Prayer

Looking Inward, Living Outward

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 20:53:49 GMT

Available June 2024; Pre-Order Now!

In a world of so much hurt, how can we create communities of care and healing?

While much of contemporary Christianity careens toward a spirituality of individual salvation and the afterlife, the call of Jesus to create communities that enact justice and bring peace on earth is often tragically ignored. In his revelatory new book Looking Inward, Living Outward, author and student of the spiritual life Daniel Wolpert calls us back to a life of prayer and core spiritual practices that re-orient our gaze outward in acts of social transformation.

Drawing from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, one of the most radical speeches in human history, this encouraging and practical guide connects acts of contemplation with action, providing a biblically based and spiritually grounded course corrective for how Christians are called to live as Beloved Community today. Discover how spiritual practices can change the way you interact with the world and inspire lasting social change.

Key Takeaways:

Learn practical spiritual practices to live a life molded by a deep spiritual connection.
Explore the nature of the spiritual life and how it can become a guiding force in our daily lives.
Understand the teachings of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for living in community and society.
Discover the importance of communities of practice in reorienting our actions and promoting compassion in a world filled with challenges.

Speak, My Soul

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:53:48 GMT

Available May 2024; Pre-Order Now!

Learn to listen for the voice of God.

Our soul speaks … but can we hear it? In our noisy and overcrowded lives, it's often difficult to find the space to listen deeply to our own inner voice, let alone the voice of God. In Speak, My Soul, spiritual guide Marsha Crockett leads you through seven pathways for slowing down and discerning God's promptings in your daily life. Using the psalms as a spiritual roadmap, the journey will include seven weeks of daily meditations, prayers, practices, and prompts to help you enter and explore the quiet landscape of the soul, speaking to you even now.

Speak, My Soul is ideal for both personal and group use and includes the following:

A daily and weekly rhythm for personal devotion, reflection, prayer, and suggestions for journaling
A Small Group Leader’s Guide, including tips on developing listening groups, teaching active listening skills, and group dynamics
Speak, My Soul Psalms: Bonus content with reflection questions for six additional psalms
Lenten Retreat Guide
Inner Path Identifiers: a chart of traits, challenges, and disciplines associated with each of the seven inner paths for further reflections

"An enlightening spiritual guide … whether you're a spiritual seeker or simply someone longing for a deeper understanding of the voice within, this book will help you recognize and respond to your soul's call and God's divine love." —J. Dana Trent, author of Between Two Trailers: A Memoir

El Aposento Alto Diciembre 2022 Audio

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:06:38 GMT

La misión de El Aposento Alto es proveer un modelo de cristianismo práctico, para ayudar a las personas a sentirse invitadas y bienvenidas a la presencia de Dios para:

escuchar la Escritura como el mensaje personal de Dios, uniendo sus relatos con el relato de Dios;
estar en comunión con Dios en oración;
ver sus opciones diarias y pequeños actos de obediencia como parte de la obra de Dios;
entender nuestra conexión a través de Cristo como una familia universal de creyentes;
tener un encuentro con el Cristo vivo y ser transformadas a la imagen de Cristo.

Ahora puede escuchar la versión en audio de El Aposento Alto mientras maneja su auto, camina o se prepara para comenzar el día. Puede incorporar el escuchar la meditación diaria en su tiempo con la familia o en su reunión de estudio bíblico. Cada meditación diara ha sido grabada de forma profesional en un tono cálido y conversacional. Las grabaciones están disponibles para comprarse en unidades de un mes cada una y descargarse como archivos .mp3 para que sean transferidos fácilmente a su reproductor.mp3, teléfono inteligente, computadora portátil, tableta, disco compacto. Escuche una muestra aquí: http://bit.ly/24caltK

Asegúrese de descargar el archivo comprado antes de que el número de la revista expire.

El Aposento Alto Noviembre 2022 Audio

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:04:30 GMT

La misión de El Aposento Alto es proveer un modelo de cristianismo práctico, para ayudar a las personas a sentirse invitadas y bienvenidas a la presencia de Dios para:

escuchar la Escritura como el mensaje personal de Dios, uniendo sus relatos con el relato de Dios;
estar en comunión con Dios en oración;
ver sus opciones diarias y pequeños actos de obediencia como parte de la obra de Dios;
entender nuestra conexión a través de Cristo como una familia universal de creyentes;
tener un encuentro con el Cristo vivo y ser transformadas a la imagen de Cristo.

