"Contributors to this volume share how they welcome God's presence into their lives, as well as the theological language they use to think and speak about this presence. Chapters explore how we experience God through prayer, text study, poetry, food, music, service, movement, meditation, interpersonal connection, and much more"--
“My Soul Longs for You” contains 30 daily readings on the theme of the Christian’s longing and thirsting for more of God. Suitable for any time of year. Psalm 42: My God, I Thirst for You Day 1: Thirsting for God is Natural—and Necessary As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1) What a beautiful picture from nature—a deer going down to the stream to drink. Nothing could be more natural than an animal’s desire to quench its thirst! It is equally as true for plants and humans as it is for the animals—water is essential for life. In Western countries, where most people have a reliable water supply connected to their homes, we have almost lost the understanding that without water, we die. But there are still many people in the majority world who travel great distances daily to find a source of water to survive. This helps us understand that the picture in this Psalm goes much deeper than mere thirst. The psalmist clearly saw that without God, he could not survive. God created everything in the beginning, and gives life to all living things. He breathed into Adam, who consequently became a living soul (Gen 2:7). Hence by nature, humankind cannot experience life without God. The tragedy of Adam’s disobedience in Eden was that humanity became separated from the source of its life, as sin broke our relationship with God. Jesus Christ came to forgive our sin, restore our relationship with God and reconnect us with the source of life. Thirsting for God is as natural—and necessary—as breathing! Prayer Lord, you created us in the beginning, and all life comes from you. We thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ, who has reconnected us with you, the source of true life. And we thank you for the desire that you have formed in our hearts, to continue to share that life with you. Our God, we thirst and long for you, and hunger to know you more. Amen.
Because My Soul Longs for You seeks to answer one of the most enduring human questions: Where can we find God in our lives? While Jewish theologians have long pondered the "God question" from ethical and philosophical perspectives, the last century has made space for a more experiential theology: God is present in our lived experiences. Radical amazement, to use Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's phrase, can be found in everyday life. Contributors to this volume share how they welcome God's presence into their lives, as well as the theological language they use to think and speak about this presence. Chapters explore how we experience God through prayer, text study, poetry, food, music, service, movement, meditation, interpersonal connection, and much more. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Many of us desire to have a closer relationship with God. In TOWARDS A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD, Trevor Hudson takes you on a forty-day journey, based on Jesus’ own words, which starts in the sixth chapter of Matthew and continues with the Sermon on the Mount.
Are your days full? Are you tired and craving quiet for your soul? You're not alone. If days filled with obligations and never-ending to-do lists leave you feeling anxious and overwhelmed, you can find the peace your soul longs for. In Settle My Soul, authors Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk invite you to carve out a few moments in your day to deepen your relationship with the Lord through 100 encouraging devotions. Karen and Ruth are women who understand all that you're juggling, and they desire for you to experience the refreshment that comes only from the Lord. Settle My Soul is the companion to the best-selling devotional Pressing Pause. With just a few minutes, you can connect with God, set aside your busyness and worries, center your thoughts on Him and His Word, and restore your peace of mind. Each devotional includes a brief but meaningful devotional message, applicable scripture, guided prayer, and reflection questions. Throughout the book you'll also find journaling pages for deeper reflection. Perfect gift for birthdays and Mother's Day. Over 100,000 copies sold! Settle My Soul was named the 2020 ECPA Christian Book Award winner for the Devotion and Gift category. Your life is loud. But if you will just press pause for a few minutes each day, you can discover what Jesus longs to give you: His peace.
A collection of poetry about how to become more open to God so as to grow in the spiritual life, "My Soul Longs for You, My God" is written in humility for every person in the world, for indeed each person has the capacity to experience the loving presence of God in his life. No matter how lost one may seem, God is still there, extending an invitation of love and compassion, mercy and peace to every person. There is nothing we can do to stop His love from coming, no sin to commit that is too heinous that He will not be there. This collection of poetry is written in the hope that more and more people will experience the love of God in their lives and therefore come to share that infinite love with all they meet. May God's will be done.
Founder and Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and author of LIVE LOVE LEAD shows how, with God's power, you can believe and achieve a life that exceeds every earthly expectation. When you surrender control and follow God's guidance, you become empowered and equipped to do the impossible, reach higher, and go further than you could have ever imagined--giving Him all the glory. By building our lives around godly principles, surrounding ourselves with wisdom, and living for a cause greater than ourselves, we can effectively live out God's purposes and have an enduring impact. As Brian Houston has personally discovered, when we depend on Jesus as the source for our identity, our lives can be a lasting legacy that maximize the gifts He has given each of us as unique individuals. There is More is for anyone who wants to be challenged to live with expectancy. Ephesians 3 is a call to release the immeasurable potential within you and the exceeding, abundant, and above plans and purposes of a Holy God that are beyond your greatest imagination. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).
"Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is knocking for God." - G. K. Chesterton What if lust for porn is really a search for true passion? In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it's no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Common wisdom says if they just had more willpower or more faith, their fight would be over. Is the answer really that simple? According to the counselor and ministry leader Michael John Cusick, the answer is no--but the big truth may be much more freeing.Backed by scripture, Cusick uses examples from his own life and from his twenty years of counseling experience to show us how the pursuit of empty pleasure is really a search for our heart's deepest desire--and the real key to to resistance is discovering and embracing the joy we truly want. Cusick's insights help readers understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them, and most importantly, how to overcome the compulsion once it begins. In the end, this powerful book shows us all how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.
The search of your life is the search for your life. What you are holding right now is an exploration of the human spirit; a journey into our deepest longings, our desires, our needs, our cravings, our souls. Our need for intimacy, meaning, and destiny point to the existence of God and our need to connect with Him. This book will deeply stir you to consider and chase after the spiritual implications of your souls' deepest longings.