Showing results by publisher "Tantor Media" in Spiritual Growth

Working from Scripture, well-known speaker and author Elisabeth Elliot shares her observations and experiences in a number of essays on what it means to be a Christian woman, whether single, married, or widowed.

For all that bewilders and bedevils us, the desert mothers and fathers can help us. In The Way of the Desert Elders, Lisa Colón DeLay asks: What if desert elders from more than a millennium ago could walk beside us and nourish our spirits? Starting in the fourth century, half a million Christians fled the villages and cities of the Roman Empire. Leaving behind comforts, they battled what Evagrius called "afflicting thoughts," which still unsettle us today.

Most of us tend to think of the second half of life in chronological terms, but this book proposes a different paradigm. Spiritual maturity is found "when we begin to pay attention and seek integrity" through a shift from our "outer task" to the "inner task." Falling Upward is an invitation to living the gospel and a call to ongoing transformation.

Most people think of God's will as something to be found or as the receiving of guidance from God when making decisions. Too often, however, the problem is not that we don't know what God desires for our lives, but rather that we just don't want to do what we already know he wants. How might our wills be changed so that we become both willing and able to do what God asks of us? In Desiring God's Will, psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner explores the transformation of the will in Christian spirituality.

In this new edition, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Brueggemann calls out our 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Brueggemann tells listeners how keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life.

Every 20-something needs a little black book of secrets. Our 20s are filled with confusion, terrible jobs, anticipation, disappointment, cubicles, breakups, transition, quarter-life crisis, loneliness, postcollege what the heck, and moderate success sandwiched between complete failure. We need a worn and weathered guide stashed somewhere close by to help shed some light on this defining decade.

If you have a tough time coping with life's disturbances, disappointments, and challenges, this book is for you. Dr. Peale offers a simple, sure-fire solution for stress: a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the magic ingredient that can make the difference between success and failure, and it can help you to: improve your problem-solving abilities; overcome your fears; sharpen your mind; make your job more rewarding; calm your tensions; build self-confidence; and kindle the powerful motivation that makes things happen.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord—those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness. With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each.

For Christian parents, there is no greater joy than seeing their children learn to walk with the Lord. And there is no greater fear than that their children will walk away from God. After serving together in pastoral ministry for 40 years, Phil and Diane Comer know those hopes and fears well. Thirty-seven years ago, they became parents themselves. And like all new parents, they were intimidated and unsure about how to take on the task of spiritually training their young children.

Eric Huffman, author of 40 Days of Doubt, helps listeners understand and cope with confusion about the Bible and provides answers to questions by reframing it as a perfect and seamless story. Huffman illustrates how the Bible, even the parts some consider ungodly, presents the beautiful story that God intended to tell. Through storytelling from his own experiences and his take on Bible stories, Huffman helps listeners understand the Bible by interpreting the entire book through the lens of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

In a world where mental health issues and loneliness are at an all-time high, it's more important than ever to find ways to cultivate joy, community, and meaning in our lives. Many of us feel trapped, struggling to find a way out of our own negative thoughts and emotions. Author and psychologist Richard Beck (Hunting Magic Eels) argues that we are struggling because our shape is "curved inward." We are self-focused, self-absorbed, ruminative. We're trapped inside ourselves. And we're not happy or filled with joy.

Since it was first published in its pocket-size 1692 edition, Brother Lawrence's spiritual classic has remained in print, beloved by people of varying spiritual paths and religious traditions. With this new translation, award-winning translator Carmen Acevedo Butcher frees it from its centuries-long prison of dogmatic, binary language and brings fresh, inclusive treatment that listeners are sure to find transformational.

Michael McGarry explores the foundation of youth ministry in the Old and New Testaments and brings that together with Church history in a compelling way. This contemplative and well-researched book provides a careful critique of youth ministry along with practical guidance for those serving in ministry.

Many of us do not trust our own thoughts, feelings, and desires when it comes to discerning God's will. Instead we look outside ourselves to determine what God wants from and for us. In God's Voice Within, spiritual director Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, shows us how to use Ignatian discernment to access our own spiritual intuition and understand that the most trustworthy wisdom of all comes not from outside sources, but from God working through us.

A wonderful resource to guide admirers of the humblest of saints what it means to live out the Christian life with a Franciscan accent. In a little town in Italy, nearly 800 years ago, Francis of Assisi renounced everything he owned to follow Christ with passionate and single-minded abandon. Even today, centuries later, this simple saint draws people around the world to his story of living in humility, love, and joy.

This inspiring collection of devotions is by a diverse group of women of color - African-Americans, Hispanic, Caribbean, and Asian women. Contributors include Kristie Anyabwile, Jackie Hill-Perry, Trillia Newbell, Elicia Horton, Christina Edmondson, Blair Linne, and more. It is a faithful exposition of Psalm 119 and incorporates each contributors cultural expression both within the teaching and as they bring the word of God to bear on their lives.

The Generosity Secret provides a proven strategy to break free from the financial stress that's keeping you from pursuing your passions and living a joy-filled life. This systematic approach to handling money in a God-honoring way guides you step by step away from a life of financial strain to a new reality of financial health and freedom.

In this groundbreaking book David Powlison undertakes an in-depth exploration of the roots of anger, moral judgment, and righteous response by looking in a surprising place: God's own anger. Powlison reminds us that God gets angry too. He sees things in this world that aren't right and he wants justice too. But God's anger doesn't devolve into manipulation or trying to control others to get his own way. Instead his anger is good and redemptive.

Decisions, decisions . . . life presents us with so many, big and small. How can we confidently make choices that bring us true happiness? The life of the virtues holds the key, and among those virtues, prudence holds the reins. No, this isn't your grandmother's definition of prudence. This virtue actually inspires practical wisdom, allowing us to choose well and to bring order into our lives. In Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly, Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, aims to work prudence back into the conversation and explain how it can transform us along our path toward what really matters.

Many believers settle for a spiritual routine that lacks God's presence. But what they truly want, and truly need, is a dynamic, vital, and intimate relationship with God. Here Wayne Cordeiro gently but directly shows listeners how to move from routine to relationship—from mundane actions to fresh encounters—by learning to hear Him speak to them through the Bible. Through stories, lessons, and anecdotes, Cordeiro equips listeners to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as they read God's Word, enabling them to transform their daily quiet time with the Lord.