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Spirituality and Religion September 2018
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Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks
by Diana Butler Bass
The author of Grounded explores why gratitude is missing as a modern spiritual practice, offers practical suggestions for reclaiming it, and illuminates how the shared practice of gratitude can lead to greater connection with God, our world, and our own souls. There is a gap, Bass argues, between our desire to be grateful and our ability to behave gratefully—a divide that influences our understanding of morality, worship, and institutional religion itself. In Grateful, Bass challenges readers to think about the impact gratitude has in our spiritual lives, and encourages them to make gratitude a spiritual practice.
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Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with Commentary
by Amit Majmudar
A new verse translation of the classic, with an introduction and helpful guides to each section, by the rising American poet. Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer, and found that the Bhagavad Gita had much to teach him with its "song of multiplicities." Chief among them is that "its own assertions aren't as important as the relationships between its characters. The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals"; it is, he believes, "the greatest poem of friendship. in any language."
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Living a Life You Love: Embracing the Adventure of Being Led by the Holy Spirit
by Joyce Meyer
A best-selling author describes how to love life fully and learn how to rise above daily burdens and challenges and move from heartache to happiness through faith and kindness. You may say that you love your family, your spouse, your church, or the Lord. But it is rarer to truly say "I love my life!" It's common to be more frustrated with life than at peace with it, because the daily grind wears you down. Responsibilities and burdens become heavy and rob you of the happiness you're meant to have as a child of God. But you can be hopeful, learn to rise above your challenges, and be filled with wonder at what God might do every day.
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Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby
by Candida R Moss
Like many evangelical Christians, the Green family of Oklahoma City believes that America was founded on a biblical worldview as a Christian nation. But the Greens are far from typical evangelicals in other ways. The billionaire owners of Hobby Lobby, the Greens came to national attention in 2014 after successfully suing the federal government over their religious objections to provisions of the Affordable Care Act. What is less widely known is that the Greens are spending hundreds of millions of dollars in an ambitious effort to increase the Bible’s influence on American society. In Bible Nation, Candida Moss and Joel Baden provide an in-depth investigative account of the Greens’ sweeping Bible projects and the many questions they raise. Bible Nation tells the story of the Greens’ rapid acquisition of an unparalleled collection of biblical antiquities; their creation of a closely controlled group of scholars to study and promote their collection; their efforts to place a Bible curriculum in public schools; and their construction of a $500 million Museum of the Bible near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
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| Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate BowlerWhat it's about: In her previous book Blessed, Kate Bowler explored the history and theology of the Prosperity Gospel. It's in this same context that she reflects on her diagnosis, at age 35, of Stage IV cancer, and how her impending mortality has affected her own faith.
Read it for: the seemingly effortless way that Bowler weaves her brand of warm, candid humor throughout a book that is as funny as it is bleak and as erudite as it is intimate. |
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| Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis MajorsWhat it is: Katie Davis Majors's second account of her life and missionary work in Uganda (following Kisses from Katie), this time focusing on how the return of one of her adopted children to their biological mother prompted her to begin questioning God for the first time.
Further reading: Kathryn Joyce's The Child Catchers explores the flawed management of many international "orphan" adoptions, which can lead to heartbreaking situations like the one Majors went through. |
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| Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric MetaxasWhat it's about: Published to mark the Protestant Reformation's 500th anniversary, this fast-paced, accessible biography explores Martin Luther as a religious reformer but also as a human being.
Reviewers say: “a masterful portrait of a seminal figure" (Booklist).
Don't miss: Eric Metaxas's biographies of other pivotal figures in European Christianity, such as Amazing Grace (about William Wilberforce) and Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. |
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| How to Be a Muslim: An American Story by Haroon MoghulWhat it is: In this informed, touching, and funny memoir, Haroon Moghul explains how in advocating for his fellow Muslims, he was pushed to reexamine his somewhat estranged relationship with God and with his Pakistani heritage.
What happens: After the 9/11 attacks politicized Muslim identity in America, Moghul found himself pushed into the spotlight and became, as he jokes, a "professional Muslim."
What sets it apart: The author meditates on some of his mental health struggles within the context of his religion, offering a welcome foray into a sometimes taboo topic. |
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| Higher is Waiting by Tyler PerryWhat it's about: Successful film director and actor Tyler Perry reflects on the people and places of his youth and how they shaped his current faith, his drive to achieve, and his creativity. The lives he describes have more than their fair share of pain and sorrow, but their trials taught a young Perry how to rely on God when dealing with his own challenges.
Read it for: the unexpected yet deeply moving discussion of Perry's relationship with the natural world and the peace he has learned to find in it. |
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Needle Arts League
Thursday, September 20, 5:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The Needle Arts League of Michigan City, formerly known as the Knit Club, joins the library in promoting all forms of needle arts. Membership is open to anyone interested in needle arts such as crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, crewel, tatting, and other hand stitching. All skill levels and ages are welcome. An exchange of skills and materials is encouraged. For more information, call 219-873-3049.
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Bookmarks: Leonardo da Vinci
Friday, September 21, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Dennis Norman will review Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. He was history’s most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us? Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. This program will also be offered at the Westchester Township Museum in Chesterton on Thursday, September 20 at 2:00 pm.
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Keith Scott Sings the Blues
Sunday, September 23, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Have a ball, y’all! Remarkably versatile, Chicago-based blues/rock guitarist Keith Scott will perform a concert of his (and your) favorite heavy blues tunes. Join us for a raucous time of fun and funk!
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Youth Services Grand Opening Celebration
Wednesday, September 26, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Youth Services
Join us as we celebrate the new Youth Services Department, complete with a Makerspace. We’ll have live demonstrations of a variety of activities and equipment in the Makerspace. Also, there will be a limited supply of free giveaways. Light refreshments will be served following the dedication at 4:00 pm.
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Axis 360 eBooks
Find popular fiction, non-fiction, and picture e-books and e-audiobooks for children, teens, and adults! It's simple--just download the app on your device, search for "Michigan City Public Library", and log in with your library card number and PIN.
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Library Catalog
Look up books and other materials, place items on hold, and more.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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