Download or read book Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life written by Mary Margaret Funk and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2004-08-31 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Funk turns to the wisdom of the desert fathers for the means of removing obstacles to spiritual growth, which include thoughts of food, sex, possessions, anger, dejection, and pride, among other preoccupations. Redirecting thought away from such weeds in the garden of the spirit can lead to a greater awareness of God. This somewhat Zen-like method to mental discipline may seem impossible at first, Funk admits, but those who succeed at it are rewarded with a liberating experience as they come to observe and control individual thought processes. Drawing on the writings of the fifth-century monk John Cassian, Funk goes on to explore deeply using such tools as memory, imagination, and rational thinking—tools right out of early Christianity—to work on inner healing. She also explains how other positive tools, such as ceaseless prayer, manual labor, and isolation, may lead to uncluttering the mind and purifying the heart.
Download or read book Thoughts Matter written by Mary Margaret Funk and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 1998-12-01 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the method developed by John Cassian, a fourth-century monk, for concentrating the mind and controlling extraneous thought during meditation
Download or read book Tools Matter written by Mary Margaret Funk and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2013-02 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rev. ed. of: Tools matter for practicing the spiritual life.
Download or read book Humility Matters for Practicing the Spiritual Life written by Mary Margaret Funk and published by Continuum. This book was released on 2010-12-16 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The springboard for Humility Matters is the teaching on humility of St. Benedict, enriched by the fifteen years Sr. Funk spent in interreligious dialogue.
Download or read book The Spiritual Life written by Evelyn Underhill and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 1985-06-01 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally part of a series of broadcasts made by the author prior to World War II, this small book was meant "to present some of the great truths concerning man’s spiritual life in simple language.” As one critic has noted, “Underhill has admirably and eloquently achieved her objective.” Evelyn Underhill was a prolific British writer on mysticism and spiritual growth. Her other books include The School of Charity and Abba.
Download or read book Christian Practical Wisdom written by Dorothy C. Bass and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this richly collaborative work, five distinguished scholars examine the oft-neglected embodied practical wisdom that is essential for true theological understanding and faithful Christian living. After first showing what Christian practical wisdom is and does in several real-life situations, the authors tell why such practical wisdom matters and how it operates, exploring reasons behind its decline in both the academy and the church and setting forth constructive cases for its renewal.
Download or read book Connecting with the Divine written by Sergio Rijo and published by SERGIO RIJO. This book was released on 2023-03-25 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the author of "Connecting with the Divine: Tools and Techniques for Powerful Prayer," I am excited to share with you the insights and strategies I have learned over the years for deepening your spiritual connection through prayer. Prayer has the power to bring us closer to the Divine, providing us with a sense of peace, purpose, and connection in our lives. But for many people, prayer can be an elusive and challenging practice. This book is designed to help you overcome those challenges and tap into the true power of prayer. Through my own personal experiences and study of various spiritual traditions, I have discovered a range of techniques and tools that can help you cultivate a deeper connection with the Divine. Whether you are new to prayer or have been practicing for years, this book offers practical guidance and inspiration for taking your spiritual journey to the next level. Inside, you will find a wealth of information on topics such as: Understanding the true nature of prayer and its potential to transform your life Developing a daily practice that works for you, no matter your beliefs or background Overcoming common obstacles to prayer, including doubt and skepticism Navigating difficult times with the help of prayer And much more! With easy-to-follow guidance and a warm, empathetic tone, this book will inspire and empower you to take your spiritual journey to new heights. Whether you are seeking inner peace, guidance, or simply a deeper connection to the Divine, "Connecting with the Divine" is the perfect guide for anyone looking to explore the power of prayer.
