Presence And Encounter The Sacramental Possibilities Of Everyday Life

Download or read book Presence and Encounter written by David G. PhD Benner and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most vital and significant moments in life are moments of encounter. Whether we encounter ourselves, others, or God, these moments let us know that life is meaningful. And presence is what makes encounter possible. When we are truly present, everything that has being becomes potentially present to us. In this unique resource, David Benner invites us to live with more presence so we can know the presence of God more deeply in our lives. Drawing on over thirty-five years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality, Benner examines the transformational possibilities of spiritual presence and encounter in fresh, exciting, and practical ways. He helps readers understand the personal and interpersonal dimensions of presence and encounter, revealing how they mediate Divine Presence and serve as sacraments of everyday life. His rich meditations are presented in a voice that is intelligent, compassionate, and engaging. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection exercises for individual or group use and a foreword by Richard Rohr.

Download or read book Soulful Spirituality written by David G. PhD Benner and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spirituality has an indispensable role to play in the expression of our humanity. However, spiritual practices can sometimes make us less, not more, authentically human. We may be good Christians, but we aren't good human beings. How can we ensure that our spiritual journey is conducted in a way that allows us to become fully alive and deeply human? David Benner has spent thirty-five years integrating psychology and spirituality. Here he presents an expansive, psychologically informed understanding of spirituality, probing the contrasts between soulful and soulless spirituality, deep and shallow religion, and healthy and unhealthy relationships with God to affirm the vital role of human development in the spiritual journey. Benner then suggests soulful practices for cultivating the Christian spiritual life. This book will appeal to readers seeking depth and substance in their quest for authentic spirituality. It will also be a helpful resource for mental health professionals and spiritual directors. Reflection questions and exercises for individual or group use are included at the end of each chapter.d

Download or read book Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening written by Kay Lindahl and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poor listening leads to misunderstandings and lost opportunities. Learning to listen well requires spiritual practice. It happens at work and at home, with strangers and close friends, in heated debates and in quiet conversations--you hear someone speaking, but often you don't truly listen. Kay Lindahl's highly respected workshops are attended by people from a broad range of backgrounds. Her first book, The Sacred Art of Listening, has been published to acclaim in North America, Europe and Asia. Now she offers practical, easy-to-follow advice and exercises to enhance your capacity to listen in a spirit-filled way. Using examples from her own life and her work as a teacher of the sacred art of listening, Lindahl explores the nature and use of silence, reflection and divine presence as foundational qualities of listening and shows you how you can apply these in your everyday life. This valuable workshop-in-a-book examines the varied ways we are called to deep listening, including: Contemplative listening Reflective listening Heart listening Listening in groups Listening in conversations ... and more You will find yourself inspired to discover how different your conversations will be when you stop just talking and start really listening.

Download or read book Healing Emotional Wounds written by David G. Benner and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-07-20 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though emotional pain constitutes an inevitable part of life, not only can it be healed, it can be the soil out of which we grow into greater wholeness and wellbeing. This book arose not simply out of the author's work with others but out of lessons learned as he worked his way to healing and forgiveness associated with his own emotional wounds as well. In helpful, practical language that is filled with real-life examples, Healing Emotional Wounds examines the inner course of events that predictably follows experiences of emotional wounding. This includes a discussion of the ways in which we attempt to cope with hurt, focusing on common but counterproductive coping strategies that actually impede healing. It then examines in detail the emotional, intellectual, and volitional tasks that are involved in healing emotional wounds, each presenting concrete steps that we can take to help ourselves and others experience healing and gain freedom from bondage to our wounds. Such freedom does not involve escape from unpleasant experiences or difficult circumstances, but release from their tyrannizing inner consequences. This also provides the possibility of living a more fulfilling and significant life because of these experiences.

Download or read book Human Being and Becoming written by David G. PhD Benner and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2016-01-12 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Becoming fully human is a lifelong journey. It can also be an incredible adventure. Here internationally respected depth psychologist, spiritual guide, and personal transformation coach David Benner explores the mysteries of human being and becoming. Drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and forty years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality, he presents concrete steps for living in ways that move us toward wholeness. He also draws on mysticism, the perennial wisdom tradition, interfaith dialogue, and the contemplative Christian tradition, developing a robust spirituality that reveals how we can align ourselves with God's presence in the world.

Download or read book Opening to God written by David G. Benner and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2010-09 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spiritual director Benner invites believers to discover openness to God as the essence of prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life. Using the four movements of "lectio divina," he explores prayer as attending, pondering, responding, and being.

Download or read book Living Wisdom, Revised and Expanded written by David G. Benner and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-07-24 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much more than knowledge or even understanding, wisdom is seeing life through the eyes of an awakened heart and transformed consciousness. Rather than being the result of the accumulation of information, wisdom comes from acquiring a new mind. Buddhists speak of this new mind as enlightenment. The Christian name for it is the mind and heart of Christ. This is the basis of wisdom. Wisdom is grounded in a deep awareness of the sacredness and interconnectedness of everything in existence. It is living in alignment with the creative Spirit of Wisdom who inhabits all of creation and is our truest and deepest self. It is learning to participate in God’s transformational agenda of cosmic whole-making, this being the way in which everything that exists becomes whole in Christ. This book does not offer gems of wisdom. Instead, it seeks to facilitate the awakening of your heart and transformation of your consciousness that will allow wisdom to flow your from depths.