Empfehlungen basierend auf "The Circle Maker Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears"

"I would like to write a beautiful prayer," writes the young Flannery O'Connor in this deeply spiritual journal, recently discovered among her papers in Georgia. "There is a whole sensible world around me that I should be able to turn to Your praise." Written between 1946 and 1947 while O'Connor was a student far from home at the University of Iowa, A Prayer Journal is a rare portal into the interior life of the great writer. Not only does it map O'Connor's singular relationship with the divine, but it shows how entwined her literary desire was with her yearning for God. "I must write down that I am to be an artist. Not in the sense of aesthetic frippery but in the sense of aesthetic craftsmanship; otherwise I will feel my loneliness continually . . . I do not want to be lonely all my life but people only make us lonelier by reminding us of God. Dear God please help me to be an artist, please let it lead to You."O'Connor could not be more plain about her literary ambition: "Please help me dear God to be a good writer and to get something else accepted," she writes. Yet she struggles with any trace of self-regard: "Don't let me ever think, dear God, that I was anything but the instrument for Your story."As W. A. Sessions, who knew O'Connor, writes in his introduction, it was no coincidence that she began writing the stories that would become her first novel, Wise Blood, during the years when she wrote these singularly imaginative Christian meditations. Including a facsimile of the entire journal in O'Connor's own hand, A Prayer Journal is the record of a brilliant young woman's coming-of-age, a cry from the heart for love, grace, and art.

Daily meditations taken from the works of an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and preacher who has articulated what he sees with a freshness and clarity and energy that hails our stultified imaginations.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chair of The Elders, and Chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along with his daughter, the Reverend Mpho Tutu, offer a manual on the art of forgiveness—helping us to realize that we are all capable of healing and transformation.Tutu's role as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission taught him much about forgiveness. If you asked anyone what they thought was going to happen to South Africa after apartheid, almost universally it was predicted that the country would be devastated by a comprehensive bloodbath. Yet, instead of revenge and retribution, this new nation chose to tread the difficult path of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.Each of us has a deep need to forgive and to be forgiven. After much reflection on the process of forgiveness, Tutu has seen that there are four important steps to healing: Admitting the wrong and acknowledging the harm; Telling one's story and witnessing the anguish; Asking for forgiveness and granting forgiveness; and renewing or releasing the relationship. Forgiveness is hard work. Sometimes it even feels like an impossible task. But it is only through walking this fourfold path that Tutu says we can free ourselves of the endless and unyielding cycle of pain and retribution. The Book of Forgiving is both a touchstone and a tool, offering Tutu's wise advice and showing the way to experience forgiveness. Ultimately, forgiving is the only means we have to heal ourselves and our aching world.

From the bestselling author of Start Where You Are comes a vibrantly inspiring look at making peace with fear--to become our truest selvesOn the heels of her bestselling journal Start Where You Are, author and illustrator Meera Lee Patel takes us deeper into her artistic vision and emotional journey in this stunning new four-color book. A mix of personal reflections, inspirational quotes, questions for reflection, and breathtaking watercolor visuals, My Friend Fear asserts that having big fear is an opportunity to make big changes, to discover the remarkable potential inside ourselves.

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even curiouser string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Cafe, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the cafe has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions.When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Women today feel pressure to be the best wife, mom, and professional possible, often at the expense of our own identities. But what if you accepted that you're loved right now, just as you are? Join jewelry designer Lisa Leonard as she inspires you to find yourself again--even amid the mess of real life. When Lisa said her wedding vows, she was determined to be the best wife she could be. When her first son was born with a severe disability, Lisa promised herself she would always be the mother he needed. When she began her jewelry business, Lisa committed to giving it her all. Over the years, the exhaustion of trying to be everything to everyone took its toll. Lisa knew it wasn't working. She wanted to change things, but how? One evening, in tears and desperation, Lisa realized that somewhere along the way, she had lost herself. As you explore Lisa's own journey to finding freedom from the things that were holding her back, her story will teach you how to: Find more peace and joy in your everyday life Stop trying to be everything to everyone Discover your truest self In Brave Love, Lisa shares her story of finding her own voice again--and walks with you as you do the same. Praise for Brave Love: "I'm so thankful for the path that Lisa Leonard has walked, from perfection and performance toward connection and grace, and I'm thankful as well for her vulnerability and creative storytelling. Her journey is one that will resound with so many women." --Shauna Niequist, New York Times bestselling author of Present Over Perfect