Download or read book Spiritual Connection in Daily Life written by Lynn Underwood and published by Templeton Foundation Press. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How often do you find moments of deep peace and satisfaction in your day-to-day life? How often does connection with other people, the divine, or nature make you feel more alive? How often are you touched by a sense of awe-inspiring beauty, compassionate love, or pure joy? For many of us, these kinds of experiences tend to be fleeting and all too rare. Fortunately, new research is suggesting that a regular practice of paying attention to experiences like these can help any of us find them more often and cultivate richer, deeper, and more satisfying lives. In Spiritual Connection in Daily Life, Lynn Underwood introduces her Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES), which is comprised of sixteen simple, multiple-choice questions that invite us to become more attuned tothese extraordinary experiences in ordinary life. The DSES is the definitive set of questions for measuring the experience of spiritual connection and has been used in hundreds of studies, translated into over twenty languages, and used around the world by counselors, therapists, nurses, social workers, clergy from multiple faiths, and business leaders. Spiritual Connection in Daily Life offers a step-by-step guide to using the DSES to improve our abilities to sense the “more than” in the midst of our days. Embraced by people from many different cultures, religious traditions, and professional backgrounds, the DSES doesn’t require any extraordinary experience like hearing divine voices or embarking upon a dramatic religious conversion. Nor does it belabor the exact definition of “spirituality.” Rather, it simply invites us to focus on aspects of our daily lives such as deep peace, sense of inner strength, longing, and compassionate love. The sixteen questions also provide a common, nonpolarizing language for communicating with others about the role of the “more than” in our lives. Adherents of all faith traditions, as well as people with no religious leanings whatsoever, have experienced profound and lasting benefits from having these experiences, including improved health behaviors, better relationships, decreased stress and burnout, and improvements in daily mood. Now all of us can reap these same long-term benefits with just a little bit of self-reflection and Dr. Underwood’s expert guidance.
Download or read book Reaching for God written by Roberta Werner and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2013 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reaching for God is a compendium of Benedictine life and prayer for oblates. It brings together in one volume the essence of Benedictine spirituality-its history, its relevance through the ages and in the present, and a summary of the most fundamental gifts and values it offers for living a meaningful life. Here, the meaning and purpose of the oblate way of life is explained in a clear and encouraging way. Werner offers guidance and examples of prayer to enrich any spiritual life. Sister Roberta Werner, OSB, having worked as a teacher, caregiver, and educational administrator, is now the assistant oblate director at St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. In this role, she guides an oblate discussion group, contributes to oblate newsletter publications, has set up an oblate library, and makes the spiritual journey with the many oblates who connect with her and with the monastery in their search for God.
Download or read book Fingerprints of God written by Barbara Bradley Hagerty and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "From analyses of the brain functions of Buddhist monks and Carmelite nuns, to the question of whether directed prayer can heal the sick, to what near-death experiences reveal about the afterlife, Hagerty reaches beyond what we think we know to understand whether the ineffable place beyond this world can be rationally - even scientifically - explained."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering written by Trystan Owain Hughes and published by SPCK. This book was released on 2012-04-10 with total page 75 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everyone suffers at some time or other - it's simply a part of life. But however bad things seem, we are never completely helpless. For the deeply affirming truth is that we can choose how to respond to adverse circumstances. Trystan Owain Hughes suggests that learning how to suffer and how to wait patiently may be the secret of finding joy in our lives. Diagnosed with a degenerative spinal condition, he was surprised to discover that, instead of increasing his unhappiness, it spurred him on to seek out sources of hope and meaning. The book opens by encouraging us to take a step back from our anxieties and worries and rest in the love of God. We then explore five areas where that love may be found in the midst of pain: in nature, memory, art, laughter and other people. By becoming conscious of the echoes of the transcendent in these areas, we will gain new strength. And paradoxically, through facing our suffering, learn to truly live.
