When Title IX was enacted in 1972, the University of Nebraska volleyball program, like many across the country, received a fraction of the funding and attention given to the school’s mighty football program. The players had to organize a run from Lincoln to Omaha to raise money for uniforms. The women were asked to wait their turn to use the weight room. Today the Nebraska women’s volleyball team is one of the sport’s most decorated programs—with more career wins than any other program and...

An essential textbook for beginning spiritual directors. Noticing the Divine utilizes wisdom from the religions of the world to teach the basic skills needed to offer spiritual direction to people of all traditions. It introduces the foundational concepts and techniques needed to responsibly and professionally practice the art of spiritual guidance. Among the religious traditions covered are Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Faithful Generations provides a hopeful and helpful guide to the different adult generations alive today, discussing the events that formed them and the issues important to them. Most importantly, it describes their spiritual distinctions the particular needs, gifts and concerns that drive these different generations. With a basic understanding of how other generations think and what drives them spiritually, ministers and congregations can not only avoid conflict, but also put tho...

Want spiritual transformation, but turned off by dogmatic religion? Discover the original, mystical teachings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas, the most important book left out of the Bible.Are you looking for a life-giving spirituality, but feel disillusioned by organized religion? Does “the church” seem more like the problem than the solution? Are you attracted to Jesus, but not so much to the tradition built up around him?You’re not alone—the earliest an...

The essays in this volume invite the reader, in different ways, to consider Catholic identity not only in terms of "who we are?" but "what are we for?" To be sure, identity and mission are deeply interconnected but offer different starting points for reflection and formation. At the heart of those questions is the challenge of building the common good within the Church and for the world.

What were Jesus’ original teachings, and how do they differ from the story told by the Christian church? What is the real story of early Christianity? Can we find a Jesus that is relevant as a spiritual guide for people today?These and many other questions are addressed in this popular presentation of the teachings of this mystical Christian text. With the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas in 1945, scholars now believe we have a document closer to Jesus’ actual words than we have e...

Two artists. Two eras. One shared vision of the sacred hidden in the ordinary.When Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn first picked up a novel by Charles Williams—the most mystical and least understood member of the Inklings—he discovered a kindred spirit. Williams' strange, luminous theology resonated with Cockburn's own experiences of the holy breaking into daily life, sparking a creative season that shaped some of the most iconic songs of his career.

the REVerend JOHN R. MABRY, phd has been writing on interfaith issues since 1990. His ground-breaking column, "Deep Ecumenism," was one of the most popular regular features of Matthew Fox's Creation Spirituality magazine for many years. Those columns are collected in this volume, along with many other essays, articles, and homilies, each of which contrast and illumine the wisdom of various faith traditions. Mabry holds a doctorate in world religions and teaches interfaith theology at the C...

The God of anger and judgment has been with us since the dawn of time, and surfaces widely today in the theology and experience of believers of all kinds of faith. This personal memoir provides a reflective, easy-to-read theological and philosophical analysis of how this god came to haunt our collective imaginations, how we can come to terms with him, and where we go from here. It explores the darker aspect of the divine in many of the world's Native traditions, as well as each of the thre...

Have you ever wanted to hang out with Mary and Joseph, or Jesus and the disciples? What would it have been like to be a fly on the wall, or hiding unnoticed in a corner as some of the most familiar and beloved scenes played out? In this intriguing collection of short stories (and one novella), John Mabry allows us to do just that. With vivid and often delightful prose, he brings these compact Gospel stories to expanded, breathing life. Teeming with conflict, emotion, and humor, these stori...

Najat Ozkaya was born in Konya, Turkey, in the 14th century CE. His father was a Sufi teacher, and Najat assumed his mantle upon his death. Najat's poetry is similar to the Sufi poetry of Rumi or Hafiz, centered on the relationship of the soul with its Beloved, Allah. Najat's writings were thought to be lost to the world, until religion scholar John Mabry discovered a hand-copied manuscript in the Bu Bir Şaka mosque. Translating in the free, contemporary style of Coleman Barks' Rumi or Dan...

The idea was simple: tell the scariest story you can, in less than 1,000 words. It sounds easy, but it isn't. A thousand words sounds like a lot until you start writing. In this collection, a wide variety of writers—some professional, many previously unpublished—try their hand at the tricky balance of suspense and brevity. Including stories by: Patricia Abbott • Joel Allegretti • Anthony Ambrogio • Chuck Augello • A.J. Barry • Jenny Bulmanski • Beth Lynn Clegg • Michael R. Colangelo • Alys...