Download or read book The Art of Public Prayer 2nd Edition written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-10-15 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A resource for worshipers today looking to change hardened worship patterns that stand in the way of everyday spirituality. All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks by—and that the service never seems to end. Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual works—and why it often doesn't work. The Art of Public Prayer uses psychology, social science, theology and common sense to explain the key roles played by ritual, symbolism, liturgy and song in services. Each chapter features "conversation points" designed to get you and your faith community thinking and talking about your own worship patterns—where they succeed, and where they need improvement. The Art of Public Prayer can help you and your fellow congregants revitalize your worship service by allowing you to organize and direct your own worship, making it a meaningful and fulfilling part of your life.
Download or read book The Art of Public Prayer written by Lawrence A. Hoffman and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A resource for worshipers today looking to change hardened worship patterns that stand in the way of everyday spirituality. All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks by--and that the service never seems to end. Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual works--and why it often doesn't work. The Art of Public Prayer uses psychology, social science, theology and common sense to explain the key roles played by ritual, symbolism, liturgy and song in services. Each chapter features "conversation points" designed to get you and your faith community thinking and talking about your own worship patterns--where they succeed, and where they need improvement. The Art of Public Prayer can help you and your fellow congregants revitalize your worship service by allowing you to organize and direct your own worship, making it a meaningful and fulfilling part of your life.
Download or read book Openings 2nd Edition written by Rev. Larry J. Peacock and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Move closer to God one day at a time by reading the Psalms and practicing prayer in ways you may not have imagined before. This is a prayer book for every day of the year for people who don't usually think about using a prayer book. Drawing on a wide variety of resources—lives of saints and sages from every age, psalms, guides for personal reflection and suggestions for practice—Rev. Larry J. Peacock offers helpful guidance for anyone hungry for a richer prayer life. Each day's reading has four parts: Remember a notable person of faith or a significant event Read a psalm or another scripture passage Ponder that day's scripture or person of faith Practice a variety of ways to pray, including prayer through play, music and physical movement This new edition features the addition of ancient and modern sages from inside and outside the Christian tradition as well as updated resources for deepening your spiritual life throughout the year.
Download or read book My People s Prayer Book Vol 2 written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-06-05 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul." My People's Prayer Book provides diverse and exciting commentaries to the traditional liturgy, written by some of today's most respected scholars and teachers from all perspectives of the Jewish world. They explore the text from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, medieval, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives. This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all. The My People's Prayer Book series belongs on the library shelf of every home, every synagogue—every sanctuary of prayer. Introductions tell the reader what to look for in the prayer service, as well as how to truly use the commentaries, to search for—and find—meaning in the prayer book.
Download or read book The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness written by Rabbi Rami Shapiro and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-12-14 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Open your heart and mind and discover—through the sacred art of lovingkindness—the image and likeness of God in yourself and others. "The question at the heart of this book is this: Will you engage this moment with kindness or with cruelty, with love or with fear, with generosity or scarcity, with a joyous heart or an embittered one? This is your choice and no one can make it for you.... Heaven and hell are both inside of you. It is your choice that determines just where you reside.” —from the Introduction We are all born in the image of God, but living out the likeness of God is a choice. This inspiring, practical guidebook provides you with the tools you need to realize the divinity within yourself, recognize the divinity within others, and act on the obligation to manifest God’s infinite compassion in your own life. Guided by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, you will explore Judaism’s Thirteen Attributes of Lovingkindness as the framework for cultivating a life of goodness. Shapiro translates these attributes into practices—drawn from the teachings of a variety of faith traditions—that allow you to actualize God’s glory through personal deeds of lovingkindness. You will enrich your own capacity for lovingkindness as you: Harvest kindness through compassionate honesty Make room in your heart for reality Recognize the manifestations of God Embrace the paradoxical truth of not-knowing Be present in the moment Do right by others With candor, wit, and honesty, Shapiro shows you that by choosing to act out of love rather than fear, with kindness rather than anger, you can transform how you perceive the world and ultimately lead a more complete spiritual life.
