Kristina Kaine invites the reader into the riches of becoming a participant-observer in the life of soul and spirit. Her book goes beyond describing "the way it is" and encourages the reader to discover how the gaps in meaning that we all experience are caused by a lack of contact with the inner life. Nevertheless, this is not a book of meditative practices that one does in the confines of one's room, only to find that such practices don't seem to measure up to the requirements of real life. Rather, her book helps us sense the inner qualitative nature of subjective experiences at the center of our busy and practical lives--though they frequently go unnoticed. By gaining an abiding interest in the rich texture of inner life, one begins to notice that something--some presence like wisdom--illuminates that inner life, individualizing it so that one feels personally, though not egoistically, connected with the inner mysteries. This more permanent core of our being gives us our sense of destiny and purpose in life, directing us toward a more meaningful future. I Connecting and the clear practices suggested help the reader make a shift toward being more present, more available, and more open. "Kristina Kaine has distilled from the profound wisdom of masters and of her own considerable experience a guidebook of immense value in pursuing the pearl of great price, the name that no one knows except the one who receives it, the I Am." Every human soul stands in need of this name, and our world cries out for the ennoblement of those who make this quest." --Edward Reaugh Smith, author, The Burning Bush and The Soul's Long Journey "This book is amazing It has clarified so much for me that I have been struggling to comprehend. Her simple and clear way of describing concepts and practices has allowed me to put many of them into immediate practice in my life. This book is essential reading." --Amanda Gore, motivational speaker and author, You Can Be Happy: The Essential Guide to a Healthy Body, Mind and Soul "Kristina Kaine has the marvelous ability to express clearly and concisely the inner human mystery in a most practical and experiential way. I recommend her book to anyone with a sincere desire to explore and expand their own soul." --Andrew Flaxman, founder, Educate Yourself for Tomorrow

The book provides a treatment of college students' friendships that is long overdue. Students, parents, and anyone concerned with maximizing student success will learn much about how friendship networks matter for students' lives in college and beyond

The most effective leaders know how to connect with people. It's not about power or popularity, but about making the people around you feel heard, comfortable, and understood. This book will teach you how to do that. While it may seem like some folks are born with a commanding presence that draws people in, the fact is anyone can learn to communicate in ways that consistently build powerful connections. Bestselling author and leadership expert John C. Maxwell offers advice for effective communication to those who continually run into obstacles when it comes to personal success. In Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, Maxwell shares five principles and five practices to develop connection skills including: Finding common ground Keeping your communication simple Capturing people’s interest Creating an experience everyone enjoys Staying authentic in all your relationships Your ability to achieve results in any organization is directly tied to the leadership skills in your toolbox. Connecting is an easy-to-learn skill you can apply today in your personal, professional, and family relationships to start living your best life.

This book draws from Bloomquist's many years and formative experiences as a pastor, theologian, activist, seminary professor, and speaker in a number of settings--both within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and ecumenically and globally. Drawing insights from many sources, Seeing-Remembering-Connecting proposes a new "church in society" framework, so that faith communities can engage and transform the urgent systemic injustices confronting us today. This new framework, seeing-remembering-connecting, evokes ordinary practices that can engage those from diverse faith traditions and from no faith tradition, and points to the heart of what churches have long been about: God is becoming manifest in and through what these verbs imply--as transcendently immanent. Seeing-remembering-connecting is nurtured over the long term in faith communities, as they put together what is fragmentary or forgotten, point to what is true, and empower communities to see, remember, and act in organized actions with others--across boundaries of religion, geography, and self-interest.

In the last forty years, nonlinear analysis has been broadly and rapidly developed. Lectures presented in the International Conference on Variational Methods at the Chern Institute of Mathematics in Tianjin of May 2009 reflect this development from different angles. This volume contains articles based on lectures in the following areas of nonlinear analysis: critical point theory, Hamiltonian dynamics, partial differential equations and systems, KAM theory, bifurcation theory, symplectic geometry, geometrical analysis, and celestial mechanics. Combinations of topological, analytical (especially variational), geometrical, and algebraic methods in these researches play important roles. In this proceedings, introductory materials on new theories and surveys on traditional topics are also given. Further perspectives and open problems on hopeful research topics in related areas are described and proposed. Researchers, graduate and postgraduate students from a wide range of areas in mathematics and physics will find contents in this proceedings are helpful.