Derek Maul beckons you to join him on a devotional pilgrimage through Lent. Imagine yourself sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples. Walk with Jesus on the dusty path from Bethany to Jerusalem. Watch him closely and listen to his words of grace, hope, and challenge as he moves purposefully toward the Cross. Reaching Toward Easter features 49 daily devotions that include in-depth Bible study, personal stories, and prayers. Maul hopes that you will arrive at Holy Week refreshed rath...

How will you make more room for God in your life this Lent? Let Thomas Steagald be your travel guide as you journey through Lent with Jesus. Steagald skillfully moves you from being a mere observer to becoming an actual participant in the scripture stories. You'll enter the wilderness with Jesus. Later, you'll meet some of the people who are touched by Jesus: Nicodemus the woman at the well the man who was born blind Mary and Martha after the death of their brother, Lazarus religious and go...

When life takes an unexpected turn that leaves you reeling, sometimes you have to remind yourself to just breathe. But God is closer than the air you breathe. Grounded in scripture and Christian tradition, Sacred Breath walks you through the practice of Centering Prayer and helps you breathe in deeply the presence of God. Learn how to present yourself to God in silence twice a day without any agenda. Forty days of practical, encouraging meditations will help you get started in the rich experi...

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...

"Gospeled" lives are lives that have encountered Jesus Christ. Christ's call leads to a continually unfolding story for each of us. An encounter with the living Christ demands a response, John Indermark says. In this book you will learn about New Testament characters who encountered Jesus. Some responded with joy and gratitude. Others ignored or rejected his offer of good news. Indermark's powerful reflections on the various biblical characters, along with daily reading of scripture, written ...

It's been said that Centering Prayer is like two friends sitting together in silence, just being in each other's presence—completely natural and comfortable. Yet, Centering Prayer is sometimes viewed as too mysterious, too escapist, too hard. At first, it even appeared that way to the author, but events in his life and his further studies about prayer changed his views. Through Muyskens' insightful guidance, you'll explore a method of prayer that goes deeper than verbal conversations with God...

Discover new insights about the passion story through the lenses of Jesus' parables. "Parables nudge us all to receptive insight," writes Indermark. "For those new to the Lenten journey, they give access to the holy through the ordinary. For those who have navigated this season many times, they allow an opportunity to experience Lent from a different perspective. …[Parables] take us deeper, revealing the approaching realm of the God who has come to us in One who teaches still in parables." Le...

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...