Download or read book All in Sync written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003-05-05 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robert Wuthnow shows how music and art are revitalizing churches and religious life across the nation in this first-ever consideration of the relationship between religion and the arts. All in Sync draws on more than four hundred in-depth interviews with church members, clergy, and directors of leading arts organizations and a new national survey to document a strong positive relationship between participation in the arts and interest in spiritual growth. Wuthnow argues that contemporary spirituality is increasingly encouraged by the arts because of its emphasis on transcendent experience and personal reflection. This kind of spirituality, contrary to what many observers have imagined, is compatible with active involvement in churches and serious devotion to Christian practices. The absorbing narrative relates the story of a woman who overcame a severe personal crisis and went on to head a spiritual direction center where participants use the arts to gain clarity about their own spiritual journeys. Readers visit contemporary worship services in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston and listen to leaders and participants explain how music and art have contributed to the success of these services. All in Sync also illustrates how music and art are integral parts of some Episcopal, African American, and Orthodox worship services, and how people of faith are using their artistic talents to serve others. Besides examining the role of the arts in personal spirituality and in congregational life, Wuthnow discusses how clergy and lay leaders are rethinking the role of the imagination, especially in connection with traditional theological virtues. He also shows how churches and arts organizations sometimes find themselves at odds over controversial moral questions and competing claims about spirituality. Accessible, relevant, and innovative, this book is essential for anyone searching for a better understanding of the dynamic relationships among religion, spirituality, and American culture.

Download or read book Boundless Faith written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Boundless Faith, the first book to look systematically at American Christianity in relation to globalization, Robert Wuthnow shows that American Christianity is increasingly influenced by globalization and is, in turn, playing a larger role in other countries and in U.S. policies and programs abroad. These changes, he argues, can be seen in the growth of support at home for missionaries and churches in other countries and in the large number of Americans who participate in short-term volunteer efforts abroad. These outreaches include building orphanages, starting microbusinesses, and setting up computer networks. Drawing on a comprehensive survey that was conducted for this book, as well as several hundred in-depth interviews with church leaders, Wuthnow refutes several prevailing stereotypes: that U.S. churches have turned away from the global church and overseas missions, that congregations only look inward, and that the growing voice of religion in areas of foreign policy is primarily evangelical. This fresh and revealing book encourages Americans to pay attention to the grass-roots mechanisms by which global ties are created and sustained.

Download or read book Faith Vs Faithfulness written by Justin Perdue and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-28 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Christians evaluate their lives and ask the same questions: Am I doing enough? Have I shown enough discipline, enough dedication, or enough effort? Would praying and reading my Bible more help meovercome . . . remove . . . have . . .? You may feel that you put so much effort into improving your Christian life with no apparent fruit. Sins you thought would have been easier to overcome are still plaguing your daily life.You are not alone, and you are not crazy! Many Christians today live on this sort of performance-based treadmill, running fast and getting nowhere. Trying harder and doing more haven't produced assurance or victory over sin. You're exhausted. You feel empty and fake inside. You feel guilty for merely wanting to just coast, to give in, to stop trying. The foundation of Christianity is faith. And the foundation of the Christian faith, we will argue in this primer, is rest. In this book, Jon Moffitt, Jimmy Buehler, and Justin Perdue explain how weary pilgrims can find rest in Jesus Christ. To learn more about Theocast, please visit Theocast.org

Download or read book Living Beyond the Limits written by Franklin Graham and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 1998 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In "Living Beyond the Limits," Franklin Graham focuses on God's principles and promises essential to a full life. He relates real-life examples of men and women who have put God's Word into practice under some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. You'll be amazed by their stories. You'll also be stirred and challenged as never before.

Download or read book Finding Faith written by Brian D. McLaren and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2000-06-27 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is there a God? - What might God be like? - What is the relationship between faith and certainty? - Can intelligent people believe in spiritual realities? - Why are there so many religions? - Is it possible to experience a relationship with God--and if so, how? If you've asked questions like these, you're in good company. From songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Jewel Kilcher to TV shows such as The X Files and Touched by an Angel, the media and the arts reflect postmodern men and women's search for a living faith and a spiritually oriented life. Real faith isn't blind believism. It is a process that engages your intellect as well as your emotions. If you think faith requires turning your back on truth and intellectual honesty, then Finding Faith is one book you really ought to read. With logic, passion, and even-handedness that the thinking person will appreciate, this book helps you face your obstacles to faith by focusing not on what to believe, but on how to believe. Whether you want to strengthen the faith you have, renew the faith you lost, or discover faith for the first time, Finding Faith can coach, inspire, encourage, and guide you, and help you discover more in life than you'd ever imagined or hoped for.

