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Not In Kansas Anymore
by Christine WickerMagic has stepped out of the movies, morphed from the pages of fairy tales, and is more present in America today than you might expect. Soccer moms get voodoo head washings in their backyards, young American soldiers send chants toward pagan gods of war, and a seemingly normal family determines that they are in fact elves. National bestselling author and award-winning religion reporter Christine Wicker leaves no talisman unturned in her hunt to find what's authentic and what's not in America's burgeoning magical reality. From the voodoo temples of New Orleans to the witches' covens of Salem to a graveyard in north Florida, Wicker probes the secrets of an underground society and teaches lessons she never dreamed could be taught. What she learns repels her, challenges her, and changes her in ways she never could have imagined. And if you let it, it might change you, too.
Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought
by David BialeThe story of the origins and development of a Jewish form of secularismNot in the Heavens traces the rise of Jewish secularism through the visionary writers and thinkers who led its development. Spanning the rich history of Judaism from the Bible to today, David Biale shows how the secular tradition these visionaries created is a uniquely Jewish one, and how the emergence of Jewish secularism was not merely a response to modernity but arose from forces long at play within Judaism itself.Biale explores how ancient Hebrew books like Job, Song of Songs, and Esther downplay or even exclude God altogether, and how Spinoza, inspired by medieval Jewish philosophy, recast the biblical God in the role of nature and stripped the Torah of its revelatory status to instead read scripture as a historical and cultural text. Biale examines the influential Jewish thinkers who followed in Spinoza's secularizing footsteps, such as Salomon Maimon, Heinrich Heine, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein. He tells the stories of those who also took their cues from medieval Jewish mysticism in their revolts against tradition, including Hayim Nahman Bialik, Gershom Scholem, and Franz Kafka. And he looks at Zionists like David Ben-Gurion and other secular political thinkers who recast Israel and the Bible in modern terms of race, nationalism, and the state.Not in the Heavens demonstrates how these many Jewish paths to secularism were dependent, in complex and paradoxical ways, on the very religious traditions they were rejecting, and examines the legacy and meaning of Jewish secularism today.
Not Just Science: Questions Where Christian Faith and Natural Science Intersect
by Dorothy F. Chappell E. David CookThis book argues that it is possible for our study of the natural world to enhance our understanding of God and for our faith to inform and influence our study and application of science. Whether you are a student, someone employed in the sciences, or simply an interested layperson, Not Just Science will help you develop the crucial skills of critical thinking and reflection about key questions in Christian faith and natural science. The contributors provide a systematic approach to both raising and answering the key questions that emerge at the intersection of faith and various disciplines in the natural sciences. Among the questions addressed are the context, limits, benefits, and practice of science in light of Christian values. Questions of ethics as they relate to various applied sciences are also discussed. The end goal is an informed biblical worldview on both nature and our role in obeying God’s mandate to care for his creation. With an honest approach to critical questions, Not Just Science fills a gap in the discussion about the relationship between faith and reason. This is a most welcomed addition to these significant scholarly conversations. Ron Mahurin, PhD Vice President, Professional Development and Research Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Not Just Stories
by Tweski ShaarThe great chassidic stories are the best entry into the movement's rich spiritual, moral, and intellectual core. Chassidism's greatest thinkers have used its tales to captivate their listeners and then introduce them to the thought-world of the Baal Shem Tov and his spiritual heirs. In this time-honored craft, Rabbi Twerski has few peers. In his hands, stories are not just stories they are precision tools that teach and enlighten, that heal and encourage. <p><p>Not Just Stories is a milestone book. You will read it over and over again for the stimulation of its message and the sheer joy of its text!
