"Brave Heart describes in vivid detail how he was raised in a full-blood Lakota family by his deeply spiritual grandparents, struggled to find his way in contemporary society, was devastated by and successfully overcame the demon alcohol, and found maturity and peace in a vision-rich traditional spirituality. He graphically describes the values and struggles of an Indian warrior as a 'soldier' in a modern American war. As an Indian AA counselor and school administrator he used traditional insights that were leading and successful. The breadth of his interest and insights provides a living example of a traditional Lakota who has successfully overcome many problems and found a peaceful, successful life in the current bicultural situation of the Lakota."--Back cover.

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.” —William Wallace, Braveheart More than twenty years ago Braveheart captured the hearts of moviegoers around the world. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning five. Now, for the first time, author and screenwriter Randall Wallace shares the journey that led him to the famous Scottish warrior and how telling the story of William Wallace changed the direction of his life and career—from that surprising first moment in Edinburgh, Scotland, to selling the script to a major Hollywood studio. Part autobiography, part master class, Living the Braveheart Life invites us to explore five major archetypes in Braveheart that resonate not only in Randall’s life but in the modern-day lives of both men and women: the Father, Teacher, Warrior, Sage, and Outlaw. Join blockbuster film director Randall Wallace on the journey of his creative and personal life. Discover why thousands of moviegoers continue to say Braveheart is their all-time favorite film and how its creator and architect came to believe that he must write as if his life depended on it. Living the Braveheart Life is a challenge to all of us to engage in the greatest battle of all—the one inside the human heart. “I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it . . . a prescription for what ails the contemporary soul.” —Steven Pressfield, screenwriter & author of ­The War of Art Front Flap During his prolific Hollywood career, Randall Wallace has amassed an enviable body of work. Films such as The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat have become box office standards. Yet no film defines his life and career more than Braveheart, written from a well of deep personal passion, steeped in years of reflection. With roots in small-town Tennessee, Randall’s hunger for adventure and unlimited horizons leads him to Duke University. ­There he sits under the tutelage of Thomas A. Langford, whose infectious love and learning and faith light up a classroom and a young man’s vision of life’s possibilities. A decade later, while on a trip to Scotland, Randall is introduced to an unfamiliar statue with an inscription that bears his last name. After hearing the first fragments of the Scottish hero’s tale, Randall recognizes the seeds of a truly great story. His William Wallace and his band of warriors forever changed the way we view love, war, and freedom. Living the Braveheart Life is a personal narrative of how an epic feature film came to life and breathed life into its author. It is the kind of book that will change the way we approach our internal battles, creative or personal. Welcome to a master class in storytelling from the consummate storyteller.

On September 11, 2001, Ann Kansfield, a successful Wall Street broker who had spent years laying a path of achievements, stood on the doorstep of profound change. The city she loved was in turmoil, and a calling to help others was emerging from deep within her. Part memoir and part spiritual formation guide, Kansfield's Be the Brave One relays her stunning transformation from a "run-of-the-mill capitalist jerk" into a wife, mother, and pastor committed to feeding the poor at her church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The first female and openly gay chaplain at the New York Fire Department, and voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year, Kansfield uses her characteristic wit and knack for accessible storytelling to reveal how an adventurous faith rooted in living out your convictions can bring about radical change in the world. From authenticity and courage, to perseverance and gratitude, in Kansfield's journey you will find the insight and tools to name and claim your own core spiritual values. Ultimately, Kansfield's story will leave readers both comforted and challenged to discover and live out their own faith rooted in open-hearted conviction.

The renowned author of eight books and abbess of the online retreat center Abbey of the Arts, Christine Valters Paintner takes readers on a new kind of pilgrimage: an inner journey to discover the heart of God. Eight stages of the pilgrim's way--from hearing the call to coming home--are accompanied by scripture stories of great biblical journeys and the author's unique and creative practices of prayer, writing, and photography. As she did in The Artist's Rule and Eyes of the Heart, Christine Valters Paintner once again helps readers travel to the frontiers of their souls to discover the hidden presence of God. In The Soul of a Pilgrim, Paintner identifies eight stages of the pilgrim's way and shows how to follow these steps to make an intentional, transformative journey to the reader's inner "wild edges." Each phase of the exploration requires a distinct practice such as packing lightly, being uncomfortable, or embracing the unknown. Paintner shows how to cultivate attentiveness to the divine through deep listening, patience, and opening oneself to the gifts that arise in the midst of discomfort. Each of the eight chapters offers reflections on the themes, a scripture story, an invitation to the practice of lectio divina, and a creative exploration through photography and writing.

Dangerous Christian is a war cry for intimacy with God. It's easy to equate following Jesus with being nice. Fighting, for all intents and purposes, has become what the bad guys do. That's the message Shay Robbins learned growing up. Be a good guy. Keep your cool. And don't get too passionate-that's a fast track to sin. But perhaps fighting itself isn't the problem-maybe it's what we're fighting for. We cut other people down to prove our point. We do whatever it takes to get ahead. We puff up our chest and strut around hoping to get others' approval. And many times, we fail to even recognize the spiritual battle raging just beyond the curtain of our senses. In a world obsessed with status and self-satisfaction and a Christian community caught up in culture wars, Dangerous Christian offers an invitation to a radically different way of life. Weaving together personal experience and biblical truth, Shay takes readers on the journey of developing brave hearts to engage our broken world through: -Discovering the radical, passionate love of Jesus Christ -Cultivating a posture of humility and dependence on God -Experiencing intimacy with God that changes us from the inside out -Unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit to fight spiritual battles -Breaking free from fear and turning our wounds into weapons This book is not about working harder or doing more. It's an invitation into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, which can transform us from passive believers into dangerous weapons for the Gospel. A Dangerous Christian sees the world, themselves, and other people differently. Appearances don't matter so much anymore. Physical prowess is no longer how strength is measured. Faith is. Humility, toughness, prayer, and passion to follow Jesus-that's what has the power to change our world, make the devil tremble and bring glory to God. You and I were created to fight against evil with our Heavenly Father by our side. Following Jesus isn't for wimps. It's the most dangerous thing we could ever do. It will take toughness and grit, passion and gutsiness. But it may not look like you'd expect.

