The Academy for Spiritual Formation creates transformative space for people to be in communion with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world. Learn more at Academy.UpperRoom.org.
Prayer, Trauma, and Spiritual Wholeness
Healing from trauma begins with the courageous act of telling your story.
Yet many survivors of trauma are afraid to tell anyone about their deeply painful and personal experience(s). Trauma survivors often feel shame, guilt, fear, and anger. They may also carry deep spiritual wounds, such as feeling abandoned or punished by God. They may wonder how they can ever trust God.
In Beads of Healing, Kristen Vincent shares her story of childhood trauma and how she eventually found God's peace, heal...
The Way of Jesus
Jesus was a spiritual teacher who demonstrated personal and social transformation. His earliest disciples were first known not as Christians but as followers of the Way. Jesus' Way was a spirituality of radical compassion. He taught how to love and be loved by an extravagantly compassionate God; how to cultivate love for ourselves; and how to love our neighbors by extending love to the outcasts, the offensive, and even our enemies.
Compassion in Practice is an introduction to Christian compas...
Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church
How can the church stay in step with the Spirit during a time of unprecedented change?
The apostle Paul led the Galatians through a massive cultural shift in which they had to radically expand their ideas of who God is, who they were, and God's mission for the church. He was able to lead them through this time of great change because of his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road, an experience in which his view of God was completely upended.
Today Christianity is undergoing a cu...
In this personal story, Dee Dee Risher weaves experiences from her life with the biblical story of the prophet Elisha and the Shunammite woman. Risher is captivated by this spiritually attuned, generous, hospitable, honest, and bold woman. The woman from Shunem extends radical hospitality to the prophet, expecting no reward. But when disaster strikes, she does not hesitate to hold Elisha accountable or talk back.
Hidden in the story, Risher believes, are the questions that lead to a more auth...
Celtic Blessings
Many Christians long to sense God's presence in their everyday lives but don't know how. Inspired by the ancient form of prayer practiced by the Celtic people, Beth Richardson offers a multitude of short prayers—blessings—that embrace every aspect of daily life.
A sense of joy about ordinary moments of the day pervades this book. Many of the blessings came to Richardson during one of her daily activities—walking her dogs. As she welcomed the day, she thought about celebrations, challenges, an...
Practicing the Heart of Christian Spirituality
Are you seeking a deeper, more authentic experience of God? Maybe you've attended retreats, read dozens of books on spirituality, or even consulted a spiritual director and found yourself still wanting more.
Did you know that God has given you everything you need to live and flourish in a life with God? You can stop your restless searching and rediscover the gifts God has already given you.
In What We Need Is Here, Roger Owens calls you to return to 7 basics of Christian spirituality:
Readi...
Devotions to Use with Protestant Prayer Beads
NOTE: Prayer beads are sold separately. Purchase online at www.prayerworksstudio.etsy.com.
Yes, it's really okay for Protestants to use prayer beads! Kristen and Max Vincent invite you to pray from your heart with these 28 devotions designed for use with prayer beads. Another Bead, Another Prayer begins with a brief explanation of Protestant prayer beads for readers who are unfamiliar with them. The devotions are grouped by 4 types of prayer: praise, confession, intercession, and thanksgiving...
Praise for Practicing Compassion
Everybody believes in compassion, but nobody tells you how to practice it. Until now. Frank Rogers turns compassion into a doable, daily practice—as simple as catching your breath and taking your pulse. If you want to read a book that actually has the capacity to change your life (and the world), beginning today, this is the book to read.
—Brian D. McLaren
Author/speaker/blogger/activist (brianmclaren.net)
If you want clear, practical guidance on how to culti...
Poems of Grief and Love, Loss and Gratitude
"Grief is such a messy thing," Roberta Bondi writes in the introduction. "It fills us with many ideas and images, memories and fantasies, celebration and bitter regret all at once — all superimposed upon one another. No wonder it wears us out."
In this book of poetry and reflections on her mother's death, Bondi acknowledges her grief in the presence of God over the span of a few months. She expresses many conflicting feelings: love, pain, anger, guilt, emptiness, confusion, exhaustion, relief...
A Beginner's Guide to Protestant Prayer Beads
NOTE: Prayer beads are sold separately. Order beads at Kristen's site: www.prayerworksstudio.etsy.com.
Do you ever struggle with prayer? Maybe your mind wanders, you wonder if God even hears your prayers, or you just don't know what to pray.
A Bead and a Prayer introduces Protestant prayer beads as a tool for connecting with God. This 4-week Bible study is designed for people with no experience in using prayer beads. You will discover answers to such questions as:
Why use prayer beads?
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