Not Less Than Everything: Catholic Writers on Heroes of Conscience, from Joan of Arc to Oscar Romero
by Catherine WolffJoan of Arc, Mother Mary MacKillop, Ignatius of Loyola, and Bartolomé de Las Casas. All of these people have one thing in common—they are Catholics whose beliefs caused them to be per-secuted, but who, through the test of time, proved to be figures revered in the Church.In fact, many of the Catholic figures who intrigue and inspire us are the men and women who found the great strength—personal, spiritual, intellectual—to challenge the Church. Some were called heretics, denounced for denying doctrine. Others were condemned for not submitting to the control of the Church. But they have much to teach us in our own efforts to live out our faith. It is difficult to know what to do when Church doctrine is at odds with cultural developments. From gay marriage to contraception, stem-cell research to required celibacy for priests, Catholics today are struggling with the conflict between tradition and the Church's need to come to terms with modernity. In Not Less Than Everything, some of the best Catholic writers of our time, including Alice McDermott, Ron Hansen, Mary Gordon, Tobias Wolff, and Ann Patchett, share their personal accounts of people who have influenced the way they view the intersection of faith and culture. Not Less Than Everything is a riveting exploration of how to face the challenge of living our faith in the real and messy world.
Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost
by Francena H. ArnoldEleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life-long dream. Will she follow her own will, or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, Not My Will is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender, with more than 500,000 copies sold.
Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost
by Francena H. ArnoldEleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life-long dream. Will she follow her own will, or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, Not My Will is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender, with more than 500,000 copies sold.
Not My Will / The Light in My Window Set of 2
by Francena H. ArnoldThis two-book set includes Not My Will and The Light in My Window. In Not My Will, Eleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life-long dream. Will she follow her own will or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, this book is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender.In The Light in My Window, Hope Thompson is new to the big city. However, instead of finding fulfillment in her work and service, she is bitter and struggles with herself, with God, and with her love for Stan. Sequel to the bestselling Not My Will, this dynamic story is one of searching, discovery, and peace.
Not My Will / The Light in My Window Set of 2
by Francena H. ArnoldThis two-book set includes Not My Will and The Light in My Window. In Not My Will, Eleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life-long dream. Will she follow her own will or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, this book is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender.In The Light in My Window, Hope Thompson is new to the big city. However, instead of finding fulfillment in her work and service, she is bitter and struggles with herself, with God, and with her love for Stan. Sequel to the bestselling Not My Will, this dynamic story is one of searching, discovery, and peace.
Not Nothing
by Gayle Forman"The book we all need at the time we all need it.&” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award–winning author of The One and Only Ivan In this multigenerational middle grade novel of hope, compassion, and forgiveness from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman that is as timely as it is timeless, a boy who has been assigned to spend his summer volunteering at a senior living facility learns unexpected lessons that change the trajectory of his life.Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he&’s bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn&’t seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don&’t want him, and Shady Glen&’s geriatric residents seem like zombies to him. Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp—all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey&’s door…and Josey begins to tell Alex his story. As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he&’s ever done?
Not of This Fold (A Linda Wallheim Mystery #4)
by Mette Ivie HarrisonThe fourth installment in Mette Ivie Harrison's nationally bestselling Linda Wallheim mystery series, set in Mormon Utah, explores the effects of alienation, immigration, and extortion from the inner workings of the Mormon church. <P><P>Now that all five of her sons have left home, Mormon bishop’s wife Linda Wallheim has quite a bit of time on her hands, most of which she spends worrying about the state of the country and how her youngest son, Samuel, who is openly gay, is faring on his mission in Boston. She has also become close with one of the women in her ward, Gwen Ferris. <P><P>But Gwen is quickly losing faith in the church, and her issues with the Mormon power structure are only reinforced by her work in Draper’s local “Spanish ward.” The ward’s members comprise both legal and undocumented immigrants who aren’t always getting the community support they should be from their church. <P><P>When Gabriela Gonzalez, a young mother and Gwen’s friend in the Spanish Ward, is found strangled at a gas station, Gwen is paralyzed with guilt. The dead woman’s last phone call was to Gwen, and her voice mail reveals that she knew she was in danger. <P><P>When Gwen decides the police aren’t doing enough to get justice for Gabriela, who was undocumented, she decides to find the killer herself. Linda reluctantly takes part in Gwen’s vigilante sleuthing, fearing for her young friend’s safety, but what the pair discovers may put them both in danger.
