Heart to Heart--The Journey Outward
Heart to Heart--The Journey Outward

Author: Robert P. Vande Kappelle

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-01-20

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1666768081

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Whether religiously theists, atheists, agnostics, or simply seekers, each of us is on a journey of faith, spiraling through stages, seasons, or phases of spirituality. On this journey, we discover that spirituality is more caught than taught, and that faith, enriched more by subtraction than by addition, is more about unlearning than learning. At the center of Jesus’ life and message stands the exhortation to receive and share divine love. The two volumes of Heart to Heart, excerpted from Dr. Vande Kappelle’s published writings, examine the meaning and implications of the biblical Great Commandment to love God and others as oneself. Whereas the first volume examines the spiritual journey inward, this companion volume examines the journey outward. Ultimately there is only one spiritual journey—the journey Godward—and there is only one commandment. Divine love is the key to everything. Unloved people misbehave, fail to love, or fail to change. Loved people aren’t concerned with rules, regulations, or beliefs. Rather, because they are loved, they take proper care of themselves, and in so doing, care for nature and others as extensions of themselves. Heart to Heart is written for those who affirm the value of lifelong spiritual growth, realize the limits of logic, and embrace the paradoxes in life. If you are willing to commit less than ten minutes a day over a seven-month period, you will undertake a spiritual journey of epic proportions, guaranteed to transform you morally and spiritually. In addition, you will come to embrace Christianity as the transformative movement envisioned by Jesus for humanity, a way of life grounded in compassion, justice, service, humility, and love of others.

Heart to Heart—The Journey Inward
Heart to Heart—The Journey Inward

Author: Robert P. Vande Kappelle

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-01-20

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 1666716693

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Whether religiously theists, atheists, agnostics, or simply seekers, each of us is on a journey of faith, spiraling through stages, seasons, or phases of spirituality. On this journey, we discover that spirituality is more caught than taught, and that faith, enriched more by subtraction than by addition, is more about unlearning than learning. At the center of Jesus' life and message stands the exhortation to receive and share divine love. The two volumes of Heart to Heart, excerpted from Dr. Vande Kappelle's published writings, examine the meaning and implications of the biblical Great Commandment to love God and others as oneself. This volume examines the spiritual journey inward, and its companion volume, the journey outward. Ultimately there is only one spiritual journey--the journey Godward--and there is only one commandment. Divine love is the key to everything. Unloved people misbehave, fail to love, or fail to change. Loved people aren't concerned with rules, regulations, or beliefs. Rather, because they are loved, they take proper care of themselves, and in so doing, care for nature and others as extensions of themselves. Heart to Heart is written for those who affirm the value of lifelong spiritual growth, realize the limits of logic, and embrace the paradoxes in life. If you are willing to commit less than ten minutes a day over a seven-month period, you will undertake a spiritual journey of epic proportions, guaranteed to transform you morally and spiritually. In addition, you will come to embrace Christianity as the transformative movement envisioned by Jesus for humanity, a way of life grounded in compassion, justice, service, humility, and love of others.

Renovation of the Heart
Renovation of the Heart

Author: Dallas Willard

Publisher: Tyndale House

Published: 2014-02-27

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1615214550

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As Christians, we know that we are new creations in Jesus. So we try to act differently, hoping this will make us more like Him. But changing our outward behavior doesn’t change our hearts. Only by God’s grace can we be transformed internally. Renovation of the Heart lays a biblical foundation for understanding what best-selling author Dallas Willard calls the “transformation of the spirit”—a divine process that “brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God.” This fresh approach to spiritual growth explains the biblical reasons why Christians need to undergo change in six aspects of life: thought, feeling, will, body, social context, and soul. Willard also outlines a general pattern of transformation in each area, not as a sterile formula but as a practical process that you can follow without the guilt or perfectionism so many Christians wrestle with. Don’t settle for complacency. Accept the challenge Renovation of the Heart offers to become an intentional apprentice of Jesus Christ, changing daily as you walk with Him.

Our Life Is Love
Our Life Is Love

Author: Marcelle Martin

Publisher:

Published: 2016-02-19

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780997060409

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Our Life is Love describes the transformational spiritual journey of the first Quakers, who turned to the Light of Christ within and allowed it to be their guide. Many Friends today use different language, but are still called to make the same journey. In our time people seeking deeper access to the profound teachings of Christianity want more than just beliefs, they want direct experience. Focusing on ten elements of the spiritual journey, this book is a guide to a Spirit-filled life that affects this world. Quakers in the seventeenth century and today provide examples of people and communities living in the midst of the world whose radical understanding of Christ's teachings led them to become powerful agents of social change. The book offers a simple, clear explanation of the spiritual journey that is suitable not only for Quakers, but for all Christians, and for seekers wanting to better understand our spiritual experience and the fullness of God's call to us. The book would make an excellent focus for study groups. Marcelle Martin has led workshops at retreat centers and Quaker meetings across the United States. She served for four years as the resident Quaker Studies teacher at Pendle Hill and was a core teacher in the School of the Spirit program, The Way of Ministry. She is the author of the Pendle Hill pamphlets Invitation to a Deeper Communion and Holding One Another in the Light. In 2013 she was the Mullen Writing Fellow at Earlham School of Religion while working on this book.

