God made you for friendship. Friendship is one of the deepest pleasures of life. But in our busy, fast-paced, mobile world, we've lost this rich view of friendship and instead settled for shallow acquaintances based on little more than similar tastes or shared interests. Helping us recapture a vision of true friendship, pastor Drew Hunter explores God's design for friendship and what it really looks like in practice—giving us practical advice to cultivate the kinds of true friendships that lead to true and life-giving joy.

This is a story of an artist who, from his earliest years, draws. The artist draws a star! Then, the tree, house, flowers, clouds, rainbow, and night. In drawing, he discovers not only his art, but his life. Holding on to his star, he creates a world of light and possibility. With his brilliant collage, poignant and powerful in its simplicity, Eric Carle creates an unforgettable story that celebrates imagination and the artist in us all.

From the 100-part Penguin Great Ideas series comes a rumination on relationships, courtesy of one of the most influential French Renaissance philosophers. Michel de Montaigne was the originator of the modern essay form; in these diverse pieces he expresses his views on friendship, contemplates the idea that man is no different from any animal, argues that all cultures should be respected, and attempts, by an exploration of himself, to understand the nature of humanity. Penguin Great Ideas: Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now Penguin Great Ideas brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. Other titles in the series include Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and Charles Darwin's On Natural Selection.

Live in the love of a God who desires a relationship with you. Throughout A Friendship Like No Other, renowned spiritual director William A. Barry, SJ, explores the premise that God wants to relate to us as a close friend. Barry has contemplated this idea—radical for many Christians—throughout his lifetime, and he explains that it actually traces back to the “developing revelation of God contained in the Bible.” A Friendship Like No Other offers three well-supported and practical sections: prayerful exercises to help lead you to the conviction that God wants your friendship; a close look at objections to this idea; and reflections on experiencing the presence of God and discerning those experiences. Brief, personal meditations are woven throughout. Grounded in biblical tradition and with a clear focus on Ignatian spirituality, this book offers a fresh, heart-changing approach to living joyfully in the freedom of the divine embrace.

A profound call to Christian discipleship. An intensive course in Christian faith. A creative freedom to serve God that is deeply grounded in Scripture. These are ways to describe Sacred Listening, James L. Wakefield's adaptation of the classic Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. Central to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Spiritual Exercises is a manual used to direct a month-long spiritual retreat. Now adapting these time-honored Exercises specifically for Protestant Christians, James L. Wakefield encourages readers to integrate their secular goals with their religious beliefs and helps them reflect on the life of Jesus as a model for their own discipleship. Combining scholarship with classic forms of spirituality, Sacred Listening will interest church leaders and lay Christians who want to deepen their faith.

Finding himself without a kingdom, a king goes into the world to improve his fortunes and finds six friends whose special skills help him to get what he wants most.

What we are destined for in Christ and in the communion of saints is beyond what most can even begin to imagine. With the help of St. Paul, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Teilhard de Chardin, Fr. Bernie Owens provides an engaging sketch of our spiritual journey. In More Than You Could Ever Imagine, Owens offers a glimpse of what we shall become, both individually and as a human race, transformed in Christ. More Than You Could Ever Imagine is ideal reading for pastors, spiritual directors, instructors and students of formation programs and college courses of theology and religious studies; so too for anyone, Christian or non-Christian, wanting to grow in their knowledge of our journey to God. It will also be of much interest to clients of psychologists who are open to the spiritual journey.

Because Transformation Is Possible. At a popular level, Dallas Willard wrote with remarkable clarity about spiritual formation. But his writings also addressed academic concerns such as shifts in modern moral philosophy, the nature of education, and the psychology of the human self. Until Christ Is Formed in You brings together ten authors who knew Willard well to introduce his wide-ranging vision and consider again the overall significance of this one-of-a-kind teacher. This collection explores topics including the Beatitudes, the relationship of body and soul, the kingdom of God, discipleship to Jesus, the nature of formation, and Ignatian spirituality. The book begins with a comprehensive overview of Willard's understanding of formation, and it concludes with practical applications of this understanding to the disciplines of psychology and counseling.

Integrating the wisdom of Christian tradition and psychological findings on effective decision-making, this book presents a view of Christian discernment that honors the body-spirit unity of the person and the broad and mysterious ways we can be led by the spirit of God in our life-choices. Going beyond discernment skills and concrete practices, this book presents a coherent theoretical understanding of discernment that grounds the many spiritual practices used by Christians today. By providing a broad and inclusive understanding of the multiple ways God can provide guidance to individuals, this book helps individuals to honor the unique and idiosyncratic way that they receive divine guidance, as well as provides guidelines that guard against possible self-deception and personal blind-spots. While including anecdotal accounts and practical elements of Christian discernment, this book provides a conceptual understanding of discernment that will be helpful for those training to be professional ministers, pastors, priests, religious counselors, and spiritual directors. It is unique in applying Christian tradition and contemporary psychological insights to the process of discernment. +