In these meditations on the lesser feasts and fasts of the church calendar Sam Portaro asks the question, “What do these saints and commemorations have to say to Christians today?” His answers are often surprising and always thought-provoking, with fresh insights into the lives and teachings of those who have gone before us in the Christian faith. The cycle of the year begins in Advent with St. Andrew and ends in late November with Kamehaneha and Emma of Hawaii. Each reflection looks at the scripture readings for the day and focuses on a distinctive attribute of the saint or feast in the light of contemporary questions of faith, mission, and community. Saints of the distant past such as Columba and Agnes, Cyprian and Augustine, Thomas Becket and Catherine of Siena are included, as well as those closer to our own day—Charles Wesley and Julia Emery, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Evelyn Underhill and Jonathan Daniels. Following the calendar provided in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, meditations on the holy days of the church seasons are also included, such as All Saints and the Epiphany.” Brightest and Best is designed for a variety of Christian education purposes, including adult forums, confirmation classes, seasonal presentations, clergy groups, and groups of students and young adults. It is equally useful for individuals seeking varied and interesting devotional reading. Although based on the church year, each chapter is discrete and readers can focus on any event or person and begin at any season. Since these pieces began as homilies in a college setting, they are useful as a preaching aid and could be the basis of a homily at a midweek service.
Vocation and the call to serve is one of those challenges. In a hierarchical and clerical church, the main purpose of Christian discernment is professional ordination-either to the priesthood or to the vocational diaconate. But where does this leave the rest of the people of God in their quest to find the right setting and shape for their ministries? Sam Portaro uses the Bible, theology, and personal story to envision a church where all vocations are equally treasured and all members supported in discerning their place in God's plan. He challenges the church to move beyond the status quo and end its confusion about the differing role and authority of all its ministers, ordained and lay.
Daily Lenten reflections with a novel approach. Lent is often a season given to denial of physical pleasure and sensation, but we're already denied these by a cultural atmosphere saturated with visual images, noise and air pollution, violence, and processed foods that dull the senses. The physical senses play an integral role in the human capacity for emotion and feeling. Overstimulation in the physical senses gradually erodes one’s ability to feel emotion. Yet empathy—emotional identification and connection with others—is crucial to liturgical engagement, especially in the highly dramatic practices of the signal events of the Christian Year. Sam Portaro proposes to restore our ability to participate emotionally in the Lenten journey by revisiting the five physical senses—one per week—in Lent. The discipline of a 40-day preparation for Easter suggests the importance the Church places on this seasonal retelling of the central acts of Christian redemption. Sense and Sensibility encourages the reader to renew a relationship with the physical senses that is a prerequisite to a deeply attuned engagement with the biblical stories read, taught, and liturgically re-enacted in the rites of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.
Calling upon teachers G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, Sam Portaro wades into the abyss of confronting a life of faithfulness in a world where the Church has created a dictionary unintelligible to anyone not part of itself. Acknowledging it a risky adventure to attempt to put into printed words his faith, Portaro steps boldly onto the pages of Sheer Christianity: Conjectures on a Catechism.
In this Cowley Cloister Book, Sam Portaro explores questions of discernment and vocation through meditations on the life and unfolding vocation of Jesus. Rather than seeing vocation as a single goal to obtain once and for all, Portaro includes all the many dimensions of life experience, heredity, family roots, relationships, and personal maturity in his consideration of how we as Christians discern who we are called to become. Who am I, where am I going, and how do I find a life of my own? What is my calling? These questions are urgent for us all, and they were no less urgent for Jesus in youth and young adulthood. In these meditations on finding our place in the world, Sam Portaro invites his readers to navigate the turning points of their own lives by reflecting on the life of Jesus as he came to discover that he was called by God. This book helps inform our own sense of vocation and calling by exploring aspects of Jesus' vocation as it was gradually revealed to him over the course of his life. Vocation, Portaro writes, does not come as "a bolt from the blue," but emerges gradually from our history, the events and people of our lives. He then sets out to show us how the life of Jesus and the words of Scripture can become part of this conversation. The meditations look at the essentials of Jesus' life, moving from the importance of roots and family (the gospel's tracing of Jesus' family tree) to the hiddenness of vocation (Jesus' boyhood and the "hidden years"), temptation (forty days in the wilderness), separation from family (the calling of the disciples), first awareness of his calling (the Transfiguration), and the fruits of vocation (the road to Jerusalem). Jesus' life is the essential pattern we all trace through our lives and where we are to find our place. Crossing the Jordan has emerged out of retreats for college students, and it is provocative reading for those who are thinking about their own life choices or ministering to those who are. A good resource for clergy, teachers, chaplains, you
The Episcopal Church is uniquely positioned to meet the spiritual hunger of those seeking a deeper relationship with God in the twenty-first century. But how do we let the seekers and the unchurched know about us? Sam Portaro, the Episcopal Chaplain to the University of Chicago, offers an honest, bold, and provocative challenge to the Church to transform its lackluster evangelism into a passionate, inviting concept of welcome and invitation to those many souls seeking God.
