LITMIR.BIZ

40 Days with the Holy Spirit will inspire you to encounter God in fresh and surprising ways. You’ll develop stronger spiritual muscles as you breathe, read, reflect, and pray—all with an eye to cultivating a relationship with the least familiar member of the Trinity. The book is interactive, offering the opportunity to write and pray each day; intelligent, rooted in a rigorous study of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation; and inviting, with 40 insightful, well-planned 20–30 minute daily exercises; and prayerful, with 40 original prayers that capture each day’s insight into the deep, spiritual work of the Holy Spirit.
“Jack Levison’s lively new book 40 Days with the Holy Spirit is an engaging devotional that invites the Christian community to be reacquainted with the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. I read it as a Pentecostal pastor/theologian and it provoked me to consider anew how the Spirit is actively at work in my life and in the world. Though there are differences in pneumatology within the body of Christ, all who read this book will have to affirm that the Spirit is moving and Jack has caught its zeal!”—Johnathan E. Alvarado, Senior Pastor, Grace Church International, and Professor of Theology, Beulah Heights University, Atlanta, Georgia
"Jack Levison's new devotional will guide you into the theme of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, aiming for spiritual formation, not just spiritual information. My favorite part: the simple prayers at the end of each reading. A beautiful, accessible, and soul-nourishing resource!" —Brian D. McLaren, Author of We Make the Road by Walking
“Jack Levison combines a scholar's intimate knowledge of scripture with a born writer's mastery of nuance, style, empathy and humor. Every page of this book brims with reverence for God and common-sense wisdom won the hard way.” —David Laskin, author of The Family
“40 Days with the Holy Spirit opens a door for all seekers, religious and irreligious, to experience ‘God’s Spirit-breath within.’ This is more than a must read-its food for busy and hungry hearts.”—Dr. Michael Rakes, Pastor at Winston Salem First
“Is it possible to live a Spirit-filled life amid our daily distractions and demands? Jack Levison assures us it is and offers a path to wisdom through stillness and abandonment…This book leads us to the ultimate Source, the Spirit. It is a guide not just for 40 days, but a lifetime.” —Judith Valente, Correspondent, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and author of The Art of Pausing
“Jack Levison brings together scholarship, Scripture meditation, concrete practices, and compelling inspiration. He helps us retrieve the tragically lost centrality of the Holy Spirit in the mainline Christian world. Here comes the return of the fire and the wind!” —Fr. Richard Rohr, ofm
"Jack Levison’s book is not an overly intellectual look at the Holy Spirit, but really examines what it means to live a Spirit-filled life. A needed resource for those looking to be guided by the Holy Spirit found in Scripture. Jack opens our minds to the fullness of the Holy Spirit and removes the human limitations that we often place on this person of the Trinity, teaching us to hear and obey as God speaks."– Dr. John M. Perkins, Co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), Founder and President Emeritus of the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation

Подробнее

These thematic collections of spiritual teachings from the best Christian writers in history are sure to be popular with book study groups, Centering prayer gatherings, adult Christian formation, and for individual spiritual reading.

Подробнее

Our lives are full of words. We rarely pause to attend to them, much less take time for personal retreat. This book encourages you to stop and revel in the sights, sounds, and meanings of what we say about God. Rachel Hackenberg offers the word-weary, the word-lover, and the spiritually hungry to explore the words of faith anew and thereby meet The Word afresh. Through twelve deceptively light-hearted chapters on letters and definitions, grammar and poetry, this book spa rks spiritual inspiration even as it provides practical exercises for an enlivening personal retreat experience!
Rachel G. Hackenberg is an ordained United Church of Christ minister and author of Writing to God and Writing to God: Kids’ Edition. She facilitates workshops on prayer & worship, clergy renewal, and congregational vitality. She blogs at faithandwater.com.
"Rachel Hackenberg invites us to reconsider and re-engage with the words we typically use to describe, rather than to fully express, our faith. Sacred Pause is a book to savor. It's as much a devotional as it is a guide for a creative retreat that will change the way you'll encounter Scripture and live the Gospel." —Meredith Gould, PHD, author of Service as a Spiritual Practice
"This book will awaken you to a sensational faith, encompassing all your senses and enabling you to experience the holiness of God in the quotidian adventures of life. An antidote to spiritual stagnation, this text will get you out of your chair and onto your feet, dancing with God, singing with the Spirit, and jumping for joy with Jesus." —Bruce Epperly, author of Holy Adventure

Подробнее

For the 15th anniversary of The Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight offers a fresh edition of this life-giving classic with a new introduction and the foreword by John Ortberg. With more than 50,000 copies sold, The Jesus Creed is Scot McKnight’s bestselling book, a remarkable summary of what biblical Christianity is at its core: Loving God and Loving Others. It fosters a practical understanding, appreciation of and application of Christian formation in grace and love toward God and Neighbor.

