Meaning in the Moment: How Rituals Help Us Move Through Joy, Pain, and Everything in Between - Paperback

by Amy F. Davis Abdallah (Author), W. David O. Taylor (Foreword by)

Life has its ups and downs, and it can feel like we're always in the middle of a transition.

Whether it's a painful end or a joyful beginning--or even an uncertain middle--theologian and minister Amy Davis Abdallah has found something that helps: rituals. In Meaning in the Moment, she shows why we need rituals to help survive and even thrive through various seasons of life.

Starting with the foundation that rituals are a core, and underexplored, part of Christian practice, Davis Abdallah draws from theology, psychology, and personal experiences in creating rituals for herself and others. She offers practical guidance for readers to create their own meaningful rituals, including three types requiring varying levels of planning and participation: right now, with friends, and at church.

Readers will emerge with fresh ways to bring their faith to life for themselves, their families, and their church communities--and ready to experience the transformative power of rituals. The book includes a foreword by W. David O. Taylor.

Back Jacket

An Invitation to Discover the Transformative Power of Rituals

Life has its ups and downs, and it can feel like we're always in the middle of a transition.

Whether it's a painful end, an uncertain middle, or a joyful beginning, Amy Davis Abdallah has found something that helps: rituals. In Meaning in the Moment, she shows why we need rituals to survive and even thrive through various seasons of life. She also provides practical guidance for creating our own meaningful rituals.

"Davis Abdallah gives us a feast of ritual thinking and actual rituals to ponder and practice. This is not just a book about rituals; it helps us navigate our ritualed world with a trustworthy guide."
--Dru Johnson, author of Human Rites and Knowledge by Ritual

"If life's transitions find you confused, discouraged, and stuck, this is your book!"
--Mimi Haddad, president, Christians for Biblical Equality International

"Davis Abdallah gives us the permission we never knew we needed to create rituals for the mundane and the extraordinary moments in our lives."
--Julie Tai, director of chapel and community worship, Fuller Theological Seminary; cofounder, Kinship Commons

"Davis Abdallah offers meaningful tools for creating rituals that help us process loss, move through life's challenges with grace, and celebrate the good."
--Wanda Velez, vice president for student development and dean of students, Alliance University

"Davis Abdallah helps the reader frame and form rituals that are deeply personal and highly liturgical."
--Charles O. Galbreath, senior pastor, Alliance Tabernacle, Brooklyn; associate dean, Alliance Theological Seminary

"Davis Abdallah has given Christians a beautiful gift in inviting us into the transformative power of rituals in all of life. Anyone will benefit from this book."
--Constance M. Cherry, professor emeritus of worship and pastoral ministries, Indiana Wesleyan University; professor, Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies

Author Biography

Amy F. Davis Abdallah (PhD, Drew University) is professor of practical theology and worship at Alliance University. She is the founder and director of Woman: Rite of Passage, the author of The Book of Womanhood, and a frequent speaker. Her work has been featured in Christianity Today, Missio Alliance, and CBE International, and she has spoken at the Missio Alliance Awakenings Gathering and the North American Academy of Liturgy. She lives with her husband and two sons in Sparkill, New York.