But our friends back home live an existence under the weight and awareness of times; a place we are slowly escaping; a world growing fainter by the hour and the mile."Day 13: "It feels again that we are leaving who we were, moving on into the people we will become, hopefully, people with some kind of answers, some kind of thing to believe tht makes sense of beauty, of romance. Something that would explain the red glow against Paul's face, the red glow that seems to be coming off the console . . . 'Did you notice the engine light is lit, bud?' I ask . . ."Day 83: "I sit in the van, waiting for her to come out when I notice a window in one of the classrooms open, and a backpack comes falling out, spilling a few books onto the lawn. After the backpack comes Elida, falling atop the pack and laying low, peeking back into the window to see if the teacher noticed. She gathers her books, reaches into the classroom and closes the window, then runs toward the van as though this were a prison break."As you read Through Painted Deserts, you'll soon realize this is not just one man's account of finding light, God, and beauty on the open road. Rather, this book maps the journey you're already traveling . . . or soon will be.

    In recent years, however, that picture of Jesus has come under widely publicized attack from sources ranging from critical scholars to Internet pundits to popular historians and others. The new portraits of Jesus seem persuasive. You can’t help but wonder … Did Christianity merely copy its beliefs from earlier mythology? Did the church suppress alternate gospels? Did Jesus never die on the cross or rise from the dead for sinners? Is the New Testament hopelessly riddled with errors? New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel helps you separate truth from media hype, sound scholarship from bias, and fact from speculation. Digging below the surface, this book provides credible, informed answers to today’s most pressing questions about Jesus.

    However, Sylvia does, and in this fascinating book, she shares her 40 years of investigation into these issues. Drawing from thousands of research sessions with Francine, her spirit guide, along with her own understanding of a number of riveting topics that are pertinent to humanity as a whole, you will have access to information that is mentally profound, spiritually moving, and eminently logical.Francine, who resides on the Other Side, lives within the presence of God and has access to a wealth of knowledge about the nature of creation. Sylvia, then, becomes the human voice for Francine and is able to share the fruits of her wisdom. We are assured that God will respond to all questions-our job is to ask the right questions and be receptive to the answers we receive. In so doing, we gain valuable tools for life!Book 2Soul's PerfectionSylvia and her guides help solve a great mystery in this fascinating book-namely, what is the meaning of life? Most human beings-and many teachers and great scholars- have pondered this question over the years, but there has never been a truly definitive answer. This leaves most of us with a feeling of being incomplete in some way. Here, Sylvia and her guides take you to that place within you where you can achieve a sense of intellectual and spiritual fulfillment. They explain that we are here to perfect our souls by absorbing God's knowledge. We are the experiencing side of God, where God is the primary intellect of creation. Soul's Perfection takes you through the complete scope of your soul's journey, from planning each incarnation on the Other Side to making life meaningful here on Earth. If you wish to stand proudly before God some day, then the concepts discussed here will bring you wisdom, depth, and spiritual insight.Book 3The Nature of Good and EvilWe constantly see the "senseless violence" in our world, and it begs the question: "How can an all-loving God allow this to exist?" Indeed, many people simply reject any notion of God for this very reason. This third book in Sylvia's Journey of the Soul series gives you the philosophical framework to understand the nature of good and evil-and the role of God in the big picture. When you see how evil originated and why it thrives in our world, you're more prepared to face it and overcome it. Sylvia points out that you need not fear "evil spirits" or "curses"-which are merely stories bred from ignorance. And how would you like to serve as one of God's warriors of Light? Sylvia explains how to enlist!By combining her philosophical and theological views, Sylvia creates a spiritual umbrella that rises above traditional religion. All paths that lead to knowing God have merit-Sylvia simply invites you to know Him/Her in your own way, free of dogma and fear.Millions of people have witnessed Sylvia Browne's incredible psychic powers on TV shows such as Montel, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, and Unsolved Mysteries; and she has been profiled in Cosmopolitan, People magazine, and other national media. Her on-target psychic readings have helped police solve crimes, and she astounds audiences wherever she appears. Sylvia is the author of numerous books and audios; is the president of the Sylvia Browne Corporation; and is the founder of her church, the Society of Novus Spiritus, located in Campbell, California.

    Ignatius of Loyola is the core work of religious formation for members of the Society of Jesus, the single largest religious order within the Roman Catholic Church. For four and a half centuries  in many thousands of editions in all languages, The Exercises have embodied fundamental spiritual principles essential to authentic Christian living. The mystical insight informing Ignatius's own relationship with God--which he distilled in The Exercises--is that the divine love of God is providentially present in all the details of our existence. Here Ignatius shows how the faithful can be joined to God in all things, according to the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam, "For the greater glory of God."

    How should we gain mastery over the enemies lurking within our own mind, so that we can enjoy a peaceful and prosperous life? This book published by Advaita Ashrama, a branch of Ramakrishna Math, gives practical guidelines to make life more meaningful — both on the individual and the collective level — by managing it in the right way, and thus achieve success and fulfillment.