Not Of This World: A Treasury Of Christi
by James S. CutsingerAnthology of nearly two thousand years of Christian mystical writings from Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant perspectives.This profound and insightful book includes selected writings of Christian sages and saints from the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Celtic branches of the Christian tradition. They are presented from a perspective of 'the transcendent unity of denominations'.
Not Off Limits: Questions You Wish You Could Ask at Church
by Ross CochranComplex issues are often avoided within the church. Many times difficult questions are greeted with defensive responses, eventually leading to arguments and division within a congregation. This book offers Christians the opportunity to explore, reflect, and discuss some of these hard questions together without judgment or conflict.Not Off Limits allows the reader to think critically about some of the complex questions facing the church today without fear or discomfort. Christians must learn to see issues from various points of view as well as appreciate the genuine Christian devotion of the people with whom they differ. Not Off Limits teaches its readers to explore these issues together, since true unity cannot exist until it has weathered conflict.
Not One Single Thing: A Commentary on the Platform Sutra
by Shodo Harada Jane Shotaku Lago Priscilla Daichi StorandtExplore the seminal Platform Sutra, with one of the greatest living Zen masters as a guide.A lodestone of Zen Buddhism, the Platform Sutra presents the life, work, and wisdom of Eno, or Huineng, the fascinating and much-loved seventh-century Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Zen. He was an illiterate woodcutter who famously attained enlightenment after only hearing a single line of the Diamond Sutra, and who went on to decisively upstage senior monks with a poem that demonstrated the depth and clarity of his insight. His example has demonstrated to generations of students and spiritual seekers worldwide that enlightenment is attainable regardless of education or social standing. His exhortations to directly perceive one's true nature, right here and now, still reverberate in contemporary Zen. Shodo Harada Roshi’s fresh reading of the Platform Sutra offers both the history behind the work and the lived experience of its wisdom. In a plain-English, conversational voice, Shodo Harada brings the sutra to life for his students, discussing and explaining its central points chapter by chapter and illustrating it with his own beautiful calligraphy. This is an essential Buddhist text brought to life.
Not Quite Healed: 40 Truths for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
by Cecil Murphy Gary RoeSurvivors of sexual abuse face a long road to recovery. With every bump and bruise and setback, they may wonder if total healing is even possible. In fact, the feeling that “I should be healed by now” is one that every survivor will have to deal with at some time. A survivor himself, Cecil Murphey writes, “I absolutely affirm that God can produce such a miracle. I don’t know of any, but I still think that it is possible.” So how are survivors to overcome the challenges they are sure to face? Finding strength in community with other survivors is one key to recovery. In Not Quite Healed, two survivors join forces to share insight and encouragement on the issues that challenge them most. After a candid discussion about each issue, the authors provide a self-affirming statement that men can study, memorize, and recite on their darkest days—statements such as:• Forgiveness is a difficult task for me, but it's a simple thing for God.• Accountability is the first step to livability.• God wants to heal my pain to bring healing to others.Whether men are struggling with relying on God, living behind a mask, dealing with flashbacks and recurring dreams, or learning to forgive, Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe offer hope and comfort for the ongoing
Not Quite Nirvana: A Skeptic's Journey to Mindfulness
by Rachel NeumannThe book is a memoir of how a skeptical, fast-talking New Yorker became Thich Nhat Hanh's editor, turned forty, realized she was aging, and slowly and reluctantly started to absorb mindfulness practice and grow up. Scenes with Thich Nhat Hanh and the author's two vividly exuberant older parents, illustrate how the author adapts mindfulness techniques for the busyness of her life, without losing her edge. With honest and vivid stories about dealing with difficult relationships with family members, death, illness, vanity, exhaustion, and creating a safety net of joy, the author explores and offers guidance for three key mindfulness practices: Knowing When You're Available and When You're Not; Full-Attachment Living; and Interbeing (Other People are Not a Hobby).This book is designed for adults who are new to mindfulness practice, Buddhism, curious skeptics, people familiar with the practice who want a personal story, and those interested in memoir.
