Book picks similar to
Meditation by Jim Downing


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Thoughts in Solitude


Thomas Merton - 1956
    Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, the society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate."Thoughts in Solitude stands alongside The Seven Storey Mountain as one of Merton's most enduring and popular works. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, is perhaps the foremost spiritual thinker of the twentieth century. His diaries, social commentary, and spiritual writings continue to be widely read after his untimely death in 1968. Librarian note: there is an alternate cover edition of this book here

Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Pathway to Joy


Larry Crabb - 2001
    The Holy Spirit uses the pain of shattered dreams to help us discover our desire for God, to help us begin dreaming the highest dream. They are ordained opportunities for the Spirit first to awaken, then to satisfy our highest dream. ~~ Dr. Larry Crabb

The Soul Winner


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 1920
    H. Spurgeon, one of the most popular preachers of the late 19th century, was so renowned for converting nonbelievers to Christianity that he earned the sobriquet "the soul-winner." Here, in his classic work on the process and power of preaching, Spurgeon shares his anecdotes and advice on bringing hearts to God. He discusses: . what it means to win a soul . what it takes to make a soul-winning preacher . how to earn the respect of the skeptical . the kinds of sermons that are likely to win souls . overcoming obstacles to soul-winning\ . and much more. British preacher CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON (1834-1892) frequently delivered sermons to audiences of more than 10,000 people. He also wrote The Treasury of David and Around the Wicket Gate, among many other works.

Why Revival Tarries: A Classic on Revival


Leonard Ravenhill - 1959
    The message is fearless and often radical as he expounds on the disparity between the New Testament church and the church today. Why Revival Tarries contains the heart of his message. A.W. Tozer called Ravenhill "a man sent from God" who "appeared at [a] critical moment in history," just as the Old Testament prophets did. Included are questions for group and individual study. Ravi Zacharias refers to this as "the book that shaped me...more dramatically than any other..."

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship


N.T. Wright - 1994
    Part One outlines the essential messages of six major New Testament books--Hebrews, Colossians, Matthew, John, Mark, and Revelation. Part Two examines six key New Testament themes--resurrection, rebirth, temptation, hell, heaven, and new life--and considers their significance for the lives of present-day disciples.

Discovering God's Will


Sinclair B. Ferguson - 1982
    It shows that the guidance God gives comes primarily through knowing, loving and obeying him.

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People


Pete Greig - 2019
    Now, for the first time, he puts his life's work into a response to the question everybody ultimately asks: how do I pray?This down-to-earth introduction to life's greatest adventure will guide you deeper in your relationship with God, helping you to become more centred and still, clearer in discerning God's voice, more able to make sense of your disappointments and more expectant for miraculous breakthroughs too. It's full of honest, hard-won wisdom interspersed with real-life stories - some humorous, others moving - to equip and inspire your prayer life. Journeying through the Lord's Prayer, and accompanied by online videos from The Prayer Course, which has been used by more than a million people, it unpacks nine essential aspects of prayer: stillness, adoration, petition, intercession, perseverance, contemplation, listening, confession and spiritual authority.From one of today's most visionary communicators, for those who've been praying for years as well as those who want to pray but don't know where to begin, How to Pray is the simple, life-changing guide you've been waiting for.

Living Water


Brother Yun - 2008
    Through his dynamic teachings, Brother Yun shares a message of radical trust and authentic Christian discipleship to churches around the world. Using the message of the Bible and interweaving it with stories of life-changing faith, Living Water distills the wisdom of this courageous Christian man who suffered intense persecution for his beliefs. Brother Yun challenges Christians to go deeper in their faith, and become bold in their witness for Christ. He shows how God can make you as bold as a lion, and bring your days as a timid Christian to an end. The book of Acts continues today in the lives of courageous believers like Brother Yun. An inspirational challenge to deeper discipleship, Living Water offers moving stories of struggles and victories, miracles of grace and mountains moved.

Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human


Judah Smith - 2013
    How would you finish that sentence?The subject is there, and so is the verb, but what comes next? Your answer could shed light on the path to becoming who you were made to be. In these pages, Judah Smith fills out that sentence again and again, each time further revealing the character of Jesus. He writes as if to a friend, revealing the Jesus that somber paintings and hymns fail to capture. With passion, humor, and conviction, he shows that Jesus is life. Jesus is grace. Jesus is your friend. Jesus is a new and better way to be human.

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better


Brant Hansen - 2015
    The idea of our own “righteous anger” is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet?In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, including: Adjusting your expectations to fit human natureReplacing perpetual anger with refreshing humility and gratitudeEmbracing forgiveness and beginning to love others in unexpected waysIn a humorous and conversational style, Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.

Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace


Joe Coffey - 2011
    It is told through the lives of two men a prodigal and a pastor's kid whose broken lives are forever stained the color of grace as they are confronted by the One who meets them in their hopelessness and despair, bringing redemption and healing. Red Like Blood chronicles the power of the gospel in all of its life-changing fullness. It is a story that should challenge, encourage and empower us all.

Psalm 91 - He Who Dwells...


Lara Velez - 2012
    However, many do not realize that it is a promise of protection for all who are willing to dwell in the secret place of the Most High...You see, God offers us many promises. Sadly, we never learn about the clauses: our part in how to obtain the promises...In this book, the promise and the way to obtain it is revealed. The verses are broken down and explained in detail. It is an easy read and well worth the few minutes it will take to complete. The knowledge you will gain mixed with a bit of faith is sure to open the eyes of the reader to the wondrous blessing of God's promise of protection!!

Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers


Anne Lamott - 2012
    And in her new book, Help, Thanks, Wow, she has coalesced everything she knows about prayer to these fundamentals.It is these three prayers – asking for assistance from a higher power, appreciating what we have that is good, and feeling awe at the world around us – that can get us through the day and can show us the way forward. In Help, Thanks, Wow, Lamott recounts how she came to these insights, explains what they mean to her and how they have helped, and explores how others have embraced these same ideas.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile


Rob Bell - 2008
    Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers.Jesus Wants to save Christians is a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity.It's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest. It's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from.It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23


W. Phillip Keller - 1970
    This beloved classic will give new meaning to the ageless Shepherd Psalm, enriching your trust in and love for the Lord who watches closely over you.