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A Sky Without Stars
by Linda S. ClareFrankie Chasing Bear is caught between cultures. She wants to raise her son Harold to revere his Lakota heritage, but she knows he will need to learn the white man's ways to succeed. After the untimely death of her husband, Frankie joins the U.S. Government's Relocation Program and moves to Arizona. There she begins sewing a Lakota Star pattern quilt for Harold with tribal wisdom sung, sewn, and prayed into it.A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars, but neither the quilt--nor her new life--comes easily to Frankie. Nick Vandergriff, for instance, is the last man Frankie wants to trust. He's half-Lakota but Christian, and Frankie can see no good coming from that faith after her own parents were forced to convert at an Indian school. Can Nick convince Frankie that white men and Christians aren't all bad? And will Frankie learn that love is the most important ingredient--for her son's quilt and life itself?
A Sky Without Stars
by Linda S. ClareFrankie Chasing Bear is caught between cultures. She wants to raise her son Harold to revere his Lakota heritage, but she knows he will need to learn the white man's ways to succeed. After the untimely death of her husband, Frankie joins the U.S. Government's Relocation Program and moves to Arizona. There she begins sewing a Lakota Star pattern quilt for Harold with tribal wisdom sung, sewn, and prayed into it. A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars, but neither the quilt--nor her new life--comes easily to Frankie. Nick Vandergriff, for instance, is the last man Frankie wants to trust. He's half-Lakota but Christian, and Frankie can see no good coming from that faith after her own parents were forced to convert at an Indian school. Can Nick convince Frankie that white men and Christians aren't all bad? And will Frankie learn that love is the most important ingredient--for her son's quilt and life itself?
A Sky of Infinite Blue: A Japanese Immigrant's Search for Home and Self
by Kyomi O'ConnorGold Medal in Women’s Literature, Next Generation Indie Book Award “Beautiful Story of endurance and hope, reminding women to seek the same. Wonderful cover design and layout. The author's ability to inspire readers is exceptional.”—Tisha Martin, Next Generation Indie Book Award JudgeFrom an early age, Kyomi’s life was filled with emotional difficulties—an adulterous father, an overreliant mother, and a dismissive extended family. In an effort to escape the darkness of her existence in Japan, Kyomi moved to the States in February 1990 to start a new life as a researcher working at NIH in Bethesda, MD. Soon, she fell in love with her husband-to-be: Patrick, a warm, charismatic British cancer researcher whose unconditional love and support helped her begin to heal the traumas of her past. Eventually, their journey together led them to change their careers and move to San Diego, CA, where they dedicated themselves to a Buddhism practice that changed both their lives—aiding them in their spiritual growth and in realizing their desire to help others. Then Patrick was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic melanoma in the brain—and, after a fierce, three-year-long battle against his cancer, died on July 4, 2016. Devastated, Kyomi spent a year lost in grief. But when she one day began to write, she discovered that doing so allowed her to uncover truths about herself, her life history, and her relationship with Patrick. In the process, she surfaced many old, unhealed wounds—but ultimately writing became her daily spiritual practice, and many truths emerged out of the darkness. After many years of struggle and searching, Kyomi finally found the love and light that had existed within her all along.
A Slaughtered Lamb: Revelation and the Apocalyptic Response to Evil and Suffering
by Gregory StevensonAn introduction to the literary and theological message of Revelation using the topics of evil and suffering as a conceptual organizer, which provides readers an immediate connection between this ancient text and their lives.Although often read as a book of strange visions about the end of time, the book of Revelation is actually one of the most relevant books in the Bible for Christian faith in the twenty-first century. Evil and suffering are an unavoidable component of human experience and they generate a host of questions by those seeking to be faithful in the midst of such experiences. Why do Christians suffer? How are we to understand God's sovereignty in a world of injustice, violence, and opposition? What is the appropriate response of faith to such a world?In A SLAUGHTERED LAMB, Greg Stevenson argues that the book of Revelation addresses such questions and the tension that is created between our faith and our experiences of evil and suffering. Revelation is a book that reminds us that God is faithful to his creation, that challenges us to take up the call for faithful witness in a hostile world, and that reveals to us that God's primary response to evil and suffering is to meet us in the form of a slaughtered lamb.A rich resource for pastors and ministry leaders as well as an accessible introduction to Revelation for the average reader.
