Daring, Trusting Spirit


Book Description

The compelling story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his resistance to the Nazi regime, and his sweeping postwar influence owe much to his close friendship with his fellow pastor Eberhard Bethge. In this important and engaging work, distinguished theologian John de Gruchy narrates the course and consequences of that friendship, building on interviews and newly available primary sources. Sympathetic yet astute, de Gruchy relates Bethge's own development, his unlikely yet devoted friendship with Bonhoeffer, their fateful involvement in the Confessing Church movement and opposition to Hitler, and Bethge's remarkable postwar journey, nurturing worldwide reception and regard for Bonhoeffer's signal theological insights. Book jacket.




Daring to Trust


Book Description

The best-selling author of How to Be an Adult in Relationships explains how to build trust—the essential ingredient in successful relationships—in spite of fear or past betrayals Most relationship problems are essentially trust issues, explains psychotherapist David Richo. Whether it’s fear of commitment, insecurity, jealousy, or a tendency to be controlling, the real obstacle is a fundamental lack of trust—both in ourselves and in our partner. Daring to Trust explores the importance of trust throughout our emotional lives: how it develops in childhood and how it becomes an essential ingredient in healthy adult relationships. It offers key insights and practical exercises for exploring and addressing our trust issues in relationships. Topics include: • How we learn early in life to trust others (or not to trust them) • Why we fear trusting • Developing greater trust in ourselves as the basis for trusting others • How to know if someone is trustworthy • Naïve trust vs. healthy, adult trust • What to do when trust is broken Ultimately, Richo explains, we must develop trust in four directions: toward ourselves, toward others, toward life as it is, and toward a higher power or spiritual path. These four types of trust are not only the basis of healthy relationships, they are also the foundation of emotional well-being and freedom from fear.




Trustworthy Connections


Book Description

Although God is at the center of the process of spiritual direction, the more readily visible participants are human beings. Like all other people, directors and directees are subject to relationship dynamics. Trustworthy Connections identifies some issues and challenges that can arise in spiritual direction relationships and offers resources for further consideration and reflection. The topics and examples are focused on traditional one–to–one, face–to–face spiritual direction, although some are also relevant to group direction and direction by correspondence. Trustworthy Connections is designed for use as a reference and a springboard for discussion for spiritual directors and anyone else who is interested in spiritual direction. Like the process of spiritual direction itself, this book is about asking questions, discussing ideas, and suggesting alternatives rather than giving advice or getting answers.







Faith Facing Reality


Book Description

The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have starkly reminded us of the realities that threaten our future on planet Earth. Christian faith is not a way of escaping these realities, but of engaging them in the struggle for justice and peace—motivated by love, enabled by faith and sustained by hope. This is based on the conviction that in Jesus Christ the reality of God has become redemptively embodied within the reality of the world. Written within the context of South Africa but with global vision, and in conversation with the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this book is an attempt to stir up discussion and inform action in connecting worldly and transcendent reality. Inevitably this will be controversial, not least because that is something that Bonhoeffer risked. This is certainly true when it comes to the five realities that provide much of the book’s substance: the persistence of racism, the will-to-power, scientism and soulless technology, the conflict in Israel-Palestine, and the threat of wars and pandemics. Is it possible to believe in the God of Jesus Christ in such a world? If so, what does that mean, and how does it help us live creatively, redemptively, and faithfully? To answer these questions, the author examines the meaning of faith; the human desire for transcendence; and the need for conversion, wisdom, solidarity, and responsible freedom.




