The Presence Of Light

There is perhaps no greater constant in religious intuition and experience than the presence of light. In spiritual traditions East and West, light is not only ubiquitous but something that assumes strikingly similar forms in altogether different historical and cultural settings. This study examines light as an aspect of religiously valued experiences and its entailments for mystical theology, philosophy, politics, and religious art. The essays in this volume make an important contribution to religious studies by proposing that it is misleading to conceive of religious experience in terms of an irreconcilable dichotomy between universality and cultural construction. An esteemed group of contributors, representing the study of Asian and Western religious traditions from a range of disciplinary perspectives, suggests that attention to various forms of divine radiance shows that there is indeed a range of principles that, if not universal, are nevertheless very widely occurring and amenable to fruitful comparative inquiry. What results is a work of enormous scope, demonstrating compelling cross-connections that will be of value to scholars of comparative religions, mysticism, and the relationship between art and the sacred. Contributors: * Catherine B. Asher * Raoul Birnbaum * Sarah Iles Johnston * Matthew T. Kapstein * Andrew Louth * Paul E. Muller-Ortega * Elliot R. Wolfson * Mimi Hall Yiengpruksawan * Hossein Ziai

Light and experiences of light have fascinated humanity since the earliest of times. Annekatrin Puhle traces this fascination, taking a scholarly view of these experiences, raising exploratory questions where necessary and, as a good scientist, questioning, answering, and classifying the data that she puts before us. The data in the book is gathered from numerous sources, going right back in history, through that great period in the 19th century when surveys of apparitions and light phenomena were the focus of much public attention and scientific interest, to the present day and the presence of light in modern digital photographs, where a distinction has to be made between dust phenomena and what are true spiritual energies .

The first major English-language study of a legendary dancer

ECPA BESTSELLER • CHRISTIAN BOOK AWARD FINALIST • The beloved Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham shares a rich treasury of her personal prayers to guide you into deeper, more intimate daily conversations with God. Why is it that as soon as we bow our heads to pray, we start thinking of other things we need to do? How do we make time to pray in the middle of our busy lives? And how do we know what to say and how to say it? Like many of us, Anne Graham Lotz has struggled with prayer. Over the years, she discovered that writing out her prayers draws her into deeper, more intimate conversations with God. The Light of His Presence offers forty of these tender, honest prayers for real-life situations as an invitation to deepen your own prayer life through worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. You’ll be encouraged to lean more fully into God’s promises through this power-packed devotional resource, which includes inspiring quotes from Christians throughout the ages and also has space to journal your own words to God. As Anne writes, “My prayer for you . . . is that God will use my struggle with prayer to help you overcome yours. And that, as a result, you will be drawn nearer to the heart of God.”

John M. Pontius brings to light simple ways to recognize and implement personal revelation in your life. Inside you'll find the grand keys that will help make receiving daily guidance, answers to prayers, and much more, accessible to everyone. With this book at your side, you'll be better prepared to prosper along your life's journey and accomplish the work the Lord has planned for you.

It's hard to discern God's presence amid the hubbub of modern life. But experiencing God is not just for the super-spiritual—every Christian can learn to cultivate a greater awareness of God in the everyday. Sharing dozens of practical exercises and disciplines, Ken Boa offers a contemporary guide to practicing the presence of God, revealing how we can deepen our walk with God and abide in his presence.

"A collection of the work of images centered on the theme of reading and books by Northwest artist Deborah DeWit Marchant with an introduction and text by Northwest poet Kim Stafford"--Provided by publisher.

In the Presence of Light By: Sharon C. Eccleston About the Book Peace and the ability to stand and live in a place of optimism is not easy. It can be hard, and it can be a daily fight! We forge this battle so unconsciously that it becomes second nature to us, and most times we don’t even realize that we are fighting. We arbitrarily wave it off as “doing what we have to do” or assessing and then responding to (or not responding to), situations, events, or interactions that occur. I believe helping to build up others can be very instrumental in finding our own pathway and strength in life. Many times, I don’t even think it is that hard. Sometimes all that is needed is a smile that reaches your eyes or a nod of acknowledgement. You don’t even have to open your mouth! One Saturday morning I was late for a doctor’s appointment. As I got outside, I realized that my street was closed off because of some necessary work being done. I would have to back out and navigate the cones that were set-up so no cars could enter the block. Now, . . . . I can drive well but backing out an SUV out of a narrow street is admittedly a challenge for me. Couple that with the fact that I was already anxious! I was lucky that there were a couple city workers doing their scheduled route, who adjusted the cones for me so I could come out . . . . . but then I was on my own. The street was now starting to come alive with more people. I continued to backup, and do not know how one of the cones ended up under my passenger rear tire, but it did. Of course, people are now on the sidewalk gathering because they are too afraid to cross the street and I am in panic mode. Then suddenly, this man who was walking his dog, comes up to the car and asked me if I was alright. I said, “Sir I can’t back-up this car.” He said to put the car in park and let him look at the cone under the tire. He came back and said it was stuck, and he was going to try to pull the cone out as I gently moved the car forward. I said okay. He started to move away, and then he turned back and looked me straight in my eye and said, “Miss please don’t kill me and my dog – Make sure to put the car in 'drive’ and not ‘reverse.’” The dog had never left his side. I said sir, I got this! When he was done, he smiled at me and then he and his dog were gone. I can tell you that I have lifted that man up in prayer countless times since that incident and he will more than likely forever be a stranger to me. He showed me kindness and gave his time and effort just because he saw my need! Let it be, that at the end of each day, we ourselves can call on Him, knowing in our hearts that we have genuinely tried to reflect the image we were made in. No, we can never get it exactly right, but we can make every effort to. This book is written in the hope that it will show the human difference that we make every day in each other’s lives. It really isn’t that hard, especially when we are connected to Him! Thoughts to share: Feed your soul with positive things, and people that make you happy and show you good will. Lift your spirit by giving back to the universe that which you feel is your gift to give no matter how small. Be genuine in giving love and kindness from the heart! And lastly remember... roses always work!!