Download or read book A Public Faith written by Miroslav Volf and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering such timely issues as witness in a multifaith society and political engagement in a pluralistic world, this compelling book highlights things Christians can do to serve the common good. Now in paperback. Praise for the cloth edition Named one of the "Top 100 Books" and one of the "Top 10 Religion Books" of 2011 by Publishers Weekly "Accessible, wise guidance for people of all faiths."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Highly original. . . . The book deserves a wide audience and is one that will affect its readers well after they have turned the final page."--Christianity Today (5-star review)

Download or read book Faith Community Nursing written by P. Ann Solari-Twadell and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-08-31 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A multi-authored book, with editors and authors who are leaders in Faith Community Nursing (FCN) that aims to address contemporary issues in faith-based, whole person, community based health offering cost effective, accessible, patient centered care along the patient continuum while challenging contemporary health policy to include more health promotion services. Twenty-five chapters take the reader from a foundational understanding of this historic grass-roots movement to the present day international specialty nursing practice. The book is structured into five sections that describe both the historical advancement of the Faith Community Nursing, its current implications and future challenges, taking into account the perspectives of the pastor, congregation, nurse, health care system and public health national and international organizations. The benefits of this book are that it is intended for a mixed audience including lay, academic, medical professionals or health care executives. By changing the mindset of the reader to see the nurse as more than providing illness care, the faith community as more than a place one goes to on Sunday and health as more than physical, creative alternatives for promoting health emerge through Faith Community Nursing.

Download or read book Exalt His Name Jesus written by Westwick Abijah Williams and published by Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The name Jesus identified the Son of God as a man. It was a common Jewish name meaning savior or deliverer. Jesus grew up perceived as a member of the local community. It was his baptism at age 30 that marked his anointing and attaining the title of “Christ,” now “the anointed one,” “the one sent from God.” The name Christ distinguished him from all others named Jesus. It identified him as the Son of God. Jesus Christ combined the “Son of God” and the “son of man.” Jesus chose to be the “son of man,” so he might redeem lost mankind, restoring it to the status of his creation, “sons of God.” In the name Jesus Christ is enshrined immortal glory, as well as the omnipotence and omniscience of God the Father. The common name Jesus is elevated above all other names to be expressive of the divine characteristics of “the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus, “the son of man,” elevates mankind to the status of Christians, “the sons of God.” This book presents a challenge to Christians to rise above the limitations of our fallen humanity, to grasp the unlimited potentials embodied in the name “Christ-ian,” and to be like Jesus Christ. We must follow Christ’s example in daily living, internalizing and practicing the precepts he taught, and get intimate with him through prayer. We are expected by God to fulfil the mission and destiny of Christians. When we succeed, all our differences will give way to Christ’s likeness, and the unity (oneness) for which Jesus prayed in John 17:17.

Download or read book Reasonable Faith written by Americo Tulipano and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2019-10-24 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christians and non-Christians alike are troubled by powerful questions: Why do innocent people suffer? Why isn't spiritual truth objectively provable? How can evolution be reconciled with belief in God? What is a soul? What is moral truth? How much hard history do the gospels contain? What did Jesus mean when he spoke of perfection? What is evil? Clear, concise answers to these and 265 other questions are offered in Reasonable Faith. Backed by many years of inquiry and research, this book takes on questions that have been avoided or given terse treatment by other "Christian answer" books. In the process of facing such questions, this work provides an honest and reasonable basis for compassionate Christian faith. "Like a breath of fresh air...wonderful." —Dr. Francis Collins Director of the National Institute of Health Author of The Language of God "A masterpiece." —Brother Aelred Reid, Benedictine Monk St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota "Beautifully written and diligently researched." —Reverend Richard A. Santella Retired United Methodist Minister "Wonderful." —Joan Roughgarden Professor of biology, Stanford University Author of Evolution and Christian Faith

Download or read book The Boys of Riverside written by Thomas Fuller and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 2024-08-06 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The incredible story of an all-deaf high school football team’s triumphant climb from underdog to undefeated, their inspirational brotherhood, a fascinating portrait of deafness in America, and the indefatigable head coach who spearheaded the team, by New York Times reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief, Thomas Fuller. "The Boys of Riverside is another example of how anyone can achieve their dreams, making what appears impossible, possible.” —Marlee Matlin, Academy Award winner In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter, Thomas Fuller’s, inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering wildfires, war, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story about this deaf football team. It was uplifting. During the pandemic’s gloom, it was a happy story. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their superhero advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. The team, and Adams, tackled the many stereotypes and seemed to be succeeding. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus just in time to see them trounce their opponent in the second game of the playoffs. The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history, following the personal journeys of Keith Adams (their dynamic deaf head coach), a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father’s car parked in the Target lot, a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, and myriad heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of the players who had found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, and deafness in America.

