The Lives We Actually Have

The Lives We Actually Have PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593193717
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Warm and witty blessings found within the struggles of our shared humanity, from the New York Times bestselling authors of Good Enough Blessed are you, the strange duck. You with the very intense hobbies. Or the collection of movies or mugs or sneakers. You with the hometown or home team that makes you very, very proud. You, my dear, in all your intricacies . . . are a marvel. We live in a world that demands relentless perfection. Happy marriages and easy friendships. Bucket list–level adventures and matching family photos. But what if our actual lives don’t feel very #blessed? Might our everyday existence be worthy of a blessing too? Even an average Tuesday? Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie offer creative, faith-based blessings that center gratitude and hope while acknowledging our real, messy lives. Formatted like a prayer book, The Lives We Actually Have is an oasis and a landing spot for weary souls, with blessings that focus on the full range of human moments: garbage days, lovely days, grief-stricken days, and even (especially) completely ordinary days. These heartfelt blessings are a chance to exhale when we feel everything from careworn to restless, devastated to bored. Let’s have a reminder that we don’t need to wait for perfect lives when we can bless the lives we actually have.

The Lives We Actually Have

The Lives We Actually Have PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593193717
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
Warm and witty blessings found within the struggles of our shared humanity, from the New York Times bestselling authors of Good Enough Blessed are you, the strange duck. You with the very intense hobbies. Or the collection of movies or mugs or sneakers. You with the hometown or home team that makes you very, very proud. You, my dear, in all your intricacies . . . are a marvel. We live in a world that demands relentless perfection. Happy marriages and easy friendships. Bucket list–level adventures and matching family photos. But what if our actual lives don’t feel very #blessed? Might our everyday existence be worthy of a blessing too? Even an average Tuesday? Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie offer creative, faith-based blessings that center gratitude and hope while acknowledging our real, messy lives. Formatted like a prayer book, The Lives We Actually Have is an oasis and a landing spot for weary souls, with blessings that focus on the full range of human moments: garbage days, lovely days, grief-stricken days, and even (especially) completely ordinary days. These heartfelt blessings are a chance to exhale when we feel everything from careworn to restless, devastated to bored. Let’s have a reminder that we don’t need to wait for perfect lives when we can bless the lives we actually have.

Blessings for Imperfect Days

Blessings for Imperfect Days PDF Author: Dr Cane
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Blessings for Imperfect Days is a collection of blessings and affirmations meant to bring comfort, hope and inspiration to those struggling. The book is divided into twenty chapters, each addressing a different aspect of the human experience, from gratitude and forgiveness to resilience and self-care. The main theme of the book is the idea that imperfection is not a weakness but a natural part of human experience. Through blessings and affirmations, the author encourages readers to let go of unrealistic expectations and embrace the beauty and complexity of their lives, their flaws, and everything in between. In the first chapter, "The Blessing of New Beginnings," the author forcefully reminds us that every day is an opportunity to begin anew, and that even when we feel lost or stuck, we can always start over. The blessing encourages readers to believe in themselves and their ability to create a better future. Blessings for giving up perfection"; The author encourages readers to free themselves from the need to be perfect and to enjoy their imperfections. The blessing reminds us that true happiness and fulfillment come from accepting ourselves and our lives as they are and celebrating our unique talents, quirks, and imperfections. Other chapters cover topics such as self-compassion, gratitude, resilience, and the power of community. In The Blessings of Cultivating Self-Compassion, readers are reminded of the importance of being kind and gentle to oneself and the power of self-compassion to heal emotional wounds. In "Blessings for Gratitude"; The author encourages readers to cultivate a spirit of gratitude even during difficult times and to focus on the many blessings in their lives. The blessing reminds us that gratitude is a powerful tool to change our perspective and find joy in everyday life. In "Blessings on Immunity"; The author recognizes the challenges and setbacks we all face in life and encourages readers to find the strength and resilience to overcome them. The blessing reminds us that resilience is not a permanent trait, but an ability that can be developed through practice and perseverance. Throughout the book, the author weaves elements of spirituality, psychology, and self-help to create a holistic approach to healing and growth. Both practical and inspirational, the blessings and affirmations provide readers with tangible tools to navigate life's ups and downs while instilling a sense of hope and encouragement. In summary, Blessings for Imperfect Days is a beautiful and uplifting book that offers a new perspective on the challenges of human experience. The author's compassionate and insightful voice reminds readers that imperfection is not a weakness, but a natural part of the journey of self-discovery and growth. Serving as a powerful reminder of the resilience, strength and beauty of the human spirit, the book is essential reading for anyone seeking comfort and inspiration during difficult times.

