Jann Aldredge-Clanton offers a powerful and creative collection of prayer services to bring healing and renewal to both individuals and faith communities. The services focus on Christ-Sophia, a symbol drawn from Judeo-Christian scripture and tradition that embraces new possibilities for wholeness and shared responsibility. This symbol is built upon the foundation of the inclusive christology the author developed in her book In Search of Christ-Sophia and is intended to overcome dualisms and make equal connections between male and female. These rituals and prayer services use the themes of justice, relationship, peace, and healing--among others--to address the concerns that contemporary Christian women and men encounter in their lives. The inclusive language and images seek to convert the Christian imagination to view God and others in a balanced, holistic perspective, one that benefits all peoples alike. Over thirty-five original texts set to standard hymn tunes are featured. These graceful and enlivening songs offer participants an opportunity to express their spirituality and human needs through egalitarian words and sacred symbols sung to familiar melodies. Liturgists, members of inclusive worship communities, Women-Church participants, and anyone concerned with an inclusive, liberating theology will find the services within this book of tremendous value.

?A ground-breaking book that integrates Sophia, the female personification of God, into all aspects of Christian theology and life. . . . a ?must? book for all concerned with an inclusive theology and church.??Rosemary Radford Ruether Georgia Harkness Professor of Theology Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Author of Women and Redemption: A Theological HistoryJann Aldredge-Clanton presents powerful biblical and theological support for a Divine Feminine image buried in Christianity. The popularity of Dan Brown?s The Da Vinci Code demonstrates the widespread hunger for the lost Sacred Feminine. In Search of the Christ-Sophia resurrects Sophia (Wisdom) and connects Her to Jesus Christ.Aldredge-Clanton combines theological scholarship with pastoral sensitivity to demonstrate that a christology inclusive of both female and male, though risky, is vital to liberation and equality. She uncovers the New Testament links between Christ and Wisdom (Sophia), a feminine symbol of deity in the Hebrew Scriptures. She applies the theology of Christ-Sophia to contemporary spirituality, social justice ministry, and the restructuring of the Christian community. This book also contains services, prayers, litanies, reflections, and songs that can be used for personal meditation or communal worship.With a clear and concise style accessible to general readers and theology students, In Search of the Christ-Sophia creates a challenging new agenda for all Christians and their churches.

In order, then, to attach ourselves to this great means of salvation, we must first of all consider how necessary it is to us, and how powerful it is to obtain for us all the graces that we can desire from God, if we know how to ask for them as we ought. Hence, in the first part, we will speak first of the necessity and power of prayer; and next, of the conditions necessary to make it efficacious with God. Then, in the second part, we will show that the grace of prayer is given to all; and there we will treat of the manner in which grace ordinarily operates. Aeterna Press

Here is the Carthusian's prayer of the presence of God, a habit of tranquil listening that allows God to enter our souls and establish His presence there.

Women are looking for new ways to know themselves and to connect with God, two forms of knowledge that are intrinsically linked. Many have left traditional religion in frustration that it didn't reflect their real lives, turning instead to alternative spiritualities that purport to honor women's experience. In this post-feminist interpretation of Christianity, Lilian Calles Barger challenges both Christian tradition and feminist trends in spirituality to provide a fresh and inspiring look at divine wisdom, opening women's awareness to the voice of God in the world.

Intercessory prayer is not something you have to do. It's something you are privileged to do. Indeed, praying for others is a beautiful way of thinking, acting, and living like Christ. Yet many people struggle with intercessory prayer because they lack a coherent understanding of what prayer is and because they're not well grounded in how to pray. This inspiring book walks you through nine key steps to boosting your intercessory prayer's power and efficacy. Each step is paired with practical tips to help you implement the principle in your daily life, a patron saint to provide direction and encouragement on your journey, and prompt questions to guide meditations and journaling. Armed with these tools, you can revitalize your prayer life and begin responding with confidence to those in need of your intercession. With this book's help, your “Yes, I will pray for you!” will have new meaning and poten

Christian perfection consists in the twofold way of charity: service of neighbor and our direct quest for God's love. Many of us discover ways to love our neighbor, but few achieve intimacy with God. Why? Because we don't know how to prepare ourselves properly to reach this exalted goal. In these pages, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen lays out for us a time-tested path toward achieving complete intimacy with God, the path first mapped out centuries ago by the Church's acclaimed master of the contemplative life, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). St. John showed that God hungers for union with each of us but also requires arduous efforts on our part, the many details of which Father Gabriel explains in these enlightening pages. Do you perceive holiness as an unattainable goal for you? Or is fear of the fatigue of such an effort holding you back? Absorb this book, and allow gentle St. John to take you by the hand and lead you — as he has led so many others — to true intimacy with our Lord.

Fr. Raoul Plus's no-nonsense prayer manual dispels the false notions of prayer that we all have and shows how we can, in fact, pray without ceasing even at times when exhaustion cripples us and cares threaten to sweep us away.

Sophia--The Feminine Face of God aNautilus Award Gold Medal Winner is a spiritual memoir/essay about the Divine Feminine (a.k.a. Sophia, Great Mother, Holy Spirit). It brings together the many faces of Sophia -- historical, folklored, fairytaled -- as well as stories of her mystical presence throughout different times and cultures. It offers timeless wisdom for spiritual growth and the healing of our planet.