Are you concerned about unreached or unengaged peoples? You probably know that their countries do not welcome missionaries, and that followers of Jesus who serve there via traditional sending organizations do not publicize these organizational ties or their church-based funding sources. But have you thought through the consequences of keeping that information hidden? Authentic Lives will help you do that-and more. And if those consequences trouble you, Authentic Lives suggests ways to minimize them in traditional organizations and also suggests other options for service altogether. The challenges these other options present are also discussed-going without a sending agency is not easy but is sometimes best nonetheless. Book jacket.

How do we know if we're following our true callings? How do we sharpen our senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and hear the calls that are beckoning us? is the first book to examine the many kinds of calls we receive and the great variety of channels through which they come to us. A calling may be to do something (change careers, go back to school, have a child) or to be something (more creative, less judgmental, more loving). While honoring a calling's essential mystery, this book also guides readers to ask and answer the fundamental questions that arise from any calling: How do we recognize it? How do we distinguish the true call from the siren song? How do we handle our resistance to a call? What happens when we say yes? What happens when we say no? Drawing on the hard-won wisdom and powerful stories of people who have followed their own calls, Gregg Levoy shows us the many ways to translate a calling into action. In a style that is poetic, exuberant, and keenly insightful, he presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listen and respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in our relationships or in service. Callings is a compassionate guide to discovering your own callings and negotiating the tight passages to personal power and authenticity.

Over the centuries, many books have been written showing the connections between psychology and spirituality. However, never before has anyone succeeded in spelling out the psychological steps needed to attain spiritual consciousness. In this remarkable book, that is exactly what Dr. Thomas Legere has done. Coming from a truly remarkable background that includes degrees in philosophy, theology, spirituality, and psychology, Dr. Legere has the gift of being able to communicate profound truths in a clear and simple way. Finally, spiritual seekers will discover here what spirituality does and does not mean from a psychological perspective. Richly illustrated with helpful charts and diagrams, Living an Authentic Life will explain, in the everyday language of psychology, each step of the universal journey to wholeness. Living an Authentic Life is at once an intensely personal journey as well as a deeply compelling exploration of the human path toward authenticity and integrity. This is a book for everyone who yearns to break out of the mediocrity of the unexamined life and plunge into self discovery and transformation. Thomas Legere has written a wonderful book for our times. Jose Stevens, Ph.D. Psychologist and Author of Transforming Your Dragons and Secrets of Shamanism

Do you feel fulfilled with your life? Do you love your job but have no time for your family and friends? Are you bogged down in stress and worry and feel good sleep and healthy eating slipping away?Have you resigned yourself to the belief that your life is what it is because you're sick of trying and failing with nothing ever changing? Living in Your Sweet Spot: A Practical Guide to Your Authentic Life is designed to guide you to understanding what you do that brings yourself closer to or further from your authentic self. It is about what you do to protect, avoid, delay, deny, or excuse not living your life to its fullest potential.Living in Your Sweet Spot can help you better understand and confront:The physical damage of stress;What is keeping you from restful sleep;Easy steps to effective meditation;The emotional and physical value of gratitude;Understanding your purpose and following it to your destiny; andMany more powerful steps to living in your sweet spot.When you live in your sweet spot as your authentic self, all the pieces of your life fit together harmoniously and you have a feelingof inner peace and satisfaction. Using personal narratives gainedfrom her clients' success stories and her own, Dr. Pat Gibson's Living in Your Sweet Spot offers the exercises, tools, and knowledge to achieve your authentic self and live the life you deserve.

Christians have always practiced mindfulness. Yet, from the popular landscape of mindfulness movement, you’d never know that. Where is the Christian voice in this fast-growing movement? Many Christians practice mindfulness outside of church and believe it does not belong to our faith tradition. This book reveals the Christian roots of mindfulness and the actual practices that, when reclaimed, deepen the life of faith and the power of our mission of love in the world. When we understand how radical it is to live in God’s presence right here, right now, our lives are transformed toward mercy, justice and abundant life. Amy Oden shows how the practice of Christian mindfulness begins with the teachings of Jesus and continues throughout Christian history. It also includes step-by-step instructions for the practice of Christian mindfulness today. Pastors and leaders will find this book useful on the ground as they curate current culture and guide Christians in spiritual practices. " ... this is the best introduction to Christian mindfulness I have read." —Shaun Lambert, Senior Minister of Stanmore Baptist Church, United Kingdom “Amy Oden knows the history of Christian spirituality as well as anyone, and she helps us see what might seem surprising to many—that mindfulness has deep roots in the Christian tradition. The wisdom she shares in this clear, winsome book has already deepened my own life of prayer. I know this book will bear fruit in classrooms and congregations as readers heed its call to stop and pay prayerful attention to what God is doing, right here, right now.” —L. Roger Owens, Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality and Ministry, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA “Oden deftly lifts up a clear template for what lies at the core of all spiritual practice: mindfulness—a simple awareness within ordinary life of divine presence, here and now. Unlike many generic practices of mindfulness now popular in business, education, and the fitness industry, Oden underscores that Christian mindfulness is not an end in itself but an awareness that turns us toward God. Amy’s words become a litany of invitation into the posture of open-hearted presence to the Presence, right here, right now.” (from the foreword) —Marjorie J. Thompson, author of Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, former Director of Pathways in Congregational Spirituality with Upper Room Ministries, and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church (USA)

This volume presents new essays on the theory and practice of recognition. In order to retain its overall plausibility as a critical social theory, contemporary recognition theory needs to be able to successfully combine theory with real-life perspectives, in both contemporary and historical contexts. Contemporary recognition theory has developed into an established and active multidisciplinary research programme. The chapters in this volume have two main purposes. First, they engage in theoretical development of the contemporary theories of recognition. They explore the conceptual histories and the environments of recognition, as well as the connection between recognition and authenticity, emancipation, and social ontology. Second, they connect the theoretical insights of contemporary recognition with analyses of contemporary and historical social practices. These contributions explore themes such as populism and polarization, models of harmful invisibilization and social ignorance, the problem of evil and suffering, and social justice phenomena such as the #MeToo movement. The Theory and Practice of Recognition will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in social and political philosophy, social ontology, political theory, and sociology.