This simple little book from a great spiritual giant attends to what we human beings are most inclined to forget: preparing for and engaging in prayer. It is an examination of what we ourselves must bring to the discipline of prayer--whatever form it takes--in order to make prayer authentic and real, a deep and profound part of our lives. None of the brief reflections in this book are ever finished, ever closed, ever fulled resolved. They are all ongoing steps along the way, steps we retrace over and over again as we do all the other parts of life, until they become the very breath we breathe, the vision and energy of our souls.

The Holy Spirit is in a way the most mysterious of the three “names” of God. For many it is the “unknown God” (Acts 17:23). How can a “Spirit” be love? How can it be a person? What role can a “Spirit” have in the trinitarian relations? In The Breath of God, Vetö argues that a more exact comprehension of the third divine person can be reached by considering the way it acts in the economy of salvation and how it reveals itself in its scriptural names: Ruah and Pneuma, breath or wind. Just as, in the eternal life of God, the Father and the Son are precisely what their names designate, likewise, the Holy Spirit is the Breath of God. The procession of the Spirit is the “breathing out” of the Father into the Son, the communication of one intimacy into another, and the “breathing” back of the Son into the Father. This leads to reshaping many aspects of trinitarian theology, in particular divine personhood. It is also fruitful for the believer’s life of prayer because it offers a better understanding of the distinct relationship one can have to Father, Son, and Spirit.

Find hope amid anxiety through the spiritual practice of breath prayer in this beautifully illustrated and practical guide to connecting body, mind, and spirit during times of stress. Breath as Prayer will lead you through the practice and the proven health benefits of Christian breath prayer: intentional prayers centered around Scripture that focus our minds on Christ as we calm our bodies through breathing. Breath as Prayer offers: More than 80 breath prayers focused on Scripture, along with brief meditations Gorgeous original full-color illustrations A quick-start how-to guide to refer to as needed Guidance on how to implement a breath prayer practice The science behind breath work and prayer and why it works An invitation to reflect on the effect of breath prayers on your body With a beautiful foil-accented cover, Breath as Prayer is an ideal gift for: Anyone experiencing stress, anxiety, or fear Grief and anxiety support groups Prayer groups and prayer ministries Men and women looking for new avenues for connecting with God Teens and young adults dealing with stress and anxiety Adult baptism and confirmation God created our bodies, minds, and spirits to be intimately connected with one another. Purpose-filled breathing is one of the most effective, calming ways to integrate all aspects of who we are, especially during times of intense stress. Breath as Prayer invites you to the crossroads of Christian contemplative practice, Scripture, psychology, and science to deepen your faith, bring peace to your body, and discover a new reliance on Christ. Breathe deeply, lean into God's Word, and discover why every breath can be an invitation to pray.

From the author of The Hidden Lives of Owls, an exploration of the elusive lives of whales in the Pacific Ocean, home to orcas, humpbacks, sperm, blue, and gray whales. Leigh Calvez has spent a dozen years researching, observing, and probing the lives of the giants of the deep. Here, she relates the stories of nature's most remarkable creatures, including the familial orcas in the waters of Washington State and British Columbia; the migratory humpbacks; the ancient, deep-diving blue whales, the largest animals on the planet. The lives of these whales are conveyed through the work of dedicated researchers who have spent decades tracking them along their secretive routes that extend for thousands of miles, gleaning their habits and sounds and distinguishing peculiarities. The author invites the reader onto a small research catamaran maneuvering among 100-foot long blue whales off the coast of California; or to join the task of monitoring patterns of humpback whale movements at the ocean surface: tail throw, flipper slap, fluke up, or blow. To experience whales is breathtaking. To understand their lives deepens our connection with the natural world.