Not Safe: Discovering God's Dangerous Plan for Your Life
by Mark BattersonThere is nothing more thrilling in life then to allow Jesus to make us dangerous.Based on his bestselling book, All In, Mark Batterson, challenges the mistaken beliefs that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things; that faithfulness is holding the fort; that playing it safe is safe; that there is any greater privilege than sacrifice; and that radical is anything but normal. Instead, Batterson maintains that Jesus did not die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. Here is a challenge to go all in and all out by fully surrendering your life to daring plan God has for you. The message of Not Safe is simple: If Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not lord at all. It’s all or nothing. Now or never. Not safe or safe.
Not Safe, but Good: Short Stories Sharpened by Faith (vol. #1)
by Bret LottIn C.S. Lewis's classic The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy asks if Aslan the lion is safe. It is quickly clarified that Aslan is not safe...but he is good. That concept serves as the foundation for this collection of short stories. While written from a Christian worldview, our goal isn't comfort food for Christians or G-rated stories that offer simplistic lessons. Instead, we're serving up stories sharpened by faith. Stories that will engage, challenge, entertain, and stretch the reader. These stories aren't necessarily safe...but without question, they are good. From Homer Hickam, the best-selling author of Rocket Boys--which later became the movie October Sky--to editor and contributing best-selling author Bret Lott, this collection spans a talented community writing an eclectic blend of fiction. These stories will take you on a journey filled with lightheartedness, profundity, hilarity, tragedy...and ultimately hope.
Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations
by F. Douglas Powe Jr. Jasmine Rose SmothersCongregations say they want to reach new and younger people, many of whom are simply turned off by church. The big idea is that congregations must be willing to embrace radical ways to connect with new generations. Re-thinking old assumptions is a starting place but more is needed. To really connect congregations have to move beyond and start doing new things that are out of their comfort zones. These authors give ten ways to help you move from just saying what you intend to actually doing it. This book provides tools to help churches re-frame the Good News in non-traditional ways and study questions for church leadership teams.he church or, at least church as they've known it. Smother and Powe give 10 ways to help congregations move from merely saying what they intend, to actually doing it. These are the 10 commandments of reaching new generations.
Not So Black and White: An Invitation to Honest Conversations about Race and Faith
by Reggie Dabbs John DriverReggie Dabbs and John Driver--a Black man and a white man, and longtime friends--engage in a courageous, respectfully honest, challenging exploration of racism in America, including how Black and white Christians can come together to fight the evils of racism within our hearts and our systems, including our churches.White privilege. Black Lives Matter. George Floyd. When it comes to racism in America, many of us feel confused, overwhelmed, angry--and eager to know how to engage in meaningful conversations and actions surrounding such a difficult topic. In Not So Black and White, public school communicator and internationally acclaimed speaker Reggie Dabbs and pastor John Driver team up to offer a hope-filled, convicting, inspiring look at how to be anti-racist in America today.Through Reggie and John's honest conversations, you will:Hear the stories of fellow believers who have found ways to reach across the racial barrier with humility, empathy, and forgivenessUnderstand a simple yet robust history of racism in America and in the church, including its role in systems, policies, and individual actionsDiscover fully biblical yet culturally wise responses to the challenges of racism in yourself and your communityCome away with fresh thought processes and practical steps for what you can do to think rightly and engage bravely in conversations and actions to end racismNot So Black and White is a compelling resource for pastors, teachers, and community leaders who want to read about issues of racism from a biblical and a historical perspective. For readers of all denominations and backgrounds, Not So Black and White equips us to engage together in the intentional work of dismantling racism, just as the gospel calls us to do.
