No comments about Public Spirituality: A Personal Workbook.

1 comments about Journey To Empowerment.

1. In JOURNEY TO EMPOWERMENT, Maria Dowd brings together a diverse array of contributors all sharing their personal experiences and journeys toward a deeper sense of self. This isn't a religious collection per se, but it is deeply spiritual and encompasses many of the varied world views found among African American women. The book contains personal experiences, poetry, inspiring quotes, affirmations and questions for further introspection or journaling. It covers a diverse subject matter all under the umbrella of women's issues, including love, body image, domestic violence, motherhood, and menopause.
   
   JOURNEY TO EMPOWERMENT will lead you on a healing journey and will lead to a greater love of self, and a deeper understanding of the many roles we all must play in life. The book will help you prioritize your energies and rededicate yourself to the things that are important in your life. It encourages you to have spiritual, self, and community awareness. While the collection has far reaching breadth, none of the particular topics are explored in great depth. As a result, it left me wanting more, but it did plant a seed that I can now nourish and feed with other materials.
   
   Reviewed by Stacey Seay
   of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

No comments about What Does It Mean to Be a Man?.

5 comments about Prayers from a NonBeliever.

1. Even though I've just skipped around this new book, I'm compelled to write a review . . . The few pages I've read so far, made me laugh out loud and left me wanting to read the rest of the book. I'm online to buy it, now, even though I have stacks of other great material to read. My favorite authors don't tell me what to think, rather they engage me in the journey of thinking for myself. I find that Julia's inspired and entertaining writing supports me in being the best I can be.



2. The minute I inadvertently laughed out loud in the bookstore, I knew I had to get this book. It had a wonderful conversational style that sucked me in.
   
   I, also, am not certain of the presence of God. Set up in a series of letters to God, this book is often funny, heartbreaking, thoughtful, questioning, and inspiring... The question is, is there more to life? The letters themselves are not long, ranging from a page to several pages long.

   What made the book so compelling for me is, even though the letters are to God, the author admits "God" could be anything... a force, a higher power, ourselves. He also questions when he began to lose faith, not only in God but also in himself.

   It's not just about a search for God, it's also about our search for ourselves. What makes us special? Why we make the choices we do...Can we make different choices? I highly recommend this book.




3. Like many people who study religion as a vocational choice and who often get painfully serious about it, the very term "spirituality" can send shivers up my spine. It's one of those literary categories that always seems to cover too much, yet include too little of substance, or (at worst) elevates really trivial writing to places where even angels fear to tread.

   So I cautiously backed into Julia Cameron's PRAYERS FROM A NONBELIEVER, wondering what liberties would be taken with the elements of faith and soul work that I hold dear as an Anglican (Episcopal) Master of Divinity student, let alone an "ordinary" Christian of any particular denomination.

   As I began reading her Dear God... entries, set in the form of a 21st-century pilgrim's diary, I asked myself this question: just what does one of America's most sought-after multimedia creative artists have to offer the "every-person" spiritual seeker, the doctrine-devouring theology student, or anyone else to whom religion is more than an abstract term? After all, it would seem on the surface that someone like Julia Cameron "has it all."

   Appropriately, my fundamental question wasn't answered right away. Neither is Cameron's existential plea for a bona fide sign that God is --- period. Instead, both reader and author are deeply and often jarringly self-reflected in these brief meditations about the vast and minute nuances of life.

   God is indeed within the details, as Cameron shows us when she acquires something as inconsequential as a shower stall "gizmo" to hold her tumbling toiletries; the result being a few extra moments of unhampered relaxation in which she meditates on new and better ways to connect with her Creator. But God is also amid the glories of a universe too big even for the most fertile imaginations, and Cameron is just as courageous as Captain Kirk (of Star Trek fame) about going boldly into the cosmic unknown --- albeit kicking and screaming on occasion.

   In such ways, PRAYERS FROM A NONBELIEVER goes many steps further than the usual spiritual self-help guide, helping us to recognize, reclaim, and celebrate the existential out-theres and intimate in-heres of our true lives as human spiritual beings. It isn't just about nurturing warm fuzzies and feel-good notions, or about tweaking the edges of fashionable simplicity and meditation. Simply put, this can be a very challenging and sweetly humbling little book (it's only 128 pages) that bears reading over and over again until a subtle, yet unmistakable, awareness of God's presence sinks in.

   As Cameron comes to realize, and so eloquently shares in this richly colored mosaic of her thoughts, connecting with God for the long run is all about enlightened patience. And that places PRAYERS FROM A NONBELIEVER among the best of today's genuine devotional literature.

   --- Reviewed by Pauline Finch




4. I am a big fan of Julia Cameron. Her book THE RIGHT TO WRITE is my favorite inspirational/jump start spiritually inclined book. How could she jump to "Dear God" letters/prayers? In this amazing book, I learned to see what Path God is taking me on as Julia follows her Path of Doubt too. Only questions lead to an answer in my opinion and Ms. Cameron once again - as with GOD IS NO LAUGHING MATTER - finds the right formula to SEE where we are in this wonderful world which God created....



