Issue #118, July/August 2008. $15/6 issues digital IFJ;
Full LMI Website Access: $25/12 mos. (includes 1yr IFJ subscription)
2006 COVR Visionary Awards Finalist
Coming Themes:
Issue 119 - Spiritual Service
This can mean many things to many people, from working in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter to wacky stuff like editing a journal for spiritual education. Some commit their whole lives to a path of service, even when it is a controversial or when it requires they sacrifice everything to do so. Others choose to do a "good turn" daily or regularly, as a way of offering to Spirit or giving back to the community. Have you committed to a spiritual path of service? What place do "good works" have in your spirituality? How do your actions reflect or even reinforce your spirituality? Do you have guidelines for your spiritual service? How do you view the service of charitable giving? Do donations of food, clothing, possessions, money, time and energy promote spiritual welfare? If so, how? Do you have guidelines for spiritual giving? What about when you are in need of service? Do you turn only to others of your own faith? How can we reach out in service to practitioners of religions that differ from our own? What are the different ways we can offer service as a spiritual act? (Submission deadline passed)
Issue 120 - Creativity
Where does creativity come from? What does your faith teach you about the source of creativity? How does creativity relate to the common person? Are we born with creativity or is it a cultivated trait? Is creativity a spiritual characteristic? What if our creative efforts offend the religious tenets of another's faith or step boldly outside the bounds of accepted social mores? Do we give up our freedom of expression in the process of respecting religious teachings of others or express ourselves in whatever way we see fit without concern for the feelings of others? How do we resolve such clashes between our creative freedoms and our social and religious sensibilities? (Submission deadline 8/15/08)
Issue 121 - Solace
Many people turn to their faith for solace in times of stress or crisis. But solace can also be the spiritual "apple a day" for those who remain in regular touch with their source of spiritual peace. Where and how do you reach for solace within your spirituality? What triggers your retreat to faith-based comfort? In what ways do you use your faith to offer or receive moral support in times of trouble? How can we offer guidance or advice to others from differing faiths? (Submission deadline 10/15/08)
Issue 122 - Faith and Family
Some say that faith is, or should be, a family affair. Do you include your children and your entire family in your spiritual practice? How does your family worship or honor the Divine together? If your practice is a solitary affair, how does your family fit into your faith? What are our parental responsibilities when it comes to passing on our beliefs? How does the morality and ethical system we practice as a family relate to our spiritual tradition? Does your family include honoring the ancestors in its spiritual practice? What are some of the different ways spiritual culture can affect our families? Do you have a spiritual family, one that is based on spiritual belief instead of blood? What other connections you see between faith and family? (Submission deadline 12/15/08)
Issue 123 - Spiritual Awakening
Many people of faith feel that they have had a moment of awakening, an experience of the Divine that has brought into focus their own connection to that Source. Have you had such an experience? What brought it about, and where has it led you since? Are there different levels of spiritual awareness? What is a dark night of the soul? What are the physical and emotional signs of spiritual awakening? What happens when someone undergoes a spiritual awakening? Do personal spiritual epiphanies or enlightenments always bring about blatant changes in a person's capabilities and life direction? Why do these changes happen? How do we deal with our own and others' fears of the changes that may come about due to spiritual awakening? Can spiritual awakening be taught, or does it have to be experienced? Can someone else "activate" an individual so that person becomes enlightened? Do people "get religion" or become enlightened after surviving lightning strikes or other disasters? In some cultures, a person could not become a shaman unless they had suffered an extreme illness or injury. Other traditions say that only by suffering is growth bought. Is suffering necessary for spiritual awakening? Do we need to sacrifice, to assume an ascetic lifestyle in order to achieve such awakening? (Submission deadline 2/15/09)
Issue 124 - Faith and Mercy
What are the roles of justice and/or compassion/mercy when it comes to judgement? (Still fleshing this out) (Submission deadline 4/15/09)
Issue 125 - Gratitude
What is gratitude? When do we feel this emotion? When should we feel it? Do you keep a gratitude journal? Where does one draw the line between needing more and wanting more? How does greed stifle gratitude? How can we be grateful even when our lives are difficult and challenging? How can we express our gratitude? (Still fleshing this out) (Submission deadline 6/15/09)
Issue 126 - TBA
(Submission deadline 8/15/09)
Issue 127 - TBA
(Submission deadline 10/15/09)
Issue 128 - TBA
(Submission deadline 12/15/09)
- Ad inquiries: advertising@ifjournal.org
- Event Notices: events@ifjournal.org
- IAB Submissions: ifsandsbuts@ifjournal.org
- Letters: if@ifjournal.org
- Poll Responses: poll@ifjournal.org
- Questions: info@ifjournal.org
- Submissions: submissions@ifjournal.org
- Website: webmaster@ifjournal.org
To submit articles, photos, poems, artwork, etc. for publication in If... Journal, send them (include research sources where applicable, please) to the submissions e-mail address or to the address given above. We do not advise sending originals; we cannot return hard-copy submissions without a SASE with adequate postage. Click here for complete submission guidelines or mail a request with SASE.
If ... Journal
PO Box 61007
Virginia Beach, VA 23466
(757) 539-4523 ph; (757) 539-6929 fax
http://www.ifjournal.org
If... Journal is published digitally six times per year by LISTEN Media, Inc. (http://www.listenmedia.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to foster mutual respect and understanding between diverse faith groups by serving as an information, education and networking resource to spiritual seekers. Contributors accept responsibility for accuracy of their information and compliance with copyright laws; while we attempt to ensure the accuracy of our articles, neither LMI nor If... Journal is responsible for errors, omissions or inaccuracies presented in our pages. Items submitted without a SASE with adequate postage cannot be returned. Submissions are the property of the author/artist/photographer. For complete submission guidelines, send SASE to address above, or check our website. All materials herein © 2008. All rights reserved. Opinions and truths expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the management or staff of LMI or If ... Journal; we make no claims regarding effectiveness of the practices and procedures included herein.