2nd Expanded Edition All too frequently studies of the gifts of the Spirit consist largely of answering two questions: "What are the gifts?" and "Which ones do I have?" In many cases studies go on to a third question: "How can I get more?" In response, institutional churches and theologically and intellectually respectable Christians often tend to avoid the work of the Holy Spirit in the church entirely. It's much easier to simply close the doors and windows than it is to deal with the wind (John 3:8). After all, they've seen the wind blow out the candles, disarrange the altar vestments, and send a chill through the congregants. Author, pastor, and church historian Bob Cornwall has experienced all of this for himself. He has seen traditional churches and worship. He has seen Pentecostal worship. He has led congregations in difficult times. For more than 30 years, he has studied, practiced, prayed, and lived the work of the Holy Spirit in the church. The result is Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening. Here he avoids both the errors of replacing the freedom of the Spirit with human whim and of trying to tame or confine the Spirit that will not be fettered. He asks: "Do you truly believe that God is present in the world? And, do you believe that God is working through us to break down the walls that divide us from God, from each other, and from the world? And if you do, do you believe that you have been gifted and empowered to participate in this ministry that takes down the walls of egoism, suspicion, greed, self-interest, and hatred?" If you can say "yes" to these questions, jump right in. This is the book for you. If you are hesitant, or if the idea of the Holy Spirit working unfettered in your congregation and community frightens you, read the first four chapters carefully as Bob lays the theological foundation. You may find your "maybe" or even your "no" turned into a "yes." Building on this foundation, Bob continues with five chapters on the gifts of the Spirit as described in Scripture. These are practical discussions that will let you keep your bearings in discussions of the Spirit and, more importantly, in a community where the Spirit is active. Finally, he concludes with a discussion of how to lead and pastor a church where the gifts of the Spirit are active. Whether you are a Pentecostal, an evangelical, a mainliner, a progressive, or any other label you might find for yourself or your church, you will profit from reading this book.

Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit being active in your church? Are you willing to admit it? The Holy Spirit has been a kind of third-rate member of the trinity in the theological writings of mainline and progressive Christians. It seems that the Spirit brings disorder to communities, spiritual arrogance to those who claim to “have the Spirit,” and frequently doctrinal confusion. We’d rather not have something in our churches that goes where it wants, and doesn’t give account for where it’s coming from and where it’s going. But the biblical picture of the Spirit is one of action, change, and renewal. Perhaps there is a place for this Spirit in a movement claiming the title of “progressive.” Bruce Epperly has experienced church from many perspectives. He has sat in conservative churches where too much Spirit might be seen as inciting division and heresy. He’s been in progressive churches where the Spirit is often considered peripheral. He’s a process theologian, and the Spirit, as he points out in this book, is often of tertiary concern. But he has also observed Spirit in action, and he thinks we do well to considered this third element of the trinity. What does it mean for the Spirit to be active? Is it safe? Can it be controlled? Can you keep it bound by your doctrinal statements? It should be active, and you cannot control it, Epperly argues in this book. You shouldn’t control it. Nor does it coercively control you. But it does drive us to new life, to new adventures, and perhaps to transformed understandings of the universe in which we live. Are you ready to join in this joyous adventure?

The incarnation is a central Christian doctrine. Many books have been dedicated to attempting to understand its mystery and how it fits with the rest of Christian theology. But what about the way this doctrine can and should impact the way we live? Process theologian and pastor Bruce Epperly addresses this topic in this easy-to-read but challenging book. Starting with a look forward in Advent and moving through the seasons of the Christian year and indeed of life, he examines different elements of both the story and the doctrine. From expectation we move through the various “messy” ways in which God acts, Christmas, Epiphany, Pentecost, and the emerging kingdom of Christ. This book is theology where it meets practice, reflection put into practical action, and ethics drawn from the deepest wells of the Christ story. It will drive you deeper into scripture and spiritual growth from a variety of perspectives and sources, reflecting the chasms crossed in the one very messy incarnation.

Here is a daily guide through one of the most treasured books of Christian spirituality: J. I. Packer's Knowing God. Each day you'll read a Scripture and a brief passage about the glory and joy of being in relationship with God. An idea at the end of each day's reading will help you to respond to God in prayer and reflection.

The late Dr. Nass Cannon Jr. (MD) was a physician for the indigent poor for over forty years and an internationally renowned scholar of the theologian and monk, Thomas Merton. In Search of the Healing Spirit follows a narrative arc across several essays of Dr. Cannon’s analysis and reflections on life and Thomas Merton’s theological contributions. First articulated by Dr. Cannon at the outset of his journey to serve the poor, the guiding principle of the book is an exploration of what it means to be broken and called to heal each other, ourselves, and the world. As Dr. Cannon writes, “I am a physician who views his root identity as one called to heal. Yet, I experience myself as broken, as one admonished by the phrase, ‘Physician, heal thyself.’ Perhaps you, too . . . experience yourself as a broken healer. Let us together explore some notions regarding the healer as broken, examine the nature of healing, and consider the relationship of the healer to one healed.” From this position as a broken healer, which implicitly embodies Merton’s contemplative spirituality, Dr. Cannon’s meditations over the course of his life of service increasingly weave in Merton’s contributions in search of the true self on such pressing—and universal—topics as grief and loss, the eternal nature and healing power of love, and to do what we can for each other with the time we are given. Dr. Cannon’s writings engage a twenty-first-century audience with insights—drawn from fifty years of study—that can aid lay persons, clergy, and academics to better understand what it means to be a broken person and through that brokenness to heal themselves and the world.

What does your spiritual DNA look like? In terms of your spiritual identity, where do you come from and where are you going? We live in an age when many Christians have experienced several denominational and religious communities. Many wonder what to do with these experiences. At the same time many congregations are made up of people who come from different traditions, and the question is how to bring these diverse experiences into the life of the congregation in an enriching way. If we take as our starting point, the call of Abraham and Sarah to take a journey to an unknown land with the promise that their descendants would be a blessing to the nations, what might this look like in terms of our spiritual lives? Join with the author as he draws on his spiritual journey that has taken him into several denominational traditions, as well as his experiences as a pastor and historical theologian, to discern values and concepts that can help congregations and individuals make sense of their diverse spiritual experiences, so that together we might fulfill the Abrahamic calling, reaffirmed in Christ, to be a blessing to the nations.

Uncharted Corners of Consciousness: A Guidebook for Personal and Spiritual Growth A unique and provocative handbook for those who are ready to begin or continue on their spiritual journey. This is a practical, pragmatic and peaceful book for seekers who want to move from reading to doing. Combining exercises and direction for integrating the spiritual into our daily experiences, this book will become a valuable guide for individuals and therapists alike. Gerbrig Berman and Shelly Siskind were shaken from their comfortable lives and introduced to a teaching team from a different dimension who provided lessons from ancient and modern traditions. The authors invite you to meet your own team and this book shows you how. The superb collection of meditative writings and drawings leap off the page and lead you on an exciting inward journey - to the very core of your being. With more than forty years of study and application, both in their personal and professional lives, the authors enable you to be an active participant in your own well-being. Uncharted Corners of Consciousness is a marvelous guide for making sense of the mystical.