A celebration of seven different winter holidays observed in the US and the traditions that unite them all. Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year are visually depicted in turn, accompanying a stunning, read-aloud text that speaks of the traditions that link them all together. The warm yet accurate imagery is explained in simple secondary text on each spread, and further in the backmatter. Beloved author Jane Yolen and daughter, author Heidi Stemple, have crafted a loving and poignant story with true reverence for our shared traditions of celebrating light, love, food, and family. An empowering, informative, and inclusive holiday book for families of all traditions.

Accessible background and insights on each scripture text in the three-year Sunday lectionary cycle. An invaluable resource for preachers, lectors, liturgical musicians, catechists and more.

The opus dei is the prayer life of the Church. By the use of forms of prayer prescribed during the day, Christians of all traditions connect with the prayer life of the Universal Church. To members of religious orders, these daily 'offices' form the structure of the day. The patterns of this daily prayer embrace the three key elements of praise, intercession and engagement with Scripture. The Society of Saint Francis have been fervent advocates of the use of these forms of daily prayer for lay people, priests and religious people. Indeed the Church of England drew very heavily on the work pioneered by the Franciscans when they produced their own Daily Prayer part of the series of books following the publication of Common Worship (Church House, 2005). But this book has a lot of additional 'Franciscan' material and as such has long maintained a strong and devoted audience. Now this revised edition brings the basic texts into line with Common Worship by using more contemporary but dignified language and the Common Worship translation of the Psalms.

A princess of light, forever bound to darkness. A son of darkness, forever longing for the beauty of light. It has been months since Princess Julianna’s brother, Gabriel, left for the Winter realm to discover the source of the Spring realm’s waning power. Upon his return, strange things begin to occur. The kingdom’s healer has taken on a new apprentice named Darien from the realm of darkness and Julianna’s ties to the darkness seem to be taking a stronger hold on her life. Her mysterious disappearance has the royal family in a silent uproar and they are blaming Darien. They must find Julianna before she falls into the hands of the Dark Lord and Darien must decide whether to fulfill his uncle’s demands on his life or turn his life over to the kingdom of light. Things are not always as they seem as secrets and truths bring the battle between dark and light to life in this story of redemption and beauty taken captive by the lies of the enemy.

This book discusses light-based science, emphasizing its pervasive influence in science, technology, policy, and education. A wide range of contributors offers a comprehensive study of the tremendous, and indeed foundational, contributions of Ibn al Haytham, a scholar from the medieval period. The analysis then moves into the future development of light-based technology. Written as a multi-disciplinary reference book by leading scholars in the history of science and /or photonics, it covers Ibn al Haytham’s optics, LED lighting for sustainable development, global and atomic-scale time with new light sources, advanced technology, and vision science. Cutting-edge optical technologies and their global impact is addressed in detail, and the later chapters also explore challenges with renewable energy, the global impact of photonics, and optical and photonic education technology. Practical examples and illustrations are provided throughout the text.

How does a pastor who follows the lectionary make the Advent wreath relevant to the rest of the service? Here is a very easy-to-use resource which includes every Sunday in Advent, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It provides bulletin inserts, litanies, prayers, scripture readings, and flexible and easy-to-use original choral introits, which can be sung by a choir, ensemble duet, or as a solo. This resource covers all three years of the lectionary cycle. It provides bulletin inserts, litanies, prayers, scripture readings, and original choral introits, which could be sung by a choir, ensemble, duet, or as a solo. It is adaptable for any size congregation, large or small. Robert S. Jarboe is pastor of Faith Chapel United Methodist Church, Huntington, Indiana. He is a graduate of Manchester College with a B.S. in Music. He earned the M.Div. degree from United Theological Seminary.

Examines how "Religious Nones" negotiate tensions with those who think they ought to provide their children with a religious upbringing The fastest growing religion in America is—none! One fifth of Americans now list their religion as “none,” up from only 7 percent two decades ago. Among adults under 30, those poised to be the parents of the next generation, fully one third are religiously unaffiliated. Yet these “Nones,” especially parents, still face prejudice in a culture where religion is widely seen as good for your kids. What do Nones believe, and how do they negotiate tensions with those convinced that they ought to provide their children with a religious upbringing? Drawing on survey data and in-depth personal interviews with religiously unaffiliated parents across the country, Christel Manning provides important demographic data on American “Nones” and offers critical nuance to our understanding of the term. She shows that context is crucial in understanding how those without religious ties define themselves and raise their families. Indeed, she demonstrates that Nones hold a wide variety of worldviews, ranging from deeply religious to highly secular, and transmit them in diverse ways. What ties them all together is a commitment to spiritual choice—a belief in the moral equivalence of religions and secular worldviews and in the individual’s right to choose—and it is that choice they seek to pass on to their children. The volume weaves in stories from the author’s interviews throughout, showing how non-religious parents grapple with pressure from their community and how they think about religious issues. Engagingly written and thoroughly researched, Losing Our Religion will appeal to scholars, parents, and anyone interested in understanding the changing American religious landscape.

Light Technology Publishing proudly presents the previously unpublished (except as transcriptions sold by the Tibetan Foundation) work of Janet McClure. Ranging from her channeling of the Tibetan through the final epochal new material delivered before she left her body, this information is of immense value and timeliness. Vywamus through Janet McClure and Lillian Harben of the worldwide Tibetan Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona, focused on these three points: New information to help us understand the new reality and our expanded potential Clearing techniques to release false belief systems to allow the soul more room to begin to function in the third dimension Channeling techniques -- the process and practice of channeling, which allows a deeper connection to the channeler's soul/god-self, thus is an extremely powerful tool for personal transformation and for helping others.