Asegúrese de descargar el archivo comprado antes de que el número de la revista expire.

The Upper Room Nov/Dec 2022

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 02:14:54 GMT

A single copy of the selected issue of The Upper Room daily devotional guide in regular print mailed to you.

The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 35 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together.

El Aposento Alto Octubre 2022 Audio

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:57:38 GMT

La misión de El Aposento Alto es proveer un modelo de cristianismo práctico, para ayudar a las personas a sentirse invitadas y bienvenidas a la presencia de Dios para:

escuchar la Escritura como el mensaje personal de Dios, uniendo sus relatos con el relato de Dios;
estar en comunión con Dios en oración;
ver sus opciones diarias y pequeños actos de obediencia como parte de la obra de Dios;
entender nuestra conexión a través de Cristo como una familia universal de creyentes;
tener un encuentro con el Cristo vivo y ser transformadas a la imagen de Cristo.

Asegúrese de descargar el archivo comprado antes de que el número de la revista expire.

The Upper Room December 2022 Audio

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:55:53 GMT

Audio files in .mp3 format for one month of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.

Be sure to download your purchased file before the issue expires.

The Upper Room November 2022 Audio

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:54:28 GMT

Audio files in .mp3 format for one month of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.

Be sure to download your purchased file before the issue expires.

The Upper Room October 2022 Audio

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:30:30 GMT

Audio files in .mp3 format for one month of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.

Be sure to download your purchased file before the issue expires.

El Aposento Alto Septiembre 2022 Audio

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 19:54:19 GMT

La misión de El Aposento Alto es proveer un modelo de cristianismo práctico, para ayudar a las personas a sentirse invitadas y bienvenidas a la presencia de Dios para:

escuchar la Escritura como el mensaje personal de Dios, uniendo sus relatos con el relato de Dios;
estar en comunión con Dios en oración;
ver sus opciones diarias y pequeños actos de obediencia como parte de la obra de Dios;
entender nuestra conexión a través de Cristo como una familia universal de creyentes;
tener un encuentro con el Cristo vivo y ser transformadas a la imagen de Cristo.

Asegúrese de descargar el archivo comprado antes de que el número de la revista expire.

The Upper Room Sep/Oct 2022

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 01:39:23 GMT

A single copy of the selected issue of The Upper Room daily devotional guide in regular print mailed to you.

One Breath At A Time

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:02:00 GMT

Meditation is a practice growing in popularity. Used to reduce stress and to increase relaxation, meditative practices invite us to bring mindful attention to body and breath. But how does meditation fit into Christianity, and how does it differ from prayer?

One Breath at a Time: A Skeptic's Guide to Christian Meditation reframes meditation for those who are skeptical because (1) they doubt their ability to be still and quiet and (2) they doubt the validity of meditation as a Christian spiritual practice. Using scripture, theology, and examples from the early church, this book challenges the prayer habits of Christians that leave little room for enough silence to experience and listen for God.

Using five approaches?breath meditation, lectio divina, centering meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and devotional meditation?One Breath at a Time provides a practical, 40-day guide to beginning and sustaining a Christian meditation practice in an often chaotic world.

This eCourse, based on J. Dana Trent's book One Breath at a Time, offers basic instruction in the five approaches to meditation named above: breath meditation, lectio divina, centering meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and devotional meditation.

Learn first, and then practice! Following the basic instruction is an invitation and guide to 40 days of meditation practice. You are encouraged to work at your own pace. The eCourse content?videos, all the reading material from One Breath at a Time, and space for comments?is available anytime.

Participants in the eCourse are invited to join a live session with J. Dana Trent on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at noon (CDT). This session will be recorded for those unable to attend live. Register here.

Testimonials

"Whether you are new to meditation, lapsed in your practice, or simply curious, you have found the right teacher. Dana Trent is not only wise about the ways in which our tech-driven lives are stunting our spiritual growth but also serious about offering us an invitation to be still with God for a few moments each day. The added bonus of her skepticism is that she knows how hard that can be and why it remains essential for our soul's health.'
Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others

"Dana's journey into contemplation is, to me, a sign of the times. As we reach for a still point in the turning world, meditation isn't a flight from the world of action but a way of staying centered in the midst of it. One breath at a time, indeed."
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Reconstructing the Gospel

Sacred Conversation

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:32:57 GMT

Sacred Conversation

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:32:57 GMT

God created humans with the desire to both know others and be known. People weren't meant to go it alone on their spiritual journeys, and God has provided many fellow travelers to accompany us.

