Discipulado

Everyday Contemplative

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:33:26 GMT

Everyday Contemplative

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:33:26 GMT

What does it mean to live a contemplative life? How does someone become contemplative? Does being contemplative mean sitting around thinking about God all day? Does it require living a simple or even austere life, like a monk or a nun?

Roger Owens challenges readers to expand their definition of contemplative living to encompass all ways of seeking to be more open, available, and responsive to God. God may be found just as easily in an office cubicle, a donut shop, or a laundry room as in a monastic cell.

In Everyday Contemplative, Owens presents seven characteristics of contemplative living: longing, attention, patience, playfulness, vulnerability, nonjudgment, and freedom. One ingredient he considers essential to the contemplative life is sharing it with others, and this book invites readers to discover the joys of contemplative living.

Campus Ministry

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 13:42:26 GMT

This resource, written with the intention to support a new Lay Servant Ministries course, will give readers a general understanding of the developmental needs of the 18- to 26-year-old demographic in the United States; general categories of institutions of higher learning; basic structures for campus ministries and offices of spiritual and religious life on college or university campuses; a framework to discern how United Methodist congregations may be called to serve students in their local context; and tools to begin bridging the administrative structures at the institution of higher learning in question to gain appropriate access to students.

The approach of this text (and its companion PDF leader's guide, available separately) is fundamentally student-centered and contextual, placing the needs of students as the foundation of congregational discernment and institutional bridging to build and/or support a student ministry. (The scope of this text is limited to higher education in the United States, as models of higher education differ greatly in other regions of the world. This text also primarily targets the 18- to 26-year-old demographic, recognizing that many students in the United States may fall outside this age range.)

Practicing Compassion

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:08:12 GMT

Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling?it is the bond of human connection. Most religions lift up compassion, yet few people actually teach how to practice it.

Through rich and moving stories of people from various faiths, Frank Rogers, an Academy for Spiritual Formation faculty and advisory board member, shows ways to incorporate compassion in our daily lives. His interfaith perspective on mercy, kindness, and caring for one another trains us to Pay attention, Understand empathically, Love with connection, Sense the sacredness, and Embody new life (PULSE). Key to Rogers' instruction is that we begin our compassion practice by extending compassion to ourselves. Getting in touch with our breath, with our own belovedness, and grounding ourselves in the midst of tumultuous emotions is where we start our practice of extending compassion to the world.

Our eCourse includes:

All essential content from Frank Rogers' book, Practicing Compassion
Video introductions to each chapter with Frank Rogers
Audio recordings of guided meditations
Questions for personal reflection
A place to exchange comments with others learning to practice compassion

Endorsements for Practicing Compassion

"Everybody believes in compassion, but nobody tells you how to practice it. Until now. Frank Rogers turns compassion into a doable, daily practice?as simple as catching your breath and taking your pulse. If you want to read a book that actually has the capacity to change your life (and the world), beginning today, this is exactly what you need." ?Brian D. McLaren, Author/speaker/blogger/activist (brianmclaren.net)

"If you want clear, practical guidance on how to cultivate the inner resources to become a healing presence and force of good for the world, there is no better book than this and no better guide than Frank Rogers." ?John Makransky, Professor of Comparative Theology, Boston College; Author of Awakening through Love

Academy Recommends eCourses seek to highlight content that aligns with The Academy for Spiritual Formation's mission to create transformative space for people to connect with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world.

Private eCourse classrooms with group rates are available upon request. If you are interested, email us at UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

The God We Can Know

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:06:26 GMT

God wants to be known!

The Gospel of John records several declarations by Jesus known as "I Am" sayings. With each statement, Jesus uses vivid images to capture our imagination, revealing more about his identity and purpose.

In this 7-week eCourse, we'll explore along with author Rob Fuquay what Jesus meant when he said, "I Am...the Bread of Life; the Light of the World; the Good Shepherd; the True Vine; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Resurrection and the Life."

Videos of Rob's teaching in the Holy Land will capture your imagination. Readings that offer deeper insight into each week's topic will give you food for thought. Opportunities to discuss with others what you are learning will enrich your experience.

