This classic book teaches the importance of respectful silence in prayer, seeking God in fidelity in love, patience in prayer, collecting yourself inwardly, and total abandonment of self to God. Shortly after Madame Guyon wrote this book, she was imprisoned for 7 years because her prayer styles unsettled the established church of the time. In her own words, Madame Guyon's goal was to "to induce the world to love God and to serve Him with comfort and success, in a simple and easy manner." Little did she know that after her death in 1717 her little treatise would be published and read all over the world. Today Madame Guyon's book reminds us that God wants us to take time with him and let His word penetrate into our heart, by praying and then silently listening and waiting on God to speak to our hearts.

    Sadly, however, Christianity is perceived as being a vehicle for good behavior and clean living—and the judgments that result from them—rather than the only recourse for those who have failed over and over and over again. Tchividjian convincingly shows that Christianity is not about good people getting better. If anything, it is good news for bad people coping with their failure to be good.   In this "manifesto," Tchividjian calls the church back to the heart of the Christian faith—grace. It is time for us to abandon our play-it-safe religion, and to get drunk on grace. Two hundred-proof, unflinching grace. It’s shocking and scary, unnatural and undomesticated … but it is also the only thing that can set us free and light the church—and the world—on fire.

    In his work traveling the world for FOX News and in his parish work in New York City, Father Jonathan could not understand why people were choosing the vague and sometimes harmful advice of the self-help gurus and ignoring the tested and true help the Christian faith offers. He discovered that part of the problem was packaging: people thought the church dealt only in sin and guilt and not help and healing. But what if we reframed God's good news in the same terms as the self-help world? Morris argues that self-help can only take you so far; what we need is God-help. God Wants You Happy offers a life-long spiritual program that teaches you how to open yourself up to God's loving presence in order to become everything he created you to be—joyful, flourishing men and women. In other words, God wants you to be happy. Illuminated with biblical passages and filled with case studies and exercises, God Wants You Happy helps you to: Open your mind and heart to the all-loving God who wants to help and empower you Work through the Faith-Hope-Love Cure to rid yourself of self-destructive and self-limiting habits while forming new habits for receiving grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and love Tap into the natural mechanisms of self-improvement God has already put within you Discover your divine mission A lifetime of happiness is at your fingertips and the Creator of the universe wants to help you achieve it.

    However, the mystical tradition is also an important component of the Christian tradition. At its heart--and much like its expression in other faith traditions--Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for personal enlightenment, and the experience of Divine presence. This volume is a comprehensive introduction and guide to Christian mysticism. It is a big book about a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, blissful, experiential unison with God. Among the topics covered here are a general introduction to mysticism, the Bible and mysticism, the history and types of Christian mysticism, biographical sketches of leading Christian mystics, and practical instructions about practicing mysticism today. This is a breathtaking work that explores a form of spirituality that has changed lives over the course of 2,000 years. Learning about Christian mysticism and how it has been articulated through the centuries will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of the faith tradition. "The mystic is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of mytic." --William McNamara

    Whatever love language you prefer, may you find ever deeper satisfaction in using that language in your relationship with God and with other people.” As you begin to identify the variety of languages God uses to speak love to you and others, you can learn to speak lovingly back to God and to those around you. No matter what love language you prefer, you will become more deeply connected with God and watch this bond transform all of your relationships. Contains personal reflection questions and a study guide for groups

    O'Sullivan’s very popular and soul-stirring books, for it reveals the simplest secret of holiness and happiness over. Scarcely one Catholic in a million has heard about the amazing power of the Holy Name of Jesus which the author explains here. He brings forth stories and quotes from Scripture, history and the lives of the Saints, showing the incredible efficacy of this Sacred Name and urging us to invoke it often — dozens of times, even hundreds of times each day!The author describes what remarkable prayers can be summed up in the one word, “Jesus.” He shows how the habitual practice of this simple devotion shields us from temptation and leads us to holiness of life. He says that by repeating reverently the Holy Name we can glorify God, call upon His aid, pay our spiritual debts, assist the Souls in Purgatory, obtain a share in the graces God is constantly pouring out, receive protection from the devil, obtain the grace of a happy death, be preserved from disasters and even regain our physical health!The Wonders of the Holy Name reveals a tremendous secret almost unknown today. In bringing out this secret, Fr. O'Sullivan gives us thereby a glimpse into the infinite holiness at the heart of our Catholic Faith.

