30 Meditations on Jesus


Book Description

“When Christians hear the word meditate, they frequently associate it with a difficult and time-consuming task. But it does not need to be drudgery. Rather, I have discovered that it adds a refreshing quality to my study of God’s Word. It is my desire for you to experience the life transformation that will take place as you apply these principles to your own life.” —Marilyn Hickey Marilyn Hickey and Sarah Bowling know firsthand how meditating on God’s Word can change lives. In this volume, they present 30 biblical meditations on the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. By focusing on who Jesus was and the words He spoke, we will better be able to proclaim our Savior to a watching world. This volume includes convenient tear-away Scripture cards to help the reader maintain focus amid the busyness of life.




Come, Lord Jesus


Book Description

These Advent reflections by the abbess of a Poor Clare monastery and accomplished spiritual writer focus our attention on the coming of Jesus into our lives. There is a double movement to this coming: our active preparation to be ready for him, on one hand, and our patient waiting for the Lord to arrive in his own good time, on the other. There is an art to this simultaneous preparing and waiting, and who knows better than the late and beloved Mother Mary Francis how to encourage us in our attempts to master this art. The joyful yet challenging teaching that we have come to expect from Mother Mary Francis is on display in these Advent conferences written for her spiritual daughters at the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Meditating on passages from Scripture about the coming of the Messiah into both our world and our hearts, Mother challenges us to persevere in overcoming our faults, while keeping our eyes on the Lord who has called us to himself, for it is he who, through the gifts of his grace, will complete in us the work of sanctification which he has begun. Although written for Advent, the wisdom of Mother Mary Francis collected by her sisters for this volume is profitable at any time, because a Christian life is one of constant growth into the very likeness of God.




30 Meditations on the Names of God


Book Description

Marilyn Hickey and Sarah Bowling present a series of books featuring 30 biblical meditations on important topics in life. Each book teaches the benefits of meditating on God’s Word and includes convenient tear-away Scripture cards to help the reader maintain focus amid the busyness of life. Marilyn Hickey knows firsthand how meditating on God’s Word can change lives. In this volume, she presents 30 biblical meditations on the various names of God found in Scripture. When the Israelites were fearful, God revealed Himself as Jehovah Shalom, meaning “the Lord my Peace.” When they were uncertain of His will, He revealed Himself as Jehovah Rohi, meaning “the Lord my Shepherd.” He is also Jehovah Jireh, “the Lord our Provider,” and Jehovah Rophe, “the Lord our Healer.” Each of God’s names reveals a wonderful aspect of His nature that can meet your deepest needs, comfort you in times of personal tragedy, and release you to new heights of praise in times of joy.




Seeking First the Kingdom


Book Description

For anyone who is curious to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ, Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength was written to help those pursuing Christ to take the next step in spiritual maturity. You want to go deeper and grow closer, but how? By identifying four core areas of your relationship with God (heart, soul, mind, and strength), Fr. John Bartunek helps determine what areas you're stuck in. Short chapters and reflection/discussion questions make this book digestible and applicable to your life. By identifying where you need to grow, you'll experience renewed enthusiasm and discover a new depth to your prayer life.Seeking First the Kingdom is full of practical examples and down-to-earth wisdom which will show you how to bring Christ into each facet of your life. In these 30 meditations, you'll learn:-How to bring every dimension of your being into your relationship with God-How to handle the emotional roller coaster of everyday life-How to overcome spiritual obstacles and roadblocks-Ways to develop virtue and grow in holinessAlong the way, you'll discover how to cultivate a deep and joy-filled friendship with Christ - an adventure that begins today, here on earth, and continues for all eternity.




