Light of the Kingdom


Book Description

A comprehensive and eye-opening guide to biblical topics as they are addressed in the Baha'i writings. In Light of the Kingdom, author JoAnn Borovicka explores questions relating to the Bible and its significance and meaning from a Baha'i perspective. The purpose of the book is to provide an introductory compilation of the wealth of insights on biblical topics offered in the Baha'i Writings. To this end, it starts with an overview of Baha'i teachings about the Bible in general, and then explores Baha'i guidance on a variety of topics as they arise from the first book of the Old Testament through the last book of the New Testament. The result of years of exploration and research, the book provides samples of Baha'i guidance on a wide range of biblical topics in a way that is accessible to anyone regardless of their prior knowledge of the Bible or the Baha'i Faith.




Hobbes's Kingdom of Light


Book Description

Was Hobbes the first great architect of modern political philosophy? Highly critical of the classical tradition in philosophy, particularly Aristotle, Hobbes thought that he had established a new science of morality and politics. Devin Stauffer here delves into Hobbes’s critique of the classical tradition, making this oft-neglected aspect of the philosopher’s thought the basis of a new, comprehensive interpretation of his political philosophy. In Hobbes’s Kingdom of Light, Stauffer argues that Hobbes was engaged in a struggle on multiple fronts against forces, both philosophic and religious, that he thought had long distorted philosophy and destroyed the prospects of a lasting peace in politics. By exploring the twists and turns of Hobbes’s arguments, not only in his famous Leviathan but throughout his corpus, Stauffer uncovers the details of Hobbes’s critique of an older outlook, rooted in classical philosophy and Christian theology, and reveals the complexity of Hobbes’s war against the “Kingdom of Darkness.” He also describes the key features of the new outlook—the “Kingdom of Light”—that Hobbes sought to put in its place. Hobbes’s venture helped to prepare the way for the later emergence of modern liberalism and modern secularism. Hobbes’s Kingdom of Light is a wide-ranging and ambitious exploration of Hobbes’s thought.




Kingdom of Shadow and Light


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • MacKayla Lane faces the ultimate threat when war breaks out between the kingdoms of shadow and light, as the Fever series races to an explosive revelation. From the moment MacKayla Lane arrived in Dublin to hunt her sister’s murderer, she’s had to fight one dangerous battle after the next: to survive, to secure power, to keep her city safe, to protect the people she loves. The matter of who’s good and who’s evil can be decided by the answer to a single question: Whose side are you on? Now, as High Queen of the Fae, Mac faces her greatest challenge yet: ruling the very race she was born to hunt and kill—a race that wants her dead yesterday, so they can put a pure-blooded Fae queen on the throne. But challenges with her subjects are the least of her concerns when an ancient, deadly foe resurfaces, changing not only the rules of the game but the very game itself, initiating a catastrophic sequence of events that have devastating consequences and leave Mac questioning everything she’s ever learned and everyone she’s ever loved. Now begins an epic battle between Mortal and Fae, Seelie and Unseelie, would-be kings and would-be queens, with possession of the Unseelie King’s virtually unlimited power and the fate of humanity at stake. From the exquisite, deadly gardens of the High Queen’s court, to long-forgotten truths found in the Sacred Grove of Creation, from the erotic bed of her enigmatic, powerful lover to the darkest, seductive reaches of the Unseelie kingdom, Mac’s final journey takes her places no human has been before, and only one human could possibly survive . . . One who’s willing to sacrifice everything.




The Kingdom of Light


Book Description

Though nearly a dozen years had passed they hadn’t gotten back to Verdura. They supposed they never would. But life had moved on for Joshua, Marie, Amanda and Steven. For one thing, they were all married with at least one kid; and those kids were almost as old as they had been the first time they were in Verdura. They had lives, though––truth to tell––lives not as exciting as their times in Verdura had been. Sometimes they struggled to find meaning in the mundane after the momentous events in which they had participated. Things had moved on in Verdura, as well. Centuries, in fact. It had become dark. Almost all the time. And very few of the friends they had known as children remained––even though their lives should have been as long as that of their sun. The remaining people were at odds with one another. Tyranny had overcome most of them, madness––so it was said––the rest. Enemies had multiplied and triumphed. And once again, it was the children who were sent to help. Or maybe they were sent mostly to watch. Because, as always, Ispri had everything well in hand. Or did he? The world was breaking up, dissolving before their eyes. There seemed no way to overcome the enemies. There were new enemies they’d never seen, and many of the people were enemies. So how could they explain this buoyancy they felt? This optimism? This expectation? And how did this new person, this little empress of China, so she seemed to think of herself, and her pet dragon, fit into all this? Besides, of course, they’d eventually have to go back to earth. How was that going to work out? Would they get back before Verdura collapsed completely and them with it? This really was their last adventure.