    Small enough to keep in purse or pocket for quick conversationswith God, this book will help unlock the power of prayer in readers’ lives.They’ll come away understanding as never before how God’s great love for them makes their lives complete, how lifting up praise unlocks God’s delivering power into their circumstances, and how right it is to offer adoration and exaltation to the One so worthy of worship.Readers by the millions have loved the power and insight ofStormie’s books on prayer. She now touches their lives withthe truth and hope found in a heart that worships God.

    We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this newly repackaged edition--now with full appendix, study questions, and the author's own epilogue, ""Ragamuffin" Ten Years Later," Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth. The Father beckons us to Himself with a "furious love" that burns brightly and constantly. Only when we truly embrace God's grace can we bask in the joy of a gospel that enfolds the most needy of His flock--the "ragamuffins."Are you bedraggled, beat-up, burnt-out?Most of us believe in God's grace--in theory. But somehow we can't seem to apply it in our daily lives. We continue to see Him as a small-minded bookkeeper, tallying our failures and successes on a score sheet.Yet God gives us His grace, willingly, no matter what we've done. We come to Him as ragamuffins--dirty, bedraggled, and beat-up. And when we sit at His feet, He smiles upon us, the chosen objects of His "furious love."Brennan Manning 's now-classic meditation on grace and what it takes to access it--simple honesty--has changed thousands of lives. Now with a Ragamuffin's thirty-day spiritual journey guide, it will change yours, too.

    Extreme Prayer taps into that longing for connection with God when we need it most by teaching us to pray the kinds of prayers Jesus promised to answer with unlimited power. It's not about how to pray more . . . it's about praying differently, and intentionally tapping into all of Jesus's open-ended promises in a way that achieves maximum Kingdom impact. In Extreme Prayer, Greg Pruett searches the Scriptures to discover the kinds of prayers that God has promised to answer, challenging you to access their power and see His immeasurable glory unleashed in your prayer life.

    Readers will broaden their understanding of the four components of the Jabez prayer ("bless me; enlarge my borders; keep Your hand upon me; keep me from evil") by investigating key scriptural passages and learning how to apply them to their lives. Graphics and lighthearted illustrations make this innovative, four-week study impactful and fun. An eighty-page Leader's Edition with two additional, optional sessions is also available.

    Is this really what Jesus died for? If He chose the way of the cross, where would He hesitate leading us? Is it possible that to follow Jesus is to choose the barbarian way?Jesus never made a pristine call to a proper or safe religion. Jesus beckons His followers to a path that is far from the easy road. It is a path filled with adventure, uncertainty, and unlimited possibilities―the only path that can fulfill the deepest longings and desires of your heart.This is the barbarian way: to give your heart to the only One who can make you fully alive. To love Him with simplicity and intensity. To unleash the untamed faith within. To be consumed by the presence of a passionate and compassionate God. To go where He sends you, no matter the cost.

    This book gives you the opportunity to surrender to God's presence and enjoy just being with Him.Find contentment, peace, and encouragement from practicing spiritual disciplines, and learn simple, tangible insights into practicing God’s presence in everyday life.

    Arriving in minutes, I find the family imploding with grief having just discovered their son hanging in the garage. In a moment of unshakable pain, he jumped off the ladder and into eternity. And I will never shake the look in their eyes when I asked why he hadn't called a church. "Why would he do that?" Across town, a pool of tears on my kitchen table as an out of town guest feels the weight of his infidelity, despairing that his famished soul finds no refuge and that he has to board a plane to feel fellowship. "Has your church tried to help you?" And the Christian leader confesses he hasn't been to church in years." Infighting, backbiting, heartbreaking, frustrating ... church. Though exceptions do exist, the reality is that church in America is failing one life at a time. Somewhere between pathetically predictable and shamefully entertaining, sadly sentimental and rarely authentic, church has become worst of all ... godless. "Vertical Church "points to a new day where God is the seeker, and we are the ones found. In "Vertical Church "God shows up, and that changes everything. If you want to experience God as you never have before and witness His hand at work, if you want to wake up to the first thought, "Thank God it's Sunday," if you're ready to feel your heart beat faster as you drive to your place of worship ... then devour and digest the lessons of "Vertical Church.

    The Gutter serves as a manifesto for all different types of people in the Church: those who yearn to impact the culture around them, those who have reassessed their discovery of Christ and want to make their story known, and those who are seeking out new, fresh ways of exhibiting Christ's love to the poor in spirit.

    Barry, S.J., shares his unique understanding of the Spiritual Exercises and demonstrates how they can benefit the ordinary persons relationship with God. "Finding God in All Things" gives new life to the spirituality of St. Ignatius and illuminates the transforming power of the Exercises. With over 50,000 copies sold of the first edition, this timely new edition offers todays readers a clear presentation of the themes and contemporary practice of this classic spiritual retreat.

    Winner has written an engrossing reflection of literary grace and spiritual wisdom with Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis.As she lives through a failed marriage and the loss of her mother, Winner finds her Christian faith slipping away. Through reading religious works and tomes and being counseled by leaders of the church, she learns she must find the courage to trust in God in order to to find His presence.Elegantly written and profound, Still offers reflections on how murky and gray the spiritual life can be while, at the same time, shows us how to see the light we do encounter more clearly.