Tending the Soul's Garden


Book Description

"In Tending the Souls Garden Denise Rushing gives full expression to her vision of a better world for the children. Drawing on her many gifts as a poet and politician for the earth, Denise invites us onto a joyful and practical path of harmony, hope and transformation. This timely book is a must read for these challenging times. Jim Conlon Holy Names University/Sophia Center, Oakland, CA "This Book is a Must Read" --Steve Elias Tending the Souls Garden is an introduction to applied permaculture, offering an innovative way to engage in the difficult and transformative work of our time. It is dedicated to cultivating the soil of our inner garden so that we may bring forth abundance in our lives and our world. Permaculture, also known as ecological or regenerative design, offers a path-- a design for living in complex changing systems using principles found in nature.




Tending Your Own Garden


Book Description

While having private devotions in October 2018, I came across a verse in Song of Solomon 1:6. God’s Spirit spoke very powerfully to me on that day. Being a person who loves to be busy serving in ministry (i.e., tending others’ gardens), I had forgotten the importance of “tending my own garden,” (i.e., remembering the priority of personal piety, or holiness). I confessed my sin that day and am seeking to keep a guard over my soul. At the same time, I was praying about a topic for a pastors’ conference in South Africa in June 2019. The Holy Spirit confirmed that what was necessary in my life could be a challenge and blessing to other pastors. The night before I left to return to the USA, two of the pastors at that conference encouraged me to put the material in book form. Tending Your Own Garden is the fruit of their encouragement.




Sacred Pathways


Book Description

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.




Tending the Epicurean Garden


Book Description

Be Smart About Being Happy Gods may exist, but they’re too far removed to care about humans. So our best purpose in life is not to please gods, but to be happy. Which is not as easy as it sounds, since short-term pleasures and selfishness create longer-term misery. Thus taught Epicurus, 2,300 years ago. Hiram Crespo brings the Epicurean passion for maximum happiness into the modern age with this practical guidebook. Step one in what Crespo calls the “hedonic calculus” is to rein in desires, so they become easier to satisfy – just the opposite of the luxurious indulgence so often incorrectly associated with Epicureanism. From there, he offers a blizzard of ideas, from healthy recipes that stimulate natural “feel-good” chemicals in the brain to the journaling of positive events, even on a bad day. The highest attainable happiness, though, is communing with friends – it just doesn’t get any better than that. Being smart about being happy means using the best knowledge and tools available. Tending the Epicurean Garden is an excellent place to start.




Tending the Garden


Book Description

Tending the Garden is a unique perspective and approach nurturing of Christian spirituality using the garden and gardening as a metaphor. Marshall and Julie Welch combine their experience and expertise in spiritual formation and gardening as an invitation to tending to one’s spirituality. Whether an experienced or novice gardener, the reader will gain insight not only into the art of gardening, but Christian spirituality as well. Spirituality is presented as a relational way to grow compassion and sensitivity to self, others, the environment, and to God. The book can be read individually or as a small book club group. Guidelines for facilitating a small group discussion are presented in the introduction. Part I consists of 14 short, engaging chapters, with titles such as “Weeding: Spiritual Discernment,” “Manure Happens: Desolation and Consolation,” and “Thank You Very Mulch: Our Spiritual Security Blanket.” The narrative is written in a very conversational voice. Each chapter begins with scripture and an inspirational quote and concludes with a series of reflection questions as well as tips on how to “cultivate” one’s spirituality. The “tips” are easy-to-do activities that are grounded in a long tradition of spiritual exercises presented in a contemporary context. In Part II, the authors also use their experience as co-coordinators of a community garden in their own church congregation to present step-by-step suggestions on how other communities of faith can start and maintain their own garden. Church gardens are introduced as a unique form of spiritual formation through a sense of community with other gardeners and a form of mission and ministry.




Tending Your Garden


Book Description




Sacred Pathways


Book Description

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren’t necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God.




Moments Elsewhere


Book Description

Step into a world where each page is a portal to another realm, where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, and where the mundane transforms into the magical. Welcome to "Moments Elsewhere" by Adrian Cox, a captivating collection of short stories that will transport you to realms beyond imagination. In this spellbinding anthology, Cox weaves tales that defy convention and challenge the boundaries of reality. From the enigmatic allure of "Synthia" to the pulsating energy of "Sonic Rebellion," each story in this collection is a testament to Cox's unparalleled mastery of the craft. Embark on a journey of self-discovery in "Guiding Light," where the search for identity takes unexpected turns. And delve into the depths of the subconscious in "The Nexus of Being," where dreams and reality intertwine in a mesmerizing dance. But the wonders of "Moments Elsewhere" extend far beyond the confines of the known universe. Lose yourself in the ethereal beauty of "Embrace of the Ethereal Seas," where the boundaries between land and sea blur into oblivion. With titles like "Ephemeral Ecstasy" and "Harmonic Revolution," each story promises a unique and unforgettable experience. Cox's prose is as lyrical as it is profound, inviting readers to ponder the mysteries of existence and the nature of reality itself. Whether you're a seasoned explorer of the unknown or simply seeking an escape from the ordinary, "Moments Elsewhere" promises to take you on a journey like no other. So, dare to dream, dare to explore, and dare to lose yourself in the pages of this extraordinary book. Your adventure awaits.




Tending the Garden of Our Hearts


Book Description

Are you looking for a way to keep your family engaged in the true spiritual nourishment Lent has to offer? Tending the Garden of Our Hearts offers family devotions based on the scriptures for each day of Great Lent, including questions to discuss and ponder and an appendix full of hands-on activities to bring the lessons of the season to life. Whether you use it every day or dip into it occasionally as time permits, this book will help the whole family get more out of this crucial season of the Orthodox year.




Ruby Slippers


Book Description

Jonalyn Fincher wants to show that women can be both fully human and fully feminine. Traditionally, femininity has been a role women play, a role defined by culture and simplistic sermons. The author encourages women to look at the feminine roles or boxes that pinch their souls: mother, fashion devotee, working wife, intellectual. Does God treat femininity as a role, a judgement, or a gift? And when Jesus redeemed women, what was it exactly that he redeemed? Even after Eden, Fincher points out, God planned to redeem both men and women. But for centuries, women have been taught to devalue the very aspects of their souls that are unique and irreplaceable. Femininity itself runs deeper than aprons, frills, or romance. It begins with feminine souls who are living cameos of the triune God.In Ruby Slippers, Fincher takes a fresh, direct look at the challenges she faced on her search for the feminine soul. She goes step by step through what it means to be a woman and how to cultivate her soul, choosing not to shy away from psychology, theology or personal transparency. In her journey she discovers an understanding of femininity that is timeless and groundbreaking. The roles melt away into something like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, something women have always had—the souls to walk today with freedom and femininity.