The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions

The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions
Author: Greg Marcus
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2016-09-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0738749877

Bring your everyday life into alignment with your aspirational values through Mussar, a thousand-year-old Jewish practice of spiritual growth based on mindful living. Perfect for anyone, regardless of age or experience, this comprehensive book presents thirteen soul traits—ranging from humility and gratitude to trust and honor—and the simple daily actions you can take to develop them. Drawing on universal principles and providing grounded instruction, The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions helps you explore soul traits through daily techniques and exercises, including mantras, mindful observation, and journaling. Nurture your spirit with inspiring stories and build a soul trait profile to better understand yourself. By dedicating two weeks of practice to each trait, you'll see major changes in how you approach the world and feel empowered to be your best self. Praise: "The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions opens wide the doors to a traditional Jewish spiritual practice that has the power to transform your life."—Alan Morinis, Dean, The Mussar Institute and author of Everyday Holiness "Weaving ancient wisdom with twenty-first-century circumstances, Greg Marcus beautifully presents how the teachings of Mussar can bring you a deeper sense of purpose and a better life."—Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and creator of The Making of a Mensch

Just Spirituality

Just Spirituality
Author: Mae Elise Cannon
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2013-01-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830837752

Mae Elise Cannon opens the annals of activist history to see if there is a correlation between great acts of compassion and advocacy and great depths of prayer. Looking at the lives of Mother Teresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr. and others, Cannon finds a depth of spiritual practice at the root of courageous social action.

Denial Is My Spiritual Practice

Denial Is My Spiritual Practice
Author: Rachel G. Hackenberg
Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2018-05-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1640650245

Two ministers share their own stories about struggling to live out their faith. It’s the sort of experience familiar to many: Somewhere between illness and divorce, abusive relationships and brushes with death, faith failed to provide answers . . . or we failed to live as though we believed faith held answers. But surely, it’s different for clergy, the ones who preach and practice faith? But faith requires more, and authors Martha Spong and Rachel G. Hackenberg, who grew up in the church and became ordained ministers, know first-hand about coming to terms with God and life, the need to search for answers . . . or at least assurance we are not alone in struggling for renewed hope. Denial is My Spiritual Practice is a companion for the wondering and struggling. The authors offer their own stories as evidence that God remains, both when faith fails and when faith finds new understanding. They combine stark life experiences, offbeat spiritual perspectives, and Scripture to offer comfort, grace, laughter, and a few tears along the way.

Deliberate Acts of Kindness

Deliberate Acts of Kindness
Author: Meredith Gould
Publisher: Image
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2002-05-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0385505507

An indispensable guide to the spiritual and the practical aspects of devoting one’s time and energies to the service of others. Deliberate Acts of Kindness is for people who are ready to supplement"random acts of kindness" with intentional acts of generosity, decency, and integrity. More than simply a handbook for volunteers, it explores the significance of service as an expression of spirituality and the commitment to something greater than oneself. Meredith Gould guides readers through their journeys, from recognizing when they are ready to answer the call to service to finding the right place to donate their time and talents. She offers invaluable advice on discovering the types of work that best suit their personalities and the areas in which they can make the greatest contributions. There is helpful information on how to get involved, as well as sensible suggestions about what to do when things go wrong in a service situation. An easy-to-read mix of tips, quotations, reflections, and short narrative passages, Deliberate Acts of Kindness presents a comprehensive, honest look at what service is like on a day-to-day basis. Its insights will help new volunteers and veterans alike negotiate the practical difficulties that sometimes arise and achieve the spiritual maturity that comes from answering the call to service. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Spiritual Way

The Spiritual Way
Author: Philip Sheldrake
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2019-08-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0814644821

In The Spiritual Way: Classic Traditions and Contemporary Practice,Philip Sheldrake aims to make the wisdom of Christian spirituality better known to contemporary readers. After an introductory chapter on the foundations of Christian spirituality, Sheldrake describes its diverse riches through the centuries in terms of five distinctive types of Christian spiritual wisdom, illustrated by a rich selection of classical examples. The five types are “The Way of Discipline,” “The Contemplative-Mystical Way,” “The Way of Practical Action,” “The Way of Beauty,” and “The Prophetic Way.” This book also briefly explores the contemporary interest in spirituality within and beyond conventional religion and suggests how we might engage with these five types on our spiritual journeys in today’s world.

Jewish Spiritual Practices

Jewish Spiritual Practices
Author: Yitzhak Buxbaum
Publisher: Jason Aronson
Total Pages: 772
Release: 1999-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1568212062

The Jewish mystic path and its practices to attain God-consciousness.

Everyday Spiritual Practice

Everyday Spiritual Practice
Author: Scott W. Alexander
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1999
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9781558963757

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.

Everyday Holiness

Everyday Holiness
Author: Alan Morinis
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2008-12-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834822210

Mussar is an illuminating, approachable, and highly practical set of teachings for cultivating personal growth and spiritual realization in the midst of day-to-day life. Here is an accessible and inspiring introduction to this Jewish spiritual path, which until lately has been best known in the world of Orthodox Judaism. The core teaching of Mussar is that our deepest essence is inherently pure and holy, but this inner radiance is obscured by extremes of emotion, desire, and bad habits. Our work in life is to uncover the brilliant light of the soul. The Mussar masters developed transformative teachings and practices—some of which are contemplative, some of which focus on how we relate to others in daily life—to help us to heal and refine ourselves.

Contemplative Practices in Action

Contemplative Practices in Action
Author: Thomas G. Plante Ph.D.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2010-07-15
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0313382573

This groundbreaking primer illuminates contemplative methods that can improve mental and physical health. Contemplative practices, from meditation to Zen, are growing in popularity as methods to inspire physical and mental health. Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health offers readers an introduction to these practices and the ways they can be used in the service of well being, wisdom, healing, and stress reduction. Bringing together various traditions from the East and West, this thought-provoking work summarizes the history of each practice, highlights classic and emerging research proving its power, and details how each practice is performed. Expert authors offer step-by-step approaches to practice methods including the 8-Point Program of Passage Meditation, Centering Prayer, mindful stress management, mantram meditation, energizing meditation, yoga, and Zen. Beneficial practices from Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic religions are also featured. Vignettes illustrate each of the practices, while the contributors explain how and why they are effective in facing challenges as varied as the loss of a partner or child, job loss, chronic pain or disease, or psychological disorders.

Sacred Pathways

Sacred Pathways
Author: Gary Thomas
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310361184

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.