'We are the Beloved. We are intimately loved long before our parents, teachers, spouses, children and friends loved or wounded us. That's the truth of our lives. That's the truth I want you to claim for yourself. That's the truth spoken by the voice that says, "You are my Beloved."' - Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved Henri Nouwen, priest, professor and writer, devoted much of his later ministry to emphasising the singular concept of our identity as the Beloved of God. In an interview, he said that he believed the central moment in Jesus' public ministry to be his baptism in the Jordan, when Jesus heard the affirmation, 'You are my beloved son on whom my favour rests.' 'That is the core experience of Jesus,' Nouwen writes. 'He is reminded in a deep, deep way of who he is ... I think his whole life is continually claiming that identity in the midst of everything.' You Are Beloved is a daily devotional created from the very best of Nouwen's writings, paired with daily Scripture readings, that reveals our identity as children of God, and which encourages us to live out that truth in our daily lives. Nouwen is at once refreshingly accessible, unafraid to wrestle with challenging questions, and above all an encouraging and sympathetic voice along the way.

Are you trying to do it all yourself? Muyskens reminds us that what God seeks is relationship with us, a two-way communication. What relationship with God requires is very similar to what our earthly relationships require: openness, listening, focused time. One way to practice the skills needed for this relationship is centering prayer, a simple but deeply powerful prayer practice. In beautiful and accessible language, Muyskens invites us to spend time daily focusing our hearts on God, to find the power to be still and be reoriented to "the One who is the Center of all." Exercises in prayer and scripture reading are provided for the 40 days.

"Cats help me pray," says Herbert Brokering. This collection of whimsical, insightful psalms, or prayers, is based on Brokering's observations of cats he has known through his life - farm cats, house cats, alley cats. Each psalm expresses an observation about a cat's nature, written in the "voice" of the cat, followed by a prayer in which the human spirit speaks of its cat-like nature to God. Cat Psalms is for those who wish to pray more deeply, with more imagination and understanding, and offers fresh ways to see ourselves and new ways to pray.

For anyone who longs for a consistent prayer life yet struggles with distractions, doubts, or knowing where to start, bestselling writer and beloved speaker Chrystal Evans Hurst offers a simple and heartfelt method for having meaningful conversations with God, one day at a time. The kind of intentional, fervent prayer life we'd like to experience often seems intimidating or just out of reach. Chrystal knows how that feels and shares her own relatable journey through the challenges and joys of deepening her prayer life. Showing up to pray just one day at a time, Chrystal found a simple yet powerful practice that made consistent prayer amazingly doable. A warm and encouraging writer, Chrystal shares the same supportive help she found for talking with God specifically and intentionally throughout the day. With relatable stories and timeless Scripture, The 28-Day Prayer Journey offers three prompts each day to guide you through an easy yet intimate prayer experience. From giving thanks, hearing God, and making requests to simply knowing what to say, Chrystal gives practical explanations and easy steps for the core tenets of prayer, including: Praise and Thanksgiving--offering gratitude to God Repentance--seeking forgiveness from God Asking--presenting your requests to God Yielding--surrendering to God The 28-Day Prayer Journey will strengthen your faith and transform your life with the profound experience of communicating with a loving God. Whether you are new to prayer or well-versed in communication with God, this hopeful and supportive guide will help you experience God's presence in ways you never have before through the practice of meaningful prayer.

The customizable Pour Out Your Heart Prayer Journal includes sample prayers, hymns, sections to record prayers, and more. Designed to use over many years, it guides women toward a joyful, consistent prayer life.

An inspirational, hands-on how-to guide for making and praying with beads, for people of all faiths and traditions. In stories and pictures, this book shows how people of all faith traditions use prayer beads as a spiritual tool and a means of expressing their creativity. Every major world religion has a tradition of praying with beads and all are explored here, including the history and use of beads and specific prayers. Describes in detail and with diagrams how to make sets of prayer beads for personal use.

In this book, you will find encouragement and a stirring deep in your spirit that will help you press deep into prayer until prayer becomes a part of your daily life. In this book believers will learn the many ways of approaching the throne of Grace and obtaining mercy in all areas of their lives. God gave us the power of prayer; He wants us to use prayer as a daily part of our lives. We must call on Him and communicate with Him in everything we are going through; He is waiting to hear from us. He is our Heavenly Father; no one has ever loved or cared for us like Him. This step-by-step guide will encourage and teach you to make prayer a part of your very existence. It will empower you to call upon your Heavenly Father in the precious name of Jesus with regards to your every need. This book will provide you with the tools to live a victorious life through prayer and answered prayer.

Growing into the daily use of these meditative prayers makes us conscious of how we stand in great world rhythms. We learn to follow the alternation of waking and sleeping, the ordering of the seven days of the week, and the course of the seasons, as gifts of heavenly powers gradually become known to us. This is a small, elegant guide to aid meditation.

"I know dogs in my life the way I know people and cats and trees and landscapes. Dogs help me shape my thoughts, feelings, and prayer life. Dogs have taught me attributes I feel in myself when reflecting and praying. "Dogs have shown me the spirit of being loyal, glad, overwhelmed, protective, committed, vigilant, patient, kind, energetic, discerning, forgiving. Unfolding these attributes of dog life opens my own spiritual being. My relationship with dog mirrors my relationship with God." In Dog Psalms the reader can use a dog's attributes to speak to God.

This approachable Lent course invites us to view sin as something to be understood, rather than condemned. It argues that our darker traits must be coaxed into the light in order to manage them and work towards healing and renewal. An intriguing choice for both personal and group reflection.