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Our Spiritual Brain: Integrating Brain Research and Faith Development
by Barbara BruceBrain research is about making discoveries. It is about learning how this most amazing organism works and how it influences every aspect of your life. As religious educators, you need to know how the brain functions and how to translate that information into better, more usable lessons to help students continue, with depth and purpose, on their journey of faith. The first section of this book is a brief background of the brain research that is fascinating so many people in so many fields today. The second section is about learning, particularly brain-based learning. The third section is divided into twelve segments. Each segment is a practical application to Christian education based on the findings in brain research. The fourth section will help you to take your learning about the brain into new areas of discovery.
Our Spiritual DNA: Twelve Ascended Masters and the Evidence for Our Divine Ancestry
by Carmel Niland• Investigates the roles, energies, and essence of 12 Ascended Masters and how each of them holds a strand of our spiritual DNA • Traces the reincarnations of Ascended Masters Mother Mary and St. Germain through history, depicting the positive and shadow aspects of their archetypal energies • Offers charts that allow you to find out which Ascended Master you relate to and thus discover your own direct connection to the Divine DO YOU KNOW what Imhotep, Homer, and Nikola Tesla have in common? All three are said to be influential incarnations of Ascended Master St. Germain. How can we tell? Guided by renowned mystics, Carmel Niland suggests that, just as we carry physical DNA that shapes us across generations, we also carry an energetic code or spiritual DNA that links us back to the very source of our origins -- God -- a divine ancestry that throughout the centuries conveys itself in patterns of behavior, character traits, and life purpose, connecting each individual to a specific Ascended Master. The God essence expresses itself through archetypal energies in us, represented by 12 Ascended Masters who hold the 12 strands of our spiritual DNA. Thus, every person on this earth, no matter how ordinary or extraordinary, is an aspect of one of these Masters. Focusing on Mother Mary and St. Germain, Our Spiritual DNA explores the role, energies, and essence of these 12 Masters by examining some of history&’s most important figures who have been instrumental in shaping our world. Hitherto unknown details about the lives of personalities like Queen Nefertiti, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Merlin, Isabelle of Castile, and Dante emerge in channeled conversations with the author&’s spiritual guide, The Gatekeeper. Revolutionizing the Western view of reincarnation, this astounding book allows you to trace your own spiritual DNA through the reincarnations of the Ascended Masters, understand your spiritual and genetic connection to God, and realize that we are all divinely connected across gender, race, and time.
Our Strangely Warmed Hearts: Coming Out into God’s Call
by Karen P. OlivetoAs John Wesley discovered his true spiritual identity, he experienced a strangely warmed heart. Through poignant stories and well-reasoned principles, Karen Oliveto discloses why and how spiritual renewal and a personal call to ministry emerge in the strangely warmed hearts of lesbian and gay Christians. In The United Methodist Church (and other Christian denominations), it is difficult or impossible for lesbian, gay, transsexual, and bisexual clergy or laity to become a visible and outward channel for God’s saving grace. This book traces the history of the church’s struggle with homosexuality, highlighting critical incidents in the culture and church polity which shape the church’s response. The controversy is deeply rooted in how God’s people are searching the scriptures, which are interpreted as a means of grace for some and as a rulebook for others. This book includes first-person narratives of LGBTQ persons faithfully serving in a denomination that denies their calls and—in some cases—their presence. These stories will show how the coming out process is deeply spiritual as one grows into an authentic, God-created and graced self. “You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CEB) “Our Strangely Warmed Hearts is a breath of fresh air in the study of the United Methodist struggle and intense debate regarding human sexuality. Karen Oliveto lives in faithful witness and serves people with the heart of Christian leadership."—Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. “Karen Oliveto offers a compelling window into the steadfast faith and the resilience of the LGBTQ Christian movement in the United States. After offering an extraordinary history of the LGBTQ equality movement in our society and in The United Methodist Church, she rightly asks, 'Is there any other group that we would marginalize in this way?' I wholeheartedly recommend Karen Oliveto's new book to everyone who is affected by the debate over the sacred worth and place of LGBTQ people in our lives and churches. This book inspires hope.” —Michael J. Adee, Ph.D., Director, Global Faith and Justice Project, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA “Bishop Oliveto's story mirrors the experience of many LGBTQ ministers who are serving the Body of Christ openly, and not in the shadows. The integrity, courage, and deep faith of God’s LGBTQ people who are called into ministry have enriched the church and encouraged the outsiders who were always welcome at Jesus' table.”–Andy Lang, Executive Director, Open and Affirming Coalition, United Church of Christ “I loved it! It drew me in immediately and kept me strapped in on what I knew would be a roller coaster of painful history, sprinkled triumphs, and then stories that broke my heart, gave me cheer, and brought tears to my eyes. Bishop Oliveto takes readers on a fascinating trip through LGBTQ history, and into the often contentious collision with mainstream religion…and then brings it all together through the personal stories that make our past and present come alive! I applaud Bishop Oliveto’s book and will highly recommend it to the faithful and faith curious of all religions.”–The Reverend Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity "[Bishop Karen Oliveto] is sharing the love of Jesus, and meeting people where they are, no matter who they are, and no matter what they think about her. She loves them." —Kent Ingram, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Our Together-time Bible
by Gwen EllisA perfect companion to Read and Share BibleTM that helps young families teach about God's Word! With 52 Bible stories and fun activities, this book provides easy access to age-appropriate topics, prayers, Bible stories, and activities that encourage sharing God's love with others. Stories emphasize such topics as helpfulness, forgiveness, love, and fear. It's perfect for young families who are looking for tools to help them teach their children about God's love and who want to make the most of the times they spend together. Each devotional contains a variety of topic introductions (ranging from songs and poems to recipes and stories), a Bible verse (short enough for a child to memorize), a Bible story, What Have You Learned questions, a Share God's Love activity; a prayer; plus engaging four-color art.
