Four Catholic Pioneers in Missouri: Lamarque, Kenrick, Fox, and Hogan

Four Catholic Pioneers in Missouri: Lamarque, Kenrick, Fox, and Hogan
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 87
Release: 2022-12-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666762148

This is a book about four Roman Catholic pioneers—explorers and developers—whose lives crossed each other’s paths in Old Mines, Missouri, in the middle of the 1800s. Two of them were priests, and one of them was a bishop, then an archbishop. One was a laywoman, who was very generous with her riches. Three of them were not only of Irish descent but came from Ireland. The laywoman was French, and she came from Ste. Genevieve. The Great Potato Famine in Ireland in the 1840s brought all of them together in the oldest village in the state of Missouri: Old Mines. The potato famine brought many Irish to Missouri in the nineteenth century to farm, to build railroads, and to construct churches for worship. This is the story of pioneers Marie-Louise (Bolduc) Lamarque, Peter Richard Kenrick, James Fox, and John Joseph Hogan. Their lives crossed each other’s paths in Old Mines, Missouri, a lead-mining village about sixty miles south of St. Louis (before St. Louis existed) and about forty miles east of Ste. Genevieve (before Ste. Genevieve existed).

The Roman Catholic Lectionary and the Bible

The Roman Catholic Lectionary and the Bible
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 135
Release: 2024-06-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The bishops attending the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) decreed that the treasures of the Bible were to be opened for Roman Catholics by presenting a larger part of the Bible over three years. The first one-volume Lectionary, a collection of biblical texts appointed for worship on given days--what ultimately became four volumes plus a supplement in English--was published in Latin on September 30, 1970. The result of people seeing four volumes consisting of more pages than most Bibles was the erroneous thinking that they heard (read) the whole Bible every three years! The Lectionary edits the Bible. Biblical topics offensive to modern readers are omitted. Powerful biblical women are ignored. Biblical prophetic books are chopped by piecing together verses. There is no application of modern biblical analysis. The biblical passages presented in the Lectionary have been chosen to fit the liturgical year, even though the liturgical year did not exist when the Bible was written! The purpose of this book is to present some sobering statistics about the biblical texts found (and not found) in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, reach conclusions about them, and suggest alternate biblical texts for use in the Lectionary.

Spirituality for the Solitary

Spirituality for the Solitary
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2023-06-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666777269

This is a book about spirituality for the solitary, those people who live alone. In the past they were known as hermits, eremites, and anchorites; today they are known as pioneers, mountain men and women, widows, widowers, and people who choose to live alone in the country or in the city. They spend their days like other ordinary people taking care of daily chores, but also spending some time in prayer and meditation. The solitary life is alive and well, and it appears in all world religions. The solitary seeks solitude for prayer, meditation, self-awareness, and personal development. Living alone in a house or apartment begins to transform one’s life; a person sets off on the path of purpose, the path of integrity, the path of transcendence that lifts his or her heart, mind, and spirit to the divine presence, God, who transforms more and more as the solitary dives deeper and deeper. This book provides an in-depth exploration of spirituality for the solitary along with eight-part exercises designed to further enhance solitary spirituality. Included are prayers, psalms in contemporary English, and celebrations using natural things, such as water, oil, and fire.

Biblical Names for God

Biblical Names for God
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2023-11-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666789615

This book presents forty-two reflections on biblical names for God in an abecedarian (A through Z) format. The names, terms by which God is known, are not biblically exhaustive. These entries present spiritual reflections, grounded in Scripture, with Psalm responses, questions for meditation and/or journaling, and prayers designed to nourish spirituality at any time. Beginning with Abba, Alpha, and Ancient One, individual entries continue through the alphabet to Yahweh and Zion. By reflecting on forty-two biblical names for God, the reader comes to know better the Holy One, and, in so doing, is transformed.

Seasons of Biblical Spirituality

Seasons of Biblical Spirituality
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2023-07-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666782912

This book presents one hundred reflections on the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The seasons of the year bring change to people. Winter heating gives way to spring and summer air conditioning. The new life of spring—trees leafing, bulbs blooming, grass growing—brought about by rain turns into summer maintenance. Summer maintenance diminishes as the autumn chill begins to spread across the land, and T-shirts and shorts are exchanged for sweaters and jeans. Coats are brought out of the closet and prepared to be worn as frost forms on the lawn, snow falls from the sky, and ice forms on water. The changes that take place outside of us also take place inside us. Without noticing, we discover ourselves adapting as we pass from one season to another. All the reflections provided in this book begin with biblical passages that mention each specific season or some event that occurs as part of the season. The passage is followed by a reflection, a Psalm response, questions for meditation and/or journaling, and prayers designed to nourish one’s spirituality. The yearly process of passing from one season to another brings about transformation in us of which we may not be aware.

