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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.
Being United Methodist Christians: Living a Life of Grace and Hope
by Andy Langford Sally Langford Ann Langford DuncanLearn what it means to be a United Methodist Christian.How may we describe United Methodists? Where do we come from? What do we believe? How do United Methodists act? What are our distinctive characteristics? What is required to be a member of our denomination? How do we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ within this great communion?In this resource, we offer answers to these questions and others in broad strokes as we describe our United Methodist Church. We will introduce you to how United Methodists live and think as followers of Jesus Christ.The United Methodist Church possesses the characteristics of many other Christian traditions but has its own distinctive profile. Our denomination combines knowledge and vital piety, believing that serious theological reflection and spiritual practices are both part of the Christian life. United Methodists link personal and social holiness, expecting high personal integrity and deep concern for social justice. We are both evangelical and sacramental, showing concern for people who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and honoring the transforming power of Baptism and Holy Communion. We welcome people with many different theological perspectives. Finally, United Methodists are both local and connectional, expressing our faith in local congregations, regional associations, and global missions, so that we might do more together than any of us could do separately.This book will help readers:· hear and claim for themselves the story of God’s love, God’s redemption, and God’s ongoing presence and power through Jesus Christ.· explore and claim for themselves the unique beliefs and emphases of United Methodist Christians.· identify ways to live day by day as United Methodist Christians as individuals and in community with other Christians.We invite you to claim for yourself the continuing story of God’s mighty acts of creation, redemption, and power through Jesus Christ within our great denomination. As you begin or continue to see yourself within this living, dynamic part of the universal body of Jesus Christ, we invite you to live, be, and grow as a United Methodist Christian.The book includes reflection questions. Supplementary resources include a downloadable Sermon, Worship, and Study Series outline.
Being United Methodist: What It Means, Why It Matters
by J. Ellsworth KalasIn Being Methodist, popular and well-loved J. Ellsworth Kalas uses his approachable style to address a topic that sometimes seems complicated even to those who have practiced it for years.In this book, Kalas explores questions such as Who are these people called Methodists? Where have they come from, and where are they going? And how is it that so few of them really know what it means to be a Methodist? What makes them tick, and in a spasmodically changing world, what keeps them ticking?
Being Upright
by Reb AndersonBeing Upright takes us beyond the conventional interpretation of ethical precepts to the ultimate meaning that informs them. Reb Anderson first introduces us to the fundamental ideas of Zen Buddhist practice. Who was Shakyamuni Buddha and what was his central teaching? What does it mean to be a bodhisattva and take the bodhisattva vow? Why should we confess and acknowledge our ancient twisted karma? What is the significance of taking refuge in Buddha, dharma, and sangha? The author explores the ten basic precepts, including not killing, not stealing, not lying, not misusing sexuality, and not using intoxicants. A gifted storyteller, Anderson takes us to the heart of situations, where moral judgments are not easy and we do not have all the answers. With wisdom and compassion, he teaches us how to confront the emotional and ethical turmoil of our lives.
Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World
by Doug Schaupp Paula HarrisWhat does it mean to be white? When you encounter people from other races or ethnicities, you may become suddenly aware that being white means something. Those from other backgrounds may respond to you differently or suspiciously. You may feel ambivalence about your identity as a white person. Or you may feel frustrated when a friend of another ethnicity shakes his head and says, "You just don't get it because you're white."So, what does it mean to be white?How can you overcome the mistakes of the past?How can you build authentic relationships with people from other races and ethnicities?So what do I do?
Being With Animals: Why We Are Obsessed with the Furry, Scaly, Feathered Creatures Who Populate Our World
by Barbara J. KingWhat do Mickey Mouse, Ganesh, a leopard-skin pillbox hat,A Lion Called Christian, and the Aflac duck have in common? They all represent human beings' deeply ingrained connection to the animal kingdom. InBeing With Animals,anthropologist Barbara King unravels the complexity and enormous significance of this relationship. Animals rule our existence. You can see this in the billions of dollars Americans pour out each year for their pets, in the success of books and films such asMarley and Me,in th...
