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...

You sit down to pay the bills and realize that the money in your checking account won't cover them. You turn on the national news, and the economic forecast sounds bleak. Now, more than ever, you need to feel God's presence. Facing Financial Struggle provides 4 weeks of daily readings, prayers, and suggestions to support you as you deal with financial trouble and all the emotions it stirs. In this guide, you'll find scriptures, prayers, questions, and ideas appropriate for personal or group s...

Whether a young person is beginning work full-time, continuing his or her education, or exploring the world, the time after high school graduation is a profound transition. Stepping Out On Your Own provides spiritual support that is important when developing new friendships and encountering new challenges. A meaningful gift from family, friends, and churches.

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...

Prayer is a relationship with God that grows and matures over time. "We can be mature in one area of our Christian walk and still be a beginner in other areas," Burger writes. "That is not an indictment but an acknowledgment of the different ways we grow. If we are still a beginner in our prayer life, God simply desires us to take the next step… We are not striving in our own strength. God desires and provides for an intimate prayer life for all believers." Burger's study combines scriptural ...

Sometimes life seems full of storms. All of us experience hardships at one time or another. It's when several crises happen at once that you begin to wonder, "Am I going to make it?" Times of difficulty can grind us down, or they can invite us to become more aware of God's presence and concern. Prayers for Hard Times is a collection of scriptures, prayers, and meditations designed to help you find hope and discover God's presence in the midst of fear, worry, and distress. These booklets, shri...

Do something for the environment—pray for the earth. The icecaps are melting. The air we breathe and the water we drink are polluted. Forests are being cleared of oxygen-making trees and ecosystem-integral wildlife. Our daily lives impact our earth—mostly leaving negative footprints. The environmental challenges we face are real and almost out of control. We're free to enjoy the earth's bounty and beauty, but along with that privilege comes responsibility. How are Christians to respond as ste...

Who is God to you? What can you give to God? How does God shape your life? How do you live as a disciple of Christ? Drawing on the rich resources of the Methodist tradition, A Life-Shaping Prayer is a beautifully written devotional resource. Centered around a prayer of an early Wesley follower, the themes of this book lead to a rediscovery of what it means to practice faith. Advocating a holistic spirituality where prayer and life are interconnected, Chilcote's premise will make God incre...