Books

Soul Fire is the Sky Light Paths Book Club Pick for Spring '08, and the book and author are featured on its website, www.skylightpaths.com Click on the Book Club Pick icon for Discussion Questions, Q & A with the author, and reviews of the book.

Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality

This book addresses those who cycle, swim, ski, jog, garden, dance, play ball, practice yoga, engage in manual labor, work for justice, care for the earth and make love. It's central issue and focus is the place of the body in the spiritual life….It relates to all those on the planet who walk upright on two legs and who have the capacity for self-reflection. In short, the question is this: What are the implications of our embodied being for the way we go to God?

Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality examines the role of the human body in the Christian spiritual life. With its liberating and inclusive approach to spirituality, it invites us to recover a conviction of the goodness of our bodies and how God created us, so that we can reclaim a positive, healthy attitude toward our individual bodies, toward the body of believers who make up the Church, toward the societal community around us and the “earthbody” of the natural world.

Editor and contributor, Thomas Ryan, is joined by James Wiseman, Jim Dickerson, Casey Rock, and James Hall in providing this unique overview of Christian attitudes toward the body, and the ways of integrating personal spiritual practices with political, social, and environmental justice.

(2005 - www.paulistpress.com - Phone: 800-218-1903)

ISBN: 0-8091-4295-3 PRICE: $16.95

To read a published review of this book, click here.

The Sacred Art of Fasting: Beginning to Practice

The Sacred Art of Fasting serves as a welcoming introduction to the whys and ways of fasting. This ancient practice has roots in nearly every religion around the world. In different forms in different faiths, people fast as an expression of God-consciousness, humility, repentance, purification, and concern for others.

A companion for the reader's journey as well as a practical guidebook, The Sacred Art of Fasting shares helpful insights that will inspire readers to begin or deepen their own fasting practice through a comprehensive look at fasting as practiced in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Latter-day Saints. There are also inspiring reflections from people who practice fasting, and advice on how to incorporate fasting into the spiritual life.

A winner in Spirituality and Health magazine's 2005 Best Spiritual Books Awards in the Spiritual Practice category.

"The Sacred Art of Fasting is a feast of words that cannot fail to delight all who partake of it. With an economy of words and a reader-friendly style, Ryan has penned a work of substance."






