LITMIR.BIZ

John was always healthy. Then at age twenty-six a rare autoimmune disease struck out of nowhere. «Idiopathic,» doctors said of the phenomenon that tried to take his life violently several times and to destroy his spirit more quietly over the next several years. Since John Got Sick: A Quest for Survival and Faith is the story of a young man's heroic battle to survive both the initial onslaught and the ongoing assault of a traumatic autoimmune disease and its ensuing consequences (including dialysis, disability, transplant, depression, opioid dependence, and post-traumatic stress disorder). Simultaneously, it is the story of a mother's love and strength against daunting odds, including donating a kidney. Traumatic illness often ends in a relatively quick death or a sudden miraculous recovery. John's was neither. His is a story, with parts written in his words, of courage, endurance, and patience, along with a stubborn refusal to quit. While his mother sought God and prayer, John's will to live was based in something else–perhaps even more intrinsic. For anyone who has suffered a serious illness, whether personally or with a child; anyone facing the challenges of autoimmune disease; and any medical professionals who have worked to help them, this book provides insight from the patient's perspective. Patient advocates, clergy, and community members may benefit from vicariously experiencing the multifaceted challenges–mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial–shown here. And likely any mother, or parent, will identify, feel the heartache, and wonder, Why not me?

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This biography of the late Rev. Fr. Michael Rodrigo, OMI (1930-1987) of Sri Lanka, chronicles a life fearlessly devoted to the service of the poor, efforts to witness Christ to the poor through an innovative interfaith dialogue, and a collaboration for their social and economic empowerment. As a Catholic priest whose life parallels that of the recently martyred Oscar Romero of El Salvador, also assassinated for exposing the exploitation and marginalization of the poor, Fr. Michael was engaged in a selfless journey for justice. The volume analyzes the driving force of his quest to forge a healing bridge between the Christian and Buddhist populations of Sri Lanka through his spiritual grounding in Catholic social teaching and his unique formulation of an interreligious dialogue. It documents the indelible imprint of interfaith understanding he forged up to his untimely death. Interwoven with ethnographic methodology, the book offers a window for understanding the class and religious ruptures stemming from Sri Lanka's colonial history, contextualized in the social realities of poverty in rural Sri Lanka, the political and economic forces implicated in deepening poverty, the resistance struggle by oppressed youth, and Fr. Mike's legacy of justice through peace.

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Medical imaging technologies can help diagnose and monitor patients' diseases, but they do not capture the lived experience of illness. In this volume, Devan Stahl shares her story of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis with the aid of magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Although clinically useful, Stahl did not want these images to be the primary way she or anyone else understood her disease or what it is like to live with MS. With the help of her printmaker sister, Darian Goldin Stahl, they were able to reframe these images into works of art. The result is an altogether different image of the ill body. Now, the Stahls open up their project to four additional scholars to help shed light on the meaning of illness and the impact medical imaging can have on our cultural imagination. Using their insights from the medical humanities, literature, visual culture, philosophy, and theology, the scholars in this volume advance the discourse of the ill body, adding interpretations and insights from their disciplinary fields.

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Invited celebrates how God met the author during a dark time in her life when she wondered where he was and surprised her with the gift of a relationship with an aunt not previously known by her. The relationship with her aunt, who serves as a spiritual director, helped usher Diane into a new chapter of her walk with God, where she began living more and more in the reality of God with and within her. She shares honest glimpses of her life, what she is noticing about herself and God, as well as rich insights and wisdom–on topics like finding Jesus in the ordinary, entrusting others to God, forgiveness–offered over the years from her spiritual director/aunt during their sessions. As you chew on Aunt Barb's insights and as you see Diane embracing and celebrating what God has done and is doing, freeing her to be who she was made to be and seeking to live her life in response to the love of God, you will want to be on the lookout for God's invitations to you.

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God's Scoundrels and Misfits examines the relationships of biblical characters with God and with each other. Some took advantage of the second chances God offered them while others missed the opportunities to change the direction of their lives. Lessons learned from the choices they made and the outcomes they experienced are explored in the context of modern families and individuals. Sibling rivalry, unbridled ambition, women's issues, suffering, and forgiveness are some of the issues that are brought forward into contemporary living. The times may have changed, but the challenges remain the same.

