Discover the Good Life as you learn from the wise voices of the past. We've lost ourselves. Disconnected from the past and uncertain about the future, we are anxious about what our lives will be and troubled by a nagging sense of meaninglessness. Adrift in the world, many Christians have their identity completely wrapped up in work, and their definition of the "good life" is financial success. Fewer of are staying committed to the Christian faith, finding it difficult to reconcile their experience with their longings and desires. With so much uncertainty, where can we find a true vision of "the Good Life"? Learning the Good Life speaks to this malaise with a curated collection of voices from the past, inviting Christians into an ages-old dialogue with some of history's wisest and most reflective minds. Featuring thought-provoking writings from a diverse lineup of over 35 writers and thinkers: From the classic-including Confucius, Augustine, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Henry David Thoreau, and Frederick Douglass; To the modern-including W.E.B. DuBois, Flannery O'Connor, T.S. Eliot, and Simone Weil; To the contemporary-including Wendell Berry, David Foster Wallace, and Marilynne Robinson. Together these sages, writers, philosophers, and poets address important issues such as virtue, beauty, community, wonder, suffering, and meaning. Each of these texts are introduced by experts from a variety of Christian colleges and universities to help provide a richer narrative in which Christians can participate. Each text is also accompanied by discussion questions to provoke further thought and contemplation and to facilitate discussion when used in groups. Learning the Good Life is ideal for any Christian seeking a deeper connection to the wisdom of the past and wanting a more cohesive vision of the good life. Though not all these writers were themselves Christians, they all have a message for you. All of them are calling you to die to yourself, to your habits of indulgence, to your pride and ambition-and to dedicate your time to learning, thinking, and loving.

Die Untersuchung beschaftigt sich mit den Schulfahrten an den Katholischen Gymnasien im Bistum Osnabruck und stellt die Frage, ob diese damit ihrem schulischen Auftrag nachkommen. Dabei tragt der Autor zunachst zur Weiterentwicklung der Pilger- und Wallfahrtstheologie bei, indem er die Ursprunge des Pilgerns und des Wallfahrens herleitet, in den Kontext der Kirchengeschichte stellt und sie an den Erfahrungen der untersuchten Schulfahrten reflektiert. Er pladiert hier fur eine Differenzierung zwischen Pilgern und Wallfahren, die sich in unterschiedlichen Konzepten der Durchfuhrung niederschlagt. Um die Frage nach der Relevanz fur eine Pilger- oder Wallfahrt an einer Schule zu beantworten, zeigt Andreas Gautier zunachst die Motivation von Schulgrundungen auf. Hier werden Unterschiede zwischen Katholischer Kirche und Staat als Trager deutlich. Diese umfassen das Bildungs- und Erziehungsverstandnis, was wiederum unterschiedliche Antworten auf die Frage liefert, ob Pilgern oder Wallfahren dem schulischen Auftrag gerecht wird. Der empirische Teil, dem eine quantitative Erhebung zugrunde liegt, untermauert diese Herleitung und zeigt weitergehende Implikationen fur eine Umsetzung auf.

Many children today are growing up in the midst of adversity, whether brought on by family difficulties or larger societal crises. All children need to be able to deal with stress, cope with challenges, and persevere through disappointments. While we cannot protect children from all hardships, we can promote healthy development that fosters resilience. In this interdisciplinary work, Holly Catterton Allen builds a bridge between resilience studies and children's spiritual formation. Because children are spiritual beings, those who work with them can cultivate spiritual practices that are essential to their thriving in challenging times. This book equips educators, counselors, children's ministers, and parents with ways of developing children's spirituality to foster the resilience needed to face the ordinary hardships of childhood and to persevere when facing trauma. It offers particular insight into the spiritual experiences of children who have been hurt by life through chronic illness, disability, abuse, or disasters, with resources for healing and hope.

Der Autor konzipiert "Interreligioese Religionspadagogik" auf interdisziplinaren Grundlagen. Sein Konzept bezieht sich auf das Verhaltnis zur deutschen Minderheit der Muslime. Es bietet zugleich Raum fur den allgemeinen interreligioesen Dialog. Die Grundlagen stammen aus der Sozialisationsforschung sowie der Anthropologie von Martin Buber. Erkenntnistheoretisch folgt die Studie wichtigen Positionen der Kognitionspsychologie und Naturwissenschaften. Damit schafft sie ein religioeses Bewusstsein fur individuelle Selbstfindung im Glauben und befahigt, religioese Differenzen konstruktiv zu verarbeiten. Dieses Konzept mundet in einer Theologie des Weges, die im religioesen Leben (Mystik, Meditation, Tao) seit jeher eine grosse Rolle spielte und fur den zukunftigen interreligioesen Dialog entscheidend sein wird.