Blessed

Blessed PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199985855
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
How have millions of American Christians come to measure spiritual progress in terms of their financial status and physical well-being? How has the movement variously called Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, or simply prosperity gospel come to dominate much of our contemporary religious landscape? Kate Bowler's Blessed is the first book to fully explore the origins, unifying themes, and major figures of a burgeoning movement that now claims millions of followers in America. Bowler traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers. Bowler focuses on such contemporary figures as Creflo Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's 30,000-member World Changers Church International; Joel Osteen, known as "the smiling preacher," with a weekly audience of seven million; T. D. Jakes, named by Time magazine one of America's most influential new religious leaders; Joyce Meyer, evangelist and women's empowerment guru; and many others. At almost any moment, day or night, the American public can tune in to these preachers-on TV, radio, podcasts, and in their megachurches-to hear the message that God desires to bless them with wealth and health. Bowler offers an interpretive framework for scholars and general readers alike to understand the diverse expressions of Christian abundance as a cohesive movement bound by shared understandings and common goals.

Good Enough

Good Enough PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1529192420
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
***THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*** We begin to feel less alone, more loved and less judged when good is . . . enough. In this collection of 40ish short spiritual devotionals, Good Enough reveals the small things we can do to inch toward a deeper, richer, truer kind of faith. Through blessings, prayers and human truths, learn to live with imperfection in a culture of self-help that promotes endless progress, and discover a companion for when you want to stop feeling guilty that you're not living your best life now. Hailed by Glennon Doyle as 'the Christian Joan Didion', in these gorgeously written reflections Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie proffer fresh imagination for how truth, beauty, and meaning can be discovered amidst the chaos of life. Their words celebrate kindness, honesty and interdependence in a culture that rewards ruthless individualism and blind optimism. Ultimately, in these pages we can rest in the encouragement to strive for what is possible today - while recognising that though we are finite, the life in front of us can still be beautiful.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Everything Happens for a Reason PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0399592075
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising

Circle of Grace

Circle of Grace PDF Author: Jan Richardson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780977816279
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Within the struggle, joy, pain, and delight that attend our life, there is an invisible circle of grace that enfolds and encompasses us in every moment. Blessings help us to perceive this circle of grace, to find our place of belonging within it, and to receive the strength the circle holds for us." -from the Introduction Beginning in Advent and moving through the sacred seasons of the Christian year, Circle of Grace offers Jan's distinctive and poetic blessings that illuminate the treasures each season offers to us.

No Cure for Being Human

No Cure for Being Human PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0593230787
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn’t choose? “Kate Bowler is the only one we can trust to tell us the truth.”—Glennon Doyle, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed It’s hard to give up on the feeling that the life you really want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely? Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered, at age thirty-five, that her body was wracked with cancer. In No Cure for Being Human, she searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of today’s “best life now” advice industry, which insists on exhausting positivity and on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness. We are, she finds, as fragile as the day we were born. With dry wit and unflinching honesty, Kate Bowler grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with her limitations in a culture that says anything is possible. She finds that we need one another if we’re going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between—and there’s no cure for being human.

The Preacher's Wife

The Preacher's Wife PDF Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691209197
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars write bestselling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach. Bowler offers a sympathetic and revealing portrait of megachurch women celebrities, showing how they must balance the demands of celebrity culture and conservative, male-dominated faiths. And black celebrity preachers' wives carry a special burden of respectability. A compelling account of women's search for spiritual authority in the age of celebrity. -- adapted from jacket

Celtic Blessings

Celtic Blessings PDF Author: Ray Simpson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780829421170
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The ancient Celts did not distinguish between the sacred and the secular. To these imaginative people, everything had spiritual significance. Simpson draws deeply from this rich Celtic tradition to compile a collection of blessings that celebrate God's truth in readers' day-to-day lives.

Small Blessings

Small Blessings PDF Author: Martha Woodroof
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250040523
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
"Tom Putnam, an English professor at a Virginia women's college, has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. For more than ten years, his wife Marjory has been a shut-in, a fragile and frigid woman whose neuroses have left her fully dependent on Tom and his formidable mother-in-law, Agnes Tattle. Tom considers his unhappy condition self-inflicted, since Marjory's condition was exacerbated by her discovery of Tom's brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess. But when Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the campus bookstore's charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to dinner, her first social interaction in a decade, Tom wonders if it's a sign that change is on the horizon. And when Tom returns home that evening to a letter from the poetess telling him that he'd fathered her son, Henry, and that Henry, now ten, will arrive by train in a few days, it's clear change is coming whether Tom's ready or not. For readers of Helen Simonson and Anna Quindlen, Small Blessings is funny, heart-warming and poignant, with a charmingly imperfect cast of cinema-ready characters. Readers will fall in love with the novel's wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life is veering irrevocably off track, the track changes in ways we never could have imagined"--