Desert Retreats


Book Description

Two hundred full-color photographs complement a survey of the domestic architecture and interior design of the desert country of Sedona, capturing a rich variety of stylish dwellings in this beautiful but harsh environment.




The Way of Spiritual Direction


Book Description

It may well become a classic in this important area of spirituality. It is the reader's opinion that if you read only one book on this subject this year, The Way of Spiritual Direction should be the one." John G. Durbin, STL.




Planning and Implementing Retreats


Book Description

An Indispensable Resource for Pastoral Agents Responding to the need for resources to set up, sponsor, and lead retreats, Planning and Implementing Retreats: A Parish Handbook provides an array of simple yet creative tools to achieve a successful outcome. This book is a practical, time-saving guide for those who are involved in designing experiences to enhance people's spiritual lives--in parishes especially, but also in hospitals, campus ministries or other locales where Christian adults gather for spiritual formation. At the heart of this resource are five planning and design strategies for professionals and volunteers who want to create a well-organized and spiritually sensitive retreat experience. Other chapters deal with the theological and scriptural bases for retreat design, as well as special areas of concern, worship and liturgy, and participation evaluation. The strategies and tips outlined in this book can help planners--novice or experienced--nourish their own spiritual life as they prepare for the task of journeying with those in search of the living God. This is truly a fundamental and much-needed resource.




Arizona's Sanctuaries, Retreats, and Sacred Places


Book Description

With ancient ruins sacred to Native Americans, historic Catholic churches, Buddhist hideaways, and the New Age mecca of Sedona, Arizona offers an unmatched variety of destinations for both the spiritually curious and those seeking religious affirmation. Through written profiles, regional maps, and color photographs, this book profiles 100 of the state's best. Sanctuaries perfect for day visits, retreats that accommodate overnight guests, and sacred places that capture the glory of nature and ancient human history inspire soul-stirring journeys for the mind and spirit.





Book Description




Amending the Christian Story


Book Description

Why has Christianity been around for a mere 2,000 years when Earth life has abounded for 3.8 billion years and even humans for nearly 300,000 years? What was God doing all this time? And what if humans are not the center of God’s universe? In Amending the Christian Story, Ron Rude asserts that current versions of the Christian faith are inadequate, and more than this, are fueling humanity’s assault on Earth’s biosphere. Through the window of nature’s natural sciences—especially astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, paleoanthropology—Rude provides a fuller and more expansive view of God’s story of life and God’s story of Jesus. Can humans continue the lived-out assumption that we are separate from, superior to, the reason for, and the rulers of everything? With new perspectives into ancient stories and current narratives, Rude compels us to urgently shift Christianity’s claim and conduct in order to unite with God’s more sustainable and just world.




Desert Spirituality for Men


Book Description

Inspired by Richard Rohr, Ronald Rolheiser, Belden Lane, and Thomas Merton, Desert Spirituality for Men reveals the transformative and healing power of the desert—for men who actively seek God. Blending a memoir of his son’s fight for life, reflections on his own desert retreats and response to the Lord’s persistent desire for relationship, Brad Karelius offers guidance to men in their holy longing for God. An Episcopal priest for fifty years, Professor of Philosophy for forty-five years, husband, and father, Karelius also tells about the power of his friendship with six remarkable men, and he describes some of their well-founded prayer practices which will sustain and nurture any man in his quest. This book will encourage men of all callings and stages in life to plan their own retreats to the desert—where God lives and gives life.




The California Deserts


Book Description

This highly readable, spectacularly illustrated compendium is an ecological journey into a wondrous land of extremes. The California Deserts explores the remarkable diversity of life in this harsh yet fragile quarter of the Golden State. In a rich narrative, it illuminates how that diversity, created by drought and heat, has evolved with climate change since the Ice Ages. Along the way, we find there is much to learn from each desert species-- whether it is a cactus, pupfish, tortoise, or bighorn sheep--about adaptation to a warming, arid world. The book tells of human adaptation as well, and is underscored by a deep appreciation for the intimate knowledge acquired by native people during their 12,000-year desert experience. In this sense, the book is a journey of rediscovery, as it reflects on the ways that knowledge has been reclaimed and amplified by new discoveries. The book also takes the measure of the ecological condition of these deserts today, presenting issues of conservation, management, and restoration. With its many sidebars, photographs, and featured topics, The California Deserts provides a unique introduction to places of remarkable and often unexpected beauty.




The Masters and Their Retreats


Book Description

"The great lights who have come out of all the world’s spiritual traditions and graduated from earth’s schoolroom have become widely known as masters. They demonstrate that in the world of Spirit, there is no division of race, religion or philosophy—there is simply oneness, ineffable sweetness and love. What is not so widely known is that these great masters have retreats—temples and cities of light in the heaven world—where we can go in spiritual meditation and while our bodies sleep at night. In this comprehensive work, Mark and Elizabeth Prophet talk about these great masters, the stories of their lives and their magnificent spiritual retreats."




The Gift of Presence


Book Description

A practical, user-friendly guide for women seeking focus and calm in the midst of life's storms. Overwhelmed by the demands of family, work, and multiple responsibilities, many women find themselves feeling scattered, and distracted. In this eye-opening book, co-founder and CEO of the Mindsight Institute, Caroline Welch takes readers on a mindfulness journey to help them de-stress and cultivate inner peace. According to Welch, you do not need countless hours sitting in silence to be more present in your life--the key is to practice mindfulness wherever you are and whenever you can. The Gift of Presence guides readers in developing four innate capacities we all possess that will allow us to become more resilient and centered in our lives--even when life is throwing all that it has at us: Presence: the ability to remain firmly in the present moment; to be fully aware of what's happening as it's happening. Purpose: the personal meaning that gets us going and gives direction to our lives. Pivoting: an openness to change that allows you to switch direction if that is what is needed. Pacing: the awareness that it is impossible to do everything we want or need to do all at once; the ability to take life one step at a time. This life-changing book reveals that you already hold in your hands the keys to a more harmonious life--you simply need to look within.