A psyhological and spiritual exploration of the positive potential hidden in our painful emotions. Its key conviction: our bad feelings can be good news, alerting us to endangered values, alarming us to hopes under siege, and arming us for the tough tasks of change.

Filled with lively examples, the Whiteheads demonstrate how negative emotions can lead to personal growth, spiritual development, and social transformation. Family wounds, cultural temptations, and religious malpractice make it difficult for us to plumb the meaning of our passions. Breaking through these obstacles is part of spirituality's healing task.

Theologically-based and ministerially-tested, Method in Ministry provides a portable method for pastoral reflection, supporting the essential Christian vocation of generous response to God s Word. In this new edition, the Whiteheads have revised and expanded their now-classic discussion of theological reflection in ministry.

Drawing from a wealth of psychological and spiritual sources, the authors help us gain a new perspective on how we handle the painful emotions of anger, shame, guilt, and depression

Christian adulthood is the focus of this book. In it we attempt to re-envision, to see anew, the patterns of power, confidence, and loss that shape maturity. This effort is guided by two ideas or, better, images that have long been central in Christian spirituality: vocation and virtue. Our goal is to befriend these images, to rescue them from narrow interpretations that have weakened each, to recover their power to illumine our adult journey with God.

""Seasons of Strength" is a probing, thoughtful, and inspiring exploration of what it means to become an adult Christian. In it, the Whiteheads have distilled a clear and positive vision of human development in relation to faith, spirituality, and ministry. Invaluable as a text in adult education, this book is a steady resource for classroom use and personal reflection.
--Richard Woods, Loyola University of Chicago

"The book is well-grounded in tradition, but thoroughly contemporary and original in its conclusions. Highly recommended."
--Library Journal

These popular seminar leaders update and expand upon their groundbreaking and award-winning "A Sense of Sexuality" with new chapters on timely topics such as the relation between men and women and the experiences of gay and lesbian Christians.

The authors explore the positive potential h idden in ''negative'' emotions, particularly anger, guilt, sha me and depression. They help the reader gain new perspective s on how to handle painful emotions. '

At the heart of Catholic faith lies recognition that life is enchanted. In a sacramental world ordinary things—water, bread, sexuality—overflow with grace. The Whiteheads remind readers of the saving energy such belief can infuse into our lives. "The Catholic genius lies in the recognition of the world as sacramental. The lame walk, the blind see, weapons are repurposed as farm implements. All this takes place only in a world that has become enchanted. Enchantment names the jolts in consciousness with which we register the epiphanies and transfigurations of the wonder all around us. Another name for this is grace."