Practical Religion

The sensitive, profound, and rare insights in Alchemy of the Heart help us gain entry into the most precious and misunderstood component of our being: the heart. They show us that while love can be compassionate and nurturing, it can also be powerful, dynamic, and practical, a catalyst for spiritual growth. Drawing on wisdom from the world’s great spiritual traditions, this inspiring guide explores how you can overcome hidden blocks to giving and receiving more love.

Every day, we make hundreds of small actions without even thinking about them. Pulling out our smartphones, clicking the one-click purchase button, pulling down to refresh the social media feed, and more. Automatic actions that have become so deeply programmed into our lives that we don't have the chance to stop and ask ourselves a very important question: Do I actually want to do this right now?

Most of us are trying to put together the jigsaw puzzle we call life without a very important piece. Over time this becomes incredibly frustrating. In this extraordinary book, Matthew Kelly powerfully demonstrates that we cannot live the life we have imagined or experience the joy we yearn for unless we learn to tend the soul. From there, with his classic style of practical wisdom, he teaches us how to remedy this problem.

Exploring Worship is an unparalleled resource for equipping worshipers and worship ministries in the essentials of corporate worship. Get grounded in a balanced theology of worship, and train your worship team in the art of leading worship. This book is unique in covering both the devotional and practical aspects of worship. Used literally around the world, it’s one of the most comprehensive tools available today for worship leaders, musicians, songwriters, and singers.

For generations when Christians have engaged in spiritual warfare, most of the time they have focused on "Satan" as the main opponent. However, C. Peter Wagner has gathered together a number of ministers who teach from personal experience that the "principalities and powers" are more than just Satan - there is an entire hierarchy of demons in this world.

We're too tired to think, too wired to focus, less efficient than we want to be, and guilty about not getting enough time with our loved ones. We all know that we feel starved for time, but what are we actually doing about it? Precious little. In The Art of Stopping Time, New York Times best-selling author Pedram Shojai guides us towards success with what he calls time prosperity - having the time to accomplish what you want in life without feeling compressed, stressed, overburdened, or hurried.

The School of the Seers is the how-to guide for seeing into the spirit realm. With the addition of three new chapters, including a small group study guide, this best-selling book is sure to excite listeners worldwide. As a teacher and seer himself, author Jonathan Welton raises the standard for walking in wisdom, character, and power. Carrying a revelatory forerunner anointing, he imparts fresh new understanding and kingdom perspectives for every believer.

Ten dynamic steps with simple techniques to help develop a close working relationship with Spirit and to experience the joy, peace, and empowerment that is our spiritual birthright. Learn about the Causal Body and how we store riches in heaven through many lifetimes and can access that account here and now.

After author Dennis Pollock experienced a serious diabetic episode, his desire to understand the whys of blood sugar fluctuation, its potential damage to the body, and the ways of prevention led him on a quest for answers. Now Pollock helps others achieve optimum health as they explore: what people should know about the blood sugar delivery system; reasons to change our lifestyles and why faith is a great motivator; and a diet and exercise program that works.

Like a succession of failed diet regimens, the much-touted techniques that are supposed to bring us closer to God "in our hearts" can instead make us feel anxious, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Phillip Cary explains that discipleship is a gradual, long-term process that comes through the gospel experienced in Christian community, not a to-do list designed to help us live the Christian life "right." He covers ten things we don't have to do to be close to God, skillfully unpacking the riches of traditional Christian spirituality. The expanded edition includes a new afterword.

The Shobogenzo (The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) is a revered 800-year-old Zen Buddhism classic written by the Japanese monk Eihei Dogen. Despite the timeless wisdom of his teachings, many consider the book difficult to understand. In Don't Be a Jerk, Zen priest and best-selling author Brad Warner, through accessible paraphrasing and incisive commentary, applies Dogen's teachings to modern times.

Cultural Christians in the Early Church, which aims to be both historical and practical, argues that cultural Christians were the rule, rather than the exception, in the early church. Using different categories of sins as its organizing principle, the book considers the challenge of culture to the earliest converts to Christianity, as they struggled to live on mission in the Greco-Roman cultural milieu of the Roman Empire.

Rachael Elmore has been there and knows on a personal and professional level how hard the early days and months of motherhood can be. In A Mom Is Born she takes her expertise as a licensed and clinical counselor and pairs it with her deeply personal story of overcoming postpartum depression after the birth of her first son. She comes alongside listeners with practical tools—such as the New Mom Wellness Plan and a postpartum progress checklist—to help find the balance between taking care of their new baby and taking care of themselves.

Anyone who prays or has tried to pray and given up in discouragement knows praying, really praying, is not easy. Praying consistently seems almost impossible. Too often and too easily, prayer becomes a burden: one more item on an already overcrowded to-do list. Failing to pray becomes a source of guilt and stress as we must once again admit our inconstancy and procrastination to our father confessor. The purpose of this audiobook, then, is not to add to the burden, but to ease it by distilling the advice and experience of those who pray.

Every artist has been given an invitation to co-create with the Creator of the Universe. As we cooperate with him, though the power of the Holy Spirit, we can reveal, reflect, and release his image, nature and presence into the world through our creative expression. It's simply mind-blowing and yet, that's his invitation to us. Art, like any other created means, is a vehicle for the presence of God to move in and through. It functions almost as a stealth language by which God can commune with us as kingdom artists.

Beatrice Bruteau was a philosopher whose vision of life was an inspiration to some of the most influential thinkers of our time. In Radical Optimism she shines new light on the deepest truth we can know about ourselves: each of us is one with God, here and now. She helps us to understand what this really means, to know the happiness it brings, and to cultivate a contemplative consciousness. This book is both enlightening and immensely practical.

Meditation allows you to take a break from all the noise, all the action, and all of the constant stress that is surrounding you. Take a minute and quiet your mind so that your soul can speak to you. The objective of meditation is just that - to dim the lights and dull the noise just enough for you to allow your truest self to shine through like a beacon, so that you can remember why you are here, and who you want to be. Practical Meditation for Beginners starts by helping you focus your attention through a process of thought organization.

These powerful audio-guided meditation techniques on death were collected from ancient Buddhist and Hindu practitioners of mindfulness meditation of death. 16 practical self-guided audio meditation scripts that guide you beyond the boundaries of mortality to develop an open-minded state and gratitude for what you have, even for the smallest things.

Master 10 meditation techniques in 10 days with the step- by-step method in Practical Meditation for Beginners. The key to building a solid meditation practice is in the practice itself. From Zen and Vipassana to walking meditations and body scans, the simple practices outlined in Practical Meditation for Beginners make it easy to build an ongoing meditation routine that is best for you. Practical Meditation for Beginners offers a clear 10-day program for learning 10 different meditation techniques - one for each day of the program.

Insight meditation teacher Shaila Catherine offers an accessible approach to training the mind that is guided by the Buddha’s pragmatic instructions on removing distracting thoughts. Drawing on two scriptures in the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Shaila shows you how to overcome habitual modes of thinking, develop deeper concentration, and discover the insights into emptiness that are vital for a liberating spiritual path.