    It never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, “Do you believe in grace?” who could say no? Bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado helps us dive deeper into what it means to be changed by grace. God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you.In this book, you will learn:Grace is everything JesusYou belong to JesusJesus lives in youYou will increasingly grow more like JesusThere is nothing you can do to get grace—grace gets youGrace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Have you been shaped, emboldened, and softened by grace? Let’s make certain grace gets you.

    Each story resonates with life lessons that can teach us inescapable truths about ourselves and our world.De Mello's international acclaim rests on his unique approach to contemplation and ability to heighten self-awareness and self-discovery. His is a holistic approach, and in the words of one reviewer: "his mysticism cuts across all times and peoples and is truly a universal invitation." The Song of the Bird uses the familiar yet enduring medium of the story to illustrate profound realities that bring us in touch with the problems and concerns of daily life, as well as with our common spiritual quest. The aim is to develop the art of tasting and feeling the message of each story to the point that we are transformed. "Let the story speak to your heart, not to your brain," the author directs. "This may make something of a mystic out of you."Enhanced by lovely ink drawings, this is indeed a volume to treasure, to share, and to read many times over, for it is everyone's best companion on the road to spiritual growth.

    "My symbol for hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or a thoroughly nasty business office." The edition also includes a new Screwtape piece, "Screwtape Proposes a Toast," and should find a new generation of readers for the wittiest piece of writing the 20th century has yet produced to stimulate the ordinary man to godliness.

    The path toward the liberated existence we all long for is found in a truth as simple to say as it is hard to do: love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits.Driven by Bob’s trademark storytelling, Everybody, Always reveals the lessons Bob learned--often the hard way--about what it means to love without inhibition, insecurity, or restriction. From finding the right friends to discovering the upside of failure, Everybody, Always points the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible. Whether losing his shoes while skydiving solo or befriending a Ugandan witch doctor, Bob steps into life with a no-limits embrace of others that is as infectious as it is extraordinarily ordinary. Everybody, Always reveals how we can do the same.

    The authors debunk 12 commonly accepted beliefs that cause bondage rather than liberty. They explain how nuggets of truth become cornerstones for error when wrongly understood, and they help build solid scriptural foundations that produce emotional freedom. Now with discussion guide.

    This amazing narrative will stir your heart and soul while it chronicles the experience of a simple Polish nun.

    And the reason I came here today is so that I could pray for you."With those words, respected leader, speaker, and author John Maxwell saw his agenda replaced by God's agenda. The stranger who felt God's calling to pray for this pastor fulfilled a need in Maxwell that he didn't even know he had?and fourteen years later, the results are evident at the 5,500 member Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, California.Partners in Prayer, the first book in the John Maxwell Church Resources series, shows church leaders and laypeople how to unleash the potential of prayer on behalf of themselves, one another, and the church. If your church?or private devotional life?is starving in the area of prayer and you want to tap into the power and protection prayer provides, Maxwell gives practical insight intothe fundamentals of prayerimproving personal prayer lifepraying for others, including church leadersbuilding a prayer partners ministry in the local churchencouraging prayer revival nationwideAre you missing out on God's gift and blessing of prayer?Is there someone you know who would benefit from your committed prayers on their behalf? Despite God's promise of the power of prayer to change our world, many of us never experience it. John Maxwell shows you how to strentghen your prayer life and reap the benefits awaiting those who become Partners in Prayer."I speak for thousands who will benefit from this book when I say, John Maxwell is a friend to all who dream of a growing Kingdom." ?Max Lucado From the Foreword

    An uplifting description of the pursuit of the spiritual life, written by one of the greatest mystics of the twentieth century, who describes not only the spiritual state of communing with God but also the state of cooperating with God!

    Maybe you've never heard of it until now and are asking, theology of the what? Maybe you're already familiar with the basics and are ready to incorporate this teaching on sex, love and marriage into your own life. Whatever your level of understanding, you're probably ready for some good news about sex in a culture littered with the bad news of divorce, adultery, sexually transmitted disease, heartache and loneliness. This guide is designed to help you appropriate the Pope's astonishing message: True, lasting love—that which humanity enjoyed in the beginning, before the Fall—is possible here and now. In nine straightforward lessons, Men and Women Are from Eden introduces the reader to the pope's warm, deeply biblical understanding of God's original plan for men and women, a plan that brings with it healing of mind in regard to sexuality and the body.