Pathways To Spiritual Understanding

Pathways to Spiritual Understanding is an all-in-one textbook, reference book and study guide that enables you to recognize even more of God's guiding hand in your life. The uncommon appeal of this unusual Bible study lies in its extraordinary ability to lay a solid foundation for helping you grow in faith. In it you'll find a treasure of spiritual insights on the purpose of life, the new birth, how to be born again, who's to be baptized, the purpose of baptism, why some prayers go unanswered, the secret to a successful prayer life, the principles of stewardship, who the Holy Spirit is and what His purpose is, what it means to be filled with the Spirit, and how Satan attacks you. From the moment you begin this study, you'll begin new growth as a Christian, and a journey that will take you to a new level of spiritual maturity.

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.

Do you know what you believe and why you believe it? Does your life reflect Christ in such a way that others see the effects of salvation and want to know the One who can change lives? Whether you're a new convert who has immediate need to be grounded in the Word of God, or a person who has been saved for some time and just wants to get "back to the basics," here's a unique study that will help you learn the essentials for spiritual maturity. Pathways to Spiritual Understand, An Exciting Introduction to the Basics of Christian Life, will help you lay a solid foundation for future growth in the Christian faith. This 20-lesson in-depth study on personal spiritual growth covers such important issues as how to look to God's Word for your own answers, how to find the assurance of salvation, and how to live the joy-filled life. You'll learn to understand what the Bible says about prayer, witnessing, giving, sin, judgement, and other subjects. When you've finished studying Pathways to Spiritual Understanding, you'll not only understand these things, you'll also know how to implement them in your life. Do you have that sense of peace that comes from knowing what you believe and why you believe it? Do you want the spiritual maturity that will enrich your life and expand your ministry in the Body of Christ? Do you want to be transformed into a powerful worker for Christ? You can when you study the basics of Christian living with Pathways to Spiritual Understanding."

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren’t necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God.

A New Way to Be Human is an invaluable guide for individuals intent on transforming their lives, revolutionizing our society, and refining our world. It is for those who seek: An impactful life of meaning and purpose, love and hope, compassion and delight The courage to cross the boundaries of religion and move beyond the demonizing debates about gender equality and human sexuality The spiritual wisdom discovered in the many forms and disguises of the Holy By identifying 7 pivotal, universally recognizable life occurrences as spiritual pathways, A New Way to Be Human will immediately connect you to actionable personal spiritual practices. From his miraculous physical healing as a teenager in Cape Town, to fighting apartheid alongside Desmond Tutu, to his eventual appointment as one of the United State’s highest ranking, openly gay Episcopal priests, Robert’s life shows anyone how to integrate personal spirituality with a legacy of compassionate purpose in the world—and invites others to do the same. Go to www.robertvtaylor.com/publications/book-club

Discover new ways of connecting with God by understanding how he uniquely created you to worship him. The Sacred Pathways video study will help you learn: How you naturally express yourself in your relationship with God How to develop new ways of drawing near to him Key biblical figures who share your spiritual temperament How to understand others who connect with the Creator differently As believers in Christ, many of us today fall into the trap of thinking we have to approach God in a certain way. But our Creator made us all unique, and he designed us to connect with him in our own ways. For some, this might look like quiet contemplation. Others express praise through caregiving or theological discussions. It's important to discover the particular pathway that will best help you to experience God's presence. Bestselling author and speaker Gary Thomas reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments to give you insight into how you naturally worship and how your personal walk with God might look different from those around you. Unlike the Enneagram and other personality assessment tools, Sacred Pathways gives you tools to investigate how you naturally relate to God. You will discover the strengths and impulses in your devotional approach so that you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into scripted methods of worship and praise. There is one thing that each of us as Christians can do that nobody else can--give our personal love and affection to God. This Study Guide includes: Discussion questions, reflection questions, and a personal assessment test to discover your pathway Personal Bible study for between sessions A guide with best practices for leading groups Sessions include: The Journey of the Soul – Introduction to the Pathways Pathways of Wonder – the Naturalist, Sensate, and Traditionalist Pathways of Contemplation – the Intellectual, Ascetic, and Contemplative Pathways of Action – the Caregiver, Activist, and Enthusiast Tending the Garden of the Soul – How the Pathways Apply to Your Life Designed for use with the Sacred Pathways Video Study available on DVD or streaming video, sold separately.

Have you wondered, "How do I integrate my heartfelt beliefs into my daily life?" Nearly 40 contributors address this creative dilemma and share their discoveries. Creating a home altar, practicing martial arts, fasting, quilting -- these are just some of the ways they've found to make every day more meaningful and satisfying.

Each congregation has a unique mission field. Several tools for developing disciples and for engaging in discipleship are available to churches; however, the resources assume that the churches using them are similar to the church that created them. With Gospel Discipleship, individuals and churches learn how to engage in self-reflection, which then defines a path that fits their context. The discipleship path for each individual disciple is assessed and determined through the Gospel Discipleship Participant Guide while this Gospel Discipleship Congregation Guide guides the implemntation of the program and assesses the discipleship path for the congregation as a whole. Therefore, the program leader(s) needs the congregation guide while individual particpants need their own participant guide. With Gospel Discipleship, churches can identify a pathway for discipleship applied from one of the four Gospel storytellers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each had a distinct approach to discipleship which can be applied to a given church's identity, vision, and mission. As disciples are encouraged by the church to step beyond the door and engage the needs of people, they can be sent forth confidently with an awareness of personal, unique gifts, and insights into the actual mission field where they participate with God in changing the world.

Nurture the soul and learn how to create joy in everyday life with this inspirational collection of 100 meditations. Each quotation, taken from both Eastern and western religions, as well as inspiring speakers, focuses on an aspect of spiritual life. It is followed by practical tips and specific activities that guide readers in applying these spiritual words of wisdom into their daily lives.

The National Book Award-winning author of The Echo Maker proves yet again that "no writer of our time dreams on a grander scale or more knowingly captures the zeitgeist." (The Dallas Morning News). What will happen to life when science identifies the genetic basis of happiness? Who will own the patent? Do we dare revise our own temperaments? Funny, fast, and magical, Generosity celebrates both science and the freed imagination. In his most exuberant book yet, Richard Powers asks us to consider the big questions facing humankind as we begin to rewrite our own existence. A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year