Meditations Books

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Henri J. M. Nouwen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 95 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

To be loved by generous God 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"Return of the Prodigal Son" is a wonderful opportunity to hear the gentleness and genius that was Henri Nouwen. The book was originally a talk given at retreat when Nouwen was 57, about 8 years before his death, in the time following his famous service at Toronto's L'Arche Daybreak facility for severely handicapped adults. Nouwen's humility is on display, as are his deep spiritual and psychological insights.

The impetus for Nouwen's reflections was Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son," painted when the artist was elderly, and following multiple tragedies in his own life. Nouwen's inspiration is less the painting, though, than the parable. His lecture is split into three parts, focusing on the younger son, the older son and the father. Nouwen's take on the parable is Jesus's radical break with interpretations of God that held sway in his own day as they still do in ours. The God that Jesus defines is not angry, vindictive or retaliatory, but completely open in love and forgiveness. While many will agree with this description of the Father, fewer will agree with Nouwen that this image of the Father exists the rest of Holy Scripture (both OT and NT) as well. While many of us are willing to accept Scripture's seemingly schizoid vision of God, Nouwen does not. He is completely committed to the loving father portrayed in this parable. For those committed to the God of condemnation, hell and judgment, Nouwen will be a disappointment (or a challenge). Human beings separate themselves from a God who is always anxious to take them back, teaches Nouwen.

In Nouwen's take on the story, the younger son teaches the journey from dissolution to containment. Dissolution includes dissipation of the kind associated with the younger son in the parable -- insults to parents, arrogance, squandering of resources, immorality. But dissolution extends to other activities and attitudes that spread our energies beyond our capacities. We spread ourselves too thin, spiritually, usually out of a desire to impress those in our lives whom we want to impress or influence. But by recognizing our sonship with God, we realize that we do need to impress of fathers (whether heavenly or worldly) into loving us, allowing us to bring our spiritual energies into containment and focus. The elder son often lives in our hearts alongside the younger son. The elder son's error is in resentment and separation. He cannot rejoice that "this son of yours" has returned from death, whining about his own ceaseless and unrewarded labors. But his error also speaks to a misunderstanding of the Father's love. He feels he will be loved *because* of his obedience (evidently given grudgingly) and has missed that his gift is to have been in the presence of the Father all along.

Nouwen's deep insight into the parable, whose subtlety and profundity become apparent the more listen, is astounding. The parable has the power to heal as well. For any who have felt conflict or hurt in family situations, as has Nouwen himself, the parable points the way toward a recognition of our true place in the world, and in God's eyes. This is not a dewy "I'm OK, You're OK" insight, but can lead to a profound shifting of our existential relationship with ourselves, our parents and our God. What false fronts and defenses we might shed if we truly believed in a God who loved us as beloved children -- no matter how far astray we had gone?

Nouwen's style and delivery belie the intensity of his own struggle and the wisdom of his teaching. Yet the insights continue rolling in, like waves following the passage of a ship, long after the book is over. A fascinating and potentially life-changing book.

Editorial Review:

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming is a spiritual adventure story. A chance encounter with a poster depicting a detail of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son set in motion a chain of events that enabled Nouwen to redefine and claim his vocation late in his life. In this book, which interweaves elements of art history, memoir, Midrash, and self-help, Nouwen brings the parable to life with empathic analyses of each character. Nouwen's absorption in the story (and the painting) is so complete that the father's challenge to love the son, and the son's challenge to receive that love, become Nouwen's own. And Nouwen's writing is so clear and his tone is so appealingly frank and humble that readers--no matter how far from home--will find hope for themselves in the prodigal peace Nouwen ultimately achieves. --Michael Joseph Gross

Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self

Joyce Rupp

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Open the Door: A journey to the true self 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Certain type of people can enhance their prayer life with this type of well thought out format like this book.

Editorial Review:

The long-awaited book from best-selling spiritual guide Joyce Rupp, creatively leads readers to explore how the image of the door can guide them in a process of discovering their true self.