Подробнее

“Where is God?” “Is God real?” These have been the cries of humankind since time began. Searching for the answer involves exploring what is profoundly human, which is to be found in the figure of Christ. That is why we cannot think of God without turning our minds to Jesus. Enzo Bianchi helps us finds God in stories from the Old Testament; stories of Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. It is the divine within us who really poses the question, “God, where are you?,” When we truly begin to search for God, we discover that not only is God real, but He is already looking for us!
Enzo Bianchi founded the ecumenical monastic Bose Community in Italy in 1965 in the fervor of renewal of the Second Vatican Council. He is still the Community’s prior. He is also the author of Echoes of the Word.
''[In] this remarkable little volume . . . Enzo Bianchi's meditation on the Elijah story is absolutely captivating . . . God, Where Are You? is the work of a Christian who loves the Old Testament and demonstrates how it can speak to us today. It should be read very slowly and reflectively, and would make excellent Lenten reading.'' —Nicholas King SJ, The Tablet
''Enzo Bianchi is one of the most significant Christian voices in Europe . . . His is a perspective that the English-speaking Christian world should welcome enthusiastically.''—Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge

Подробнее

God wants honest conversation with us. Yes, we should be singing praises to him, but we should also express the doubts and fears and anguish of our lives. How can we sing praises when we are in bondage to addiction? or mourning the death of a parent? or devastated by a terminal illness? We can’t. That’s why the Psalter was the essential prayer book of the early church. It represents the full range of human faith and emotion. Athanasius was one of the early church’s most prominent pastors. Ben Wayman introduces contemporary Christians to his ancient, classic guide for praying the book of Psalms—the earliest we possess. Pray along with Athanasius and make the words your own.
Benjamin D. Wayman is assistant professor of religion at Greenville College and a pastor at St. Paul’s Free Methodist Church in Greenville, Illinois.
"An ideal guide to praying the Psalms. Athanasius has found a diligent and sympathetic advocate and friend in Ben Wayman." —David Bentley Hart, contributing editor of First Things and author of The Beauty of the Infinite
"Since discovering the importance of fixed-hour prayer for a life of action, I've encouraged thousands of people to pray the Psalter as part of Common Prayer. Many of them have asked, «But how do you make these prayers your own?» Ben Wayman is enough of a scholar to know that others have asked this question before. I'm so glad he's given us this ancient resource from Athanasius, the same father of the church who gave us the first biography of a monastic." —Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of The Wisdom of Stability
My first thoughts upon praying with this book for the last week were “This guide is going to crack open the Psalms for me. I expect Make the Words Your Own will have a permanent place on my bookshelf.” After praying them for two weeks, I thought “This guide will crack me open to the Psalms. I expect it to be off my bookshelf, and in my hands, often.” —Lauren F. Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Wearing God
“We should be grateful to Ben Wayman for rescuing Athanasius’s Letter to Marcellinus…. [T]his book defies the distinction between doctrine and devotion.” —Stanley Hauerwas, author of Hannah's Child (from the foreword)
“Wayman reinvigorates the ancient voice of Athanasius, a true pastor of souls, by allowing him to speak tenderly to his flock, even today.” —Fr. David V. Meconi, SJ, editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review (from the afterword)

