- Table View
- List View
Being Jewish: The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today
by Ari L. GoldmanIncreasing numbers of Jews are returning to their religious roots in a search for meaning, eager to explore a heritage that is deeply embedded in history and at the same time rapidly changing. But what is Judaism today? And what does it mean -- culturally, spiritually, and ritually -- to be Jewish in the twenty-first century? In Being Jewish, Ari L. Goldman offers eloquent, thoughtful answers to these questions through an absorbing exploration of modern Judaism. A bestselling author and widely respected chronicler of Jewish life, Goldman vividly contrasts the historical meaning of Judaism's heritage with the astonishing and multiform character of the religion today. The result will be a revelation for those already involved with Judaism, and a fascinating introduction for those whose interests are newly minted or rekindled. Taking the reader through the process of discovery -- or rediscovery -- Being Jewish is divided into three sections, each focusing on one of the cycles of human life. Beginning with the traditions associated with the life cycle -- birth, marriage, death -- Goldman moves on to describe the rituals that mark the course of the Jewish year, starting with Rosh Hashanah. Finally, he reflects on the character of the Jewish day, exploring the role of prayer, dietary laws, and ethical behavior. All of these moments, from a minute to a lifetime, take on vibrant meaning in his thoughtful picture. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Being Jewish is Goldman's discussion of the extraordinary variations in how Jews live their Judaism today. He finds a wide variety of practices, between Judaism's branches and within them. For example, a family on Long Island keeps a unique version of kosher: they have three sets of dishes and utensils -- one for meat, one for milk, and one for nonkosher Chinese takeout. While traditional Judaism frowns on such quirky modes of observance, Goldman elevates them. Jews today, he concludes, are "reaching for the holy" in unexpected and innovative ways. These dramatically different ideas about how a Jewish life may be lived suggest how difficult it can be for today's reader to find an objective account of Judaism. And it is precisely Goldman's reporter's eye that sets this book apart. Informed by tradition without embracing any one ideology, this award-winning journalist's probing book moves across the boundaries of modern Judaism to demonstrate how it is lived. While other efforts to tackle these themes are written from the perspective of a particular religious tradition, Being Jewish is the work of a sophisticated observer who describes rather than proscribes. By weaving a complex and compelling commentary on Judaism, this inspiring volume encourages us to find our own place within the tradition and leads us into a deeper understanding not just of the details of the religion but, ultimately, of what it means to be Jewish.
Being Known: A Novel (Haven Makers #2)
by Robin Jones GunnFrom the bestselling author of Becoming Us comes a novel that asks: What does it mean to be truly known? In a marriage, in a friendship, or by a loving God? After her mom passed away, Jennalyn was in the midst of moving, adjusting to life with a new baby, and helping her husband, Joel, work toward his dream job. At the time, she thought she&’d processed her mother&’s death, but only now that Jennalyn has two small children, a lovely new home, and a husband who is always working does she feel the full impact of what she has lost. Even among her sweet circle of friends, the Haven Makers, grief silently overwhelms Jennalyn, until an unexpected encounter allows her to express herself in ways she hasn&’t fully been able to with her husband. Even though Christy, Sierra, Emily, and Tess provide a soft place to land in times of tension, Jennalyn remains guarded, especially when Tess reveals she is tangled emotionally in a relationship that was thorny from the start. Will the two women open up and remain honest with the others in their Haven Makers group? Or will their hesitation to truly be known, faults and all, keep them from holding on to the friendships that have been the sweetest gift during this season of life?
Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethnic Identity
by Orlando CrespoWho are you as a Latino?Who are you as an American?What has Christ to say about your dilemma?How can you accept who you are in Christ with joy and confidence?
Being Leaders: The Nature Of Authentic Christian Leadership
by Aubrey MalphursWhat makes a leader a Christian leader? Too many churches and parachurch groups operate under secular leadership principles and strategies without considering what Scripture teaches. In this accessible and comprehensive book, leadership expert Aubrey Malphurs articulates a working definition of Christian leadership based on the Bible and his own extensive research. Malphurs begins by defining a uniquely Christian leader from the inside out, from godly character and commitment to pure motives and a servant attitude. He examines the leaders of the first-century church and then discusses qualities such as credibility, capability, and influence that are essential for successful leadership. Each chapter contains helpful questions for reflection and discussion. The appendix includes numerous audits to help readers evaluate themselves on various leadership components.
Being Mad
by Molly Wigand Anne FitzgeraldChildren's anger can be upsetting and unsettling to the grown-ups in their worlds. We've all dealt with tantrums and pouting at the least convenient times. If only we could flip a switch on that anger and restore calm to our homes and classrooms. In Being Mad: A Book about Anger. . . Just for Me!, author, Molly Wigand, helps children learn to understand and accept their anger and to express their anger in healthy ways.
Being Muslim
by Haroon SiddiquiThere has been a flood of books about Islam. There are books by Muslims for fellow believers, denying the problems that do exist or claiming to fix them by battling for the "soul" of Islam. There are anti-Islamic tracts galore. There are books with breathless titles meant to scare us about terrorism. There are political tomes for political insiders, diplomats and academics.
Being Muslim: A Cultural History of Women of Color in American Islam
by Sylvia Chan-Malik2018 Outstanding Academic Title, given by Choice MagazineAn exploration of twentieth and twenty-first century U.S. Muslim womanhood that centers the lived experience of women of color For Sylvia Chan-Malik, Muslim womanhood is constructed through everyday and embodied acts of resistance, what she calls affective insurgency. In negotiating the histories of anti-Blackness, U.S. imperialism, and women’s rights of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Being Muslim explores how U.S. Muslim women’s identities are expressions of Islam as both Black protest religion and universal faith tradition. Through archival images, cultural texts, popular media, and interviews, the author maps how communities of American Islam became sites of safety, support, spirituality, and social activism, and how women of color were central to their formation. By accounting for American Islam’s rich histories of mobilization and community, Being Muslim brings insight to the resistance that all Muslim women must engage in the post-9/11 United States. From the stories that she gathers, Chan-Malik demonstrates the diversity and similarities of Black, Arab, South Asian, Latina, and multiracial Muslim women, and how American understandings of Islam have shifted against the evolution of U.S. white nationalism over the past century. In borrowing from the lineages of Black and women-of-color feminism, Chan-Malik offers us a new vocabulary for U.S. Muslim feminism, one that is as conscious of race, gender, sexuality, and nation, as it is region and religion.
Being Nature: A Down-to-Earth Guide to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness
by Wes Nisker• Provides a practical program, complete with enjoyable, even playful meditations, for realizing greater self-awareness, increased wisdom, and happiness• Shows how recent discoveries in physics, evolutionary biology, and psychology express in scientific terms the same insights the Buddha discovered more than 2,500 years ago• Reveals the origins of attachments, desires, emotions, and thoughts in our own bodiesTaking us on an evolutionary journey to find the origins of emotions, desires, and thoughts in our own bodies, Wes &“Scoop&” Nisker shows not only how cutting-edge science is proving the tenets of the Buddha but also how we can interpret the traditional practices of Buddhism through this scientific lens for more personal freedom and peace of mind. Using the traditional Buddhist meditation series of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as a framework, Nisker offers a witty narrative along with practical meditations and exercises to train the mind to overcome painful conditioning and gain greater self-awareness, increased wisdom, and happiness. He shows how recent discoveries in physics, evolutionary biology, and psychology express in scientific terms the same insights the Buddha discovered more than 2,500 years ago, such as the impermanence of the body, where thoughts come from, and how the body communicates within itself. Presenting a variety of new ways to harness the power of mindfulness to transform our understanding of both ourselves and the world, Nisker teaches us how to put our understanding of evolution in the service of spiritual awakening.
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere
by Ayya Khema Zoketsu Norman FischerIn this lucid classic, beloved teacher Ayya Khema introduces the reader to the essence of the Buddhist path. She addresses the how and why of meditation, providing a clear framework for understanding the nature of karma and rebirth and the entirety of the eightfold path. With specific, practical advice Ayya Khema illuminates the practices of compassion and sympathetic joy and offers forthright guidance in working with the hindrances that we all encounter in meditation. Few introductory books are both simple and profound. Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is both.
Being Peace
by Thich Nhat Hanh Arnold KotlerSince its publication in 1987, Being Peace has become a classic of contemporary religious literature. In his simple and readable style, Thich Nhat Hanh shows how our state of mind and body can make the world a peaceful place. We learn to transform the very situations that pressure and antagonize us into opportunities for practicing mindfulness.
