Many of us spend our lives searching for something to satisfy our deepest longings. Yet we will never find complete satisfaction in human relationships, possessions, or personal power. As Saint Augustine wrote, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you [God]." Lent offers us the opportunity to deepen our friendship with God. The idea of being friends with God may intimidate some, but the authors of this book provide practical tips for developing a closer relationship with God...

Tomar algunos minutos para hacer una pausa es bueno para el alma. Estas pausas nos dan la oportunidad de reorganizarnos, reflexionar y volver a centrarnos en Dios. En Pausas para la Cuaresma, Trevor Hudson ofrece un libro bellamente minimalista en el que se centra en una palabra para cada día de Cuaresma. Nos invita a hacer una pausa, enfocarnos en la palabra, leer una Escritura y una meditación breve relacionada con la palabra del día y luego, a ofrecer una oración. Hacer estas pausas nos a...

Hacer una pausa breve para detenerse unos minutos cada día puede ayudarnos a mantener el equilibrio en nuestras vidas, especialmente durante las temporadas del Adviento y de Navidad. En este libro, sencillo, pero no menos simplista, Trevor Hudson se centra en una palabra bíblica que nos ofrece regocijo a través de una meditación para cada día del Adviento. Sus perspicaces reflexiones sobre la palabra de cada día nos invitan a una comprensión más profunda del Adviento. Hudson también explora ...

Cities across the world celebrate Mardi Gras with colorful parades and over-the-top parties. Then Ash Wednesday arrives … Sigh. Lent has begun. You hear about devout friends giving up seemingly innocent things like chocolate or stressing out as they try to live a more perfect life during six grueling weeks—for reasons you don't completely understand. Sermons about penitence are preached, and guilt soaks the congregation. Sound like a good time?! It's time to rethink Lent. Or at least see it f...

Have you ever been in an earthquake? Earthquakes shake our most basic assumptions: that the ground will remain steady beneath our feet, that the world's current existence is the way it will always be. But when tectonic plates shift under the earth's surface and the ground shakes beneath our feet, it rattles the bedrock assumptions on which we build our lives. The Gospel of Matthew reports that on the first Easter morning, an earthquake rocked the earth, ripped open the tomb, and scared the Ro...

Taking time to pause for a few minutes each day can help us maintain balance in our lives, especially during the Advent and Christmas seasons. In this simple yet not simplistic book, Trevor Hudson focuses on one biblical word of wonder for each day of Advent. His insightful reflections on the word for each day invite individuals and groups to a deeper understanding of Advent. Hudson also briefly explores the lives and thoughts of 4 significant characters in the Christmas story, encouraging us...

Many people end their celebration of Christmas on December 25, but George Donigian reminds us that the celebration is only beginning. Donigian offers meditations that begin with Advent and continue through Epiphany (January 6), also known as the 12th night of Christmas. Like the surprises of an Advent calendar, the meditations touch on many subjects. Some topics include "An Editor," "A Counting Song," "Prudence," and "Chrismons." Instead of putting away your nativity scenes and other Christma...