Since the ending of Vatican II, the church has officially published no fewer than eight major documents calling for adults to be the center of the church’s educational mission. And the Catholic faithful are calling on the church to quench their thirst for a deepening of their lived faith. They realize that the catechesis they received as children simply isn’t enough to continue in the faith as adults in the church and world; they desire a deepened faith. In Deepening Faith, Janet Schaeffler, OP, offers a practical guide and source of encouragement to parish and diocesan committees, catechists, and adult faith formation teams. She outlines the essential foundations, methods and strategies that can support this journey for today’s adults of all ages and generations.
Grace is a gift God gives freely, but should our response to God's grace end when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? Is there more? Letting God's Word Speak is a collection of topics built on solid scriptural references through which we can deepen our relationship with the triune God. The philosophy "know what you believe and why you believe it" is reinforced throughout the pages of this book. It will open up new revelations to familiar texts and simultaneously challenge you to further hear, explore, and understand God's Word. It will encourage you to "work out your own salvation" by surrendering your will to Him and striving daily to be more like Christ while savoring the trust you have in God's love.
During our chaotic times, discover five forgotten values that can spark internal growth and help us reconcile our Christian faith with the complexities of race, sexuality, and social justice. WINNER OF THE CHRISTIANITY TODAY BOOK AWARD Most believers live in the state of “being a Christian” without ever being deeply formed by Christ. Our pace is too frenetic to be in union with God, and we don’t know how to quiet our hearts and minds to be present. Our emotions are unhealthy and compartmentalized. We feel unable to love well or live differently from the rest of the world—to live as people of the good news. New York pastor Rich Villodas says we must restore balance, focus, and meaning for our souls. The Deeply Formed Life lays out a fresh vision for spiritual breakthrough following five key values: • Contemplative Rhythms Value: slowing down our lives to be with God. • Racial Justice Value: examining a multi-layered approach to pursuing racial justice and reconciliation. • Interior Examination Value: looking beneath the surface of our lives to live free and love well. • Sexual Wholeness Value: exploring how our sexuality connects with our spirituality. • Missional Presence Value: living as the presence of Christ in a broken world. The Deeply Formed Life is a roadmap to live in the richly rooted place we all yearn for: a place of communion with God, a place where we find our purpose. Praise for The Deeply Formed Life “The Deeply Formed Life is a book for our time. Honest, wise, insightful, funny, and—above all—deep. The way Rich and New Life Fellowship hold emotional health and racial justice together is beyond inspiring. This is spiritual formation for the future of the church.”—John Mark Comer, pastor of teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church and author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry “I’ve studied the Bible under Pastor Rich’s leadership for close to a decade. The core values he shares in this book serve as guidance, not only for how we should live as Christians in an ever-changing world but also for how we can live a life of purpose—that consistently and enthusiastically points to Jesus.”—Susan Kelechi Watson, actress from the awardwinning television series This Is Us
How can I strengthen my faith? Do I really know God? God invites all of us to grow in spiritual intimacy with Him, and it's important for Christians to evaluate the depth of their faith and look for ways to deepen it in their everyday lives. What we believe about God is likely to define the degree to which we become like him in character. And God's Word—the Bible—is the reference to which we must return continually to compare what we believe with what God desires for us. In Pursuing a Deeper Faith, Dr. Charles Stanley uses Scripture as the frame of reference for our understanding of God, Jesus Christ, and faith. You'll learn how to tell if you are growing spiritually and what you can do to increase your intimacy with your Creator. With over 1 million copies sold, the Charles F. Stanley Bible Study Series is a unique approach to Bible study, incorporating biblical truth, personal insights, emotional responses, and a call to action. Each study draws on Dr. Stanley's many years of teaching the guiding principles found in God’s Word, showing how we can apply them in practical ways to every situation we face. Each of the ten lessons includes: A brief look at what is covered in the lesson. A teaching from Dr. Stanley that unpacks the topic of the lesson. Application and Bible study questions based on the key points. Key takeaways to put into practice today and tomorrow.