Download or read book The Sacred Art of Fasting written by Thomas Ryan and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Open your mind and heart and discover how the sacred art of fasting can strengthen your spiritual appetite Fasting as a religious act increases our sensitivity to that mystery always and everywhere present to us . It is an invitation to awareness, a call to compassion for the needy, a cry of distress, and a song of joy. It is a discipline of self-restraint, a ritual of purification, and a sanctuary for offerings of atonement. It is a wellspring for the spiritually dry, a compass for the spiritually lost, and inner nourishment for the spiritually hungry. from chapter 9 Though fasting is practiced in some form by nearly every faith tradition throughout the world, it is often seen as scary or something only for monastic life. But fasting doesn t have to be intimidating. And it doesn t have to mean going weeks without food. "The Sacred Art of Fasting" invites you to explore the practical approaches, spiritual motivations, and physical benefits of this ancient practice by looking at the ways it is observed in several faith traditions. Inspiring personal reflections, helpful advice, and encouragement from people who practice fasting answer your questions, allay your fears, and reveal how you too can safely incorporate fasting into your spiritual life.
Download or read book Lectio Divina The Sacred Art written by Christine Valters Paintner and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-27 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Break open this ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply for God's voice in sacred texts. Drawing on her own experience as a monk in the world, Christine Valters Paintner introduces the foundations for a practice of lectio divina. She closely examines each of the four movements of lectio divina as well as the rhythm they create when practiced as a process.
Download or read book Making Prayer Real written by Mike Comins and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Join over fifty Jewish spiritual leaders from all denominations in a candid conversation about the why and how of prayer: how prayer changes us and how to discern a response from God. In this fascinating forum, they share the challenges of prayer, what it means to pray, how to develop your own personal prayer voice, and how to rediscover meaning and God's presence in the traditional Jewish prayer book. Book jacket.
Download or read book Conversation The Sacred Art written by Diane M. Millis and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2013 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultivate the potential for deeper connection in every conversation. "To think of conversation as a sacred art challenges us to imagine all the conversations in which we participate, from the acquaintance we run into at Target to the dialogue for which we've spent weeks in preparation, as a potentially sacred conversation." --from the Introduction We often find ourselves distracted and overwhelmed by a constant stream of information and demand for connectivity. Now more than ever, we need to develop our capacity for greater presence in our daily lives and relationships. One of the best ways to do this is by improving the quality of our conversations. Dr. Diane M. Millis offers us inspirational stories, insights and spiritual practices from many faith traditions to increase our awareness of the deep, natural holiness waiting to be unlocked in our everyday encounters. This resource is a catalyst for anyone who would like to enrich seemingly ordinary conversations as well as for leaders in educational, ministry and corporate settings who want to: Increase their capacity to listen deeply Become more self-aware and attentive to others Learn how to move beyond conventional topics to exploring purpose, meaning and values in conversation.
Download or read book My People s Prayer Book written by Lawrence A. Hoffman and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This momentous, critically-acclaimed series is truly an essential source filled with traditional prayers, and modern commentaries.