In the vein of Eat, Pray, Love, this powerful memoir chronicles a woman's search for meaning following a paradigm-shifting near-death experience Karen Henson Jones was on the conventional path to success in the corporate world when a sudden cardiac event at the age of 30 took her to the brink of death. During an otherworldly near-death experience, she was presented with a choice to leave her body or to return to Earth. When her request to live was granted, Karen was forced to come to terms with the life she had been living. With warmth, wonder, and wit, Heart of Miracles follows Karen on an inspirational journey through India, Italy, Bhutan, and the Holy Land of Israel in search of a more meaningful life. Exploring the power of meditation, Western medical science, the transformative doctrines of reincarnation, and the teachings of Jesus, Karen encourages us to embrace the full possibilities of our spiritual selves.

Have you at any time asked yourself why we are here? Do you believe in a superior being or in spirituality? Are we really the only ones that exist in the here and now? By reading "The Spiritual Journey" we will be reminded that, inside each one of us there is a treasure that is difficult to explain and that we have perhaps forgotten about. Some call it a spirit; others call it light, and others, energy. But if we look deep inside our minds and are brave enough to decide to listen to ourselves, perhaps we will realise that this treasure exists.

Find the courage to be who you are—not who you wish you were. Is fear holding you back from becoming your best self? Does it add stress to your day and keep you up at night? What could be different if you let go and started living brave today? Bravery doesn’t have to mean cliff diving out of your comfort zone. Life is about being brave enough—for yourself, for God, for your tasks, and for your calling—right where He’s placed you. A brave-enough life is one lived fully and confidently, with your shoulders relaxed and free from the weight of responsibility and the burden of trying too hard. Nicole Unice, author of She’s Got Issues, wants that life to become a reality for you. She challenges you to get real about where you are right now—the places where you feel too scared to change, too tired to endure, or too worried to let go. Through personal stories and practical application, Nicole will lead you on a journey to harness all of your misspent doubts, concerns, and fears—and discover what God is saying about who you can be. Don’t miss the companion Brave Enough DVD Group Experience (UPC 031809201381)!

A firsthand look into Kim Walker-Smith's journey from a place of shame and fear to stages around the world where she boldly proclaims the unconditional love of God. Kim Walker-Smith's passionate performance of "How He Loves" helped transform Jesus Culture into a global worship movement. But she wasn't always so confident of God's unrelenting, powerful love. Coming from a painful childhood, Kim struggled to believe that God could heal her heart or bring any sense from her past. Yet when she chose to hand her struggles over to God and receive His love, freedom, and healing in return, everything began to change. On the other side of surrender, Kim began a journey of looking at one painful memory at a time with God and exchanging her perspective for His truth--a journey in which God rewrote her story of pain into a story of redemption and hope. If you are longing to experience God more than the shame or hurts of your past, the pressures of your present, or the fear of your future, Brave Surrender offers a soul-healing path forward. As Kim learned in her own life, the first step--and the bravest step--is letting go. Once we let go of anything that gets between us and God, we are freed to take hold of the life that truly matters. As Kim writes, "When we encounter God's love, it changes the way we see. And when we learn to see what He sees, we will never be the same again."

The first narrative history revealing the entire story of the development, operation, and harmful legacy of the Native American boarding schools—and how our nation still has much to resolve before we can fully heal. When Europeans came to the Americas centuries ago, too many of them brought racism along with them. Even presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson each had different takes on how to solve the “Indian Problem”—none of them beneficial for the Natives. In the early 1800s, the federal government and various church denominations devised the “Indian Boarding Schools,” in which Native children were forced to give up their Native languages, clothes, and spiritual beliefs for a life of cultural assimilation. Many of the children were abused sexually—and a shocking number died of pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other diseases. Sizable graveyards were found at many of these boarding schools. In 2021, the mass graves of First Nations children were found at the remains of some Canadian boarding schools, and the Pope traveled to Canada to apologize. In May 2022, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland released the first installment of an investigation into Native American boarding schools in the United States. It was the tip of the iceberg. The findings were shocking: the investigation revealed that the boarding school system emphasized manual labor and vocational training, which failed to prepare indigenous students for life in a capitalist economy. Despite the plot against Native America, tribal cultures have endured and are now flourishing. Indigenous birth rates are higher than those of white communities. Tribal councils across Indian Country are building their own herds of bison. As the tribes rebuild and reinvigorate their culture, the Catholic Church in America is fading. Some thirty dioceses have declared bankruptcy because of lawsuits brought by the victims of the sexual predators among priests and nuns. Native Americans seeking reparations for lost land are looking directly at the Vatican.