Being Yourself: How Do I Take Off This Mask?
by Women Of FaithWomen of Faith, renowned for their unique combination of personality and truth, offer fresh new messages in four new topical study guides in the popular Women of Faith Study Guide Series. Each study guide, teeming with insights and quotes from the conference speakers provides twelve weeks of Bible study and a leader's guide for small groups.
Being Zen: Bringing Meditation to Life
by Charlotte Joko Beck Ezra BaydaWe can use whatever life presents, Ezra Bayda teaches, to strengthen our spiritual practice--including the turmoil of daily life. What we need is the willingness to just be with our experiences--whether they are painful or pleasing--opening ourselves to the reality of our lives without trying to fix or change anything. But doing this requires that we confront our most deeply rooted fears and assumptions in order to gradually become free of the constrictions and suffering they create. Then we can awaken to the loving-kindness that is at the heart of our being. While many books aspire to bring meditation into everyday experience, Being Zen gives us practical ways to actually do it, introducing techniques that enable the reader to foster qualities essential to continued spiritual awakening. Topics include how to cultivate:Perseverance: staying with anger, fear, and other distressing emotions. Stillness: abiding with chaotic experiences without becoming overwhelmed. Clarity: seeing through the conditioned beliefs and fears that "run" us. Direct experience: encountering the physical reality of the present moment-even when that moment is exactly where we don't want to be. Like Pema ChÖdrÖn, the best-selling author of When Things Fall Apart, Ezra Bayda writes with clear, heartfelt simplicity, using his own life stories to illustrate the teachings in an immediate and accessible way that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.
Being Zen: Bringing Meditation to Life
by Charlotte Joko Beck Ezra BaydaWe can use whatever life presents, Ezra Bayda teaches, to strengthen our spiritual practice--including the turmoil of daily life. What we need is the willingness to just be with our experiences--whether they are painful or pleasing--opening ourselves to the reality of our lives without trying to fix or change anything. But doing this requires that we confront our most deeply rooted fears and assumptions in order to gradually become free of the constrictions and suffering they create. Then we can awaken to the loving-kindness that is at the heart of our being. While many books aspire to bring meditation into everyday experience, Being Zen gives us practical ways to actually do it, introducing techniques that enable the reader to foster qualities essential to continued spiritual awakening. Topics include how to cultivate: * Perseverance: staying with anger, fear, and other distressing emotions. * Stillness: abiding with chaotic experiences without becoming overwhelmed. * Clarity: seeing through the conditioned beliefs and fears that "run" us. * Direct experience: encountering the physical reality of the present moment--even when that moment is exactly where we don't want to be. Like Pema Chödrön, the best-selling author of When Things Fall Apart, Ezra Bayda writes with clear, heartfelt simplicity, using his own life stories to illustrate the teachings in an immediate and accessible way that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. " Ezra Bayda teaches at Zen Center San Diego. He is also the author of Being Zen, At Home in the Muddy Water, Saying Yes to Life (Even the Hard Parts), and Zen Heart. For more information, visit www.zencentersandiego.org. ""Bayda writes with exceptional clarity and simplicity about the awakened life. He has a gift for describing 'ordinary mind,' or the customary thoughts, feelings, and experiences of everyday life. His style is as plainspoken as Pema Chödrön's. He deserves membership in the ranks of respected meditation teacher-authors."--Publishers Weekly "With clarity and compassion, Bayda applies Zen Buddhist principles to everyday life. He explains how all experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant, help us to discover our 'path' to wisdom and an open heart. Presented here are realistic suggestions to help us survive the journey."--Library Journal "Ezra Bayda wisely translates the Eastern spiritual belief into an extremely useful handbook for practice. Being Zen is humble and direct, which reminds me most of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It is what its title states--not an explanation of Buddhism or Zen, but an essential guide to its daily practice. Bayda's is a gentle, sharing voice that evenly embraces humor and sincerity, bringing reason and heart-sense to our most irrational behaviors."--Parabola "A skillful wedding of mindfulness and Zen--straightforward, simple, and wise."--Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry
Being a Christian (IVP Booklets)
by John StottWritten by John R. W. Stott, a Christian leader known worldwide for addressing the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women, this updated booklet discusses the privileges of being a child of God and helps Christians grow to maturity in their responsibilities to God, the church and the world.
