Voices From The Sisterhood Spiritual Reflections

The women of the Brooklyn Community Church have clearly opened their hearts, remembrances and spirits in creating this inspiring work of literature. Their words and reflections provide healing and insight to those who are seeking deeper relationships with God and more fulfilling relationships with sisters everywhere. -- Reverend Dr. Shelia Evans-Tranumn Former Associate Commissioner of Education New York State Education Department This is truly a powerful and uplifting compilation of spiritual reflections, poems, tributes, and inspirational images! The women of The Sisterhood speak boldly about their lives and experiences, while always giving glory to God for His love, mercy and grace. Voices From The Sisterhood: Spiritual Reflections, Volume 1, will inspire women around the globe of every race, ethnicity, and culture. -- Laurie Cumbo New York City Council Member District 35 The women of the Brooklyn Community Church (BCC) are inspired, and they hope to inspire you. A spirited and courageous group of African-American Christians, they seek to encourage women to speak confidently about the goodness of God. Their reflections capture the excitement and spiritual depth of dynamic women of faith who eagerly joined together to launch a women's ministry that would eventually be known and loved fondly as The Sisterhood. Each woman is an honored member of The Sisterhood, no matter where she stands on her journey to truth, dignity, wisdom, self-respect and faith. Through their words and images, each contributor to this volume hopes to use her voice to encourage women to love, trust, support, and honor one another.

“Every time we raise our voices, we hear echoes.” Jo-Anne Elder, from the Foreword Through short stories, journal entries and poetry, the women in Voices and Echoes explore the changing landscape of their spiritual lives. Experienced writers such as Lorna Crozier, Di Brandt and Ann Copeland, as well as strong new voices, appear to speak to each other as they draw from a wealth of personal resources to find a way to face life’s questions and discover meaning in their lives. There is something familiar about these stories and poems — they echo those we’ve heard before and those we’ve half forgotten. Whether they search for a voice in a world where men monopolize or journey into painful memories to free the self from the past, they do not despair, they do not end. Individual entries become the whole story — an unending story of rebirth and reaffirmation. The book begins with an illuminating foreword that introduces readers to the cultural and philosophical background of many of the stories, and concludes with the reflections of scholars, writers and artists that are intended to provoke further discussion.

In 2008, the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life initiated an Apostolic Visitation to examine the quality of life of women religious in the United States. Power of Sisterhood: Women Religious Tell the Story of the Apostolic Visitation serves as an historical record of the event and describes the experience of the women who participated in it. This book, initiated by a group of women in leadership in their communities during this unprecedented time, grew out of a survey that gleaned the essence of the experience from as many congregations of women religious as possible. After framing the Visitation as a story, situating it in an historical and theological context, tracing its chronology, and detailing the experience as revealed in the survey, the book delves into the deeper meaning of the Visitation for women religious as they experienced it and as they move into the future.

“Every time we raise our voices, we hear echoes.” Jo-Anne Elder, from the Foreword Through short stories, journal entries and poetry, the women in Voices and Echoes explore the changing landscape of their spiritual lives. Experienced writers such as Lorna Crozier, Di Brandt and Ann Copeland, as well as strong new voices, appear to speak to each other as they draw from a wealth of personal resources to find a way to face life’s questions and discover meaning in their lives. There is something familiar about these stories and poems — they echo those we’ve heard before and those we’ve half forgotten. Whether they search for a voice in a world where men monopolize or journey into painful memories to free the self from the past, they do not despair, they do not end. Individual entries become the whole story — an unending story of rebirth and reaffirmation. The book begins with an illuminating foreword that introduces readers to the cultural and philosophical background of many of the stories, and concludes with the reflections of scholars, writers and artists that are intended to provoke further discussion.