Private eCourse classrooms with group rates are available upon request. If you are interested, email us at UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

Gather Us In

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:21:07 GMT

Gather Us In

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:20:53 GMT

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Extraordinary Ministry in Ordinary Time

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:20:45 GMT

Extraordinary Ministry in Ordinary Time

A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Scriptural Imagination

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:20:37 GMT

A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Scriptural Imagination

Woman Overboard

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:04:37 GMT

Do you long for more passion in your life? How do you define passion?

Many people associate passion with intense romance, adventure, creativity, vocation, or calling. If you ask a pastor or priest to define passion, he or she would likely link the word to the passion of Christ, to the events of Holy Week.

The definition of passion has evolved over the years. Originally the word came from the Latin passio, which means "to suffer."

Woman Overboard invites you to join an adventure of discovering

how to find out what you were born for
how to live out your particular calling in the context of your Christian faith
how to make sense of a broken world in light of the passion of Christ

The passionate life isn't easy, Kadlecek says. Suffering can come when we pursue our passions. We have to take risks; we must jump overboard. We need to recognize that jumping overboard could be hard, scary, and dangerous. But consider how dangerous it would be to just stay where you are.

When we anchor our identity in the passion of Christ, we are free to jump overboard. We are free to take the risks we've always wanted to take, to pursue the things we've always wanted to pursue.

So what are you waiting for? Dive into the journey of waking up to the passion and gifts around you!

A Missionary Mindset

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:04:28 GMT

Doug Ruffle writes A Missionary Mindset using the timeless principles of E. Stanley Jones and transfers them for use today. Teaching us to approach the mission field as if we were from a different country and learning a new culture, a new way of communicating, and a new way to connect people to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Spirituality of Fundraising

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:04:16 GMT

Do you serve on your church's stewardship committee or need to raise money for a mission trip or some other faith-based cause? Perhaps the thought of asking people for money intimidates you. It's time to change the way you think about fundraising.

"Fundraising is, first and foremost, a ministry," best-selling author and renowned spiritual teacher Henri Nouwen writes. "It's a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission."

Nouwen encourages us to see fundraising as spiritual work and approach it confidently. "Fundraising is precisely the opposite of begging," he points out.

Unlike most business/leadership books, A Spirituality of Fundraising is brief and can easily be read in one sitting.

Sections of this booklet include:

Fundraising as Ministry
Helping the Kingdom Come About
Our Security Base
People Who Are Rich
Asking
A New Communion
Prayer and Gratitude
Your Kingdom Come

Nouwen's insights will upend your thoughts about fundraising. Never again will you feel like you're begging for money. Instead, you'll see your work as true ministry. A must-read for leaders in churches, nonprofits, ministries, and businesses!

This book is also available as a workbook here.

Blessed Endurance

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:03:56 GMT

Where is God when we are hurting or in despair? How can we find hope even when we feel hopeless?

Pain, struggle, and despair are part of life, and they test our character as God's people. John Wimmer approaches these challenges to our faith realistically and thoughtfully. He does not offer easy answers or platitudes like "Everything happens for a reason."

We can't always understand or control many things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond to our circumstances. Wimmer encourages us to view times of difficulty as opportunities for spiritual and personal growth. Rather than diminishing our faith, pain and despair can lead us to greater trust in God. To endure through such times is a blessing.

This inspiring book offers practical help for moving from pain and despair to hope. Wimmer reminds us that with hope we also have faith—not the false belief that our lives will be pain-free but the assurance that God will be with us through our most challenging times and lead us to deeper levels of spiritual growth and wisdom.

Click here for an interview with John Wimmer.

When You Come Unglued... Stick Close to God

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:03:45 GMT

Even when your life and faith seem broken, God loves you and wants you to enjoy a life abundant in blessings, freedom, and opportunity.

Motivational speaker, spiritual guide, and mentor to women, Patricia Wilson offers a wise and lighthearted take on the serious business of maturing in faith. Her deliciously candid descriptions of contemporary life reveal the ways we lose touch with God. Then she shows us how to reconnect and stick close.

"Sticking close to God is not as easy as I thought it would be," Wilson writes. "Not because God moved on to someone less difficult and demanding, but because I keep forgetting that my walk with God requires a conscious, daily decision. That's what this book is all about: how to stick close to God, even on those days and through those times when life comes unglued!"

If you allow it, God can begin to work in you wherever you are.

