Jonathan, the middle Terzetto brother, meets Samantha and forms a deep connection with her, something he never had with his former wife. Though his older brother Peter doesn't believe in love and cautions him against it, Jonathan falls madly in love with Samantha. Their love and passion for each other deepen as they cook, bake, and explore New York, until a tragic twist of fate intervenes.
How do religious educators meaningfully engage adult learners? How do they invite adults to begin a learning journey and inspire them to stay on it? In an era of "spiritual but not religious," how can religious educators, and clergy in particular, respond to the yearnings of adults for connection, wholeness, and purpose? Open Minds, Devoted Hearts offers the examples of three outstanding congregational rabbis whose teaching answers that call to action. Through innovatively incorporating biographical portraits and educational scholarship the book provides a comprehensive exploration of how the themes of narrative, transformation, and spirituality bring adult religious educators and learners into a powerful interactive educational process. The portraits and accompanying analysis reveal how constructing personal meaning and building sacred community through study situates adult learning as a dynamic centerpiece of an energized congregational life.
Have you ever wondered Why am I here on Earth? What is my purpose? Life is a marvelous adventure. We are each a magnificent being with the spark of the Divine within our heart and soul. We are all here on Earth together to create something wonderfulthe potential is unlimited. Destiny is calling us. Together with God we can create miracles in our own lives and help lift those around us. It is possible! The purpose of this book is to help you, step by step, actualize more and more the amazing person you really are. Each chapter focuses on a different Divine Quality which you can learn to enhance in your life: Wisdom, Power, Love, Freedom, Peace, Purpose, Illumination, Healing, Joy, Clarity, Transformation, and more. Each chapter is like a multimedia life expanding workshop with inspired insights and guidance, extensive uplifting art, heartwarming personal testimonies from fellow seekers, and free access to audio meditations and soul songs by Joyce through the accompanying website. There are also questions to reflect on and discuss, and action suggestions. Experience this life enriching journey on your own, or enjoy it with friends as a support group. Learn about intuition, energy and auras, meditation, natural foods and healing, illumination, soul mission, mystical philosophy, and abundance in harmony with the healing of our planet.
It’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “If it weren’t for my grandmother’s prayers, I wouldn’t be walking with God.” Offering inspiring stories, Scripture-based prayer topics, and practical ideas for fostering loving relationships, A Grandmother’s Prayers leads you on a sixty-day journey of prayer for your grandchildren. Throughout the pages of this devotional prayer guide, you’ll find insightful and uplifting daily readings, sample prayers, activities and conversation starters, and questions for reflection and application. Author Kay Swatkowski encourages you to talk to God about your grandchildren, talk to them about God, and pass on a strong spiritual legacy from one generation to another.
A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's arms. While critics have lauded Wagner's Tristan and Isolde for the originality and subtlety of the music, they have denounced the drama as a "mere trifle"--a rendering of Wagner's forbidden love for Matilde Wesendonck, the wife of a banker who supported him during his exile in Switzerland. Death-Devoted Heart explodes this established interpretation, proving the drama to be more than just a sublimation of the composer's love for Wesendonck or a wistful romantic dream. Scruton boldly attests that Tristan and Isolde has profound religious meaning and remains as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries. He also offers keen insight into the nature of erotic love, the sacred qualities of human passion, and the peculiar place of the erotic in our culture. His argument touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption, providing a fresh interpretation of Wagner's masterpiece. Roger Scruton has written an original and provocative account of Wagner's music drama, which blends philosophy, criticism, and musicology in order to show the work's importance in the twenty-first century.
