This volume is not like some textbooks-- say, in physics or calculus--that bear no evidence of their authors personalities or convictions. In this book, there is a distinct human voice. It is as if the master preacher Fred Craddock has leaned back in a rocker on the front porch of his Georgia mountain cabin and decided to Stalk preaching for a spell. The result is not only a substantial introduction to the topic but also an enchanting glimpse into the mind and character of one of the most innovative preachers of our time.
Preaching 34579: Revised Edition (Interpretation Ser.)
by Fred B. CraddockA standard textbook on the art and craft of preaching. Craddock weaves history, theology, and hermeneutics into an exhaustive text on sermon preparation and preaching. Painstakingly prepared for seminary students and clergy, this book answers the fundamental question: How does one prepare and deliver a sermon? Craddock's approach is practical, but also allows for concentrated study of any particular dimension of the process."Filled with practical wisdom. . . . A liberating book."--Richard Lischer, Duke University.
Preaching Apocrypha in Anglo-Saxon England (Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series)
by Brandon HawkPreaching Apocrypha in Anglo-Saxon England is the first in-depth study of Christian apocrypha focusing specifically on the use of extra-biblical narratives in Old English sermons. The work contributes to our understanding of both the prevalence and importance of apocrypha in vernacular preaching, by assessing various preaching texts from Continental and Anglo-Saxon Latin homiliaries, as well as vernacular collections like the Vercelli Book, the Blickling Book, Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies, and other manuscripts from the tenth through twelfth centuries. Vernacular sermons were part of a media ecology that included Old English poetry, legal documents, liturgical materials, and visual arts. Situating Old English preaching within this network establishes the range of contexts, purposes, and uses of apocrypha for diverse groups in Anglo-Saxon society: cloistered religious, secular clergy, and laity, including both men and women. Apocryphal narratives did not merely survive on the margins of culture, but thrived at the heart of mainstream Anglo-Saxon Christianity.