Based upon addresses given to Anglican audiences in North America and Australia, Bill Countryman directly confronts the challenges that face Anglicans and other Western Christians at a time of internal division and increasing indifference to religion on the part of educated elites. He regards these challenges as a work of the Holy Spirit, who is clearing the ground for a new era of building, and help readers start thinking about what kind of future the Spirit is leading us toward. The book begins by presenting the Spirit as a demolition expert, endeavoring to shake us out of our complacency. It then focuses on three central elements of Christian faith and life: the image of Jesus, the sacraments, and the scriptures, and notes some different ways in which we have seen and utilized them over the ages. It holds out the communion of saints as the key to understanding the ongoing value of the church today. It calls faithful people of all stripes to reject our tendency to turn God’s gifts into idols and to rediscover a humility that will be open to the rebuilding that must now be done with the leadership of the Spirit.
Based upon addresses given to Anglican audiences in North America and Australia, Bill Countryman directly confronts the challenges that face Anglicans and other Western Christians at a time of internal division and increasing indifference to religion on the part of educated elites. He regards these challenges as a work of the Holy Spirit, who is clearing the ground for a new era of building, and help readers start thinking about what kind of future the Spirit is leading us toward. The book begins by presenting the Spirit as a demolition expert, endeavoring to shake us out of our complacency. It then focuses on three central elements of Christian faith and life: the image of Jesus, the sacraments, and the scriptures, and notes some different ways in which we have seen and utilized them over the ages. It holds out the communion of saints as the key to understanding the ongoing value of the church today. It calls faithful people of all stripes to reject our tendency to turn God’s gifts into idols and to rediscover a humility that will be open to the rebuilding that must now be done with the leadership of the Spirit.
What does it mean to be a white settler on land taken from peoples who have lived there since time immemorial? In the context of reconciliation and Indigenous resurgence, Unsettling Spirit provides a personal perspective on decolonization, informed by Indigenous traditions and lifeways, and the need to examine one's complicity with colonial structures. Applying autoethnography grounded in Indigenous and feminist methodologies, Denise Nadeau weaves together stories and reflections on how to live with integrity on stolen and occupied land. The author chronicles her early and brief experience of "Native mission" in the late 1980s and early 1990s in northern Canada and Chiapas, Mexico, and the gradual recognition that she had internalized colonialist concepts of the "good Christian" and the Great White Helper. Drawing on somatic psychotherapy, Nadeau addresses contemporary manifestations of helping and the politics of trauma. She uncovers her ancestors' settler background and the responsibilities that come with facing this history. Caught between two traditions – born and raised Catholic but challenged by Indigenous ways of life – the author traces her engagement with Indigenous values and how relationships inform her ongoing journey. A foreword by Cree-Métis author Deanna Reder places the work in a broader context of Indigenous scholarship. Incorporating insights from Indigenous ethical and legal frameworks, Unsettling Spirit offers an accessible reflection on possibilities for settler decolonization as well as for decolonizing Christian and interfaith practice.
Strategic thinking about ministry and mission has tended to focus on the challenges of communication and presentation. Less attention has been paid to the effects that this thinking has on ministry. There is an unacknowledged dilemma for churches insofar as they are caught between the challenge to re-shape ministry in response to cultural change and the belief that there are certain God-given, immutable foundations for ministerial order that must be retained. Arguing that what is needed is a provisional approach to ministry which recognises that all forms of ministry are, and always have been a response to social and cultural context, this book brings theological and practical insight to bear on the question of ministry’s provisionality. In the end, it asks, is the only way through this dilemma a kind of Ecclesianarchy?
ECPA BESTSELLER • A compelling emotional and spiritual case against hurry and in favor of a slower, simpler way of life “As someone all too familiar with ‘hurry sickness,’ I desperately needed this book.”—Scott Harrison, New York Times best-selling author of Thirst “Who am I becoming?” That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.
A Spiritual Journey - A Love Story - A Search for Truth An extraordinary spiritual encounter has left psychotherapist Tessa Lynne in a quandary. Her intuition tells her to believe--her logical mind wants proof. A series of surreal events unfolds, forcing her to question her judgment and to examine her beliefs. Each time she thinks she knows the truth of her experience, she is tested again. Tessa is told of our life purpose, about life after death, and of a long-lost destiny, named Michael. Then she learns that he is dying. She reaches out to him spiritually and he sees her in a dream. They have visions of past lives, are surrounded by The Light. Is it possible that Michael might survive? Could their destinies be restored? Who holds that power? Events predicted to Tessa in 1995 have since come to pass. What she was told then resonates more strongly now, more than twenty years later. Discover why she was approached, learn more about the Invisible Choir, and use her story to reflect on the course of your own life journey.