Подробнее

Over one year recounted in Flunking Sainthood, Riess failed twelve different spiritual practices. To her surprise, thought, she learned something important even from the ones she failed most spectacularly. This new 365 daily devotional, readers who are looking for spiritual growth will find guidance, arranged according to monthly practices such as gratitude, generosity, prayer, Sabbath-keeping, and hospitality. Each day’s reading has a reflection from a contemporary or classic spiritual thinker, a short scripture verse, and a brief prayer, reflection, or follow-up action. This daily devotional helps us know that there is great compassion for all of us who are flunking sainthood as we learn that spiritual growth is a lifelong journey without a fixed destination.
Jana Riess is the author of The Twible and Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray,and Still Loving My Neighbor, which was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best religion books of the year.
“This book is about how to relax in our imperfections, trust God’s grace, and take authentic and practical steps toward deepening maturity in faith.” —Sharon Garlough Brown, author of Sensible Shoes
“This devotional will stimulate your brain, companion your soul, and inspire you.” —Lauren F. Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Still
“In addition to being a sagely writer, Jana is an avid quote collector. Here are 365 gems, full of mojo in insight for normal folks like us, along with a simple challenge to make each day a wonderful experience of falling forward.” —Brian D. McLaren, author of We Make the Road by Walking
“Refreshingly realistic about our human imperfections and heartily confident of grace.” —Marjorie Thompson, author of Soul Feast
“Jana is a thoughtful, wise, and compassionate guide to the life of the spirit, and this book will be a daily gift to all of us who are flunking sainthood—but hope to raise our GPA.” —Greg Garrett, author of The Other Jesus
“Relax, spiritual slackers. Somebody else has done all the reading. Now you have a book of poetic inspiration, Bible verses, current bestsellers and ancient thinkers, one for each day. Skip a day? No guilt. Don’t understand? You’ll catch up. What’s the point? Try doing it, anyway. Seriously? Hilariously.” —Lillian Daniel, author of When “Spiritual But Not Religious” Is Not Enough

Подробнее

Columba Marmion believes that Christian discipleship means imitating Christ the Monk no matter your walk or way of life. Christ is the divine model presented by God himself , the ideal of all holiness. By faith, we accept this holiness into our lives—but we must also allow Christ Jesus to become “the very life of our souls.” This book, an abridged edition of the original, explores how this is possible by examining the writings of St. Paul and St. John in the light of the Gospels and, offering spiritual understanding to any Christian’s religious life.
Christ, the Ideal of the Monk sold 100,000 copies when it was published 90 years ago, one of many bestselling books written by the popular Irish-born monk, Columba Marmion, OSB, (1858-1923). He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Подробнее

“Luke Larson’s book reveals The Way as I experienced it, and in ways that I wish everyone could.” Martin Sheen
Keeping Company invites you to step off the treadmill and “go for a walk”—wherever you are. There are ways that you, too, may experience God more intimately.
For a spiritual pilgrim, the Road to Compostela is not about beautiful vistas, meeting interesting people, and drinking good wine. It is not about exercise. Luke Larson and his wife Evie took this famous journey for very different reasons. For a true pilgrim, walking an ancient path becomes a kind of discipleship, a renewal of faith, and in this case, a journey with Jesus himself. Join Luke and Evie as they explore a pilgrimage so central to the Christian story that it is often simply called, The Way. They also journeyed intentionally with St. Ignatius of Loyola, who knew parts of this road himself hundreds of years ago, and the major themes of Ignatian Spirituality add rich layers to this magnificent book.
“Combining the beauty of Martin Sheen’s movie The Way, the allure of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and a gentle, original and creative introduction to Ignatian spirituality, Larson provides insight into marriage, self-knowledge and God. A great read!” —Dr. Richard G. Malloy, SJ, The University of Scranton, author of Being on Fire: The Top Ten Essentials of Catholic Faith
“We are fortunate that Luke Larson has been willing to share this incredible journey. He and his wife Evie clearly have a profoundly deep spirituality that is grounded in the everyday issues that confront us in trying to encounter the living God. What they learned about themselves, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the God of pilgrimage is an incredible window into how even lesser ‘walks’ can be transformative.” —Sr. Carol Keehan DC, President/CEO, Catholic Health Association of the United States
Luke Larson spent eight years as a Jesuit seminarian. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in religious studies from Gonzaga University. He is a mission executive with one of the largest Catholic health systems, a certified chaplain, executive coach, and spiritual director.

Подробнее

The sacrament of Confession is probably the most talked about sacraments in the Catholic Church, as well as a spiritual practice being revived in many Protestant churches. This book explores the sacrament focusing on the two people who confess – God and the penitent. God is the primary confessor when he confesses his forgiveness for and trust in the one who is celebrating the sacrament. The gift of freedom, the existence of hell, and the role of conscience are discussed at length.
Jean Vanier in his foreword says: “Somewhere, along the line, in the history of the Church, people have become more centred upon obedience to laws than upon this relationship with love with a person, with Jesus. This book flows from an understanding of Confession as a meeting of love and as a renewal of friendship.”
How that friendship is renewed is explored using the Rite of Penance and St. Peter in the Gospel. This helps us understand what happens in the sacrament and how we can celebrate it. Ultimately, Fr. Paul describes reconciliation as God’s gift to us to express God’s humble forgiveness and his confidence in us and also the place where we take responsibility for our lives.

Подробнее