From the earliest days of recorded history, conflict has been an integral part of human life. Although conflict and crisis are painful, they are visible and vital signs of the perpetual work of the church and society. Viewed in this light, they become sources of growth and gifts to be pressed into service. The trouble with Jesus was—and is—that he stands in the midst of conflict, and allows the conflict actually to live in him even though it tears him apart, in order that new life might be born. The trouble with Jesus was—and is—that he invites us to follow where he has led. Newly revised and expanded, this book is not a how-to manual for problem-solving, but a hopeful and creative reflection on the positive aspects of conflict in our relationships and institutions, as demonstrated throughout scripture in the life and ministry of Jesus, the early church, the church today, and within ourselves. For those willing to embrace conflict and the work that it requires, the result is a celebration of the community that God has given us. Conflict is frightening. It threatens our sense of control and upsets our notions of order. It touches our vulnerability and reveals uncomfortable realities. Therefore, we tend to deny conflict, or we try to manage it, tame it. In fantasies of ultimate control, we banish conflict altogether. . . . But the ways of God in the real and quite tangible world in which I live are obviously not the same as my ways. In this world, I am rarely in agreement with others and God obviously tolerates much more untidiness than I find comfortable. This conflict, which is with me every hour and becomes quite apparent hundreds of times a day, arouses fear within me. I want to be in control, and yet I cannot be in control. from Conflict and a Christian Life This edition features a study guide designed by educator Amanda Millay Hughes, making it a valuable resource for group study by vestries, parish staffs, adult education groups, and anyone wishing to gain greater facility in negotiati
Dayspring, my dictionary tells me, is an archaic word meaning 'dawn.' But I have chosen Daysprings as the title for this collection of meditations for the several meanings in the ancient word and its components. I hope these brief reflections shed new light on old, familiar passages and illuminate the way through new ones. I also hope these pieces will prove to be springboards to new and creative meditation for readers, pastors, and preachers, and that they will find within these pieces an extra buoyancy for each day. Lastly, I hope these thoughts will flow like fresh, living waters through days of fast and feast, bringing refreshment. --from the Preface In his accompanying volume to Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Sam Portaro offers meditations for each of the weekdays for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Following the lectionary texts for each day, he focuses on the seasonal themes of incarnation, manifestation, suffering, redemption, and resurrection, showing how the eternal truths of the gospel shed light on the ordinary and extraordinary events of our lives. Solidly grounded in the prayers and scriptures of these seasonal liturgies, Portaro's meditations bring fresh and powerful--sometimes pointed--insights for those who follow the daily readings and prayers of these days of the weeks in the church year as found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts.
Calling upon teachers G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, Sam Portaro wades into the abyss of confronting a life of faithfulness in a world where the Church has created a dictionary unintelligible to anyone not part of itself. Acknowledging it a risky adventure to attempt to put into printed words his faith, Portaro steps boldly onto the pages of Sheer Christianity: Conjectures on a Catechism.
“Dayspring, my dictionary tells me, is an archaic word meaning ‘dawn.’ But I have chosen Daysprings as the title for this collection of meditations for the several meanings in the ancient word and its components. I hope these brief reflections shed new light on old, familiar passages and illuminate the way through new ones. I also hope these pieces will prove to be springboards to new and creative meditation for readers, pastors, and preachers, and that they will find within these pieces an extra buoyancy for each day. Lastly, I hope these thoughts will flow like fresh, living waters through days of fast and feast, bringing refreshment. —from the Preface In his accompanying volume to Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Sam Portaro offers meditations for each of the weekdays for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Following the lectionary texts for each day, he focuses on the seasonal themes of incarnation, manifestation, suffering, redemption, and resurrection, showing how the eternal truths of the gospel shed light on the ordinary and extraordinary events of our lives. Solidly grounded in the prayers and scriptures of these seasonal liturgies, Portaro’s meditations bring fresh and powerful—sometimes pointed—insights for those who follow the daily readings and prayers of these days of the weeks in the church year as found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts.