You don't have to keep striving for freedom. You can live into the freedom you already have in Christ.In You Are Free, Rebekah Lyons--author of Rhythms of Renewal--reveals her journey of releasing stress, anxiety, and worry to uncover the peace that comes from Jesus Christ.Have you bought into the lie? So many of us do. We measure our worth by what others think of us. We compare and strive, living our lives for the approval of others. Pressure rises, fear and anxiety creeps in, and we hustle to keep up.But Jesus tells us that he gave his life to set us free, giving us purpose and calling us to live in that God-given freedom and purpose. Maybe we're afraid to live in this truth because we can't even believe it. Rebekah reminds us that Christ doesn't say we can be or may be or will be free. He says we are free. Do you dare to believe it?In You Are Free, Rebekah invites you to:Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet others' expectations and rest in the joy that God's freedom bringsFind permission to grieve past experiences, confess your areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey toward healingThrow off self-condemnation and step boldly into what our good God has for youDiscover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free Freedom is for everyone who wants it--the lost, the wounded, and those weary from all of the striving. It's for those of us who gave up trying years ago and for those of us who are angry and hurt, burnt out by the Christian song and dance. You are the church, the people of God. You were meant to be free.Join Rebekah as she helps you discover the freedom that comes when we learn that God is enough.

Judah Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Is ______, explores what it looks like to cultivate a healthy soul in the midst of a busy life and points readers to the soul's only true home and place of rest and fulfillment: God. "How's your soul?" It may seem like an odd question, but it's what pastor and bestselling author Judah Smith chooses to ask his friends, rather than "How are you?" It's a way to look past the externals and consider what's going on inside, in that essential part of us that is often overlooked in the struggle to make our way through everyday life. In the rush of living moment to moment, many of us find ourselves simply surviving, struggling daily with frustration, restlessness, boredom, and ever-fleeting joy. But if we would pause, we'd find that the things that matter most in life, what we are searching for in our busyness--stability, peace, hope, love--are rooted in the health of what Judah calls the "inside you." In How's Your Soul?, Judah explores that "inside you." Sharing his own, often humorous, mistakes and foibles, he helps us find our way through the emotional roller coasters of life to discover the soul-healing essentials of rest, responsibility, restraint, and relationships, all rooted in what he calls the soul's only true home--God himself. How's Your Soul? is an invitation to find lasting emotional satisfaction and stability by bringing our feelings into alignment with God's truth, moving beyond simply surviving, and learning how to live each day with eternal significance.

What would happen if you started listening to your cravings instead of trying to silence them? If you're tired of the same old messages of eat less and move more, this book is what you've been missing. You know "how to" get healthy... but now there's finally a book to help you find your "want to"- the lasting emotional and spiritual motivation to meet your goals and stay healthy.The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn't a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. New York Times bestselling author of It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, Uninvited, and The Best Yes, Lysa TerKeurst, invites you to find the missing link between a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. In this book, Lysa will help you: Break the cycle of "I'll start again Monday" and feel good about yourself today.Stop agonizing over numbers on the scale and make peace with your body.Replace rationalizations that lead to failure with wisdom that leads to victory.Reach your healthy goals and grow closer to God through the process.This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the "want to" in making healthy lifestyle choices.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Relationship Goals . . . Will you be remembered as a person who claimed to follow God but liked to play it safe? Or as a person who lived your life out on the limb and trusted God enough to live in crazy faith? Noah looked crazy when he started building the ark . . . until it started raining. It was crazy for Moses to lead a nation of people into the desert away from Egypt . . . until the Red Sea parted. It was crazy to believe that a fourteen-year-old virgin would give birth to the Son of God . . . until Mary held Jesus in her arms. There are many things that seem normal or average today that at one point in time seemed absolutely crazy. Smartphones, Wi-Fi, and even the electric light bulb were all groundbreaking, history-making inventions that started out as crazy ideas. Our see-it-to-believe-it generation tends to have a hard time exercising true faith—one that steps out, takes action, and sees mountain-moving results. Many of us would rather play it safe and stand on the sidelines, but it’s crazy faith that helps us see God move and reveals His promises. In Crazy Faith, Pastor Michael Todd shows us how to step out in faith and dive into the purposeful life of trusting God for the impossible. Even if you have to start with baby faith or maybe faith, you can become empowered to let go of your lazy faith, trust God through your hazy faith, and learn to live a lifestyle of crazy faith. With powerful stories of modern-day faith warriors who take their cues from biblical heroes, Michael Todd equips you to • believe for the impossible• choose hope over fear• be alert to the voice of God• cope with loss and doubt• develop a deeper level of trust in God• speak faith-filled declarations• inspire crazy faith in others God’s not looking for somebody to give Him all the reasons why His plans can’t happen. He’s looking for somebody to believe they will happen. In fact, He has so much He wants to do through you. The question is, Are you crazy enough to believe it?