When tough instructor Joanna Carey meets angry and disillusioned Grace Waters, neither is prepared for what comes next. Grace meets her match in Carey, the strong and disciplined woman who's determined to help Grace help herself.

A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi.

This book significantly deepens the contemporary discussion of the theology and practice of adopting children. Though adoption appears prominently in Scripture, contemporary adoption practice has thus far proceeded without serious theological engagement. This book seeks to fill this gap by offering a theological and ethical perspective on adoption that not only clarifies and complicates contemporary understandings of adoption, but also throws fresh light on family, community, vocation, and even what it means to be human. Both interdisciplinary and international, the volume is brings together theologians and ethicists from Europe, the UK, Canada and the United States. A rich set of reflections from both practical and theoretical perspectives offers a unique and uniquely insightful vision of Christian adoption. Contributors are: Dale P. Andrews, Jana Marguerite Bennett, Marco Derks, R. Ruard Ganzevoort, Bill McAlpine, Kirsten Sonkyo Oh, Sarah Shea, Paul Shrier, Henning Theißen, Hans. G. Ulrich, Karin Ulrich-Eschemann, Heather Walton, Brent Waters, Nick Watson.

Ever wonder if you're making a difference in your world? Lori Stanley Roeleveld offers you the chance to realize the power of your influence. In examining the lives of pairs of women from the Bible, you will discover how their contrasting choices allowed them to influence future generations. In 28 short chapters, unpack the relevance of their struggles and shed light on the struggles modern women face in making similar choices.

In Graceful Aging, Swami Tejomayananda, makes you see the senility of seniority with his characteristic wit. He makes you sit up and say, O, I say this or do this all the time! He then gently pushes the 'walking stick' of a 'higher perspective' so that you don't get stuck in the twilight traffic, but move on with firm steps and fresh breaths!

"Graceful Simplicity is a marvelously textured analysis of the elusive ideal of simple living. For those eager to find a way to get off the 'more is better' treadmill, Jerome Segal offers insight and hope…. A must read."—David Shi, author of The Simple Life "Segal articulates a message that is both revolutionary and just plain sensible—consume less and take time to enjoy life more. He rescues us from a consumerism gone haywire without advocating isolationism. In a new and better way we are still our brother's keeper."—Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work "Segal wants a political movement to create a functioning public sector, complete with universal health insurance and a sturdy safety net. Numerous and powerful interest groups will fight such reforms with bitter determination. But what could provide a better source of drama and adventure than the struggle to make the simpler life a viable option for all?"—Barbara Ehrenreich, Civilization

In this introductory text, Lucy Lind Hogan helps the reader understand the theological task of becoming a preacher, the craft of writing the sermon, and the importance of communicating the gospel in the present world. In doing so, she creates a book that is more holistic than any other homiletics text currently on the market. Hogan begins with a theological rationale for preaching, which serves as a basis for understanding the identity of the preacher. She then explores the context for preaching, showing how to interpret a scriptural text, design a sermon, and use illustrations and examples. She also discusses preaching for special occasions, the use of different technologies in preaching, and the importance of delivery. This book includes questions for reflection.

An accident huangfu cold snow through she can not help but smile can not imagine such a thing happened to her the tree wants to be quiet but the wind never stops originally i just want to live a peaceful and quiet life heart like calm water or heart sink among them the struggle between the powers the intrigues the infighting why should she be involved in it in the whirlpool around this is the world of men and women but she does not bow to fate how many wonderful stories have happened to her

The author understands spirituality to be the attitudes, convictions, and practices that give a definite shape to religious faith. Further, he asserts that spirituality is experiential and practical, for it concerns the specific forms by which faith is expressed and nurtured.The book describes the special emphases of Lutheran spirituality and recommends practices that nurture a vital spirituality. After an introductory chapter on the contemporary context, each of the seven chapters explores a major theme of Lutheran spirituality. A final chapter speculates on the future of Lutheran spirituality. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and group and individual practices. An appendix gives suggestions for group use.