A Sloth's Guide to Mindfulness
by Ton MakIt's OK to slow down. Take a pause and focus on your breath. Let the other animals run around, you do you.Follow a serene and smiley sloth through a series of light meditations and daily reflections with this unexpected and snuggable guide. From simple breathing exercises and guided visualizations to the benefits of chewing your leaves slowly and staying present while hanging from a tree, this little illustrated book of mindfulness will help readers discover the path to a peaceful, philoslothical life. With playful advice and delightfully charming illustrations, this no-sweat approach to enlightenment is a sweet reminder to take it slow and smile.
A Slow Reckoning: The USSR, the Afghan Communists, and Islam (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)
by Vassily KlimentovA Slow Reckoning examines the Soviet Union's and the Afghan communists' views of and policies toward Islam and Islamism during the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989). As Vassily Klimentov demonstrates, the Soviet and communist Afghan disregard for Islam was telling of the overall communist approach to reforming Afghanistan and helps explain the failure of their modernization project.A Slow Reckoning reveals how during most of the conflict Babrak Karmal, the ruler installed by the Soviets, instrumentalized Islam in support of his rule while retaining a Marxist-Leninist platform. Similarly, the Soviets at all levels failed to give Islam its due importance as communist ideology and military considerations dominated their decision making. This approach to Islam only changed after Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Karmal by Mohammad Najibullah and prepared to withdraw Soviet forces. Discarding Marxism-Leninism for Islam proved the correct approach, but it came too late to salvage the Soviet nation-building project. A Slow Reckoning also shows how Soviet leaders only started seriously paying attention to an Islamist threat from Afghanistan to Central Asia after 1986. While the Soviets had concerns related to Islamism in 1979, only the KGB believed the threat to be potent. The Soviet elites never fully conceptualized Islamism, continuing to see it as an ideology the United States, Iran, or Pakistan could instrumentalize at will. They believed the Islamists had little agency and that their retrograde ideology could not find massive appeal among progressive Soviet Muslims. In this, they were only partly right.
A Small Book about God
by Roy HicksA Small Book about God contains a straight-to-the-heart message derived from the collected sermons of beloved pastor Roy Hicks Jr. Over the years of his ministry, he encouraged thousands to walk after God in a daily and purposeful way. This book is a small but delicious sample of those teachings, certain to move readers to deeper levels of trust and relationship with God. Says pastor and author Ron Mehl: "I know of few people who have made a more monumental impact on the Kingdom of God than Roy Hicks, Jr. God took a basic, Midwest preacher's kid and turned him into a pastor, a mentor, a songwriter, a preacher, and a leader of leaders...thousands like me have been profoundly impacted by his writings and ministry."
A Small Catechism on Human Life
by John T. PlessThe Small Catechism is a "life book" to use the words of the German Lutheran bishop Ludwig Ihmels. It is a book about our life with God--a life created by the Father, redeemed by the Son and hallowed by the Spirit.
A Small-Town Christmas Challenge: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance (Widow's Peak Creek #3)
by Susanne DietzeWill reviving an old tradition be the start of something new? When she inherits a beautiful historic house, nurse Leah Dean knows selling it could solve all her problems. But there&’s just one catch—she and co-owner Pastor Benton Hunt must cohost the Gingerbread Gala in the home first. As Christmas approaches, Leah and Benton grow closer, and parting with the house—and each other—is not as easy as they thought…From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.Widow's Peak Creek Book 1: A Future for His TwinsBook 2: Seeking SanctuaryBook 3: A Small-Town Christmas Challenge
A Smile in the Mind's Eye: An Adventure into Zen Philosophy
by Lawrence DurrellThe &“virtuoso&” author&’s memoir of his spiritual journey with famed Taoist philosopher Jolan Chang (The New York Times). Beginning with their first meeting over lunch at Lawrence Durrell&’s Provencal home, Durrell and Jolan Chang—renowned Taoist philosopher and expert on Eastern sexuality—developed an enduring relationship based on mutual spiritual exploration. Durrell&’s autobiographical rumination on their friendship and on Taoism recounts the author&’s existential ponderings, starting with his introduction to the mystical and enigmatic &“smile in the mind&’s eye.&” From parsimony, cooking, and yoga to poetry, Petrarch, and Nietzche, A Smile in the Mind&’s Eye is a charming tale of a writer&’s spiritual and philosophical awakening.