Being Peace
by Thich Nhat Hanh Jack KornfieldAn ideal starting-point for those interested in Buddhism, Being Peace contains Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on peace and meditation. Using real examples from his own life, as well as poems and fables, Nhat Hanh explains his key practices for living "right in the moment we are alive." These lessons are taught with fine writing and sparkling phrases that draw the reader in and make Being Peace a book that encourages multiple readings, both alone and in groups.This new edition of Nhat Hanh's seminal bestseller marks the book's first update since it was released in 1987. It includes a new introduction by noted Buddhist Jack Kornfield and beautiful illustrations by internationally recognized artist Mayumi Oda. Still as timely as when it was first published over 15 years ago, Being Peace is a revelation for anyone concerned with the state of the world and the quality of life.
Being Peace
by Thich Nhat HanhTHE BELOVED SPIRITUAL CLASSIC: A timeless introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh&’s most important teachings, revealing the connection between peace in oneself and peace in the world.Now updated with a foreword from Dr. Jane Goodall!One of Thich Nhat Hanh&’s first books published in the United States, Being Peace was intended for peace activists and as a commentary on the peace movement of the time. Now translated into more than 30 languages and with half a million copies sold, it has since become an indispensable guide for anyone concerned about the state of the world and the quality of our lives. Thay&’s message of &“being peace in order to make more peace&” is more relevant than ever. Being Peace contains Thich Nhat Hanh&’s key practices and is filled with practical suggestions for how to create a more peaceful world &“right in the moment we are alive.&” Many of the hallmarks of Thich Nhat Hanh appear here for the first time, in his trademark clear and steady style. Now featuring a foreword from Dr. Jane Goodall, this beautiful, newly revised edition is the perfect starting point for those who are getting their first introduction to Buddhism as well as a must-have for those already engaged in the tradition.
Being Peace: Classic Teachings From The World's Most Revered Meditation Master (Thich Nhat Hanh Classics)
by Thich Nhat HanhBeing Peace is a timeless and eloquent introduction t Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his most important teachings. First published in 1987 and translated into more than thirty languages, this spiritual classic reveals the connection between our own personal happiness and the state of the world around us. Thich Nhat Hanh’s key practices are resented in simple and clear language, offering practical suggestions for how to create a more peaceful world "right in the moment we are alive." Being Peace is a must-have for those interested in Buddhist practice and a perfect starting point for anyone concerned about how to create peace in themselves and the world.
Being Presbyterian In The Bible Belt: A Theological Survival Guide For Youth, Parents And Other Confused Presbyterians
by P. Alex Thornburg Ted V. FooteAddressing such questions as "Are You Saved, or Are You Presbyterian?" and "Is the Bible the Literal Word of God or Just a Long, Boring Book?" this is an easy-to-understand, slightly irreverent appraoch to theology and the kind of theological musings that many youth and others have today. Bring Presbyterian in the Bible Belt Today helps Presbyterian young people articulate their faith and respond to these questions from a mainline point of view.
Being Present: Cultivate a Peaceful Mind through Spiritual Practice
by Darren CockburnFree yourself from unhelpful thoughts and emotions and learn to live peacefully in the present • Provides practical exercises, meditations, and reflections centered on mindfulness, breath, and immersion in nature to simplify your life and anchor you in the present • Learn to use your body as a tool for raising consciousness, work with occurrences like tiredness, illness, and pain as spiritual teachers, as well as identify and release addictions, including harmful thought patterns • Can be integrated with any religion or spiritual teaching with examples pertaining to everyday experiences in the Western world Offering a synthesis of spiritual teachings viewed through the lens of modern personal experiences, Darren Cockburn provides practical insight into how to cultivate a peaceful mind, live skillfully, and nurture a spiritual connection through the power of the present moment. The author shares practical exercises, meditations, and reflections, revealing how to free yourself from becoming lost in unhelpful thoughts and emotions, while bringing acceptance to what life presents you with. He explains how to generate true mindfulness through connection to your breath as well as immersion in nature. He details how to use your body as a tool for raising your level of consciousness as well as how to weave exercise, diet, breathing techniques, and sexuality into your spiritual practice. He explores how to work with occurrences like tiredness, illness, and pain as spiritual teachers for enriching your presence of mind and being. The author explains how simplifying life where possible will also bring a better understanding to all types of existing addictions, including harmful thought patterns, providing precious breathing space for our overly busy minds. In addition, he shows how a stable practice of mindful presence can enhance the quality of communication with others, be it with family, with friends, or at work. Alongside an introduction to meditation techniques and supportive wisdom teachings from Buddhist and other spiritual traditions, Cockburn provides useful guidance on successfully integrating a regular spiritual practice into your day-to-day activities. He also includes pointers on how to create your own unique and personal structure in order to support your ongoing spiritual practice, the fruits of which will ultimately be a peaceful, calmer, and more connected experience of life.
