A therapist and childbirth educator shows expectant mothers how to reconnect with the natural and spiritual worlds to make the birth experience unique and to build a spiritual connection with their children.

This edited volume explores the intersection of spirituality with childbirth from 1800 to the present day from a comparative perspective. It illustrates how over this time period in much of the world, traditional practices, home births, and midwives have been overshadowed and undermined by male dominated obstetrics, hospitalization, and ultimately the medicalization of the birthing process itself.

This is a challenging and provocative but, above all, reassuring book for those who are seeking spritual meaning today.

Examines the role of the sacred in art and makes a compelling case for its continued contemporary relevance.

It's time for a childbirth revolution.The modern approach to maternity care fails women, families and care providers with outdated practices that centre the needs of institutions rather than individuals.In this book, Rachel Reed weaves history, science and research with the experiences of women and care providers to create a holistic, evidence-based framework for understanding birth.Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage requires us to recognise that mothers own the power and expertise when it comes to birthing their babies.Whether you are a parent, care provider or educator, this book will transform how you think and feel about childbirth.

Many churches recognize the importance of the genuine spiritual hunger in our time and are attempting to bridge the gulf between traditional religious institutions and the contemporary spiritual quest by revitalizing and retooling ancient spiritual practices. This book suggests that it is possible to relish the spiritual quest while honoring tradition and theological inquiry through practices such as spiritual guidance. It presents a sociological analysis of contemporary spirituality, case studies of congregations with spiritual guidance ministries, and reflection on historical practices and Protestant theological roots to explore the strengths and pitfalls of nurturing the contemporary spiritual quest in the average congregation. The resulting vision for congregation-based spiritual guidance incorporates practices that attend to person, community, and mission.

Why is it so difficult to live the way the Bible teaches? Why don't things work out when we try to be truly holy? Why does the world give us so many problems? If you've struggled with these kinds of questions, there are answers. Walk the path of Spiritual Restoration. You will discover that our frustration and confusion often comes from our Greek worldview. God has a completely different perspective, but if we try to live with one foot in the Greek world and one foot in the Hebrew world, we feel compartmentalize, fragmented and defeated. We have unconsciously worked against ourselves by trying to make God fit the Greek model. All of that can change today! Spiritual Restoration reveals the startling differences between these worldviews. Now we can begin recovery and restoration where living the biblical worldview makes sense for what we need today. Author, teacher and consultant, Skip Moen has five degrees including a Ph.D. from Oxford University. With more than twenty-five years of business entrepreneurial development, Skip provides consulting that helps organizations align their leadership and operations with Biblical principles. He is the Dean of the Department of Biblical Leadership at Master's International Divinity School and the author of Words to Lead By, a study of Jesus' leadership. Skip achieved the American dream of independent wealth only to discover a life of pointless affluence. God radically changed his direction, exposing the myth of security in a Greek-based culture. Now he wants to recover the foundation of God's point of view for living. Subscribers to his web site (www.atgodstable.com) receive a daily word study focused on personal application of the depth of God's word. His articles on business, ethics, theology and personal commitment have appeared in many periodicals.

Laughter—the GPS System for the Soul Laughter was honored by the ancients as a spiritual healing tool and celebrated by the world's great religions. So why aren’t we laughing along the spiritual path today? What would happen if we did? In this personal and funny look at humor as a spiritual practice, Rev. Susan Sparks—an ex-lawyer turned comedian and Baptist minister—presents a convincing case that the power of humor radiates far beyond punch lines. Laughter can help you: Remove the fearful mask of a God who doesn’t laugh Debunk the myths that you don’t deserve joy Find perspective when faced with adversity Exercise forgiveness for yourself and others Reclaim play as a spiritual practice Heal—emotionally, physically, and spiritually Keep your faith when God is silent Live with elegance, beauty, and generosity of spirit Whatever your faith tradition—or if you have none at all—join this veteran of the punch line and the pulpit in reclaiming the forgotten humor legacy found in thousands of years of human spiritual history.

Asia is the birthplace of many great religions and spiritualities--spiritualities that draw wealth and meaning from the ancient past yet still address contemporary reality. Asian Christian Spirituality explores popular religious traditions in Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India, emphasizing how these traditions foster a liberative Christian spirituality. From the commercial bustle of Seoul and Hong Kong to the forests of Indonesia and the Philippines, culture and context are the two most important factors in searching for a liberating spirituality. As Samuel Rayan points out, Asian spirituality can be mined not only from traditional sources (such as shamanism, animism, and folk Catholicism) but also from the stories of women, peasants, and other victims of oppression and domination. Christianity in Asia must concern itself with the economic and political conditions that dehumanize people, and must create new patterns of relationships that make life worth living. Asian Christian Spirituality shows how a spirituality faithful to a common Christian heritage, simultaneously rooted in particular cultures and traditions, can animate Christianity in Asia, and help Asian Christians address contemporary problems.

Embodying the Sacred presents an innovative approach to both birth and Christian spirituality. Drawing from the actual physical processes of pregnancy and birth, Peg Conway relates them to Catholic-inspired practices in a wise and empowering way. Reflections, prayer, activities, ritual, and creative expression organized around the three trimesters of pregnancy invite readers to assemble a “spiritual birth bag,” and in so doing, to inhabit and celebrate their bodies during this miraculous time. With its focus on the inner journey, this approach provides an ideal complement to other forms of birth preparation. The book also suggests a postpartum ritual format for telling birth stories and concludes with a reflection on birth history in America.