Download or read book Men Pray written by SkyLight Paths Publishing and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2013 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A celebration of men's voices in prayer--through the ages from many faiths, cultures and traditions. "If men like us don't pray, where will emerging generations get a window into the soul of a good man, an image of the kind of man they can aspire to be--or be with--when they grow up? If men don't pray, who will model for them the practices of soul care--of gratitude, confession, compassion, humility, petition, repentance, grief, faith, hope and love? If men don't pray, what will men become, and what will become of our world and our future?" --from the Introduction by Brian D. McLaren This collection celebrates the profound variety of ways men around the world have called out to the Divine--with words of joy, praise, gratitude, wonder, petition and even anger--from the ancient world up to our own day. The prayers come from a broad spectrum of spiritual traditions--both East and West--including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more. Together they provide an eloquent expression of men's inner lives, and of the practical, mysterious, painful and joyous endeavor that prayer is. Men Pray will challenge your preconceived ideas about prayer. It will inspire you to explore new ways of prayerful expression and new possibilities for your own spiritual journey. This is a book to treasure and to share. Includes prayers from: Marcus Aurelius * Daniel Berrigan * Rebbe Nachman of Breslov * Walter Brueggemann * Bernard of Clairvaux * St. Francis of Assisi * Robert Frost * George Herbert * Gerard Manley Hopkins * St. Ignatius Loyola * Fr. Thomas Keating * Thomas à Kempis * Chief Yellow Lark * Brother Lawrence * C. S. Lewis * Ted Loder * Nelson Mandela * General Douglas MacArthur * Thomas Merton * D. L. Moody * John Henry Newman * John Philip Newell * John O'Donohue * Rumi * Rabindranath * Tagore * Walt Whitman * many others
Download or read book Social Functions of Synagogue Song written by Jonathan L. Friedmann and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Functions of Synagogue Song: A Durkheimian Approach by Jonathan L. Friedmann paints a detailed picture of the important role sacred music plays in Jewish religious communities. This study explores one possible way to approach the subject of music’s intimate connection with public worship: applying sociologist Émile Durkeim’s understanding of ceremonial ritual to synagogue music. Durkheim observed that religious ceremonies serve disciplinary, cohesive, revitalizing, and euphoric functions within religious communities. Drawing upon musical examples from different composers, regions, periods, rites, and services, Friedmann demonstrates how Jewish sacred music performs these functions.
Download or read book Israel A Spiritual Travel Guide 2nd Edition written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-01-13 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Be spiritually prepared for your journey in Israel. The only travel guide to Israel that will help you to prepare spiritually for your visit. Combining, in quick reference format, ancient blessings, medieval prayers, biblical references, and modern poetry, it helps today’s pilgrim tap into the deep spiritual meaning of the ancient—and modern—sites of the Holy Land. For each of 25 major tourist destinations—from the Western Wall to Masada to a kibbutz in the Galilee—it gives guidance in sharply focused, four-step sections: Anticipation: To read in advance. Information to help orient you in the site’s historical context. Approach: To read on the way there. Readings from traditional and modern sources to orient you in the site’s spiritual context. Acknowledgment: To read at the site. A prayer or blessing to integrate the experience into your spiritual consciousness. Afterthought: Journaling space for writing your own thoughts and impressions. More than a guidebook: It is a spiritual map of the Holy Land.
Download or read book Decision Making Spiritual Discernment written by Nancy L. Bieber and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-12-14 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stay spiritually grounded and open to divine wisdom as you shape your life. "To make wise decisions, we need the aid of that wise and loving Spirit whose wisdom and light exceed our own. With the Spirit illuminating the complexities of our decisions, we can see and understand more about ourselves and our choices." —from the Introduction Spiritual discernment is the traditional name for listening and responding to divine guidance. In this book you will approach decision making as an active participant, a co-creator with God in shaping your life. Drawing on twenty-five years of experience as a psychologist and fifteen years as a spiritual director, Nancy L. Bieber presents three essential aspects of Spirit-led decision making: • Willingness—being open to God's wisdom and love • Attentiveness—noticing what is true, discerning the right path • Responsiveness—taking steps forward as the way becomes clear. With gentle encouragement, Bieber shows how to weave these themes together to discover the best path for you. Each chapter is enriched by practical spiritual exercises to help you understand yourself and your specific situation, as well as to strengthen spiritual discernment as a daily way of life. An appendix includes a detailed guide for using the book in group study.
Download or read book The Heartbeat of God written by Katharine Jefferts Schori and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church explores our human connections--with each other, with other nations, with the whole of our environment--and the intersections of faith with issues like poverty, climate change, the economy and healthcare.
Download or read book New Feminist Christianity written by Mary E. Hunt and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of essays by proclaimed feminist Christians, discussing their accomplishments and examining the lasting problems that hinder women's participation in the Christian community.
Download or read book Living Into Hope written by Joan B. Campbell and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspires and challenges us to live life fully--not carefully or cautiously, but wholly engaged with the world and with the messiness of humanity--and dares us to claim our freedom to care, to risk and to step out into the unknown and live as people of hope.
