Self-Ministry, or the pastoral care of the self, is a growing concern among Christians everywhere who want to know how they can keep their own emotional fires burning while extending their warmth to others. This book is a unique attempt to integrate psychological methods of self-examination with spiritual principles of discernment.

Self-supporting ministers are wonderfully non-standard. They are deployed in a wide variety ofways and have a range of motivations, working patterns and training needs. Sometimes underused or overworked, they may feel unrecognized and under-supported. As the Church turns increasingly to its volunteer minsters, however, there are encouraging signs that SSMs are being given more creative opportunities than in the past. ‘This handbook is full of sound common sense. . . [it] is both an encouragement and a challenge in the task of re-imagining ministry today.’ Robert Atwell, Bishop of Exeter

A collection of thirty-nine short essays in which Thomas Merton examines what true contemplation is and how it can impact one's spirituality.

Why does one well-equipped, well-meaning person in ministry succeed while another fails? Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman and Donald Guthrie undertook a five-year intensive research project on the frontlines of pastoral ministry to answer that question. What they found was nothing less than the DNA of thriving ministry today.

One of the world’s most illustrious and influential theologians here confronts one of the crucial philosophical and religious questions of our time: the nature and role of man. In these three lectures, originally delivered in somewhat different form as The Raymond Fred West Memorial Lectures at Stanford University in May 1963, Dr. Heschel inquires into the logic of being human: What is meant by being human? What are the grounds on which to justify a human being’s claim to being human? In the author’s words, “We have never been as openmouthed and inquisitive, never as astonished and embarrassed at our ignorance about man. We know what he makes, but we do not konw wha he is or what to expect of him. Is it not conceivable that our entire civilization is built upon a minsinterpretation of man? Or that the tragedy of man is due to the fact that he is a being who has forgotten the question: Who is Man? The failure to identify himself, to know what is authentic human existence, leads him to assume a false identity, to pretending to be what he is unable to be or to not accepting what is at the very root of his being. Ignorance about man is not lack of knowledge, but false knowledge.”

We live in a culture that's all about self, becoming the best "me" I can be instead of becoming like Jesus. This me-centered message affects every area of our lives--our friendships, our marriages, even our faith--and it breaks each one in different ways. The self-focused life robs our joy, shrinks our souls, and is the reason we never quite break free of insecurity. In this book, Sharon Hodde Miller invites us into a bigger, Jesus-centered vision--one that restores our freedom and inspires us to live for more. She helps readers - identify the secret source of insecurity - understand how self-focus sabotages seven areas of our lives - learn four practical steps for focusing on God and others - experience freedom from the burden of self-focus Anyone yearning for a purpose bigger than "project me" will cherish this paradigm-shifting message of true fulfillment.

Nationally known for his work and teaching on clergy development, Oswald integrates research and experience into a liberating perspective on the pastoral calling. Discover how imbalances in your physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual lives can destroy the very ministry you seek to carry out. Learn what you can do to restore that balance. Packed with self-assessment tools, real-life experiences, and specific self-care strategies.