Recommendations based on "The Three Pillars of Zen Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment"

Reading Notes To Myself is one of those rare experiences that comes only once in a great while. The editor who discovered the book said, "When I first read Prather's manuscript it was late at night and I was tired, but by the time I finished it, I felt rested and alive. Since then I've reread it many times and it says even more to me now." The book serves as a beginning for the reader's exploration of his or her own life and as a treasury of thoughtful and insightful reminders.

The bestselling, widely heralded, Jungian introduction to the psychological foundation of a mature, authentic, and revitalized masculinity.Redefining age-old concepts of masculinity, Jungian analysts Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette make the argument that mature masculinity is not abusive or domineering, but generative, creative, and empowering of the self and others. Moore and Gillette clearly define the four mature male archetypes that stand out through myth and literature across history: the king (the energy of just and creative ordering), the warrior (the energy of aggressive but nonviolent action), the magician (the energy of initiation and transformation), and the lover (the energy that connects one to others and the world), as well as the four immature patterns that interfere with masculine potential (divine child, oedipal child, trickster and hero). King, Warrior, Magician, Lover is an exploratory journey that will help men and women reimagine and deepen their understanding of the masculine psyche.

A pop culture celebration of Fred Rogers and the enduring legacy of his beloved, award-winning PBS show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood that offers essential wisdom to help us in our troubled times. Won’t you be my neighbor? For more than thirty years, Fred Rogers was a beloved fixture in American homes. Warm and welcoming, he spoke directly to children—and their parents—about the marvels of the world, the things that worried them, and above all, the importance of being themselves. Dressed in his cardigan and sneakers, Fred Rogers offered a wholesome message of generosity and love that changed the landscape of television and shaped a generation of children. Kindness and Wonder pays tribute to this cultural icon: the unique, gentle man who embodied the best of what we could be. Looking back at the history of the show and the creative visionary behind it, pop culture aficionado Gavin Edwards reminds us of the indelible lessons and insights that Mister Rogers conveyed—what it means to be a good person, to be open-hearted, to be thoughtful, to be curious, to be compassionate—and why they matter. Beautifully crafted, infused with Mister Rogers’ gentle spirit, and featuring dozens of interviews with people whose lives were touched by Fred Rogers—ranging from Rita Moreno to NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann—Kindness and Wonder is a love letter to this unforgettable cultural hero and role model, and the beautiful neighborhood he created.

A GRIPPING, FEARLESS EXPLORATION OF MASCULINITYThe effects of traditionally defined masculinity have become one of the most prevalent social issues of our time. In this engaging and provocative new book, beloved actor, director, and social activist Justin Baldoni reflects on his own struggles with masculinity. With insight and honesty, he explores a range of difficult, sometimes uncomfortable topics including strength and vulnerability, relationships and marriage, body image, sex and sexuality, racial justice, gender equality, and fatherhood.Writing from experience, Justin invites us to move beyond the scripts we’ve learned since childhood and the roles we are expected to play. He challenges men to be brave enough to be vulnerable, to be strong enough to be sensitive, to be confident enough to listen. Encouraging men to dig deep within themselves, Justin helps us reimagine what it means to be man enough and in the process what it means to be human.

Today men hear dozens of conflicting voices telling them how to be men. They’re told to go out and beat the tribal drums or become sensitive New Age followers or dig deep into their psyches to find the macho warrior within. It all sounds good on paper, but it isn’t so helpful when it comes to living authentic lives. Man to Man talks about real issues, real feelings, real life — connecting with the felt needs of men right now where they live and work. This down-to-earth collection of insights from Chuck Swindoll offers practical inspiration for the working man, the single man, the husband, the father, the son — any man who wants to live well and enjoy life to the fullest. Now in softcover.

Discover how setting biblical boundaries can improve your parenting and your relationship with your children.Join Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, as they share the research and guidance you need to raise your kids to take responsibility for their actions and emotions and enable them to lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives.The tools and guidance provided in Boundaries with Kids will change the way you view healthy boundaries, no matter where you are in your parenting journey. You'll learn how to: Define appropriate boundaries and consequences for your kids. Set limits and still be a loving parent. Bring balance to an out-of-control family life. Understand the six steps to implementing boundaries in your home.Using biblically backed principles, including respect, stewardship, and self-control, Drs. Cloud and Townsend share the lessons they've learned firsthand after decades of working with families across the country. With wisdom and empathy, they take you through the ins and outs of instilling the kind of character in your children that will help them lead Godly lives.

