Kabbalah is the tradition of Jewish mysticism, long kept secret and taught only to married men over forty. It is a collection of teachings and practices that help us reveal our own pure nature and our possibility for direct mystical experience of the divine.The legacy of this great lineage was nearly lost in the Holocaust, when almost 80 percent of its practitioners were murdered. Cooper sought out the few surviving rabbis trained in Kabbalah in the United States and Israel and became their student. Now as a respected rabbi and teacher, he brings Kabbalah out if its place of secrecy and into the open. Combining his background in meditation and rabbinic studies, Rabbi David Cooper is uniquely qualified to make Kabbalah accessible to a broad range of people. The meditative and contemplative practices in this book help the student turn meaningful teachings into deep personal experiences.God Is a Verb is the first practical Jewish book of life and death, and within it is the recovery of the soul of the oldest living religion in the West.
Worship. It isn't an entertaining showcase for a talented soprano or a lecture on textual criticism or a pleasant weekly reunion of friends and family. Instead, true worship is a joyous celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And as we actively turn our hearts toward God in earnest praise of God's great works, God in turn speaks to us and blesses us with a healing and renewing touch. In this life-changing and dynamic book, Robert Webber declares that worship is not "something done to us or for us, but by us." It is the most exhaustive demonstration of our faith and the most intimate form of relationship we can have with our Savior. Complete with a guide for group of personal study, "Worship Is a Verb" will show you how to leave the dull confines of the pew and enter the courts of the Living God.
This exploration of the radical, yet ancient, idea that everything and everyone is God will transform how you understand your life and the nature of religion itself. While God is conventionally viewed as an entity separate from us, there are some Jews—Kabbalists, Hasidim, and their modern-day heirs—who assert that God is not separate from us at all. In this nondual view, everyone and everything manifests God. For centuries a closely guarded secret of Kabbalah, nondual Judaism is a radical reorientation of religious life that is increasingly influencing mainstream Judaism today. Writer and scholar Jay Michaelson presents a wide-ranging and compelling explanation of nondual Judaism: what it is, its traditional and contemporary sources, its historical roots and philosophical significance, how it compares to nondual Buddhism and Hinduism, and how it is lived in practice. He explains what this mystical nondual view means in our daily ego-centered lives, for our communities, and for the future of Judaism.
Goodrich traces Habitat's history back to an unsung American hero, Clarence Jordan, who in the 1940's founded a Christian community in south Georgia dedicated to social and economic justice. Koinonia Farm made headlines in the 1950's when the Ku Klux Klan and J. Edgar Hoover attempted to put it out of business for embracing integration and a seemingly "communistic" lifestyle, but is known today mainly as Habitat's birthplace. Millard Fuller, a millionaire businessman, arrived at Koinonia during a spiritual crisis in the early 1970's, and under Jordan's guidance realized that he was a "money-holic." In 1976 Fuller and his wife would found Habitat for Humanity, which in 2005 completed its 200,000th house.
Before departing this world, Jesus gave His followers this charge, "Go and make disciples of all nations." This call is meant for every Jesus follower. Each of us is empowered by God to not just be a disciple, a noun, but to disciple others, a verb. Making passionate, effective disciples of Jesus is the God-given, best strategy for bringing the gospel to the world. Making disciples is a messy relational enterprise that is both challenging and costly. Embracing the term disciple as a verb is one of the most important, transformative, and joy-filled things you will do this side of heaven! If you believe these things to be true or are at least intrigued by these statements, I invite you to come explore what it looks like to make disciples of Jesus. If you care deeply about people but struggle to know how to support them in their spiritual growth and journey, this book is for you! I am not offering another program, activity, or curriculum but instead a window into what it means to live a lifestyle of discipleship, of helping others become more like Jesus. Whether you're a teacher, parent, coach, coworker, student, athlete, pastor, small group leader, or friend, we will discuss principles and practical tips for being an agent of spiritual change for those you love. So again, I invite you to come along and discover how to bring radical transformation into the lives of those around you, by the awesome grace of God, the way Jesus did. By the end of this book, it is my sincere prayer that you know what a disciple of Jesus is, why you are called to make them, and how to start this adventure of answering Jesus's Commission to make disciples of all nations!
