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A Spiritual Formation Workbook: Small Group Resources for Nurturing Christian Growth
by James Bryan Smith Lynda GraybealThis beginning workbook for Spiritual Formation Groups features guidelines for starting a group, study plans for the first nine sessions, and a questionnaire that helps map the way ahead. Based upon six major dimensions of the spiritual life found in the life of Christ and Christian tradition: The Contemplative Tradition - The Holiness Tradition - The Charismatic Tradition - The Social Justice Tradition - The Evangelical Tradition - and The Incarnational Tradition, this workbook program provides all the necessary ingredients to start and maintain a Spiritual Formation Group. Successfully used by thousands of Spiritual Formation Group participants, A Spiritual Formation Workbook has been completely revised to correlate with Richard J. Foster's Streams of Living Water. Its new and updated exercises and teachings offer fresh perspectives on Christian faith and practice.Christian in perspective and ecumenical in breadth, RENOVARÉ (from the Latin, meaning "to renew") is an effort committed to the renewal of the Church. Founded by bestselling writer Richard J. Foster, RENOVARÉ provides individual churches with a balanced, practical, effective small-group strategy for spiritual growth.
The Spiritual Foundations Of Aikido
by William GleasonA leading American aikido teacher shows how this 20th-century martial art developed from the ancient spiritual traditions of Japan, not as a fighting method but rather as a means of becoming one with the laws of universal order.
The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis (G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects)
by David BurrWinner of the 2002 John Gilmary Shea Prize and the 2002 Howard R. Marraro Prize of the American Catholic Historical Association. When Saint Francis of Assisi died in 1226, he left behind an order already struggling to maintain its identity. As the Church called upon Franciscans to be bishops, professors, and inquisitors, their style of life began to change. Some in the order lamented this change and insisted on observing the strict poverty practiced by Francis himself. Others were more open to compromise. Over time, this division evolved into a genuine rift, as those who argued for strict poverty were marginalized within the order. In this book, David Burr offers the first comprehensive history of the so-called Spiritual Franciscans, a protest movement within the Franciscan order. Burr shows that the movement existed more or less as a loyal opposition in the late thirteenth century, but by 1318 Pope John XXII and leaders of the order had combined to force it beyond the boundaries of legitimacy. At that point the loyal opposition turned into a heretical movement and recalcitrant friars were sent to the stake. Although much has been written about individual Spiritual Franciscan leaders, there has been no general history of the movement since 1932. Few people are equipped to tackle the voluminous documentary record and digest the sheer mass of research generated by Franciscan scholars in the last century. Burr, one of the world's leading authorities on the Franciscans, has given us a book that will define the field for years to come.
Spiritual Friends: Meditations by Monks and Nuns of the International Mahayana Institute
by Thubten DondrubA collection of the favorite guided meditations of senior monks and nuns of the International Mahayana Institute of the FPMT. A collection of the favorite guided meditations of senior monks and nuns of the International Mahayana Institute of the FPMT. These meditations center on different Buddhist themes and provide a good resource for the practicing meditator. The book also includes brief spiritual autobiographies that allow the reader to trace each contributors' entry into and study of Tibetan Buddhism. Our true spiritual friends are the positive potentials in our minds, which will never never disappoint us and never desert us. Similarly, the generous and personal meditations offered in this book help us develop these potentials and thus are true friends to whom we can always turn. Likewise, the Sangha, as the ordained followers of the Buddha upon whom the continuity of the Buddha's teachings depend, are spiritual friends who encourage us and inspire us to transform our minds. This unique book—the first from the International Mahayana Institute—contains meditations written by eighteen nuns and monks of the IMI Sangha as well as an autobiographical essay from each in which these nuns and monks share how they came to the ordained life.