5. Julia Cameron has an honest take on prayers to a God when one just doesn't believe but deep down inside wants to. A collection of humor and raw honesty with Cameron's unique strain of authenticity.

No comments about Divine Sex.

No comments about Transformation of the Soul: Volume I.

No comments about The Good News About Worry.

2 comments about Honoring Motherhood: Prayers, Ceremonies and Blessings.

1. I thought I was buying this book for my daughter for Mother's Day, but couldn't put it down. Then I ordered one for myself and friends who were becoming grandmothers and mothers for the first or multiple times. From chapter to chapter it drew me into my own lineage---giving me insights and recalling my memories of my grandmother, my mother, my mothering years, and my current life of grandmothering. Each page inspires and teaches though the fullness of it's unfamiliar prayersand excellent quotations, its concise seasonal stories and sacred readings about mothering from all religious standpoints. This is not a trite, usual collection of writings, but rather a beautifully arranged and worded compendium of the full range of women's emotions as they contemplate becoming mothers,as they experience birth or adoption, as they commiserate when problems or losses occur, as they struggle as single parents, as they empty their nest, as they grandparent and then look back upon the pains and joys of motherhood. No subject is omitted: miscarriage, children with addictions, stepparenting, adoption. It's really a book for any season of a woman's life and I wish everyone could read it.



2. This book contains beautiful poems, stories, and prayers from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and other traditions. Each section only takes a moment to read and can be read out of order. Open the book to a random page, read an uplifting passage, then go back to real life, refreshed and invigorated.

4 comments about How to Turn Anger into Love.

1. Rarely does a book of this nature express so concisely and vividly how to turn our negative feelings into positive actions. It was so easy to read yet is deep and gets to the root of how our anger can bring down our physical and mental health. The methods that the authors use to make changes in our life are simple and easy to apply to our daily lives. Everyone would benefit from reading this book because of the universal issues that it covers. the world would be such a more pleasant place! read it now!



2. This book is a must for all to read. There is so much to learn about our emotions and how we let them affect our daily lives. We can all benefit from applying the simple techniques outlined in the book to all aspects of our lives. There are charts, diagrams and concrete examples which help explore difficult topics very understandably.



3. Written by a research scientist and a physician, How To Turn Anger Into Love: A Spiritual Guide is an inspirational self-help instructional that teaches the reader how to take control of negative emotions and transform them into renewed energy, cultivating loving relationships, better health, increased self-esteem, and peace of mind. Chapters address the basics of anger and how too much of it can cause illness or lasting misery, how to use it as a pathway to balance, creativity, and healing, practical steps to deal with it such as positive affirmations, meditation, learning to forgive and let go, embarking on daily acts of kindness, teaching young children how to manage their own anger, and much more. A direct, easy-to-understand guide that encompasses real-world and spiritual concerns alike for charting one's path amidst the stormy seas of emotion.



4. I stumbled up on this book accidentally. An accident that turned very soothing. In today's fast-paced life and disturbing times of war and violence, this book is a must read for everybody. It reminds you the bigger picture of life and irrelavance of little things that we get caught up in. Both writers are phenomenal!

5 comments about Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul.

1. This is a great book the will cause most people who read it (even if they don't live in the burbs)to look deep within to find some motivations that they might not be happy seeing. If you wish to live the self examined life, this is a great book for you.



2. I picked up this book after Matt Chandler made mention of it in one of his sermons and quoted it when Mr. Goetz tells of a story and then cites, "Soccer is stupid when your wife is dying with cancer." After that quote, I had to pick up the book.
   
   This book is a very enjoyable read, especially if you live in the suburbs. I really don't think you can get the full meaning of some of the jokes or even the nagging life that awaits in the suburbs, unless you live there, or have lived there for a period of years. What David Goetz wanted to get across in this book, I believe he did very well. The 8 chapters are titled very well and it really hurts when the chapter headings are what is going on in your head when you read them. He lists for the chapters a "toxin" and then "the practice." Or the "issue" and "the solution." They are:
   
   Chapter 1:
   The Toxin: I am in Control of My Life
   The Practice: The Prayer of Silence
   
   Chapter 2:
   The Toxin: I am what I do and what I own
   The Practice: The Journey through the self
   
   Chapter 3:
   The Toxin: I want my neighbor's life
   The Practice: Friendship with the poor
   
   Chapter 4:
   The Toxin: My life should be easier than this
   The Practice: Accepting my cross with grace and patience
   
   Chapter 5:
   The Toxin: I need to make a difference with my life
   The Practice: Pursuing action, not results
   
   Chapter 6:
   The Toxin: My church is the problem
   The Practice: Staying put in your church
   
   Chapter 7:
   The Toxin: What will this relationship do for me?
   The Practice: Building deep friendships
   
   Chapter 8:
   The Toxin: I need to get more done in less time
   The Practice: Falling in love with a day
   
   My favorites were definitely at the point when Mr. Goetz pointed out why we have certain relationships and why we help out certain people. The reason is because I fall in love with the thought of, "if this person isn't going to accomplish something in my life, why should I befriend them?" Mr. Goetz speaks poignantly through this to understand that relationships shouldn't be about what you are going to get out of them, but they should be for continual development for the kingdom. In conjunction with this, he asks why we help out those that are less fortunate than us? Do we do it for self gratification if they turn to Jesus, or they "fix their life?" Or, do we do it out of the mere love for our Saviour and respond to his love with the love of our neighbors? This was a very challenging chapter.
   
