John R Mabry

Salvation of the True Rock: The Sufi Poetry of Najat Ozkaya John R Mabry

Publisher Marketing: Najat Ozkaya was born in Konya, Turkey, in the 14th century CE. His father was a Sufi teacher, and Najat assumed his mantle upon his death. Najat's poetry is similar to the Sufi poetry of Rumi or Hafiz, centered on the relationship of the soul with its Beloved, Allah. Najat's writings were thought to be lost to the world, until religion scholar John Mabry discovered a hand-copied manuscript in the Bu Bir aka mosque. Translating in the free, contemporary style of Coleman Barks' Rumi or Daniel Ladinsky's renderings of Hafiz, Mabry has brought Najat back to life, restoring his challenging yet oddly comforting poetry to the world. Contributor Bio:  Mabry, John R Rev. John R. Mabry, PhD, directs the interfaith spiritual direction certificate program at the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley and is adjunct faculty in the pastoral ministry program at Santa Clara University. A United Church of Christ minister, he is pastor of Grace North Church in Berkeley, California. He is the author of several books on spiritual direction and spirituality, including Faithful Generations: Effective Ministry across Generational Lines.