Developing a Heart for God
Developing a Heart for God

Author: John Ortberg

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2003-12-02

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780310250326

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Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old Testament Developing a Heart for God There are some things in this life that always seem to be in high demand but short supply. Wisdom is one of them. In our fast-paced world of sound bites and canned answers, we need a source of deep wisdom that does not change with each new fad and trend. The Wisdom Books of the Bible offer rivers of truth that will refresh thirsting hearts and souls. Part of the Old Testament Challenge series, this teaching guide and resource book helps you craft eight messages on what the Wisdom Books have to say about developing a heart for God. As never before, your congregation will discover God's passion for loving his children and teaching them to grow in an authentic love for him and others. A Communicator's Toolkit for Teaching the Old Testament Having the right resources gives you a powerful edge in communicating the message of the Old Testament effectively in this media-driven, sensory-intensive culture. The Developing a Heart for God Teaching Guide helps you connect with minds, imaginations, and hearts. Designed to maximize your connection and impact, it is a communicator's toolbox for teaching your congregation lessons from the four-part Old Testament Challenge series. *Historical, cultural, and geographical backgrounds unlock the meanings of Bible passages. Transport your listeners thousands of years into the past so they can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the ancient world. *Illustrations, humorous stories, and word pictures engage the imagination and emotions, bringing home the timeless message of the Old Testament with clarity and freshness. *Creative applications help listeners make the leap from learning Old Testament lessons to living the Christian life. The genius of this teaching guide is its flexibility. Customize your messages from a treasury of resources. This revolutionary tool provides up to sixteen categories of material for each message. No need to spend countless hours doing research---a wealth of ideas and resources lies at your fingertips! Developing a Heart for God Teaching Guide includes: *Creative Message Ideas *Heart of the Message *Heart of the Messenger *Historical Context Notes *Illustrations *Interpretive Insights *Life Applications *Narrative on Life *Narrative on the Text *New Testament Connections *On the Lighter Side *Pause for Prayer *Pause for Reflection *Quotable Quotes *Significant Scriptures *Word Studies Other Old Testament Challenge Teaching Guides 1---Creating a New Community: Life-Changing Stories from the Pentateuch (9 Sessions) 2---Stepping Out in Faith: Life-Changing Examples from the History of Israel (7 Sessions) 4---Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity: Life-Changing Words from the Prophets (8 Sessions)

Mystical Hope
Mystical Hope

Author: Cynthia Bourgeault

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13: 1561011932

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In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows how to recognize hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.

The Inward Journey
The Inward Journey

Author: Gene Edwards

Publisher: Christian Books Publishing House

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 9780940232730

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Chris Young became a Christian a few months ago. Now he writes to his older, wiser Uncle Bill, "I'd like to ask you... what part suffering will play in my life." Uncle Bill responds, and thus begins a series of personal letters from the seasoned Christian worker to encourage and guide his young relative in the Christian life. As we read these letters, we too gain great help and insight into how God transforms our character and fashions us into the image of Christ. The cross, suffering, transformation and God's ultimate purpose are the issues that unfold in this unique book by Gene Edwards. Though written for the new believer, it speaks with a depth and newness that will arrest even the most mature believer. The story spans time, space and eternity to deliver its beautiful, moving and profound message. The Inward Journey is the third of a three-book series entitled "Introduction to the Deeper Christian Life."

Lightning Flowers
Lightning Flowers

Author: Katherine E. Standefer

Publisher: Little, Brown Spark

Published: 2020-11-10

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0316450359

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This "utterly spectacular" book weighs the impact modern medical technology has had on the author's life against the social and environmental costs inevitably incurred by the mining that makes such innovation possible (Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises). What if a lifesaving medical device causes loss of life along its supply chain? That's the question Katherine E. Standefer finds herself asking one night after being suddenly shocked by her implanted cardiac defibrillator. In this gripping, intimate memoir about health, illness, and the invisible reverberating effects of our medical system, Standefer recounts the astonishing true story of the rare diagnosis that upended her rugged life in the mountains of Wyoming and sent her tumbling into a fraught maze of cardiology units, dramatic surgeries, and slow, painful recoveries. As her life increasingly comes to revolve around the internal defibrillator freshly wired into her heart, she becomes consumed with questions about the supply chain that allows such an ostensibly miraculous device to exist. So she sets out to trace its materials back to their roots. From the sterile labs of a medical device manufacturer in southern California to the tantalum and tin mines seized by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a nickel and cobalt mine carved out of endemic Madagascar jungle, Lightning Flowers takes us on a global reckoning with the social and environmental costs of a technology that promises to be lifesaving but is, in fact, much more complicated. Deeply personal and sharply reported, Lightning Flowers takes a hard look at technological mythos, healthcare, and our cultural relationship to medical technology, raising important questions about our obligations to one another, and the cost of saving one life.

Our Exodus Story
Our Exodus Story

Author: Robert P. Vande Kappelle

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-07-06

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1666782793

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Every person has an exodus story, a vast, complex, multilayered spiritual journey. On the one hand, it is a biological journey from birth to death, and a social journey from infancy to adulthood. In this regard, it is a story of growing up, of leaving home and taking risks, of making mistakes and learning from them, of reaching goals and surpassing them. Our Exodus Story speaks of human life as a gossamer bridge that binds us as people with God, others, and with our inner being. This journey of faith is described as a “holy balancing act” between the three sources of authority for people of faith—experience, Scripture, and tradition. Bonded umbilically to one another and to God, each of us bears exodus-like and cross-like experiences. Personality and spirituality are deeply interrelated, so much that neither function adequately apart from the other. Though not identical, they strive to be in sync, balancing one another in profound and intimate ways. Personality takes the lead, and where personality goes, spirituality follows, though not blindly or passively. Spirituality has its own voice, and when its desires are addressed and heeded, personality thrives. This book is unique in that each of its four protagonists exhibits distinct dominant personality characteristics, their experiences bearing archetypal relevance and universal appeal. Their stories, individual and combined, are epic, the protagonists and families as complex as their biblical patriarchal and matriarchal counterparts, yet as current as today’s top stories. As you read, you are invited on your own inner journey to peace, wholeness, and well-being.