Just before she died of brain cancer in April 2020, Macrina Wiederkehr gifted her friend and coauthor Joyce Rupp with one of the many journals she kept over the years where she reflected on scripture and her own spirituality. Rupp writes in the foreword for Open Wide My Heart, “I observed certain currents of yearning and faithfulness that remained throughout the decades: a thirst for an ever-fuller relationship with the Holy One; a tremendous respect for scripture as an incentive for spiritual transformation; a recognition of not being all she hoped to be regarding her inner growth; and a continual return to a belief in her essential goodness.” That is the essence of Open Wide My Heart, which pulls together two years of personal reflections by Wiederkehr, a beloved spiritual author, popular retreat leader, and Benedictine sister. These brief yet poignant writings serve as guideposts as you begin or deepen your scripture study and offer gentle direction for your faith and a better understanding of daily life. Wiederkehr also shares nuggets of spiritual wisdom she gained in her reading, including experiencing God in the everyday; living fully present in the moment; and accepting the grace that comes from God, other people in your life, and the world around you. Open Wide My Heart is an invitation to learn from a bestselling spiritual writer’s practice and witness her deeply meditative approach to scripture and life. In the process, you can grow in confidence in your own scripture reading.
The way we talk to ourselves is often unkind and filled with self-judgments. These overly harsh self-criticisms can make us feel unworthy and incomplete. What if what you really need is not higher standards for yourself, but greater self-compassion? In Living with Your Heart Wide Open, you’ll discover how mindfulness and self-compassion can free you from the thoughts and beliefs that create feelings of inadequacy and learn to open your heart to the loving-kindness within you and in the world around you. Based in Western psychotherapy and Buddhist psychological principles, this book guides you past painful and self-limiting beliefs about yourself and toward a new perspective of nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance of who you are, just as you are. You’ll receive gentle guidance in mindfulness and compassion practices that will lead you away from unproductive, self-critical thoughts and help you live more freely and fearlessly, with your heart wide open.
Just before she died of brain cancer in April 2020, Macrina Wiederkehr gifted her friend and coauthor Joyce Rupp with one of the many journals she kept over the years where she reflected on scripture and her own spirituality. Rupp writes in the foreword for Open Wide My Heart, "I observed certain currents of yearning and faithfulness that remained throughout the decades: a thirst for an ever-fuller relationship with the Holy One; a tremendous respect for scripture as an incentive for spiritual transformation; a recognition of not being all she hoped to be regarding her inner growth; and a continual return to a belief in her essential goodness." That is the essence of Open Wide My Heart, which pulls together two years of personal reflections by Wiederkehr, a beloved spiritual author, popular retreat leader, and Benedictine sister. These brief yet poignant writings serve as guideposts as you begin or deepen your scripture study and offer gentle direction for your faith and a better understanding of daily life. Wiederkehr also shares nuggets of spiritual wisdom she gained in her reading, including experiencing God in the everyday; living fully present in the moment; and accepting the grace that comes from God, other people in your life, and the world around you. Open Wide My Heart is an invitation to learn from a bestselling spiritual writer's practice and witness her deeply meditative approach to scripture and life. In the process, you can grow in confidence in your own scripture reading.
You believe in God. You’re trying to serve Him. But do you know how to truly love Him—and let Him love you? As a Bible-believing churchgoer, author Shellie Tomlinson harbored a secret in her good-girl heart. She longed for something more than routine faith; she wanted to love God with a genuine, all-consuming passion. So she got honest with Him: “I admit it. I don’t love you like I should, but I want to love you. Help me!” In Heart Wide Open, Shellie invites you to answer the call of your restless heart and refuse to settle for anything less than the intimate friendship of God. Through her heartfelt and honest words, you’ll find practical inspiration to help you… · exchange your “just enough Jesus” mindset for an all-out pursuit of Him · put sizzle in your Bible study by asking God to show you the wonder of His Word · trade formulaic devotions for a devoted life Are you ready to stop struggling to make time for God and instead live every moment with God? Discover how to live with your heart wide open.