How do we use power once we?ve gained it? Is it completely for our individual benefit, or do we use it to help our neighborhoods, or society at-large? What kinds of decisions must CEOs and business owners make regarding suppliers and customers? How should bosses treat workers? Teachers treat students? Parents treat children? Government treats citizens? Power dynamics affect people on a political level, a social level, and a deeply personal level as well. The newest volume in the Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices series examines these dynamics and includes essays by such fine contributors as U.S. Representative Henry Waxman, NBC Universal Television-West Coast President Marc Graboff, and author and scholar James Diamond.

Both science and spirituality agree that every particle of matter, every phenomenon we experience, is a form of resonance or vibration. The human voice is quite literally a mouthpiece of this truth; there is no form of expression more personal, more tied to our identities, than our voices. With simple inspirational exercises, this book by renowned voice teacher Chloe Goodchild gives readers the tools to guide them in a process of sound healing and soul communication that is guaranteed to open the heart and restore forgiveness, compassion, and interconnectedness between individuals and in their communities. At the heart of every human journey exists the longing to feel at home in one's self and in the world. In a unique response to meet this longing, Chloe Goodchild invites you on a compelling adventure of self-discovery and creative fulfillment through a direct experience of your own authentic voice--the voice of your personal authority, the song of your soul. Going beyond traditional vocal training guides, this book will appeal to anyone wishing to encounter themselves at a primal level through the medium of the voice.

The Pearl and the Hut, Volume II explores understandings and higher perceptions around the psychological developments and heart challenges of adult child of divorce. The soul-spiritual insights in Rudolf Steiner's human consciousness philosophy, Anthroposophy, renew a person's humanness in the face of massive and necessary world changes. From the soul-psyche orientations of the twenty-one-year-old and the Sentient Soul period of life, to the fifty-six-year-old living into the Spirit Self nature, adult children of divorce see ways to navigate complex development stages without bypassing important relationships, feelings, thoughts and deeds. Biographies, verses, stories and a selection of life-enhancing practices encourge a person's heart-warm inner nature and will-strength to manage on-going conflicts, overcome neglect, and create the humane soul family that "Pearls" need. A simple Platonic Solids thinking practice highlights a powerful self-awareness device for "Pearls" to keep their life-forces whole, pull themselves inwardly together in times of emotional and mental overwhelm, and stay grounded during shifting and confusing events. Striving past survival personality, they can cultivate the truly human rights of loving self-acceptance and compassionate togetherness with others.

Do people with mental retardation have a special prophetic role? In the field of developmental disabilities, Wolf Wolfensberger is famous for his seminal book Normalization. But Wolfensberger is also a theologian, and the two strands of his thought are inextricable. The Theological Voice of Wolf Wolfensberger showcases his theories on the spiritual meaning of mental retardation and other disabilities. Up until now, Wolfensberger's work has been available only in small, hard-to-find publications, mostly in the field of human services. Thus his theological perspectives have not yet been heard in many religious circles. The Theological Voice of Wolf Wolfensberger brings together his essays and presentations from the past thirty years, giving the reader a unique pathway into his pioneering ideas on the spiritual implications of developmental disabilities. In addition, the volume includes critiques of his thought by several noted scholars and practitioners, along with Wolfensberger's response to those critiques. The Theological Voice of Wolf Wolfensberger expresses powerful opinions, some outrageous, all courageous. You will find yourself intently engaged with his provocative theories, including: why installing wheelchair access ramps may actually block full participation of the handicapped in the life of the church how the “deathmaking” culture of the modern world prevents Christians from understanding the meaning of suffering why people with mental retardation are the prophets of our times why most Christians ignore the powerful Biblical call to communality which special gifts of grace people with mental retardation may possess how handicapped and societally devalued patients can be protected from the neglect (or worse) of hospital staff The Theological Voice of Wolf Wolfensberger is challenging, inspiring, and sometimes infuriating. It is bound to stir up controversy among health care professionals, disability advocates, and anyone concerned with spiritual matters. You may not agree with Wolfensberger, as some of the contributors to this volume do not, but he will make you think . . . hard.