Growing In Love And Wisdom

Although raised Roman Catholic, Susan Stabile was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun and devoted 20 years of her life to practicing Buddhism before returning to Catholicism in 2001. In Growing in Love and Wisdom, she draws on this unique dual perspective to explore the value of interreligious dialogue, the spiritual dynamics that operate across faith traditions, and how Buddhist meditation practices can deepen Christian prayer. She begins by examining the values and principles shared by the two faiths and shows that both traditions seek to effect a fundamental transformation in the lives of believers. Both stress the need for experiences with deep emotional resonance that goes beyond the level of concepts to touch the heart. The center of the book offers 15 Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices, adapted for Christian use. Stabile provides clear instructions on how to do these meditations and helpful commentary on each, explaining its purpose and the relation between the Buddhist original and her Christian adaptation of it. Throughout, she highlights the many remarkably close parallels between the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha. The meditations offered in this unusual book will be extremely useful to thoughtful Christians, to those responsible for giving spiritual direction, and also to Buddhist sympathizers who will be intrigued and pleased to see familiar contemplations handled so skillfully by a former Buddhist practitioner who has gratefully learned so much from her former religion and now introduces the riches of that tradition to her fellow Christians.

Where can women get the wisdom that will help them make the right choices in the many decisions of life? How can they develop a faith that won't waver or crumble when they're overwhelmed by life's trials and temptations? The book of James answers these questions and more and provides practical guidance on many issues that affect Christian women daily, such as: persevering through life's troubles putting on a heart of patience planning the future with God in mind An encouraging resource for women who yearn to experience real spiritual growth!

For many couples, the romantic bliss of a relationship's early stages is followed by a bumpy road. This scenario can be avoided with a different approach: living from the heart. Joyce and Barry Vissell have spent 35 years of marriage learning from their relationship. They show in this guide how to eliminate fear, how to heal blocked sexuality, how to say no to the one you love, and how every couple can learn from jealousy.

Folded Wisdom is an inspirational testament to the depth of a father’s love for his children, and an intimate look into beautiful, raw, human communication. Within the pages of this book, Joanna Guest shares the insightful notes her father drew for her and her brother Theo every day for nearly 15 years. For her entire childhood, Joanna’s father, Bob, had a ritual: wake up at dawn, walk the dog, and sit down at the kitchen table with a blank pad of paper and plenty of colored markers to craft notes for his two children. Over the years, word games and puzzles for five-year-olds morphed into thoughtful guidance and reflections for his teenagers approaching adulthood. Now, with more than 3,500 of her father’s colorful notes in hand, Joanna has decided that the lessons tucked inside are worth sharing. Folded Wisdom highlights the collection of Bob’s notes, telling a story filled with universal values that encourages meaningful self-reflection – about how we all face successes and failures; express happiness and sadness; and communicate frustration, praise, and love to one another. Heartfelt and full of possibility for the future, a father’s folded notes and drawings are timeless reminders of love.

Offers inspiration and guidance to help you make greater meaning and flourish amid the challenges of aging. It taps ancient Jewish wisdom for values, tools and precedents to frame new callings and beginnings, shifting family roles, and experiences of illness and death. For seekers of all faiths; for personal use and caregiving settings.

How to be Wise opens with an unexpectedly entertaining survey of the philosophical and religious roots of wisdom, before focusing on the brooding text of Ecclesiastes. Illumination of a more uplifting kind is then found in the sublime language of the Prologue of St John's Gospel, and the life and letters of St Paul. The second part of the book turns intriguingly to a number of less obvious topics. The author considers what it means to be a serious reader and how literature can enable us to discover more about ourselves; he probes the spiritual dimension of music and its power to speak to deep human longings; he offers valuable insights into the significance of the human emotions in relation to our wellbeing and moral imagination and, finally, a personal testimony to the place and significance of silence in matters of faith and our human journey.