Download or read book Embracing Contemplation written by John H. Coe and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2019-02-26 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does a Christian life lived "by the Spirit" look like? Bringing together Protestant scholars and practitioners of spiritual formation, this volume offers a distinctly evangelical consideration of the benefits of contemplation. Drawing on historical examples from the church—including John Calvin, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley—this book considers how contemplative prayer can shape Christian living today.
Download or read book Flee Be Silent Pray written by Ed Cyzewski and published by MennoMedia, Inc.. This book was released on 2019-02-12 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if prayer could be simple rather than strenuous? Anxious, results-driven Christians can never pray enough, serve enough, or study enough. But what if God is calling us not to frenzied activity but to a simple spiritual encounter? What if we must merely receive what God has already given us? In Flee, Be Silent, Pray, writer and contemplative retreat leader Ed Cyzewski guides readers out of the anxiety factory of contemporary Christianity and toward a God whose love astounds those quiet long enough to receive it. With helpful guidance into solitude, contemplative prayer, and practices such as lectio divina and the Examen, Cyzewski guides readers toward the Christ whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Ready to shed the fear of the false self and the exhaustion of a duty-driven faith? Flee. Be silent. Pray.
Download or read book Christian Growth Through Contemplation written by Todd Mund and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2003-03-27 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like many people, Todd lived his life questioning the meaning of God and why he was not close to God. As he searched, he found the practice of Christian contemplation. Used by Jesus and other Christian patriarchs, this had to be the answer. After a short period of practice, Todd could begin to see subtle changes in himself and in his life. The anxiety, resentment and worry that were so prevalent in his life began to disappear. Entering his life were the two things that he had always searched for-calm and serenity. As his practice continued, he began to feel immense changes and had several epiphanies of the presence of God. As these awakenings continued, the teachings of Jesus came to have a deeper meaning and understanding than ever before. Christian Growth Through Contemplation is a fresh, insightful and illuminating book that describes the contemplative process and the truth of the Christian teachings. It is a must read for every Christian. Whether you are content in the Christian faith or have drifted away from the church, this book will help you grow closer to God than you could ever imagine and live a happy and fulfilling life.
Download or read book The Universal Christ written by Richard Rohr and published by Convergent Books. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From one of the world’s most influential spiritual thinkers, a long-awaited book exploring what it means that Jesus was called “Christ,” and how this forgotten truth can restore hope and meaning to our lives. “Anyone who strives to put their faith into action will find encouragement and inspiration in the pages of this book.”—Melinda Gates In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus’s last name? Too often, Rohr writes, our understandings have been limited by culture, religious debate, and the human tendency to put ourselves at the center. Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world. “God loves things by becoming them,” he writes, and Jesus’s life was meant to declare that humanity has never been separate from God—except by its own negative choice. When we recover this fundamental truth, faith becomes less about proving Jesus was God, and more about learning to recognize the Creator’s presence all around us, and in everyone we meet. Thought-provoking, practical, and full of deep hope and vision, The Universal Christ is a landmark book from one of our most beloved spiritual writers, and an invitation to contemplate how God liberates and loves all that is.
Download or read book The Signature of Jesus written by Brennan Manning and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2004-07-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Signature of Jesus challenges the gospel of "cheap grace" and calls the church to radical discipleship. With passion and boldness, author Brennan Manning invites readers to risk living life as Jesus lived—committed to simplicity, purity of heart, and obedience to the gospel. As a radical alternative this book is offered to Christians who want to live by faith and not by mere “religion,” for those who recognize that many of the burning theological issues in the church today are neither burning nor theological; who see Christianity neither as a moral code or a belief system but as a love affair; who have not forgotten that they are followers of a crucified Christ; who know that following him means living dangerously; who want to live the gospel without compromise; who have no greater desire than to have his signature written on the pages of their lives. “Behold,” Jesus proclaims, “I stand at the door and knock.” You may have already met him at the door…but do you truly know him? Have you been transformed by His furious, passionate, unexplainable love? Join Brennan Manning, the bestselling author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, on a personal journey to experience Christ’s love and live with His passion.
Download or read book Contemplative Vision written by Juliet Benner and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2010-12-21 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Docent Juliet Benner began showing people how to meditate on Christian art treasures, which led to her much-beloved "O Taste and See" columns from the spiritual formation journal Conversations, now expanded into this book. In each chapter you'll encounter a passage of Scripture and a corresponding piece of art to lead you in a new experience of prayer in God's presence.
Download or read book The Quotidian Mysteries written by Kathleen Norris and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In this insightful and deeply personal work, Kathleen Norris, an award-winning poet and author of both Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and The Cloister Walk, draws on her life experiences, her poetry and her love of the Benedictine tradition to discuss the mysterious way that the daily or "quotidian" can open us to the transforming presence of God." "This volume is the text of the 1998 Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality, sponsored by the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Download or read book Introduction to the Spiritual Life written by Brant Pitre and published by Image. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling exploration of the biblical foundations, contemplative practices, and spiritual path of Jesus himself—from the bestselling author of The Case for Jesus “What happens when a biblical theologian explores classic spirituality? This book. Pitre’s students have asked, Why have we never heard this before? The reader wonders the same.”—Dr. David Fagerberg, author of Liturgical Mysticism The path of following Jesus is an ancient and storied spiritual tradition. Yet many believers are not familiar with the three major forms of prayer and the three stages of spiritual growth that exist to bring them closer to God. In his most personal book yet, Brant Pitre, PhD, draws on the riches of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the writings of mystics across the centuries to shed light on the mystery—and wonder—of the spiritual life. Starting with the age-old belief that the path of prayer is not only informative but transformative, Dr. Pitre explores • the scriptural roots of the major forms of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation • the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of spiritual growth • the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving • the Jewish roots of the Lord’s Prayer • Lectio Divina: how to pray with the Bible • seven vices and their seven opposing virtues • the battle of prayer: how to deal with difficulty and distractions • the “dark night of the soul” in the Scriptures Full of sacred truths, contemplative insights, and practical steps, Introduction to the Spiritual Life is a biblical road map of the spiritual landscape that enables us to follow Jesus as our primary guide.
Download or read book Contemplative Provocations written by Donald Haggerty and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2013-01-09 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A great many religious people undertake, at least for a time, a serious dedication to prayer. They are moved by a longing for a deeper encounter with God, and the possibility of this beckons them as a distant light at night on the sea. Yet far fewer in number become true contemplative souls, for it is difficult to continue the quest for God in the face of many obstacles. For those who are spiritually courageous and full of desire for God, this book cannot but provoke them to begin or to persevere in this ultimate adventure in life-the more complete discovery of the living God. Thematically unified by the notion of God's ultimate transcendence to our limited human knowledge, Contemplative Provocations offers a rich profusion of insights on the life of prayer and the pursuit of God. A key to spiritual growth is the understanding that the hiddenness of God becomes a paradox in the experience of a soul seeking him wholeheartedly. Rather than enjoying a more intimate familiarity with God, the soul advancing in prayer is likely to experience more intensely, more provocatively, the concealment of God. This surprising truth undergirds true contemplative prayer. It is a reason why every contemplative soul, and every saint, is inflamed with a never satisfied thirst for God.
Download or read book Mindful Silence written by Phileena Heuertz and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hallmarks of contemplative spirituality—solitude, silence, and stillness—have never been more important for our fast-paced society. Filled with insights and wisdom from personal experiences, Phileena Heuertz introduces us to themes and teachers of contemplative spirituality, as well as several prayer practices, and invites us to greater healing and wholeness by learning to practice faith through prayer.
Download or read book Surrender to Love written by David G. Benner and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this expanded edition of a spiritual formation classic, David G. Benner explores the twin themes of love and surrender as the heart of Christian spirituality. God doesn't want his people to respond to him out of fear or obligation, but invites us to enter into an authentic relationship of intimacy and devotion—by surrendering to love.
Download or read book The Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life written by Thomas Keating and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2002-05-20 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People interested in Centering Prayer often ask: "Which of Father Keating's books should I read first?" This single volume contains the three basic books for the practice of Centering Prayer and its conceptual background. Open Mind, Open Heart deals with how to practice Centering Prayer. Since its first appearance in 1986, this book has been read and used by tens of thousands of people all around in world, including many inmates of U.S. prisons. Father Keating's books have been translated into numerous languages, including Croatian, Czech, Finnish, Japanese, and Korean. A new Spanish translation of Open Mind, Open Heart appeared in 2001. Invitation to Love treats the conceptual background of Centering Prayer rooted as it is in the Christian contemplative heritage. It is a presentation of that heritage in dialogue with contemporary science, especially developmental psychology and anthropology. The Mystery of Christ is a series of homilies based on the liturgical year. It develops the theological principles on which Centering Prayer is based using the scriptural texts of the liturgical cycle as a primary vehicle of instruction. This instruction is embodied in the principal feasts of the year celebrating the themes of divine light, divine life, and divine love. The trilogy contained in Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life develops the material presented in the Ten-Day Intensive Centering Prayer Workshop, in which the method of Centering Prayer is taught (Open Mind, Open Heart) along with its conceptual background (Invitation to Love). The homilies that were given during the liturgy integrate the method and its conceptual background into the mystery of Christ (hence The Mystery of Christ).
