Soul Shaper

Author Tony Jones follows up his (primarily theoretical) book, Postmodern Youth Ministry, with this practical, experientially based work focused on how ancient spiritual exercises are being implemented by youth ministries around the United States and Great Britain.

Shaping young minds--coaxing fledglings to fly--is the most complex job in the world. In this volume Jim Roy offers a new model for teachers and parents seeking to break out of the rote memory assembly-line approach to education. This book offers a method of homing in on excellence in the same way that a blindfolded dolphin seeks a ring tossed into the water. using echo location, the dolphin beats an indirect path to the ring, yet every turn, every correction, brings it closer to the goal. What Monty Roberts (the horse whisperer) does--gently but firmly--with horses, you can do with children.

Master teacher Keith Drury has taken the best from his two previous classics (Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People and With Unveiled Faces), and powerfully concentrated and updated it into this new and accessible book, offering the wisdom of ancient disciplines in simple, practical terms that today's Christians can understand and apply. Supported by modern research, Drury leads readers through the heart-softening effects of ancient practices. But then he takes believers beyond disciplines, holding up a mirror to reflect just what our souls should look like when God does the shaping. Learn to simply and consistently practice the disciplines God has given you, and learn to recognize the new shape God will make of your soul.

THE SHAPER EXILE, VOLUME II Exiled from Earth for their radical experiments in the biogenetics, the Venn scientists took their illegal craft to a new world they called Llia. Here the immortal Venn redesigned mankind into races unlike anything their accusers could have imagined, then watched and manipulated as their inventions began fashioning societies fit for themselves. Nearly six hundred years later, the shape-shifting Llanis and the ingenious Ganus have forged a truce. Together, despite the Venn's meddling, they are becoming one people, becoming Llian. But Rhodaru warriors -- men rumored to possess the truth-sense and to be able to see in the dark -- have camped in the hills on Ganu land. Superstitious and ignorant of their origins, Rhodarus know only one way to unite Llia ... war.

Children know God. They encounter God in diverse ways as they walk along the spiritual journey. Amidst this diversity, four distinct avenues for connecting with God emerge in the lives of children: word, emotion, symbol, and action. These are the four spiritual styles, broad approaches to spirituality and faith through which children experience God and make sense of their lives in the world around them. Children's Ministry that Fits blends insightful research, relevant theory, and practical ministry into a guidebook for discovering and understanding children's spiritual styles. Drawing from theology, personal experience, and the spiritual lives of children, David M. Csinos offers practical wisdom that will help pastors, parents, and teachers to move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to children's ministry and begin nurturing the spiritual lives of children in welcoming and inclusive environments.

“Contemplative Youth Ministry is refreshing rain for dry youth workers and barren youth ministries. More than the same old youth ministry tips and tricks, it gives principles and practices to soak in God’s grace, love, and power. I wish I had read it 15 years ago.” - Kara Powell, Ph.D., executive director, Center for Youth Ministry and Family Ministry, Fuller Theological Seminary “Mark invites readers to be encountered by the presence of Jesus who is always near. This book is transparent about the challenges that churches and families face as they desire to be effective in youth ministry. The book is filled with the honest stories of different kinds of youth ministries representing the breadth of Christianity in the United States. I heartily endorse Contemplative Youth Ministry as a rich encounter with the souls of youth and adults whose lives have been transformed by our very present God.” - Bill Kees, director of youth ministries, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) “Mark Yaconelli not only reminds us of some of the long-forgotten pathways of faith, he shares with us how it actually looks when men and women who love God practice it with young people. I especially appreciate Mark’s optimism in his perspective of today’s kids, for his insights are grounded in God’s view of them.” - Chap Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of youth, family, and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary “Mark Yaconelli was experimenting with contemplative youth ministry practices before contemplative youth ministry practices became cool. This book has about it the unique air of authenticity. He shares with us in these pages his own journey as a youth worker who actually believes that God’s still small voice speaks louder than the roaring windstorm of our busy youth ministry calendars. It’s a book about creating for our students places of silence and opening up spaces for God to speak.” - Duffy Robbins, professor of youth ministry, Eastern University; author of Enjoy the Silence and This Way to Youth Ministry “Mark Yaconelli has emerged as one of youth ministry’s most provocative ‘voices in the wilderness,’ calling us back to our theological taproots: The contemplative practices that bind our lives to the life of Christ. If Mark’s research has taught us anything, it’s that these practices do not cause youth ministry to take fl ight into a spiritual never-never land; rather they anchor young people—and their churches—in the fertile soil of Christian tradition, in the nitty-gritty of daily life, and in the explosive transformation that awaits us when we wait upon God.” - Kenda Creasy Dean, parent, pastor, and professor of youth, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church

Presents resolutions for Christian women, identifying important characteristics for success in faith, family, and growth, and provides biblical references and advice on achieving these personal standards.