Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Publishing" in Religion & Spirituality

In this biography of Maimonides, the medieval philosopher, physician, and religious thinker, Alberto Manguel examines the question of his universal appeal. Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides (1138–1204), was born in Córdoba, Spain. The gifted son of a judge and mathematician, Maimonides fled Córdoba with his family when he was thirteen due to Almohad persecution of all non-Islamic faiths. Forced into a long exile, the family spent a decade in Spain before settling in Morocco. From there, Maimonides traveled to Palestine and Egypt, where he died at Saladin’s court.

On the Japanese island of Shikoku, amidst mountains, coasts, and bamboo forests, lies one of the worlds most sacred trails—the eighty-eight-temple pilgrimage. Inspired by Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist, and driven by dissatisfaction with the day-to-day grind, Matt Jardine embarks on a journey in search of answers to life’s great questions, mysteries that confound us all. Heartfelt, accessible, humorous, and profound, what he discovers is that the hardest path is rarely the one we walk outside, but the one we walk within.

Elemental Magick offers listeners insight into the inner teachings of the elements. Author D. J. Conway explains in depth the forces behind the elements and how they provide a framework for literally everything in the universe. She also explains the all-important and powerful element of spirit that belongs to each of the other elements and how these intimate connections allow the magickal energy to flow in a continuous circle of existence.

In Still, Jenny Donnelly teaches you how to experience true, life-giving rest even in the midst of chaos. While most of us think of rest as something we do, Jenny shares how rest is a place from which we live and work. Sharing her own personal story of struggling with life’s pressures and spiritual exhaustion, she introduces you to the source of peace and rest: Jesus. She shows you the steps to take to access rest anytime, anyplace, under any conditions.

In August 1939, just days before World War II broke out in Europe, a Jewish man in Vienna named Alfred Berger mailed a desperate letter to a stranger in America who shared his last name. Decades later, journalist Faris Cassell stumbled upon the stunning letter and became determined to uncover the story behind it. How did the American Bergers respond? Did Alfred and his family escape Nazi Germany?

Strong men are not “toxic.” If they go away, evil men take their place, and weak men offer no resistance. The idea that masculine men—assertive, risk-taking, single-minded—are a problem to be solved threatens our whole society. The cultural elites cheering the decline of men are trying to erase God’s design for half of the human race—the half that historically provides, protects, and leads for the good of others. The disappearance of the masculine ideal is bad news for men, and it’s terrible news for women. What will happen without men of courage and conviction?

In the spring of 2020, government mandates forced churches across North America to close their doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As societal fear and unrest increased, Christians were forced to grapple with how God wanted them to respond to these state-imposed restrictions. After all, didn’t the closure of churches pose a serious threat in a time when people needed spiritual direction more than ever?

Ghosts are everywhere - whether you believe in them or not. Every town has its local legends, and countless books, movies, and television shows are haunted by their presence. But our obsession with ghosts runs deeper than we know - and is embedded in the very fabric of American history. Writer and historian Marc Hartzman dons the mantle of tour guide, taking listeners on a fascinating journey through supernatural history.

Richard Wagamese, one of Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous authors and storytellers, was a writer of breathtaking honesty and inspiration. Always striving to be a better, stronger person, Wagamese shared his journey through writing, encouraging others to do the same. Following the success of Embers, this new collection of Wagamese’s nonfiction works, curated by editor Drew Hayden Taylor, brings together more of the prolific author’s short writings - many for the first time in print - and celebrates his ability to inspire.

Jeremy Peckham shows us how we have become seduced by progress, embracing AI applications for their convenience, yet unwittingly diminishing our ability to be God’s image-bearers and losing moral responsibility. Rooted in the biblical truth that humanity is created in God’s image, Masters or Slaves? explores six ways in which AI has an impact today. We are challenged where, and how, to set boundaries, both privately and as a society, in order not to fall into addiction, slavery and idolatry.

The father of the intelligent design movement, Phillip E. Johnson, thinks the new atheists are right! How? They’ve put serious discussion about God back on the public agenda. Despite their conclusions, folks like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett are asking the right questions. They’re making belief in any religion an issue again, especially in the university context where, for decades, questions about faith and reason have been taken off the table for serious discussion. Open debate is exactly what we need on the topics of God, evolution, and creation.

Fred Rogers was one of the most radical pacifists of contemporary history. To critics who dared call him “namby-pamby”, Rogers said, “Only people who take the time to see our work can begin to understand the depth of it.” This is the invitation of Peaceful Neighbor, to see and understand Rogers’ convictions and their expression through his program. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, it turns out, is far from sappy, sentimental, and shallow; it’s a sharp political response to a civil and political society poised to kill.

The Bible tells us that as far as it depends on us, we’re to be at peace with all people. But what happens when conflict is unavoidable? Here’s some good news: There are sociologically sound ways to deescalate conflict and win negotiations without acting like a jerk. Even better, you can actually emerge from conflicts with a stronger relationship with the person who was your adversary - whether it’s on the job, with your neighbor, in your marriage, or in a dark parking lot. When it comes to your current (or next) conflict, remember that resolution starts with de-escalation.

Bringing together the author’s written reflections and his paintings, drawings, and photographs, Art Is invites us to see the world in prismatic and diverse lights, helping us navigate the fractured, divisive times we live in.

According to noted expositor James Montgomery Boice, the Minor Prophets particularly highlight three aspects of God’s character: his sovereignty, his holiness, and his love. The messages of the Minor Prophets and their pertinent application for our lives should not be dismissed. This is volume two of a two-volume expositional and inspirational commentary on the Minor Prophets that integrates rigorous scholarship with accessible writing.

A single mother of four, Angie Cella, dreamed one night about a device that put gems in her hair. She woke up thinking she would invent it, because she loved what she had seen. A few weeks later, she had a second dream. In this one, God told her, “I want you to make this product.” As a woman with a burgeoning faith who’d been waiting for just this kind of direction, Angie spent the next several years navigating the tough and often painful - yet ultimately gratifying - road to success.

Financial crisis, political crisis, environmental crisis - the list goes on. We’re confronted with calamity every time we read the headlines. But behind each of these lurks another kind of crisis, one we find harder to define: a moral crisis. In this wise and practical audiobook, Pastor Jonathan Dodson takes us back to the Beatitudes, the centerpiece of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. Dodson examines each of the Beatitudes in the context of the new morality that buffets our society today, presenting a compelling portrait of the truly good life, both personal and social.

For many, "being rich" could be defined simply as the accumulation of money. For others, it has become the ultimate goal of life. CEO of Crown Financial Ministries Chuck Bentley writes of his own life, admitting, "the desire to be rich...grew beyond a mere financial goal; it became a status and an identity that I hungered to achieve. Although my relentless pursuit of it eventually drove me to the brink of financial ruin and beyond, I could not rest until it was mine."

Buddha and Einstein Walk into a Bar explores the revolutionary idea that sensing how long we can live is a latent capacity in us, currently unknown - just like the introduction of fire, the invention of flying, and the discovery of radio waves were before we “discovered” them. Understand how the knowledge of transcendence, consciousness, and self-healing are integral to your well-being.You could drive a car without a fuel gauge, but knowing how much gas you have clearly gives you more control of your vehicle.

In this intellectual biography, Bennett W. Rogers analyzes the complicated life and times of a man variously described as traditional, moderate, and even radical during his 58-year ministry. Ryle began his ministerial career as a rural parish priest; he ended it as a bishop of the second city of the British Empire. In the time between, he became a popular preacher, influential author, effective controversialist, recognized party leader, stalwart church defender, and radical church reformer.