Becoming Vulnerable to Grace

Becoming Vulnerable to Grace PDF Author: Bart Marshall
Publisher: Realface Press
ISBN: 9780999258330
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
This is a book about spiritual enlightenment-what it is, how it happened for me, and how you might live in such a way that it could happen for you. Few undertakings are more pretentious than writing about Absolute Truth and the "path" to it. For starters, positioning oneself as an authority on the subject is obscenely audacious, and takes a lot of chutzpah. Second, words cannot touch it, so no matter how well you might be able to choose and order yours, the end result will fall so far short of the mark it may as well be an outright lie. And yet, to have something informed to say about Truth and not speak it is almost impossible. To have True Nature reveal Itself to Itself in "your" presence is the greatest gift anyone could ever receive, and leaves you wishing that gift be given to everyone. In the memoir portion of this book, I've tried to focus on stories and life passages I feel in some way may have contributed to my Realization, or to my perspective now, sixteen years later. The last chapters are pretty much straight up "teachings" aimed at helping seekers on their own paths to Realization, and are the raison d'etre for this book at all. The memoir portion mainly serves as a way to get to know who you're listening to if you make it to the latter part, but hopefully it also provides an entertaining read.The things I say about spiritual matters are not intended to inform your mind and bring understanding. They are Trojan horses aimed at destroying all that. I'm not interested in saying things satisfying to the intellect. I'm interested in saying things that might weaken your fascination with a false reality, that might put your mind on shaky ground, that might make you vulnerable to Grace.My actual purpose is to arrange my words in such a way as to cause your mind to collapse in on itself, and there are numerous phrases and passages within this book capable of doing that. Your life, too, is filled with myriad invitations to "Know Thyself." When you are ready-when you have the capacity to receive-the thought that stops the mind will happen and transmission will occur. This is my deepest wish for you, but only if you wish it for yourself.

Becoming Vulnerable to Grace

Becoming Vulnerable to Grace PDF Author: Bart Marshall
Publisher: Realface Press
ISBN: 9780999258330
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is a book about spiritual enlightenment-what it is, how it happened for me, and how you might live in such a way that it could happen for you. Few undertakings are more pretentious than writing about Absolute Truth and the "path" to it. For starters, positioning oneself as an authority on the subject is obscenely audacious, and takes a lot of chutzpah. Second, words cannot touch it, so no matter how well you might be able to choose and order yours, the end result will fall so far short of the mark it may as well be an outright lie. And yet, to have something informed to say about Truth and not speak it is almost impossible. To have True Nature reveal Itself to Itself in "your" presence is the greatest gift anyone could ever receive, and leaves you wishing that gift be given to everyone. In the memoir portion of this book, I've tried to focus on stories and life passages I feel in some way may have contributed to my Realization, or to my perspective now, sixteen years later. The last chapters are pretty much straight up "teachings" aimed at helping seekers on their own paths to Realization, and are the raison d'etre for this book at all. The memoir portion mainly serves as a way to get to know who you're listening to if you make it to the latter part, but hopefully it also provides an entertaining read.The things I say about spiritual matters are not intended to inform your mind and bring understanding. They are Trojan horses aimed at destroying all that. I'm not interested in saying things satisfying to the intellect. I'm interested in saying things that might weaken your fascination with a false reality, that might put your mind on shaky ground, that might make you vulnerable to Grace.My actual purpose is to arrange my words in such a way as to cause your mind to collapse in on itself, and there are numerous phrases and passages within this book capable of doing that. Your life, too, is filled with myriad invitations to "Know Thyself." When you are ready-when you have the capacity to receive-the thought that stops the mind will happen and transmission will occur. This is my deepest wish for you, but only if you wish it for yourself.

