A collection of inspirational poems explores the mystery of evil, the meaning of history, our own mysterious quests, the human search for transformative joy, and the quest to find the epiphanies in the ordinary, inviting readers to step outside of themselves into the worlds of others.

In this collection of interviews with American Christian poets, published on the web by Church of England Newspaper, London, the ongoing series represented here includes Susan Wheeler, Philip Kolin, and Peter Cole, among others. Though a Christian collection, the secular Jewish poet and translator of note Peter Cole is included. Susan Wheeler teaches at Princeton, and Philip Kolin at University of Southern Mississippi. Each was interviewed in this ongoing series, still going on, by Religion Writer Peter Menkin. This is a living series. Philip Kolin has once again heard the whisper of Gods word with the ear of his heart and given poetic expression to the timeless value of that word. From: Interview: Christian poet Philip Kolin of Mississippi, USA lives his faith, telling readers here of his workeverything you ever wanted to know ...Just this transpired. Against a tree I swooned and fell, and water seeped into my shoe, and a dream began to grow in me. Or despair, and so I chose the dream. And while I slept, I was being fed, and clothed, addressed as though awake with every faculty, and so it went. Then: blaze, blare of sun after years uncounted, and synesthesia of it and sound, the juncos chirp and then the jays torn caw... Susan Wheeler From: Interview: Poet Susan Wheeler of New York City and Princeton University The mystic, poet, secular Jewish married man of letters who is a scholar is reticent to use the word God in an interview, and even reticent to admit to a belief in the Almighty. Yet this religious and spiritual scholar and poet has a recent book of translations of works from the Kabbalah in the book titled The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition. This ancient discipline of understanding the Almighty in the Jewish tradition is a mystical and mysterious exercise in religious practice that continues into our own daythis 21st Century. Peter Cole From: Interview: Peter Cole, Jewish poet/translator gives his stark answers to questions in this ongoing series

Poems of Devotion is a collection of the finest recent poems in the devotional mode, which the editor examines in detail in the introductory essay. The seventy-seven poets collected here demonstrate the ongoing vitality of poetry as a spiritual practice, in the long tradition of poets, psalmists, and mystics from the East and West. This is an anthology that will prove deeply rewarding in the classroom, at home, or in the library of your religious institution.

This is a guide to prayer for the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time—that long stretch from Pentecost to Advent. However, it is not an ordinary guide to prayer. It does not contain readings from spiritual or devotional writings, discussing spiritual or devotional things through discursive thought. Rather, it is a journey of the imagination guided by poets and authors, both classic and contemporary, who have known the things of God but speak in metaphor. These are writers who tell the truth, as Emily Dickinson put it, but they “tell it slant.” In not stating out loud what they know, they have left much to our imaginations—which is a way of saying they have trusted the Holy Spirit.

A first of its kind, this book maps out current academic approaches in higher education to second-person contemplative education, which addresses contemplative experience from an intersubjective perspective. Until recently, contemplative studies has emphasized a predominantly first-person standpoint, but the expansion and embrace of second-person methods provides a distinctive learning context in which collective wisdom and shared learning can begin to emerge from dialogue among students and groups in the classroom. The contributors to this volume, leading researchers and practitioners from a variety of institutions and departments, examine the theoretical and philosophical foundations of second-person contemplative approaches to instruction, pedagogy, and curricula across various scholarly disciplines.

Richard Foster weaves together stories from the mothers and fathers of the faith plus powerful encounters with God from his own life to describes the riches of meditative prayer. Here's the biblical teaching and step-by-step help you need to begin this time-honored prayer practice. A Renovaré Resource.

The Turning Aside is about stepping out of our routines--like Moses turning from tending sheep, like a certain man selling his everything to buy a field--to take time to consider the ways of God in the company of some of the finest poets of our time. Turn aside with such established poets as Wendell Berry, Les Murray, Luci Shaw, Elizabeth Jennings, Richard Wilbur, Dana Gioia, and Christian Wiman--and respond to their invitation for us to muse along with them. Walk with poets from various parts of the planet, even though some of them are less known, whose words have been carefully crafted to encourage us in our turning aside. The Turning Aside is a collection of Christian poetry from dozens of the most spiritually insightful poetic voices of recent years. It is a book I have long dreamed of compiling, and it has grown beyond my mere imagining in its fulfillment.

George MacWhirtle Fleck's life is fairly ordinary until he falls off a roof. Suddenly, his childhood dreams of his body in flight come rushing back to him in a conscious reawakening of his belief in his own latent power. Despite therapy and the frustration of his wife, George cannot be dissuaded from his growing obsession to fly--and the lines between his dream life and his waking life begin to blur. One night, the "lightness" finally manifests and George's dreams come to fruition. He begins a secret life of developing his flying skills, and when his wife leaves on a long trip, George's adventures take him to places he has never seen, and expose him to danger, challenges, and a growing self-awareness that there is more to life than he has ever known, but only if he only practices what he believes. A talking crow opens the way for George to travel the world, and then, he meets a mythical stargoose that takes him beyond his wildest dreams into a realm of breathtaking wonder. If you've ever had a flying dream...

This collection of daily and weekly readings goes through the liturgical seasons of winter — including Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. New voices such as Amit Majmudar and Scott Cairns are paired with well-loved classics by Dickens, Andersen, and Eliot. “For years I have been seeking a book which weaves scripture, prayer and the finest poetry and fiction into the devotional experience of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Finally I have found it: an elegant and accessible gem with some classic texts and a rich selection from contemporary literature. This is not only a useful book, it is edifying and exciting reading—the perfect way for the literature lover to focus, meditate and celebrate this time of year.” — Jill Peláez Baumgaertner, poet; Professor of English and Dean of Humanities and Theological Studies, Wheaton College “Maybe it’s not right to think of feasting during the somewhat penitential season of Advent, but that is what this book is: a sumptuous feast.” –Lauren F. Winner "In our individual darknesses we long for more light. Sarah Arthur understands this, and, as if pulling together scores of candles with burning wicks, she illuminates our whole year with the gift of flaming words. A treasure of enlightenment." -Luci Shaw, author of Breath for the Bones and Adventure of Ascent "A beautifully navigated journey through a treasury of literary wisdom - a book to cherish." -Jeremy Begbie, professor of theology and director of Duke University Initiatives in Theology and the Arts Sarah Arthur is a fun-loving speaker and author of nine books, including The One Year Coffee With God and At the Still Point. A graduate of Wheaton College and Duke Divinity, she lives in Michigan with her pastor-husband Tom and their two small sons. www.saraharthur.com

Written over five decades, these poems begin fixed in the human condition, our common experience of an imperfect world. Slowly, under the aegis of the Spirit, they move toward a brighter vision of things: they ask us to dream in that fecund darkness until all shapes are shining. Poetry offers us an experience of union with the alarming and enthralling world we live in, as well as glimpses of what transcends it and is beyond language. It reminds us that all is connected and supports the hope that light will triumph. The author trusts that these poems may do the same as they explore the chain of being from animal to human, from serpent to angel--and that joy is the final dominant note.