Jan Johnson – författare

Popular music compels, it entertains, and it has the power to attract and move audiences. With that in mind, the editors of Indigenous Pop showcase the contributions of American Indian musicians to popular forms of music, including jazz, blues, country-western, rock and roll, reggae, punk, and hip hop. From Joe Shunatona and the United States Indian Reservation Orchestra to Jim Pepper, from Buffy Saint-Marie to Robbie Robertson, from Joy Harjo to Lila Downs, Indigenous Pop vividly addresses the importance of Native musicians and popular musical genres, establishing their origins and discussing what they represent. Arranged both chronologically and according to popular generic forms, the book gives Indigenous pop a broad new meaning. In addition to examining the transitive influences of popular music on Indigenous expressive forms, the contributors also show ways that various genres have been shaped by what some have called the ""Red Roots"" of American-originated musical styles. This recognition of mutual influence extends into the ways of understanding how music provides methodologies for living and survival. Each in-depth essay in the volume zeros in on a single genre and in so doing exposes the extraordinary whole of Native music. This book showcases the range of musical genres to which Native musicians have contributed and the unique ways in which their engagement advances the struggle for justice and continues age-old traditions of creative expression.

Most of us have experienced the 'laundry list' phase of spiritual life in which praying means giving God an agenda of needs to handle. Going deeper in prayer and practicing God's presence helps us to draw closer to God.

God challenges us to serve out of love for him and his people. What can we do to ensure that our motives are pure? Service done in secret can help us delight in the work he does in us.

Lectio divina is a practice of Scripture reading that treats the Bible not only as a text to be examined, but also as the living Word of God spoken anew to us. Traditionally, Lectio Divina has four separate steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. Experienced Bible teacher Jan Johnson presents forty Scripture meditations organised topically, giving us the tools we need to practice Lectio Divina on our own. Each meditation can be used both individually and in group settings, and includes: An introduction to the meditation encouraging a time of quiet preparatory exercise; the complete passage from Scripture with explanations, context, and background to the text, help to enter and absorb the text; space to contemplate the passage, respond to God in prayer and rest in his presence; and an exercise to implement the ideas of the passage in our daily lives. Meeting God in Scripture moves us beyond merely understanding what the text meant in its original context to a direct spiritual encounter with Christ.

Reading the Bible is one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can engage in. Why is Bible study so significant? How can our attitude and approach affect what we get out of our reading? Learning to immerse ourselves in God's thoughts through study and meditation allows us to go deeper into God's Word and live in a more Christlike way. This six-session LifeBuilder Bible Study from Jan Johnson helps us do just that.Previously published as part of the Spiritual Disciplines Study Series

How do we practice real conversation with God? Instead of prayer becoming an agenda of our needs for God to handle, how can we experience his presence as part of our everyday life? How do we hear what he is saying back to us? As we explore the disciplines of prayer and listening through these six sessions, we will draw closer to God in everything that we do.