				Yoga Prayer - DVD Imagine what it would feel like to pray with your whole body--how powerful your prayer could become! For centuries, yoga has been used to prepare the body for meditation and communion with the divine. Now, with Yoga Prayer, Thomas Ryan offers an embodied practice to renew and invigorate your connection to God. On this DVD there is a 3 minute introduction, 32 minutes of yoga prayers, a 50 minute instructional section teaching you the postures employed in the yoga prayers, and a 5 minute reflection on why it should make good sense to Christians to engage their bodies more fully in their spiritual lives in general and their prayer in particular. Join Fr. Ryan as he guides you through prayerful posture sequences, each invoking a different attitude of the heart and mind in prayer, manifested through the body. Two gentle warm-up yoga prayers to inspiring music bring you to a place of inner quiet, followed by five more moving posture flow prayers that engage the whole person in graceful acts of worshipful praise, thanksgiving, and supplication. "The Grail Prayer" opens us to personal transformation through loving service "I Lift Up My Soul" cultivates our trust in God "How Lovely" renews awareness of the beauty of God's dwelling place, both within and without. "Peace Prayer" expresses the desire to become an instrument of peace "Take, Lord, Receive," offers one's entire self in surrender to God "Salvation doesn't mean getting out of this skin, but being transfigured and glorified in it." Here is a practice that invites you to come home to your body as a temple of the indwelling presence of God. With Yoga Prayer you have a doorway to use the precious gift of your body to revitalize your prayer in a whole new way. Produced by Paulist Productions, Inc. 2004 Distributed by Sounds True, Inc. Phone: 800 333-9185 For a published review of this DVD, click here. Interreligious Prayer: A Christian Guide Interreligious Prayer is a compass to help Christians find their way responsibly in the increasingly frequent interreligious encounters occasioned by national holidays, school assemblies, and religious festivals, as well as in communal responses to events such as war and peace, tragedies or natural disasters. The book addresses head-on the questions that inevitably arise in these encounters, such as "What is the basis for coming together to pray?" and "Are there any boundaries?" Fr. Ryan provides four different forms of interreligious prayer: "just being there," multireligious prayer, integrative religious prayer, and leadership of prayer at a multifaith gathering; examples of each form are given. The text details practical considerations relating to planning, and an appendix presents a compilation of prayer resources from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha'i, and American Indians that might be used in varying kinds of interreligious services. (2008 - www.paulistpress.com - Phone: 800-218-1903) ISBN: 978-0-8091-4513-3 PRICE: $12.95 To read a published review of this book, click here. Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity Creative energy is inherent in each of us, burning like a fire deep within our souls. By ignoring it, we risk extinguishing our creative spirit and disconnecting from an aspect of ourselves that gives life's pursuits and relationships meaning. But fuel it and you unlock the secret to lifelong spiritual vitality and regeneration. Addressed particularly but not only to those in the second half of life, Soul Fire shows you how to cultivate your creative spirit as a way to encourage personal growth, enrich your spiritual life and deepen your communion with God. It explores the nature of creativity, offers paths and practices for developing your creative potential, and celebrates the gifts that come to you when you tap into it. Each chapter provides questions for reflection to help you identify your creative energy, overcome your insecurities, and connect with your chosen method for expression. Practical exercises at the end of each chapter help you awaken your creative spirit within. Learn how to: Listen to Your Longings Unleash the Power of Imagination Surrender to the Adventure Awaken More Fully to Life Whether you are drawn to painting, dancing, music, cooking, writing, gardening or sculpting, whether a novice or an expert, whether young adult, middle age, or golden age, here is an invigorating call to set free your creative potential. (2008 - www.skylightpaths.com - Phone: 800-962-4544) ISBN: 978-1-5947-3243-0 PRICE: $16.99 "A seductively brave demonstration of the challenge to 'Surrender to the Adventure.' Friendly and even almost confidential in [its] manner, delicious in [its] challenge. . .more than enough to inspire and encourage others--regardless of their professed or practiced faith--who seek an enlightened, emboldened path of spiritual creativity." Publishers Weekly Soul Fire is the Sky Light Paths Book Club Pick for Spring '08, and the book and author are featured on its website, www.skylightpaths.com Click on the Book Club Pick icon for Discussion Questions, Q & A with the author, and reviews of the book. Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality This book addresses those who cycle, swim, ski, jog, garden, dance, play ball, practice yoga, engage in manual labor, work for justice, care for the earth and make love. It's central issue and focus is the place of the body in the spiritual life….It relates to all those on the planet who walk upright on two legs and who have the capacity for self-reflection. In short, the question is this: What are the implications of our embodied being for the way we go to God? Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality examines the role of the human body in the Christian spiritual life. With its liberating and inclusive approach to spirituality, it invites us to recover a conviction of the goodness of our bodies and how God created us, so that we can reclaim a positive, healthy attitude toward our individual bodies, toward the body of believers who make up the Church, toward the societal community around us and the “earthbody” of the natural world. Editor and contributor, Thomas Ryan, is joined by James Wiseman, Jim Dickerson, Casey Rock, and James Hall in providing this unique overview of Christian attitudes toward the body, and the ways of integrating personal spiritual practices with political, social, and environmental justice. (2005 - www.paulistpress.com - Phone: 800-218-1903) ISBN: 0-8091-4295-3 PRICE: $16.95 To read a published review of this book, click here. The Sacred Art of Fasting: Beginning to Practice The Sacred Art of Fasting serves as a welcoming introduction to the whys and ways of fasting. This ancient practice has roots in nearly every religion around the world. In different forms in different faiths, people fast as an expression of God-consciousness, humility, repentance, purification, and concern for others. A companion for the reader's journey as well as a practical guidebook, The Sacred Art of Fasting shares helpful insights that will inspire readers to begin or deepen their own fasting practice through a comprehensive look at fasting as practiced in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Latter-day Saints. There are also inspiring reflections from people who practice fasting, and advice on how to incorporate fasting into the spiritual life. A winner in Spirituality and Health magazine's 2005 Best Spiritual Books Awards in the Spiritual Practice category. "The Sacred Art of Fasting is a feast of words that cannot fail to delight all who partake of it. With an economy of words and a reader-friendly style, Ryan has penned a work of substance." (2005 - www.skylightpaths.com Phone: 800-962-4544) ISBN: 