Abide in the Heart of Christ


Book Description

In Abide in the Heart of Christ, Rev. Joe Laramie, S.J., offers accessible wisdom from the foundations of Jesuit spirituality—St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises—in a ten-day personal retreat that will help you encounter Christ, grow your relationship with him, and shape your heart. Laramie is your guide through this accessible retreat into the heart of Jesus. Based on a structure and approach he developed as a retreat leader at White House Jesuit Retreat in St. Louis, Laramie introduces you to classic themes of the Christian life, including sin, forgiveness, and creation. This book also helps you learn how to use key scripture passages to reflect on your own experiences. Each reflection includes teachings from the Spiritual Exercises and offers examples from Laramie’s own life. Reflection questions and activities guide you in further contemplation to help you see what’s in your heart, encounter Christ in your daily life, and live more fully in his love each day.




The Workbook on Abiding in Christ


Book Description

"There is a place in God's heart that . . . only you can fill," writes Maxie Dunnam in this long-awaited sequel to The Workbook of Living Prayer. Eight weeks of daily readings in The Workbook on Abiding in Christ will help you find your place in God’s heart and discover the secret to authentic Christian living. Through the brief teaching segments, scripture, ideas for reflecting and recording, suggestions for taking what you have learned from your prayer time into the day, and guides for group sharing, you will begin a lifetime of abiding in Christ. For individual or small-group study.




Abide


Book Description

In this personal healing retreat from Heather Khym, cohost of the popular Abiding Together podcast, you are invited to break through the barriers that prevent you from trusting and experiencing the deep love of Jesus and be transformed by the freedom that comes when we vulnerably bring our entire selves to the foot of the Cross. Rooted in the teaching of Khym’s Vancouver-based ministry, Life Restoration, Abide shares scripture, essential Catholic teaching, and the author’s personal healing journey to reintroduce you to God as the Divine Healer, Restorer, and Miracle Worker. Khym offers you a compass to navigate your past as you dig into difficult memories that have disoriented your understanding of God and made you afraid to trust him. She challenges you to cast off your self-protective tendencies and to recognize your need for healing so you can be the person you were created to be. Jesus says, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). We are meant to abide in Jesus, to unite ourselves to him. Yet over the course of our lives, we experience brokenness and loss, which lead us to doubt God’s presence. Khym challenges you to step outside your comfort zone so that you can authentically: recognize God as a loving father who desires your happiness; practice spiritual and emotional vulnerability with Jesus; invite the Divine Healer into your past and relationships; acknowledge that you have an enemy who battles for your heart; and overcome false beliefs about God and learn to trust Jesus as a compelling, captivating, and trustworthy lover of your soul. Each chapter includes practical reflection-based exercises that help you recall troublesome memories, identify the roots of your feelings, and meditate on excerpts from scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You’ll come away with a renewed hope in the power of God to bring freedom to your fearful heart as you start to live a life restored in Christ, one that begins with and is sustained by an intimate relationship with Jesus.




Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart


Book Description

“If there were a Guinness Book of World Records entry for ‘amount of times having prayed the sinner’s prayer,’ I’m pretty sure I’d be a top contender,” says pastor and author J. D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians. In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of present- ing the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality. Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation? Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.




The Allure of Gentleness


Book Description

The revered Christian author whose bestselling classics include The Divine Conspiracy and The Spirit of the Disciplines provides a new model for how we can present the Christian faith to others. When Christians share their faith, they often appeal to reason, logic, and the truth of doctrine. But these tactics often are not effective. A better approach to spread Christ’s word, Dallas Willard suggests, is to use the example of our own lives. To demonstrate Jesus’s message, we must be transformed people living out a life reflective of Jesus himself, a life of love, humility, and gentleness. This beautiful model of life—this allure of gentleness—Willard argues, is the foundation for making the most compelling argument for Christianity, one that will convince others that there is something special about Christianity and the Jesus we follow.