Become The Woman of Your Dreams

Become The Woman of Your Dreams PDF Author: Grace Harris
Publisher: Dutch Global
ISBN: 9780648873273
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
It was a thunderous and stormy summer day in the Northern Rivers of Australia when Grace Harris found herself fighting for her life after a simple medical procedure turned fatal due to an accidental anaesthesia overdose. A successful career woman and single mother of two, Grace travelled the world with her children and enjoyed the privileges that financial security brings. On the outside, her life resembled the quintessential modern household full of excitement and abundance. But on the inside, Grace secretly suffered from high functioning depression and chronic anxiety, stemming from her life in Southern Philippines when at the age of six, she was abandoned by her mother to live amongst relatives, where she grew up sexually, emotionally, and psychologically abused. She suppressed her trauma so deeply in an effort to create a loving life that she had always longed for. In doing so, Grace's suppression of her demons resulted to a vicious cycle of self-sabotage, by attracting abusive relationships that resemble the ones she had grown up in. On that fateful day in 2013, while coughing and spluttering blood on the hospital bed, and as the doctors tried to bring her to life from her overdue slumber, Grace was faced by her mortality. The realisation that she was so close to death gave her a raw insight on how she had chosen to live her life so far. For the first time, a gripping true story about the repercussions of unaddressed trauma, and the epidemic child abandonment in the Philippines, is written. Become The Woman of Your Dreams is a true story of healing from the inside. The decision to win the war, instead of simply fighting the battles, was a pivotal moment in Grace's life. From there, she traced her steps backwards and faced all the pain and suffering that created the woman she was; and then she mapped out a bold pathway to become the woman of her dreams. This book will take you through a journey of healing through unapologetic stories of pain, pleasure, adventures, life and death, and then the ultimate gift of finding inner joy and fearless self-love.

Braving the Wilderness: Reese's Book Club

Braving the Wilderness: Reese's Book Club PDF Author: Brené Brown
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812985818
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A timely and important book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, MSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging. Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.” Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”

A Surrendered Yes

A Surrendered Yes PDF Author: Rebekah Lyons
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310457556
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Even when circumstances feel wildly out of your control, you can make the decision each day to say yes to who God says you are in Him. This 52-week devotional from bestselling author Rebekah Lyons offers practical advice and spiritual wisdom to help you find renewed freedom in your daily rhythms as you intentionally focus on what God has for you in every moment of life. Rebekah found new freedom in discovering that yes in her own life as she and her husband made a cross-country move and adopted a child with Down syndrome. Along the way, she realized that when we say yes in even the small, ordinary moments of life, we experience renewed spiritual vitality for every aspect of God's calling. In A Surrendered Yes, Rebekah draws on biblical truths and her personal story to inspire you to: Say yes to God, yourself, and others Find freedom from the approval of others Use your time and energy to live a life of intention Practice Sabbath to maintain your emotional, physical, and spiritual health Release control to find God's presence in play and laughter Experience the truth that God is enough Each entry in this year-long devotional includes: A Bible verse A thoughtful devotion from Rebekah A journal prompt to help you apply that week's theme in your daily life A Surrendered Yes features a beautiful cover design and includes a ribbon marker, making it an encouraging gift for a family member, friend, or yourself. Discover the delight of living from a place of freedom in your daily routines and lifelong dreams. Live with joy instead of regret. Freedom instead of fear. Rest instead of striving. Say yes. Look for additional inspirational books and resources from Rebekah Lyons: Rhythms of Renewal You Are Free

Call It Grace

Call It Grace PDF Author: Serene Jones
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735223653
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
"Theology is a place and a story. Theology is the place and story you think of when you ask yourself about the meaning of your life, of the world, and the possibility of God." So begins Serene Jones's epic work of raw truth, fierce love, and spiritual teaching as muscular as the fractured soul of this century demands. From her abiding Oklahoma roots to her historic leadership of a legendary New York seminary, her story illuminates the deep fault lines of this age--and points beyond them. With a voice that is at once frank and poetic, humble and prophetic, intimate and practical, Jones makes complex teachings around hatred, forgiveness, mercy, justice, death, sin, and grace understandable and immediately applicable for modern people. Excavating the wisdom of great theological voices--Soren Kierkegaard, Reinhold Niebuhr, John Calvin, James Baldwin, James Cone, Luce Irigaray, Saint Teresa of Avila--she brings them to life with an intimacy and vividness that illumines our lives and our culture now. At the same time, and with great beauty, Call It Grace reveals Serene Jones as a towering voice of a new, and urgently necessary, public theology for this century.

The Happiness Dare

The Happiness Dare PDF Author: Jennifer Dukes Lee
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN: 1496411145
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Would you like to be happier? No matter who you are or how you feel, chances are you would answer yes. And Jennifer Dukes Lee was no different. For years, she wrestled with a constant nagging sense that she wasn't as happy as she could be. At the same time, she felt guilty for wanting something so "shallow." After all, doesn't God only care that we find joy in our circumstances? Or is it possible that God really does want us to be happy? Determined to get answers, Jennifer embarked on a quest to find out whether our happiness matters to God and, if so, how to pursue it in a way that pleases him. In The Happiness Dare, you'll learn what she discovered, including how to: Understand the five happiness styles and maximize yours Overcome the four biggest obstacles that stand in the way of your happiness Find your happiness sweet spot--the place, relationship, or activity that gives you the greatest sense of well-being Discover what you can do in just five minutes a day to be happier Will you take the dare? Join Jennifer in the pursuit of your truest, most satisfied, and most faith-filled self.

