Spirituality and Religion September 2007

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Spirituality and Religion September 2007

"God made so many different kinds of people. Why would he allow only one way to serve him?"
~ Martin Buber (1878-1965), Austrian philosopher

New and Recently Released!

Here If You Need Me: A Memoir - by Kate Braestrup

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/1/2007
ISBN: 9780316066303
ISBN-10: 0316066303

After her husband's fatal car accident, novelist Kate Braestrup decided to honor his memory by pursuing his goal to become a Unitarian minister. Here If You Need Me explores the path she took and describes exactly how she became the first female chaplain in the Maine Game Warden Service, which conducts search-and-rescue missions for people lost in Maine's woods. In her role as chaplain, she is a spiritual counselor not only for the families of missing loved ones, but also for the wardens conducting the searches. Equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking, this is one memoir you're not likely to forget.

Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish - by Joe Mackall

Publisher: Beacon Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/15/2007
ISBN: 9780807010648
ISBN-10: 0807010642

The Amish are not one homogenous group--rather, the label "Amish" applies to many different orders. In Plain Secrets, non-Amish author Joe Mackall relates his relationship with the Shetler family, who are members of the neighboring Swartzentruber Amish community, and describes their way of life. It's a lifestyle that Mackall knows well, having lived among the members of this conservative order for more than 16 years. By the end of the book, you'll see the Shetlers as individuals, know more about this one particular group of Amish, and have a better understanding of the Amish in general. "A loving portrait, warts and all, of an often-misunderstood people," says Booklist.

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The Art of Power - Thich Nhat Hanh

Publisher: HarperOne
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/1/2007
ISBN: 9780061242342
ISBN-10: 0061242349

The renowned Buddhist monk outlines a radical perspective on how to attain true power, sharing anecdotal teachings that reveal how current understanding about power typically results in egocentric thinking and unsatisfactory pursuits

Jesus of Nazareth : From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration - by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) ; translated from the German by Adrian J. Walker

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/15/2007
ISBN: 9780385523417
ISBN-10: 0385523416

In his first book written as pope, offers a portrait of Jesus based on the Gospels and encourages Christians to better understand the central figure of their faith.

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The Jihad Next Door : The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror - Dina Temple-Raston

Publisher: PublicAffairs
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/10/2007
ISBN: 9781586484033
ISBN-10: 1586484036

Offers a portrait of a group of young Yemeni-American men from an upstate New York steel town near Buffalo, who in spring 2001 attended an al-Qaeda camp and who may--or may not--have become America's first sleeper cell of Islamic terrorists

Different Perspectives on Faith

The Collar: A Year of Striving and Faith Inside a Catholic Seminary - by Jonathan Englert

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/7/2006
ISBN: 9780618251469
ISBN-10: 0618251464

Ever wonder what the process of entering the priesthood is like, and why men choose this vocation? Jonathan Englert, a journalist and Catholic convert, chronicles the spiritual odyssey of five career changers--men who left behind their former lives (some after already having been married) to pursue the Catholic priesthood. Englert offers a candid study of seminary life, the challenges of the lifestyle, and the nature of a spiritual calling. This engaging, behind-the-scenes look at seminary life will appeal to slice-of-life fans and anyone curious about the priesthood. Publishers Weekly describes this book as "compassionate and eye-opening."

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The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People - by Cathleen Falsani

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/7/2006
ISBN: 9780374163815
ISBN-10: 0374163812

When religion reporter Cathleen Falsani climbed aboard Bono's tour bus, it was to interview the rock star about AIDS awareness; they ended up in a lively discussion about faith. To get a clearer look at the issues of faith and spirituality among the movers-and-shakers of today, Falsani then sat down with a number of politicians, writers, and other people of note, including Senator Barack Obama, former basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon, and author Anne Rice. Their views range from the devout to the agnostic, and the resulting interviews are "whimsical and absorbing" (Publishers Weekly).

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Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality - by Donald Miller

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/1/2003
ISBN: 9780785263708
ISBN-10: 0785263705

Blue Like Jazz, the second book by Donald Miller, a writer who focuses on Christian spirituality, is a collection of essays that explore Miller's evolving understanding of God. His writing, which is both honest and personable, is likely to appeal to others who are searching for God, for Miller himself went through a period of time in which he felt that he had lost his connection to his faith. The topics he covers also include Christian community, evangelism, and relationships; 20- and 30-somethings as well as fans of Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies will appreciate Miller's candor.

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The Miracle Detective: An Investigative Reporter Sets Out to Examine How the Catholic Church Investigates Holy Visions and Discovers His Own Faith - by Randall Sullivan

Publisher: PGW
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/9/2005
ISBN: 9780802141958
ISBN-10: 0802141951

After looking into the story of a woman who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in 1994, journalist Randall Sullivan decided to write an account of how the Catholic Church authenticates apparitions. With no background in Catholicism, he soon realized that this would not be the quick job he originally thought it would be. Eventually, he produced The Miracle Detective, which looks into Virgin Mary visions around the world and the team of theologians, historians, and postulators charged by the Vatican with investigating such incidents. Along the way, Sullivan shares some of his own spiritual experiences; the resulting combination is "well-told and expertly researched" (Publishers Weekly).

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Girl Meets God: On the Path to a Spiritual Life - by Lauren F. Winner

Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/2002
ISBN: 9781565123090
ISBN-10: 1565123093

Lauren Winner is the daughter of a Reform Jewish father and a "lapsed Southern Baptist" mother, and although she was raised Jewish, she was also told she wasn't a real Jew, for Judaism passes through the mother. As a teenager she converted to Orthodox Judaism; in graduate school she converted to evangelical Christianity. This memoir offers a unique perspective on the spiritual search for God, one that connects Christianity and Judaism and their traditions in a way that is "passionate and thoroughly engaging" (The New York Times).

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