Living from the Center

by McDaniel, Jay

• ISBN13: 9780827221307
• ISBN10: 0827221304
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: Chalice Pr

Summary

How do we fit the life of the spirit into an existence overwhelmed by overconsumption? Using stories and images from poetry, Jay McDaniel offers an understanding of spirituality through wisdom, compassion, and inner freedom.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Prologue	1	(10)
Introduction	11	(1)
Practicing the Presence	11	(24)
Practicing the Presence of God
The Problem of Consumerism
The Great Work
One Person's Journey
Process Theology
Buddhism
Contemplative Christianity
Welcoming the Skeptic
Reading the Rest of this Book
When God Breathes
Spirituality as Living from the Center	35	(22)
Salvation from Self-Starvation
Living from the Center
The Problem of Spiritual Narcissism
Envisioning the God Who Breathes
A God with Many Names
The Bread of Heaven
Nine Ways of Knowing God
Wisdom, Compassion, and Freedom
Delight in Beauty and Creativity
This Wild and Precious Life
Spirituality as Sacramental Awareness	57	(24)
Inner Wisdom and Outer Sacraments
Holy Communion
The Ten Temptations of Consumerism
Spirituality as Openness to God's Breathing
Five Guidelines for Discernment
The Lifestyle of Consumerism
The Theology of Consumerism
The Budweiser Christian
Jesus at the Mall
A Crazy Second Coming
Hidden in Christ
Lucky, Lucky Life
Spirituality as Openness to Grace	81	(18)
Lucky, Lucky Life (Even When Things Are Horrible)
May All Beings Be Happy: A Buddhist Prayer
Three Contexts for Happiness: Work, Relationships, and Leisure
Happiness as Byproduct, Not Goal
Happiness as Relative, Not Absolute
Happiness as Contagious
Envy as Contagious Too
Four Steps toward a Deeper Happiness
Lying Gently in the Water
Spirituality as Living-by-Dying	99	(22)
Confessions of a Recovering Fundamentalist
Loving-Kindness
Divine Congealings
Living-by-Dying
Nine False Gods
Dark Nights
Letting Go into Love
Eve's Lesson to Adam
The Wisdom of Silence
The Value of Meditation
Trust in Open Space
Spirituality as Faith in God	121	(16)
God and Eric Falling
Courage in Suffering
Paul's Widening into Faith
Seeing through the Swirling
There Is Something More
There Is a Grace Sufficient to Each Moment
There Is a Wideness in God's Mercy
All Will Be Well
Even the Stars Pray
A Cosmology for Centered Living	137	(22)
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
The Path of Righteousness
Right Thinking in the Age of Consumerism
Why Worldviews Matter
The Worldview of Consumerism
The Benefits of Consumerism
The Costs of Consumerism
Alternatives to the Consumerist Worldview
The Hope for a Sustainable Future
Process Theology: The Key Ideas
Conclusion
All That Really Matters	159	(2)
Notes	161