"Come away with me and rest for a while," Jesus said to his disciples. Sometimes we need a break from our busy lives just to take time to be, but more important, to listen to God. Time Away details the joys, challenges, and benefits of a personal retreat. This book's step-by-step instructions will enable anyone—from first-timer to veteran—to make the most of dedicated time with God. Chapters cover these topics: What Is a Retreat? Why Go on a Retreat? Preparing for a Retreat Creating a Pl...

Understanding Spiritual Gifts Participant's Book is available for small group members. This leader's guide includes a process and resources for an introductory meeting and 6 weekly meetings of either 45 or 90 minutes. The longer format includes group lectio divina (contemplation of and individual response to scripture) in each session.

Understanding Spiritual Gifts Leader's Guide is also available. This 6-week experiential study (7 weeks, including the introductory session) helps individuals and small groups explore spiritual gifts using selected passages from the Bible.

Aging often brings concerns about health, worries about finances, and frustrations about change. The so-called golden years can seem filled with loneliness and pain. How is a person of faith to cope with the challenges and find purpose for the rest of his or her life? Missy Buchanan encourages older adults to maintain open dialogue with God. Through a series of personal poems and reflections, each coupled with a selection from Psalms, Buchanan presents heartfelt talks with God. She addresses ...

Does anger sometimes get the best of you? Are there days when you feel mad at the world? Anger is a common human emotion, yet it often leaves us squirming with discomfort and worrying that we're not spiritual enough. In Anger: Minding Your Passion, you'll find a collection of writings that explore the constructive use of this powerful emotion. Sometimes we have every right to get good and mad. It's what we do with our anger that matters. As you read and ponder thoughts from such noted auth...

A collection of writings that reminds us how hope plays a role in our lives today, not just tomorrow, and that hope is more than false optimism to those who believe.

Whether a young person is beginning work full-time, continuing his or her education, or exploring the world, the time after high school graduation is a profound transition. Stepping Out On Your Own provides spiritual support that is important when developing new friendships and encountering new challenges. A meaningful gift from family, friends, and churches.

Early adulthood is a time of possibility, uncertainty, decision, and hope. During these years, individuals determine how they will approach life challenges and opportunities. In On Our Way: Christian Practices for Living a Whole Life, writers from a variety of backgrounds address topics of particular relevance to young adults. The essays are grouped in 5 sections that together express the whole: living a whole life attentively together in the real world for the good of all in response t...

It always lasts 40 days, but those 40 days occur on different dates from one year to the next. The 40 days occur immediately before Easter, but because Sundays are excluded from the count, the days of this season are not consecutive. Unlike other holy seasons, which typically begin on a Sunday, this one commences midweek. Believers approach it in a variety of ways. Pamela Hawkins calls it 'the awkward season.' Still, for all its curves and contours, Lent is rich with possibilities. While in...

You can believe anything and be a Methodist, just so long as you're sincere. Such a misperception has deep historical and cultural roots. Explore a basic explanation of the beliefs and practices of the United Methodist Church as defined in Part II of The Book of Discipline. Uncover a deeper understanding and experience of Christian faith as you embrace the United Methodist way. "Beliefs are to be lived; doctrine is to be practiced," writes Carder in this updated edition of his 1996 bestselle...