Spiritual Direction

The Bible has the astounding power to transform lives. The stories of people like Francis of Assisi, Antony of Egypt, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. vividly demonstrate this. Why aren't more of us transformed by Scripture today? Too often we study biblical texts without believing that God truly inhabits this book. Scripture seeks to capture our minds, not merely educate them. In these pages Chris Webb explains that we can transform our Christian life by reading as lovers rather than as theorists. This is possible by coming to the text prayerfully, expectantly, in humility and empty-handed. When we open the Bible, it does not say to us, "Listen: God is there!" Instead, the voice of the Spirit whispers through each line, "Look: I am here." Reading the Bible this way can reconfigure the habits of your heart, refresh your imagination and memory, reshape and redeem your emotions, realign your reality individually and communally for kingdom life, and take us beyond the Bible into a renewed way of life. Here is the work of today--which is also the work of the whole of life--to open your heart afresh to the living Word of God.

Perhaps you've been missing out. God has given us five senses and a brain with two sides. Yet we often approach God in one way only: through words that are analyzed and processed logically in our left brain. The right brain, however, is the creative, intuitive center--the place that connects most to our seeing, smelling, touching, tasting and hearing, and that roots experiences in our hearts in transforming ways. In Awaken Your Senses, longtime ministers Beth Booram and Brent Bill invite you to engage your right brain in your faith through sensory spiritual practices that position your heart for divine encounter. Readings and a variety of exercises that utilize your whole body lead you to experience God in new ways by

• tasting chocolate, words, matzoh, Scripture, forgiveness
• seeing the moon, wisdom, art, glory, your best self
• touching others, stones, prayers, rubble, Jesus
• hearing silence, music, pain, footsteps, the Spirit, the news
• smelling gardenias, life, salty air, home, healing oil, coffee

Teaching you to pay attention in love to your surroundings, Booram and Bill will help you open your eyes and ears and nose to a sensuous faith--one in which God can be experienced each day as we live and move and have our being. So whether you're weary, stuck, struggling, growing or on information-overload, the exercises and reflections offered here can bring refreshment--a cold drink of water, a gentle breeze--to your soul. Come experience God with all of who you are, and discover more of who he is.

In A Journey with Jesus, spiritual director Larry Warner guides us through the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, similar to the way he's been leading people through them in person. Here's what he's observed: "The Spiritual Exercises helped people reconnect with Jesus and with themselves in life-giving ways. It was powerful." Ignatius wanted to help everyone, no matter what age or stage of life, experience Jesus. Through prayers and Scripture readings that largely focus on the life of Christ, the Spiritual Exercises that have been so powerful and growth-inducing for so many, including Warner, can be a tool for transformation in you as well. The exercises are designed to help you

• encounter the person of Jesus
• foster a deeper relational knowing of Jesus
• cultivate a greater desire and freedom to say yes to Jesus

This book will guide you through Ignatius's traditional retreat approach as a nine-month journey which allows you to take these practices into the "real world" each day. And you don't have to go on a retreat to do it. You can start now, and grow in Christlikeness right in the midst of your life. Are you hungry for Jesus and ready to do something about it? Are you committed to a sticking with a sustained journey of growth and formation in Christ? Then this book is for you. Open these pages, and let Warner guide you on the journey toward deeper intimacy with Jesus.

Written in response to a need expressed by Spiritual Directors, Retreat Leaders and teachers on introductory courses to Christian spirituality for an engaging and readable introduction to the subject, The Path to Your Door provides an accessible and well-researched introduction to themes within the Christian spiritual tradition.

In a highly readable fashion it introduces the reader to some of the key themes in classic and contemporary Christian experience and allows them to engage with the material for themselves through the use of varied spiritual exercises. The Path to Your Door is an invitation to an on-going journey of spiritual exploration, grounded in the Christian tradition but encouraging each reader to find their own path and discover their own unique language of prayer.

Ignatius saw the Christian mission, and especially that of the Jesuit missionary order which he founded, as being to "set fire to the world," igniting a love for Jesus in the hearts of all. Even today--hundreds of years later--the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, one of the most prolific writers of his time, continue to inspire Christians in their quest for a meaningful, holy life.
This fascinating introduction to Ignatian spirituality draws from contemporary translations of original texts focusing on the practical mysticism of Ignatius of Loyola. Excerpts from The Spiritual Exercises, his autobiography, and his collected letters and instructions provide direct insights from Ignatius about the spiritual life in general, and also offer context from Ignatius's life and times. Substantive, facing-page commentary, presented in a lively and engaging style, illuminates Ignatius's perspectives on many key aspects of Christian spirituality:
* Sin and self-awareness
* Humility and obedience
* Trust in God
* Discernment
* Imitating Jesus and the saints
* Love and common good
* ... and more