The Kingdom of Light


Book Description




Knowing Where to Look


Book Description

A collection of stories, essays, and exercises to spark your creative instincts, activate your inner guidance, and enliven your dreams Have you been called to express yourself with a level of courage and honesty that surprised even you? Did an image or moment cause you such joy that you needed to share it with the world? If so, you know what it means to be inspired. World-renowned spiritual teacher Light Watkins has spent most of his life learning how to seek out and tap into sources of inspiration. “Inspiration is part inner guidance, part blind faith in a greater possibility, and part inner voice,” he writes, “nudging you to take an action that helps you grow and expand your awareness.” In Knowing Where to Look, Light presents a trove of compelling inspirational material to catalyze positive change and give you fuel to push through self-limiting beliefs. Through 108 diverse essays, anecdotes, and parables, Light provides doorways to inspired thinking and imagination. Prompts offer reflection questions and action steps for further bringing your inspiration to life. Here you will also discover: • Recognizing the opposite of inspiration: the inner critic and its demands for safety • The joys and challenges of living minimally in a consumer society • How to listen for the intuitive whisper of true inspiration • Why the best action you can take when you’re creatively lost is to keep moving • How to grapple with fear when it stands in the way of your dreams • Why following your inspiration will often remove you from your comfort zone • Questions to ask yourself in order to recognize your blind spots • How to reorient your attitudes toward the concept of success • Embracing whimsy and small moments of chaos as allies • Why the process of achieving mastery is far from straightforward Rather than being a linear set of exercises, Knowing Where to Look is meant to provide the spark you need just as you need it. Open to any page at random, and discover an unexpected source of inspiration.




The Gospel According to Matthew


Book Description

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.




Suicide and the Body Politic in Imperial Russia


Book Description

In early twentieth-century Russia, suicide became a political act and a social problem of unprecedented scale. This is the first history of suicide in imperial Russia, and the book takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining suicide's often contested status in religion, law, science, medicine, culture, and politics.




Gospel-Centered Discipleship


Book Description

Reflecting on the practice of disciple making in young adult, college, graduate, and local church contexts, Jonathan Dodson has discerned some common pitfalls. For many, discipleship is reduced to a form of religious performance before God. For others, it devolves into spiritual license and a loose adherence to spiritual facts. Both approaches distort biblical motivations for Christian obedience and are in need of reform. By explaining various motivations for discipleship, Dodson charts a biblically faithful, grace-driven alternative. Additionally, he provides a practical model for creating gospel-centered discipleship groups—small, reproducible, missional, gender-specific groups of believers that fight for faith together. This book blends both theology and practice to inspire and equip Christians to effectively fight sin, keep Jesus central, and make gospel-centered discipleship a way of life. Both new and growing Christians will learn to trust the gospel in community as they fight together for holiness as well as how to start gospel-centered community groups in any local church.




A Tutorial on the Kitáb-i-Íqán


Book Description

A journey through the Book of CertitudeThe Kitáb-i-Íqán is one of the most important Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'u'lláh revealed this book within the space of two days and two nights, in the last years of His stay in Baghdád (AH 1278-AD 1862). According to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, The Kitáb-i-Íqán sets "forth in outline the Grand Redemptive Scheme of God" and it "occupies a position unparalleled by any work in the entire range of the Bahá'í literature, except The Kitáb-i-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book."This current book is a record of the journey that the author has taken through The Kitáb-i-Íqán over a period of 12 years. It is not an interpretation or a critical analysis of the content of the book. Neither does it provide any personal opinion. It primarily guides reader through a systematic study of the Íqán while providing some background information on topics raised by Bahá'u'lláh in each paragraph. It is called a tutorial as it attempts to simulate, as much as possible, the tutor-tutored relationship in a self-paced personal study. All the references in the tutorial are sourced either from authoritative Bahá'í materials or obtained from other reliable sources.The 290 paragraphs of The Kitáb-i-Íqán are apportioned for study to 58 chapters. The size and complexity of each chapter reflects the content and intricacy of the issues addressed in the paragraphs included therein. Each chapter starts with an introduction that highlights the key ideas. Then in a coherent manner, background information on the terminologies, references and mystical concepts inherent in each paragraph is provided. The tutorial covers the 266 topics embedded in The Kitáb-i-Íqán. This second edition of the book, which was originally released in 2012, contains many editing improvements, and some changes and additions to the content.