He left KoRn to help himself. He went back to help others. And along the way, he nearly lost everything. A life-changing spiritual awakening freed Brian “Head” Welch from a stranglehold of drugs and alcohol and prompted him to leave the highly successful nu-metal band KoRn in 2005. What followed was a decade-long trial by fire, from the perils of fathering a teen lost in depression and self-mutilation to the harsh realities of playing solo and surviving the shattering betrayal of a trusted friend. In this intensely inspiring redemption saga, perhaps most inspiring is Brian’s radical decision to rejoin KoRn and reconcile with the tribe of people he once considered family in the metal music scene. Brian returned to his musical roots with a clear head and a devoted heart. Though his story is wild, hilarious, and deeply poignant, the message is simple: God will love you into the freedom of being yourself, as long as you keep the relationship going and never, ever quit.
Best-selling author Richard J. Foster offers a warm, compelling, and sensitive primer on prayer, helping us to understand, experience, and practice it in its many forms-from the simple prayer of beginning again to unceasing prayer. He clarifies the prayer process, answers common misconceptions, and shows the way into prayers of contemplation, healing, blessing, forgiveness, and rest. Coming to prayer is like coming home, Foster says. "Nothing feels more right, more like what we are created to be and to do. Yet at the same time we are confronted with great mysteries. Who hasn't struggled with the puzzle of unanswered prayer? Who hasn't wondered how a finite person can commune with the infinite Creator of the universe? Who hasn't questioned whether prayer isn't merely psychological manipulation after all? We do our best, of course, to answer these knotty questions but when all is said and done, there is a sense in which these mysteries remain unanswered and unanswerable . . . At such times we must learn to become comfortable with the mystery." Foster shows how prayer can move us inward into personal transformation, upward toward intimacy with God, and outward to minister to others. He leads us beyond questions to a deeper understanding and practice of prayer, bringing us closer to God, to ourselves, and to our community.
For readers of Three Cups of Tea; Eat, Pray, Love; and Wild comes the inspiring story of an ordinary American family that embarks on an extraordinary journey. Wide-Open World follows the Marshall family as they volunteer their way around the globe, living in a monkey sanctuary in Costa Rica, teaching English in rural Thailand, and caring for orphans in India. There’s a name for this kind of endeavor—voluntourism—and it might just be the future of travel. Oppressive heat, grueling bus rides, backbreaking work, and one vicious spider monkey . . . Best family vacation ever! John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever imagined: The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales. Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones. Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more valuable: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them. Praise for Wide-Open World “Marshall’s use of rich details locates readers firmly in each time and place, enabling them to sense the adventure, wonder and joy he experienced in his surroundings and in watching his children grow into hardworking, more responsible teens, as well as the frustrations and disappointments he and his family inevitably encountered along the way. A great armchair adventure that should inspire others to consider voluntourism as a way to help others and see the world.”—Kirkus Reviews “Each new location combines beautiful scenery with a dose of sentiment, a good deal of humor, and some heartfelt consideration of the human condition. . . . His philosophy may not fit everyone and the ending is bittersweet, but this is an enticing call to service.”—Publishers Weekly “Wide-Open World is an adventure made up of countless small moments of human connection. It’s an armchair travelogue that may well inspire you to do good off the beaten path.”—BookPage “For anyone who has ever imagined what it would be like to pack up, unplug, pull the kids out of school, and travel around the world, this volunteer adventure is your ticket. Wide-Open World will move, engage, and inspire you, even if you never leave the couch.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
Inspiration for a Heart-Shaped Life What if you could see the world through the lens of the heart moment by moment? What if God inspired you to walk “heart first” into every life event and circumstance, no matter what it was? What if love was your number one priority? Love of God, love of others, and love of yourself? Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:2: "If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do?" . . .the Heart-Shaped Life series will encourage you to live life “heart first.” The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional provides refreshing thoughts, prayers, and scripture selections to help you discover the best path to the good life. . .which is all about LOVE!
The book you are holding is the culmination of twenty years of personal Bible study and hundreds of lesson plans prepared with you, the teachable believer, in mind. Over the years, his students consistently encouraged Dave to make highlights of his lessons available to a wider audience. The outcome is The Teachable Heart Devotional Series. Like life itself, the devotions come in a random, unexpected orderhelping you grow in thoughtful, practical, and Christ-honoring ways. You will be amazed at what one page and five minutes a day can do. You will be encouraged in your faith, challenged in your walk, lifted when youre down, and comforted in your sorrow. You will be spurred on toward good works yet encouraged to rest in the loving arms of Christ. One page, five minutesyou can do this! Try it and be amazed at what God can do with The Teachable Heart!