Spiritual Friendship (Soul Care Resources Ser.)
by Mindy Caliguire"Mindy Caliguire knows and cares about the deep things of the soul. She's been there. And she can be a wise guide here for you," says John Ortberg, author of The Life You've Always Wanted. We are tired. Many of us long for sources of nurture for our weary souls. But we don't know where to turn. We've tried various Christian plans for growth, yet sometimes these programs leave us even more drained and frustrated. Interestingly, the answer can be found in our everyday lives: ordinary relationships can restore life and health to our depleted souls. So why do we resist intimacy with others if it's part of our soul's architecture? Because people also cause us pain. Soul Care Resources are designed to be simple, but not simplistic, guides to maintaining or recovering the life and health of your soul. Spiritual Friendship introduces you to principles of friendship that bring focus to your spiritual life. You'll discover what it takes to have a rich, God-centered relationship that will nourish your soul. You use this book in small chunks of daily reading, covering the whole book in the course of four weeks. Also included are four guided group discussions for use with a small group or a spiritual friend. Also available in the Soul Care Resources series is Discovering Soul Care, an introduction to the resources for spiritual health we have in Christ. Are you ready to recover your reserves?
Spiritual Genius: The Mastery of Life's Meaning
by Winifred GallagherInSpiritual Genius, journalist Winifred Gallagher, the acclaimed author ofWorking on God, asks Rabbi Lawrence Kushner to define holiness. "Standing in the presence of God," he says. "Everyone has it, but some people seem to have more of a knack for accessing it. " Like holiness, the gift that Gallagher calls "spiritual genius"--which she defines as "the uniquely human ability to search for and find life’s meaning, then express it in our lives as only each of us can"--is one we all possess but don’t necessarily recognize. Whether they are called saints, gurus, tzaddiks, or shamans, there have always been people who possess exceptional insight, altruism, and charisma. In this disarmingly inspirational book, Gallagher investigates what ordinary people trying to live decent, meaningful lives can learn from such extraordinary men and women, who are specially attuned to the deepest truths, and who exemplify-and radiate-spiritual genius. In a clear-eyed, ecumenical approach that's free of dogma and bias and suffused with profound respect, Winifred Gallagher highlights the common wisdom-and down-to-earth good humor-of these religious leaders, revels in their differences, and identifies the capacity for spiritual genius that all of us share with them. On an island in the Arabian Sea, Gallagher visits Mata Amritanandamayi, regarded by devotees as a Hindu goddess, who transmits divine love through hugs and charities. She travels through America's inner cities with Tony Campolo, an Evangelical preacher who counsels national leaders and serves the poor. She learns how Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani theologian, uses the Qur’an to defend the rights of her Muslim sisters. She journeys to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas to understand how an exiled minority has enchanted the world with their deep, resilient spirituality. In these diverse lives, Gallagher argues, we can glimpse our own potential for spiritual genius writ large. Each story testifies to the profound good in the world, even during a troubled time, and to Gallagher’s groundbreaking theory of a human capacity for finding life’s meaning that is nothing less than genius.
Spiritual Gifts: Empowered to Live for God (Fisherman Bible Studyguide Series)
by Karen DockreyCelebrate Your Gift All Christians are gifted by the Holy Spirit, but many Christians don't know how to use their gifts. In this study you will explore what the gifts are, why they are given, and how you can begin putting your gifts to use for God's glory. Learn to celebrate and affirm the varied spiritual gifts God has given you. 8 studies for individual or groups
Spiritual Gifts (LifeGuide Bible Studies)
by R. Paul StevensYou are unique. You have been created and invited by God to participate in his kingdom work. Yet, you have probably also experienced feelings of uncertainty about how to serve God, about what gifts you have to use, and about God's purpose for your life. In this eight-session LifeGuide Bible Study, R. Paul Stevens helps you to recognize your spiritual gifts and the gifts of others. And he leads you to consider how to practically use these gifts to glorify God in your relationships, your work and your world. This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies. PDF download with a single-user license; available from InterVarsity Press and other resellers.
Spiritual Grammar: Genre and the Saintly Subject in Islam and Christianity (Comparative Theology: Thinking Across Traditions)
by F. Dominic LongoSpiritual Grammar identifies a genre of religious literature that until now has not been recognized as such. In this surprising and theoretically nuanced study, F. Dominic Longo reveals how grammatical structures of language addressed in two medieval texts published nearly four centuries apart, from distinct religious traditions, offer a metaphor for how the self is embedded in spiritual reality. Reading The Grammar of Hearts (Nahw al-qulūb) by the great Sufi shaykh and Islamic scholar 'Abd al-Karīm al-Qushayrī (d. 1074) and Moralized Grammar (Donatus moralizatus) by Christian theologian Jean Gerson (d. 1429), Longo reveals how both authors use the rules of language and syntax to advance their pastoral goals. Indeed, grammar provides the two masters with a fresh way of explaining spiritual reality to their pupils and to discipline the souls of their readers in the hopes that their writings would make others adept in the grammar of the heart.