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We all have a story. People's stories can make us laugh or cry, trigger joy or fear, inspire us or challenge us to step up and act. Rosemary's book is more than just a story. In telling her story, Rosemary shares her struggle with mental illness and the attitudes of those around her, laced with hope, recovery, and the grace of God.
Rosemary explains in simple and engaging terms her own journey through various treatments, attitude changes, and management techniques for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She gives constructive insights into the tension between oversimplified responses framed in spiritual language and the clinical explanations of medical practitioners.
The beauty and power of this book is in the healthy perspectives that combine spiritual power and medical evidence. These life-changing perspectives break down the stigma of mental illness, especially among believers, and give hope through well-researched practical information and resources. Ultimately, this is an engaging journey of transformation from crippling fear, guilt, and anxiety to joyful hope, recovery, and freedom. It is an informative journey of the heart, soul, mind, and body.

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He has captured the imagination of people around the world, including those who thought they were «done with» Christianity. In ways no one could have expected and no one predicted, Pope Francis has become a living example of what it might mean to be a Christian in our time and place. The modern world was not ready for Pope Francis, but as has been demonstrated–in his travels to the United States and around the world, in his calls for mercy and defense of the vulnerable–Pope Francis was ready for the modern world. New World Pope: Pope Francis and the Future of the Church explores how Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis–the ideas, experiences, influences, and passions that have formed this pastor who has inspired, challenged, encouraged, and angered people worldwide. Ten experts from around the world–scholars, journalists, church leaders, and others–provide insights into the origins and trajectories of Pope Francis' vision and hopes for the Christian community in our day. Persons intrigued by Pope Francis will find deeper insights into his witness via this exploration of the roots and trajectories of his sense of Christian mission and discipleship.

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Anton Sie, twice successful in achieving his aspirations in music and physics, demonstrates that focus and diligent hard work can achieve great goals. But his story also shows the inter-connectedness of humanity: Anton received his musical training in Indonesia from a virtually illiterate Muslim peasant guitarist and a Jewish refugee violinist, and his knowledge of physics and acoustics from Chinese Communist scientists. He has demonstrated a critical factor in the superior construction of Stradivarius violins, his work authenticated by Western musicians for whom he is very grateful.

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Before Taize, there was Grandchamp. The lesser-known Protestant women's community, initiated in 1936, grew out of generations of women's groups in French-speaking Switzerland. It was heavily influenced by Wilfred Monod, the Student Christian movement, Swiss Reformed efforts at liturgical renewal, and Bonhoeffer's Life Together. It was deeply affected by the angst generated by World War II and the search by European Christians for new ways to be Christian. This volume by the third prioress of the Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland reflects on the origins of the community, the sources and development of its spirituality, and on its ministries. Foci include the involvement of the community in the ecumenical movement and in mission around the world. There is also important new information about its interaction with Taize, Catholic religious communities, and the women themselves, as individuals and as a community. Sister Minke de Vries also provides an intimate view into the inner workings of a women's community and the structures of the spiritual practices of the Community of Grandchamp. The Fruits of Grace is a powerful analysis of a European Protestant women's monastic community.

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The Best of Two Lives is a love story as well as family history. It is shaped as a journey, beginning with the cultural foundations of Jordan and the United States. Weaving threads of family stories, Doris introduces us to compelling characters, and describes ways of life that might be forgotten if not for projects such as this.
Ibrahim's early years are detailed as he lived in a mixed Muslim-Christian community in Jordan, and Doris tells of growing up as a small-town conservative Christian in Oregon. One of the fundamental messages is that despite superficial differences, at the root, Arab lives and concerns in the Middle East are relatable, just as those of Americans in the United States.
Doris never shrinks from showing negative attributes that she couldn't be blamed for wanting to hide, and that differentiates her book from a purely family history. There's something here to help us see our own families more clearly and honestly, and to understand them with compassion.

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