Joyce Rupp brings new life to the ageless spiritual image of the door, weaving insights from East and West with the wisdom of contemporary spiritual writers, poets, and novelists in a practical format that is just right for contemporary readers. Structured as a daily prayer guide for everyday use over six weeks, each day offers a thematic reflection, a guided meditation, an original prayer, a thoughtful question, and a related scripture quote. A built-in guide for small groups makes this the perfect resource for groups of all kinds as well as individuals.

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity

Lee Strobel

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Total reviews: 214 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Award-winning reporter and author Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ) once again uses his investigative skills to address the primary objections to Christianity. As a former atheist, Strobel understands the rational resistance to faith. He even names the eight most convincing arguments against Christian faith:

1) If there's a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil?
2) If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they're true?
3) If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?
4) If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn't believe the right things about him?
5) If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him?
6) If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life?
7) If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages?
8) If I'm still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian?

These are mighty tough questions, and Strobel fields them well. Rather than write a weighty dissertation about the merits of faith, he brings us along on his quest as we meet leaders in the Christian community, such as Peter Kreeft and William Lane Craig. We also encounter his everyday friends and acquaintances that serendipitously fill in the holes in each of the eight arguments against faith. The use of dialogue from personal interviews and a scene-by-scene active narrative makes this an easy and engaging read. However, easy does not mean breezy. This is a book of substance and merit, one that will help Christians defend their faith, especially during the hardest of times, when they have to defend their faith to themselves in moments of doubt. --Gail Hudson

Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact with God Through Meditation (Book with CD)

Wayne W. Dyer

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Total reviews: 84 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The practice of meditation takes us on a fabulous journey into the gap between our thoughts, where all the advantages of a more peaceful, stress-free, healthy, and fatigue-free life are available, but which are simply side benefits. The paramount reason for daily meditation is to get into the gap between our thoughts, and make conscious contact with the creative energy of life itself. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explains the soul-nourishing meditation technique for making conscious contact with God, which the ancient masters have told us about.

You have the potential to be an instrument of the highest good for all concerned and to be a literal miracle worker in your own life. No person, government, or religion can legitimately claim to do this for you. “In fact,” says Dr. Dyer, “I agree with Carl Jung who said, ‘One of the main functions of formalized religion is to protect people against a direct experience of God.’” When you master getting into the gap and staying there for prolonged segments of meditation, and experience what you bring back to the material world, you will know your answer to the question: “Why meditate?”

Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day

Macrina Wiederkehr

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

the need to pause 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I have long been a fan of Macrina which is why I purchased this book. What I got was more than I could have imagined. Her book brings us back and shows us the wisdom , many of us have forgotten , of taking the time to stop. To take a few minutes seven times a day so that we can really live our lives to the fullest. In this crazy busy world what could be important than to get in tune with the natural pauses of day and clear our minds of the clutter that keeps us from realizing the life we were meant to live.

Editorial Review:

Author and retreat leader Macrina Wiederkehr opens the monastery door and invites readers to come in and learn how the practice of consciously pausing for prayer at the seven sacred moments of each day can make their daily passage through time a more sacred pilgrimage.

Using scripture, poetry, reflections. personal stories, and quotes from a rich array of spiritual teachers, Wiederkehr helps readers become more attuned to living in the present moment and develop a kindred spirit with the rich tradition of the sacred hours. Seven Sacred Pauses is a wonderful gift to those who seek to find balance in their busy days and to bring the practice of the Divine Hours home to their own hearts.

The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany

Frederick Buechner

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Before There Was Rob Bell, Anne Lamott and Brian McLaren, There Was - and Still Is - Frederick Buechner 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Frederick Buechner was - and remains - a pioneer in spiritual memoir.

