Presence and Encounter

Author: David G. PhD Benner
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1441221506
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

Book Description
The most vital and significant moments in life are moments of encounter. Whether we encounter ourselves, others, or God, these moments let us know that life is meaningful. And presence is what makes encounter possible. When we are truly present, everything that has being becomes potentially present to us. In this unique resource, David Benner invites us to live with more presence so we can know the presence of God more deeply in our lives. Drawing on over thirty-five years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality, Benner examines the transformational possibilities of spiritual presence and encounter in fresh, exciting, and practical ways. He helps readers understand the personal and interpersonal dimensions of presence and encounter, revealing how they mediate Divine Presence and serve as sacraments of everyday life. His rich meditations are presented in a voice that is intelligent, compassionate, and engaging. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection exercises for individual or group use and a foreword by Richard Rohr.

Soulful Spirituality

Author: David G. PhD Benner
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1441214364
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
Spirituality has an indispensable role to play in the expression of our humanity. However, spiritual practices can sometimes make us less, not more, authentically human. We may be good Christians, but we aren't good human beings. How can we ensure that our spiritual journey is conducted in a way that allows us to become fully alive and deeply human? David Benner has spent thirty-five years integrating psychology and spirituality. Here he presents an expansive, psychologically informed understanding of spirituality, probing the contrasts between soulful and soulless spirituality, deep and shallow religion, and healthy and unhealthy relationships with God to affirm the vital role of human development in the spiritual journey. Benner then suggests soulful practices for cultivating the Christian spiritual life. This book will appeal to readers seeking depth and substance in their quest for authentic spirituality. It will also be a helpful resource for mental health professionals and spiritual directors. Reflection questions and exercises for individual or group use are included at the end of each chapter.d

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

Author: Cynthia Bourgeault
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561012629
Category : Contemplation
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening is a complete guidebook for all who wish to know the practice of Centering Prayer.

Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening

Author: Kay Lindahl
Publisher: SkyLight Paths Publishing
ISBN: 1893361853
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Book Description
Poor listening leads to misunderstandings and lost opportunities. Learning to listen well requires spiritual practice. It happens at work and at home, with strangers and close friends, in heated debates and in quiet conversations--you hear someone speaking, but often you don't truly listen. Kay Lindahl's highly respected workshops are attended by people from a broad range of backgrounds. Her first book, The Sacred Art of Listening, has been published to acclaim in North America, Europe and Asia. Now she offers practical, easy-to-follow advice and exercises to enhance your capacity to listen in a spirit-filled way. Using examples from her own life and her work as a teacher of the sacred art of listening, Lindahl explores the nature and use of silence, reflection and divine presence as foundational qualities of listening and shows you how you can apply these in your everyday life. This valuable workshop-in-a-book examines the varied ways we are called to deep listening, including: Contemplative listening Reflective listening Heart listening Listening in groups Listening in conversations ... and more You will find yourself inspired to discover how different your conversations will be when you stop just talking and start really listening.

Opening to God

Author: David G. Benner
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830835423
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Book Description
Spiritual director Benner invites believers to discover openness to God as the essence of prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life. Using the four movements of "lectio divina," he explores prayer as attending, pondering, responding, and being.

Standing Together in the Community of God

Author: Paul Janowiak
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 081466024X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Book Description
We are here on earth not to guard a museum but to cultivate a garden flourishing with life and promised to a glorious future, John XXIII exhorted the Church at the dawn of the Second Vatican Council. In an age when some skeptics suggest that the reformed liturgy has lost the wonder and spiritual depth of previous ages, Standing Together in the Community of God affirms that we need not look back; the Sacred Mysteries are already in our midst. Their wellspring and summit is the heart of God, shared in the Trinity's own communion, announced now as pure Gift. Praising God for God's saving acts in Jesus, as Vatican II reminded us, we encounter Christ's sacramental presence in four modes: in the person of the priest who gathers the community into communion, in the elements and actions of the sacraments, in the word proclaimed and preached, and in the assembly praying and singing (SC #7). In rhythm and harmony, these modes invite us to encounter the multivalent depth of the Mysteries that announce Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). Together they proclaim the Risen One among us, the totus Christus, hope for a hungry world. Allowing each mode its respect as a bearer of the sacred, these focal words and actions in the liturgy echo a communion song that announces Christ's real presence to us and for us and with us. Beginning deep within, this is a spirituality and piety for the twenty-first century, ever ancient and ever new.

Human Being and Becoming

Author: David G. PhD Benner
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1493403451
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
Becoming fully human is a lifelong journey. It can also be an incredible adventure. Here internationally respected depth psychologist, spiritual guide, and personal transformation coach David Benner explores the mysteries of human being and becoming. Drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and forty years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality, he presents concrete steps for living in ways that move us toward wholeness. He also draws on mysticism, the perennial wisdom tradition, interfaith dialogue, and the contemplative Christian tradition, developing a robust spirituality that reveals how we can align ourselves with God's presence in the world.

Getting to Know the Holy Spirit

Author: Mahesh Chavda
Publisher: Chosen Books
ISBN: 0800794710
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Book Description
Through exploring biblical teachings and personal stories, two international Christian leaders show believers how to develop a close, personal friendship with the Holy Spirit.

The Gift of Being Yourself

Author: David G. Benner
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830899456
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
In the expanded edition of this profound exploration of Christian identity, David G. Benner illuminates the spirituality of self-discovery. He exposes the false selves that you may hide behind and calls you to discover the true self that emerges from your uniqueness in Christ. Deepen your experience of God through discovering the gift of being yourself.

Heavenly Participation

Author: Hans Boersma
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467434426
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 219

Book Description
Surveying the barriers that contemporary thinking has erected between the natural and the supernatural, between earth and heaven, Hans Boersma issues a wake-up call for Western Christianity. Both Catholics and evangelicals, he says, have moved too far away from a sacramental mindset, focusing more on the "here-and-now" than on the "then-and-there." Yet, as Boersma points out, the teaching of Jesus, Paul, and St. Augustine -- indeed, of most of Scripture and the church fathers -- is profoundly otherworldly, much more concerned with heavenly participation than with earthly enjoyment. In Heavenly Participation Boersma draws on the wisdom of great Christian minds ancient and modern -- Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, C. S. Lewis, Henri de Lubac, John Milbank, and many others. He urges Catholics and evangelicals alike to retrieve a sacramental worldview, to cultivate a greater awareness of eternal mysteries, to partake eagerly of the divine life that transcends and transforms all earthly realities.