"Contributors to this volume share how they welcome God's presence into their lives, as well as the theological language they use to think and speak about this presence. Chapters explore how we experience God through prayer, text study, poetry, food, music, service, movement, meditation, interpersonal connection, and much more"--

Because My Soul Longs for You seeks to answer one of the most enduring human questions: Where can we find God in our lives? While Jewish theologians have long pondered the "God question" from ethical and philosophical perspectives, the last century has made space for a more experiential theology: God is present in our lived experiences. Radical amazement, to use Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's phrase, can be found in everyday life. Contributors to this volume share how they welcome God's presence into their lives, as well as the theological language they use to think and speak about this presence. Chapters explore how we experience God through prayer, text study, poetry, food, music, service, movement, meditation, interpersonal connection, and much more. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Central Conference of American Rabbis Spring 2022 Journal Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Christians know that God loves them, but can easily feel that he is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. As a result, they focus a lot—and rightly so—on what Jesus has done to appease God’s wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This book draws us to Matthew 11, where Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for his people to find rest in him. The gospel flows from God’s deepest heart for his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering. These chapters take readers into the depths of Christ’s very heart for sinners, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is and encouraging readers with the affections of Christ for his people. His longing heart for sinners comforts and sustains readers in their up-and-down lives.

Since the beginning of the biblical counseling movement in 1970, biblical counselors have argued that counseling is a ministry of the Word, just like preaching or missions. As a ministry, counseling must be defined according to sound biblical theology rather than secular principles of psychology. For over four decades, biblical theology has been at the core of the biblical counseling movement. Leaders in biblical counseling have emphasized a commitment to teaching doctrine in their counseling courses out of the conviction that good theology leads to good counseling…and bad theology leads to bad counseling. A Theology of Biblical Counseling is a landmark new book that covers the history of the biblical counseling movement, the core convictions that underlie sound counseling, and practical wisdom for counseling today. Dr. Heath Lambert shows how biblical counseling is rooted in the Scriptures while illustrating the real challenges counselors face today through true stories from the counseling room. A substantive textbook written in accessible language, it is an ideal resource for use in training biblical counselors at colleges, seminaries, and training institutes. In each chapter, doctrine comes to life in real ministry to real people, dramatically demonstrating how theology intersects with the lives of actual counselees.

Spiritual formation has gained increasing attention with theological schools as a significant element of the theological education process. Repeated Association of Theological Schools studies have revealed a broad interpretation of what is meant by spiritual formation and how it is achieved within the theological education framework. Theological schools look to what happens in the field education courses as the most significant source of spiritual formation. Experience: Spiritual Formation in Theological Field Education provides effective resources that field educators may employ to foster spiritual formation. In the first section of the book twenty-five practices are introduced that are employed currently by field educators with strong favorable student feedback. In a second section ministerial leaders in a variety of settings share spiritual practices that they have found life-giving and foster deeper connection with God and God’s world. Experience equips field educators for the significant task of fostering the spiritual growth of their students. Students in turn will have a treasure trove of spiritual formation exercises/practices that they can adapt as ministerial leaders in congregations, chaplaincy settings and in faith-based non-profit organizations.

This book is not a before-and-after story. Our culture treats suffering like a problem to fix, a blight to hide, or the sad start of a transformation story. We silently, secretly wither under the pressure of living as though suffering is a predicament we can avoid or annihilate by working hard enough or having enough faith. When your prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, your marriage is ending in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God and, worse, he's failed you. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt? Over a decade ago chronic illness plunged therapist and writer K.J. Ramsey straight into this paradox. Before her illness, faith made sense. But when pain came and never left, K.J. had to find a way across the widening canyon that seemed to separate God's goodness from her excruciating circumstances. She wanted to conquer suffering. Instead, she encountered the God who chose it. She wanted to make pain past-tense. Instead, God invited her into a bigger story. This Too Shall Last offers an antidote to our cultural idolatry of effort and ease. Through personal story and insights from neuroscience and theology, Ramsey invites us to let our tears become lenses of the wonder that before God ever rescues us, he stands in solidarity with us. We are all mid-story in circumstances we did not choose, wondering when our hard things will end and where grace will come if they don’t. We don't need to make suffering a before-and-after story. Together we can encounter the grace that enters the middle of our stories, where living with suffering that lingers means receiving God's presence that lasts.

The Jewish mourning process is a voyage through pain, brokenness, comfort, resilience, acceptance, and even gratitude. The Year of Mourning: A Jewish Journey offers an expansive array of resources—stories, songs, study texts, poetry, and prayers—to lovingly and patiently guide the bereaved through the first year after their loss. Each week the mourner is encouraged to focus on a particular theme to deepen their Kaddish practice. The book also includes new rituals for shivah, sh'loshim, unveiling, and yahrzeit. The Year of Mourning helps support individuals to regain their grounding after loss and, through the richness of Jewish tradition, deepen their connections to memories of loved ones and to others in the community who are walking a similar path. "How do mourners get through that empty eternity of their first year without a loved one, that interminable stretch of darkness—perhaps deepening into despair—after shivah ends? Here at last is a way forward: a week-by-week, yearlong pathway through poetry, ritual, music, and the textual wisdom of Jewish tradition, brilliantly conceived and compassionately framed. I recommend it highly for anyone in mourning." —Rabbi Dr. Lawrence A. Hoffman, Barbara and Stephen Friedman Professor Emeritus of Liturgy, Worship, and Ritual, Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion "Walking the path of mourning is very much like wandering in the wilderness; familiar landmarks have become obscured, life's structures have crumbled. The Year of Mourning is an invaluable compass for this treacherous path. The editors offer a rich array of spiritual resources—texts, songs and prayers—in a format that will affirm, guide, and comfort readers. I know I will share this book often with those who are touched by grief." —Rabbi Dayle Friedman, MSW, MAJCS, BCC, author of Jewish Wisdom for Growing Older "Grief is a universal human experience; it stimulates spiritual reflection and yearns for a communal response. Rabbi Lisa D. Grant and Cantor Lisa B. Segal have planted important flora on the inevitable path of grief that we all walk. Each page is a place to linger, look, listen, and reflect. Whether this book sits on your lap or you scroll through it on your device, anywhere your eye focuses will bring a moment of nourishment on your journey." —Rabbi Eric Weiss, editor of Mishkan Aveilut: Where Grief Resides "The Year of Mourning is a must-have for every clergyperson. After nearly thirty years of guiding congregants through the grieving process, I finally have an all-in-one resource to offer comfort and support beyond the funeral and shivah. Understanding that everyone grieves differently, the editors have created a collection of individual units that gives mourners the ability to move through at their own pace. This special compilation of music, poetry, and reflective questions is a wonderful resource." —Cantor Claire Franco, Past-President, American Conference of Cantors

Ronald Rolheiser makes sense of what is frequently a misunderstood word: spirituality. In posing the question "What is spirituality?" Father Rolheiser gets quickly to the heart of common difficulties with the subject, and shows through compelling anecdotes and personal examples how to channel that restlessness, that deep desire, into a healthy spirituality. This book is for those searching to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to apply it to their own lives. Rolheiser explains the nonnegotiables--the importance of community worship, the imperatives surrounding social action, the centrality of the Incarnation, the sustenance of the spiritual life--and how spirituality necessarily impacts every aspect of human experience. At the core of this readable, deeply revealing book is an explanation of God and the Church in a world that more often than not doubts the credibility of both.