LITMIR.BIZ

Our busy exterior may be a cover-up for an undernourished interior soul. Modern life is so packed with things to do that we have not learned to be truly human. It is difficult to nurture the spiritual life in a media-saturated world filled with relentless information, ongoing activities, material wants, worrisome uncertainties, and seductive addictions. Being Truly Human challenges readers to give space in their busy life for God to do the work of transformation in the inner self. It takes inspiration from the Desert Fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries whose directness, simplicity, and concreteness to life's struggles provide a fresh perspective for modern saints. Like the desert saints, modern Christians are challenged to begin a spiritual odyssey, in the wilderness of their soul, to become their true selves. To be truly human means the freedom to love in concrete acts of humility and hospitality, acts which are truly lacking in our world today. The practice of solitude and silence will lead us to be indifferent to the crying needs of our false selves and to give God our undivided attention, which is necessary for the spiritual formation of our true selves.

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Decoding Mammon is an exposition of the negative assessment of money implied in Jesus' statement, «You cannot serve God and Mammon.» On the basis of the theology enshrined in the Old and New Testaments and in the long-term tradition of the church, it is claimed that problems associated with money do not arise simply from the way it is used, but from the nature of money itself. Despite the fact that money has enabled great economic development, and in contrast with the general consensus of governments, economists, and many theologians that money is either a positive or neutral instrument, the book seeks to show that money is a deeply flawed instrument, created by fallen human beings, and fashioned over the years to suit the interests of those in power rather than the needs of people in general. It is argued that money should only be allowed to operate within severe restrictions, and that any reformulation of the global economy as a result of the recent financial crisis needs to be based on this understanding.

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In «Thoughts Upon Methodism,» John Wesley shared his hopes and fears for the future of his religious movement. The article contains this well-known passage: «I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.» The Form and Power of Religion unpacks this statement by explaining what Wesley meant by the form and power of religion, identifying what Methodist Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline were according to Wesley, and discussing how these aspects of Methodism worked together to maintain the vitality of the Revival. The book concludes with an evaluation of Wesley's theory of Methodist Vitality, and discusses its viability as a basis for contemporary Church Vitality programs.

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This is a collection of Joan Kavanaugh's post-9/11 public pastoral prayers delivered at The Riverside Church in New York City. Written with a «newspaper in one hand and Bible in the other,» they address the issues of human struggle and world crisis that have touched all of our lives in this era of terrorism, anxiety, and global conflict. Prophetic and pastoral, the prayers focus on contemporary themes of conflict, violence, poverty, racism, injustice, hope, and human longing from spiritual, psychological, and biblical perspectives. They are a resource for all who want to deepen their faith as they face a world deep in turmoil.

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Only in the gospel of Jesus Christ does your weakness provide the platform for God's glory and grace. Jesus uses your weaknesses of sin and of circumstance to gloriously display the truth that his grace is sufficient for you and that his power is made perfect in weakness. When You Are Weak guides the reader to explore the practical theology of 2 Corinthians 12 and to usher you unto the green pastures of God's transformative grace. God uses the «thorns of the flesh» experienced in this life to bring you by his sovereign, never-letting-go love into greater communion and fellowship with him so that he might become your greatest joy and treasure. When you are weak, boasting in Jesus makes you strong!

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Spirituality and Growth on the Leadership Path: An Abecedary offers lessons not usually taught about leadership, lessons learned over the author's more than thirty years in higher education and nonprofit organizations.
Few resources on leadership and administration attend to the inner life of a person in a leadership position. Many of this book's themes are therefore related to the inner moral and spiritual life. Some topics are prosaic, dealing with everyday activities. Throughout the book, «pith instructions» offer simple practical advice about the inner process and core values that may inform the leadership path. Haynes draws on the world's wisdom traditions–philosophy and religion, mysticism and theology, including indigenous beliefs and rituals–as rich resources for reconceiving leadership.
This abecedary includes drawings by artist Michael Shernick, which are paired with entries from the «chronicles of experience,» etymology and poetry, examples of contemplative practice and meditation, and metaphoric digressions. Common elements–such as lists and advice–mix with uncommon elements, including recipes. This primer will provide inspiration and insight for navigating the shoals, deep water, rocky coasts, wind, and sunny climes of the leadership journey.

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He's baaack! That infernal demon, Screwtape, from C. S. Lewis's classic book, The Screwtape Letters, has returned. Screwtape is armed with a «Master Plan» designed to acidify and ultimately destroy the cultural tapestries of a critical region of the world and the humans therein. In a series of lectures delivered to a legion of demons, Screwtape highlights key principles and tactics for twisting human thinking and behavior in the areas of materialism, sexuality, intergroup relationships, self-actualization, work and vocation, and understandings of Jesus. Screwtape's ultimate objective is to snuff out God's light in the region by encouraging Christians to assimilate to prevailing cultural norms or withdraw into their own «cultural bubbles» rather than faithfully integrate into the cultures around them. Through a process known as the «Amishification of the Church,» Screwtape expects the Christian church to become a minor backwater institution in the region by the end of the twenty-first century.

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The Wendell Cocktail describes a major social problem, exemplified by the journals of a person with coexisting conditions–mental illness and addiction. Although there are resources for people with each of these conditions–psychiatry for mental illness and twelve-step programs for addiction–there are few effective resources for people with both. Since about half of the mentally ill medicate with an addiction, an increasingly large percentage of the American population is left without adequate care. Wendell's journals illuminate the complexity of a tormented mind that is nevertheless capable of exquisite enjoyment of music, natural beauty, and delight in the observation of birds and animals. The book's conclusion suggests approaches to understanding and better providing for persons with addiction and mental illness.

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Christians are not just called to be transformed into something «better» or even «good,» but to be transfigured into a «new creation»–ceasing to be what they are in order to become what they are not. In The Eucharist's Biographer, Albert Walsh proposes that the path to this «distinctive Christian identity» is through the power of the Holy Spirit, as revealed in the unity of Word and Sacrament. With this premise, he unites two powerful traditions: the Proclamation of the Word of the Protestant tradition and the Power of God's Grace in the Eucharist of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. It is in what Walsh calls the eucharistic-evangel as a whole that the individual and community are subject to the «real presence» of the Christ, who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is the force behind the transformation and maintenance of Christian identity.

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America stands in the throes of an anxiety epidemic, yet Americans live in one of the most religious countries in the world? Shouldn't people with deep spiritual roots be less vulnerable to emotional suffering? Such an enigma stands at the center of this book, but the enigma turns out to be more apparent than real. The overt religiosity so characteristic of modern American society ironically serves to foster the anxiety epidemic by locking people into a disenchanted secular mindset, leaving them cut off from the deep spiritual resources they so desperately need in the face of mounting anxiety. Based on the author's own journey through the darkness of anxiety in conversation with the psychology of Carl Jung, this book argues that transcending religious identity and submitting to the greater wisdom of the cosmic story holds a powerful key to resolving anxiety and creating a more just and sustainable world. Surprisingly, the Islamic tradition may provide one of the best models for how to accomplish this.

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