Finding Purpose in Narnia weaves C.S. Lewis? biographical information from his own autobiography and letters to help readers better understand Prince Caspian, the second in the classic and wildly popular Chronicles of Narnia series. The author, who grew up loving these books, offers a series of reflections arranged in five parts shaped around the Scripture verse 1 Corinthians 13 and divided into three sections: Faith, Hope and Love . Just in time for the eagerly awaited movie, this engagingly written book is a resource that invites personal reflection and growth by inviting readers to interact with the insights of C.S. Lewis, the author's reflections, and Scripture passages.Throughout the book are helpful reflection questions help readers understand how C.S. Lewish found purpose in Narnia, and how we can as well. Highlights:?Fine spiritual reading resource to the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (scheduled release date May 16 , 2008) ?No other book focuses specifically on Prince Caspian?Flexible usage in variety of settings: personal reading, discussion groups, faith sharing, family, school, church, etc.

52 selections from Tony Dungy’s New York Times bestseller The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge, now in a weekly format! With a reading for every week in the year, this book will lead you to go deeper in your work, with your family, and in your faith. Super Bowl–winning former head coach Tony Dungy shares keys to discovering your calling and living an “uncommon life” full of purpose. Perfect for sports teams, small groups, or personal reflection, The Uncommon Life Weekly Challenge books will show you how to create a life of real significance and impact in your world. Read all seven! The complete Uncommon Life Weekly Challenge series includes the following: Achieving Your Potential Building Your Team Developing Your Core Living Your Life’s Purpose Maximizing Your Influence Strengthening Your Faith Strengthening Your Family

What does philosophy have to say on the question of the meaning of life? This is one of the founding questions of philosophy and has remained a central problem for philosophers from antiquity through to the Middle Ages and modern period. It may surprise some readers that there has, in fact, been a good deal of agreement on the answer to this question: the meaning of life is happiness. The Purpose of Life is a serious but engaging exploration and defense of this answer. The central idea that shapes The Purpose of Life is Augustine's assertion that "It is the decided opinion of all who use their brains that all men desire to be happy." In working through the ramifications of this answer, Stewart Goetz provides a survey of the debates surrounding life's meaning, from both theists and atheists alike.

Annotation. Contributors1. Introduction: Towards an Emergentist Worldview, Paul DaviesPART I. DEFINING COMPLEXITY2. Randomness and Mathematical Proof, Gregory J. Chaitin3. How to Define Complexity in Physics, and Why, Charles H. BennettPART II. THE CONCEPT OF INFORMATION IN PHYSICS AND BIOLOGY4. The Emergence of Autonomous Agents, Stuart Kauffman5. Complexity and the Arrow of Time, Paul Davies6. Can Evolutionary Algorithms Generate Specified Complexity?, William A. Dembski7. The Second Law of Gravutucs and the Fourth Law of Thermodynamics, Ian Stewart8. Two Arros from a Mighty Bow, Werner R. LoewensteinPART III. PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES9. Emergence of Transcendence, Harold J. Morowitz10. Complexity, Emergence, and Divine Creativity, Arthur Peacocke11. From Anthropic Design to Self-Organized Complexity, Niels Henrik GregersenIndex.

In this enlightening look at J.K. Rowling's phenomenal bestsellers, a Christian minister illuminates the powerful, positive message Harry Potter and his magical world bring to readers of all ages. Potter fever has swept the world and shows no signs of abating. The books and the recent movie have attracted millions of followers and fans, all of them eagerly awaiting the next installments. Along with the widespread enjoyment and appreciation of Harry Potter and his friendships, however, criticism of the series has also emerged. The opposition has focused on two issues; the darkness of the novels and their apparent endorsement of witchcraft and the occult. In A Charmed Life, Francis Bridger, a theologian and pastor, argues that far from promoting the dark arts, the Potter books are firmly based in Christian values, and offer valuable insights into our characters, our relationships, our priorities, and our spirituality. Taking readers on an entertaining tour of Potterworld, Bridger shows that each adventure presents new ways of expressing and exploring key spiritual issues, from the meaning of justice, to the need to confront fears, to the debilitating effects of evil. As Harry and his friends deal with one another, face their enemies, cope with their variously dysfunctional families, and experience the common problems of growing up, Bridger demonstrates, it is their intrinsic human goodness, love, and friendship--not wizardry or magic--that allows them to triumph over evil.

For more than 250 years, English children’s literature has transmitted values to the next generation. The stories convey to children what they should identify with and aspire to, even as notions of “goodness” change over time. Through reading, children absorb an ethos of Englishness that grounds personal identity and underpins national consciousness. Such authors as Lewis Carroll, J. R. R. Tolkien, and J. K. Rowling have entertained, motivated, confronted social wrongs, and transmitted cultural mores in their works—functions previously associated with folklore. Their stories form a new folklore tradition that provides social glue and supports a love of England and English values. In Children’s Literature and British Identity: Imagining a People and a Nation, Rebecca Knuth follows the development of the genre, focusing on how stories inspire children to adhere to the morals of society. This book examines how this tradition came to fruition, exploring the works of several authors, including: Robert Baden-Powell Robert Ballantyne J. M. Barrie Enid Blyton Angela Brazil Frances Hodgson Burnett Randolph Caldecott Lewis Carroll Roald Dahl Daniel Defoe Charles Dickens Maria Edgeworth Kenneth Grahame Kate Greenaway G. A. Henty Thomas Hughes Charles Kingsley Rudyard Kipling C.S. Lewis A. A. Milne Hannah More E. Nesbit John Newbery George Orwell Beatrix Potter Arthur Ransome Frank Richards J. K. Rowling Anna Sewell Robert Louis Stevenson J. R. R. Tolkien P. L. Travers Sarah Trimmer Charlotte Yonge Evaluating the connection between children’s literature and the dissemination and formation of identity, this book will appeal to both general readers and academics who are interested in librarianship, English culture, and children’s literature.