Love Is an Inside Job

Love Is an Inside Job PDF Author: Romal Tune
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 147899259X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
Faith in God plus therapy are the combination that leads to wholeness. Tune's story of his faith/therapy path to authenticity with God will empower you for your own life journey. Tune is the son of a drug-addicted single parent mother, who herself, inherited deeply ingrained obstacles to self-love. He found his way out of poverty via the military. He graduated from Howard University and Duke School of Divinity. He was a minister, a sought-after speaker, and social entrepreneur. Outwardly, he was successful, an overcomer. Yet, his past, hidden childhood trauma would sometimes revolt, causing self-sabotage that threatened to destroy the life he was creating. He worked hard to keep the emotional brokenness caused by the challenges of his upbringing carefully hidden -- especially from the church. His mother, with whom he successfully reconciled after she was finally free from addiction, died of lung cancer. Then he divorced -- a second time. Feeling like a failure, questioning his faith and will to live, he made a choice not to give up but to examine his life and seek counseling. Dubbed "Brother Brown" (a Black man's Brene Brown), his book shares his process of applying therapy and faith to anger, shame, self-doubt and plaguing memories. Romal learned that the pursuit of success was not the key to healing the inner turmoil but it was in learning to accept the love of God and learning to love the wounded child within. His past pain was redeemed as self-worth and he finally found inner peace. No longer carrying the weight of secrets, guilt and shame, he emerged emotionally free and more powerful than ever. His book will empower others to stop living a past driven present by healing their stories, embracing the love of God, and learning to truly love themselves.

Searching for Grace

Searching for Grace PDF Author: Scotty Smith
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 1496444051
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
“Searching for Grace invites you into the kind of relationship that we all long for deep in our hearts. The relationship between Scotty and Russ is scary, vulnerable, painful, but gorgeously loving and drenched in grace.” —Paul David Tripp, author of New Morning Mercies Anxious? Burnt out? Weary? Why is it so hard for our souls to find rest? In Searching for Grace, Russ and his mentor, Scotty Smith, explore the contours of their lives and why embracing God’s grace unreservedly is so difficult for many of us. Their honest conversations offer priceless lessons for parched souls everywhere. Many of us feel anxious and unfulfilled by our everyday existence, yet deeply long for a purposeful, meaningful, and peace-filled life. That tension creates a background buzz of profound discontentment behind everything we do. There is a better way. Searching for Grace reveals the conversations between Russ and Scotty that transformed Russ’s life forever, helping him identify the mindsets that contributed to his restlessness. Straight from his little black journal, Russ shares the seven life-giving principles he learned from Scotty that unleashed him to a refreshingly new life, radically built on God’s grace.

From Grief to Grace

From Grief to Grace PDF Author: Jeannie Ewing
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
ISBN: 1622822943
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Grief touches all of our lives, but it does not have to paralyze us with fear or inaction. God allows suffering because He knows how powerful it can be to our spiritual lives and to helping us fully embrace His love and mercy. In this insightful and practical book, you’ll learn how to live a life of redemptive suffering that will draw you through grief into a state of tenacity, meaning, holiness, and joy. Author Jeannie Ewing is no stranger to suffering. Her family has long struggled with bipolar disorder and depression, and her baby daughter was born with a rare genetic disorder that caused her bones to prematurely fuse together. Despite the many layers of sadness, loss, confusion, and anger, Jeannie responded to God’s calling and transformed her life into one with profound purpose and joy. Combining her training in psychology and counseling with real-life examples, Jeannie will show you that there is much life to be lived in the midst of loss, and that all things – even the most painful life experiences – are working together for a greater good. You’ll also learn: The all-too-often misunderstood difference between grief and depression.The spiritual benefits to uniting your crosses with Jesus’s Passion and Death.The counterintuitive notion that grief and joy can coexist.The spiritual danger of internalizing our pain and hiding it from othersHow great saints like St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Liseux struggled to make sense out of suffering.The six spiritual principles that will assist you on the journey of navigating grief.How to know when you should seek professional help.Ways in which God is calling you to bring hope and joy to those dwelling in darkness.How to confidently confront the nothingness and emptiness you feel in your interior life.And Meditations on the Stations of the Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary that will help you reflect on how redemptive suffering can help you embrace God’s love and mercy.

Sensible Shoes

Sensible Shoes PDF Author: Sharon Garlough Brown
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830864539
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Sharon Garlough Brown tells the moving story of four strangers as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support and personal revelation.