Dynamics of Spiritual Life

Dynamics of Spiritual Life
Author: Richard F. Lovelace
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2020-01-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830854932

In this expanded edition of a classic work of spiritual theology, historian Richard Lovelace presents a history of spiritual renewals in light of biblical models. With scholarly and pastoral insight, he offers a powerful vision of renewal that can unify various models across traditions, combining individual and corporate spirituality, social activism, and evangelism.

Spiritual Being and Becoming

Spiritual Being and Becoming
Author: Eric J Kyle
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2017-05-25
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0718845838

As many as 100 billion neurons make up the human nervous system - a system that is incredibly complex, and a fundamental part of what makes us who we are. But there is far more to human beings than biology. Many academic disciplines study the human condition and there are many schools of thought within that study. We must also appreciate that the study of human nature did not begin in contemporary times. History is full of texts that offer detailed explorations of the human condition. However, no consensus has yet emerged. Consensus or not, those working towards religious and spiritual formation pursue the transformation of their communities. This book offers a fuller understanding of some of the common views of human nature and also insights into how we might utilise this knowledge in our ministries - ministries that strive towards the spiritual being and becoming of our world.

Training Spirit-Filled Local Church Leaders for the Twenty-First Century

Training Spirit-Filled Local Church Leaders for the Twenty-First Century
Author: Ray Miller
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2021-08-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666715689

Who decides what your church (local or denominational) will look like twenty-five or thirty years from now? How can you ensure that your church will continue to fulfill its God-given purpose in the next generation? What can be done now to reverse negative trends in ministry such as pastoral burnout? Much of the answer to these questions about pastors and other local church leaders is tied to the training they receive. Training Spirit-Filled Local Church Leaders for the Twenty-First Century encourages all stakeholders in ministry training—educators, pastors and other local church leaders, church members, and those who sense God is calling them to ministry—to prayerfully consider the foundational issues that determine the effectiveness and relevance of a ministry training program. These foundational issues are: •What is the local church, really? •What is spiritual leadership? •What is ministry training? •What is the role of the Holy Spirit in all this? •What did effective training look like in the past, and what might it look like in the twenty-first century?

Educating in the Spirit

Educating in the Spirit
Author: Eric J. Kyle
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532673213

This book is an attempt to address two struggles for "theistic educators" (e.g., those who approach their educational vocation from a religious perspective), whether they are working in secular or faith-based institutions. The first struggle is that, while numerous guidelines on teaching excellence have been compiled, the resulting checklists can contain more than a hundred criteria to consider. This book therefore identifies the evidence-based guidelines that are likely to have the highest impact on student achievement, thereby empowering educators to focus their efforts in more substantial ways. The second struggle is related to the lack of resources, which can help educators to view and approach their vocation from a theistic perspective. While there are texts that discuss the relationship of spirituality and/or theology to education, few to date have sought to bring evidence-based educational literature into dialogue with the western Christian tradition and thereby develop a "bottom-up" theology of education. This book addresses this historical and theological gap. Overall, this book is therefore intended to not only provide theistic educators with high-impact guidelines that can significantly improve the quality of education in their school systems, but it also strives to do so from a thoroughly theistic perspective.

Weakness Is the Way

Weakness Is the Way
Author: J. I. Packer
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 89
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433536862

Most people think of weakness as purely negative, but true Christianity embraces weakness as a way of life. In this collection of meditations on 2 Corinthians, renowned Bible scholar and theologian J. I. Packer reflects on the central importance of weakness for the Christian life. He exhorts readers to look to Christ for strength, affirmation, and contentment in the midst of their own sin and frailty. Now in his mid-eighties, Packer mediates on the truths of Scripture with pastoral warmth and exegetical care, drawing on lessons learned from the experience of growing older and coming face-to-face with his own mortality. Overflowing with wisdom gleaned from a life of obedience to Christ and dependence on his Word, this encouraging book ultimately directs readers to the God who promises to be ever-present and all-sufficient.