Spiritual Growth and Care in the Fourth Age of Life
by Elizabeth MackinlaySpiritual Growth and Care in the Fourth Age of Life explores the spiritual dimension of ageing and investigates the role of pastoral and spiritual care in helping the frail elderly cope with end-of-life issues. Focusing on the experience of nursing home residents and anecdotes gathered in interviews, MacKinlay sensitively presents the struggles facing older people in need of care, such as loss of independence and privacy. Her findings show that despite ill health, loneliness and depression, older people near the end of their lives find meaning and support in (re)discovering their spirituality, and that this is not just the experience of those in care facilities, but of older people more generally. The book includes a useful chapter on spiritual assessment, providing carers with information on how to recognise the need for care. This book will be of interest to nurses, care workers, pastoral support professionals and anyone else working with older people.
The Spiritual Guidebook: Mastering Psychic Development and Techniques
by Anna ComerfordA Perfect Practice is a step-by-step guide to help the novice practitioner establish and maintain a successful practice in their choice of modality. Full of real-life examples, this book gives you clear guidelines on how to set up your practice, promote your business and make a living by following your passion. Whether you are a brand new practitioner or an existing professional who hasn't yet reached their potential, reading this book will give you insight from BelindaGrace&’s twenty years of experience in the mind, body and spirit health and healing fields. You have put so much time, energy, effort and money into coming this far, it&’s time to turn your passionate business into personal fulfilment and professional succes
Spiritual Guidebook: Mastering Psychic Development And Healing Techniques
by Anna ComerfordA comprehensive guide to understanding and mastering healing and psychic techniques. Tap into your intuition, heart and soul and be amazed at how your skills unfold and develop in surprising ways.The Spiritual Guidebook includes information about opening the third eye, chakras, tarot, mediumship, crystals, reiki, healing, meditation, channelling, automatic writing, auras, scrying, psychometry, energy, essential oils, yoga, guides, shamanism, numerology, health, quantum physics, sacred geometry, self-hypnosis, mind power, past lives and spirit releasement. Written by Anna Comerford, an award-winning Australian psychic the Spiritual Guidebook will expand your psychic knowledge and intuitive-healing abilities in ways you never imagined.
Spiritual Healing: Science, Meaning, and Discernment
by Sarah CoakleySpiritual healing has been a cornerstone of Christian belief from its beginnings, although there are various interpretations of what exactly it is and how it happens. To address these questions, the contributors to this volume come together to examine spiritual healing from a number of disciplinary perspectives. How can such healing be explained through a scientific or medical lens? What do biblical and historical instantiations of it tell us today? And how are we to think of it as anthropologists, philosophers, or theologians? Finally, what does all this mean for those seeking spiritual healing for themselves, or pastors walking alongside the afflicted? Deftly edited by theologian Sarah Coakley, Spiritual Healing offers a composite narrative that investigates the many intermingled factors at work in this intriguing phenomenon. The result is a human story as much as it is a theological one, satisfying discerning believers and skeptics alike in its rigorous pursuit of truth and meaning.
Spiritual Healing
by Fraser WattsThere has recently been much interest in the relationship between science and religion, and how they combine to give us a 'binocular' perspective on things. One important phenomenon which has been neglected in recent work is the concept of spiritual healing. This edited collection explores a variety of approaches to spiritual healing from different religious points of view, identifying both what it is and how it works. The authors also explore the biological and psychological processes, open to scientific enquiry, through which healing may be mediated. As such, this book indicates the central proposition that religious and scientific perspectives answer different questions about healing, and there is not necessarily any conflict between them.