This book is being published as gift to the Chaminade-Nativity Community of Faith - It is they who brought me from a very dark place into the light. They restored my faith and gave me hope. Like Ezekiel’s vision (37) in the graveyard, I received the Holy Spirit and came to life! This is my gift to them. I have published it to preserve 40 years of private revelation given to me by the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Lord wants it published to remind us that we are well loved, that he is alive and well in his church, and that He died for all mankind. In the Catholic Church, these words are considered “private revelation”, as distinguished from the Scriptures or the official teachings and doctrine of the Catholic Church. As such, they require consultation and discernment as to their authenticity. Before publication they were submitted to the Magisterium of the Archdiocese of Miami (as the conscience of the community) and found to be free of doctrinal or moral error. This process is known as receiving the Imprimatur – see on page 3. As members of the Charismatic Renewal part of each meeting is devoted to listening to the Lord and speaking out a word He may have for us. We call it “prophecy”. Its authenticity is discerned by the community. We believe that prophecy is one of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us to guide, correct, encourage, and build community, reminding us that God remains with His church and continues to reveal Himself to us. Prophecy is ordinarily spoken out spontaneously, not written as mine is. Over the years I wondered why my prophecy was written, until I started to prepare this book for publication. It was then that I realized that He knew 40 years ago that He wanted this book to be published. Had they been given spontaneously they would not have been written down and I would not have had them to publish. It had taken me 40 years to see it. Two books, God Calling and Jesus Calling were the inspiration for the title of the book. These two authors, looking for a reason to go on living, found no consolation in their desperate prayers. In a final effort they decided to pray as usual, listen and write down anything they thought could be a response from God. In their listening a dialogue began that flowered into relationship. Something interesting happened in the process of publication. Because many people, when they read some of the words thought that it was poetry I had written myself, I wanted to assure that everyone knew that I was not the author of the book but that I was, like the other two authors, only a listener and collector of the words. This was made clear in the Introduction and Conclusion of the book. After much thought I decided that under these circumstances it would be best to use a pen name rather than my own and had fun picking one out – A.L. Istener (a listener). After sending the name in to the publisher I had lunch with a friend and colleague who is Hungarian. “Isten”, she said, means “God” in Hungarian. He had figured that out too. Oddity: Most of the words have no punctuation – After praying about it, my understanding is that those who know his voice know his inflections also, which makes punctuation unnecessary. I like the sound of it better myself without it. It is my hope that those who read this book do so using the following method – His favorite invitation “Come here, climb into My arms. Let Me cradle you right here, close to My heart. Can you hear it beating? I just want to love you.” I guarantee that you will be able to recognize his voice too.
"Christopher White's Unsettled Minds makes clear how important new psychologies of religion were for those Protestants navigating their way out of Calvinism and evangelical revivalism. Just as his religious liberals remapped mind and spirit, White has remapped the historical terrain of religion and psychology in American culture. He spotlights not a cultural world absorbed with ecstasy, altered states, or mythic depths, but instead one riveted on measured stages of spiritual growth and effective habits of self-discipline."—Leigh Eric Schmidt, Princeton University "An important contribution to the growing literature on the history of religious experience and of the distinctive dynamics of Christian interiority in the modern U.S."—Robert Orsi, Northwestern University "Today, when brain researchers and psychologists are again attempting to explain religion, this remarkable study suggests that we should not be surprised to see religious believers creatively embracing new scientific findings and making use of them for religious purposes unexpected by scientists."—Ann Taves, author of Fits, Trances, and Visions
Rick Renner unearths a rich treasure trove of truths in his remarkable devotional. Drawing from an extensive study of both the English Bible and New Testament Greek, Rick illuminates 365 passages with more than 1,285 in-depth Greek word studies. Far from intellectualizing, he blends his solid instruction with practical applications and refreshing insights. Find challenge, reassurance, comfort, and reminders of God's abiding love and healing every day of the year.
Here Be Wonders: The Gospel’s Pulse in Unsettled Times delights in stories about God’s goodness and mercy at work (and at play!) in surprising people and situations. Yet it can be unnerving when faith communities find themselves off the known map, surprised by what they haven’t seen (and maybe don’t want to). In the middle of inevitable fears, and whether or not we say a wholehearted “yes,” God keeps calling us to be present in wonder stories like these about unforeseen consequences, unscripted happenings, interruptions, and improbabilities in parish ministry. Sometimes these experiences turn inherited expectations upside-down. Often, they challenge stereotypes and reveal that people are more capable and gifted than we thought. The stories in Here Be Wonders reveal glimpses of God’s imagination and invite the church forward into new life. Organized by the seasons of the church year, these stories are meant for individual and group reflection.