Daily Lenten reflections with a novel approach. Lent is often a season given to denial of physical pleasure and sensation, but we're already denied these by a cultural atmosphere saturated with visual images, noise and air pollution, violence, and processed foods that dull the senses. The physical senses play an integral role in the human capacity for emotion and feeling. Overstimulation in the physical senses gradually erodes one’s ability to feel emotion. Yet empathy—emotional identification and connection with others—is crucial to liturgical engagement, especially in the highly dramatic practices of the signal events of the Christian Year. Sam Portaro proposes to restore our ability to participate emotionally in the Lenten journey by revisiting the five physical senses—one per week—in Lent. The discipline of a 40-day preparation for Easter suggests the importance the Church places on this seasonal retelling of the central acts of Christian redemption. Sense and Sensibility encourages the reader to renew a relationship with the physical senses that is a prerequisite to a deeply attuned engagement with the biblical stories read, taught, and liturgically re-enacted in the rites of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.
Vocation and the call to serve is one of those challenges. In a hierarchical and clerical church, the main purpose of Christian discernment is professional ordination-either to the priesthood or to the vocational diaconate. But where does this leave the rest of the people of God in their quest to find the right setting and shape for their ministries? Sam Portaro uses the Bible, theology, and personal story to envision a church where all vocations are equally treasured and all members supported in discerning their place in God's plan. He challenges the church to move beyond the status quo and end its confusion about the differing role and authority of all its ministers, ordained and lay.
In these meditations on the lesser feasts and fasts of the church calendar Sam Portaro asks the question, “What do these saints and commemorations have to say to Christians today?” His answers are often surprising and always thought-provoking, with fresh insights into the lives and teachings of those who have gone before us in the Christian faith. The cycle of the year begins in Advent with St. Andrew and ends in late November with Kamehaneha and Emma of Hawaii. Each reflection looks at the scripture readings for the day and focuses on a distinctive attribute of the saint or feast in the light of contemporary questions of faith, mission, and community. Saints of the distant past such as Columba and Agnes, Cyprian and Augustine, Thomas Becket and Catherine of Siena are included, as well as those closer to our own day—Charles Wesley and Julia Emery, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Evelyn Underhill and Jonathan Daniels. Following the calendar provided in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, meditations on the holy days of the church seasons are also included, such as All Saints and the Epiphany.” Brightest and Best is designed for a variety of Christian education purposes, including adult forums, confirmation classes, seasonal presentations, clergy groups, and groups of students and young adults. It is equally useful for individuals seeking varied and interesting devotional reading. Although based on the church year, each chapter is discrete and readers can focus on any event or person and begin at any season. Since these pieces began as homilies in a college setting, they are useful as a preaching aid and could be the basis of a homily at a midweek service.