In a devastating and urgent work of investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hamby uncovers the tragic resurgence of black lung disease in Appalachia, its Big Coal cover-up, and the resilient mining communities who refuse to back down. Decades ago, a grassroots uprising forced Congress to enact long-overdue legislation designed to virtually eradicate black lung disease and provide fair compensation to coal miners stricken with the illness. Today, however, both promises remain unfulfilled. Levels of disease have surged, the old scourge has taken an aggressive new form, and ailing miners and widows have been left behind by a dizzying legal system, denied even modest payments and medical care. In this devastating and urgent work of investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hamby traces the unforgettable story of how these trends converge in the lives of two men: Gary Fox, a black lung-stricken West Virginia coal miner determined to raise his family from poverty, and John Cline, an idealistic carpenter and rural medical clinic worker who becomes a lawyer in his fifties. Opposing them are the lawyers at the coal industry’s go-to law firm; well-credentialed doctors who often weigh in for the defense, including a group of radiologists at Johns Hopkins; and Gary’s former employer, Massey Energy, the region’s largest coal company, run by a cantankerous CEO often portrayed in the media as a dark lord of the coalfields. On the line in Gary and John’s longshot legal battle are fundamental principles of fairness and justice, with consequences for miners and their loved ones throughout the nation. Taking readers inside courtrooms, hospitals, homes tucked in Appalachian hollows, and dusty mine tunnels, Hamby exposes how coal companies have not only continually flouted a law meant to protect miners from deadly amounts of dust but also enlisted well-credentialed doctors and lawyers to help systematically deny much-needed benefits to miners. The result is a legal and medical thriller that brilliantly illuminates how a band of laborers — aided by a small group of lawyers, doctors and lay advocates, often working out of their homes or in rural clinics and tiny offices – challenged one of the world's most powerful forces, Big Coal, and won. A deeply troubling yet ultimately triumphant work, Soul Full of Coal Dust is a necessary and timely book about injustice and resistance.

"Breath Prayer is an insightful guide to reclaiming this practice of the heart--harmonizing the sacred rhythm of the body with words that sing to the soul--in every moment of the day." --Carl McColman, author of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism and Eternal Heart Whether reciting the gathas in Buddhist practice, the Shema in Judaism, or the Jesus Prayer in Christianity, for centuries the practice of breath prayer has helped center people from a variety of faith traditions on the sacred in everyday life. Through brief words of prayer or petition said silently to the rhythm of one's breath, this simple, meditative act combines praise for the divine with focused intention, creating a profound spiritual connection in the quiet, and even mundane, moments of the day . In Breath Prayer, Christine Valters Paintner, online abbess of Abbey of the Arts, introduces us to this spiritual practice and offers beautiful poem-prayers for walking, working, dressing, cleaning, sitting in silence, doing the dishes, living in community--breathing the divine into our daily lives. Over time these recitations become as natural as breathing. We don't so much recite the prayers as the prayers recite us, guide us, and open our hearts to the everyday sacred. With each of the forty prayers, Paintner includes reflections on life's ordinary beauty and heartfelt advice for discovering the sacred all around. Breath Prayer concludes with guidance for creating your own breath prayers to deepen your practice.

Many of us long to hear God’s voice, yet we often overlook the great wisdom God gave us in our bodies. There is a deep connection between our bodies and spirits. What might happen if we listened more deeply to the wisdom of our bodies? How might listening with our whole selves change the way we listen to God? A stroke at age 31 forced Whitney Simpson to slow down and listen more deeply to her body. In the process she discovered how to listen more deeply to God. During her journey of healing and wholeness, Whitney explored ancient practices that she found helpful in connecting her body and spirit, including: lectio divina (meditative reading of scripture) yoga breath prayer aromatherapy Listening to God with the entire body, not simply with our ears, may seem like a strange concept. Yet God created the body and the breath as gifts for us to explore. Most important, we don’t have to experience a crisis to learn to listen to God’s activity in and around us. Each of us can slow down and listen for God just as we are—in breath, body, and spirit. This 40-day guide to holy listening offers daily meditations that can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. Each meditation includes scripture, yoga postures, a breath prayer, suggested essential oils, and reflection questions. The book provides descriptions and simple illustrations of yoga poses and suggests seated poses as modifications for all poses, making it accessible to both experienced yoga practitioners and those new to yoga. Allow this book to invite you on a journey of holy listening as you explore ancient tools and new ways of experiencing the presence of God.