With wisdom and common sense Father Green tackles a serious subject--discernment--and provides a clear, highly readable explanation for all Christians, in all walks of life. An invaluable tool for all who are called in their individual and communal lives to discern what God's will is in very concrete terms. Those facing major decisions in their lives will find special assistance and blessing in this extraordinary book.
Weeds Among the Wheat was inspired by the timeless parable of Jesus found in Matthew 13:24-30 with which to embark on a transformative journey of faith and discernment. In this enlightening exploration, we delve into the profound wisdom of Jesus’ teachings especially against false security and popular deception, thus uncovering their enduring significance for a robust walk with God and safe Christian living today. Navigate the intricate dynamics of spiritual growth as you confront the tension between genuine faith and superficial appearances. Through insightful reflections and practical wisdom rooted in biblical truth, this book extends a compelling invitation to cultivate authenticity and integrity in our walk with God. Whether seeking clarity in your personal faith journey or wrestling with the complexities of belief and deception, Weeds Among the Wheat offers invaluable guidance to illuminate your path forward.
Many of us do not trust our own thoughts, feelings, and desires when it comes to discerning God’s will. Instead we look outside ourselves to determine what God wants from and for us. In God’s Voice Within, spiritual director Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, shows us how to use Ignatian discernment to access our own spiritual intuition and understand that the most trustworthy wisdom of all comes not from outside sources, but from God working through us. God’s Voice Within is intended for people who know that there is more to the spiritual life than they are currently experiencing and are ready to take the next step in their walk of faith by making effective discernment—specifically Ignatian discernment—a daily practice. Ultimately, God’s Voice Within teaches us to discern what is at the root of our actions and emotions, which in turn allows us to respond to God’s promptings inside us rather than unconsciously reacting to life around us.
Over 1 million copies sold What every church will always need The need for talented, vigorous leaders in the church cannot be overemphasized. Such times demand active service of men and women who are guided by and devoted to Jesus Christ. With more than 1 million copies sold, Spiritual Leadership stands as a proven classic for developing such leadership. J. Oswald Sanders, a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and author of more than forty books, presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms. He illustrates his points with examples from Scripture and biographies of eminent men of God, such as Moses, Nehemiah, the apostle Paul, David Livingstone, Charles Spurgeon, and others. Featured topics include: The cost of leadership The responsibility of leadership Tests of leadership The qualities and criteria of leadership The art of reproducing leaders The one indispensable requirement of leadership Sanders holds that even natural leadership qualities are God-given, and their true effectiveness can only be reached when they are used to the glory of God. Let this classic be your guide for leadership, and watch how God works through you to do great things for His glory.
In Experiencing God, Thomas H. Green, S.J., presents a brief and accessible guide to prayer. Green reminds readers that prayer life is, above all, a relationship with God and a deepening of our experience of God. Fr. Green, who died in 2009, spent a lifetime teaching fellow Christians to pray. Experiencing God is a treasury of his best insights. Drawn from lectures given by Fr. Green, Experiencing God is now in print for the first time—an appropriate commemoration of the faithful life and work of this beloved teacher and author. Ideally suited to faith sharing groups, parish retreats, and ministry formation workshops.
Blending personal experience and practical advice with wisdom they’ve learned from Ignatian spirituality, Tim and Sue Muldoon, authors of Six Sacred Rules for Families, offer guidance for Catholic parents raising teens and tweens. You’ll gain confidence to help your teen make better decisions, deepen the roots for your parenting, and relate to your teen in a way that reflects the tenacious love of God. The Muldoons draw from their professional experience working with teens and their parents in high schools and colleges—Sue as a counselor and religious educator, Tim as a theologian and professor—to explain how the Ignatian practice of discernment is an excellent tool for the healthy parenting of teens and pre-teens. They share their hard-won wisdom as parents of three to offer you encouragement and practical guidance to: Let your teens know you love them Appreciate their gifts while accepting their limits Put them in touch with those less fortunate Guide them in choosing friends who will care about what’s best for them Appreciate the value of their faith and going to Mass Respect their bodies and make good choices about sex, alcohol, and drugs Think about what really makes them happy Tim and Sue describe discernment as slowing down, listening, being receptive, praying, examining our lives, and sifting the conflicting forces at play around us. In this wise and personal book, they share how Ignatian spirituality and discernment can help us keep a clear-eyed, prayerful perspective on the difficult decisions you and your teens face. The key is to open yourself to God’s presence and discover what he calls you to do. This thoughtful approach shows you how to talk with your children openly about freedom vs. limits, friendships, family time, sexuality, the use and abuse of technology, faith and Catholic practice, recognizing the needs of others, and getting through hard times together. You’ll discover when to be tough and when to be forgiving, when to control and when to give freedom, when to give feedback and when to wait. You will learn the importance of praying for your teens, and the important of praying together as a family. Daily and weekly prayers, devotions, and meditations will guide you as the Muldoons show how this is a time of discernment for you as well as your teens—and create a way for you to move through these challenging years together. The Discerning Parent offers you an opportunity to pause and consider your life and your teen’s in the light of faith.
The Spirit-led Christian is living in a world that is diametrically opposed to every value of God. The maturing believer is called by God Himself to jettison all values that are not His so the believer's character can become Christ-like. Possessing the Treasure looks closely at our "Spiritual Treasure." We are called to submit entirely to the regenerative process through which the Lord takes all of His true children. Those who endure the fires of sanctification will become the Christ-like believers who recognize their Treasure. The Christian walk of faith is accomplished successfully by those who understand they have entered into a blood covenant with their Savior. They value their citizenship in the Kingdom of God as their most valuable treasure.
Bible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions--a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith practices and community. Small groups, committees, church boards, church leaders at all levels, and seminary professors will find this book valuable. This is a revised and updated version of the book, originally published in 1997. This new version inclused revised and updated material, as well as a new introduction by Charles Olsen.
How do you lead an organization stuck between an ending and a new beginning—when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear? Beaumont calls such in-between times liminal seasons—threshold times when the continuity of tradition disintegrates and uncertainty about the future fuels doubt and chaos. In a liminal season it simply is not helpful to pretend we understand what needs to happen next. But leaders can still lead. How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going is a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who risk defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss. It helps leaders stand firm in a disoriented state, learning from their mistakes and leading despite the confusion. Packed with rich stories and real-world examples, Beaumont guides the reader through practices that connect the soul of the leader with the soul of the institution.
