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Skillful Grace
by Jamgon Kongtrul Adeu Rinpoche Chokgyur LingpaTara is an inspirational figure to many practitioners. She embodies the most compelling and vital qualities of the feminine: beauty, grace, and the ability to nurture, care for and protect. In addition, she is a true warrior, vanquishing fear and ignorance. One could say she is the earliest known Buddhist feminist.Skillful Grace is an entirety of instructions on deity practice centered on the female Buddha Tara. It covers everything from beginning to end. It has all the preliminaries, as well as the main part and the subsequent yogas. There is the outer and inner sadhanas with Tara and her retinue of twenty-one Taras that dispel the various fears. There is also the innermost practice of Tara with consort. It has all the details on the development stage, and describes completion stage both with and without conceptual attributes. Nothing is left out. It is utterly complete with treasure and pith instructions from Tulku Urgyen and Adeu Rinpoche, skillfully arranged by the translation/author team of Erik Pema Kunsang and Marcia Binder Schmidt.There are many explanations of the different Tara practices. However, Skillful Grace is unique in that it outlines an entire path, taking Tara as support. This book is s divided into three main sections. The first is the root text of this cycle, The Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, according to the mind treasure of the profound essence of Tara as revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa. Following that is a commentary on this root text by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Next is Jamgön Kongtrül and Adeu Rinpoche's synthesized commentary on the same text. In order to make this work less scholarly and more applicable to practitioners, we decided to paraphrase Jamgön Kongrtül commentary and blend it together with Adeu Rinpoche's teaching.The book is rounded out with a foreword by Tara Bennett Goleman, author of the best selling book Emotional Alchemy, in depth introduction by Marcia Schmidt, and various appendixes and footnotes.
Skillful Grace: Tara Practice for Our Times
by Tara Bennett-Goleman Erik Pema Kunsang Marcia Binder Schmidt Trulshik Rinpoche Adeu Tulku UrgyenTara is one of the most inspiring of Buddhist deities, embodying the most compelling and vital qualities of the feminine: beauty, grace, and the ability to nurture, care for, and protect. This complex goddess, whose practice transcends sect and class, is also a true warrior, vanquishing fear and ignorance-in a sense the earliest known incarnation of Buddhist feminism. Skillful Grace is an elegant introduction to practice and meditation techniques based on the Vajrayana path.The book is divided into three main sections. The first contains the basic text of Tara practice, The Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, which connects the seeker to the profound essence of Tara as revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa. The other two sections feature enlightening commentaries on the text by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Jamgön Kongtrül, and Adeu Rinpoche. Skillful Grace includes all the preliminaries of Tara practice, as well as its main part and the subsequent yogas. Tara Bennett Goleman's foreword, Marcia Schmidt's introduction, and various appendixes and footnotes add useful context.
Skills for Effective Counseling: A Faith-Based Integration (Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books)
by Elisabeth A. Nesbit Sbanotto Heather Gingrich Fred GingrichAnyone in a helping profession—including professional counselors, spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, chaplains and others—needs to develop effective communication skills. But learning these skills is like learning a new language: it takes time and practice to communicate effectively, and lack of practice can lead to the loss of one's ability to use this new language. Suitable for both beginning students and seasoned practitioners, Skills for Effective Counseling provides a biblically integrated approach to foundational counseling skills that trains the reader to use specific microskills. These skills include perceiving, attending, validating emotion and empathic connection. Chapters include textbook features such as sample session dialogues, role plays and a variety of both in-class and out-of-class exercises and reflection activities that will engage various learning styles.
Skills for Effective Counseling: A Faith-Based Integration (Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books)
by Heather Davediuk Gingrich Fred C. Gingrich Elisabeth A. Nesbit SbanottoSkills for Effective Counselingmulticultural counselingbiblical/theological applicationscurrent and seminal research related to microskillsdiagnostic and theoretical implicationsclinical tips for using skills in "real world" counseling settingsthe relevance of specific microskills to interpersonal relationships and broader ministry settings
Skills for Literary Analysis (Student)
by James P. StobaughEquips high school students to analyze classic literary genres, discern author's worldviews, and apply biblical standards. Helps you build vocabulary by using new words in every speech and essay. Gain in-depth instruction in the subjects of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Learn to convey important ideas in both writing and speech in this easy-to-follow, daily format. This is a dialectic and logic level course that prepares students for later academic pursuits. This 35-week course presents diverse writings, from Shakespeare to Jack London, Lewis Carrol to Longfellow, and Sir Walter Scott to C.S. Lewis. Students are taught to analyze key elements of literature such as allegory narrative, satire, plot, setting, and more. While Dr. Stobaugh scrutinizes all literature from a Christian worldview, his instruction also helps students develop their skills in public speaking, writing, and discernment to empower them to be more effective Christian apologists. In the steps of Augustine, Milton, and Lewis, students are invited to analyze the classics with a keen, discerning eye, and to identify positive and negative components of literary worldviews emergent among the classics.
