A person kneels to contemplate a tree and to reflect upon the troubles and joys of life. The person imagines mornings and evenings in a great forest of prayers, swarming and teeming with life. The person is learning how to pray. Michael Leunig.

Ute Indian Prayer Trees of the Pikes Peak Region is a book about Culturally Modified Trees, skillfully shaped by the hands of the indigenous people of Colorado, which can still be found today in the Pikes Peak Region. John Wesley Anderson shares the beginning of his journey into the past which led him across the ancestral homeland of the Ute to seek an understanding of these living Native American cultural artifacts. John shares the wisdom of the elders from the Reservations who believe at the beginning of time Creator brought them to the Shining Mountains. The Ute knew Pikes Peak by the name Tava, which means Sun Mountain. This is a story about the People of Sun Mountain and their sacred prayer trees.

Native American Prayer Trees of Colorado is a book about the cultural tradition of a people. John Wesley Anderson takes his readers on a journey of discovery through his study of the Native American tradition of modifying trees for navigational, medicinal, burial, educational and spiritual purposes. Working in close association with members and elders of the Southern Ute Reservation, the study of previous researchers, and people familiar with these culturally modified trees, Anderson has built a compelling and fascinating work which greatly moves forth the documentation and preservation of these cultural and spiritual landmarks.

This is an experiential workshop that guides you through creative prompts upon a journey to a prayer tree.

With its inspirational and insightful prayers and illustrations, When I Talk to You helps readers deepen their awareness of their soul, their inner voice, and God. While the demand for inspirational books is ever expanding, this book takes a refreshing and creative approach that's unlike any other. More about When I Talk to You When asked to pen a weekly cartoon for Melbourne's Sunday Age newspaper more than 15 years ago, Michael Leunig struggled with the idea of creating just another humor strip. He recognized the need to offset the anxiety and distress found in the news but was determined to take a decidedly different approach from his cartooning peers. The result was a cartoon that delivered a spiritual message with its inspirational words and straightforward, poignant drawings. Before long, it developed a huge, faithful following and turned Leunig into an Australian national treasure. Now, he is sharing his illuminating prayers and drawings worldwide in When I Talk to You, a collection of more than 80 of his poignant prayers and delightful drawings. The book looks at life in all its sadness, joy, and-at times-seeming absurdity, and offers people hope through the power of prayer. Leunig's encouraging words are part inspiration, part desperation-capturing one man's quest for love, the spirit, and a better world. It's a search that resonates with anyone who has ever grappled with life and its unpredictable ways.

"Whether describing mystical visions or the rhythms of everyday life, Erickson turns the spiritual journey into a series of exciting transformations." ÑPublishers WeeklyÊ(starred review) From her childhood on an Iowa farm, Lori Erickson grew up to travel the world as a writer specializing in holy sitesjourneys that led her on an ever-deepening spiritual quest. InÊHoly Rover, she weaves her personal narrative with descriptions of a dozen pilgrimages. Along the way, Erickson encounters spiritual leaders who include the chief priest of the Icelandic pagan religion of Asatru, a Trappist monk at Thomas Merton's Gethsemani Abbey, and a Lakota retreat director at South Dakota's Bear Butte. Both irreverent and devout,ÊHoly RoverÊincludes images of holy sites around the world taken by several of the nation's leading travel photographers. Travel writer, Episcopal deacon, and author of the Holy Rover blog atÊPatheos, Erickson is an engaging guide for pilgrims eager to take a spiritual journey. Her book describes travels that changed her life and can change yours, too.

This books taps into the powerful imagery of trees to suggest ways that one may sink roots into God's Word and grow strong branches that bear the fruits of faith.

Trees are our allies in maintaining a healthy planet. Partnering with trees allows us to build soil, enhance biodiversity, increase wildlife populations, grow food and medicine, and pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Trees of Power by Akiva Silver shares a step-by-step path toward working with these arboreal allies, from planting to propagation to understanding the multiple benefits that ten of our most essential tree species - the chestnut, apple, hickory, and more - provide for humans, animals, and nature alike. In this book you'll learn how to work successfully with perennial woody plants. It includes in-depth information on individual species and different ways to propagate trees - whether by seed, grafting, layering, or with cuttings. These time-honored techniques make it easy for anyone to increase their stock of trees simply and inexpensively. Silver's combination of hands-on experience and sincere exuberance for the natural world will inspire a new generation of tree stewards while appealing to anyone who feels a deep appreciation for these magnificent plants.--COVER.

The liturgical year invites us to walk with Jesus through the most wonderful story ever told: the Gospel. In Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children, catechist and popular blogger Katherine Bogner reveals the rich mystery of the seasons we celebrate in the Church. With Gospel readings for each week of the liturgical year, along with tools for reflection, discussion, and prayer, Through the Year with Jesus offers endless opportunities for discovering who Jesus is and better understanding Catholic teaching about his life and mission. Promote prayer and conversation about the life of Christ with children through Weekly readings from the Gospels Lectio Divina prompts to nurture personal prayer or journaling Sacred art to accompany the Gospel reading Stories of saints and many rich Catholic traditions for the liturgical year The easy-to-use format of Through the Year with Jesus helps adults lead children to an intimate encounter with the heart of Jesus through the rhythm of the liturgical year and the powerful words of Scripture.

In the critically acclaimed memoir Girl Meets God, Lauren F. Winner chronicled her sojourn from Judaism to Christianity. Now, in Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, Winner describes how experiences of loss and failure unexpectedly slam her into a wall of doubt and spiritual despair: “My belief has faltered, my sense of God’s closeness has grown strained, my efforts at living in accord with what I take to be the call of the gospel have come undone.” Witty, relatable, and fiercely honest, Winner lays bare her experience of what she calls the “middle” of the spiritual life. In elegant and spare prose, she explores why—in the midst of the overwhelming anxiety, loneliness, and boredom of her deepest questioning about where (or if) God is—the Christian story still explains who she is better than any other story she’s ever known. Still is an absorbing meditation combining literary grace with spiritual wisdom. It is sure to resonate with anyone looking to sustain a spiritual life in the midst of real life.