Spiritual Help for Daily Living
by Andrew Murray"Some time ago I (Andrew Murray) was asked to write a series of articles under the heading, "Aids to Devotion," for the Lovedale Christian Express. My mind was at the time much occupied with the Epistle to the Ephesians, and I thought it might be possible to connect its teaching with the effort to give some help for the quiet hour. This led to my writing two of the introductory chapters, and the twelve that deal with the chief thoughts of the Epistle. I am deeply conscious of how defective they are and how little able I have been to satisfy myself in giving expression to what I think I have seen of the treasures that God has stored away in this Epistle for His Church. I have nevertheless ventured on their publication in this little book, in the hope that God may use them to help some of His children to realize what the standard of the true Christian life is as it is set before us in the Epistle, and what absolute divine assurance it gives us that God is able and willing to make all that it contains true in our experience. I send this little book out with the prayer with which Paul wrote his Epistle, "that God, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself." Without that Spirit, specially sought and received, and yielded to in great teachableness, the truths of the Epistle will remain a hidden mystery. With that teaching, we shall "be filled with the knowledge of God's Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," we shall learn to know what passes knowledge, and be brought to experience that His power is able actually to do in us exceeding abundantly above what we can ask or think." The notes are instructive and have tips for those in ministry.
Spiritual Heritage, A: Connecting Kids and Grandkids to God and Family
by Glen Schuknecht Ellen BraggA guide for raising children to be Christ-following adults and parentsWith three adult children, eleven grandkids, and over forty-five years in Christian education, Glen and Ellen Schuknecht are asked a lot of parenting questions. But the most common question is always "How do I raise my kids to love God and love family--even after they've left my nest?" The truth is that all the rules in the world will do nothing if parents don't reach their kids' hearts.Through compelling, insightful stories from parents and grandparents who've been in the trenches, the Schuknechts demonstrate why that heart-level connection is so crucial in building long-lasting, connected relationships with a foundation of Christ. These stories are intertwined with ideas, tips, and biblical truths any parent can engage with, including a parent-coaching questionnaire to help readers build a more connected parenting style. The authors' fresh approach empowers parents to find their own vision for their families, tailor-made to their children and their circumstances.There's no magic formula here--just truth, grace, and hope instead of to-do lists. Glen and Ellen come alongside fellow parents and grandparents to help them find the ideas they crave, the hope they need, and the grace they must have to raise passionate and God-connected future generations.
The Spiritual Heritage of India (Routledge Library Editions: Hinduism #10)
by Swami PrabhavanandaThis book, first published in 1962, is an analysis of the history of the philosophy of a country that has never distinguished philosophy from religion. Indian philosophy is not merely metaphysical speculation, but has its foundation in immediate perception. This insistence upon immediate perception rather than abstract reasoning is what distinguishes the Indian philosophy of religion from philosophy as Western nations know it.
A Spiritual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe: Travel Tips for the Spiritually Perplexed
by Paul RademacherMaybe it's true for all of us when we follow our unique path. Our actions suddenly become precious, even essential. Whether you stumble into it by accident or inch toward it deliberately, I hope you find that sacred calling that is your unique gift. When you discover it, you may be surprised to find that there is a multitude waiting to celebrate with you.
A Spiritual Home: Life in British and American Reformed Congregations, 1830–1915 (G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects)
by Charles D. CashdollarA Spiritual Home explores congregational life inside British and American Reformed churches between 1830 and 1915. At a time when scholars have become interested in the day-to-day experience of local congregations, this book reaches back into the nineteenth century, a critically formative period in Anglo-American religious life, to examine the historical roots of congregational life.Taking the perspective of the laity, Cashdollar ranges widely from worship and music to fund-raising and administration, from pastoral care to social work, from prayer meetings to strawberry festivals, from the sanctuary to the kitchen. Firmly rooted in broader currents of gender, class, notions of middle-class respectability, increasing expectations for personal privacy, and patterns of professionalization, he finds that there was a gradual shift in emphasis during these years from piety to fellowship. Based on records, publications, and memorabilia from about 150 congregations representing eight denominations, A Spiritual Home gives us a comprehensive, composite portrait of religious life in Victorian Britain and America.