Skills for Literary Analysis (Teacher)
by James P. StobaughThe Teacher Guide for Skills for Literary Analysis: Lessons in Assessing Writing Structures.
Skills for Rhetoric (Student)
by James P. StobaughHelps high school students develop the skills necessary to communicate more powerfully through writing and to articulate their thoughts clearly.Develop creative writing skills including descriptive writing, poetry, and short stories.Cultivate the use of expository writing including research papers, analytical essays, problem-solution writing, and firsthand accounts.Learn the art of public speaking, including persuasive speeches, informative speeches, debates, and more.Rhetoric is the ancient skill of persuasive speech used by teachers, preachers, politicians, and others to influence, incite, and instruct. This course includes basic grammar and writing composition, and mastering this time-honored skill will set your students apart with distinguished written and oral abilities.This 34-week, critical-thinking course will take the student through the writing of numerous academic essays, several public speaking presentations, and an extensive research paper. Dr. Stobaugh weaves biblical concepts, readings, and applications throughout the curriculum to help equip students to stand firm in their faith and become the light of Christ in a deteriorating culture.
Skills for Rhetoric (Teacher)
by James P. StobaughRhetoric is the ancient skill of persuasive speech used by teachers, preachers, politicians, and others to influence, incite, and instruct. This course includes basic grammar and writing composition, and mastering this time-honored skill will set your students apart with distinguished written and oral abilities. This Teacher's Guide accompanies James Stobaugh's Skills for Rhetoric student book. It provides an instruction guide, daily concept builders, and weekly essay questions and tests.
Skin in the Game: Living an Epic Jesus-Centered Life
by Rick LawrenceExplores the revolutionary idea that risk is a foundational requirement, not an optional step, of the true faith walk "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." --Matthew 10:39 Christians are longing for more life in their lives, a sense that they're more present to Jesus and to their own story in the everyday. They're looking for the answer to the deepest question of human experience: "How do I find the freedom I crave, and become the person I long to be?" Too often, though, they're scared to risk too much to find the answer--so they simply continue to lead lives of "quiet desperation." Rick Lawrence says that's exactly the problem. We've seen too much. We know too much. And so we manage our risk so well that we choke off the very fuel that our soul needs to stay alive. In fact, risk should be a primary aspect of our relationship with Jesus, not the thing we avoid. In this book, Lawrence argues that if we pay attention to the way Jesus related to people, we discover that he asked every person he ever met to put their "skin in the game"--invest part of themselves. Only then did they find the life they always longed for. Lawrence asks eight key questions, including: * Will you embrace your shame? * Will you receive grace? * Will you confront your fears? * Will you wait, even when all hope is lost? With a vigorous, fast-paced, and conversational style, he uses these questions plus stories straight from Scripture and pop-culture corollaries to explore the kinds of risks we find in our lives today and how to stop waiting and start going all in for Jesus.
Skinny
by Laura L. SmithWhen the pressures of having good grades, good friends, a position on the dance team, and the perfect boyfriend become too much for Melissa, she turns to strict dieting to regain control.
Skinny Life: The Secret to Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Fitness
by Crystal Dwyer HansenFor weight-loss, life-long health, spiritual well-being, it's not enough just to change what you do, says Crystal Hansen. Crazy as it may sound, she insists, the first thing you must change to guarantee results is what you believe!
Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America
by Dan SavageIn Skipping Towards Gomorrah, Dan Savage eviscerates the right-wing conservatives as he commits each of the Seven Deadly Sins himself (or tries to) and finds those everyday Americans who take particular delight in their sinful pursuits. Among them: Greed:
Skits That Teach, Volume 2 eBook: Banned in Wisconsin // 35 Cheese Free Skits
by The Skit Guys35 CHEESE-FREE SKITS If you're looking for fun and creative ways to involve your students in learning, you can stop looking. Skits That Teach provides you and your students everything you need to act out funny and compelling skits with total confidence. Search by topic or by group size to find the perfect comedic or dramatic sketch to help illustrate a point or just start a dialogue. The Skit Guys, Eddie James and Tommy Woodard, have tested these skits on teenagers around the country, and they've brought together some of the best for this great resource. Plus they give you everything you need for each skit---overview, characters, location, Scripture reference, props, direction pointers, and a complete script. The Skit Guys avoid the cheesy dialogues and scenes typically found in Christian dramas and instead bring fun characters, witty scripts, and entertaining situations to their skits, all categorized by: * Skits for Idiots (it would take an idiot not to be able to do them right!) * Monologues * Duets/Ensembles * Comedy * Drama * Scripture Readings
Skits That Teach: Lactose Free for Those Who Can't Stand Cheesy Skits
by Eddie James Tommy WoodardI’ve watched the Skit Guys for more than 10 years; Eddie and Tommy are storytellers. They were telling stories before storytelling was all the rage. In their latest book, the Skit Guys let us peek inside their incredibly creative minds.” -Allen Jackson, New Orleans Seminary “When it comes to skits, the Skit Guys have the corner market on the good stuff. They are engaging, thought provoking and hilarious without being cheesy or cliché. Their unique style is clean, clever, clear, and ... funny! You can’t go wrong with these two.” -Darren Whitehead, Director of Next Gen Ministries, Willow Creek Community Church “I’ve been in student ministry for over 30 years, and the Skit Guys are pretty much the greatest skit guys ever. Here’s another resource from the chimerical minds of Eddie and Tommy that will help us youth workers in the trenches. This book will aid you greatly in your continuous pursuit of excellence in the world of drama. In other words, buy this freaking book!” -Bob Johns, First Woodway, Waco, Texas (the guy that gave them their first gig) 35 CHEESE-FREE SKITS If you’re looking for fun and creative ways to involve your students in learning, you can stop looking. Skits That Teach provides you and your students everything you need to act out funny and compelling skits with total confidence. Search by topic or by group size to find the perfect comedic or dramatic sketch to help illustrate a point or just start a dialogue. The Skit Guys, Eddie James and Tommy Woodard, have tested these skits on teenagers around the country, and they’ve brought together some of the best for this great resource. Plus they give you everything you need for each skit—overview, characters, location, Scripture reference, props, direction pointers, and a complete script. The Skit Guys avoid the cheesy dialogues and scenes typically found in Christian dramas and instead bring fun characters, witty scripts, and entertaining situations to their skits, all categorized by: • Skits for Idiots (it would take an idiot not to be able to do them right!) • Monologues • Duets/Ensembles • Comedy • Drama • Scripture Readings THE SKIT GUYS are Eddie James and Tommy Woodard, two high school friends who love to communicate God’s Word in dynamic and captivating ways through the use of drama, teaching, and comedy. They’ve been involved in various ministries and impacting lives for more than a decade. The duo has written numerous dramas, plays, and humorous skits that cover a wide variety of topics. They’re the authors of Instant Skits along with their own Skit Guys resources. Eddie James has coauthored four volumes of the Videos That Teach series with Doug Fields.
Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead: The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond
by Stanley H. Brandes<p>Each October, as the Day of the Dead draws near, Mexican markets overflow with decorated breads, fanciful paper cutouts, and whimsical toy skulls and skeletons. To honor deceased relatives, Mexicans decorate graves and erect home altars. Drawing on a rich array of historical and ethnographic evidence, this volume reveals the origin and changing character of this celebrated holiday. It explores the emergence of the Day of the Dead as a symbol of Mexican and Mexican-American national identity. <p>Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead poses a serious challenge to the widespread stereotype of the morbid Mexican, unafraid of death, and obsessed with dying. In fact, the Day of the Dead, as shown here, is a powerful affirmation of life and creativity. Beautifully illustrated, this book is essential for anyone interested in Mexican culture, art, and folklore, as well as contemporary globalization and identity formation.</p>
Skunk Girl
by Sheba KarimNina Khan is not just the only Asian or Muslim student in her small-town high school in upstate New York, she also faces the legacy of her "Supernerd" older sister, body hair, and the pain of having a crush when her parents forbid her to date.