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 Workbook of Living Prayer


Book Description

One of the best-selling group resources ever published by The Upper Room, this dynamic and thought-provoking workbook will enrich your prayer life. "My prayer is that all who use this revised edition will not only learn something new about prayer, but more than anything else, will be inspired to pray," writes Dunnam. "Prayer is one of the ways we link ourselves with God, we put ourselves in the channel of God's moving power, and we participate with God in ministry to all persons...I am convinced that this is one of the most glorious privileges given to Christians." The Workbook of Living Prayer can be used by individuals or groups to help the experience of prayer come alive. This 6-week prayer adventure features for each day: comments on a particular facet of prayer scripture readings "Reflecting and Recording" exercises "During-the Day" instructions instructions for group meetings Take up this personal journey to grow closer to God through the mystery and power of prayer.




Courageous Simplicity


Book Description

"I'm just so busy and tired." These words fall from your lips as easy and often as your next breath. You're weary of your packed schedule and frenetic pace and responsibilities at every turn. Even good things no longer feel life-giving. You long for a simpler life. You want to be able to face daily burdens and the chaos of this world and say with confidence, "It is well with my soul." But how? (in)courage is ready to come alongside you through Courageous Simplicity, a six-session Bible study on living in the simple abundance of Jesus. This study will help you release control of what frays your soul and will lead you to true refreshment. As you train in the spiritual practice of simplicity, you will discover the God who loves you lavishly and wants to show you how to live with a heart open and surrendered to his presence. You can live in the peace and freedom of having and being enough. Let your friends at (in)courage show you how.




If God Is For Us


Book Description

If the Bible were a mountain range, it is said, Romans 8 would be its highest peak. I can say after reading this study that Trillia Newbell is a sure-footed mountain guide that will help you climb this great passage and get some of its best breathtaking views of God and our salvation in Christ. I highly recommend this volume! -Tim Keller, cofounder, Redeemer City to City What would change if you really understood all that God has done and is doing for you? Sure we know in our head that God is for us, that there’s great hope in his relationship with us and salvation for us, but sometimes these truths can be hard to believe in the midst of exhaustion, busyness, and a world of spiritual and physical opposition. If God Is For Us is a devotional Bible Study on Romans 8 designed to cement in your soul the great truths of our salvation and an understanding for how the Holy Spirit guides our new life in the Spirit, all found in this beloved chapter of Scripture. Why just the one chapter? The simple answer: there’s so much there! It’s no wonder that so many Christians list Romans among their favorite books of the Bible and Romans 8 as their favorite in the book. Romans is packed with profound truth after profound truth which are then followed up with life-changing promise after life-changing promise. In this 6-week study, Trillia Newbell will walk you through Romans 8 and help you cement deep inside yourself the scandalous truths of our great salvation, our inheritance, the assurance of our faith, and ultimately the love of our good Father. Each week will include: 5 daily readings out of Romans A devotional for each daily reading Questions for reflection and study If you’ve experienced the comfort of Romans 8 before, but want to plant it more deeply in your person this is the Bible Study for you. And it’s great for individual or group settings. If you’re ready to live a life that shouts: “God is for me, who can be against me,” let’s get started today.




Peace with the Psalms


Book Description

For those seeking contentment and comfort in even the most trying circumstances of life, Peace with the Psalms offers guided readings rooted in Christian meditation. We live in a busy world; from work and family obligations to friendships and faith, daily life can sometimes make us dizzy with stress or overcome with worry. And though many of us try to slow down, it can be difficult to calm our minds and tune our hearts into the messages that matter most. But the good news is that peace and comfort are attainable, even when your heart is at its most restless. In Peace with the Psalms, authors from Abide Christian Meditation--the world's most popular Christian meditation app--lead you through the best of the Psalms so you can find peace and renewal in God's promises. In each of 40 carefully crafted biblical meditations that include Scripture, a guided reflection, and a prayer, you will learn to: Shift your focus from today's circumstances to the promises of God Experience the principle of patience, reassuring believers in the darkest times Find rest by memorizing and repeating key verses and passages Overcome the common resistance to joy that comes from overactivity Engage your senses in imagining the word pictures of the Psalms No matter what you're going through, Peace with the Psalms offers comfort from God's Word. By reflecting on the biblical messages in these pages, you'll remember each day that God is near.