A Smoke and a Song: A Memoir
by Sherry SidotiJanuary 2021, ten months into the global pandemic, Sherry Sidoti’s mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer—so Sherry prioritizes a trip to Manhattan over long-awaited empty-nesting and her “second chance” with fiancé Jevon. With new life blooming and loss looming, she is beckoned to answer the question that has haunted her since childhood: is freedom found in “letting go,” as the spiritual teachers (and her mother) insist—or is it found by digging our heels deeper into the earth and holding on to our humanness?A Smoke and a Song is Sherry’s story of her quest to make meaning from the memories homed in her body. Told with tenacity, tenderness, and wry humor, Sherry stumbles towards self-actualization, spiritual awakening—and, despite it all, love. This is a story steeped in art and spirituality that explores the complexities of transgenerational maternal bonds, attachment, loss, and leaning in to our wounds to find the wisdom.
A Snapshot of Hope
by Nelianne GennerWhen Sophia James, a struggling but passionate photographer, receives a mysterious gift from a long-time crush, she sees it as the sign she’s been waiting for. Deciding life is too short to not finally go for it, she jumps into action, even though being in love with your best friend’s brother is never the easiest terrain to navigate.But with her newly developing carpe diem attitude, Sophia becomes more attuned to the influence and consequences of her own choices. She uses her new insight to support her siblings through the road bumps in their own lives, all while working to expand her fledgling business. Though overwhelming and challenging, as change always is, Sophia rediscovers the importance of family, love, and holding on to hope when times get most difficult. Dealing with issues of miscarriages, mental health, long-distance relationships, and struggles with sexual orientation, Sophia learns difficult truths about her family and herself that force her to grow into the woman she hopes to become. A Snapshot of Hope is sure to give you all the feels and remind you that no problem is too big if you have family by your side.
A Snowglobe Christmas: Yuletide Homecoming A Family's Christmas Wish
by Lissa Manley Linda GoodnightYuletide Homecoming by Linda GoodnightFive years ago, Rafe Westfield broke his fiancée's heart when he left to join the military. Now the battle-scarred soldier is back in Snowglobe. Amy Caldwell tries to keep her distance, but the holidays, family and a sweet stray dog keep bringing her and Rafe together...maybe this time, forever.A Family's Christmas Wish by Lissa ManleyAbandoned by her husband when she was eight months pregnant, single mother Sara Kincaid vowed to rely only on herself. But then she makes a deal with handsome widowed father Owen Larsen to provide babysitting services in exchange for his carpentry work on her inn. Can two pint-size matchmakers help them see beyond the past in time for Christmas?
A Soaring Minaret: Abu Bakr al-Wasiti and the Rise of Baghdadi Sufism
by Laury SilversSufi scholar Abu Bakr al-Wasiti (d. ca. 320 AH/932 CE) was called a "soaring minaret" for his cutting comments and keen theological insights. Wasiti's life is little known today, but elements of his lost Qur<an commentary have come down to us through the glosses of his students, and his career offers a window into the development of Islamic mysticism and metaphysics. Wasiti's legacy includes a number of firsts: he was one of the first students of the great Baghdadi Sufis, the first to migrate east and establish the Baghdadi Sufi tradition in Khurasan, among the first to compose a Qur<an commentary, and among the first to articulate a complete metaphysics in keeping with early Sunni theology. Presenting Wasiti's life and work within the context of the development and spread of Sufism, author Laury Silvers goes on to provide an analysis of his theological perspective on the divine reality
A Sociable God: Toward a New Understanding of Religion
by Ken Wilber Roger WalshIn one of the first attempts to bring an integral dimension to sociology, Ken Wilber introduces a system of reliable methods by which to make testable judgments of the authenticity of any religious movement. A Sociable God is a concise work based on Wilber's "spectrum of consciousness" theory, which views individual and cultural development as an evolutionary continuum. Here he focuses primarily on worldviews (archaic, magic, mythic, mental, psychic, subtle, causal, nondual) and evaluates various cultural and religious movements on a scale ranging from egocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric to Kosmic. By using this integral view, Wilber hopes, society would be able to discriminate between dangerous cults and authentic spiritual paths. In addition, he points out why these distinctions are crucial in understanding spiritual experiences and altered states of consciousness. In a lengthy new introduction, the author brings the reader up to date on his latest integral thinking and concludes that, for the succinct and elegant way it argues for a sociology of depth, A Sociable God remains a clarion call for a greater sociology.
A Social History of French Catholicism 1789–1914 (Routledge Revivals)
by Ralph GibsonFirst published in 1989, A Social History of French Catholicism 1789–1914 is a clear survey of over a hundred years of Catholicism in French society. It chronicles the religious experience of French men and women, both clergy and laity, in post-revolutionary France. The book begins with a look at Catholic life in the Old Regime and during the French Revolution, and proceeds to topical chapters on the secular clergy, the religious orders, popular religion, religious practice by region, gender and age, and the social classes. The final chapter deals with the re-Christianization of France in the latter part of the nineteenth century. This volume will be of interest to students and researchers of history and religion.
