English professor and mother Carolyn Weber tells how her desire to control the events of her life came into contact with God's desire to give her each day as a gift from himself. Join her on a winding path through literature, history and daily life—leading finally to the still, quiet place of the present moment.

A beloved contemporary classic, Holy Days is a personal account of New York's Hasidic community, its beliefs, its mysteries, and its encounter with secularism in the present age. Combining a historical understanding of the Hasidic movement with a journalist's discerning eye, Harris captures in rich detail the day-to-day life of this traditional and often misunderstood community. Harris chronicles the personal transformation she experienced as she grew closer to the largely hidden men and women of the Hasidic world.

The mass protests that greeted attempts to open the 1893 Chicago World's Fair on a Sunday seem almost comical today in an era of seven-day convenience and twenty-four-hour shopping. But the issue of the meaning of Sunday is one that has historically given rise to a wide range of strong emotions and pitted a surprising variety of social, religious, and class interests against one another. Whether observed as a day for rest, or time-and-a-half, Sunday has always been a day apart in the American week.Supplementing wide-ranging historical research with the reflections and experiences of ordinary individuals, Alexis McCrossen traces conflicts over the meaning of Sunday that have shaped the day in the United States since 1800. She investigates cultural phenomena such as blue laws and the Sunday newspaper, alongside representations of Sunday in the popular arts. Holy Day, Holiday attends to the history of religion, as well as the histories of labor, leisure, and domesticity.

The myriad events and interactions that make up our everyday life provide a rich opportunity for us to examine our impulses and actions and grow spiritually, according to the Jewish practice of Mussar. Mussar is an eminently wise, practical, and effective way to cultivate awareness, gratitude, personal growth, and ethical action on a daily basis. The path has its origins in Orthodox Judaism but it has become popular with Jews of all affiliations who are interested in a practice that can infuse daily life with more purpose and meaning. This daybook will be an essential companion to anyone who wants to experience this life-changing contemplative practice. Using a "soul trait" such as honesty, courage, enthusiasm, honor, and equanimity as a starting point, each practice page includes: • a teaching that illuminates the trait of the day • an affirmation phrase focused on that trait • a practical exercise to expand our experience of the trait • a space for journaling about experiences with the trait To learn more, visit www.mussarinstitute.org.

Richard Peace teaches you how to engage in easy and comfortable conversation about the good news of Jesus. Explaining the gospel in plain language and offering practical suggestions for sharing your faith with friends, neighbors and colleagues, he provides twelve study and discussion sessions perfect for small groups to work through--and try out--together.

It’s easy to feel disheartened when you’re facing dreams that haven’t come true, heartbreak that never seems to end, or financial strains that weigh you down. Maybe you’re wondering if God can still use you with all your imperfections. In the 100 devotions in Everyday Holy, New York Times bestselling author and creator of The Big Mama Blog Melanie Shankle says absolutely yes. If you’re looking for the line that connects the dots, Everyday Holy is for you! Inside, Melanie reminds readers: God uses unlikely, ordinary people to accomplish His divine purposes. God specializes in using everyday acts of faithfulness to change the world around us. God has incomparable spiritual riches for us when we trust in Him. This keepsake devotional includes: 100 devotions, each with a Scripture and inspirational story. Everyday Holy makes a beautiful gift for any friend or loved one for birthdays, Mother’s Day, or the holidays. Or, curl up with it yourself when you want a reminder that the hope you’ve been called to is much greater, deeper, and more powerful than anything we can fathom when we trust in Him.

In this “journey of spiritual transformation” (Publishers Weekly) award winning author Rabbi Alan Lew follows the practices and rituals of the Jewish High Holy Days and guides readers through heartbreak, contemplation, and re-birth. There are times in life when we are caught utterly unprepared: a death in the family, the end of a relationship, a health crisis. These are the times when the solid ground we thought we stood on disappears beneath our feet, leaving us reeling and heartbroken, as we stumble back to our faith. The Days of Awe encompass the weeks preceding Rosh Hashanah up to Yom Kippur, a period in which Jews take part in a series of rituals and prayers that reenact the journey of the soul through the world from birth to death. This is a period of contemplation and repentance, comparable to Lent and Ramadan. Yet, for Rabbi Alan Lew, the real purpose of this annual passage is for us to experience brokenheartedness and open our heart to God. In This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Lew has marked out a journey of seven distinct stages, one that draws on these rituals to awaken our soul and wholly transform us. Weaving together Torah readings, Buddhist parables, Jewish fables and stories from his own life, Lew lays bare the meanings of this ancient Jewish passage. He reveals the path from terror to acceptance, confusion to clarity, doubt to belief, and from complacency to awe. In the tradition of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, This Is Real And You Are Completely Unprepared enables believers of all faiths to reconnect to their faith with a passion and intimacy that will resonate throughout the year.