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Spirituality and Religion July 2018
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| I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing BrownWhat it is: an impassioned account of what it's like to be a black Christian woman in the U.S.; a history of the author's journey into activism; and a study of how churches helped her find her identity -- and can play a role in racial reconciliation.
For fans of: candid and personal social critiques (such as Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me) and those interested in improving race relations at church -- and elsewhere. |
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| The Light Within Me by Ainsley EarhardtWhat it is: a memoir by Fox News journalist and Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt, in which she reflects on the role that faith has played in her personal and professional life.
Who it's for: Earhardt's many fans; readers looking for an inspiring account of letting one's faith provide guidance and support in challenging circumstances.
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Your Holiness: Discover the Light Within
by Debbie Ford
A recently discovered unpublished work from a spiritual teacher and New York Times best-selling author, which was written during her battle with cancer, is a thoughtful and poignant exploration of the godliness that resides in all of us and a blueprint for recognizing and accepting our latent spirituality. By the author of The Best Year of Your Life.
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Kind Is the New Classy: The Power of Living Graciously
by Candace Cameron Bure
As a woman in today’s world, you know what it’s like to feel pressure on all sides from clashing cultural expectations. How can you stay true to who God has uniquely created you to be in the face of the script you’ve been given? What’s more, how can you stand your ground with grace? The classy confidence you know and love—whether it’s on set at Full House or Fuller House, Dancing with the Stars, The View, or Candace’s Hallmark films—is no act. But it hasn’t come easy. In fact, learning to stay true to herself with grace has been one of the biggest fights of Candace’s life.The secret, she has learned, is kindness: it’s classy, unexpected, even counter-cultural, and ultimately wins the day.
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Faith Among the Faithless: Learning from Esther How to Live in a World Gone Mad
by Mike Cosper
Far from the gentle cartoon we often hear in Sunday school, the story of Esther is a brutal saga of people assimilated into a pluralistic, pagan society, embracing its standards. Yet when threatened with annihilation, they find the courage to turn to God in humility. A call to spiritual awakening and to faith in an age of malaise and apathy, Faith Among the Faithless is an invitation to remember the faithfulness of God, knowing that in dark times—as in the days of Esther or our own—God may be hidden, but he is never absent.
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Dangerous Mystic: Meister Eckhart's Path to the God Within
by Joel F. Harrington
A biography of the medieval Christian mystic and 14th-century German theologian whose writings have influenced such thinkers as Heidegger, Sartre, John Paul II, the current Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle, revisits his teachings, which challenge the nature of religion in the individual’s search for spiritual fulfillment. By the author of The Faithful Executioner.
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Through My Father's Eyes
by Franklin Graham
Many have written about Billy Graham, the evangelist. This is the first book about Billy Graham, the father, written from the perspective of a son who knew him best. “My father left behind a testimony to God,” says Franklin, “a legacy not buried in a grave but still pointing people to a heaven-bound destiny. The Lord will say to my father, and to all who served Him obediently, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ [Matthew 25:21].”
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The Mythology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
by Inc. Dorling Kindersley
This newest title in the bestselling Big Ideas series pairs engaging visual style with global coverage of world myths--profiling everything from the well-known tales of the Greeks, Norsemen, and Egyptians to the legends of the Caribbean, the Americas, Oceania, and East Asia--bringing the wisdom of the ages to life.
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Living With the Monks
by Jesse Itzler
Entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and father of four Jesse Itzler only knows one speed: Full Blast. But when he felt like the world around him was getting too hectic, he didn't take a vacation or get a massage. Instead, Jesse moved into a monastery for a self-imposed time-out. In Living with the Monks, the follow-up to his New York Times bestselling Living with a Seal, Jesse takes us on a spiritual journey like no other.
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Francis: The People's Pope
by Ted Rall
Can a reformer, working within an established, conservative, bureaucratic institution make real change? Usually, radical thinker and political cartoonist Ted Rall would be among the first to shout "hell no." But Rall believes that Pope Francis may be the one notable exception. By expressing sympathy and outrage on behalf of the poor and hungry, solidarity with same sex couples, and righteous anger against the world's banks' use of capital to gain profit at the expense of local communities and on the backs of the middle class, Pope Francis may have already changed the tone and substance of the conversation, Rail believes. As the world's governments persist in ignoring global warming, and exporting war and suffering, Rall considers Pope Francis to be the one world leader who might be able to encourage and inspire a new populism to turn the tide.
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Absolute Power: How the Pope Became the Most Influential Man in the World
by Paul Collins
A narrative of religious and political history relates the improbable success story of the last 220 years of the papacy, from the unexalted death of Pope Pius VI in 1799 to the celebrity of Pope Francis today, revealing its most influential pontiffs, concerning doctrines and rise in global authority.
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Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks
by Diana Butler Bass
The author of the multiple award-winning Grounded and leading trend spotter in contemporary Christianity explores why gratitude is missing as a modern spiritual practice, offers practical suggestions for reclaiming it, and illuminates how the shared practice of gratitude can lead to greater connection with God, our world, and our own souls.
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Focus on: Stillness, simplicity, solitude
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| Out of the Woods: A Memoir of Wayfinding by Lynn DarlingWhat it is: a widow's journey of self-discovery in the woods of rural Vermont, precipitated by her daughter's departure for college. Stuck in a sort of frozen limbo, Lynn Darling explores the forest around her and discovers herself in the process.
Why you might like it: Though initially directionless, Darling's eventual determination makes her easy to empathize with; her candid exploration of middle age will appeal to those in a similar stage of life. |
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| How to Relax by Thich Nhat HanhWhat it is: a guide to mindfulness practices that emphasize the importance of recharging and relaxing.
Why you might like it: The short meditations, simple advice kindly delivered, and charming illustrations will help you stay calm and connected in a busy, stressful world.
Don't miss: the rest of the Mindfulness Essentials series, including How to Love and How to Walk. |
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| The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico IyerWhat it's about: the theory that in our tech-obsessed present, it's more important than ever to slow down, unplug, and sit quietly.
Start with: Author Pico Iyer's TED Talk on the topic.
Read it for: examples from the lives of people who have sought stillness, from celebrities like Leonard Cohen to academics like a French molecular biologist who became a Tibetan monk. |
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| Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown TaylorWhat it is: an elegantly worded meditation on darkness or, as the author says, "anything that scares me."
Why you might like it: Discussing darkness both literal (a cave, simulated blindness) to metaphorical (loss of faith, loss of life), Barbara Brown Taylor argues that time in the dark can lead to spiritual growth.
Reviewers say: "Taylor is always a wonderful guide to the spiritual world, and this book is no exception" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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