Life as a Vapor


Book Description

31 meditations from the founder of Desiring God that will connect you to a fresh understanding of God and renew your faith. "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Living knowing that your life is a vapor is different than just living. Things here are passing away. You’ve got to hold on to what will stand. Savor what matters. This collection of thirty-one articles is full of that heart-longing after Christ that distinguishes Piper’s preaching ministry. You will feel as though you have stumbled into a garden as you enter these pages. The Scripture cuts, Christ is exalted in God, and we worship Him. Life Is Short. Eternity Is Long. Live Like It. You will exist forever. You and God are both in the universe to stay—either as friends on His terms, or enemies on yours—which it will be is proven in this life. And this life is a vapor. Two seconds, and we will be gone. In these thirty-one meditations, John Piper will connect you to a fresh understanding of God and a renewed relationship with Him. You’ll find your faith stirred to make every day count for Christ when you consider life as a vapor. Story Behind the Book Time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Every minute counts. Oh, to be a faithful steward of the breath God has given me. Three texts resound in my ears: “Redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16 ); “It is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:2); “His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10 ). Surely God means for our minutes on earth to count for something significant. Paul said, “In the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain” (Philippians 2:16). In the same way, I have good hope from the Lord that my “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ).




Jesus I Trust in You: A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust


Book Description

We were made for love, and love requires trust. In Jesus I Trust in You: A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., learn what it means to place our trust in Jesus—no matter the circumstances. In this powerful invitation to a loving, trusting relationship with our Lord, you will pray with the Litany of Trust to overcome every obstacle to peace.




Christ, My Companion


Book Description

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.Christ promises to be with you always. Yet how often do you feel misunderstood, scared, and abandoned? In the much beloved St. Patrick's Prayer, the patron saint of Ireland passionately invokes the ways Christ is present to us.Inspired by this litany, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre shares her contemporary reflections on St. Patrick's ancient, yet timeless, prayer. Her thirteen deeply devotional meditations take you on a journey through Christ's love for you.By the end, the poignant words of this prayer are sure to be etched in your heart forever--a comfort for times when you question where God really is. You will be left resting peacefully in the assurance of a divine embrace that will not let you go.




The Life of Jesus


Book Description

A collection of paintings depicting the life of Christ structured around the prayers of the rosary.




What Jesus Demands from the World


Book Description

for every healthy tree bears good fruit --; Demand #28 : love your enemies--lead them to the truth --; Demand #29 : love your enemies--pray for those who abuse you --; Demand #30 : love your enemies--do good to those who hate you, give to the one who asks --; Demand #31 : love your enemies to show that you are children of God --; Demand #32 : love your neighbor as yourself,




The God of Jesus Christ


Book Description

In this book of meditations, based on a series of meditations by the author shortly before he became Archbishop of Munich-Freising, in 1977, theologian Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) presents his profound thoughts on the nature and person of God, building a bridge between theology and spirituality as he makes wide use of the Sacred Scriptures to reveal the beauty and mystery of who God is. He writes about each of the three persons in the Holy Trinity, showing the different attributes of each person, and that "God is three and God is one." God is - and the Christian faith adds: God is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three and one. This is the very heart of Christianity, but it is so often shrouded in a silence born of perplexity. Has the Church perhaps gone one step too far here? Ought we not rather leave something so great and inaccessible as God in his inaccessibility? Can something like the Trinity have any real meaning for us? It is certainly true that the proposition that "God is three and God is one" is and remains the expression of his otherness, which is infinitely greater than us and transcends all our thinking and our existence. But, as Joseph Ratzinger shows, if this proposition meant nothing to us, it would not have been revealed! And it could be clothed in human language only because it had already penetrated human thinking and living to some extent. "Without Jesus, we do not know what 'Father' truly is. This becomes visible in his prayer, which is the foundation of his being. A Jesus who was not continuously absorbed in the Father, and was not in continuous intimate communication with him, would be a completely different being from the Jesus of the Bible, the real Jesus of history... In Jesus' prayer, the Father becomes visible and Jesus makes himself known as the Son. The unity which this reveals is the Trinity. Accordingly, becoming a Christian means sharing in Jesus' prayer, entering into the model provided by his life, i.e. the model of prayer. Becoming a Christian means saying 'Father' with Jesus.” — Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)