In The Culturally Savvy Christian—his incisive critique of contemporary culture and religion—Dick Staub concludes that though it is influential, American popular culture is generally superficial (diversionary, mindless, and celebrity-driven) spiritually delusional (moralistic, therapeutic, and deistic) and soulless (sustained not by art, craft, and ideas, but by the mad pursuit of profit—propped up by marketing and technology). Similarly American Christianity has devolved into its own mindless, diversionary, and celebrity-driven superficiality. Because humans are created in God's image with spiritual, intellectual, creative, moral, and relational capacities, we long for more, yet the true seeker faces the lose-lose alternatives of a soul-numbing culture and a vacuous Christianity-lite. The renaissance we need in both faith and culture will originate in a deep spiritual renewal that restores God's image in us and creates a new breed of culturally savvy, thoughtful creatives who rekindle the spiritual, intellectual, and creative legacy of Christians as enrichers of culture.
Did you ever wish there was more to your Christian life? Too often the Christian life is reduced to going to church, attending meetings, serving God, and doing devotions. But Jesus promised us abundant life – a deep, intimate, satisfying connection with the living God. How do we access the abundant life that Jesus promised? The key is the presence and life of the Holy Spirit within us. Jesus said that the Spirit of God flows within us like a river – He is the River of Life. But we need to dwell in the river in order to access the Spirit’s fullness. In his latest book, Dr. Rob Reimer offers a deep look at life in the Spirit and provides practical strategies for dwelling in the River of Life. We will explore the fullness of the Spirit, tuning into the promptings of the Spirit, walking in step with the Spirit, and developing sensitivity to the presence of the God in our lives. This resource will guide you toward becoming a full-time river dweller, even in the midst of life’s most difficult seasons when the river seems to run low. Together let's become River Dwellers, living where the fullness of God flows so that we can carry living water to a world dying of thirst!
We all have doubts that challenge our faith. We wonder whether the Bible still matters, or whether God is truly as loving and personal as we hope. In his first ever devotional, The Logic of God, apologist Ravi Zacharias offers 52 readings that explain how and why Christianity, the Bible, and God are still relevant, vital, and life-changing for us today. To all our dilemmas Ravi says, "I am convinced that Jesus Christ alone uniquely answers the deepest questions of our hearts and minds." With a remarkable grasp of biblical facts and a deep understanding of the questions that trouble our hearts, Ravi tackles the most difficult topics with ease and understanding. But The Logic of God is more than intellectual; it is also personal, offering thoughtful wisdom on: when Jesus draws especially near you the deep ray of hope found in God's Word how God transforms disappointments why prayer matters how genuine peace is possible making sense of suffering The Logic of God is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller. The Logic of God was named the 2020 ECPA Christian Book Award winner for Bible Study category. Ravi makes profound biblical truth easy to understand. And if your life is busy, this book is designed for you! It addresses 52 topics that you can read over the course of one year or slowly digest at your own pace. Each entry includes a scripture, questions for reflection, and some practical application steps. When you're struggling with questions and doubts, confused, curious, or just want a clearer way to express your faith The Logic of God has answers that satisfy the heart and the mind.
The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.
God isn't looking for heroes of faith. A thriving relationship with God is not built on our perfect performance but on our trust in a gracious Savior. Hebrews 11 reveals one superhero"š€š"Jesus. Our God delights in flawed followers who trust him in the daily aspects of their lives. He designed spiritual growth to be an ongoing journey of faith and delights in who you are becoming. By exploring the lives of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, Little Faith, Big God will inspire you to persevere in your faith through the examples of biblical men and women who failed, got up again, finished well, and were commended by God. With biblical principles to separate false hope from real faith, present-day stories to encourage you, and guiding questions to invite personal reflection, application, and discussion, Little Faith, Big God will equip you to trade your self-made superhero cape for a dynamic, grace-filled relationship with our big God.
