Women, Spirituality, and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power [Hardcover]

Kathe Schaaf (Author), Kay Lindahl (Author), Kathleen S. Hurty (Author), Guo Cheen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2011

The world is in crisis and it seems that many are looking to women to heal the planet and our human family. Before women can step into our full potential as leaders and guides in this moment, we must individually reconnect with our deepest wisdom and with our spiritual roots; collectively heal the many dimensions of separation that keep us fragmented and ineffective as agents of social change; and globally reclaim our rightful place as spiritual leaders in service of a balanced and compassionate new paradigm.
This empowering resource engages women in an interactive exploration of the challenges and opportunities on the frontier of women's spiritual leadership. Through the voices of North American women representing a matrix of diversity--ethnically, spiritually, religiously, generationally and geographically--this book will inspire women to new expressions of their own personal leadership and invite them into powerful collaborative action. Topics include:
* How do our spiritual values inform us about living with the challenges and blessings of diversity?
* How do we stand for the greatness of each other?
* How do we catalyze our collective transformational power as women of spirit and faith?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Showcases [women s spiritual leadership s] hallmarks: listening and collaboration. Use the provocative, creative suggestions as a practical guide for sharing the insights and extending the reach. --Mary Hunt, co-founder/co-director, Women s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER); coeditor, New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views

An essential tool, an exciting read and a gift on the journey toward a transformed future. --Dirk Ficca, executive director, Council for the Parliament of the World s Religions

Full of wisdom and speaks the truth on difficult issues.... For people of all faiths or no faith it helps spark reflection on how true spirituality for our time can be re-shaped by empowering women. --Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, editor, New Jewish Feminism: Probing the Past, Forging the Future

About the Author

Kathe Schaaf, a co-founder of Gather the Women Global Matrix, has convened numerous collaborative conversations engaging women and women's organizations.
Kay Lindahl, a Certified Listening Professional and founder of The Listening Center, is author of The Sacred Art of Listening.
Kathleen S.Hurty, PhD, a teaching fellow in leadership studies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, is an educator, a grant writer and a public speaker.
Reverend Guo Cheen is an ordained Buddhist nun. All four are ambassadors for the Council for the Parliament of World Religions and co-conveners of Women of Spirit and Faith.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Pub (November 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594733139
• ISBN-13: 978-1594733130
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you! November 10, 2011

By Naomi M. Strand

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I started reading last night, and your book brought me to tears. Here, on paper, written by bright, wise women, were words that affirmed my life experience and perspective. Here are people who view the world with the vision of hope and wholeness as I do, who don't think I'm crazy and don't push me to the margins. Thank you so very much. Your book will help to transform me, other women, and I hope, our whole culture. I'd like to buy a gross of these books to give to so many women out there I know in so many places who need to be affirmed and empowered by your message. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must reading! December 23, 2011

By Carol Marshall

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with this collection of essays. I purchased several copies to give to my women friends, especially those in the mid-stage of their lives. It offers humorous as well as heart-breaking stories of women's strenth and empowerment found, of course, in the lives of every woman. Please give it a read. It's worth it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't get enough March 22, 2012

By Ahlowen

Format:Hardcover

I bought this book after going to a book signing circle conversation led by Kathe Schaaf. She is wise, authentic, and generous. Her presence is incredibly grounding, loving, and calming. Women's leadership seems to be a growing buzz word, with many wishing to profit jumping on the bandwagon to hang their shingle. This book, and its authors are the REAL DEAL, grassroots women sharing their hard-won insights, learnings and visions in order to help other women settle more confidently into themselves as leaders and truth tellers in a world so parched for both. The ideas expressed are profoundly important ones, not just fluff, but rather truly world-changing ideas that when taken together lay a roadmap for humanity's destiny in abundance, wisdom, and grace. This book has incredible depth, breadth, and reach, drawing from women with different religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The women's stories gently touch upon common threads and naturally lead us to the conclusion that we are much more alike than we are different. It feels as though each essayist is sitting in a circle of friends and telling her story from her heart, in her most authentic voice - raw, vulnerable, and sincere. We are longing to tell and hear these stories, we need these stories, and I found that when the book was done, I was wishing the storytelling could go on and on. As soon as I can, I plan to buy a copy for every woman I love. It has been long time since I've felt strongly enough about any book to do so.