John Wesley (1703 - 1791), one of the greatest preachers of all time, preached more than 40,000 sermons. Wesley's sermons centered on God's unconditional love, freely offered to all through Christ. Wesley preached at coal mines and in fields and sparked a great spiritual renewal. Wesley's published sermons instructed the people in Christian discipleship and explained the core understandings of the Methodist movement. Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit offers contemporary readers an approach to Wesley's spiritual depth. Author Paul Chilcote has transposed 52 of Wesley's standard sermons into flowing devotional prayers that are written in contemporary language, yet faithful to Wesley's message. A scripture reference and a hymn by Charles Wesley accompany each prayer. The prayers offer a means of reflecting on such topics as salvation by faith, yearning for God, and Christian perfection. Like Wesley's sermons, these prayers show a concern to reveal how God works in the world. The prayers also engage the head and hands and heart in the same way that Wesley understood Christian discipleship. With 52 prayers, readers may pray one prayer a week for a year and immerse themselves in a "short course" in Wesleyan thought and theology. This one-of-a-kind prayer book will introduce readers to a rich heritage of Christian discipleship and is a "must have" devotional book for those active in the Wesleyan tradition. A Scripture Index and a Hymn Index are also included.

Praying in the Spirit of Christ offers contemporary readers a compelling and holistic vision of what life in Christ can mean for them. It draws from the broad array of spiritual and theological literature that John Wesley considered most significant for growth in Christian discipleship. In this volume, author Paul Chilcote utilizes the same method or approach of his earlier devotional work, Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit. He has transposed brief excerpts from Wesley's fifty-volume Christian Library into fluid prayers that are written in contemporary language, yet faithful to the spiritual insights of the classical sources. A hymn by Charles Wesley accompanies each prayer, and a passage of Scripture frames the topic for each devotional reading. The prayers help readers ponder themes like the desire of the heart, liberty in Christ, thirst for God, resurrection joy, and unbounded love. These devotions engage head and heart and seek to shape the lives of those who pray in the spirit of Christ.

Dr. Laurence Stookey of Wesley Seminary has created this resource to serve as a daily prayer book for the home and personal use. The book is also designed for use by individuals participating in a Wesleyan class meeting in conjunction with the Sunday morning experience or a week-day meeting. The unique aspect of this program lies in its incorporation of the practice of daily prayer and accountability within the Sunday morning adult education program . In addition to activities conducted on Sunday, class members will participate in ordered daily prayer within the Wesleyan spirit. This Day contains thirty-one forms of prayer, one for each day of the month drawn from: John Wesley's 1738 Forms of Prayer for Every Day of the Week, The 1784 Order for Morning Prayer, The United Methodist Book of Worship, The Book of Common Prayer, The IONA and Taize Communities, the Benedictine tradition, the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and contemporary sources. This resource is not UM specific and is based on the revised common lectionary and the daily lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer. Deluxe edition, is a great gift idea!Read the Circuit Rider review here

This workbook describes major features in John Wesley's devotional life, and it illustrates how you can apply his ministry to your own life. Structured around Wesley’s "Means of Grace," the 7-week study covers prayer, scripture, the Lord’s Supper, fasting, Christian conferencing, and providential means of grace. Developed for individual or group study, the workbook also offers suggestions for organizing an initial group meeting and developing a successful group study. Also available in Spanish as La Vida de Devoción en la Tradición Wesleyana.

Wesley’s historic questions have been asked of those considered for full connection (ordination) since as early as 1784, the first Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, presided over by Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke. The questions also have a broader Wesleyan context. Many of these questions were originally used with the people Wesley called “Helpers,” lay men and women to whom Wesley gave responsibility for leadership in the Methodist societies. They were class leaders, stewards, local preachers and travelling preachers. The questions addressed topics Wesley believed to be essential for persons responsible for leading others in discipleship and mission in the world. The nineteen questions cover topics from faith in Christ to spiritual practices to debt. The questions around commitment to the rules of the Church have a contemporary urgency in this season of division. Building from her blog on the 19 Questions, Are You Going On To Perfection, at www.artofholiness.com, Carolyn will thoughtfully unpack each question in a historical and personal way.

John Wesley gave the Methodist movement (and all Christians in general) a discipleship pathway to follow. Wesley began with Three Simple Rules (or “General Rules”), and followed this instruction a year later with the Five Marks of a Methodist (or “Character of a Methodist”). Wesley observed the need for continuous renewal of relationships with God and others, so he established a recurring annual process for God’s people to make One Faithful Promise: The Wesleyan Covenant for Renewal. The study by Heath turns to the practices at the center of Wesley’s understanding of spiritual growth: the means of grace. This book/study guides readers through the five means of grace that John Wesley called “instituted,” meaning these are spiritual practices in which Jesus himself participated and which he encouraged his followers to do. One of the beautiful aspects of Wesley’s theology is that spiritual practices are seamlessly integrated with practices of loving our neighbors well. This is why Wesley said there is no holiness but social holiness. A life of genuine prayer inevitably leads to a life of hospitality, mercy, and justice. Through this book/study participants will consider how each of the five means of grace help us as communities of faith to pray more deeply and live more missionally as followers of Jesus Christ. These means are the ordinary channels that God uses to draw us into a fruitful relationship. These five means or channels are: 1. Prayer 2. Searching Scripture 3. Receiving the Lord’s Supper 4. Fasting 5. Conferencing (communion, fellowship) "Surely John Wesley wanted his teachings to be presented in clear and understandable ways. Elaine Heath’s teaching on the Five Means of Grace are simple and engaging with deep truths. Your group will love it!" - Jennifer Cowart (Executive pastor at Harvest Church, a United Methodist congregation in Warner Robins, GA, near Macon. She co-preaches and directs Discipleship and Emerging Ministries at Harvest UMC.) "Elaine Heath is one of the church’s great teachers and prophets. With engaging stories and clear understanding of Scripture she invites us to experience God’s love through ancient practices that we desperately need. I will be using Five Means of Grace with my congregation as an invitation for those seeking a deeper pathway into discipleship." - Rev. Jacob Armstrong, Providence United Methodist Church, Mount Juliet TN. "Methodists are followers of Jesus who are guided by a “rule of life”, a set of common spiritual practices that put us in a place where we are more likely to experience God’s transforming grace. This brief volume is deceptively filled with guidance for those who would allow the Holy Spirit to guide them. I am grateful to Elaine Heath, who continues to lead us again to the ordinary channels where the streams of mercy, justice and righteousness flow.” - Ken Carter, Resident Bishop, Florida Area, The United Methodist Church and co-author, Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church for People Not in Church

Dr. Laurence Stookey of Wesley Seminary has created this resource to serve as a daily prayer book for the home and personal use. The book is also designed for use by individuals participating in a Wesleyan class meeting in conjunction with the Sunday morning experience or a week-day meeting. The unique aspect of this program lies in its incorporation of the practice of daily prayer and accountability within the Sunday morning adult education program . In addition to activities conducted on Sunday, class members will participate in ordered daily prayer within the Wesleyan spirit. This Day contains thirty-one forms of prayer, one for each day of the month drawn from: John Wesley's 1738 Forms of Prayer for Every Day of the Week, The 1784 Order for Morning Prayer, The United Methodist Book of Worship, The Book of Common Prayer, The IONA and Taize Communities, the Benedictine tradition, the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and contemporary sources. This resource is not UM specific and is based on the revised common lectionary and the daily lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer. **The Deluxe edition includes Bible binding, ribbon markers, and gold-edged pages. A regular edition is also available. Read the Circuit Rider review here