This book is a collection of lectures delivered in Bangalore and Philadelphia by Swami Yatiswarananda, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda and the Vice-president of the Ramakrishna Order. The lectures were published in the magazines The Vedanta Kesari, Prabuddha Bharata, Vedanta and the West, and Vedanta for East and West. The lectures extensively deal with pursuing religious life, overcoming obstacles in religious life, achieving inner peace and harmony, and attaining religious experience. Spiritual seekers can derive the much-needed inspiration and succour from these invaluable lectures.

Would Jesus Attend Church Today? Among the top ten trends that are changing American life, Time magazine recently listed a rising dissatisfaction with organized religion. Though many people today like Jesus, they are growing tired of traditional religious institutions. Even those who follow Jesus aren't so sure they always like what Christianity and the church represent. For many years, Dan Kimball would have agreed, until an encounter with a small group of Jesus followers started him on a journey that challenged him to rethink everything he had ever assumed about the church. In Adventures in Churchland, Dan invites you to join him as he uncovers what the Bible really says about the church and reminds us that it's more than just an institution; it's a beautiful mess of broken people learning to follow Jesus together. As you journey with Dan, you'll begin to see the church as Jesus intended it to be: a community of forgiven misfits coming together to serve the world around them with passion, creativity, innovation, and grace. "If you don’t like the church, or if you’re thinking about leaving, please read this book first. Dan’s stories will make you laugh, make you think, and make you appreciate the church like never before." – Mark Batterson, author of The Circle Maker "Dan encourages us to break through the tension and messiness that church communities inevitably encounter to experience the beauty of being in community and sharing God's infinite love with others." – Zach Lind, drummer, Jimmy Eat World "I am so glad that my friend Dan has written this book, because there is a lot of confusion out there about Jesus and the church." – Wanda Jackson, Queen of Rockabilly and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Examines how the complex issues of the world's culture has influenced the ministry and message of the Christian church on such topics as salvation, worship, the Bible, and sin.

Revised & Updated and Includes a New Preface from the Author Embark on the spiritual ADVENTURE of a lifetime. There's no better guide than St. Ignatius of Loyola for people who want to enliven their faith, discover their purpose, and make better decisions in their life. In this revised edition of The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O'Brien, SJ, offers a unique way of experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in daily life. With O'Brien as our navigator, we adventure through 32 weeks of prayer and meditations that draw us into a deeper encounter with God. What sets this book apart from other Ignatian retreats is how O'Brien incorporates the timeless counsel of wisdom figures throughout the ages and personal stories about living the Exercises in everyday life. O'Brien makes it easy to see how these teachings intersect with the real world. The Ignatian Adventure is an ideal resource for spiritual directors. Its user-friendly style also makes it the perfect book for anyone seeking a better understanding of Ignatian spirituality and a richer prayer life.

Adventures Await When You Overcome Fear This is the story of a normal family of five living a very unusual life. The Medearis family has faced Middle Eastern prisons, death threats, being kicked out of a country two times, and war. It hasn't always been easy, but in the midst of it all, the invitation of Jesus to follow and not be afraid has won the day. But this is more than just their story. It's also a guide to help you step out in bold faith. Whether the call of Jesus for you means international intrigue, giving up all you have for the poor, or simply being the suburban neighbor you were always meant to be, it's time to begin your own adventure! To live a life where fear takes a backseat and God takes the wheel. In the end, of course, there are no promises of an easy life or a path free of troubles. But enormous blessings await those who walk in faith. It's time to go where Jesus is calling and do what God is doing. Don't put off the adventure he's been saving just for you. "Reading Adventures in Saying Yes is so much fun you don't realize at first how profound it is. . . . In an era when people, races, religions, and countries are being torn apart by fear, this call to move past fear and follow Jesus into caring connections is essential reading."--Lynne Hybels, Advocate for Global Engagement, Willow Creek Community Church "You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll shake your head in disbelief. But most of all, you'll never be the same after this book. It will inspire and ignite you to go beyond planning and start saying yes to Jesus' nonstop invitations to join him in what he's already up to in the world."--Leonard Sweet, bestselling author, professor (Drew University, George Fox University, Tabor College), and chief contributor to sermons.com "We are all looking for ways to be inspired and challenged in our life with Jesus. Carl's stories don't just entertain you. They call you to live courageously in the face of your fears."--Jay Pathak, Senior Pastor, Mile High Vineyard Church, and coauthor of The Art of Neighboring "Carl Medearis gives us a rare look into the utterly vulnerable, harrowing, uplifting, and often witty adventures of one who has dared to say yes in the face of fear for the sake of the good news. What's most amazing about this book is that it all actually happened. . . . Brilliant. Simply brilliant."--Ted Dekker, New York Times bestselling author "The gospel of Jesus is not about security and segregation. . . . Adventures in Saying Yes is a compelling call to embody the risky faith and radical hospitality of Jesus!"--Brian Zahnd, Pastor of Word, Life Church (St. Joseph, MO), and author of A Farewell to Mars "This book will press you toward a closer walk, a deeper love, and an undaunted life of following Jesus. Carl disarms the reader with his warm and engaging style, yet delivers deep biblical truth about what it means to be a fearless disciple. As a Lebanese immigrant to the States, I can promise you that Carl clearly understands the culture and made me yearn for home. I was deeply moved by what God will do through us when we simply say yes."--Lina AbuJamra, MD, pediatric ER doctor and author of Stripped "Even if you don't like biographical books by missionaries, you are going to love this one. It's so much more than the story of a family learning how to live gracefully among Muslims. This is a text on overcoming fear, learning how to trust strangers, and allowing God to guide all you do."--Tony Campolo, PhD, Eastern University "Written with real-life integrity and humor, this story explodes with invitations--to risk, to trust, to imagine, to open, to more . . ."--Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack

In Adventures in the Spirit, respected and influential theologian Philip Clayton argues that two major intellectual movements of our day-panentheism and emergence-are converging and that together they offer exciting new vistas for theological reflection. On the one hand, over the last decades many theologians have been re-conceiving the God-world relation panentheistically, affirming a radical indwelling of God within the world and the world within God. On the other hand, scientists have begun to abandon the reductionist ideology that characterized much of the modern period, with a new emphasis on emergence. Their study of how new, novel structures and entities arise throughout the evolutionary process yields a much more open-ended, holistic vision of reality, Clayton argues.

Adventures of the Soul is a manual for anyone who has ever questioned where they come from, why they are here, and where they go after they die. Sharing his intuitive experiences of communicating with the Spirit World for the past 30 years, internationally renowned medium James Van Praagh takes you on a spiritual sojourn to discover the unique design of your very own soul and explore its various adventures as it travels between worlds. You’ll learn to open up your mind to your soul’s unbounded wisdom and gain a bigger perspective on life and a better grasp of your significant part in it. This book will further assist you in understanding and recognizing the soul lessons you came back to Earth to learn, such as sorrow, forgiveness, grief, compassion, and joy. By utilizing this knowledge, you will come to identify your soul’s intricacies and start to live a life that truly fulfills your soul’s destiny: following the path of love. This is one journey that will force you to look at life and death in a completely different light!