On Holy Ground

Standing on Holy Ground in the Middle Ages illuminates how the floor surface shaped the ways in which people in medieval western Europe and beyond experienced sacred spaces. The ground beneath our feet plays a crucial, yet often overlooked, role in our relationship with the environments we inhabit and the spaces with which we interact. By focusing on this surface as a point of encounter, Lucy Donkin positions it within a series of vertically stacked layers—the earth itself, permanent and temporary floor coverings, and the bodies of the living above ground and the dead beneath—providing new perspectives on how sacred space was defined and decorated, including the veneration of holy footprints, consecration ceremonies, and the demarcation of certain places for particular activities. Using a wide array of visual and textual sources, Standing on Holy Ground in the Middle Ages also details ways in which interaction with this surface shaped people's identities, whether as individuals, office holders, or members of religious communities. Gestures such as trampling and prostration, the repeated employment of specific locations, and burial beneath particular people or actions used the surface to express likeness and difference. From pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land to cathedrals, abbeys, and local parish churches across the Latin West, Donkin frames the ground as a shared surface, both a feature of diverse, distant places and subject to a variety of uses over time—while also offering a model for understanding spatial relationships in other periods, regions, and contexts.

Drawing on his Roman Catholic background, personal interviews with Catholics and Evangelicals, and years of research, Chris Castaldo takes readers on a fascinating and practical exploration of the challenges and opportunities encountered by Catholics who become Evangelicals. He examines the five major reasons why Christ’s followers often leave the Catholic Church, and shows how to emulate Jesus in practical ways when engaging Catholic friends and family. And, with humor and authenticity, he shares his own faith journey in order to help readers understand and work through their own.For those who are tired of scratching their head in confusion or frustration about how their Catholic background may influence their walk with Jesus, and why on earth their Catholic family believes they’ve gone off the deep end, Holy Ground offers vast insight and practical help. More than providing historical perspective, theological reflection, and practical lessons, it shows readers how to emulate the grace and truth of Jesus Christ in relating to the Catholic people whom they love.

Abraham leaving Ur for an unknown land God would show him. Jesus going out into the wilderness of temptation. Paul's life-changing trip down the Damascus Road. All of these biblical journeys offer insight into our own personal spiritual journey. In On Holy Ground, Charles Stanley takes an in-depth look at twelve-such biblical journeys to show us how we, too, can meet God and follow where He leads. Relating the timeless stories to our modern situations, Dr. Stanley offers solid biblical teaching that meets practical daily needs for encouragement and inspiration. A powerful devotional in the tradition of his best-selling classic, Enter His Gates.

Religions worldwide celebrate Earth's abundance and sustenance, and call on humankind to give thanks, practice compassion, seek justice, and be mindful of future generations. Here, leaders from many faith traditions, along with writers who hold nature sacred, articulate the moral and spiritual imperative of stewardship and share personal stories of coming to understand humans' unique power and responsibility to care for creation. Holy Ground features essays, sermons, and other short pieces from, among others, Pope Benedict XVI, Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Rabbis Zoe Klein and Arthur Waskow, Evangelical pastors Joel Hunter and Brian McLaren, environmental justice proponents Allen Johnson and Kristin Shrader–Frechette, Native American novelist Linda Hogan, and writers Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, Terry Tempest Williams, and David James Duncan. In a world polarized by "culture wars," religious extremism, and political manipulation, this collection is a sure sign of hope.

Probing the dark corners of the South, this book follows the courageous people who risked their lives to rebuild the black churches in order to heal the Southern community.

In today's world, there is a growing spiritual need on the part of millions of ordinary people to find meaning in life. Already on Holy Ground offers an informal framework for finding onself in God's presense, venturing beyond New Age chiches and metsphysical abstractions to depict spiritual awakenings as available and accessible to everyone.

"The dreams in our hearts have to be matched by our craftsmanship in the world." Spiritual seekers in the 21st century take many forms, from the visionary and futurist to the social activist and rebel. Yet whatever your inner calling, writes internationally renowned teacher Gloria Karpinski, you can benefit from the practical guidance of other seekers on how best to manifest your spiritual intentions in the nitty-gritty reality of everyday life. A new companion for traveling purposefully on the path, Barefoot on Holy Ground helps you learn how to call forth the good in every circumstance and use it to further your mission and consciousness. Through numerous enjoyable, effective exercises and meditations, you will learn how to integrate your inner and outer resources of mind, body, emotions, finances, and careers into your personal practice. This will free you to become a disciple–in the modern sense–to your own higher calling and service to the world. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient scriptures and contemporary thinkers from many world traditions, tapping into her own and other disciples’ real-life stories and insights, Karpinski shares the Twelve Lessons of Spiritual Craftsmanship that are essential to the disciple’s path. These easy-to-follow lessons are divided into three parts: Knowing the Way explores the ways we recognize and understand our mission through Knowledge, Revelation, Body Wisdom, and Discernment; Becoming the Way illuminates the fundamental building principles of strong discipleship: Love, Will, Faith, and Power; and Fulfilling the Way reveals the practical process through which we bring our journey to fruition by Creating, Transforming, Enduring, and Serving. Integration, balance, and wisdom are the benefits of the twelve lessons, the treasured syntheses of yin and yang, light and shadow, heaven and earth. Full of exciting, effective spiritual exercises, Barefoot on Holy Ground leads readers purposefully along the path to Conscious Evolution so that they can embrace their higher calling.

A simple prayer can be an act of physical, spiritual, and emotional healing for everyone involved. Healing Prayer on Holy Ground conveys a message of hope in the presence of a loving God who longs to hear from us. Readers will be encouraged as you read Dr. Sheehan's transformative story and the experiences of his patients, including example after example of the powerful presence of God inside the rooms of dying patients. This is a hopeful, helpful resource for doctors and patients seeking a biblical interpretation of experiences with the afterlife and for those desiring to better understand the balance between medical and spiritual healing.