Download or read book Into the Depths written by Mary Margaret Funk and published by Lantern Books. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In January 1984, Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, a Benedictine nun from Indiana, paid a visit to Maryknoll missionary nuns working in Bolivia. On what should have been a routine trip to the local town for a convocation ceremony, a flash flood swept away the jeep in which she, three nuns, a priest, and a disabled boy they had adopted were traveling. Only she and the priest survived. What happened that night catapulted Sr. Meg into twenty-five years of prayer and self-examination. She relentlessly explored her relationship with the transcendent and immanent God, the profundities of her religious tradition, her commitment to spiritual practice, and her very human failings. It was a journey that left her spiritually naked before the terrible love of God; a journey to keep one's heart open to the transforming wounds of suffering. In the great tradition of spiritual confessions from Augustine to Thomas Merton's The Seven-Storey Mountain, Into the Depths is a fearlessly honest and simply told account of one woman's struggle to engage at the deepest levels with the most profound questions of faith.
Download or read book The Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality written by Peter Tyler and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-10-25 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to Christian spirituality with scholarly input. Each article is by a leading academic and explains the subject matter in an accessible and open fashion.
Download or read book When You Pray Revised Edition written by Rueben P. Job and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prayer is one of the most important areas of a Christian's life. Written in 2010 by spiritual formation leader, Bishop Rueben P. Job, When You Pray has reached over 20,000 readers since its publication. T his daily prayer guide offers a full year of readings and scripture and is an excellent tool to use in daily prayer time. Each four-page weekly segment includes daily office of scripture, prayer, offering of self and blessing plus a brief essay from the author and collection of quotes from well-known voices in spiritual formation. The new edition will include the same weekly scripture suggestions and essays with refreshed quotes and additional material and prayers. In addition, readers will find helps in the back of the book offer ways to explore prayer as a group or as a family.
Download or read book Exploring the Future of Christian Monasticisms written by Greg Peters and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The institution of monasticism in the Christian Church is in general decline, at least in so-called “first world” nations. Though there are many reasons for this, monastic leaders are confronted by the reality of fewer communities, monks, and nuns nonetheless. At the same time, many younger Christians are rediscovering the rich heritage of the monastic tradition. Though they themselves might not be called to join a traditional monastery, they are eager to appropriate monastic practices in their own lives. This had led to a movement known as the “new monasticism” or “secular monasticism.” Despite lacking a unified vision and any central organization, these new/secular monastics are attempting, in their own ways, to carry on the tradition and practices of Christian monasticism. As well, there is a movement within historical Christian monasteries to pour new wine into old wineskins. Traditional forms of monasticism are also generally flourishing in developing nations, breathing new life into monasticism. This volume looks at the current monastic landscape to assess where monasticism stands and to imagine ways in which it will grow in the future, leading not only to a renewed Christian monasticism but to new monasticisms.
Download or read book Navigating the Interior Life written by Dan Burke and published by Sophia Institute Press. This book was released on 2019-07-25 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of us have questions about spiritual direction. What is it? What if I cant find a spiritual director? These questions and more are well answered in Dan Burkes book. The Lord is clearly calling all Catholics into a deeper union with him. This book, in a style which is both inspiring and practical, provides some of the Churchs most important wisdom about how to respond to this call.
Download or read book Every Day Spirit written by Mary Davis and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2024-09-03 with total page 794 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this uplifting and transformational book, spiritual teacher Mary Davis shares daily reflections, inspiring quotes, practices, prayers and meditations that fill your heart with encouragement, joy and inner peace. With a page for each day of the year, this gentle book will become a companion and a wise teacher that takes you on a spiritual journey of finding joy and gratitude in simple things, peace and comfort even in the midst of chaos, and a deeper love for others through kindness, compassion and service. Written during a year of solitude in the isolation of a cabin, Mary's poetic gift with words, loving guidance, humor and heart will feed your soul and have you looking forward to each day's reading. Every Day Spirit is packed with spiritual wisdom, making it a road map to a more meaningful and fulfilling life – and a reminder to slow down and notice the blessings. It's the perfect gift for yourself...and anyone in need of inspiration, hope, comfort and wisdom.
