A unique collection of prayers and reflections, helping you to see God's presence in your daily life. Whether at home, in church or around familiar landmarks in your local community, it will help you create 'waymarks' to remind you every day that wherever you go, you walk on holy ground.
In America's Holy Ground: 61 Faithful Reflections on Our National Parks, dive deeper into a unique aspect of each park, from Acadia to Zion, and reframe how you think about the parks and your faith. Connections, sabbath, reflection, perspective, beginnings, art, restoration - these are just a few of the themes you'll encounter on your national park journey. A trio of questions with each entry will help you see the bigger picture of your life and new ways to approach your relationship with God, your community, and your faith. Whether you're on the road or at home in your reading nook, think about your favorite national park in a whole new way!
The second half of life--which we can enter at any age--is that time when we begin the process essential to a mature faith: discovering who we are, exploring our relationship with God, and beginning to let go. This part of life has a depth and spirituality all its own--a need for structure and rule, a tolerance of ambiguity, an exploration of limitation and mortality, and the deep work of discipline and detachment. Margaret Guenther brings her insights as a spiritual director to the gifts and opportunities of those of us who are on this journey to "holy ground." In each chapter, Toward Holy Ground explores the practical aspects of spirituality in midlife: intercessory prayer, a sense of community, a rule of life, lightheartedness, detachment, and stripping down, preparing for "a good death." A final chapter discusses practical aspects of ministry to the frail aged.
"The dreams in our hearts have to be matched by our craftsmanship in the world." Spiritual seekers in the 21st century take many forms, from the visionary and futurist to the social activist and rebel. Yet whatever your inner calling, writes internationally renowned teacher Gloria Karpinski, you can benefit from the practical guidance of other seekers on how best to manifest your spiritual intentions in the nitty-gritty reality of everyday life. A new companion for traveling purposefully on the path, Barefoot on Holy Ground helps you learn how to call forth the good in every circumstance and use it to further your mission and consciousness. Through numerous enjoyable, effective exercises and meditations, you will learn how to integrate your inner and outer resources of mind, body, emotions, finances, and careers into your personal practice. This will free you to become a disciple–in the modern sense–to your own higher calling and service to the world. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient scriptures and contemporary thinkers from many world traditions, tapping into her own and other disciples’ real-life stories and insights, Karpinski shares the Twelve Lessons of Spiritual Craftsmanship that are essential to the disciple’s path. These easy-to-follow lessons are divided into three parts: Knowing the Way explores the ways we recognize and understand our mission through Knowledge, Revelation, Body Wisdom, and Discernment; Becoming the Way illuminates the fundamental building principles of strong discipleship: Love, Will, Faith, and Power; and Fulfilling the Way reveals the practical process through which we bring our journey to fruition by Creating, Transforming, Enduring, and Serving. Integration, balance, and wisdom are the benefits of the twelve lessons, the treasured syntheses of yin and yang, light and shadow, heaven and earth. Full of exciting, effective spiritual exercises, Barefoot on Holy Ground leads readers purposefully along the path to Conscious Evolution so that they can embrace their higher calling.
Drawing on his Roman Catholic background, personal interviews with Catholics and Evangelicals, and years of research, Chris Castaldo takes readers on a fascinating and practical exploration of the challenges and opportunities encountered by Catholics who become Evangelicals. He examines the five major reasons why Christ’s followers often leave the Catholic Church, and shows how to emulate Jesus in practical ways when engaging Catholic friends and family. And, with humor and authenticity, he shares his own faith journey in order to help readers understand and work through their own.For those who are tired of scratching their head in confusion or frustration about how their Catholic background may influence their walk with Jesus, and why on earth their Catholic family believes they’ve gone off the deep end, Holy Ground offers vast insight and practical help. More than providing historical perspective, theological reflection, and practical lessons, it shows readers how to emulate the grace and truth of Jesus Christ in relating to the Catholic people whom they love.
Lively essays of spiritual guidance tell the story of a woman's journey into solitude. With an earthy spirituality grounded in everyday family life, the author explores what it means to live a devout and holy life in our time. This is an engaging testimony to the compelling presence of God by a genuine Christian mystic. Reading Letters from the Holy Ground is learning to see God in all things. Building on the insight that "we are all platforms for the dancing God," this book invites us to be liberated by beauty and holiness. It is that presence of God which makes every place holy. Letters from the Holy Ground surprises and delights, encourages and uplifts, leading us to see with new eyes that holiness is all around.
Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study accompanies all hearers and preachers of the Word as they pray with and ponder the Sunday readings throughout the liturgical year. Everything needed for a rich experience of lectio divina and biblical exploration is provided: the full text of the Sunday readings, concise commentary, engaging reflections, and clear guidance on how to use this resource alone or with a group. This volume guides readers through the Year A lectionary.
Along with important chapters on the principle of "supply," this book describes what it means to live in the consciousness of oneness. "When you know yourself, you will know God, for there is no God separate and apart from you."
Only a female, only a farmer's daughter, only a Mennonite - this mental script characterized Barbara Reed for many years. Later, only a missionary amplified her personal insecurities. But defining moments throughout a life well lived, learning to trust and rely on a deep faith in a personal Savior, molded her into a confident, resourceful, and successful woman who learned she had so much to offer others. From humble beginnings, the youngest of 10 children raised on a Pennsylvania potato farm, to the mission field of Somalia; from the beginnings of a nursing career to serving in a mental health hospital; from raising four children in a foreign country to holding the hand of her beloved husband through a long and devastating battle with Alzheimer's, Standing on Holy Ground - and Some Not so Holy gives testimony to God's abundant grace, even through a near-death experience and a distressing emotional crisis.
If you're religious about your coffee, you're in holy company. If you like your coffee with a bit of inspiration, a hint of humor, and a dose of insight, you'll enjoy pouring a mug full of java and curling up with Holy Grounds. Popular author and avid coffee drinker Tim Schenck brews just the right blend of the personal and historical as he explores the sometimes amusing and often profound intersection between faith and coffee. From the coffee bean's discovery by ninth-century Ethiopian Muslims to being condemned as "Satan's drink" by medieval Christians, to becoming an integral part of Passover in America, coffee has fueled prayer and shaped religious culture for generations. In Holy Grounds, Schenck explores the relationship between coffee and religion, moving from faith-based legends that have become entwined with the history of coffee to personal narrative. He takes readers on a journey through coffee farms in Central America, a pilgrimage to Seattle, coffeehouses in Rome, and a monastic community in Pennsylvania. Along the way, he examines the power of ritual, mocks bad church coffee, introduces readers to the patron saint of coffee, wonders about ethical considerations for today's faith-based coffee lovers, and explores lessons people of faith should learn from coffeehouse culture about building healthy, authentic community.