Some of these fellow pilgrims—spiritual directors—are called to walk the spiritual path with others. The spiritual director, however, does not seek to tell their counterpart how to live out the faith. Instead, the spiritual director accompanies others on their spiritual journey and helps them discover how God may be working in their lives. The spiritual director listens, notices, encourages, asks questions, and prays for the person receiving spiritual direction.

In Sacred Conversation, readers will learn what spiritual direction is and what it isn't. They will explore spiritual practices that have helped people for hundreds of years develop a closer relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Marsha Crockett introduces readers to seven gifts of spiritual direction: awakening, hospitality, story, pilgrimage, silence, meditation, and belonging.

Each chapter contains reflection questions for individuals to use in conversation with their spiritual director, as prompts for journaling, or for sharing with small groups.

Sacred Conversation

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:09 GMT

God created humans with the desire to both know others and be known. People weren't meant to go it alone on their spiritual journeys, and God has provided many fellow travelers to accompany us.

Each chapter contains reflection questions for individuals to use in conversation with their spiritual director, as prompts for journaling, or for sharing with small groups.

Everyday Contemplative

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:31:00 GMT

Everyday Contemplative

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:31:01 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.

Everyday Contemplative

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:01 GMT

Finding Your Breath

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:04:34 GMT

Do you find yourself out of breath these days? Are you feeling anxious or unsettled? Or do you simply long for a more grounding awareness of God's presence in your ordinary days? The practices of Lectio Divina (sacred reading) and Centering Prayer are designed to calm our busy minds and bodies and focus our attention on the presence of God.

Centering Prayer is a way of praying developed in the 1970s by Trappist monks William Meninger, M. Basil Pennington, and Thomas Keating. This more contemporary version of Centering Prayer was adapted from the prayer practices of the desert mothers and fathers, described in The Cloud of Unknowing and in the writings of Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and other Christian mystics. The practice invites us to slow our minds and to focus our attention on the loving presence of God.

Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, is a particular way of encountering God in scripture that is different from a more studious approach. Rather than the text being an object of the mind seeking understanding, in Lectio Divina the text is an icon of God that acts upon the heart. The intent is a transforming experience of the presence of God.

These practices are rich and spiritually rewarding, but engaging in a regular practice of any kind can be a challenge. In our eCourse, we'll use the daily readings from J. David Muyskens's Sacred Breath: Forty Days of Centering Prayer and encouragement from a community of people practicing together to inspire one another to engage in regular practice. Each day's practice includes a devotional reading, 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, and a guided Lectio Divina exercise. Seasoned practitioners of Centering Prayer are invited to engage in the full practices, about 45 minutes per day. Those new to the practice are invited to try it a small step at a time and work toward the full practice. Live sessions and the eCourse offer encouragement to grow into the practice free from pressure to do it all.

Finding Your Breath includes:

All essential content from J. David Muyskens's Sacred Breath: Forty Days of Centering Prayer.
Video instruction in Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina.
40 days of guided prayer practices, including daily exercises in devotional reading, Centering Prayer, and Lectio Divina.

Join the eCourse alone or with a group. Group rates (for groups of 5 or more) are available. Private breakout rooms for live sessions and private eCourse classrooms are available. For information on group access, email UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

Rally

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:16:26 GMT

"This is a prayer book for revolution—a revolution of love and compassion and justice," Shane Claiborne writes in the foreword. The prayers in this collection are meant to be prayed in community.

Rally is a prayer book for faith communities searching for words to respond to the injustices around them. It's a prayer book for Christian activists who believe in putting feet to their prayers. The book supplies words for concerned Christians who yearn to lift their voices to God about such issues as racism; the abuse of power and privilege; mistreatment of migrants and refugees; lives tragically lost; our violent society; white supremacy; and people being marginalized because of their gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, or economic status. Rally contains prayers for perpetrators, for loving our bodies, for listening to one another, for those who have been wounded by the church. In this resource, readers will find prayers that evoke hope and connection, guidance for sifting through the news and social media headlines, laments about destruction of the earth, and pleas for loving alike though we don't think alike.

The beauty of this book lies in the rich variety of voices and experiences of its writers—leaders who work at the intersection of Christianity and social justice and who want to resource those who gather to lament the needs and celebrate the possibilities of a better world. "Lord, stir us up to holy action," cries this powerful book. Rally spurs people to compassionately continue the important work of loving God and neighbor until all of God's people feel safe and seen.