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In Care of Souls, David Benner offers a timely reminder of the
benefits of recapturing the place of the spiritual in psychological
work. Among the many benefits for individuals who receive a
combination of the best of modern therapy and biblical guidance are
an increased feeling of personal value and a willingness to put
God's priorities above their own.
Most Christians want to experience spiritual transformation. But
many are frustrated by the limited progress of our spiritual
self-improvement efforts. We find our praying burdened by a sense
of obligation and failure. But prayer is not merely something we
do; prayer is what God does in us. Prayer is not just communication
with God-it is communion with God. As we open ourselves to him, God
does the spiritual work of transformation in us. Spiritual director
and psychologist David Benner invites us to discover openness to
God as the essence of prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life.
Prayer is far more than saying words to God; all of life can be
prayer when offered to God in faith and with openness. Using the
four movements of lectio divina, Benner explores prayer as
attending, pondering, responding, and being. Along the way he opens
us to a world of possibilities for communion with God: praying with
our senses, with imagination, with music and creativity, in
contemplation, in service, and much more. Learn how prayer can be a
way of living. Move beyond words to become not merely someone who
prays, but someone whose entire life is prayer in union with God.
This expanded edition includes a new afterword and an experiential
guide with questions for individual reflection or group discussion.
Therapeutic counseling in a Christian context can be highly
effective when it maintains narrowly focused goals in a
time-limited setting. The details of this proven model of pastoral
counseling are described in this practical guide.
This second edition of Strategic Pastoral Counseling has been
thoroughly revised and includes two new chapters. Benner includes
helpful case studies, a new appendix on contemporary ethical
issues, and updated chapter bibliographies. His study will continue
to serve clergy and students well as a valued practical handbook on
pastoral care and counseling.
"Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee."
-Augustine Much is said in Christian circles about knowing God. But
Christians throughout the ages have agreed that there cannot be
deep knowledge of God without deep knowledge of the self.
Discerning your true self is inextricably related to discerning
God's purposes for you. Paradoxically, the more you become like
Christ, the more you become authentically yourself. In this
profound exploration of Christian identity, psychologist and
spiritual director David G. Benner illuminates the spirituality of
self-discovery. He exposes the false selves that you may hide
behind and calls you to discover the true self that emerges from
your uniqueness in Christ. Freeing you from illusions about
yourself, Benner shows that self-understanding leads to the
fulfillment of your God-given destiny and vocation. Rest assured,
you need not try to be someone you are not. But you will deepen
your experience of God through discovering the gift of being
yourself. This expanded edition, one of three titles in The
Spiritual Journey trilogy, includes a new epilogue and an
experiential guide with questions for individual reflection or
group discussion.
In recent years, many Christian clergy, laity and mental health
professionals have rediscovered the ancient practices of spiritual
direction. Seen as a refreshing alternative to the techniques and
limitations of modern psychology, such practices offer new insights
for pastoral care. But many remain unclear on what spiritual
direction is and whether its methods are applicable to their own
clients and parishioners. Spiritual direction is a practice of
Christian soul care that is found most notably in the Catholic,
Orthodox and Episcopal traditions but is also present in
Wesleyan/Holiness, Pentecostal/charismatic, social justice and
Reformed communities. Predating modern counseling and psychotherapy
movements but sharing key principles and insights for spiritual
formation, spiritual direction offers significant resources for
today's pastors, counselors, therapists, chaplains and other
caregivers attuned to the work of God in people's lives. In this
landmark volume, editors Gary W. Moon and David G. Benner, along
with a team of expert contributors, provide a comprehensive survey
of spiritual direction in its myriad Christian forms. Specific
chapters offer careful historical perspective and contemporary
analysis of how Christians from various backgrounds have practiced
spiritual direction, with particular attention to each tradition's
definition of spiritual direction, the process of authentic
transformation, the role of the spiritual director, indicators of
mature spirituality and other aspects of the spiritual direction
process. Chapters also provide psychological and clinical insight
into how spiritual direction is similar to, different from and can
be integrated with psychotherapy and pastoral counseling to help
others experience spiritual transformation and union with God.
Most people think of God's will as something to be found or as the
receiving of guidance from God when making decisions. Too often,
however, the problem is not that we don't know what God desires for
our lives, but rather that we just don't want to do what we already
know he wants. How might our wills be changed so that we become
both willing and able to do what God asks of us? In Desiring God's
Will psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner explores
the transformation of the will in Christian spirituality. He
examines why our desires are disordered and how our human volition
can be brought into alignment with God's intentions so that we
willingly choose that which God wants for us. In so doing, Benner
shows us that cultivating discernment and being attuned to God's
desires is the path to true life, spiritual health and freedom. God
wants to change our choosing, not just our choices. By aligning our
hearts with God's, we will find liberation from the kingdom of self
and instead experience the joy of the kingdom of God. This expanded
edition, one of three titles in The Spiritual Journey trilogy,
includes a new epilogue and an experiential guide with questions
for individual reflection or group discussion.
Bookwi.se's Favorite Books of the Year "Only God deserves absolute
surrender because only God can offer absolutely dependable love."
In our self-reliant era, most of us recoil from the concept of
surrendering to a power or authority outside ourselves. But
surrender need not be seen as threatening, especially when the One
to whom we surrender is the epitome of goodness and love. God
doesn't want his people to respond to him out of fear or
obligation. Rather, he invites us to enter into an authentic
relationship of intimacy and devotion. And so God calls us to move
beyond mere obedience-by surrendering to love. In this profound
book, David G. Benner explores the twin themes of love and
surrender as the heart of Christian spirituality. Through careful
examination of Scripture and reflection on the Christian tradition,
Benner shows how God bids us to trust fully in his perfect love.
God is love, and he intends for you to live in his love. Surrender
to Love will lead you to an unexpected place, where yieldedness to
God frees you to become who he created you to be. This expanded
edition, one of three titles in The Spiritual Journey trilogy,
includes a new epilogue and an experiential guide with questions
for individual reflection or group discussion.
An ECPA 2003 Gold Medallion Finalist We need companions on our
spiritual journey. The modern world has taught us to value autonomy
and individualism. Our churches often see spirituality as personal
and private. But we cannot go long in our Christian pilgrimage
before realizing that isolation leads to spiritual barrenness. We
soon discover that our souls long for accompaniment, intimacy and
spiritual friendship. As a result, many Christians today are
rediscovering the ancient practice of spiritual direction. In this
inviting guide, David G. Benner introduces readers to the riches of
spiritual friendship and direction, explaining what they are and
how they are practiced. Spiritual direction moves beyond mere moral
lifestyle accountability and goes deeper than popular notions of
mentoring or discipling. Through prayerful, guided attunement to
God's activity, sacred companions provide care for the soul. If we
are to experience significant spiritual formation and growth, our
souls must be nurtured through spiritual companions. Benner,
well-accustomed to God's work through relationships, models the
kind of traveling companion who can move us toward deeper intimacy
with God.
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