Der Autor erforscht die Anwendungsdynamiken des islamischen Rechts (fiqh) in wandelnden Kontexten anhand der Werke von Hayreddin Karaman, einem beruhmten islamischen Rechtsgelehrten in der Turkei. Dabei analysiert er die Entwicklungen chronologisch seit dem Beginn in der Prophetenperiode und die wissenschaftlichen Entfaltungen der Nachfolgezeit bis in die sakulare Postmoderne. Anhand der diachronischen Forschungsmethode untersucht der Autor die innovative fiqh-Anwendung bei Karaman und zeigt seine Methode auf. Es geht hierbei um die Anknupfung an die Tradition und die daraus gewonnene Innovation in ihrem wissenschaftlich-argumentativen Diskurs. Auf kritischer Grundlage begegnet Karaman den Herausforderungen eines innovativen Aufschwungs in der sakularen Postmoderne.

Explore a new way of pastoral care that enables caregivers to develop relationships and provide meaningful pastoral care to the children and youth they encounter! The Pastoral Care of Children focuses on the need for pastoral caregivers, clergy and chaplains to develop relationships with youths and gives you suggestions to overcome the anxiety associated with caring for an acutely ill child through unique, playful, and child-centered approaches. Many pastoral caregivers have high anxiety when children are ill or hurt, are unsure how to have a substantive conversation with a nine-year old, or their fears of what could be said keep them from hearing what children have to say. The effective approaches in The Pastoral Care of Children are illustrated to assist you with serving the spiritual needs of children. You will explore actual pastoral care experiences that will help you gain confidence in handling situations such as a teenager's desire to be baptized out of fear of death when neither he nor his parents believe in Christ. Intelligent and heartfelt, this valuable book gives you a complete theological exploration of ministering to children who may ask you "Why me?", "Why do people have to die?" and "What happens to children if they die before they are baptized?" The Pastoral Care of Children helps you answer these questions with meaningful responses that are genuine and grounded with yourself, and reflect the parents'beliefs. Some of the help you will discover in The Pastoral Care of Children includes: understanding the similarities and differences of caring for children in comparison to adults, such as different vocabularies but similar emotions, and realizing that children are very perceptive using play as a tool, for example referring to a puppet's experience in reference to the child to eliminate the child's self-consciousness and help him or her open up confronting pastoral issues in acute care settings, such as fear, guilty feelings, and anger, from parents, family and the child helping children recover from mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders, and identity and self-esteem issues by using cognitive therapy conducting prayer and rituals with children such as baptism, naming ceremonies, anointings, and funerals to assist the child and family through this spiritual rite of passage Complete with child and family focused approaches for dealing with the questions surrounding death, The Pastoral Care of Children also provides you with several cited scriptures, and a list of questions you may be asked by a child who is facing death. You will learn from actual circumstances pastoral caregivers have encountered and discover how to approach topics, and answer questions on God and death. The Pastoral Care of Children, an extremely resourceful book that will assist you in overcoming anxiety and help you deliver thoughtful and uplifting pastoral care to children and youth.

The church across North America has struggled to minister effectively with children, teens, and adults with common mental health conditions and their families. One reason for the lack of ministry is the absence of a widely accepted model for mental health outreach and inclusion. In Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions, Dr. Stephen Grcevich presents a simple and flexible model for mental health inclusion ministry for implementation by churches of all sizes, denominations, and organizational styles. The model is based upon recognition of seven barriers to church attendance and assimilation resulting from mental illness: stigma, anxiety, self-control, differences in social communication and sensory processing, social isolation and past experiences of church. Seven broad inclusion strategies are presented for helping persons of all ages with common mental health conditions and their families to fully participate in all of the ministries offered by the local church. The book is also designed to be a useful resource for parents, grandparents and spouses interested in promoting the spiritual growth of loved ones with mental illness.

Lots of people think Christianity is all about doing what Jesus says. But what if doing what Jesus says isn t what Jesus says to do at all? Jesus invitation is an invitation to relationship, and it begins with a simple request: follow me.

Religion says Change and you can join us. Jesus says, Join us and you will change. There s a huge difference. Jesus doesn t expect people to be perfect. He just wants them to follow him. Being a sinner doesn t disqualify anyone. Being an unbeliever doesn t disqualify anyone. In fact, following almost always begins with a sinner and unbeliever taking one small step.

In this eight-session video-based Bible study, Andy Stanley takes small groups on a journey through the Gospels as he traces Jesus teaching on what it means to follow.

Sessions include:

• Jesus Says
• Next Steps
• Fearless
• Follow Wear
• The Fine Print
• What I Want to Want
• Leading Great
• Unfollowers

Designed for use with Follow: A DVD Study (sold separately)."