Gardens of Heaven and Earth is a lyrical study that explores the roles that gardens have played in delighting and sustaining the human condition throughout the ages. This short work investigates the various meanings gardens have had for the eighteenth-century Swedish philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg and what meanings they might hold in turn for his readers.

From the author of the acclaimed Dinner with Persephone comes a radically original novel about four women who invite us to imagine the divine anew: what if “a woman’s point of view” were also God’s? Patricia Storace’s Eve begins by telling us her version of what happened in Eden, and by revealing that our familiar constellations conceal other heavens we have never allowed ourselves to see. Each of the four subsequent chapters is the story of one of these new zodiacs, featuring images central to women: a knife, a cauldron, a garden, a pair of embracing lovers. The four women whose stories they tell are Job’s daughter, the Queen of Sheba, a polytheistic cook, and a transformed Sarah, wife of Abraham. Storace brilliantly reimagines the worlds of these women, freeing them from the old tales in which they were trapped and putting them in the foreground of their stories and of the Old Testament itself.

Description A magnificent stone frieze-built up into curves and flourishes, peacocks and curving vines and trailing leaves-runs like a thread through this gripping, sweeping saga that spans a period of two hundred years between two invasions of Dilli-that of Muhammed of Ghur in 1192 CE, and Taimur in the winter of 1398. For whom was it carved, and what happened to it as family fortunes and dynasties rose and fell? Ten-year-old Madhav comes to Dilli after his world is torn apart by the battle in which Prithviraj Chauhan loses his throne and his life, paving the way for the Delhi Sultanate. In the teeming city, Madhav starts a career as a stone carver, and the craft becomes a manifestation of his very being. It eventually inspires him to create his masterpiece, a stone frieze that he calls the Garden of Heaven. Running parallel to Madhav's story is that of another family of stone carvers- Nandu, his arrogant daughter Gayatri, and Gayatri's daughter, Jayshree, who befriends an unusual, headstrong young woman who wears the clothes of a man and one day leads her army into battle as Razia Sultan. A gentle courtier named Amir Khusro also plays a part in this grand drama, as does Ibrahim, whose forbidden love for Chhoti brings two families together. And then there is poor and lonely Shagufta, who rescues Nasiruddin, a wounded Timurid soldier, and to distract him from his agony, tells the story of her city and herself.... A richly human, layered and dramatic narrative about Delhi on the threshold of a new phase in its long and eventful history, The Garden of Heaven holds the reader in thrall till the end.

God’s Story Will End Better than It Began . . . Experienced Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie traces 9 themes throughout the Bible, revealing how God’s plan for the new creation will be far more glorious than the original. But this new creation glory isn’t just reserved for the future. The hope of God’s plan for his people transforms everything about our lives today.

"Why do some gardens make us feel so wonderful, relaxed and refreshed? Professional landscape designer Jan Johnsen shares her passion for creating serene, enticing gardens that become outdoor havens for our spirit. Heaven is a Garden is a thoroughly entrancing garden design book that you will refer to over and over. Johnsen draws on her 40 years of experience to explore far-ranging ideas, some new, some ancient like, why a gate facing East is considered auspicious, why a sheltered corner is so alluring and why certain trees can impart a special atmosphere. Richly photographed with inspiring landscapes, this guide is written with thoughtful prose and practical advice. It reveals how, with a new/old design approach, you can create a delightful outdoor haven that everyone will enjoy. Jan Johnsen writes the popular Serenity in the Garden blog www.serenityinthegarden.blogspot.com and Facebook page." --Publisher's description.

Provides an analysis of how visions of the Garden and the Fire, or Heaven and Hell, within Sunni Islam changed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries, and looks at how Muslims used images to represent the Garden on Earth from the seventh to the nineteenth century.

Quite by accident, Sarah King has fallen in love. But this love is forbidden, and could cost her everything she holds dear. Tucked into the majesty of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains is a garden Sarah King has been nurturing for years. She never feels more alive than when she is alone with her thoughts and her Creator among the delicate rows of plants. But then duty calls her away from her beloved garden and into a world she knows little about. Grant Williams, a handsome young veterinarian, has left the city to open a rural practice among the Amish. Within minutes of meeting shy but feisty Sarah King, he is captivated by her. As their feelings grow for one another, Sarah insists they can never be together. Marrying Grant would mean being uprooted from her home, her family, and her community. Throughout the cold Pennsylvania winter, with her garden tucked away until spring, Sarah begins crafting a quilt that illustrates her pain. Can anything lasting blossom from a love that's forbidden?