In "Hearts Aflame: Journeying Deeper with God through the Lives of David and Samuel," readers are invited to delve deep into the biblical narratives surrounding two of the most profound figures in Christian theology: King David and the prophet Samuel. Drawing upon their storied journeys, the text illuminates the pathways to living a life wholly devoted to God, offering readers a wellspring of wisdom on how to cultivate their relationship with the divine. Navigating the intricacies of leadership, righteousness, and moral responsibility, the book explores the consequences of actions, both taken and avoided, as seen through the lives of these iconic figures. Through an intimate exploration of their paths, readers are encouraged to reflect critically on their own spiritual journeys, understanding the magnitude of maintaining a steadfast and devoted heart, akin to that of David and Samuel. Taking readers through the concepts of prophetic, priestly, and kingly anointing, the book elucidates the distinct levels of spiritual authority, encouraging believers to rise to their highest potential in their service to God and their communities. Drawing parallels to contemporary ministry, the text questions the efficacy and integrity of current religious leaders, calling for a revolution of true devotion, untainted by worldly concerns. Furthermore, "Hearts Aflame" dives deep into the thematic undercurrents of prayer, humility, and devotion, offering insights on how to cultivate a spiritual life rich with intimate moments with God, a life characterized by unyielding faith and deep-rooted trust in God's grand design. As readers journey through the book, they are provided with reflective pauses, offering them the sacred space to introspect and potentially transform their spiritual paths, rejuvenating their hearts with a refreshed fervor for the spiritual realm. Drawing upon the profound symbolism of biblical texts, the book elucidates the divine call to prayer and the necessity of a heart deeply tuned to God's will, paralleled with a life of devoted service. A pivotal addition to the book is the discourse on the kingly anointing, an advanced level of spiritual authority that fosters a collective spiritual awakening, potent enough to transform cities, regions, and nations. Unveiling the avenues to attain such a towering stature in spiritual realms, the text beckons believers to aspire for this summit of spiritual potency, laying forth the blueprints of ushering in an era characterized by mass deliverance and healing through God's omnipotent power. In the final chapters, the readers are summoned to an intimate self-reflection, with a heartfelt invitation to revisit their spiritual bearings, to shed the callouses enveloping their hearts, and to rejuvenate their spiritual lives with a new depth of understanding and commitment. Concluding with a powerful prayer, "Hearts Aflame" invites readers into a covenant with God, setting the stage for a journey of deepened faith, enriched spiritual authority, and an unyielding commitment to God's divine plan. It is not just a book but a beacon guiding believers towards a life echoing with the reverberations of a heart truly aflame for God. Let yourself be led on this transformative journey, as you step into the rich legacies of David and Samuel, guided by the earnest desire to please God with a heart ablaze with divine love and commitment.
This book includes over 300 sermon outlines from almost every book of the Bible, poems, jokes, and topical sermons by the Rev. Clarence Howell, whose ministerial work spanned some 75 years. These sermons are rich in content, Biblical truths, inspiration, and instruction. They may be used by preachers, pastors, evangelists, and Sunday School teachers for building a message on a particular topic, or a specific scripture passage. Many sermons for special days and holidays are in this treasury, including a wedding ceremony that he used over 850 times. This book may also be used as a daily devotional reading. God's word will have another opportunity to inspire hearts and win souls! Rev. Howell, my father-in-law earned an Associate Arts degree from Wayland Baptist College, a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hardin Simmons University, and a Master's degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Kenneth Neal Murphy resides in his birthplace, San Augustine, Texas, with his wife, Clara. He has two children, Kay Fatheree, a pastor's wife, of Wyoming, and Doug Murphy, a police officer, in North Carolina, and five grandchildren. Neal earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and a Master's Degree in Insurance from the Insurance Institute of America. He also attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he studied religion courses. He is a Deacon in a Baptist Church, and has taught Sunday School classes, and directed church choirs for years. He began his writing in 2005, and many of his short stories about his life have been published in Reminisce Magazine, Good Old Days Magazine, and the new Town Square magazine. One story was included in Memories of Mother, a book published by Xulon Press.
The Christian longing to share anguish, fear, gratitude, and awe has found expression in many forms of prayer, beginning in Scripture and the practices and words of Jesus. Over the centuries many fruitful approaches to prayer have taken hold, but often there is a certain unease about what is right or what is best. In this welcome and welcoming book, Fr. James Martin eases these concerns with thoughtful, practical encouragement about prayer in all of its forms. In All Seasons, For All Reasons is drawn from “Teach Us to Pray,” Fr. Martin’s very popular monthly column in Give Us This Day.
Mary Gordon Duffee wrote: "When the drums beat, and the bugles called for men to march to the front, I tell you old Blount responded nobly, and sent hundreds of her gallant sons to march, fight, suffer and die for the flag that now lies furled forever." This series of books attempts to identify all the Confederate soldiers who enlisted in organizations from the Blount County area, along with those who moved to Blount County after the Civil War. Whole company rosters are captured and entire service records, pension applications, birth dates, spouses and marriage dates, newspaper clippings and obituaries, and dozens of pictures are contained in these volumes. This is the first time ever all this information has been available in a single reference book. Volume 3 contains information on soldiers who enlisted in other Alabama organizations and those who moved to Blount County after the Civil War. These books are vital to any serious student of Blount County, Alabama genealogy and history.
