When Hearts Become Flame

When Hearts Become Flame takes its point of departure and return from reflection on the question, "What Makes Counseling Pastoral?" to show that it involves participation of all three aspects of our human nature in dialogue with others in such a way that as in Emmaus, Christ, the Logos, appears 'between' us. It is not enough to be emotionally warm or conceptually accurate or physically energetic. The human person is an integrated presence of all three turned toward trialogue with God, self and others. Taking my cues from Jesus' formulation of the heart of the law, it is clear that an Orthodox approach to pastoral care and counseling cannot be focused solely on the intrapsychic and individual person. Nor can social justice proceed cut off from the wellspring of contemplative life in Christ, as Thomas Merton observed, without burning out or becoming the evil that we fight against. There is both a private inner discernment and ascetical struggle in dialogue with God and an existential and communal outward dimension which involves fellowship in confronting justice issues in society that contribute to the sickness and wellbeing of people. These two domains must be considered together as mutually influencing one another in a circular causality. Given the burgeoning field of counseling and psychotherapy and the growing interest in its spiritual dimensions, the time is ripe for interdisciplinary Orthodox dialogue between priests and practitioners, monastics, theologians and scientists as well as with mental health professionals outside Orthodoxy. The fi eld of pastoral counseling has been largely Protestants and Roman Catholics, who, since the founding of AAPC, have contributed half a century's worth of valuable reflections on the integration of theology and psychology in service to suff ering persons. There is a great deal we can share with one another to know Christ more fully and learn how to serve better and celebrate human potential when it is in co-creative partnership with God to help alleviate human suffering.

Whatever else he or she does, the pastoral counselor, same as the priest at the Divine Altar, enters into a call and response relationship, invoking Gods presence and seeking to be receptive to Gods activity unfolding in the here and now. The intention of pastoral counseling must be to offer Christ to the other (and receive Him) while serving at the altar of the human heart.

Perhaps you are a spiritual seeker of knowledge, looking for the keys to your personal healing. Maybe you wish to know the workings of your aura and chakra system, or you yearn to fulfill the unique purpose of your life and forge a lasting relationship with your spiritual, multidimensional support team. This guide can help. Heart Flame Healing offers you the opportunity for a divine adventure that will help you move from deeply felt longing to the realization of your inner heart’s dream. Author Karin Inana unveils a journey of spiritual healing by sharing her own story and extending an invitation to you to join her along the way. Through her personal narrative, she teaches the workings of auras, chakras, the hara, and the radiant core star dimension. Inana decodes the mystery of spiritual healing, guiding your individual contact with your own multidimensional support team; once you claim your radiant core essence, you can begin to heal from the inside out. This guide and memoir provides a blueprint for a self-healing journey from longing to fulfillment, presenting practical information in a helpful and inspiring way.

The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders. Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she's supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka's sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost--even if it means inciting the war herself. As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire--and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they're willing to go--and what they're willing to lose in the process.

Ever wonder how some people become enthusiastic and on fire about their relationship with God? In thirty-three short chapters, Albert Haase gives you the tools and kindling to prepare for the spark of God in your life – and then shows you how to fan it into flame until you are set ablaze. This book glows with time-tested wisdom as an experienced spiritual director shares the secrets of the saints. Feel cold? Or maybe just smoldering? With supplemental reading suggestions and reflection questions, this eminently practical book functions like a personal, spiritual retreat.

In 2027, the Great Disruption shook the world. An unexplained solar storm struck the earth, shifting it four degrees south on its axis. Everything went dark. Humanity was on the verge of despair. Then a man named Camden Ford discovered a set of ancient books called the Chronicles of Satraya. Thirty years later, the world is a different place. Thanks to the teachings of the Chronicles, hope has been restored, cities rebuilt, technology advanced. The books also have a different owner: Logan Cutler, who inherited them when Camden mysteriously disappeared. But when Logan auctions off the books to pay his debts, they fall into the wrong hands. The Reges Hominum, a clandestine group that once ruled history from the shadows, is launching a worldwide conspiracy to regain control. Soon Logan realizes he’s made a terrible mistake. With the help of special agent Valerie Perrot and the wisdom of the Chronicles as his guide, he embarks on an epic quest to get the books back before it’s too late.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn, comes a sweeping, action-packed YA adventure set against the backdrop of Feudal Japan where Mulan meets Throne of Glass. The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace. Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she's within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she's appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she's ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

In the strange, us-versus-them Christian subculture of the 1990s, a person’s faith was measured by how many WWJD bracelets she wore and whether he had kissed dating goodbye. Evangelical poster child Addie Zierman wore three bracelets asking what Jesus would do. She also led two Bible studies and listened exclusively to Christian music. She was on fire for God and unaware that the flame was dwindling—until it burned out. Addie chronicles her journey through church culture and first love, and her entrance—unprepared and angry—into marriage. When she drops out of church and very nearly her marriage as well, it is on a sea of tequila and depression. She isn’t sure if she’ll ever go back. When We Were on Fire is a funny, heartbreaking story of untangling oneself from what is expected to arrive at faith that is not bound by tradition or current church fashion. Addie looks for what lasts when nothing else seems worth keeping. It’s a story for doubters, cynics, and anyone who has felt alone in church.

Duty before love; legacy before life.Six months have passed, and Tallora is haunted by memories of Solvira and the woman she loves-Empress Dauriel Solviraes, seated on a throne a thousand miles away. But when rumors of the Tortalgan Sea's coalition with Moratham surface, Tallora fears her small kingdom will be destroyed between the two warring empires. With the help of new friends-a merfolk prince and a mysterious sea witch-Tallora must return to Solvira in order to stop the rising tides of war.From the author of FALLEN GODS comes a story of duty and betrayal-and a love that transcends the bounds of land and sea.

What does God actually want for us? What is his dream for you, or for me? Is it that we would become just a little nicer? More "moral"? A little more religious? Could it be that there's something else he's after? Many books engage the life of the Trinity at an academic level, focusing simply on fine points of theological distinction. In All Flame, Andrew Arndt drills down, with mystical power and missional energy, to the dream of the God revealed in three Persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--showing how the Triune God is not far but near, already in touch with your life, already present to you, already at work in and through your circumstances to make you the kind of person he desires you to be: ALL FLAME.