Relationship Goals


Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A candid, inspiring guide to finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship by getting real about your goals—based on the viral, multi-million-view sermon series about dating, marriage, and sex “No matter where you are and no matter what stage of life you are in, Relationship Goals will be a game changer.”—Levi Lusko NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY COSMOPOLITAN You scroll through photo after photo of happy couples and think, I want a relationship like that! The thing is, those intimate relationships are a mirage—the closer you get to them, the more you realize they aren’t real at all. So what does a real relationship look like? And how do you get there? In Relationship Goals, Pastor Michael Todd digs deep to give you good news and real-life ideas for making the most of your most important relationships. Take a look at • what it means to choose intentional dating over recreational dating • how to move on from mistakes you’ve made in the past • why love gets stronger after marriage • what the Bible has to say about sex (hot take: it’s more sizzling than you think) • why the best friendships have God at the center Whether you are married, single, or it’s complicated, aiming for the right targets will make all the difference in finding true satisfaction. As it turns out, God’s got the best relationship goals of all for your life. Why settle for less?




Letters and Papers from Prison


Book Description

One of the great classics of prison literature, Letters and Papers from Prison effectively serves as the last will and testament of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in the “officers’ plot” to assassinate Adolf Hitler. This expanded version of Letters and Papers from Prison shifts the emphasis of earlier editions of Bonhoeffer’s theological reflections to the private sphere of his life. His letters appear in greater detail and show his daily concerns. Letters from Bonhoeffer’s parents, siblings, and other relatives have also been added, in addition to previously inaccessible letters and legal papers referring to his trial. Acute and subtle, warm and perceptive, yet also profoundly moving, the documents collectively tell a very human story of loss, of courage, and of hope. Bonhoeffer’s story seems as vitally relevant, as politically prophetic, and as theologically significant today, as it did yesterday.




Dare to Bloom


Book Description

Either by choice or by circumstance, we all encounter times of starting over. Seasons of hardships, abundance, seeking, and struggle all have a purpose because growth demands change. Dare to Bloom urges us to be both vulnerable and resilient in new seasons of life as we boldly position ourselves for what God has for us next. Serial entrepreneur and author, Zim Flores (neè Ugochukwu), reveals the challenges she's faced and how even her failures have helped shape her sense of purpose. Her parents had big plans for her life. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Zim Flores was uprooted from her community as a young girl, marking the beginning of her quest for true identity. Though she experienced unprecedented worldly success as a teenager and young adult, Zim declares that even when we feel pressured by the world around us, our true identity is never at risk. In Dare to Bloom, Zim offers practical and hard-won truths about: How to reclaim your true identity How to surrender your desired outcomes to God How to move forward after broken friendships How to find comfort during your darkest hours How to navigate new beginnings with hope for whatever is next How to joyfully participate in your own story--even when you don't know what the future holds Dare to Bloom is a powerful gift for readers in times of transition or struggle who need a reminder that their true identity never changes. It empowers those who feel stuck in their current circumstances to follow God obediently into the unknown, finding joy in each new beginning. Inside you'll find: Breathtaking photography from Zim's travels Thoughtful questions for reflection at the end of each chapter Zimisms--wisdom-filled phrases from the author When everything changes around us, it can be easy to think that we're only as good as our last success. Though our identities are challenged day by day, Dare to Bloom encourages us to reclaim our identity in God, who is unchanging through it all.




What the Spirit Is Saying to the Churches


Book Description

Identifies God's pattern for strengthening a church, counseling on how to be sensitive to the works of the Holy Spirit while discussing principles by which God leads a congregation toward a distinctive spiritual mission.




Trusting God Day by Day


Book Description

In her dynamic new devotional, TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY, international speaker and New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer provides you with powerful "starting points" for every day of the year. Each day's devotion is filled with practical advice and help from Joyce along with life-changing promises from God's Word that you can quickly and easily apply in your own life. The world wants you to place your trust in your circumstances, your success, your talents and the opinions of others. But God's called you to rise above the world, and put your full trust in Him - to believe and apply what He's promised in His Word more than anything else. Living this way won't just happen - you have to be intentional. But where do you begin? We all need help to make good choices, battle worry, overcome anxiety and keep a positive attitude. Using this devotional, readers will learn to grab hold of life this way, day by day, with trust in God.