In this intelligent, accessible work, acclaimed poet and meditation teacher Stephen Levine introduces readers to meditation. Filled with practical guidance and advice—as well as extensive personal recollections—A Gradual Awakening explains the value of meditation as a means of attaining awareness, and provides readers with extensive advice on how establish a practice. Drawing on his own personal experiences with and insights into vipassana meditation, Levine has crafted an inspiring book for anyone interested in deep personal growth.
Most introductory textbooks in theology see their primary task as explaining Christian doctrines that no one quite understands anymore. While this is one of theology's jobs, it is by no means the only, nor even the most important, one. Theology has also been called to change the world, to help people connect deeply rooted beliefs about the world's source and goal to questions of personal meaning and communal thriving. Theology is here to help us make sense of the complex, flawed world into which we've been thrust and to assist us in our attempt to love our neighbors and live toward the common good. For more than forty years, the Workgroup on Constructive Theology has brought the liberal and liberationist theological traditions into creative encounter with lived human experience. In this introduction to the methods and tasks of theology, they invite a new generation of readers, many who will have little or no exposure to Christian doctrine, to see theology as a partner in the struggle for a better world. They demonstrate how theological ideas have "legs," playing themselves out not only in religious communities but in the public square as well. Theology, the authors tell us, is constructive when it joins in God's work of building human lives and human societies. Readers will learn to think about all of life in light of their religious commitments and to see theology as an essential tool for a life well lived.
Many of us live as if we're in a dream. We are not awake to the reality of life as it truly is, but instead spend the majority of our time consumed by the illusory reality of our thoughts--a reality of imaginations, fantasies, words, beliefs, concepts, ideas, opinions, judgements, and social conventions. We often live as if we are on auto-pilot--our body is doing one thing and our mind is on vacation somewhere else--and so, we miss out on our life experience, consumed and distracted by thoughts, unaware of what we are actually doing in the present moment. When we aren't present to life, it makes us feel vaguely but persistently dissatisfied. This sense of dissatisfaction, of a gap between us and everything else, is the essential problem of human life. It is the basic truth of our suffering--both individually and collectively. Individually, it causes suffering because it creates a sense of separation between us and life--which results in feelings of fear and isolation that lead to unnatural and destructive behaviors. Collectively, this manifests as violence between humans, harm toward other living beings, and destruction of our own environment. Our individual suffering and delusion causes us to act in harmful ways that contributes to the suffering of all life on earth, and unless we wake up to reality, we'll continue to live in our dream of separation, and we'll continue to act in destructive ways because of it. If we awaken to the present moment, however, we can see that we are not separate from life; we are life. Everything is existing together here and now in this moment. Not only does waking up to the present moment bring us peace, happiness and fulfillment--it brings us in touch with the reality of our shared existence. If we can awaken to the true reality of what is, we can realize our own fundamental being, and its inseparability from the being within all beings. This book is a guide to awakening from the dream of the mind and its projections, awakening to reality as it is in the present moment, and realizing the reality of our own presence by doing so.
In Awake in the World, Jason Gurley delivers a gorgeous debut YA novel about dreams and finding the courage to reach them. When all was lost, they found each other. As the sun sets off the coast of the small California town of Orilla del Cielo, the silhouettes of oil rigs loom. Their shadows mar the serene backdrop, their sharpness a reminder of unfulfilled promises. To Zach, they are also a reminder of loss—his father, an oil worker, drowned years earlier. With his family struggling to make ends meet, Zach feels he’s destined for a bleak future. Until he meets Vanessa. She's an optimistic girl from a wealthy family whose sights are literally set on the stars. Inspired by her idol, Carl Sagan, she plans on studying astronomy at Cornell. But as oil prospectors in search of black gold know, the future is uncertain . . . and fortunes can always be flipped.
Have you sensed it? Chaos. Violence. Confusion. Anxiety. How do we know what's true when there are so many differing voices telling us what to do? After traveling the world for 23 years in a rock band, John L. Cooper has noticed one consistent issue: people are desperately confused. Awake & Alive to Truth tackles the reigning philosophies of our day of post-modernism, relativism, and the popular view of the goodness of man and combats these viewpoints by standing on the absolute truth of the Word of God. Awake & Alive to Truth answers some of the most asked questions in modern culture. Go on a journey through some John Cooper's personal stories, the doctrine of original sin, the authority of Scripture, the danger of trusting your emotions, and end with the greatest news possible: God wants to rescue you from the chaos and the darkness and bring you into His glorious light.
Jesus asked his followers to stay awake, which begs the question: stay awake to what? Staying Awake is a practical exploration of Christianity for people who want to show up for justice and stay in the movement. Complete with stories, worksheets, poetry, illustrations, and a commitment to centering queer people of color, this book is here to support you in staying awake: to God, to the evils of oppression, and the world’s coming liberation.
Use this spiritual guide to equip yourself with the tools needed to tear down anxiety and build inner peace. Spiritual people often find that their own expectations of living a life dedicated to a higher power makes them more susceptible to high-functioning anxiety. Sometimes, traditional relaxation techniques either do not work, don’t last, or, in some cases, actually increase their anxiety. Psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and interfaith minister Rev. Connie L. Habash has helped hundreds of spiritual people overcome fear and anxiety, regain happiness, and feel calmer. In over twenty-five years as a counselor helping spiritual people overcome anxiety, Rev. Connie has taught that it takes more than chanting mantras, stretching, or relaxation techniques to calm anxiety. It requires a transformation in perception, moment-to-moment body awareness, and a conscious response to thoughts and emotions. Awakening from Anxiety provides valuable psycho-spiritual tools to deepen spiritual awakening and calm fears:Learn what anxiety is and when it becomes a problemUnderstand the six mistakes spiritual people make that increase anxietyDiscover the seven keys to a more calm, confident, courageous lifeKnow how to break through the old patterns of stress, worry, and fear into a new perception of your true selfExplore spiritual principles and yoga philosophy to cultivate inner peace If you enjoyed Stop Anxiety from Stopping You and First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Awakening from Anxiety will take your healing and renewal from anxiety to the next level. “A book I will recommend to many for both practical advice and spiritual insights for handling stress, worry, and anxiety.”?Becca Anderson, author of Prayers for Calm
Theo and her young, irresponsible mother seem trapped in their miserable, poverty-stricken life. Theo dreams of belonging to a “real” family, and her dream seems to come true when she is mysteriously adopted by the large, warm Kaldor family. But as time passes, the magic of Theo’s new life begins to fade, and soon she finds herself back with her mother. Were the Kaldors real or just a dream? And who is the shadowy figure who haunts Theo’s thoughts?
In the groundbreaking book Awake in This Life, Michael McAlister offers an alternative path to uncovering an enlightened perspective amidst our busy lives.