Our Troth, Volume 1: History and Lore
by Kveldulf GundarssonOur Troth is the single most comprehensive book available on the reborn religion of Heathenry -- the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic peoples. First published in 1993 but out of print for years, Our Troth is back in print, featuring updates and additions from its original compiler, Kveldulf Gundarsson, and from many other Heathen writers, all edited by well-known author Diana L. Paxson. Volume 1 covers the history and lore of Heathen religion, from its deepest Stone Age roots to its flowering today, with information on the Gods, Goddesses, and other beings that receive honor and worship, and the ethics of being Heathen.
Our Ultimate Hope: 7 Days of Promise to Renew Your Soul
by Max LucadoIn Our Ultimate Hope, Max Lucado unpacks the undeniable problem of fallen mankind and the unshakable promise God offers of “no condemnation.” With scripted prayers and guided questions to help renew your soul, Our Ultimate Hope is the perfect companion to Unshakable Hope.The realization of our moral debt sends some people into a frenzy of good works. Life becomes an unending quest to do enough, be better, accomplish more. A pursuit of piety. We attend church, tend to the sick, go on pilgrimages, and go on fasts. Yet deep within is the gnawing fear, What if, having done all that, I’ve not done enough?Other people respond to the list, not with activity, but unbelief. They throw up their hands and walk away exasperated. No God would demand so much. He can’t be pleased. He can’t be satisfied. He must not exist. If he does exist, he is not worth knowing.Two extremes. The legalist and the atheist. The worker desperate to impress God. The unbeliever convinced there is no God. Can you relate to either of the two? Do you know the weariness that comes from legalism? Do you know the loneliness that comes from atheism?What do we do? Are despair and disbelief the only options?Join Max on a soul-renewing guide through Scripture’s ultimate hope: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
OUR UNFINISHED BUSINESS
by Phillip BerrymanWhat human ends are served by our economic policies? To whom is what "owed" in our country today? Is there an acceptable argument for just wars - or for the proliferation of nuclear weapons? In the final years of the Reagan era, The U.S. Catholic bishops emerged as articulate sources of dissenting wisdom, publicly testing our foreign and domestic policies against the principles of morality and humanity. With the same succinct style of Liberation Theology, Phillip Berryman analyzes two recent and widely circulated texts: the 1982 Challenge of Peace (on nuclear arms) and the 1986 Economic Justice For All.Drawing on debate in and beyond church circles over these letters, Berryman argues that as we search for acceptable answers to urgent political questions we must use ethical and moral traditions if we are to confront them squarely. Only then can we promote peace and prosperity for all.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Our Way and Our Life: Christ in His Mysteries
by Blessed Columba MarmionThe present volume is a shorter edition of Christ in His Mysteries, Dom Columba Marmion's profound reflection on the Mysteries of Christ's birth, death, Resurrection, and Ascension as presented in the Gospels and the Liturgical Year. In Blessed Marmion's words, the mysteries that Jesus lived were lived for us. In them He shows Himself as our model and wills to make Himself one with our souls as Head of the Mystical Body of which we are members. Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, Paschaltide, the feasts of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart--following Christ in this way, uniting ourselves to Him, we share more deeply in His Divinity and His Divine life. The Sovereign Pontiff Pius X wrote in his encyclical of November 23rd, 1903, that "the active participation of the faithful in the sacred mysteries and in the public and solemn prayers of the Church is the first and indispensable source of the Christian spirit." There is no surer way, no more infallible means, of making us one with Christ.
Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak: The Rebirth of an Amazon Tribe
by Marie Jank Davey JankWhen US missionary Davey Jank starts a new life in the Amazon jungle among a remote tribe, he enters a world where witchcraft and shamanism are the trade of the powerful, and where fear drives a timid and isolated society to acts of desperation and the brink of despair. Davey, Marie and the others who later join them struggle to decipher and learn the unwritten language of the tribe. Within a few years the Wilos are enthusiastically reading and writing in their own language for the first time. But they want more. They want to know what "God's Talk" says. They hope that there is something more to life than the vicious cycle of fearing and appeasing the evil spirits at every turn. Finally the Wilos get what they have so long been waiting for: God's Word, taught in their own language. God had been preparing their hearts for this very message.
Our Witness to the World: Equipping the Church for Evangelism and Social Impact (Kingdom Pastor's Library)
by Tony EvansConcise Wisdom from a Pastoral VeteranThe Kingdom Pastor&’s Library is a new series that brings you a succinct, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans. Our Witness to the World teaches you how to equip every member of your church to go out into their neighborhoods for effective outreach. It also demonstrates how important social impact is for spreading the gospel. Faithful. Powerful. Practical. Become a Kingdom Pastor Today.
Our Witness to the World: Equipping the Church for Evangelism and Social Impact (Kingdom Pastor's Library)
by Tony EvansConcise Wisdom from a Pastoral VeteranThe Kingdom Pastor&’s Library is a new series that brings you a succinct, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans. Our Witness to the World teaches you how to equip every member of your church to go out into their neighborhoods for effective outreach. It also demonstrates how important social impact is for spreading the gospel. Faithful. Powerful. Practical. Become a Kingdom Pastor Today.
Ours for a Season: A Novel
by Kim Vogel SawyerAn Old Order Mennonite couple's vows and beliefs are challenged in this stirring contemporary novel for fans of Cindy Woodsmall or Shelley Shepherd Gray.Anthony and Marty Hirschler are part of an Old Order Mennonite community in Pine Hill, Indiana. The couple has grown apart since a doctor confirmed they would never have children. Marty longs to escape the tight-knit area where large families are valued, and the opportunity to do so arises when her childhood friend, Brooke Spalding, resurfaces with the wild idea of rebuilding a ghost town into a resort community. Brooke hires Anthony to help with the construction, drawing the Hirschlers away from Indiana and into her plan, and then finds herself diagnosed with cancer. Moral complications with Brooke's vision for a casino as part of the resort and the discovery of a runaway teenager hiding on the property open up a world neither the Hirschlers nor Brooke had considered before. Will they be able to overcome their challenges and differences to help the ones among them hurting the most?
Out
by Sandra DierschAfter several shocking events, Alex must decide where his loyalties and beliefs lie.
Out: One Christian's Experience of Leaving the Gay Community
by Bob Fife Ron HughesBob Fife was raised in a small Ontario town by a Christian mother and an unbelieving father. The tensions made for a dysfunctional home and an uneasy life. But nothing prepared Bob for being sexually molested by an older boy he trusted—-or what happened in his heart afterward.Out is the story of Bob's descent into homosexual practices and out again. His fascinating journey takes readers from the confusion of his teen years, to his marriage and fatherhood, to his discovery and embrace of the flamboyant Toronto gay scene. He describes abandoning his young family in order to fulfill his same-sex desires, taking him to London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona, Provincetown, Key West, and San Francisco. Over a decade later, an unexpected visit from his college-aged son caused Bob to confront the consequences of his indulgences and begin to seek change.Today, Bob has been out of his gay lifestyle for over twenty years. He has reconnected with the church, built and maintained healthy, nonsexual relationships, and healed his relationship with his son. For those who want a way to deal with their same-sex attractions, not celebrate them, Bob's story points a way to grace and redemption..
Out for Justice
by Carol J. PostTHE NEXT TARGET Tracking a serial killer in Harmony Grove turns personal for Detective Lexi Simmons when her cousin becomes a victim. It turns nearly impossible when she's teamed up with Officer Alan White-the almost-fiancé whose heart she broke six years ago. Alan can't understand how two people so right for each other didn't end up together. But they have more pressing matters of the past to attend to: a vengeful killer and a decade-old incident on a college campus. Now Lexi fits the profile of the next name on the hit list. And Alan finds himself not only engaged in a fight for her love-but for her life.
Out From the Heart
by James AllenAs the heart, so is the life. The within is ceaselessly becoming the without. Nothing remains unrevealed. That which is hidden is but for a time; it ripens and comes forth at last. Seed, tree, blossom, and fruit are the fourfold order of the universe. From the state of a man's heart proceed the conditions of his life. His thoughts blossom into deeds; and his deeds bear the fruitage of character and destiny.
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope.
by Christopher Yuan Angela Yuan Kay WarrenComing Out, Then Coming Home Christopher Yuan, the son of Chinese immigrants, discovered at an early age that he was different. He was attracted to other boys. As he grew into adulthood, his mother, Angela, hoped to control the situation. Instead, she found that her son and her life were spiraling out of control--and her own personal demons were determined to defeat her. Years of heartbreak, confusion, and prayer followed before the Yuans found a place of complete surrender, which is God's desire for all families. Their amazing story, told from the perspectives of both mother and son, offers hope for anyone affected by homosexuality. God calls all who are lost to come home to him. Casting a compelling vision for holy sexuality, Out of a Far Country speaks to prodigals, parents of prodigals, and those wanting to minister to the gay community."But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." - Luke 15:20 Includes a discussion guide for personal reflection and group use.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Out of Babylon
by Walter BrueggemannIt was the center of learning, commerce, wealth, and religion. Devoted to materialism, extravagance, luxury, and the pursuit of sensual pleasure, it was a privileged society. But, there was also injustice, poverty, and oppression. It was the great and ancient Babylon--the center of the universe. And now we find Babylon redux today in Western society. Consumer capitalism, a never-ending cycle of working and buying, a sea of choices produced with little regard to life or resources, societal violence, marginalized and excluded people, a world headed toward climactic calamity. Where are the prophets--the Jeremiahs--to lead the way out of the gated communities of overindulgence, the high rises of environmental disaster, and the darkness at the core of an apostate consumer society? Walter Brueggemann--a scholar, a preacher, a prophetic voice in our own time--challenges us again to examine our culture, turn from the idols of abundance and abuse, and turn to lives of meaning and substance.
Out of Body Experiences: How to Have Them and What to Expect
by Robert PetersonBroaden your horizons by learning astral projection and experiencing its profoundly positive impact on your thoughts about life, death, and spirituality.Throughout history, people have reported spiritual experiences that we now identify as out-of-body experiences or OBEs. In recent times, modern researchers like Robert Monroe have pioneered the scientific study and practice of OBEs. Increasingly, people are remembering spontaneous OBEs, especially from early childhood. Also, OBEs are a typical feature of near-death experiences and have been described as beautiful, painless, and ecstatic.This is the comprehensive manual for inducing out of body experiences and managing the experience. Peterson not only explores the stages of his own development, but also concludes each chapter with a specific exercise that takes you to the next level.From wiggling out of your body for the first time (the author did a back flip his first time) to traveling through other realms and dealing with your “encounters,” this is one of the most practical, step-by-step guides to OBEs available. He clearly demonstrates how this consciousness-expanding experience is accessible to anyone willing to make the leap into the great beyond.This is the ultimate manual on how to leave home alone . . .
The Out of Bounds Church?: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change
by Steve TaylorWhat’s Going on Out There? Author Steve Taylor takes trips to the edge of the church envelope and sends us back what he’s finding inside the emerging church around the globe. From the revival of ancient spiritual practices to the rise of multimedia, each of his posts sketches a view of the body of Christ in wild flux. Topics include: birth; pilgrimage; community; creativity; DJing; and leading and following.
Out of Chaos: How God Makes New Things from the Broken Pieces of Life
by Jessica LaGroneLife is a hot mess. There's the bedlam of getting out the door in the morning. The constant breaking down of our homes and bodies and the cars we drive. And the institutions that promise to help are often no better. We are surrounded by the constant disorder of governments and disappointed by "organized" religion, the very entities that tell us they can provide us sanity and security. Instead, they leave us scratching our heads or licking our wounds. Chaos surrounds us, and at times, it seems to rule our souls, our families, and our world.But does chaos always end in failure or flaw?What if chaos was more than the check engine light of lost causes? What if chaos was the raw material out of which God creates? In the beginning God brought order from chaos, filling the chaos with a beautiful creation, and he's been doing it ever since. Where you and I may experience confusion and disorder, God sees an opportunity for something new--for a rebirth, a renewal, and a renovation. God did this in the beginning, he did it again at the cross, and with renewed vision for our disordered world today, we look to God to do it again.Inspired by the powerful picture of creation in Genesis 1:2, author Jessica LaGrone challenges the hope-destroying belief that God has abandoned us in our broken relationships, our pain, and our grief. In the midst of our out-of-control lives, God is there, and he specializes in making new things from the chaos threatens to drown us. When we experience chaos in our own lives and everything feels like it is falling apart, God is just getting started. When the Spirit of God hovers, chaos can give birth to hope.