Sky Above, Earth Below: Spiritual Practice in Nature
by John P. MiltonA renowned spiritual teacher guides you on a sacred passage into the temple of nature in this simple yet profound meditation guide. Since the 1940's, meditation master and vision-quest leader John P. Milton has led over 10,000 vision quests into the wilds of Colorado, the Himalayas, Bali, the Arctic, Mexico, and other powerful sites around the world. Now this pathfinder guides readers back to the wilderness within themselves, to discover how they are connected to the vast and wondrous mystery of nature. In Sky Above, Earth Below, Milton shares his Twelve Principles of Natural Liberation, then walks readers through the practice of relaxation, presence, cultivating universal energy, and more. &“Written out of boundless reverence for the Earth and life itself, [Milton] transfers the wisdom of Taoism into simple terms accessible to all readers regardless of personal background&” (Midwest Book Review).
Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan
by Kazuaki TanahashiRyokan (1758-1831) is, along with Dogen and Hakuin, one of the three giants of Zen in Japan. But unlike his two renowned colleagues, Ryokan was a societal dropout, living mostly as a hermit and a beggar. He was never head of a monastery or temple. He liked playing with children. He had no dharma heir. Even so, people recognized the depth of his realization, and he was sought out by people of all walks of life for the teaching to be experienced in just being around him. His poetry and art were wildly popular even in his lifetime. He is now regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Edo Period, along with Basho, Buson, and Issa. He was also a master artist-calligrapher with a very distinctive style, due mostly to his unique and irrepressible spirit, but also because he was so poor he didn't usually have materials: his distinctive thin line was due to the fact that he often used twigs rather than the brushes he couldn't afford. He was said to practice his brushwork with his fingers in the air when he didn't have any paper. There are hilarious stories about how people tried to trick him into doing art for them, and about how he frustrated their attempts. As an old man, he fell in love with a young Zen nun who also became his student. His affection for her colors the mature poems of his late period. This collection contains more than 140 of Ryokan's poems, with selections of his art, and of the very funny anecdotes about him.
Sky Burial
by XinranIn 2002 Xinran's Good Women of China became an international bestseller, revealing startling new truths about Chinese life to the West. Now she returns with an epic story of love, friendship, courage and sacrifice set in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Based on a true story, Xinran's extraordinary second book takes the reader right to the hidden heart of one of the world's most mysterious and inaccessible countries. In March 1958, Shu Wen learns that her husband, an idealistic army doctor, has died while serving in Tibet. Determined to find out what happened to him, she courageously sets off to join his regiment. But to her horror, instead of finding a Tibetan people happily welcoming their Chinese "liberators" as she expected, she walks into a bloody conflict, with the Chinese subject to terrifying attacks from Tibetan guerrillas. It seems that her husband may have died as a result of this clash of cultures, this disastrous misunderstanding. But before she can know his fate, she is taken hostage and embarks on a life-changing journey through the Tibetan countryside -- a journey that will last twenty years and lead her to a deep appreciation of Tibet in all its beauty and brutality. Sadly, when she finally discovers the truth about her husband, she must carry her knowledge back to a China that, in her absence, has experienced the Cultural Revolution and changed beyond recognition. . .
Sky Dharma: The Foundations of the Namchö Treasure Teaching
by Karma Chagme Rigdzin Kunzang SherabThe inspiring life story of Tertön Migyur Dorje, who revealed a new cycle of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, together with a commentary on the preliminary practices written by his main student. Tertön Migyur Dorje revealed the Namchö treasure teachings while in a three-year retreat that began when he was only thirteen. The Great Compassionate One (Avalokiteshvara) and Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) appeared to him in pure visionary experience and gave him these teachings. Migyur Dorje then dictated them to his teacher Karma Chagme. The Namchö treasures later became the main teachings and practices of the Palyul lineage, and these teachings continue to be presented in Palyul monasteries and retreat centers throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. This book brings together two texts that have inspired countless practitioners in this lineage. The first text tells the life story of Migyur Dorje. It was composed by Karma Chagme, the master who first recognized the seven-year-old Migyur Dorje as an exceptional tulku and tertön and who was responsible for preparing him to be a major treasure revealer. The second text is a commentary on the Namchö preliminary practices. Written by Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, Migyur Dorje&’s main student and the first throne holder of the Palyul lineage, it explains the foundational practices that should be completed before pursuing more advanced ones: the four contemplations that turn the mind to dharma and the fivefold practice of taking refuge, arousing bodhichitta, mandala offering, Vajrasattva purification, and Guru Yoga.