A promising literary light whose works have attracted the attention of even New York's inner circle, Buechner dared to move further and further along his spiritual journey. He admits that his ordination as a Presbyterian minister was a terrible career move for a serious writer. He did it anyway. And, he's not easily categorized as a "Christian writer," either. His memoirs with titles like "Telling Secrets" through "The Longing for Home" are almost impossible to classify with our oh-so-easy labels of "evangelical" or "emergent," "progressive" or "conservative." He wrote them, anyway, and they found a loyal audience of thousands. Over time, his books have formed one the great spiritual reflections on life in turn-of-the-millennium America.

A clear theme emerges in these more than 30 volumes of memoir, fiction and nonfiction - a clear character to the relationship Buechner has been building with us. His overarching theology of writing goes something like this: Fundamentally, he argues in one book after another, we tell our stories because we have a deep yearning to participate in a far greater story. Whatever terrible secrets we think we are concealing, we soon discover that they weave themselves into a far, far larger narrative. And, in telling those stories, ultimately, we find ourselves in a community not only with other storytellers, but with the ultimate Storyteller.

That's why you should buy and read "Yellow Leaves." If you flip through it in a bookstore, you might mistake this slim volume for a late-in-life after thought. You would be mistaken. Within these 133 pages are some of the "yellow leaves" left toward the end of the season - vividly hanging from the limbs in Buechner's garden. In his mid-80s now, his reflections aren't the brawling spiritual wrestling match of "Godric" or the grand literary feat of "Bebb" or even the moving dramas of "Telling Secrets" or "Longing for Home."

These are last leaves. And what leaves they are! In this volume, Buechner gives us the spiritual gem of his catalytic evening with Maya Angelou; then he waves a wand and takes us with him back into Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol;" then another wave and we're attending a 1943 family picnic where he nervously gets to his feet as a boy and dares to read a poem and speak "simple truth." And, of course, the greatest spiritual gem in the book - the one-page Introduction of a memoirist now in his mid-80s, invoking Shakespeare's own "yellow leaves."

After all these years, Buechner fans, you can't miss this one. And newcomers? Here's a sparkling, multi-faceted showcase of this master's eye, ear - and heart.

Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 90 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Worth Much, Much More 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

These prayers and devotions are wonderfully written. Passionate and thought provoking. Many phrases will remind you of scripture. I read them over and over and discover new morsels to digest. I have given copies to my friends. I carry it right next to my Bible.

praying difficulty 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Are there times when you have difficulty going to the Lord in prayer? Begin reading this collection, pick any page and begin. These prayers will inspire your own prayer life and help you articulate your humility and your desire to honor, glorify and please God. There are prayers for repentance, conviction, awareness of the Holy Spirit and many others as well as morning and evening prayers. You'll be awestruck by the language of the authors as they go to the Lord in prayer.

Amazing Devotional 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Valley of Vision is an incredible collection of Puritan Prayers that can serve as a great devotional for the true Christian. The humility, praise, and love for the Lord expressed by these Christians is awe inspiring and truly uncommon in this day and age. I whole-heartedly recommend this collection of mediations for the Christian following hard after Christ.

The Way to Love (Image Pocket Classics)

Anthony De Mello

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Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

De Mello Dynamite 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Anthony De Mello wrote a handy little book that has been one of my favorites for several years. Although I can not do justice to this great mystic, I will share just a little of his brilliance.

The book is a collection of meditations that helped me adjust to life as it is, not as I thought is was. De Mello presents thirty one short reflections concerning our common struggles: anxieties, resentments, fears, relationships with enemies, suffering, and praying.
The meditations are written in a clear conversational style that is filled with graphic questions for the reader to ponder. For me, I read only one meditation at a time, then spend several minutes considering the questions. Occasionally I need to stop and meditate after a single paragraph.

What follows is just a few of De Mello's thoughts.
According to Anthony, when I find myself angry or upset about another person, instead of asking "what is wrong with him", I need to ask "what does this irritation tell me about myself." To bring peace I must think about myself, ask what barriers exist in me that prevent peace.