Spiritual Housekeeping: Sweep Your Life Free from Demonic Strongholds and Satanic Oppression
by Kimberly DanielsStay Prepared for Satan’s Unexpected Attacks Do life’s challenges seem to throw you off balance? Do you struggle with the should haves, could haves, and would haves? In Spiritual Housekeeping, Kimberly Daniels outlines the keys to defeating the devil and putting your spiritual house in order. Using numerous Bible passages and experiences from her own life, Daniels provides both practical and spiritual guidance for your home. Discover how to live in the world while pleasing God by… Avoiding compromise and ungodly tolerance Discerning the difference between what is holy and what is not Understanding the realms of spiritual authority Keeping the occult out of your house Discover how to become a gatekeeper to your home and receive God’s instructions for the spiritual traffic there. You can depend on the Holy Spirit to help you with the devil’s unexpected attacks and difficult situations.
Spiritual Hunger: Filling Your Deepest Longings (Fisherman Bible Studyguide Series)
by Carol Plueddemann Jim PlueddemannA study of these passages on desiring God can help Christians discover anew that only the Bread of Life and the Living Water can satisfy their souls.
The Spiritual in the Secular: Missionaries and Knowledge about Africa
by David Maxwell Patrick HarriesDavid Livingstone's visit to Cambridge in 1857 was seen as much as a scientific event as a religious one. But he was by no means alone among missionaries in integrating mission with science and other fields of research. Rather, many missionaries were remarkable, pioneering polymaths.This collection of essays explores the ways in which late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century missionaries to Africa contributed to various academic disciplines, such as linguistics, ethnography, social anthropology, zoology, medicine, and many more. This volume includes an introductory chapter by the editors and eleven chapters that analyze missionary research and its impact on knowledge about African contexts. Several themes emerge, including many missionaries' positive views of indigenous discourses and the complicated relationship between missionaries and professional anthropologists.Contributors:John CinnamonErika EichholzerNatasha ErlankDeborah GaitskellPatrick HarriesWalima T. KalusaJohn MantonDavid MaxwellJohn StuartDmitri van den BersselaarHonoré Vinck
Spiritual Influence: The Hidden Power Behind Leadership
by Mel Lawrenz"If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power—a hidden power—that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?" So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us? Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as: • building integrity• seizing opportunities• exploring new horizons• speaking into crises• receiving power• accepting authority• promoting truth• managing expectations• dealing with criticism Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God’s Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness. "Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from "over- spiritualized" to "de-spiritualized" in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged—upon Jesus Christ." - Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal, from the foreword "It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book, Spiritual Influence, Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!” - Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
Spiritual Influence: The Hidden Power Behind Leadership
by Mel Lawrenz Skye Jethani"If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power—a hidden power—that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?" So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us? Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as: • building integrity • seizing opportunities • exploring new horizons • speaking into crises • receiving power • accepting authority • promoting truth • managing expectations • dealing with criticism Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God’s Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness. "Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from "over- spiritualized" to "de-spiritualized" in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged—upon Jesus Christ." - Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal, from the foreword "It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book, Spiritual Influence, Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!” - Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
Spiritual Initiation and the Breakthrough of Consciousness: The Bond of Power
by Joseph Chilton PearceExplains the phenomenon of shaktipat, the spiritual transmission of power from a teacher to a devotee• Shows how technology has eroded personal power and how insight and awareness can play a higher role in our lives• Reveals how insight is the vehicle for profound self-transformationShakti is the creative force, the bonding power, that holds the universe together. Shaktipat is the moment when enlightenment is conferred upon a student instantaneously by his master’s touch. The guru conferring shaktipat creates a bond of power in those who have accepted him or her as their teacher. In Spiritual Initiation and the Breakthrough of Consciousness Joseph Chilton Pearce describes his experience of shaktipat from his teacher Swami Muktananda. From this awakening Pearce experiences a dramatic shift of mind and comes to the realization that perception is reality and that insight is our only vehicle for profound self-transformation.Oneness with God is the birthright of every individual, though we are culturally vaccinated to resist experiencing this higher consciousness. Our search for objective truth has lead us not to wholeness, but instead to the belief that we have no bond to each other, to God, or to an inanimate, physical world. Our technology reduces our ability to experience revelation and leads us instead toward the chatter of confused thinking. The challenge faced by modern humanity, which is the challenge Muktananda gave to his students, is to passionately gather up the scattered fragments of our lives and channel them into the creative realm, where with insight or revelation we will be able to become more than ourselves.