1-59473-078 PRICE: $15.99 To read a published review of this book, click here. Four Steps to Spiritual Freedom "The most important question in the spiritual life", said Thomas Merton, "is not: 'Are you happy?' but 'Are you free?'" This book works in a fresh way with the four major themes of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, casting them as four steps to spiritual freedom: Know Who You are; Live Your Calling to the Full Let Go of Results Daily Rededicate Your Life to God Describing spiritual freedom as the ability to think and act without external or internal compulsions, the author makes clear through a variety of intimate stories and illustrations from his own and others' lives what each step looks like when it is lived in concrete terms. For anyone on a spiritual path in the midst of daily life and work, Four Steps to Spiritual Freedom offers carefully and loving delineated guideposts along the way. (2003 - www.paulistpress.com Phone: 800-218-1903) ISBN: 0-8091-4145-0 PRICE: $16.95 To read a published review of this book, click here. Prayer of Heart and Body Meditation and Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice Prayer of Heart and Body is a down-to-earth, how-to guidebook for the beginning meditator as well as a reliable compass check for the experienced. In Part I, on "Prayer of the Heart" or meditation, the author identifies what is distinctive about the way a Christian meditates, drawing on the rich resources of both Western and Eastern prayer traditions to make a compelling case for contemplative prayer as a universal birthright for all Christians. There have been books either on Centering Prayer or Christian Meditation, yet this one treats them both as closely related expressions of a long tradition of a deep, interior prayer traceable to Christianity's first centuries. Part II, on "Prayer of the Body," sets forth several ways that yoga can help a Christian pray. As a Christian counselor and guide, Ryan reflects on the experience of yoga practice in the light of sound theological understanding. As a certified yoga instructor, he offers comprehensive practical recommendations including illustrated warm-ups and postures for all ages. Written for contemporary Christians who seek a deeper and more satisfying prayer life, this is a companion volume to Disciplines for Christian Living. Now in its 5th printing, Prayer of Heart and Body remains a primary resource for the many Christians who have discovered meditation and yoga and are looking for help in rooting them in the soil of their own faith. (1995 - www.paulistpress.com Phone: 800-218-1903) ISBN: 0-8091-4056-X PRICE: $15.95 Disciplines for Christian Living Interfaith Perspectives "I feel a desire to go deeper in my relationship with God. But how can I express this in my daily life?" This questions commands a concrete and applied response, the author contends, and the answers he gives are straightforward spiritual disciplines for daily life that most people probably have never thought of in that way-taking time for friendship, living with a sabbath rhythm, exercising regularly, and practicing presence to what is happening now. Ryan shares the wisdom and insight he learned from his travels and experience with othe rworld religions and teaches us how to integrate the emotional, physical, and intellectual aspects of our lives into our relationship with God through a reordering of the priorities in daily life. Written for contemporary Christians who have little free time and many demands on their attention, Disciplines for Christian Living is an outstanding "How-To" Guidebook that opens the treasure chest of Christian spirituality and tells us how to use its contents to love God in a more meaningful, practical, and personal way. "I am convinced that this book will be of great help and support to the many people who have a deep faith in Jesus but are at a loss when they look for ways to practice it in their busy and always changing lives." - Henri Nouwen (1994 - www.paulistpress.com Phone: 800-218-1903 ) ISBN: 0-8091-3380-6 PRICE: $14.95 To read a published review of this book, click here. A Survival Guide for Ecumenically Minded Christians Survival means more than simply getting by. It means sailing through and triumphing over. After a frank look at the present ecumenical moment, Thomas Ryan presents a series of positive reflections on the kind of unity we are seeking, the richness of an ecumenical approach to church history and Christian spirituality, the importance of ecumenical friendships and the qualities needed for the journey. (1989. www.alibris.com) ISBN: 2-89088-389-2 Wellness, Spirituality and Sports Noting that the Wellness Revolution claimed to be holistic in its approach, but gave scant attention to the dimension of spirit in a person's life, the author provides a spirituality for wellness, reflects on what makes for genuine leisure and play, and applies it to a range of fitness activities popular today with special chapters on running, swimming, skiing, and dancing. This book presents a holistic spirituality that enables active people to prize their sporting experiences as integral to their life of faith. "Wow! A joyous, loving, exuberant book that produced tears in my eyes, love in my heart, and smiles on my face. Fr. Ryan brings to life that wondrous mixture we feel physically from using our body in sports plus the deep sense of reverence that exercise brings to our soul." - William D. Manahan, M.D., Founder and Director, Wellness Center of Minnesota. (1986 - www.alibris.com ) ISBN: 0-8091-2801-2 Tales of Christian Unity The Adventures of an Ecumenical Pilgrim In preparation for his work with the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, Thomas Ryan spent a year visiting the leading Christian centers of Europe, England, and the Near East. His adventures were many. He explored the underground cities of Cappadocia, traveled in the Sinai desert with scholars and celebrated the Holy Weeks of both Eastern and Western Christians in Jerusalem. He stayed in a Coptic desert monastery, attended an audience of the Coptic Pope Shenouda III in Cairo, and became one of the few Roman Catholics to sojourn inside the Orthodox monasteries of Mount Athos in Greece. Several months of study at the International Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland were followed by a summer searching for common ground with Anglicans at the Canterbury ecumenical school. This book, described by some readers as a theological and historical novel, is the story of Ryan's journey, but more importantly a record of his discovery of the richness of the Christian traditions and his emerging understanding of the realities and hopes of contemporary ecumenical dialogue. (1983 - www.alibris.com). ISBN: 0-8091-2502-1 Fasting Rediscovered A Guide to Health and Wholeness for Your Body-Spirit Fasting is worship. Fasting is ministry. Fasting is an act of religious joy. Fasting is an act of faith, hope and love. Fasting is prayer and meditation. Fasting leads to deeper union with God. Fasting is restful. Fasting helps us to celebrate. Are these wild claims? Not according to Thomas Ryan, a Paulist priest who takes us on a journey through the Old and New Testaments into the centuries of the Church to take a look at fasting as a religious act. Fasting Rediscovered: A Guide to Health and Wholeness for Your Body-Spirit is a treasurehouse of information, experience, theology, history and practical help and hints for anyone who wishes to look at fasting as a religious act. Fr. Ryan's book is a refreshing new look at fasting for those who seek wholeness and holiness in the unity of body and spirit within the religious experience of Christianity. (1981 - www.alibris.com) ISBN: 0-8091-2323-1 PRICE: $14.95