Why have we failed so badly to end men's violence against women? What can we actually do about it? This insightful, provocative and practical handbook suggests a bold solution. Expert scholar and activist, Jackson Katz has spent the last 30 years educating people around the world on male violence against women and advocates that to make society safer, we need more men to care and to stand up for women. In this galvanizing book, Jackson reveals indispensable everyday tools that will help men from all walks of life become part of the solution to gender-based violence. Find out how to respond when a friend or colleague makes a misogynistic comment using Jackson's Bystander Approach; learn how to intervene in incidents at the bottom of The Rape Pyramid that may seem small but can lead to violence; and discover how you can Become a Role Model for boys and men who need positive leadership in their lives. This is the essential handbook for every man who wants to make society safe for us all.

In this sequel to the enormously successful Seven Men, #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas offers more captivating stories of some of the most inspiring men in history. Join Metaxas as he shares about the lives of seven more men who faced insurmountable struggles and challenges with victorious resolve. Heroes and role models have always been essential for inspiring our lives and shaping the world. But in the last few decades, the need for men of valor and integrity is more vital than ever. Metaxas restores a sense of the heroic in the compelling profiles of seven extraordinary men: Martin Luther George Whitefield General William Booth George Washington Carver Sergeant Alvin York Alexander Solzhenitsyn Billy Graham Becoming acquainted with these seven heroes cannot fail to make your life immeasurably richer. Each man demonstrates particular qualities: the courage to surrender themselves to a higher purpose and the willingness to give away something dear to them for the good of others. With vitality and warmth, Metaxas draws electrifying insights for our daily lives from the inexhaustible richness of history. Inevitably inspiring, this anthology reminds us that certain qualities are worthy of emulation--now more than ever. Praise for Seven More Men: "God often uses nobodies from nowhere with nothing to offer but hearts fully surrendered to him and uses them to change the world. Metaxas once again magically and masterfully illustrates God's guiding hand in the lives of seemingly ordinary men to produce great men who use their gifts and opportunities to bring glory to God and to serve others. This book will deeply inspire you to diligently serve God with all your heart, no matter your life's current circumstances, knowing that he knows the plans he has for you." --Kirk Cameron, actor and producer "Great biographers do more than relay the facts of history; they acquaint us with its authors and inspire us to emulate them. In Seven More Men, Eric Metaxas uses seven short biographies and five hundred years as thread and canvas to produce a magnificent tapestry to not only inform your mind but inspire your heart. These unvarnished stories of faithful endurance, unwavering hope, and costly love are a must-read for our generation." --Christopher Yuan, speaker, Bible professor, and coauthor of Out of a Far Country

Roy Spence was raised in a family of huggers. When his dad -- Big Roy, the biggest hugger of them all -- passed away at the age of ninety-five, Roy Jr started the healing process and discovered a more profound purpose behind the power of hugs. Roy inherited his dads way of greeting both friends and strangers alike with a hug. In his journey from small-town Texas boy to CEO of a nationally acclaimed advertising agency, he hugged heads of state and CEOs, waitresses and receptionists, the famous and the salt of the earth. And he used hugs to mend fences, to get over it and get on with it, and to spread a little good in the world. In the this book Roy shares the inspiring lessons he has learned from practising what his dad taught him -- anyone worth meeting is worth hugging -- with the hope that others will take up the call to put a little more joy in the lives of those we touch, including our own. We simply need to hug ourselves first, hug our faith and our flags, our friends and family, our fears and failures, our firsts, our futures, and our finals. When we embrace all of the people and events that make us who we are, we discover deep wells of love. With warm Texas charm and stirring artwork, this book reveals a path to healing, to goodness, to a future full of love and hope.

An exceptional father-son story about the reality that tests us, the myths that sustain us, and the love that saves us.Paul Coates was an enigmatic god to his sons: a Vietnam vet who rolled with the Black Panthers, an old-school disciplinarian and new-age believer in free love, an autodidact who launched a publishing company in his basement dedicated to telling the true history of African civilization. Most of all, he was a wily tactician whose mission was to carry his sons across the shoals of inner-city adolescence—and through the collapsing civilization of Baltimore in the Age of Crack—and into the safe arms of Howard University, where he worked so his children could attend for free.Among his brood of seven, his main challenges were Ta-Nehisi, spacey and sensitive and almost comically miscalibrated for his environment, and Big Bill, charismatic and all-too-ready for the challenges of the streets. The Beautiful Struggle follows their divergent paths through this turbulent period, and their father’s steadfast efforts—assisted by mothers, teachers, and a body of myths, histories, and rituals conjured from the past to meet the needs of a troubled present—to keep them whole in a world that seemed bent on their destruction.With a remarkable ability to reimagine both the lost world of his father’s generation and the terrors and wonders of his own youth, Coates offers readers a small and beautiful epic about boys trying to become men in black America and beyond.