Being Real > Being Perfect: How Transparency Leads to Transformation
by Justin DavisBeing Real > Being Perfect is an inspiring rallying cry for Christians to let go of pretending and enjoy a freeing, authentic relationship with Jesus and others. Are you tired of trying to be someone you&’re not? Many of us spend a lot of energy—especially at church—trying to hide the fact that we&’re struggling. We can&’t share our marriage problems. Our addiction. Our sense of distance from God. In Being Real > Being Perfect, Justin Davis reminds us that God doesn&’t heal what we don&’t admit is broken. As he vulnerably shares his own story of redemption, Justin helps us understand: Why being real with ourselves, God, and others leads to peace and hope How faking perfection robs us of the transformative power of grace What the Bible says about insecurity and identity Step-by-step ways to overcome our fear of being vulnerable If you&’re tired of trying to prove yourself, if you&’re tired of wondering where the real &“you&” went, if you&’re tired of knowing information but not experiencing transformation—discover the vibrant spiritual life you long for as you embrace the truth that being real is greater than you can imagine.
Being Reasonable About Religion
by William CharltonWhen we start to discuss religion we run into controversial questions about history and anthropology, about the scope of scientific explanation, and about free will, good and evil. This book explains how to find our way through these disputes and shows how we can be freed from assumptions and prejudices which make progress impossible by deeper philosophical insight into the concepts involved. Books about religion usually concentrate on a few central Judaeo-Christian doctrines and either attack them or defend them with tenacious conservatism, yielding nothing. This book has a broader scope, and instead of trying to prove that religion, or any particular religion, is reasonable or unreasonable, it seeks to persuade people to be reasonable about religion.
Being Reconciled: Ontology and Pardon (Routledge Radical Orthodoxy)
by John MilbankBeing Reconciled is a radical and entirely fresh theological treatment of the classic theory of the Gift in the context of divine reconciliation. It reconsiders notions of freedom and exchange in relation to a Christian doctrine which understands Creation, grace and incarnation as heavenly gifts, but the Fall, evil and violence as refusal of those gifts. In a sustained and rigorous response to the works of Derrida, Levinas, Marion, Zizek, Hauerwas and the 'Radical Evil' school, John Milbank posits the daring view that only transmission of the forgiveness offered by the Divine Humanity makes reconciliation possible on earth. Any philosophical understanding of forgiveness and redemption therefore requires theological completion.Both a critique of post-Kantian modernity, and a new theology that engages with issues of language, culture, time, politics and historicity, Being Reconciled insists on the dependency of all human production and understanding on a God who is infinite in both utterance and capacity. Intended as the first in a trilogy of books centred on the gift, this book is an original and vivid new application of a classic theory by a leading international theologian.
Being Sad When Someone Dies
by Anne Fitzgerald Linus MundyFor children, who are "new" at so many things, it can be a very difficult experience to lose a loved one. For the very young, the finality of death is hard to understand. How, after all, could something like this happen? Where is this person? Will they be back? Who is going to take care of me now? The questions and the sadness, whether they are voiced or not, can go on and on. Author, Linus Mundy, offers practical coping skills to help young readers understand their feelings of grief and reassurance that, some way, somehow, things can be good again.
Being Scioto Hopewell: Ritual Drama and Personhood in Cross-Cultural Perspective
by Christopher CarrThis book, in two volumes, breathes fresh air empirically, methodologically, and theoretically into understanding the rich ceremonial lives, the philosophical-religious knowledge, and the impressive material feats and labor organization that distinguish Hopewell Indians of central Ohio and neighboring regions during the first centuries CE. The first volume defines cross-culturally, for the first time, the “ritual drama” as a genre of social performance. It reconstructs and compares parts of 14 such dramas that Hopewellian and other Woodland-period peoples performed in their ceremonial centers to help the soul-like essences of their deceased make the journey to an afterlife. The second volume builds and critiques ten formal cross-cultural models of “personhood” and the “self” and infers the nature of Scioto Hopewell people’s ontology. Two facets of their ontology are found to have been instrumental in their creating the intercommunity alliances and cooperation and gathering the labor required to construct their huge, multicommunity ceremonial centers: a relational, collective concept of the self defined by the ethical quality of the relationships one has with other beings, and a concept of multiple soul-like essences that compose a human being and can be harnessed strategically to create familial-like ethical bonds of cooperation among individuals and communities. The archaeological reconstructions of Hopewellian ritual dramas and concepts of personhood and the self, and of Hopewell people’s strategic uses of these, are informed by three large surveys of historic Woodland and Plains Indians’ narratives, ideas, and rites about journeys to afterlives, the creatures who inhabit the cosmos, and the nature and functions of soul-like essences, coupled with rich contextual archaeological and bioarchaeological-taphonomic analyses. The bioarchaeological-taphonomic method of l’anthropologie de terrain, new to North American archaeology, is introduced and applied. In all, the research in this book vitalizes a vision of an anthropology committed to native logic and motivation and skeptical of the imposition of Western world views and categories onto native peoples.