Download or read book The Spirit Led Leader written by Timothy C. Geoffrion and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005-11-14 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our postmodern, experience-oriented culture, people are longing for greater authenticity, integrity, and depth in their pastors and leaders. Board directors, church members, and staff alike are all eagerly seeking leaders who effectively integrate their spirituality and leadership. Pastors and executives, however, often struggle with knowing how to integrate their spiritual values and practices into their leadership and management roles. Designed for pastors, executives, administrators, managers, coordinators, and all who see themselves as leaders and who want to fulfill their God-given purpose, The Spirit-Led Leader addresses the critical fusion of spiritual life and leadership for those who not only want to see results, but who also desire to care just as deeply about who they are and how they lead as they do about what they produce and accomplish. Geoffrion creates a new vision for spiritual leadership as partly an art, partly a result of careful planning, and always a working of the grace of God

Download or read book Learning Jesus written by Stephen D. Jones and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-09-30 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some Christians are satisfied with an “Arrived Jesus,” a Jesus who had fully arrived at the moment of his birth in Bethlehem. He had nothing to learn, nothing to discover, no choices to make, and no place to go except to follow God’s tight script for his life. His life was static. Yet, other Christians believe in a “Becoming Jesus,” a Jesus who faced many crossroads and decision points, struggles and crises, all of which shaped his faithful response to God. This “Learning Jesus” was born into a world of stereotypes and bias and he, like others, had to overcome these human boundaries in order to become the Savior of the world. Jesus was an imaginative learner and an inspiring teacher. Like all human beings, he was a human becoming.

Download or read book Brands of Faith written by Mara Einstein and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-09-14 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a series of fascinating case studies of faith brands, marketing insider Mara Einstein has produced a lively account of the book in the commercialization of religion.

Download or read book God Pleasers written by Chiquis Howard and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2024-08-28 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you hungry for more of God in your life? Are you seeking to know God better yet feel stuck? You know there is more to your relationship with God, but you do not know how to move forward. Do you need that extra spark to have your heart burn with passion for the Lover of your soul? Read through the pages and discover some amazing insights into the mystery of Enoch and let his legacy instruct us on how to please God.

Download or read book A Search for Purpose written by The Prince Sharma and published by Partridge Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-20 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I wrote this book for people who want to know the purpose of life, who want to know the purpose in life, and who want to live a life of exhilaration and abundance. The objective of this book is to collect the traces of truth we find in science, psychology, history, and spirituality and to answer the following three great questions of life: Who are we? What is reality? What are we doing here? The answers will help us understand the purpose of life and give us clarity on our purpose in life. It is necessary to know the truth, or a part of it, instead of following blind ambitions or live aimlessly. On our journey to find the purpose, we will learn the nature of the universe, mind, and life and then dive in to some concepts of metaphysics, which resonates with science. After a decade of research, experiment, introspection, and cognition, I have reasons to believe that we are born with a purpose in life, a legend to manifest. Life has a special meaning for each one of us. Once we realize our purpose, we can not only live a fulfilled and abundant life, but also reach our greatness.

Download or read book Rhythms of Grace written by Kerri Weems and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. These well-known words of wisdom remind us to pace ourselves in the journey of life so we reach the finish line with no regrets. Pacing yourself is not as easy as it sounds. Life tends to take on a pace of its own which when left unchecked, will drive us toward burnout and fatigue. We can easily become driven by care, worry, and ambition rather than led by the Holy Spirit. We may tend to think of burnout as a modern problem, but we can see that people in Jesus’ day felt their own kind of spiritual and emotional fatigue. Why else would Jesus have said these comforting words? Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly (Matt. 11:28-30; The Message). Even though he spoke these words more than two millennia ago, Jesus’ call to rest and peace seem tailor-made to fit this generation. Author Kerri Weems had let the pace and rhythm of her life get out of control. At first the consequences were only physical, but they quickly impacted her spiritual life. Since then, God has been teaching her to walk in time with him; he is teaching her to be led rather than driven. In this book, she opens up her life and shares this journey with the reader. God’s best for each of us is that we go the full distance of our race, and not just crawl exhausted across the finish line. God wants us to enjoy the race and cross the line with our heads held high, a smile on our faces, and our arms lifted in a double fist-punch! Getting to that moment is all about learning the rhythms of grace and pacing ourselves for the long run.

Download or read book Blur written by Jeffrey Keuss and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BETTER INFORMED, BETTER EQUIPPED TO MINISTER to today’s blurred youth culture Mobile. Connected. Wired in. This is a generation that skips over perceived cultural boundaries and resists definition. They are a mash-up of identity, a blur of old categories and classes. Creators and consumers of a rapidly changing culture. But how does one reach a demographic that is so difficult to pin down? Many of the most popular approaches to youth ministry today begin by portraying youth as collections of fixed snapshots, “profiles” based on sociological research studies. Yet according to Dr. Jeff Keuss, today’s teens cannot be adequately characterized by these simplistic and static descriptions. Keuss argues that what is needed, instead, is a qualitative approach to describing young people, one that recognizes the “blurred” nature of today’s mobile youth culture. Jeff Keuss presents an optimistic new way of thinking about youth, one that sees them more holistically and less clinically. As we learn to see youth culture through this new lens, we will become better informed and better equipped to minister to the teens of today’s rapidly changing world.