Not So Fast
by Ann KroekerWe're raising our kids in a high-speed, high-pressured, 24/7 world. Pushing children to get ahead, we cram everything possible into our days to maximize their chance at success. We're overloaded, overextended, overcommitted, and over-caffeinated. And we're paying a price: Our relationships are anemic; our health, in jeopardy. Half-awake and half-hearted, we can't sustain this pace. But how can we possibly downshift without missing out?Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families explores the jarring effects of our over committed culture and offers refreshing alternatives. Author Ann Kroeker relates her own story of how embracing a slower everyday pace resulted in a more meaningful family and spiritual life. Practical ideas and insight will spark creativity and personal reflection. Plus, ponder real-life stories from parents who chucked the high-speed lifestyle and reaped the rewards of richer relationships. Not So Fast offers hope that families struggling with hurried hearts and frantic souls can discover the rejuvenating power of an unrushed life.
A Not-So-Silent Night: The Unheard Story of Christmas and Why It Matters
by Verlyn VerbruggeA revolutionary examination of the often-overlooked parts of the Christmas story, Not-So-Silent Night offers fresh insights on what the message of Christmas really is.
A Not-So-Simple Life (Diary of a Teenage Girl: Maya #1)
by Melody CarlsonFifteen-year-old Maya Stark seems to have it all-fame, fortune, a Beverly Hills lifestyle, and an eighties pop star dad who's making a comeback. But looks can be deceiving, and on the inside, Maya is miserable. Her parents are divorced, her dad is away on tour, and being biracial, she struggles with her identity. Then, to make matters worse, her mother has returned to using drugs and is quickly depleting their finances. In a plan to become emancipated from her messed-up mom, Maya takes a job on Rodeo Drive. Selling designer clothes compromises Maya's earth-friendly "green girl" values, but she is desperate.Just when Maya thinks she's got it all worked out, her life caves in. Her mom "embezzles" Maya's savings and is later arrested on DUI and cocaine possession charges and is facing jail time. With nowhere to live, Maya is sent to spend the summer with her relatives. In the collision of two very different worlds, Maya must figure out where she fits in-or does she fit in at all?From the Trade Paperback edition.
Not Talking Union: An Oral History of North American Mennonites and Labour
by Janis ThiessenHow does one write a labour history of a people who have not been involved in the labour movement in significant numbers and, historically, have opposed union membership? While North American Mennonites have traditionally been associated with rural life, in light of the adjustments demanded by post-1945 urbanization and industrialization, they in fact became very involved in the workforce at a time of important labour foment. Drawing on over a hundred interviews, Janis Thiessen explores Mennonite responses to labour movements such as Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, as well as Mennonite involvement in conscientious objection to unions. This innovative study of the Mennonites - a people at once united by an ethnic and religious identity, yet also shaped by differences in geography, immigration histories, denomination, and class position - provides insights into how and why they have resisted involvement in organized labour. Not Talking Union adds a unique perspective to the history of labour, exploring how people negotiate tensions between their commitments to faith and conscience and the demands of their employment. Not Talking Union breaks new methodological ground in its close analysis of the oral narratives of North American Mennonites. Reflecting on both oral and archival sources, Thiessen shows why Mennonite labour history matters, and reveals the role of power and inequality in that history.
Not Talking Union: An Oral History of North American Mennonites and Labour
by Janis ThiessenHow does one write a labour history of a people who have not been involved in the labour movement in significant numbers and, historically, have opposed union membership? While North American Mennonites have traditionally been associated with rural life, in light of the adjustments demanded by post-1945 urbanization and industrialization, they in fact became very involved in the workforce at a time of important labour foment. Drawing on over a hundred interviews, Janis Thiessen explores Mennonite responses to labour movements such as Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, as well as Mennonite involvement in conscientious objection to unions. This innovative study of the Mennonites - a people at once united by an ethnic and religious identity, yet also shaped by differences in geography, immigration histories, denomination, and class position - provides insights into how and why they have resisted involvement in organized labour. Not Talking Union adds a unique perspective to the history of labour, exploring how people negotiate tensions between their commitments to faith and conscience and the demands of their employment. Not Talking Union breaks new methodological ground in its close analysis of the oral narratives of North American Mennonites. Reflecting on both oral and archival sources, Thiessen shows why Mennonite labour history matters, and reveals the role of power and inequality in that history.