This is a personal account of experiences that I have encountered while becoming closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this book, you will find specific scriptures pertaining to each chapter, which includes Christian techniques for fighting Satan, on your way to success in this world. May God continue to bless you and keep you and yours as you walk toward the Kingdom of Heaven while walking in the Kingdom of God right here on earth.
Imagine what it would look like to have an organic relationship with God—one that is stripped of all pollutants and additives of this world. The Organic God removes the unhealthy fillers and purifies our relationship with the God of the Scriptures. Through personal stories and scriptural insights, Margaret Feinberg shares glimpses of God’s character—big-hearted, kind, beautiful, mysterious—that point you to an authentic and naturally spiritual relationship with him, allowing you to truly discover God in a healthy, refreshing new way. You won’t be able to help but fall in love all over again.
Your body is the place where heaven and earth meet. The greatest spiritual achievement is not transcending the body but joining body and spirit together. But to do this, you must break through assumptions that draw boundaries around the Infinite and wake up to the body as the site of holiness itself. This groundbreaking book is the first comprehensive treatment of the body in Jewish spiritual practice and an essential guide to the sacred. With meditation practices, physical exercises, visualizations and sacred text, you will learn how to experience the presence of the Divine in, and through, your body. And by cultivating an embodied spiritual practice, you will transform everyday activities--eating, walking, breathing, washing--into moments of deep spiritual realization, uniting sacred and sensual, mystical and mundane.
God of Love is Mirabai Starr’s passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths. She shares an overview of essential teachings, stories of saints and spiritual masters, prophetic calls for peace and justice, and for the first time in print, deeply engaging narratives from her own spiritual experiences. She guides readers to recognize the teachings and practices that unify rather then divide the three religions, and sheds light on the interspiritual perspective, which celebrates the Divine in all paths. It is Mirabai’s hope that this book will serve as a reminder that a dedication to lovingkindness is the highest expression of faith for all three religions. EARLY REVIEWS FOR God of Love “Mirabai Starr takes us out dancing with the One. God of Love is a confluence of the currents of Judaism, Islam and Christianity all emptying into the great ocean of Love.” —Ram Dass, Author Be Here Now “In a time of division between people, this book — which is a masterful blend of research, storytelling, poetry, and memoir — is like a sacred magnet, pulling on the spiritual heart of all seekers.” —Elizabeth Lesser, Cofounder, Omega Institute; Author, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow “Mirabai Starr writes of the divine from a luminous gene inherited by only a few. We hear The True Song in each word she attributes to the holy. It is more than just her song; it is the Melody of the Spheres translated by an astute musician. We are always touched by the genuine in her call to the reader to love and love well, to see with the sacred eye of beauty.” -Ondrea & Stephen Levine, Authors Embracing the Beloved "Mirabai's book has brought me great consolation." -Daniel Berrigan, S. J. activist-priest; Author, No Gods but One “This book brilliantly reminds us that in the heart of the Abrahamic traditions there burns a singular divine flame.” -Rev. Robert V. Thompson, Author A Voluptuous God “A wonderful and ‘perfect’ book. Highly recommended.” -Rabbi David A. Cooper, Author God Is a Verb “[God of Love] will expand your vision and inspire your search; I recommend it with great joy.” -Andrew Harvey, Author The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism “At home in the three great Abrahamic traditions, Mirabai Starr takes us on a deeply personal journey 'Toward the One,' exploring aspects of the 'God of Love' as seen through the eyes of Jewish, Christian and Muslim mystics. This is a book which will delight the seeker of sacred connections between these traditions and those who look forward to a day when Jerusalem, the city shared by all these faiths, will be a house of prayer for all people." -Reb Netanel Miles-Yepez, Co-Author A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters
