Download or read book Introduction to the Devout Life written by Saint Francis De Sales and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2015-06-08 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results. Themes include: Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy schedule Growing in virtue Battling wisely against temptation Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you’ll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord. St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his short lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

Download or read book Poverty of Spirit written by Johann Baptist Metz and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inclusive language version of the modern spiritual classic, an exquisitely beautiful meditation on the incarnation, on what it means to be fully human, and on finding the face of God hidden in our neighbors.

Download or read book The Only Way To Happiness written by John MacArthur and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 1998-04-01 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.

Download or read book The Blessing of Humility written by Jerry Bridges and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2016 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We all admire humility when we see it. But how do we practice it? How does humility--the foundational virtue of the normal Christian life--become a normal part of our everyday lives? Jerry Bridges sees in the Beatitudes a series of blessings from Jesus, a pattern for humility in action. Starting with poverty in spirit--an acknowledgment that in and of ourselves we are incapable of living holy lives pleasing to God--and proceeding through our mourning over personal sin, our hunger and thirst for righteousness, our experience of persecutions large and small, and more, we discover that humility is itself a blessing: At every turn, God is present to us, giving grace to the humble and lifting us up to blessing.

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 The Poor in Spirit written by Yang Yankang and published by Unicorn. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Catholicism in China has had a history of over seven hundred years. Especially since the founding of New China, it has experienced many ups and downs, but its adherents have never disappeared. Especially in some out-of-the-way rural areas, Catholicism represents important spiritual sustenance for many, and penetrates all aspects of daily life.Yang Yankang spent ten years in the Shaanxi countryside creating his exquisite set of works documenting Chinese rural Catholics, The Poor in Spirit. With empathy and humour, he depicts churches and solemn ceremonies rising like apparitions in the remotest countryside; a wall calendar of celebrity photographs written over with a musical score, played by a group of women; dugouts and earth houses used for preaching and ministry; a rural family assembling a Christ figure; the pious faces of children singing; processions through the wheat fields of mourners in traditional Chinese funeral dress, carrying the coffin or shouldering a cross; a priest in ceremonial attire conducting mass for the sick in a maize field, and so on.Documentary photography practice in China started, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with a focus on people marginalized by the mainstream (psychiatric patients, homosexuals, transgender people, Catholics, free artists, etc.), and on vulnerable groups deliberately neglected by the powerful elites. These images by Yang Yankang demonstrate a courage in facing Chinese social reality - the images themselves have a visual intensity, and the photographer expresses compassion through them.

Download or read book Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing written by Ellen Gould Harmon White and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Beatitudes written by Marissa Baker and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2021-06-21 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's safe to say most Christians are familiar with the Beatitudes. Yet even these short, well-known "Blessed are ..." phrases contain a treasure-trove of Biblical truth that can deepen our faith and our understanding of the gospel. In this study guide, you'll find chapters that dive deep into the historic and Biblical context for each beatitude, questions to use as journaling prompts or book club guides, and a wealth of scripture references to support your personal study of God's word. As an anchor keeps a ship from drifting with the changing waters, so does a defining belief in God help us ride the waves of life. In this study guide series, we cast our anchors deep into God's word to seek stability and truth in Him.

Download or read book Jesus Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World written by D. A. Carson and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2004-04-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A popular explanation of the teaching of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount and the events that follow.

Download or read book The Beatitudes written by Charles H Spurgeon and published by Whitaker House. This book was released on 2012-09-27 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some of the most comforting words a Christian could possibly hear from God are, "I want to bless you." In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ told us that we can come to Him as we are—in need, mourning, oppressed, or hungering—and He will bless us. In Charles Spurgeon's revealing exploration of The Beatitudes, you will learn to... Receive God's comfort Develop a gentle, forgiving spirit Inherit the earth Find contentment Obtain mercy Be pure in heart See God more clearly God has an excellent benefits package for His children. Discover the way to receive the rich treasures God wants you to have!

Download or read book Happy are You Poor written by Thomas Dubay and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the modern mind, the concept of poverty is often confused with destitution. But destitution emphatically is not the Gospel ideal. A love-filled sharing frugality is the message, and Happy Are You Poor explains the meaning of this beatitude lived and taught by Jesus himself. But isn't simplicity in lifestyle meant only for nuns and priests? Are not all of us to enjoy the goodness and beauties of our magnificent creation? Are parents to be frugal with the children they love so much? The renowned spiritual writer Dubay gives surprising replies to these questions. He explains how material things are like extensions of our persons and thus of our love. If everyone lived this love there would be no destitution. After presenting the richness of the Gospel message, more beautiful than any other world view, he explains how Gospel frugality is lived in each state of life.

Download or read book A Fourfold Salvation written by Arthur W. Pink and published by . This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Salvation is of eternal importance yet it is very often misunderstood. In A Fourfold Salvation Author W. Pink addresses the subject of salvation by addressing; Salvation from the Pleasure of Sin, Salvation from the Penalty of Sin, Salvation from the Power of Sin, and Salvation from the Presence of Sin. "Ask the average Christian, Are you saved? and he answers, Yes, I was saved in such and such a year; and that is as far as his thoughts on the subject go. Ask him, To what do you owe your salvation? and "the finished work of Christ" is the sum of his reply. Tell him that each of those answers is seriously defective, and he strongly resents your aspersion." Arthur Walkington Pink was an English Christian evangelist and Biblical scholar known for his staunchly Calvinist and Puritan-like teachings. Though born to Christian parents, prior to conversion he migrated into a Theosophical society (an occult gnostic group popular in England during that time), and quickly rose in prominence within their ranks. His conversion came from his father's patient admonitions from Scripture. It was the verse, Proverbs 14:12, 'there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death, ' which particularly struck his heart and compelled him to renounce Theosophy and follow Jesus.

Download or read book Subversive Jesus written by Craig Warren Greenfield and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe to come live with the people he loved and gave his life for, he turned everything we know and believe about life on its head. Jesus said that he came to bring good news to the poor, but most Western Christians remain disconnected and isolated from the poor and their contexts of injustice. Even our churches echo society’s pressure to isolate ourselves from the margins (e.g. by moving to a better suburb) and instead teach us how to be “nice people” who worship a “nice Jesus” and don’t disrupt the status quo. Convinced that Jesus places love for the poor and the pursuit of justice central, Craig Greenfield has sought to follow in Christ’s footsteps by living among people at the edges of society for the last fourteen years. His quest to follow this Subversive Jesus has taken Craig and his young family from the slums of Asia to inner city Canada and back again. This is the story of how Jesus led them to the margins: initiating the Pirates of Justice flash mobs, sharing their home with detoxing crackheads, welcoming homeless panhandlers and prostitutes to the dinner table, and ultimately sparking a movement to reach the world’s most vulnerable children. This book is a strong and potentially controversial critique of the status quo too often found in our churches, but it offers an inspirational and hopeful vision of another way. While readers may not relocate to a slum, they will certainly come to view their lives and ministry through a fresh lens—reconsidering how they are uniquely called by Jesus to subversively love the poor and break down systems of injustice in their sphere of influence.

Download or read book Momentum written by Colin S. Smith and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Beatitudes are not telling you how to become a Christian—they tell you what a true Christian looks like. Everyone wants to be blessed. We want to be blessed in life, blessed in death, and blessed in eternity. In the Beatitudes, the Son of God tells us about the life that is blessed and about the people who are blessed. But Jesus does more than just describe a blessed life, He gives us a way to actually pursue it. If you want to make strides in overcoming sin, growing in godliness, abounding in good works, and enjoying intimacy with the Lord, this book is for you. And if you have lost hope that any of these things are possible, this book is especially for you. You can make progress, starting today.

Download or read book Immigration and the Next America written by Jose Gomez and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2013-07-05 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archbishop Jos Gomez has written a personal, passionate and practical contribution to the national debate about immigration - pointing the way toward a recovery of America's highest ideals.""Immigration is a human rights test of our generation. It's also a defining historical moment for America. The meaning of this hour is that we need to renew our country in the image of her founding promises of universal rights rooted in God. Immigration is about more than immigration. It's about renewing the soul of America.""- Archbishop Jos H. Gomez Archbishop Jos H. Gomez is one of the leading moral voices in the American Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation's largest Catholic community and the Chairman of the United States Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and a papal appointee to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Archbishop Gomez is a native of Monterrey, Mexico and a naturalized American citizen.

Download or read book Holy Bible NIV written by Various Authors, and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 6637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Download or read book The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes written by Yiu Sing Lúcás Chan and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2012-09-14 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are often considered significant texts for the Christian moral life. However, most interpretations of these passages either focus on the original meaning of the text or how the texts should impact ordinary living today. In The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes Yiu Sing Lúcás Chan brings together biblical studies and Christian ethics to look at these foundational texts in a new way. For each passage Chan asks both what the texts meant and what they mean today. He helps readers to carefully study the text’s original meaning, then interpret the text within a sound ethical framework. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes is an excellent introduction to key concepts in biblical studies and Christian ethics that combines sound study with warmth and wisdom.