A Social History of Hebrew
by William M. SchniedewindMore than simply a method of communication shared by a common people, the Hebrew language was always an integral part of the Jewish cultural system and, as such, tightly interwoven into the lives of the prophets, poets, scribes, and priests who used it. In this unique social history, William Schniedewind examines classical Hebrew from its origins in the second millennium BCE until the Rabbinic period, when the principles of Judaism as we know it today were formulated, to view the story of the Israelites through the lens of their language. Considering classical Hebrew from the standpoint of a writing system as opposed to vernacular speech, Schniedewind demonstrates how the Israelites' long history of migration, war, exile, and other momentous events is reflected in Hebrew's linguistic evolution. An excellent addition to the fields of biblical and Middle Eastern studies, this fascinating work brings linguistics and social history together for the first time to explore an ancient culture.
A Social History of the Cloister
by Elizabeth RapleyIn The Social History of the Cloister Elizabeth Rapley goes beyond the monastic rulebooks, legal and notarial records, and memoirs of famous women who passed through monastery doors to the chronicles, letters, and other little-known writings produced by nuns for and about themselves. Working from these accounts, Rapley is able to provide a far more complex picture of women who, as a whole, were much less otherworldly than the older convent literature would have us believe, much less thwarted and unhappy than their detractors have long maintained, and much less irrelevant than some historians have assumed. She chips away at the dehumanizing stereotypes that have often been used to describe these nuns to show the essential humanity of these women.
A Social History of the Cloister: Daily Life in the Teaching Monasteries of the Old Regime (McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion #43)
by Elizabeth RapleyIn The Social History of the Cloister Elizabeth Rapley goes beyond the monastic rulebooks, legal and notarial records, and memoirs of famous women who passed through monastery doors to the chronicles, letters, and other little-known writings produced by nuns for and about themselves. Working from these accounts, Rapley is able to provide a far more complex picture of women who, as a whole, were much less otherworldly than the older convent literature would have us believe, much less thwarted and unhappy than their detractors have long maintained, and much less irrelevant than some historians have assumed. She chips away at the dehumanizing stereotypes that have often been used to describe these nuns to show the essential humanity of these women.
A Social View of Socotra Island: People, Culture, Heritage
by Nataša Slak Valek Ahmad Abdelmoniem ZedanThis book focuses on Socotra Island, geographically based in Yemen, and aims to explore the island from the social sciences point of view. This book focuses on people indigenous to Socotra, Socotri cultures, heritage and also offers contributions from business, tourism, linguistic, communication, and anthropology. While a lot has been published in natural science about Socotra’s endemic species, biodiversity, and nature in general, social scientific research of the island is very limited. This book addresses therefore addresses this gap and explores various topics of tourism, behaviours, cultures, and language.This book focuses on a clear social science approach of Socotra. The purpose of this book is to publish research about the people, behaviors, heritage, and potential tourism of Socotra. The Socotra Archipelago has long been a land of mystery. It is unknown as a tourism destination for many, however, is a popular destination for adventurers, photographers and travelers who like to travel to remote and undeveloped places. This book explains how Socotra has limited resources of electricity, which is provided by diesel generators, Internet is very slow and limited to certain points on the island. There are no shopping malls or five-star hotels. Roads, schools, and hospitals have been built only recently. This book shoes how these island people do not know the development as we do, which makes it principally interesting to research. Previous interviewers of Socotri people about tourism development in the island have faced many challenges such as language barriers, lack of understanding the meanings and interviewing content, lack of support for the anticipated research results. This book successfully undertakes this challenge as not only in understanding the language, but understanding phenomena like e.g. tourism. Whilst acknowledging the ways in which indigenous island people have never travelled or seen a developed city. Thus, words like ‘developed’, ‘tourism destination’ or ‘washing machine’ may be unfamiliar terms for them. Therefore, new and innovative research methods that are sensitive to Socotra people were implemented in the creation of this book.
