Heidi Barr

Ellie Roscher

In a culture that says bigger is better, it is subversive work to take tiny, lasting steps toward learning and growth. In 12 Tiny Things Ellie Roscher and Heidi Barr journey with us through twelve essential areas of life: space, work, spirituality, food, style, nature, communication, home, sensuality, creativity, learning, and community. In each of these areas, we are invited to take one tiny action that is sure to open up growth and renewal. 12 Tiny Things guides us in curating a spiritual practice that promotes a more reflective, rooted, and intentional life. Regardless of how the ground feels underneath your feet, trust that there are roots there to tend. By trying on one tiny thing at a time, you can slowly, deliberately, and playfully remember who you are. You can nourish that being with tenderness. Together, we will reach and grow toward the sun.

Simple Ways to Live a More Intentional Life

12 Tiny Things

Our bodies have a story to tell. When we turn toward our bodies with curiosity and reverence, we honor those stories, embrace our inner dignity, and make space for more agency. Sharing our bodies' stories helps us feel seen so that, little by little, society's limiting master narratives can shift so that more bodies feel safe and beautiful and have a sense of belonging. The Embodied Path tells more than twenty body stories, woven together with Ellie Roscher's own body story and insights, to do the essential work of resistance and repair at the individual and communal level. The book includes the story of a woman who sees her hijab as an extension of her body, a front man in a funk band who views his entire body as his instrument, a quadriplegic woman who became a lawyer to advocate for herself, and a transgender man who underwent a gender transition after birthing two children. It also includes profoundly simple, beautiful stories of broken bones, motherhood, sickness, and healing toward wholeness. For anyone interested in creating more capacity for compassion for themselves and others by doing the internal work to contend with privilege and trauma, The Embodied Path invites readers to join in the process with discussion questions, writing prompts, and breath and body practices. The work is simple but not easy, yet the benefits are lasting and profound. Our bodies are always talking to us, trying to get our attention. Our work is to unfold, to listen, and to claim the truth about our beautiful, storied bodies.

Telling the Story of Your Body for Healing and Wholeness

The Embodied Path

Based on the author's true life experiences, How Coffee Saved My Life is a funny, tragic, provocative and touching story of a rich, white, North American overachiever who spends a year in Uruguay in hopes of becoming a more responsible and sensitive member of the global community. Throughout the book, vignettes tied to the Spanish language flow from observation to theological analysis.

And Other Stories of Stumbling to Grace

How Coffee Saved My Life

Growing up and living in Kibera, Kenya, Abdul Kassim was well aware of the disproportionate number of challenges faced by women due to the extreme gender inequalities that persist in the slums. After being raised by his aunts, mother, and grandmother and having a daughter himself, he felt that he needed to make a difference. In 2002, Abdul started a soccer team for girls called Girls Soccer in Kibera (GSK), with the hope of fostering a supportive community and providing emotional and mental support for the young women in the town. The soccer program was a success, but the looming dangers of slum life persisted, and the young women continued to fall victim to the worst kinds of human atrocities. Indeed, it was the unyielding injustice of these conditions that led Abdul to the conclusion that soccer alone was not enough to create the necessary systemic change. In 2006, after much work, the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (KGSA) was established with their first class of 11 girls and 2 volunteer teachers. Today, KGSA is composed of 20 full-time staff, provides a host of artistic and athletic programs for more than 130 students annually, and continues to expand. By providing academics inside and outside of the classroom along with artistic and athletic opportunities, KGSA inspires the young women of Kibera to become advocates for change within their own communities and for Kenya as a whole. Play Like a Girl tells the KGSA story through Abdul’s voice and vision and the stories of key staff and students. It is written by Ellie Roscher who spent 2 summers doing research at KGSA and several years writing this book.

How a Soccer School in Kenya's Slums Started a Revolution

Play Like a Girl

Hayim Herring

Keeping Faith in Rabbis is a collection of essays from rabbis, academics, rabbinical students, and lay people across the denominational spectrum addressing the question, "How well do rabbinical programs prepare people for their Rabbinate?" This book celebrates the work of rabbis who strive to create vibrant Jewish communities where individuals and families can express and explore Jewish meaning. Unmediated voices provide insights to all stakeholders in rabbinical education. Unique in its diversity of viewpoints, it is an invaluable resource to better equip rabbis for 21st Century leadership in the ever-changing Jewish religious landscape.

Ellie Roscher

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