As the Church of Scotland approaches its sixth year as a partner in Fresh Expressions, Seeing Afresh tells the story of eight very different church communities that have emerged and asks what can be learned from them and how their examples can inspire other churches to engage more imaginatively in mission. The stories featured include fresh expressions of church working with: •marginalised youth in the heart of a city •millennials and homeless in a busy commercial centre •a scattered rural community •all-ages on an island community •those living in sheltered accommodation •active, retired and socially minded, but sceptical about faith •online communities The opportunities and the challenges of creating and sustaining different kinds of church are treated with realism and many essential insights on motivation, vision, understanding the context, first steps, pioneer leadership, nurturing disciples and more are discovered and shared.

Breathe deep, declutter your mind, and start leading a healthier, happier life The worry won’t stop. You’re feeling stressed out, the day-to-day seems overwhelming, and it seems difficult to do the simplest things. How can you escape this continual negative feedback loop? Mindfulness is the answer. Practiced by millions of people worldwide, mindfulness puts you back in a healthy relationship with yourself by teaching techniques that allow you to maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and environment. Clear your mind of distracting thoughts Focus on breathing and other self-control techniques Change the wiring and makeup of your brain Free yourself from the stress With this expert, easy-to-follow guide, there's never been a better time to get to grips with mindfulness and the many ways it can help you lead a happier, healthier life.

Two complete eBooks for one low price AND a bonus mini edition! Created and compiled by the publisher, this bundle brings together two enlightening titles and a bonus “mini” edition of 50 Ways to a Better You. With this special bundle, you’ll get the complete text of the following two titles and the following mini edition: Mindfulness For Dummies A cutting-edge meditation therapy that uses self-control techniques, mindfulness has taken off across the globe as a way of overcoming negative thoughts and emotions and achieving a calmer, more focused state of mind. Written by a professional mindfulness trainer, this practical guide covers the key self-control techniques designed to help you achieve a more focused and contented state of mind, while maximizing the health benefits of mindfulness-from reducing stress, anxiety, and high blood pressure to overcoming depression and low self-esteem and battling chronic pain and insomnia. Meditation For Dummies, 3rd Edition Meditation is a great way to reduce stress, increase energy, and enjoy better health. It is believed to result in a state of greater calmness and physical relaxation, and psychological balance. Plus, practicing meditation can change how you relate to the flow of emotions and thoughts in your everyday life. This fun and easy guide has long been a favorite with meditation newcomers . . . and now it's even better. Meditation For Dummies offers a newly recorded bonus CD (available for download after purchase) featuring more than 70 minutes of music and guided meditations that are keyed to topics in the book, from tuning in to your body, transforming suffering, and replacing negative patterns to grounding yourself, consulting the guru within, and finding a peaceful place. 50 Ways to a Better You, Mini Edition Now, you can find the happiness you want and live "the good life" you deserve by applying the helpful information in this easy-to-follow guide. You'll discover proven techniques for living a meaningful, healthy, and productive life no matter what your life circumstances happen to be. You'll learn why having positive emotions can improve your health and well-being. Plus, you will find out what happiness isn't and how to avoid confusing happiness with culturally valued outcomes like wealth, power, and success. Pursue what you want, seize the day, find benefits in life's challenges, and live a happy lifestyle. About the Author of Mindfulness For Dummies Shamash Alidina is a professional mindfulness trainer, speaker and coach specializing in mindfulness training for therapists, coaches and executives, as well as the general public. He has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh and Matthieu Ricard, and at Bangor University's Centre for Mindfulness. He has over ten years of experience in teaching mindfulness. About the Author of Meditation For Dummies, 3rd Edition Stephan Bodian, a licensed psychotherapist and former editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal, has practiced and taught meditation for over 40 years and has written extensively on meditation, stress management, and spirituality. His articles have appeared in Fitness, Cooking Light, Natural Solutions, and other national magazines. About the Author of 50 Ways to a Better You For Dummies, Mini Edition W. Doyle Gentry, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose "scientist-practitioner" career spans almost four decades. Dr. Gentry is a distinguished Fellow in the American Psychological Association and is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. He has authored over 100 scholarly works, has edited eight textbooks, and has authored three self-help books, including Happiness For Dummies.

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of art, beauty, and taste. It doesn't just consider traditional artistic experiences such as artworks in a museum or an opera performance, but also everyday experiences such as autumn leaves in the park, or even just the light of the setting sun falling on the kitchen table. It is also about your experience when you choose the shirt you're going to wear today or when you wonder whether you should put more pepper in the soup. Aesthetics is everywhere. It is one of the most important aspects of our life. In this Very Short Introduction Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions, and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called 'high art' has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock. In fact, the scope of aesthetics extends far wider than that of art, high or low, including much of what we care about in life. It is not the job of aesthetics to tell you which artworks are good and which ones are bad. It is not the job of aesthetics to tell you what experiences are worth having. If an experience is worth having for you, it thereby becomes the subject of aesthetics. This realisation is important, because thinking about aesthetics in this inclusive way opens up new ways of understanding old questions about the social aspect of our aesthetic engagements, and the importance of aesthetic values for our own self. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Overview This diploma course deals with practical wisdom, showing how mindfulness can become a vital part of daily living. Content - Develop constructive attitudes and become happier and healthier - Incorporate mindfulness meditations into your daily routine - Use mindfulness to overcome stress, anger, anxiety, depression and more Duration 2 months Assessment The assessment will take place on the basis of one assignment at the end of the course. Tell us when you feel ready to take the exam and we’ll send you the assignment questions. Study material The study material will be provided in separate files by email / download link.

Too often, our study of the Bible focuses on searching for specific information or some formula that will solve our pressing needs of the moment. But what if we approached the Bible differently, and instead of transforming the text to meet our needs, allowed it to transform us? That's exactly the idea behind Life with God, Richard J. Foster's much-anticipated book on the Bible. Foster, bestselling author of Celebration of Discipline and general editor of The RenovarÉ Spiritual Formation Bible, claims that God has superintended the writing of Scripture so that it serves as the most reliable guide for Christian spiritual formation. According to Foster, the Bible is all about human life "with God." As we read Scripture, we should consider how exactly God is with us in each story and allow ourselves to be spiritually transformed. By opening our whole selves—mind, body, spirit, thoughts, behavior, and will—to the page before us, we begin to grasp all the Bible has to teach about prayer, obedience, compassion, virtue, and grace and apply it to our everyday lives to achieve a deeper relationship with God. With a wealth of examples and simple yet crucial insights, Life with God is an indispensable guide to approaching the Bible through the lens of Christian spiritual formation, revealing that reading the Bible for interior transformation is a far different endeavor than reading the Bible for historical knowledge, literary appreciation, or religious instruction.