   I enjoyed the entirety of the book and felt as though it was well thought out, although not terribly theologically deep. Theologically is exactly where I found myself scratching my head a couple of times as I felt as though he left it out of the discussion at points that would have been helpful. I felt as though his convictions should have more clearly put forth in some of the areas of his life and how he lived it. But these were minor at points and not enough to deter the overall theme of the book.
   
   I really found it to be helpful and was filled with great reminders in ways that made me laugh at times and cringe at others as they cut me deep, which was good.
   
   One of my favorite quotes in the book, after the one mentioned at the first of this post, was:
   
   Speed and efficiency rank high in suburban values. Garbage cans with properly colored tags are set out on the curb weekly on designated days. Dogs must be licensed before February 1. Dog waste is a hazard to our children, says our community publication on new ordinances. There are always new ordinances. Near our home, a gentleman walks his aging, bloated Labrador most evenings, dog leash in one hand and pooper-scooper in the other. By day, the man is an executive with an MBA from a worldclass university; by night, he scrapes up dog stools.
   
   Now imagine this clever banter when dealing with spiritual issues while letting life escape us and you have a very enjoyable read along some very good insights into our everyday lives as we try and walk with Christ.
   
   I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a Christian and looking for a nudge to get them out of the ordinary drudge that can be the suburbs.



3. This is a great book--Goetz, who lives in Wheaton, where I used to live and went to school, describes suburban life to a tee.
   He trains a keen eye on both the struggle and irony of the competitive, consumeristic, pressured, hurried life that is not only the typical suburbanite's life, but his own life. (He admits to being a sometimes over-enthusiastic soccer dad, and to owning both the quintessential suburban vehicle, an SUV, and the quintessential suburban dog, a Golden Retriever).
   
   He recommends eight spiritual practices to counter-act the "environmental toxins" of suburban life; practices that range from the traditional solitude and self-examination to ones that address specific suburban problems. For example, he writes, to counter the toxin of "My church is the problem," a common malady of the suburban consumer mindset, he recommends the practice of "Staying put in your church."
   
   As a writer and speaker who teaches often on spiritual practices (see my book Oxygen: Deep Breathing for the Soul), I know I will be not only recommending this book but quoting from it often!



4. Death by Suburb: How to keep the Suburbs From Killing Your Soul by Dave Goetz is a straight shot look at maintaining spirituality in the midst of competition and commercialism that so often define suburbia. From Wheaton, Illinois, (an affluent suburb of Chicago) Goetz describes his experiences of seeking God instead of seeking status symbols and outlines eight practical applications for the reader. These take home points range from the need for times of quiet reflection, how to best serve others above oneself and developing deep and meaningful relationships.
   
   Although written from a Christian perspective with examples drawn from Catholic and Protestant theologians, this is a work that provides sensible advice to people from any faith looking for less chaos in suburban living. Anyone who has struggled with time management, control issues, stress, balance, overwork, or friendship problems could find helpful words in this book. Goetz is an amusing and talented writer and Death by Suburb is a highly enjoyable book.



5. My church recently featured a series of very effective service messages based on the book Death by Suburb. I figured if the church services were this insightful, well, the book itself must be fantastic. My assumption was right.
   
   The subtitle of the book is "How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul." While Goetz's message is important to hear it's most effective when you project his observations on your own life. Some of this stuff was pretty darned painful to read but 100% accurate.
   
   For example, chapter 6 is called "Shirker Service" and he defines Shirkers as people who "are always on the move for the next spiritual plane." A Shirker tends to say things like:
   
   "I want to make a difference with my life. I want to make my life count. I want more from my life than investment banking. I'm weary of making money; I want to help poor people become suburbanites just like I am."
   
   He goes on to say that "the Shirker Life is full of service activities, mostly to and with other Shirkers." Ouch.
   
   Here are two other nuggets of wisdom that resonated with me:
   
   "If you want to be a sweet grandfather and not a bitter old man, then you must learn how to embrace suffering."
   
   "Frustration and conflict are the fabric of spiritual development."
   
   Those are the kind of statements I have to read several times to truly appreciate them. Putting them in practice and living them are a completely different challenge. This book is full of pearls like this and well worth the reading investment.