From the earliest days of recorded history, conflict has been an integral part of human life. Although conflict and crisis are painful, they are visible and vital signs of the perpetual work of the church and society. Viewed in this light, they become sources of growth and gifts to be pressed into service. The trouble with Jesus was—and is—that he stands in the midst of conflict, and allows the conflict actually to live in him even though it tears him apart, in order that new life might be born. The trouble with Jesus was—and is—that he invites us to follow where he has led. Newly revised and expanded, this book is not a how-to manual for problem-solving, but a hopeful and creative reflection on the positive aspects of conflict in our relationships and institutions, as demonstrated throughout scripture in the life and ministry of Jesus, the early church, the church today, and within ourselves. For those willing to embrace conflict and the work that it requires, the result is a celebration of the community that God has given us. Conflict is frightening. It threatens our sense of control and upsets our notions of order. It touches our vulnerability and reveals uncomfortable realities. Therefore, we tend to deny conflict, or we try to manage it, tame it. In fantasies of ultimate control, we banish conflict altogether. . . . But the ways of God in the real and quite tangible world in which I live are obviously not the same as my ways. In this world, I am rarely in agreement with others and God obviously tolerates much more untidiness than I find comfortable. This conflict, which is with me every hour and becomes quite apparent hundreds of times a day, arouses fear within me. I want to be in control, and yet I cannot be in control. from Conflict and a Christian Life This edition features a study guide designed by educator Amanda Millay Hughes, making it a valuable resource for group study by vestries, parish staffs, adult education groups, and anyone wishing to gain greater facility in negotiati
Since publication of the First Edition in 1982, Hemostasis and Thrombosis has established itself as the pre-eminent book in the field of coagulation disorders. No other book is as inclusive in scope, with coverage of the field from the standpoint of both basic scientists and clinicians. This comprehensive resource details the essentials of bleeding and thrombotic disorders and the management of patients with these and related problems, and delivers the most up-to-date information on normal biochemistry and function of platelets or endothelial cells, as well as in-depth discussions of the pharmacology of anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, and hemostatic drugs. NEW to the Sixth Edition... • A new team of editors, each a leader in his field, assures you of fresh, authoritative perspectives. • Full color throughout • A companion website that offers full text online and an image bank. • A new introductory section of chapters on basic sciences as related to the field • Entirely new section on Hemostatic and Thrombotic Disorders Associated with Systemic Conditions includes material on pediatric patients, women's health issues, cancer, sickle cell disease, and other groups. • Overview chapters preceding each section address broad topics of general importance. This is the tablet version which does not include access to the supplemental content mentioned in the text.
In this Cowley Cloister Book, Sam Portaro explores questions of discernment and vocation through meditations on the life and unfolding vocation of Jesus. Rather than seeing vocation as a single goal to obtain once and for all, Portaro includes all the many dimensions of life experience, heredity, family roots, relationships, and personal maturity in his consideration of how we as Christians discern who we are called to become. Who am I, where am I going, and how do I find a life of my own? What is my calling? These questions are urgent for us all, and they were no less urgent for Jesus in youth and young adulthood. In these meditations on finding our place in the world, Sam Portaro invites his readers to navigate the turning points of their own lives by reflecting on the life of Jesus as he came to discover that he was called by God. This book helps inform our own sense of vocation and calling by exploring aspects of Jesus' vocation as it was gradually revealed to him over the course of his life. Vocation, Portaro writes, does not come as "a bolt from the blue," but emerges gradually from our history, the events and people of our lives. He then sets out to show us how the life of Jesus and the words of Scripture can become part of this conversation. The meditations look at the essentials of Jesus' life, moving from the importance of roots and family (the gospel's tracing of Jesus' family tree) to the hiddenness of vocation (Jesus' boyhood and the "hidden years"), temptation (forty days in the wilderness), separation from family (the calling of the disciples), first awareness of his calling (the Transfiguration), and the fruits of vocation (the road to Jerusalem). Jesus' life is the essential pattern we all trace through our lives and where we are to find our place. Crossing the Jordan has emerged out of retreats for college students, and it is provocative reading for those who are thinking about their own life choices or ministering to those who are. A good resource for clergy, teachers, chaplains, you
Originally Published by Scholars Press Now Available from Duke University Press Inquiring and Discerning Hearts is the first major examination of Protestant campus ministries since the publication of Kenneth Underwood's Danforth Study in 1969. The book consists of two parts. In part one, the authors trace the historical development of mainline Protestant campus ministries in their demonimational, institutional, and cultural settings since World War II. Utilizing denominational records of the Episcopal Church in the USA, the Presbyterian Church in the USA, and the United Methodist Church, as well as several private funding agencies, the authors offer a compelling description of how forces at work in American society, universities, churches, and in campus ministry itself interacted. In part two, the authors then build on their historical work by offering a prognosis for young adult ministries on campus and a prescription for how those ministries can be strengthened.
The Episcopal Church is uniquely positioned to meet the spiritual hunger of those seeking a deeper relationship with God in the twenty-first century. But how do we let the seekers and the unchurched know about us? Sam Portaro, the Episcopal Chaplain to the University of Chicago, offers an honest, bold, and provocative challenge to the Church to transform its lackluster evangelism into a passionate, inviting concept of welcome and invitation to those many souls seeking God.
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