How do individuals inscribe their spiritual identities and diasporic ethnicities in the city? Through a series of sociological and photographic essays, Terence Heng maps the various rituals, collectives, individuals and events that characterise Chinese religion practices in Singapore. From spirit mediums to the Hungry Ghost Festival, each chapter engages with the social, the spatial and the ephemeral, and in so doing it will explore the significance and relevance of Chinese religion in a secular nation-state; reveal the strategies and tactics used by diasporic individuals to perform and retain their identities; uncover the importance of flow and fluidity in the making of sacred space; and evidence the value and efficacy of the use of photographs in social research. Of Gods, Gifts and Ghosts is a ground-breaking exploration into the intersections between visual sociology, cultural geography and creative photographic practice. A visual monograph that gives equal importance to image and text, it interrogates the tensions between sacred and profane, official and unofficial, state and individual, physical and spiritual, peeling away the myriad layers of the spiritual imagination.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

For fans of authors like Barbara Kingsolver and Leif Enger, a stunning new voice in contemporary literary fiction. "Tragedy and blessing. Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart." Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother's abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences. Driven to the high mountains surrounding Leadville, Colorado by her latest bad decision, she's intent on putting off the future. Perhaps there she can just hide in her grandmother's isolated cabin and wait for something–anything–to make her next choice for her. But instead of escape, she finds reminders of her own troubles reflected from every side–the recent widower and his two children adrift in a changed world, Elena's own mysterious family history, and the interwoven lives within the town itself. Bit by bit, Elena begins to reconsider her role in the tragedies she's held on to and the wounds she's refused to let heal. But then, in a single afternoon, when threads of cause and effect tangle, Elena's fragile new peace is torn apart. It's only at the prospect of fresh loss and blame that she will discover the truth of the terrible burdens we take upon ourselves, the way tragedy and redemption are inevitably bound together–and how curses can sometimes lead to blessings, however disguised.

Pull away from the things that pull you down and find lasting encouragement for today. The women at Proverbs 31 Ministries offer 100 devotions of wit, wisdom, and encouragement for women. For twenty years the P31 team has equipped and encouraged nearly a million women to live in the power of God’s truths that apply to their everyday life. Written by women from every walk of life, you will find inspiration to live authentically and fully grounded in the Word of God. The P31 Team shares from the realities of everyday life including highs and lows, humorous stories and tender moments. You will be drawn toward the truths God offers and enabled to rise above and become all God created you to be.

Jesse is a young exorcist who defies his priests when he learns his sister is in danger even though she s dead. When he s exiled to a haunted world, Jesse believes he must unravel the mystery of ghosts if he is to save her. A game of hide-and-seek ensues in which frightening contacts from his sister force him to face the secret, shattering meaning of a verse he knows well: Blessed are the poor in ghost. ,

Enter the World of Spirits! The Encyclopedia of Spirits is a comprehensive and entertaining A to Z of spirits from around this world and the next. Within these pages meet love goddesses and disease demons, guardians of children and guardians of cadavers. Discover Celtic goddesses and goddesses of the Kabbalah, female Buddhas, African Powers, Dragon Ladies, White Ladies, Black Madonnas, the Green Man, the Green Fairy, lots and lots of ghosts, djinn, mermaids, fairies, and more. From the beneficent to the mischievous, working with these spirits can bring good fortune, lasting love, health, fertility, revenge, and relief. Discover: The true identities of over one thousand spirits (as well as their likes and dislikes) How to communicate with specific spirits for your own benefit How to recognize these spirits when they manifest themselves The mythological and historical events associated with specific spirits The colors, days, numbers, and astrological signs associated with specific spirits The Encyclopedia of Spirits also provides an overview of the role of spirit communication throughout history and a general guide to working with spirits. No matter what your life's problems or desires, this book can guide you to the right spirits who can help fulfill your dreams. For the spiritual adept, the amateur, or the simply curious, the Encyclopedia of Spirits will inform, inspire, and delight.

Does the Bible really forbid all communication with the dead?-NO!Are ghosts actually demons trying to trick us?-OF COURSE NOT!Is it truly possible to be both a psychic medium and a Christian?-YES! These myths are so pernicious that they've become "common knowledge" even among non-Christians: that the Bible says you can't be involved in the paranormal or communicate with the dead. Period. No! Comma! The Bible doesn't actually forbid any and all communication with the dead. In fact, those activities the Old Testament actually does forbid have not been practice for millennia. Christians are actually commanded by Christ and the Apostles to perform ministry for the dead and to pray in relationship with the dead. The belief that Christians are required to continue their relationship with the dead is by no means a new interpretation of scripture. This teaching of Christ and the Apostles, continued now only in the Catholic Church, was held as sacred and not contradicted until the 1400s. Within the pages of this book, you will discover the truth of what the Bible really teaches about the relationship between the living and the dead. In this well-researched and compelling book, you will learn:* What the Jews, including Jesus and the Apostles, believed happens when we die.* Both Old and New Testament verses that prove we must continue our relationship with the dead.* Jesus' teachings that death simply cannot separate Christians and why any belief that it does is heresy.* Writings from the Apostles and other ancient Christians proving that they believed both in conversing with those in heaven and receiving visits from them. * What the Old Testament verses that seem to forbid communication with the dead actually say and mean.* What the original Hebrew words regarding ghosts and mediums in the Old Testament really mean and why they are always mistranslated.* Why God would give such gifts as mediumship to the living.* And so much more!Whether you are a Bible scholar, a paranormal investigator, or someone with psychic medium gifts who feels attacked by Christians, youwill be as shocked as much by what the Bible doesn't say as by what it does. From Jewish zombies and incantations over pits of blood to rabbinical tales of visits to Gehenna, this book takes you on a journey into an ancient world where the veil between life and death was too thin to see. You will visit a world where life and death existed on a continuum of vitality, from the highest level of life-force to the least. This book will then lead you into the Messianic age that Christ initiated and through a Christian universe in which, to quote St. Paul whether we are living or dead, to God, "all are alive." However, the most important place this book will lead you to is the truth.