La evangelización transformadora

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:41:12 GMT

Debido a las tácticas más agresivas y de confrontación que escuchamos, el evangelismo ha desarrollado una mala connotación. Las puertas se cierran apresuradamente, las llamadas telefónicas terminan abruptamente y los correos electrónicos quedan sin respuesta.

Después de todo, ¿no es una tarea que debería realizar el pastor?

Tal vez sea el momento de reexaminar el modelo de evangelización de Juan Wesley como un ciclo completo y natural, en el que se trata de un punto de partida común en lugar de un final solitario.

El motivo central del evangelismo auténtico es: Habiendo recibido un mensaje que ha marcado la diferencia en nuestras vidas, deseamos compartir ese mensaje con otras personas con la esperanza de que también transforme sus vidas. Wesley modela un evangelismo que se extiende y da la bienvenida, invita y nutre, y habla tanto a la razón como al corazón.

«El evangelismo es relacional», escriben los autores. «Cómo nos relacionamos con Dios, que es capaz de transformarnos en seres nuevos. Cómo estamos en relación con nuestro prójimo, al que debemos amar como a nosotros mismos».

Como dice un crítico «Knight y Powe nos han dado un libro para relacionarse. Describen la profunda conexión entre los pensamientos de Juan Wesley, los himnos de Carlos Wesley, el pensamiento erudito sobre la evangelización y la comprensión bíblica del evangelio, todo ello en relación con las necesidades, preocupaciones y esperanzas de «la gente de a pie».

Aprenda por su cuenta o como grupo congregacional de este estudio práctico sobre cómo vivir una vida evangelística que demuestre el poder transformador de amar a Dios y al prójimo.

La evangelización transformadora. La manera wesleyana de compartir la fe: Guía para el liderato facilitador del curso, por Henry Knight III y F. Douglas Powe, también está disponible aquí.

For the Common Good

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:41:05 GMT

For the Common Good reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives each Christian one or more spiritual gifts to be used for the common good. It guides readers to discover their own particular gifts and learn to use their gifts to serve others.

Examining key passages in Paul's writings, author Christine Harman leads readers through a personal spiritual gift assessment. She names 20 distinct spiritual gifts—including discernment, compassion, and evangelism—and helps people explore scripture references on each one. After identifying their particular gifts, clergy and laypeople will learn how to apply them for the good of their church, community, and the world. This book is ideal for both group study and self-discovery. The book also includes suggestions for how to build a ministry team or assign people to committees based on the gifts of each individual.

This book is the text for a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course on spiritual gifts. It also can be used for a small-group study.

A Leader's Guide is available for this book.

Launching a New Worship Community

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:40:58 GMT

For many churches, the call to make disciples comes with a realization that the church's current worship opportunities do not reach certain groups in their surrounding community. New worship services offer the most promising strategy for renewing established churches and planting new worship communities. In a post-pandemic world, churches will be challenged to reach new people with the gospel and to help them meet in a way that is meaningful to them.

Accessible to ministry professionals and lay leaders, Launching a New Worship Community is a comprehensive guide to starting a new worship community—whether that means an established church beginning a new worship service or a church startup designing its first worship offering. The authors, writing with a team of church planting experts, provide practical advice rooted in solid academics, theology, and real-world experience. With this guide, readers will have the tools they need to begin and sustain a new worship community.

Leadership is Discipleship 2021 (Korean)

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:40:51 GMT

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Ready, Set, Plant

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:40:44 GMT

When one reads through the New Testament, it's evident that the practice of planting churches began two thousand years ago. Today's culture, community, and connections differ greatly from the churches Peter and Paul helped build. Even in the past 20 years, those factors have dramatically changed the ministry of church planting.

In Ready, Set, Plant Bener Agtarap and Curtis Brown provide tools for planting churches—looking at the spiritual, social, and economic aspects of the process. Creating new church bodies requires redefining priorities and practices. Yet one thing that never changes is that the mission must be God's mission.

Ready, Set, Plant raises questions about church planting that every new church community must address: Why? Who? How? What? Where? When? Agtarap and Brown provide a broad range of answers to each question. By examining these questions and various answers, church planters will be equipped to fulfill their divine call to make disciples and transform the world.

Leadership Is Discipleship 2020 (Korean)

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:40:36 GMT

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