Being a Crisis Chaplain: Delivering Help and Healing in Critical Scenarios (Routledge Focus on Mental Health)
by Sidney Dekker Lance MergardBeing a Crisis Chaplain delivers the essential elements of crisis chaplaincy, outlining the process of responding to crises with clarity and compassion. Drawing from real‑world experiences and research, this is a concise but comprehensive toolkit for navigating the delicate aftermath of crises.Chapters explore ways to triage emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs, from the raw shock and grief to complex feelings of guilt and helplessness. With practical guidance for recognizing and mitigating long‑term mental health issues such as post‑traumatic stress disorder, this book also emphasizes the importance of self‑care for chaplains, ensuring they can sustain their vital work without succumbing to secondary trauma. The reader will develop an understanding of what a crisis chaplain does and how to act in a safe, compassionate, and humane manner in any type of crisis or disaster.This book is for professionals on the front line of natural and human disasters and crises, including emergency responders, safety practitioners, chaplains, pastoral carers, religious leaders, and counsellors.
Being a Deacon Today: Exploring a Distinctive Ministry in the Church and in the World
by Rosalind BrownA theological explanation and practical handbook for those preparing for a diaconate in today's church. All too often the time spent as a deacon is seen simply as the prelude to priestly ordination. Yet the Bible defines three orders of ministry - deacon, priest, and bishop - each with its own distinctive characteristics and responsibilities. In Being A Deacon Today, Brown explores the three places where deacons minister (the church, the world, and at the margins), the three strands of their ministry (in liturgy, in pastoral care, and as catechists), and the three actions of their ministry (praying, loving, and remembering). This book, excellent for classroom use and for transitional and permanent deacons, will restore a fuller understanding of the diaconal ministry and nurture deacons in their work and spiritual life.
Being a Disciple: Counting the Real Cost (40-Minute Bible Studies)
by Kay Arthur Tom HartThis brand new Bible study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can benefit from personally or as part of a small group. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God's Word through basic inductive Bible study. As Kay explains, "Rather than simply reading or listening to what others say about a subject, you are going to see for yourself what God says about it." Join one of the world's most respected Bible teachers in a study that will revolutionize your thinking--and your life.What is the difference between a true follower of Jesus Christ and others who merely call themselves "Christian"? Kay Arthur and Tom and Jane Hart point the way to clear answers in this instructive study of what Jesus had to say about the subject.Through these eye-opening inductive studies of passages from the Gospels, you can better understand the distinctive marks of a disciple of Christ and how to make sure they are true of your own life.Join Kay Arthur in exploring what it means to count the cost, deny yourself, and follow Christ.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids
by Sharon E. JaynesBe B.L.E.S.S.E.D.! That is what Sharon Jaynes teaches as she focuses on being a Proverbs 31 mother. Today's over-committed, harried housewives and mothers sorely need practical suggestions and loving encouragement. Don't go it alone. You need a friend who has been there. Sharon Jaynes is the friend you've been looking for. Her heart is warm and her wisdom is straightforward.
Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids
by Sharon E. JaynesBe B.L.E.S.S.E.D.! That is what Sharon Jaynes teaches as she focuses on being a Proverbs 31 mother. Today's over-committed, harried housewives and mothers sorely need practical suggestions and loving encouragement. Don't go it alone. You need a friend who has been there. Sharon Jaynes is the friend you've been looking for. Her heart is warm and her wisdom is straightforward.