Sky Full of Stars: Learning to Surrender to God's Perfect Plans
by Meg AppersonDo you trust God? Meg Apperson grew up having a relationship with Jesus and would say she had trusted God her entire life. But when her daughter Avery—a miracle in so many ways—was born with a syndrome of severe birth defects, Meg began to fully understand what it really means to trust Jesus with everything. In this tender memoir, full of gut-wrenching emotion, you&’ll hear a mother&’s personal story of fighting for her child, her family, and even herself as she grapples with the weight of failure—of letting down everyone around her and feeling let down by God. But in the midst of the fight, through heavy grief, she not only discovers her own voice—she discovers that God is good and God is faithful. If you have ever experienced grief, suffering, or pain … If God has ever asked you to surrender more than you thought possible … If you&’ve ever questioned how God is at work in the darkness … A Sky Full of Stars is for you. This book will show you that when everything is dark around you, goodness can be found in the suffering. Reading it will help you discover new ways to rely on God&’s trustworthiness.
Sky High Faith
by Ken GaubLiving life with a positive outlook is a chore for some of us. We want success and happiness, but attaining it requires us to scramble over the sharp rocks of disillusionment and dodge boulders made of setbacks. Now, Ken Gaub has written a book that will catapult you above the mountaintop. Sky High Faith outlines 20 Success Secrets for achieving success in this life. They're "secrets" because so few apply them! Practical and inspirational tips for strengthening relationships, motivating yourself and others in business, and personal peace are offered in a unique style that can only be Ken Gaub. The author's exuberance, wit, and drive to succeed in life will drag you out of the valley to a place where your goals are waiting for a mountaintop experience. This book will refresh you in a truly special way, high above the resting place of failure.
Sky Shamans of Mongolia
by Kevin TurnerPart travelogue, part experiential spiritual memoir, Kevin Turner takes us to visit with authentic shamans in the steppes and urban centers of modern-day Mongolia. Along the way, the author, a practicing shaman himself, tells of spontaneous medical diagnoses, all-night shamanic ceremonies, and miraculous healings, all welling from a rich culture in which divination, soul-retrieval, and spirit depossession are a part of everyday life. Shamanism, described in the 1950s by Mircea Eliade as "archaic techniques of ecstasy," is alive and well in Mongolia as a means of accessing "nonordinary realities" and the spirit world. After centuries of suppression by Buddhist and then Communist political powers, it is exploding in popularity in Mongolia. Turner gives compelling accounts of healings and rituals he witnesses among Darkhad, Buryat, and Khalkh shamans, and goes on to provide us with his insights into a universal shamanism, principles that lie at the heart of shamanic traditions worldwide. This astounding, inspiring book will appeal to shamans and shamanic therapists, students of Mongolian culture and comparative religion, and fans of off-grid travel memoirs.
Sky Zone
by Creston MapesA rally for a controversial presidential candidate.A terrorist threat.A nightmare of cataclysmic proportions. Jack and Pamela Crittendon have hit the breaking point. After months out of work as a reporter, Jack is playing Mr. Mom and working part-time at Festival Arena with his survivalist friend Brian Shakespeare. Meanwhile, Pamela has gone back to work full-time while eight months pregnant. Having her recently widowed mother on hand isn't making matters any easier.With financial pressures boiling, Jack reports for duty at a rally for controversial presidential candidate Martin Sterling where he expects a mindless night on the job. But when Homeland Security picks up intel about a potential terrorist threat, Jack and Shakespeare are thrust into a life-or-death battle to save their own lives--and the lives of thousands of innocent people.This third book in The Crittendon Files reminds us of the power of family, friendships and faith--and why we are never in as much control as we think.
Sky and Sea (God's Creation Series)
by Michael Carroll Caroline Carroll Travis KingAnd God said, "Let there be a huge space between the waters…" And that's exactly what happened…God called the huge space "sky." -Genesis 1:6-8 (NIrV) In Sky & Sea, kids explore the water cycle of our very wet planet-the vast seas below and the great ocean of air swirling above them, with its clouds full of rain and snow. From dramatic storms and crashing lightning to the aurora borealis and shimmering rainbows, amateur scientists learn how air and water work together to make this planet livable, in kid-friendly language and concepts. Add drawings, photos, and fun facts, and kids see God's wonderful blueprint for life in the vastness of the sea and sky.