The Way of Love discusses a common belief that if all our wants and desires are fulfilled we will be happy. Happiness can not be defined in a way that it applies to everyone. Happiness is very subjective. If an object I fancy breaks and cannot be replaced, I am unhappy. If a person I love is ill, dies, or is very aloof towards me, I am miserable. Happiness can only be attained by releasing myself from my attachments to earthly possessions and people.

DeMello suggests that people and situations that cause us pain also give us growth. Pleasant encounters may give us temporary pleasure, but hurtful ones cause us to change and improve. He says we might select a painful situation in our history, remember which emotions we felt, and analyze those feelings to reveal what they tells us about ourselves. Were we really hurt, or were our standards and values challenged? If we had not been programmed by society to be upset in such experiences, would our pain be so great?
The Way to Love is worth having. If you get a copy, carry it with you and read it during those times you are idle. You may enjoy having it with you.

Editorial Review:

The Way To Love contains the  final flowering of Anthony de Mello's thought, and  in it he grapples with the ultimate question of  love. In thirty-one meditations, he implores his  readers with his usual pithiness to break through  illusion, the great obstacle to love. "Love  springs from awareness," de Mello insists, saying  that it is only when we see others as they are  that we can begin to really love. But not only must  we seek to see others with clarity, we must examine  ourselves without misconception. The task,  however, is not easy. "The most painful act,"  de Mello says, "is the act of seeing. But in  that act of seeing that love is born." Anthony  De Mello was the director of the Sadhana Institute  of Pastoral Counseling in Poona, India, and  authored several books. The Way To Love  is his last.

Illuminata: A Return to Prayer

Marianne Williamson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Message of We Are Not Separate... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is my bible. I take it everywhere, and I buy it as gifts for my friends, searching for healing, whether through tough relationships, illness, bad fortune, etc. This "non-religious" based prayer book can be understood by all. There is no religious distinction, but there is a warmth and comfort that comes over one when reading through the prayers which conjure such "feeling". I took excerpts of Marianne's prayers and used it for our Thanksgiving blessing...family loved it...so down to earth. If we could get away from our "separate" beliefs, so much peace and harmony could be the healing that is needed for humanity. I commend Marianne for her strengths in keeping the awareness of the light in all of humanity at the forefront.

Excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A beautiful book that I take everywhere with me. The power of prayer and positive thought have made me a more peaceful and stronger person.

Editorial Review:

The best-selling author of A Return to Love presents a compilation of contemporary prayers and meditations for people of all faiths, covering such topics as business, friendship, reconciliation, and anger. Reissue.

The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word (Meyer, Joyce)

Joyce Meyer

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Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Use This Tool Daily 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book and I'm so glad I did! I'm using it every day, speaking God's Word for my life and the positive changes are really remarkable. This is the most useful book I've ever seen by Joyce Meyer and I just can't say enough about it. I'd rate it 10 stars if that were possible. Besides the content itself, this is a really well-made book, very sturdy and small enough to take along in my purse.

Many times when people are praying, they are just speaking to God about their problems. This is faithless prayer and God cannot change anything in your life when you don't ask with faith. God already knows about the situation and think about it this way...God says His Word will never go void, but that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass. When you speak God's Word over situations in your life, situations are guaranteed to improve. Speaking God's Word has caused my faith to grow enormously.

The book is broken down into different topics like courage, health, depression, finance and so many more. Get this book and start using it today!!! God will bless you like never before. Also get "God's Master Plan For Your Life" by Gloria Copeland. It's awesome! I pray that God begins to bless you in every area of your life as you put this foundational principle to work!

Editorial Review:

Joyce Meyer believes that faith is active. When people understand this and speak aloud the things they long for, they will truly receive God's blessings. THE SECRET POWER OF SPEAKING GOD'S WORD teaches readers to quickly and easily confess their needs with powerful Scriptures covering over 50 topics, including Patience, Loneliness, Wisdom, and much more. Now, readers will feel truly empowered as they seek God's blessings.