Adversity itself is not what defines us. It is how we react to that adversity and the choices we make that creates who we are and how we will persevere. The Fire Within: Lessons from defeat that have ignited a passion for learning is a compilation of stories from amazing educators who have faced personal adversity head on and have become stronger people for it. They use their new-found strength to support the students and teachers they work with. They are sharing their stories with a hope that others in the same situations might not feel alone, knowing that in our darkest hours, when our situations feel the most hopeless, is when we develop the extraordinary characteristics that make us who we are at our very cores. In addition to the powerful and inspirational stories, there is a chapter included on trauma and how it rewires our brain, as well as the effects of Secondary Trauma, especially as it affects someone who is still dealing with their own fallout from traumatic experiences. This chapter also includes mindfulness activities that support coping and healing. As teachers, we often don't like to share our stories of adversity because we feel like we need to be strong for the little people we work with, but oftentimes our struggles give us strengths that are unique to us and support our work with others. When people fight through adversity, they either choose to live in their sorrow, or they use what they've learned to become a better servant of others. Everyone has a story. We are hopeful that ours will inspire other educators to discover their superpowers, too!

Wouldn’t you love to feel as engaged and energized as you were on day one? The key is to quit waiting for it to happen and take control of the process yourself. Once upon a time, you probably learned the thrill of a good day’s work and were inspired to work harder and accomplish more. Then the honeymoon ended, burnout set in, and you began going through the motions uninspired.? In Find the Fire, discover how you can shake off the malaise and dial up the motivation. Whether you're wrestling with fear, disconnectedness, boredom, lack of creative outlets, overwhelm, or other issues, you will find applicable insights, exercises, inspiring stories, checklists, and more as you learn about the nine forces that drain inspiration. In this compelling book, you will learn how to: reconnect with your coworkers and managers, boost your self-confidence and personal presence, and how to stay in control during tough times. Discover how to empower yourself, not waiting for others to fill that need, and how you can still produce work you’re proud of, even after many years of performing the same tasks. You’ve probably been asking yourself lately what inspires you now. But the more applicable question is, how did you lose the inspiration you once had in the first place? Learn to find that again.

'David ran a hand through his mop of brown hair. Dragons. It was certainly different from his last set of lodgings, where all you got were spiders and the occasional mouse. "It's perfect," he said.' When David arrives at Wayward Crescent he has no idea what lurks inside the Pennykettle house. Only when he's given his own special dragon does he begin to unlock their mysterious secrets, and to discover the fire within...

For most religious people, the words God and sex never go together. God is conceived of as holy, pure, sexless, and as morally above the raw desires that so powerfully beset us. Sex, on the other hand, is conceived of as earthy and unholy, something we must snatch, and not without guilt, from the gods. Christianity has struggled mightily with sex; so too have most other religions. And yet when we look at sexual desire and ask where it comes from, there can be only one answer. It comes from God. This is a book on desire, its experience, its origins, its meaning, and how it might be generatively channeled. Sexuality is inside us to help lure us back to God, but dealing with this fire inside us is a lifelong struggle. Ron Rolheiser sheds light on this mystery and the journey it takes us on in these tantalizing fragments that help give us permission to feel what we feel and know that God is still smiling on us.

An outstanding book on prayer and the spiritual life written by one of the best spiritual directors of our time. Dubay synthesizes the teachings on prayer of the two great Doctors of the Church--St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila--and the teaching of Sacred Scripture.