Sacred Journeys

"This edited volume presents the research and stories of a new group of Sacred Journeyers who are researching or participating in the development of Indigenous-based research and work in Indigenous communities. The stories and research that comprise this volume point to an exciting new direction in culturally responsive Indigenous researchers. The authors weave together stories, research, experiences, curricular initiatives with notions of sustainability of people, culture and place which is underpinned with Indigenous inspired thought and reflection. As such, it both challenges and refreshes more traditional approaches and thoughts regarding science teaching and curricular design. This volume will be a pleasure to read, and an exciting piece to contemplate in terms of the potential new directions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, teachers and communities as we collectively face the environmental, social and cultural challenges of the 21st century."--

Written by women for women, this book includes daily meditations for an entire year, facilitating daily spiritual discipline by offering daily readings and questions as a starting point for reflection, prayer, and journaling.

A guide to 200 sacred, spirit-awakening, and restorative destinations—as well as inspiring quotes, key travel information, and special healing exercises to complete at each location—to start your journey to spiritual wellness. There’s power in places! From Sedona, Lourdes, or even Tulum, this wellness-focused guide will show you the best sites to visit to get in touch with your spiritual side. Find inspiration with quotes from renowned spiritual leaders, enjoy full-color photos to help you prepare your travel wish list, learn more about legendary locations around the world, and start planning your next trip today. Mourn a lost love—or celebrate a new one—at the Taj Mahal, summon strength from the mountains on Machu Picchu, and uncover the fortitude to make your dreams come true at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel—and much more! Discover the perfect trip for every circumstance, or just travel to unwind and reconnect with yourself. With healing wellness activities to complete at each location, this guide is the perfect way to jumpstart your spiritual travels and seek out a unique and transformative experience.

NOW, come and explore the riches of God's word in a fresh, new way! Not your typical devotional...in Sacred Journeys, Michael Middleton illumines new depths of meaning and understanding through the art of creative writing. Each day's suggested scripture readings surround a central theme in myriad shades of understanding. These scripture selections are accompanied by an original poem or prose portraying the same theme or experience in a fresh, new way; aimed right at the soul, from a vast reservoir of real-life experience. This special benefit project for KLEOS Children's Community also includes writings by several of the children of KLEOS, as well as an introduction to KLEOS by Gordon Hankins, founder and CEO. Your purchase will help to support the work of KLEOS Children's Community; as a portion of the writer's proceeds will be donated to KLEOS.

"Sacred Journeys is a totally fascinating book, raw with spiritual emotion and sexual frankness. I recommend that everyone read it." -Rev. Elder Troy Perry, Founder, Metropolitan Community Church "Paul Whiting tells his story in his own unique and engaging way, without apologies. He is a truth teller, a gifted preacher, an interpreter of the Word. Sacred Journeys is a valuable resource for every library." -Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan Community Church "While gays and lesbians have gained acceptance among many Christians, the same is not true within conservative churches. Paul Whiting's writings will be of great interest to evangelicals going through experiences similar to his." -Andrew Shackleton, Evangelical Fellowship, United Kingdom

Spiritual needs are as ancient as humankind. Just as ancient is the impulse and the imperative to respond to those in distress. The need for healing is universal. So is the empowerment that love for others, for ourselves, and for God can bring. The great Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have profound lessons rooted in deep spiritual understanding for those who suffer and for those who seek to bring a healing touch. Sacred Journeys: Ecumenical Perspectives on Spiritual Care draws from these faith traditions to provide a hopeful collection of inspirational essays on spiritual caregiving, with essayists who were themselves led by the spirit to offer spiritual care in parishes, in hospitals, at schools, on the streets, and in locales near and far. They show us that with Gods help, rigorous training, and the willingness to learn from our struggles and doubts, it is possible to be a force for healing and good in this world. Regardless of our background or calling, we can be inspired to take a leap of faith in reaching out to others. We are all called to take the risk of listening to the pain and fear of others, to risk the opening of our hearts, and to be ambassadors of Gods love to a hurting world. This path is not easy, but there is a joy and a sense of peace that radiates from the experiences of those who have walked the path before us.

Sacred Journeys in the Counter-Reformation examines long-distance pilgrimages to ancient, international shrines in northwestern Europe in the two centuries after Luther. In this region in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, saints’ cults and pilgrimage were frequently contested, more so than in the Mediterranean world. France, the Low Countries and the British Isles were places of disputation and hostility between Protestant and Catholic; sacred landscapes and journeys came under attack and in some regions, were outlawed by the state. Taking as case studies hugely popular medieval shrines such as Compostela, the Mont Saint-Michel and Lough Derg, the impact of Protestant criticism and Catholic revival on shrines, pilgrims’ motives and experiences is examined through life writings, devotional works and institutional records. The central focus is that of agency in religious change: what drove spiritual reform and what were its consequences for the ‘ordinary’ Catholic? This is explored through concepts of the religious self, holy materiality, and sacred space.

“When Yahweh became a man, he was a homeless vagrant. He walked through Palestine proclaiming that a mysterious kingdom had arrived...He called people to follow him, and that meant walking.” — Charles Foster Humans are built to wander. History is crisscrossed by their tracks. Sometimes there are obvious reasons for it: to get better food for themselves or their animals; to escape weather, wars, or plague. But sometimes they go—at great expense and risk—in the name of God, seeking a place that feels sacred, that speaks to the heart. God himself seems to have a bias toward the nomad. The road is a favored place — a place of epiphany. That’s all very well if you are fit and free. But what if you are paralyzed by responsibility or disease? What if the only journey you can make is to the office, the school, or the bathroom? Best-selling English author and adventurer Charles Foster has wandered quite a bit, and he knows what can be found (and lost) on a sacred journey. He knows that pilgrimage involves doing something with whatever faith you have. And faith, like muscle, likes being worked. Exploring the history of pilgrimage across cultures and religions, Foster uses tales of his own travels to examine the idea of approaching each day as a pilgrimage, and he offers encouragement to anyone who wants to experience a sacred journey. The result is an intoxicating, highly readable blend of robust theology and lyrical anecdote — an essential guidebook for every traveler in search of the truth about God, himself, and the world. When Jesus said “Follow me,” he meant us to hit the road with him. The Sacred Journey will show you how. The Ancient Practices There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries . . . everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the Ancient Practices series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.