How do we create places and spaces for deepening our spiritual lives? For slowing down so we can notice what really matters to us? For taking time to attend to our own healing and growth? For meeting Jesus in life-transforming ways? And how do we keep these places affordable so that they are accessible to everyone who is seeking--not just those who can afford the high cost? How do we create these spaces and how do we sustain them? These are the questions this book seeks to address as it considers closely and personally the creation and development of one such space. So join me as we listen in on some special stories, hearing how one community held, realized, and sustained their vision to make space for the Spirit, inspiring us to do the same.

Having a bad day? Having a bad year? With this warm and thoughtful volume, Kathleen Long Bostrom offers one hundred simple exercises that will boost and strengthen your spirit--that essential part of you that connects you to God. These exercises will help readers nurture their souls, a practice too often ignored as we deal with the day to day minutia of our lives. Each imaginative entry contains a practical step to boost the spirit, a relevant Scripture passage and quotation for reflection, a fun fact related to the exercise, and ample space for journaling. More than simply cheering us up, Bostrom's suggestions, thoughtfully undertaken, can create an enduring shift in how we choose to view the inevitable downsides of life.

“Delve into this beautiful book. You’ll come away sharing his passion for the beauty that gardens bring into our lives.” —Sigourney Weaver, environmentalist, actor, trustee of New York Botanical Garden How does an individual garden relate to the larger landscape? How does it connect to the natural and cultural environment? Does it evoke a sense of place? In Spirit of Place, Bill Noble—a lifelong gardener, and the former director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy—helps gardeners answer these questions by sharing how they influenced the creation of his garden in Vermont. Throughout, Noble reveals that a garden is never created in a vacuum but is rather the outcome of an individual’s personal vision combined with historical and cultural forces. Sumptuously illustrated, this thoughtful look at the process of garden-making shares insights gleaned over a long career that will inspire you to create a garden rich in context, personal vision, and spirit.

Too often, grace is treated as an afterthought, even though it is foundational. A proper understanding of grace is essential to our spiritual and emotional health. That’s why it’s crucial that we make space for grace. In this inspiring book, Art McNeese explores how Christians can move from a theory of grace to living a life of grace. The author draws on his observations of thousands of people who could say the right things but who seemed to lack an internalized reality of grace to answer questions such as: • How do you learn to experience grace in the deepest part of your soul? • How do you move grace from your head to your heart? • How can you practice a grace-filled life on a daily basis? • How can you exchange perfectionism for peace? “Masterfully, Art McNeese uses the art of the pen to paint a portrait of the beauty of God’s grace on a canvas of His love. Laymen and Pastors will find Making Space for Grace instructive, enjoyable, and helpful in applying God’s Amazing Grace.” — Dr. Donald Brake, PhD, Dean Emeritus, Multnomah Biblical Seminary “Delightful! That’s the word that comes to mind as I read Art McNeese’s book on Grace. This is a practical, inspiring, attitude-changing book. It will lift your mind and soul.” — Greg Pruett, President of Pioneer Bible Translators and author of Extreme Prayer

"When it comes to ministry related to mental health concerns, prayer and Scripture are not enough. Beginning with the biblical motif of going to the village well for the waters that sustain life and exploring the communal significance of that well, pastor, professor, and clinical psychologist Jessica Young Brown calls on the Black Church to rally its historic resilience and creativity to acknowledge and engage those in its pews who are struggling with mental health concerns. Using the acronym of SPACE, the author discusses: Silencing the Stigma ... naming the negative attitudes and mistaken assumptions about mental illness, especially in the African American community Presence & Persistence ... identifying the importance of authentic relationships in healing mind and spirit Application & Action ... highlighting practical steps to address the needs as they emerge Cautions ... being real about the fears and risks related to mental health crises, including the importance of referrals Expression & Exhortation ... calling on the cultural power of testimony to encourage the entire congregation to access the healing power of God Rev. Dr. Young Brown concludes with a practical exploration of "Now What? Digging the Well and Drawing from It." The book's appendix features a brief primer on common mental disorders that frequently affect members of our family, neighborhood, and church"--

Find peace and calm amid the busyness of your life with this mindfulness meditation book by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Designed to be both inspiration and guidebook for those new to mindfulness practice, Making Space offers easy-to-follow instructions for setting up a breathing room, listening to a bell, sitting, breathing, and walking meditations, and cooking and eating a meal in mindfulness. Whether you live alone or with a family, this beautifully illustrated book can help you create a sense of retreat and sanctuary at home.

"Real art for worship has no patterns to follow, no slick tricks, nothing to mimic or adapt to your local congregational space. It has no guarantees. Real art rises from interior places that require intense search, many failures, a reaching toward that which has never been done or said in quite that way before. This is its prophetic edge. The time and materials and spirit it takes to develop an artist's capacities to dream are extraordinary. What does our church do to support such a person? Do we not need to demand the same level of prayerful, disciplined formation from our artists as we do from our priests or pastors? Painter and textile artist Nancy Chinn invites you to accompany her in a wide-ranging, vigorous discussion about art for worship--from theory to technicque and from philosophy to practice."--Cover.

Mothering is messy. Our joy and hope in raising children doesn’t change the reality that being a mom can be frustrating, stressful, and tiring. But just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us. In The Better Mom, author Ruth Schwenk, herself a mother of four children, encourages us with the good news that there is more to being a mom than the extremes of striving for perfection or simply embracing the mess. We don’t need to settle for surviving our kids’ childhood. We can grow through it. With refreshing and heartfelt honesty Ruth emboldens moms to: Find freedom and walk confidently in purpose Create a God-honoring home environment Overcome unhealthy and destructive emotions such as anger, anxiety, and more Avoid glorifying the mess of mom-ing or idolizing perfection Cultivate life-giving friendships At the heart of The Better Mom is the message that Jesus calls us to live not a weary life, but a worthy life. We don’t have to settle for either being apathetic or struggling to be perfect. Both visions of motherhood go too far. Ruth offers a better option. She says, “It’s okay to come as we are, but what we’re called to do and be is far too important to stay there! The way to becoming a better mom starts not with what we are doing, but with who God is inviting us to become."

The importance of emptying the mind has been recognized for millennia across a variety of cultures. Meditation is a way of life for millions; at the end of a Hindu's life, he renounces all and becomes a wandering ascetic, seeking union with God; and the Japanese tea ceremony provides an interlude of spiritual relaxation within lives rooted in activity. Others find their creative inspiration in everyday activities such as gardening, walking, watching the sea, or listening to music. The Spirit of Silence is for those who wish to look beyond the speed and superficiality of our modern lifestyle to find depth and spiritual space. It is devoted to clearing the clutter from our minds, and to feeding the creative heart and soul.

Discussions about the Sabbath often center around moralistic laws and arguments over whether a person should be able to play cards or purchase liquor on Sundays. In this volume, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Importantly, Brueggemann speaks to a 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life. Brueggemann offers a transformative vision of the wholeness God intends, giving world-weary Christians a glimpse of a more fulfilling and simpler life through Sabbath observance.