An engaging study of Sufi teachings that presents the Sufi way as a universal means of gaining a greater understanding of ourselves, others, and the world In Sufi teaching the human heart is not a fanciful metaphor but an objective organ of intuition and perception. It perceives all that is beautiful, lovely, and meaningful in life—and reflects these spiritual qualities in the world, for the benefit of others. Every human heart has the capacity and the destiny to bring that world of divine reality into this world of appearances. The Sufis, mystics of Islam, have been educators of the heart for some fourteen centuries. Their teachings and methods are designed to help us awaken and purify the heart, to learn to listen to our deepest knowing. In The Knowing Heart, Kabir Helminski presents the Sufi way as a practical spirituality suitable for all cultures and times—and offers insights that are especially valuable for our life in today’s world. In cultivating a knowing heart, we learn to experience a new sense of self, transform our relationships, and enhance our creative capacities. Most important, we learn how to meet the spiritual challenge of our time: to realize our sacred humanness.

An engaging study of Sufi teachings that presents the Sufi way as a universal means of gaining a greater understanding of ourselves, others, and the world In Sufi teaching the human heart is not a fanciful metaphor but an objective organ of intuition and perception. It perceives all that is beautiful, lovely, and meaningful in life—and reflects these spiritual qualities in the world, for the benefit of others. Every human heart has the capacity and the destiny to bring that world of divine reality into this world of appearances. The Sufis, mystics of Islam, have been educators of the heart for some fourteen centuries. Their teachings and methods are designed to help us awaken and purify the heart, to learn to listen to our deepest knowing. In The Knowing Heart, Kabir Helminski presents the Sufi way as a practical spirituality suitable for all cultures and times—and offers insights that are especially valuable for our life in today’s world. In cultivating a knowing heart, we learn to experience a new sense of self, transform our relationships, and enhance our creative capacities. Most important, we learn how to meet the spiritual challenge of our time: to realize our sacred humanness.

Get close to the heart of God. Understanding God's heart is the key to understanding life. For, it is his heart that designed redemption through Jesus. From his heart sprang the beauty of world, the wonder of the universe, the creativity of all humankind, and a specific love for you. His heart is the blueprint of all human hearts, and knowing his heart reveals the origin of goodness and bounty he endowed to us. In Knowing the Heart of God, 365 entries will take you closer to our vastly amazing and tenderly intimate God. You will encounter a daily installment of encouragement and insight, guidance and wisdom to: Understand the heart of God and your own heart Discover the purpose of your heart's deep desires Unravel the dynamics between parents and children, husbands and wives Fight the spiritual battle for your heart Connect intimately with the Father each day And much, much more God longs for you to know his heart, to tap into his love and plans for you. He designed you to long for the same. Knowing the Heart of God will satisfy your hardwired need to know him and will take you?day by day?closer and closer to the God who loves you.

The famous scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal memorably said that the heart has its reasons the mind will never know. But too often it's forgotten that Pascal, in referring to the heart's reasons, was not talking about hunches or cozy feelings. Instead he had in mind our intuitive knowledge of the first principles of number, time, space, and motion. And he believed God can be known in the same way, so that belief in God has the same justification as scientific and mathematical principles. Was he right? In Knowing with the Heart, Roy Clouser develops a broad, compelling case for Pascal's position. Against the current climate of religious relativism, Clouser concludes that Christians are entitled to say they know God is real. Written in clear and nontechnical language, Knowing with the Heart is intended for believers concerned with the credentials of their faith--and those who don't believe in God but are willing to investigate and reconsider.

Drawing on and developing the phenomenological work of figures such as Edmund Husserl and Max Scheler, Knowing by Heart: Loving as Participation and Critique provides an account of the various feelings and feeling‐states that pertain to matters of the heart. Anthony J. Steinbock’s work investigates the special kind of knowing that is revealed most profoundly through love. Knowing by Heart describes the movement of loving as a participation that bears on all beings. Eschewing the dichotomy of rationalism and sensibility that has dominated discussions of love and emotion, Steinbock understands the heart as a vast schema ranging from the deepest loving to affects and felt conditions. The book brings into focus the importance of a full‐bodied relational account of a normative critique based in emotion. From a phenomenological description of diverse feelings to the normativity of loving as the discernment of the heart, this work evaluates hating’s relation to loving. At the basis of all this is a phenomenological and philosophical anthropology in response to the basic question: In reality, who and what are we?

A revised 25th anniversary edition of the classic work on Sufism that Jack Kornfield called, "A heartfelt modern illumination of the Sufi path, filled with the fragrance of the ancients." In Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, presence is the quality that describes a heart-filled state of mindfulness, an experience of being conscious in the present moment. It is only in this present moment, Sufi teachings reveal, that we can connect with the Divine, and the Divine can live through us. Kabir Helminski is one of the world's most recognized teachers of Sufism. Named one of the "500 Most Influential Muslims" in the world by Georgetown University and the Royal Strategic Studies Center, Helminski and his teachings are touchstones for the growth in interest in Sufism, and his books have been translated around the world. In Living Presence, Helminski lays out the basic principles of Sufism, and how these ideas can lead to the experience of presence. In this inspiring work, readers will learn how to cultivate presence in their lives through: * Finding a balance between the outer stimuli of the world and our inner reactions to them * Harnessing faithfulness and gracefulness * Learning about the parallels between ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychological knowledge * Meditation and contemplation to discover more meaning in daily life With unique clarity, this book describes how presence can be developed to vastly improve our lives. Drawing on the work of the beloved Sufi poet, Rumi, as well as traditional material and personal experience, this book integrates the ancient wisdom of Sufism with the needs of contemporary life. Completely revised and updated for its 25th anniversary, this edition of Living Presence offers a wisdom that is both universal and practical.

The editor of Discovering the Character of God presents further devotional selections from the poetry, sermons, and stories of George Macdonald. One of the nineteenth-century's greatest thinkers, George MacDonald has inspired generations with his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now his words of wisdom are available in a series of devotionals compiled and edited by MacDonald scholar and biographer, Michael Phillips. Knowing the Heart of God presents brief, daily readings from MacDonald’s poetry, sermons, and fiction. Each offers deep insight into God’s love for humanity and his desire for us to love Him and each other. Readers looking for greater illumination along the Christian path will find it in this invaluable volume.