Herbert Anderson

Edward Foley

Bringing together two of our greatest sources of meaning andtransformation This book marries two partners that are made for each other. Theresult, as in all good unions, is mutual enrichment and deeperlife. --Jack Shea, author of Stories of God Now available in paperback, this moving and enlightening bookpresents us with a compelling vision of what can happen when wetake the opportunity to connect stories and rituals--a vision ofindividuals and communities transformed through a deeper sense ofconnection to our loved ones, our communities, and God. HerbertAnderson and Edward Foley reveal how when stories and rituals worktogether, they have the potential to be both mighty anddangerous--mighty in their ability to lift us up and help us makethese connections beyond ourselves and dangerous in challenging usto learn to live with complexity and contradiction. They show how much more meaningful a baptism, wedding, or funeralcan be when liturgy is made to include and recognize the personalstories of those involved. Suddenly, these familiar life-cyclerituals are infused with new life as their participants becomeconnected in a narrative web linking past and present, human anddivine. Newly created rituals can also help us connect our storiesto the divine story, giving meaning to what we experience andbringing us closer to God. Ministers, worship leaders, and pastoral caregivers can use thisapproach to storytelling and ritual to find ways to bring togetherworship and pastoral care, diminishing fragmentation and fosteringcoherence in their religious communities.

Weaving Together the Human and the Divine

Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals

House Atreides 10c Hc/Aud Flr

Dune

David Hogue

Marie McCarthy

This book addresses how relationships need to be refocused when couples face such changes as the launching of young adult children, a new job, the death of a parent or a child, the arrival of a "surprise" child, infidelity, illness, retirement, role change or reversal, and many others.

Promising Again

Bonnie Miller-McLemore

Previous principles of hierarchy, inequality, and duty that defined the relationships between husband, wife, and children have been challenged and often replaced by more fluid bonds of equality, intimacy, emotional self-disclosure, communication, and mutual trust. The key question that has emerged for our times, then, is how exactly do families sustain genuine mutuality, democracy, and strong relationships? Figuring out good answers to this question is the major theme of this book and the origin of the title Mutuality Matters.

Family, Faith, and Just Love

Mutuality Matters

Karen Speerstra

The Divine Art of Dying explores the time when individuals facing a life-limiting illness make critical decisions about how they will live until they die. Authors Karen Speerstra and Herbert Anderson teamed up to write this book shortly before Speerstra's death. Their hope was that this book would be a gift to help people who are irreversibly ill (and their friends and family) navigate the perilous journey to the point at which one decides to discontinue curative treatment and turn toward death. The book includes reflections from Speerstra's hospice journal and essays written jointly by Speerstra and Anderson on themes that include learning to wait, letting go, giving gifts, and telling stories. Karen's experiential and moving reflections are woven together with Anderson's pastoral insights gleaned from years of teaching, writing, and lecturing on death, dying, and bereavement, as well as practicing hospital chaplaincy and pastoral care. Together they have created a deeply profound and practical book that aims to empower people who are dying to live as fully as they can until life's end, and to help those who care for them to share this journey with compassion and hope. Several reflections by Speerstra's friends and family are included along with sidebars describing "divine-human virtues." Suggestions for caregivers are provided at the end of each chapter.

Living Well to Life's End

The Divine Art of Dying, Second Edition

Shaping our journey into the Divine This moving and enlightening book presents us with a compelling vision of what can happen when we take the opportunity to connect stories and rituals--a vision of individuals and communities transformed through a deeper sense of connection to our loved ones, our communities, and God. Herbert Anderson and Edward Foley reveal how when stories and rituals work together, they have the potential to be both mighty and dangerous--mighty in their ability to lift us up and help us make these connections beyond ourselves and dangerous in challenging us to learn to live with complexity and contradiction. They show how much more meaningful a baptism, wedding, or funeral can be when liturgy is made to include and recognize the personal stories of those involved. Suddenly, these familiar life-cycle rituals are infused with new life as participants become connected in a narrative web linking past and present, human and divine. Newly created rituals can also help us connect our stories to the divine story, giving meaning to what we experience and bringing us closer to God. Ministers, worship leaders, and pastoral caregivers can use this approach to storytelling and ritual to find ways to bring together worship and pastoral care.

Herbert Anderson

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