Download or read book What Is Contemplation written by Thomas Merton and published by Ravenio Books. This book was released on with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are so many Christians who do not appreciate the magnificent dignity of their vocation to sanctity, to the knowledge, love and service of God. There are so many Christians who do not realize what possibilities God has placed in the life of Christian perfection — what possibilities for joy in the knowledge and love of Him. There are so many Christians who have practically no idea of the immense love of God for them, and of the power of that Love to do them good, to bring them happiness. Why do we think of the gift of contemplation, infused contemplation, mystical prayer, as something essentially strange and esoteric reserved for a small class of almost unnatural beings and prohibited to everyone else? It is perhaps because we have forgotten that contemplation is the work of the Holy Ghost acting on our souls through His gifts of Wisdom and Understanding with special intensity to increase and perfect our love for Him. These gifts are part of the normal equipment of Christian sanctity. They are given to all in Baptism, and if they are given it is presumably because God wants them to be developed. Their development will always remain the free gift of God and it is true that His wise Providence sees fit to develop them less in some saints than in others. But it is also true that God often measures His gifts by our desire to receive them, and by our cooperation with His grace, and the Holy Spirit will not waste any of His gifts on people who have little or no interest in them.
Download or read book Action Versus Contemplation written by Jennifer Summit and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” Blaise Pascal wrote in 1654. But then there’s Walt Whitman, in 1856: “Whoever you are, come forth! Or man or woman come forth! / You must not stay sleeping and dallying there in the house.” It is truly an ancient debate: Is it better to be active or contemplative? To do or to think? To make an impact, or to understand the world more deeply? Aristotle argued for contemplation as the highest state of human flourishing. But it was through action that his student Alexander the Great conquered the known world. Which should we aim at? Centuries later, this argument underlies a surprising number of the questions we face in contemporary life. Should students study the humanities, or train for a job? Should adults work for money or for meaning? And in tumultuous times, should any of us sit on the sidelines, pondering great books, or throw ourselves into protests and petition drives? With Action versus Contemplation, Jennifer Summit and Blakey Vermeule address the question in a refreshingly unexpected way: by refusing to take sides. Rather, they argue for a rethinking of the very opposition. The active and the contemplative can—and should—be vibrantly alive in each of us, fused rather than sundered. Writing in a personable, accessible style, Summit and Vermeule guide readers through the long history of this debate from Plato to Pixar, drawing compelling connections to the questions and problems of today. Rather than playing one against the other, they argue, we can discover how the two can nourish, invigorate, and give meaning to each other, as they have for the many writers, artists, and thinkers, past and present, whose examples give the book its rich, lively texture of interplay and reference. This is not a self-help book. It won’t give you instructions on how to live your life. Instead, it will do something better: it will remind you of the richness of a life that embraces action and contemplation, company and solitude, living in the moment and planning for the future. Which is better? Readers of this book will discover the answer: both.
Download or read book Prayer of the World written by Kathleen Maia Tapp and published by Earthword Press. This book was released on 2021-08-13 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prayer of the World opens a window into an astonishingly beautiful world, showing life as a vast prayer in which we live and breathe. Through poetry and luminous photographs, it brings forth the voices of earth, sea, sky, and the entire web of life. From star fire to water's blue stillness, from eagle's soaring flight to canary's solemn teaching comes the plea: "Join the prayer; the web is greatly strained." Kathleen Maia and Ken traveled to many sites in the United States and beyond-she with her pen and notebook, and he with his camera. As their pilgrimage continued, they realized that the poetry and photography together created a stunning whole, a vibrant expression of Earth's life and Earth's plea: "Give back to the web; add your voice to the song. Join the Prayer of the World." As alarm, anxiety, and upheaval escalate across the globe, Prayer of the World raises not only Earth's lament, but also Earth's great hope: "All is connected in a living breathing web...the living pulse of energy that flows through all creation-each pulse a prayer." To learn more about Prayer of the World visit: www.prayeroftheworld.org
Download or read book Praying the Bible written by Mariano Magrassi and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, the Church is experiencing a revival of interest in the Bible. The knowledge and practice of lectio divina are becoming more widespread, not only in monastic and religious communities, but also among all the people of God. Archbishop Magrassi's book is a classic on the subject. It introduces us to an atmosphere of faith in which the Church, for twelve centuries, was nourished on the Word of God. Out of his vast knowledge of the Fathers and medieval monastic authors, Magrassi has created a synthesis of the elements that make up the unique and singular experience of lectio divina.
Download or read book Contemplative Bible Reading written by Richard Peace and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2015-06-22 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new way to read the Bible. Spiritual disciplines are simply ways to open ourselves to God. They help us become aware of the many ways God speaks to us and provide us with ways to respond to God. This book explores and explains how the historical disciplines and perspectives of the Christian faith can deepen both our walk with God and our community with others. Reading the Bible is something that most of us are familiar with. Some even do it regularly. But do we really think about how we read and respond to Scripture? How deeply do we allow ourselves to be impacted by it? Contemplative Bible reading (or lectio divina, as it is often called) is an ancient method of approaching Scripture. Consisting of four parts, this method begins with the selected biblical passage and moves to meditating, praying, and contemplating what God is revealing through the Bible. Many of us tend to think of meditation as something done individually, but reflecting on Scripture in a small group invites us to act and encourages us to share with others how God is calling us to respond. Contemplative Bible Reading examines this spiritual discipline and invites your small group to approach Scripture in a new and challenging way. By exploring different passages and learning to hear God's voice in them, this guide will help you meditate and act on the truth of the Bible.
