In this book the president of the Fraternity of CL engages with this dramatic time in which nothingness presses down so powerfully on the life of everyone, making one suspect the positivity of living and the ultimate consistency of reality itself. It appears that everything ends in nothingness even our very selves. Paradoxically, this context reveals how intolerable it is to live without meaning and shows us the strength of that indestructible desire to be wanted and to be loved. We have here a winning comparison of life with present events and with the insufficient attempt to survive using distraction and forgetfulness. The author points to an answer that measures up to this challenge: a "you" that embraces the cry of our humanity awakening a love for ourselves and for our life. The encounter with a living Christian community which makes our common journey become fascinating. It is a witness of a faith which enters the current experience generating an awareness of a new affection, a fight which is able to value all that is true, beautiful and good that one meets upon the road.

The image of God as light abounds in Scripture and the Christian tradition. In The Radiance of God, Douglas M. Koskela explores the theme of divine radiance across the span of Christian doctrine. The book develops a constructive account of the Christian gospel that traces the journey from darkness into the marvelous light of God. Drawing on an ecumenical range of voices in the tradition, Koskela frames the discussion in terms of three central concepts: allure, movement, and joy. The image of divine radiance suggests the sheer beauty of God that captivates the attention of God’s creatures in wonder, love, and praise. The brilliance of this light initiates a process of movement toward it as the Holy Spirit transforms us in the image of Christ, the light of the world. The culmination of this journey is inexpressible and unending joy as we are immersed in the divine light. By following this threefold pattern through the classic loci of Christian doctrine, this volume offers a sustained and coherent treatment of the economy of salvation from creation to consummation.

At the beginning of this masterpiece of African literature, Clarence, a white man, has been shipwrecked on the coast of Africa. Flush with self-importance, he demands to see the king, but the king has just left for the south of his realm. Traveling through an increasingly phantasmagoric landscape in the company of a beggar and two roguish boys, Clarence is gradually stripped of his pretensions, until he is sold to the royal harem as a slave. But in the end Clarence’s bewildering journey is the occasion of a revelation, as he discovers the image, both shameful and beautiful, of his own humanity in the alien splendor of the king.

Journey into Intimacy: A Study in the Song of Solomon embraces the Bibles most tender depiction of Gods love for His people, revealed in this brief and evocative biblical love poem. In its own way, Christy Hills study responds to the beloveds invitation: Rise up, my love, my fair one, / And come away (Song of Solomon 2:10). The study asks of God, revealed through the biblical text, the same thing the bride asks of her beloved: Let me see your face, / Let me hear your voice; / For your voice is sweet, / And your face is lovely (Song of Solomon 2:14). Making its way through the Song of Solomon, Journey into Intimacy presents the books passages and offers reflections and commentary on them over the course of six parts that correspond with the natural shifts in the biblical book. The authors approach rests upon listening to the Song of Solomon as an allegory that tells the story of the bride of Christ on earth as love lifts her out of fear and oppression and gives her new life with the King. On the other hand, Journey into Intimacy also tells the story of Christ, the bridegroom who seeks and woos His bride, revealing His heart for her. Journey into Intimacy: A Study in the Song of Solomon ventures into the depths of Gods love, where hearts that hunger may find a feast and searching hearts a home.

The Selected Prose and Poetry of Danny Siegel This first anthology of the most important writings by Danny Siegel, spanning and renewing fifty years of his insights intersperses soulful Jewish texts with innovative Mitzvah ideas to rouse individuals and communities to transform our lives, communities, neighborhoods, and world. As a renowned teacher Siegel describes the creative—often startling—ways individuals from different walks of life have brought compassion into the world, recognizes them as Mitzvah heroes, and suggests how we can apply their life lessons. He also plumbs how giving enriches living and presents Jewishly informed best principles for doing more world repair (Tikkun Olam). As a scholar of rabbinic literature Siegel offers translations and commentaries on Jewish texts illuminating Tzedakah, values, caring, and leadership. In addition he tops off a half-century of his thought with five new essays reflecting on his visions for a better world. The selected poetry asks religious and theological questions in the face of oppression and war, gives voice to personal moments often neglected by ritual, and exults at the wonders of modern Israel and the revelation of love. Both inspirational and pragmatic, this anthology offers practical guidance on using Siegel’s classic and novel works in personal living and in Jewish organizational settings. Ultimately, in exploring the dynamic interaction between heroes, texts, and ourselves, Siegel seeks to engage each of us in discovering our own radiant potential for creative Mitzvah living.

It's possible to experience the mysterious truth that everything is an expression of the Divine by paying close attention to the many signs that reveal this great Mystery. This free ebook, Radiance, points out these clues so that you can more easily recognize yourself as the Divine—that which is creating and has created this you that you think you are and all that this you is experiencing. Radiance shows you how to experience the Divine in the world in simple ways by being very present. It was given to Gina Lake by her inner teacher.