Saved By Beauty

When Roger Housden decided to travel to Iran and finally see the subject of his youthful fascination, he was in his sixties. By then, he thought he had seen the world. He was wrong. It was a quest that changed him forever. In Iran, Housden met with artists, writers, film makers and religious scholars who embody the long Iranian tradition of humanism, and shared with him their belief in scholarship and artistry. From the bustle of modern Tehran to the paradise gardens of Shiraz to the spectacular mosques and ancient palaces of Isfahan, Housden met Iranians who were warm, welcoming, generous, intellectually curious, and altogether alive with their love for one another, and for the faith and tradition that holds them together. Saved by Beauty weaves a richly textured story of many threads. It is a deeply poetic and perceptive appreciation of a culture that has endured for over three thousand years, while it also portrays the creative and spiritual cultures within contemporary Iran. While there, Roger Housden was brought face to face with the reality that beauty and truth, deceit and violence, are inextricably mingled in the affairs of human life, and was forever altered by it.

Looks at the life and work of the provocative Catholic social reformer from the personal point of view of someone who knew her well, her granddaughter.

Zahnd issues a challenge to Christians to discover new vitality through re-envisioning, reimagining, and reforming the church according to the pattern of the cruciform. Using stories from the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and from his own life, he teaches believers to stay on the journey to discover the kingdom of God in a fuller, richer way.

Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist, generous humanitarian, and devout Catholic convert. This visually rich book illustrated by beloved artist Br. Mickey McGrath depicts the fascinating journey of her conversion to the Lord through nature and the beauty around her. Brother Mickey's paintings and sketches are illuminated by a series historical and inspiring stories exploring Dorothys life's work of helping those in need. Dorothy's own inspiration, St. Francis de Sales, is also celebrated along the way with elements of his own spiritual wisdom about life, humility, patience, and other "little" virtues. An inspiring new book revealing past generations of faith and leading the next generation toward a hopeful and optimistic future.

Culture, Not Politics We live in a politicized time. Culture wars and increasingly partisan conflicts have reduced public discourse to shouting matches between ideologues. But rather than merely bemoaning the vulgarity and sloganeering of this era, says acclaimed author and editor Gregory Wolfe, we should seek to enrich the language of civil discourse. And the best way to do that, Wolfe believes, is to draw nourishment from the deepest sources of culture: art and religious faith. Wolfe has been called “one of the most incisive and persuasive voices of our generation,” and this penetrating and wide-ranging book makes a powerful case for the importance of beauty and imagination to cultural renewal. He begins by tracing his own journey from a young culture warrior bent on attacking the modern world to a career devoted to nurturing the creation of culture through contemporary literature and art that renew the Western tradition. Along the way, Wolfe finds in Renaissance Christian humanists like Erasmus and Thomas More—and their belief that imagination and the arts are needed to offset the danger of ideological abstractions— a “distant mirror” in which to see our own times.

The female stars of the television show "Saved by the Bell" discuss nutrition, exercise, relaxation, makeup, and hair care.

Travel. Inspiration. Motherhood... and Depression. 264 million people worldwide suffer from depression. For anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, finding joy in life, living with purpose, or even just bad days, Beauty Beyond the Threshold, How International Volunteering Saved My Life is a story of hitting rock bottom; one woman's journey to recovery and self-discovery. Readers will go on adventures through heartache, loss, and despair as well as find themselves repairing homes in Puerto Rico and North Carolina, building schools in remote villages in Nepal, laughing with generous people, crying tears of joy, and reflecting on their own lives. Beauty Beyond the Threshold brings hope to those who are feeling sad, depressed, and anxious. There is so much beauty beyond the threshold and the path to discover it is by taking that first step outside of your comfort zone.

California State Route 1 traverses California's Sonoma Coast from Bodega Bay in the south to the Gualala River in the north. This 49-mile length of the boundary between North America and the Pacific Ocean offers stunning views of rugged coastline, bluffs, meadows, and forests. Photographer Stephen S. Ashley paid multiple visits to this landscape over several years and devoted many happy hours to photographing what he saw. This book contains 38 photographs that he took along the Sonoma Coast.