A Sociological Study of the Tabligh Jama’at: Working for Allah
by Jan A. Ali Rizwan SahibIn this book we study The Tabligh Jama’at, an Islamic revivalist movement which, through participation in its preaching tours, provides satisfaction to individuals experiencing the crisis of modernity. Preaching tours enable Muslims to become workers for Allah and involved in the renewal of Allah’s world. We explore the ideological underpinning of preaching and working for Allah through the application of Frame Theory. Through an analytic framework comprising framing tasks and framing processes we unpack how the ideas of Islamic revivalism found in key Tabligh Jama’at written and oral texts – the Faza’il-e-A’maal and bayans – are packaged and communicated in such a way as to attract individuals to participate in preaching tours. The book concludes that working for Allah provides Muslims with meaning, social solidarity, and satisfaction which modernity has failed to provide them. This book will appeal to academics, researchers, journalists, policy-makers, and research students interested in or working on Islamic revivalist movements.
A Sociology of Prayer (AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Series)
by Linda Woodhead Giuseppe GiordanPrayer is a central aspect of religion. Even amongst those who have abandoned organized religion levels of prayer remain high. Yet the most basic questions remain unaddressed: What exactly is prayer? How does it vary? Why do people pray and in what situations and settings? Does prayer imply a god, and if so, what sort? A Sociology of Prayer addresses these fundamental questions and opens up important new debates. Drawing from religion, sociology of religion, anthropology, and historical perspectives, the contributors focus on prayer as a social as well as a personal matter and situate prayer in the conditions of complex late modern societies worldwide. Presenting fresh empirical data in relation to original theorising, the volume also examines the material aspects of prayer, including the objects, bodies, symbols, and spaces with which it may be integrally connected.
A Sociology of Seeking: Portents of Belief (Classical and Contemporary Social Theory)
by Kieran FlanaganA response to the depletion of the rhetoric of sociology and the spiritual capital of theology, this volume explores the remains of Christianity that still lurk as portents in a progressively de-Christianised society seeking replacements for belief. With the sociologist set in the role of an oracle seeking traces of Christianity in a discipline in which the intrusion of theological understandings has become harder to resist, it offers a narrative of belief following the direction of an exemplary portent: the finger. Through the exploration of broad trends in culture and modern history, this study, informed by interactionist thought, examines both the place of sociology in Christian theology, and the failure of theology to connect to its surrounding culture, asking how the two disciplines might meld profitably together. As such, it will appeal to social theorists and theologians, as well as sociologists with interests in religion, culture and secularisation.
A Sociotheological Approach to Catholic Social Teaching: The Role of Religion in Moral Responsibility During COVID-19
by Vivencio O. BallanoThis book introduces Catholic social teaching (CST) and its teaching on the common good to the reader and applies them in the realm of public health to critically analyze the major global issues of COVID-19 that undermine public interest. It uses the sociotheological approach that combines the moral principles of CST and the holistic analysis of modern sociology and also utilizes the secondary literature as the main source of textual data. Specifically, it investigates the corporate moral irresponsibility and some unethical business practices of Big Pharma in the sale and distribution of its anti-COVID vaccines and medicines, the injustice in the inequitable global vaccine distribution, the weakening of the United States Congress’s legislative regulation against the pharmaceutical industry’s overpricing and profiteering, the inadequacy of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) law enforcement system against corruption, and the lack of social monitoring in the current public health surveillance system to safeguard the public good from corporate fraud and white-collar crime. This book highlights the contribution of sociology in providing the empirical foundation of CST’s moral analysis and in crafting appropriate Catholic social action during the pandemic. It is hoped that through this book, secular scholars, social scientists, religious leaders, moral theologians, religious educators, and Catholic lay leaders would be more appreciative of the sociotheological approach to understanding religion and COVID-19. “This book brings into dialogue two bodies of literature: documents of Catholic social teaching, and modern sociology and its core thinkers and texts...The author does especially well to describe how taking ‘the sociotheological turn’...will benefit the credibility and dissemination of Catholic social thought.”- Rev. Fr. Thomas Massaro, S.J., Professor of Moral Theology, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California.
A Softer Strength: The Six Characteristics of a Powerful Woman of God
by Dondi ScumaciGod made you uniquely who you are on purpose! In A Softer Strength, Dondi Scumaci shows you how to live a life that is motivating, inspiring, and that brings you into a full realization of God&’s purpose and plan for you. She highlights six approaches that will increase your inherent talents and develop the spiritual strength that leads to victory: •Softening your inner dialogue •Empowering and equipping yourself for success •Increasing your emotional intelligence •Asking for what you want •Being clear in thought and deed •Letting love reignite your world You were designed for success in all of your roles. Your work as a mother, mentor, professional, leader, or volunteer should be challenging and inspiring. Start now; your opportunities are waiting!