Out of Character: Debating Dutchness, Narrating Citizenship (Cultural Sociology)
by Rogier van ReekumThis book offers a detailed and innovative study of the Dutch case of politics of citizenship and nationalism by focusing on public and political controversies in the crucial period of 1973–2015. By foregrounding the crucial role of performance and narration in public and political debates, this book shows how discourses of citizenship and nationhood are deeply shaped by established repertoires and long-lasting lines of disagreement about difference and belonging in the Netherlands. While change did occur within the Dutch context during this period, this book reveals that these transformations were not primarily driven by purportedly permissive and accommodating responses to immigration and cultural diversity. Instead, it unveils a Dutch landscape deeply marked by challenges related to race, democracy, and liberal exceptionalism. In doing so, the book contributes to ongoing debates in the study of citizenship, nationalism, and intellectual history around the merits and limitations of liberal politics of inclusion. It critically extends concepts and arguments in cultural pragmatics and problematizes the common hope that public debate may progressively resolve antagonisms over difference. With a focus on empirical research, the book meticulously reconstructs the emergence of national identity debates in recent decades and vividly portrays the dynamics and tensions of these public performances while dissecting their role in shaping the nation's identity and its boundaries. The book covers a crucial period of the European politics of citizenship and nationhood in which anti-immigrant politics, new modes of racism, and the bordering of Europe took shape. It locates the Dutch case within these developments and insists on the importance of historical continuity and narrative performance. This book demonstrates that the Netherlands, and Europe more broadly, has not overcome the profound consequences of its past.
Out Of Control (Rachel Yoder, Always Trouble Somewhere Series Book #3)
by Wanda E. BrunstetterLook out! Rachel's Back, and She's Out of Control! Ten-year-old Rachel is driving her Amish friends and family "buggy" with her lack of patience, which brings her trouble at every turn--from sledding into a creek to ruining a yummy shoofly pie, to flunking a test in school, to being dragged facedown in the snow. Will Rachel spend the entire winter getting into more trouble than her Lancaster County family and schoolmates can handle? Or will she finally discover that patience has its own rewards?
Out of Control: Confrontations between Spinoza and Levinas (SUNY series in Contemporary Jewish Thought)
by Richard A. CohenAfter the end of superstitious religion, what is the meaning of the world? Baruch Spinoza's answer is truth, Emmanuel Levinas's is goodness: science versus ethics. In Out of Control, Richard A. Cohen brings this debate to life, providing a nuanced exposition of Spinoza and Levinas and the confrontations between them in ethics, politics, science, and religion.Spinoza is the control, the inexorable defensive logic of administrative rationality, where freedom is equated to necessity—a seventeenth-century glimpse of Orwellian doublespeak and Big Brother. Levinas is the way out: transcendence not of God, being, and logic but of the other person experienced as moral obligation. To alleviate the suffering of others—nothing is more important! Spinoza wagers everything on mathematical truth, discarding the rest as ignorance and illusion; for Levinas, nothing surpasses the priorities of morality and justice, to create a world in which humans can be human and not numbers or consumers, drudges or robots.Situating these two thinkers in today's context, Out of Control responds to the fear of dehumanization in a world flattened by the alliance of positivism and plutocracy. It offers a nonideological ethical alternative, a way out and up, in the nobility of one human being helping another, and the solidarity that moves from morality to justice.
Out of Control
by Ben YoungWith cell phones, instant messaging, express lanes, and PDAs, we can now cram more activities into our lives than ever before. But is this a blessing or a curse? Could it be that this fast-paced lifestyle is creating an underlying sense of anxiety and fragmentation? Is it any wonder the television is flooded with advertising for anti-anxiety medication? As a nation, we are stressed out, physically exhausted, and spiritually drained.Working professionals caught in the continual push for success or over-extended soccer moms who feel burdened with too many commitments will find in Out of Control desperately needed help. This book shares with readers the liberating truth that they are not helpless victims of our fast-paced society. Most importantly, it gives readers permission to slow down and presents practical methods for living a life of peace and simplicity.