Being Spiritual but Not Religious: Past, Present, Future(s) (Routledge Studies in Religion)
by William B. ParsonsIn its most general sense, the term "Spiritual but Not Religious" denotes those who, on the one hand, are disillusioned with traditional institutional religion and, on the other hand, feel that those same traditions contain deep wisdom about the human condition. This edited collection speaks to what national surveys agree is a growing social phenomenon referred to as the "Spiritual but Not Religious Movement" (SBNRM). <P><P> Each essay of the volume engages the past, present and future(s) of the SBNRM. Their collective contribution is analytic, descriptive, and prescriptive, taking stock of not only the various analyses of the SBNRM to date but also the establishment of a new ground upon which the continued academic discussion can take place. <P><P> This volume is a watershed in the growing academic and public interest in the SBNRM. As such, it will vital reading for any academic involved in Religious Studies, Spirituality and Sociology.
Being Still With God Every Day
by Henry BlackabyGod has a plan for your life. Make sure you seek to discover it daily!In the hustle and bustle of each day, it's difficult to remember that God has an ultimate plan for our lives. Featuring devotions and scriptures from each book of the Bible, Being Still with God Every Day by Drs. Henry and Richard Blackaby will help readers intentionally seek the interactions God has with them on a daily basis.In this 366-day devotional, the Blackabys glean what God's Word says about Him and how He wants us to live. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals His plans for our lives. Each day features a scripture and a short, meaningful devotion to set minds and hearts on practical, godly living every day of the year. Previously published as Discovering God's Daily Agenda.
Being Taoist: Wisdom for Living a Balanced Life
by Eva WongTaoism isn't a spiritual extracurricular activity, it's an integral practice for living all of life to the fullest. The modern Taoist adept Eva Wong is your guide to living well according to the wisdom of this ancient system. She uses the ancient texts to demonstrate the Taoist masters' approach to the traditional four aspects of life--the public, the domestic, the private, and the spiritual--and shows how learning to balance them is the secret to infusing your life with health, harmony, and deep satisfaction
Being Thankful
by Mercer MayerJoin Little Critter® as he learns why it's important to be thankful for what he has--not to be upset about what he doesn't. Since 1975, Mercer Mayer has been writing and illustrating stories about Little Critter® and the antics he stumbles into while growing up. Tommy Nelson is thrilled to bring this beloved brand to the Christian market with the Inspired Kids line of faith-based books featuring Little Critter.In Being Thankful, Little Critter isn't gettinganything he wants. Gator gets cool brand-new sneakers, while Little Critter is stuck with his boring blue ones. Tiger's dad has a boat--but not Little Critter's dad. And even at the ice cream shop, Little Critter can't enjoy his chocolate ice cream cone because he would rather have a huge ice cream sundae instead. But on a trip to the farm, Grandma shows Little Critter why thankfulness is so important and helps make any situation seem so much happier.Based on Psalm 107:1, this book will show children what gratitude is and why we should be thankful for all of the blessings God has given us.Features & Benefits:Little Critter® brand has humorously portrayed issues kids face for almost 40 yearsFaith-inspired message shows kids how to be thankful for the things they haveMore than 150 million Little Critter books sold
Being Ultimately Perfect
by Kenting Ta Chamgon SitupaA compilation of scholarly and insightful discourses that provides a clear and elegant introduction to the very essence of the Buddhist perspective…In Being Ultimately Perfect, the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa explains that all teachings of the Buddha are directed towards making our lives meaningful and purposeful, apart from taming the mind and realizing the essence of all dharma. He also contends that enlightenment is not düche (the result of causes or conditions) – it is beyond that. This volume will help you gain a deep understanding of varied topics, such as the purpose of life and the practice of dharma in everyday life. The author describes the relationship among contentment, stress and greed, and talks about the nature of the mind, limitlessness and primordial wisdom. The book also presents a series of edifying dialogues with several students and is reader-friendly, comprehensive and remarkably easy to understand.