“Ordained Footsteps” is a series of fictitious, inspirational short stories. The story is about a group of church members who plan a weekend hiking trip. The group, after a long day of hiking, comes together, where they all sit around a campfire, sharing their life stories. In sharing their life stories, they will share the trials and tribulations they endured before dedicating their lives to Christ.

The newest volume in the bestselling series from the Dalai Lama. Delve into the substance of spiritual practice in this fourth volume of the Dalai Lama’s definitive series on the path to awakening, Following in the Buddha’s Footsteps. You’ll first hear His Holiness’s explanation of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, why they are reliable guides on the path, and how to relate to them. His Holiness then describes the three essential trainings common to all Buddhist traditions: the higher trainings in ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom. These chapters show us how to live a life free of harm to self or others and give us detailed instructions on how to develop single-pointed concentration as well as the higher states of concentration available to an earnest practitioner. In addition, the chapters on wisdom contain in-depth teachings on the noble eightfold path and the four establishments of mindfulness for developing greater awareness and understanding of our body, feelings, mind, and other phenomena. Together, these topics form the core of Buddhist practice. This is a book to treasure and refer to repeatedly as you begin the path, progress on it, and near the final goal of nirvana.

There is no better way to understand America than by understanding the cultural history of the American Dream. Rather than just a powerful philosophy or ideology, the Dream is thoroughly woven into the fabric of everyday life, playing a vital role in who we are, what we do, and why we do it. No other idea or mythology has as much influence on our individual and collective lives. Tracing the history of the phrase in popular culture, Samuel gives readers a field guide to the evolution of our national identity over the last eighty years. Samuel tells the story chronologically, revealing that there have been six major eras of the mythology since the phrase was coined in 1931. Relying mainly on period magazines and newspapers as his primary source material, the author demonstrates that journalists serving on the front lines of the scene represent our most valuable resource to recover unfiltered stories of the Dream. The problem, Samuel reveals, is that it does not exist; the Dream is just that, a product of our imagination. That it is not real ultimately turns out to be the most significant finding and what makes the story most compelling.

This book is about the life and testimony of Judith Walters and what God has done in her life and the life of others. She has been through rough times in her life, but God has been with her and made her more than an overcomer. She gives God all the glory.

There is much preparation made in advance of an upcoming deployment, but sadly spiritual readiness rarely makes it on the check-off list.The military community agrees that war inflicts injuries to the souls of our service members, but faith is the glue that makes a difference in coping with adversity or when living under difficult circumstances such as the military lifestyle. Faith Steps for Military Families: Spiritual Readiness Through the Psalms of Ascent explores the themes of the fifteen Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) in the book of Psalms in the Bible. These special psalms, packed full of rich and descriptive metaphors reveal common military themes such as traveling to or living in unfriendly environments, enduring dry and sometimes desperate times, mastering restlessness and dissatisfaction in a complex lifestyle, coping with unforeseen conditions, fear, lack of unity, and other topics. The ancient Israelites, called, Pilgrims in these Psalms of Ascent sung these psalms while traveling by foot to the great festivals of Jerusalem. Lisa Phillips, a retired military wife shares some of her experiences, while walking you through the meanings of these Psalms, then translates them into the lives of 21st century military families. These fifteen themes build resiliency and will revitalize your family’s spiritual foundation to persevere through the challenges of an arduous and stressful lifestyle. As you do, you’re on your way to deeper appreciation, devotion and fellowship with God. By unpacking the meanings of the metaphors, you’ll discover God’s methods and His nature in ways you’ve not likely thought of before. Like the early Israelites, military families are today’s pilgrims, always on a journey---always looking ahead to the next duty station. Military life can get overwhelming. Invite God on your unique journey and discover the fifteen key elements for laying the foundational stones to a stronger spiritual footing that leads to a life of blessings.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1872.

The essays in this volume on the subject of equality are the work of scholars at Bard College and West Point. Their research falls within the areas of history, religion, legal theory, social science, ethics and philosophy. The regions covered include the Middle and Far East, Europe, and America; the time periods studied are both contemporary and historical. Each essay is a well-detailed exploration which assumes the reader has no prior acquaintance with the topic. Together, the studies reveal both conflicting standards of equality as well as patterns of pernicious inequality. In an ideal world, equality and inequality among humans would vary in acceptable proportion, increase of the one ensuring decrease of the other. Unfortunately, as the studies illustrate, any such expectation of progress in the real world is almost routinely thwarted. Despite the wide variety of topics, a common thread binds these essays. Human nature seems to harbor a moral deficiency lying deeper than any written laws and those traditional customs which promote inequality and breed injustice. The fault is prominent in those who champion unjust laws or who willingly enforce discrimination but it is no less active in the silent many who condone the practice. The essays reveal the same persistent and unappealing trait which social groups from the remote past to the present manifest in various ways: blind determination to perpetuate whatever advantages one group believes it enjoys over another, convinced that its own members are more equal than theirs. Being made unequal, the others too easily become targets who are considered less worthy, sometimes even less human.

Incompatible with God’s Design is the first comprehensive history of the Roman Catholic women’s ordination movement in the United States. Mary Jeremy Daigler explores how the focus on ordination, and not merely “increased participation” in the life and ministries of the church, has come to describe a broad movement. Moving well beyond the role of such organizations as the Women’s Ordination Conference, this study also addresses the role of international and local groups. In an effort to debunk a number of misperceptions about the movement, from its date of origin to its demographic profile, Daigler explores a vast array of topics. Starting with the movement’s historical background from the early American period through the early twentieth century to Vatican II and afterward, she considers the role of women (especially Catholicism’s more religious adherents) in the movement’s evolution, the organization of the ordination movement in the United States, the role and response of clergy and Vatican teachings, the reality of international influences on the U.S. movement, and the full range of challenges—past and present—to the ordination movement. Incompatible with God’s Design is compelling reading for any student of theology and women’s studies, as well as those interested in staying abreast with the changing role of women within the U.S. Roman Catholic Church.

In Ordained Ministry in Free Church Perspective Jan Martijn Abrahamse offers a methodologically innovative way to understand ordained ministry in terms of covenantal theology by returning to the life and thought of the English Separatist Robert Browne (c. 1550-1633).