Smothered with Inexhaustible Mercy

Smothered with Inexhaustible Mercy
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2023-03-17
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1666768766

Smothered with Inexhaustible Mercy: An Anthology of Poems represents almost fifty years of well-known spiritual master Mark G. Boyer’s poetry writing. After writing seventy books of prose on spirituality and history, he has collected over two hundred of his poems and divided them into nineteen chapters (collections). You will find poems on Alaska, Christmas, Colorado, day and night, Easter, friendship, ocean, seasons, wind and rain, and more. Over the years, a few were published in now out-of-print journals, magazines, newspapers, and books, but most are taken from his handwritten files and organized according to themes, arranged alphabetically in this book. The poetry lover will find a variety of styles, rhythm, and length in this collection of poems that delve into the insight of things and people, because there is also more than what is at first perceived. As the title indicates, the author hopes that this book of poems smothers the reader with inexhaustible mercy.

The Signs of the New Temple

The Signs of the New Temple
Author: Tat Yu Lam
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2023-11-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666770086

Recent monographs on Johannine signs tend to focus on a single sign. Other studies that examine multiple signs mainly focus on the first half of John’s Gospel. In Christian circles, most preachers and believers remain preoccupied by the traditional view that John’s Gospel contains only seven signs. However, what constitutes a sign for John, and how signs function to achieve the purpose of the Gospel (John 20:30–31) is far from settled. Three features of this book explore important clues for solving this puzzle: (1) a fresh hypothesis that Jesus’s signs correspond to the four tabernacle signs (a pot of manna, Aaron’s staff, the bronze altar cover, and the bronze serpent), which makes sense given the tabernacle/temple theme of John’s Gospel; (2) a complete study that examines Johannine signs in the whole Gospel systematically to reveal how signs develop the book’s purpose; and (3) an adaptation of a sociolinguistic theory to examine the corresponding texts of the Old Testament and New Testament in light of how language functions in a social event. The author will show how Jesus’s signs fulfill the functions of the four tabernacle signs, and how Jesus’s crucifixion is the “all-inclusive” sign in witnessing to his identity.

His Mercy Endures Forever

His Mercy Endures Forever
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2024-03-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Because there is no single word that translates the Hebrew word hesed and the Greek word eleos, multiple words are used in English biblical translations. Mercy is the most frequently used word in English, but forgiveness, generosity, pity, and others are also used. Using 106 biblical texts gathered from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Old Testament Apocrypha, and the Christian Bible (New Testament), a representative sample of the various ways hesed and eleos are translated is presented in this book. Each entry consists of a short title, a few verses of Scripture, a reflection, a psalm response, a meditation/journal question, and a concluding prayer. The purpose of the book is to assist the reader’s development of spirituality, a deeper knowledge of divine mercy, meditation on how he or she has experienced it, and a closer relationship with God.

Divine Frustrations

Divine Frustrations
Author: Jason L. Moore
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 105
Release: 2023-11-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The Bible encourages believers to love God with all their hearts. Interestingly enough, there is no command to “like” God. Is the admonition to “like” God conspicuously absent due to its inherent difficulty? If we are honest, we can safely affirm that there are unlikable realities about our world that critics allege reflect poorly on the perceived nature of God. However, there is a lack of awareness regarding alternative ways to understand such realities. Divine Frustrations is an attempt to bridge that gap by providing a balanced, engaging approach to revisiting the unpleasant aspects of God’s dealings with humanity. Drawing on decades of interactions with students, atheists, critics, inmates, and church members, as well as people from all walks of life, Moore offers reflections on both sides of the most common complaints leveled against God. Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, your approach to various topics will be challenged. If you are open to considering alternatives to what you believe, as well as new insights into your own views, read on.

More Shelbydog Chronicles

More Shelbydog Chronicles
Author: Mark G. Boyer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 95
Release: 2024-02-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

This book continues The Shelbydog Chronicles by Shelby Cole, in which Shelby, a sixty-pound Labrador-Boxer mix, narrates the events of the first ten years of her life. As she approaches her twelfth birthday, she has delegated her friend, Mark G. Boyer, to write More Shelbydog Chronicles. Boyer shares the experiences he has had with Shelbydog in twenty-seven short reflections with the goal of fostering reflection on how one’s life intersects with one’s pet. At the end of each chapter are reflection questions designed to help the readers get to know their pets better and get to know themselves better, too. Just as Shelbydog has changed Boyer’s physical and spiritual life, the readers will become aware of how their pets have changed their own physical and spiritual lives.