Holy Invitations

Learn how to nurture your awareness of and response to God's love and guidance through the historical practice of spiritual direction.

Some invitations we desperately want: "Will you marry me?" "Would you consider a promotion?" Other invitations we never want to receive but must respond to all the same: "What treatment do you want for your tumor?" Invitations pound away at the coastlines of the soul with a transforming force. God is also sending invitations. Sometimes they seem less compelling than anything on my to-do list. Why would I want to say yes to the invitation to rest when I'm already so far behind? Why follow when I could lead? Why accept invitations to weep or to admit I am wrong or to wait? Saying yes might slow me down, sabotage my agenda and even undo who I think I am. Adele Calhoun, author of the popular Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, offers a book about invitations like these—divine invitations we miss or ignore because we've said yes to going with the cultural flow. While these invitations from God can sometimes be difficult to accept, they can heal and restore even as they shape where we go, what we do and who we become. What we say yes to, what we say no to forms the terrain of our future. Included in this book are reflection questions and exercises as well as overview charts with recommended disciplines to guide you through each theme. As you attend to the often hidden, quiet voice of the Great Inviter, you will find yourself as God created you to be.

Evangelists must be careful to maintain a delicate balance. What devout Christian does not long to see sinners converted and brought into the Church? It is hard to imagine a person who has been redeemed from the power and penalty of sin, not desiring for other needy people to come to same salvation. However, it is possible for sincere Christians to be so zealous about soul-winning that they virtually attempt to force sinners to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior. In contrast, there are Christians who have been so discouraged by soul-winning failures that they have given up trying, and are determined to let God save who He will without their help. Both of these positions are out of balance and result in failure. What does God say about evangelism? What part does He play? What does He expect His people to do? The Bible records many wonderful invitations from God to needy people. These invitations offer insight into God's plans and purposes. The great invitations of the Bible demonstrate the great grace of God who offers them.

This book represents a significant departure from most contemporary writing about spiritual direction. While most writers focus on long-term relationships of guidance, specifically envisioning long listening sessions, Bidwell changes focus. Spiritual direction, he insists, typically requires intervention in a specific crisis or situation or question, is not formal, lasts fewer than five sessions, and must be actively and intentionally focused on the person's growth. Bidwell's work shows what spiritual directors can learn from the short-term therapy model, especially about enabling people briefly but effectively to ''learn to listen on their own and with others for God's presence.'' Focusing on how God is already active in the directee's life allows the participants to identify God's action and respond in ways that collaborate with that identified movement of the Spirit.

A smorgasbord of ideas, stories, and practical suggestions on how to be spiritual companions to young people, sharing the richness of our faith while riding along on the awesome—and often surprising—journeys of those in our spiritual care.

Usually when we think of the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, and the angel Gabriel come to mind. Okoro approaches Advent a little differently, inviting us to sit for a while with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the story of how they came to bear their only son, John. "The Advent story we so often associate with the joy of Christmas actually begins with deep sorrow and longing. But thankfully, in the kingdom of God, there is always more to the story than meets the eye," Enuma Okoro writes. Zechariah and Elizabeth were good people. They had maintained faith and hope in God for many years, despite Elizabeth's inability to conceive, a condition considered shameful in their time. So they were quite familiar with the universal human experiences of longing and waiting. Even though this couple's story takes up only one chapter in Luke's Gospel, it contains enough lessons about faith and life to last for weeks. In her beautifully written, imaginative meditations for each day of Advent, Okoro looks closely at the doubts and longings of Zechariah and Elizabeth. As you explore their story, Okoro guides you to reflect on your own experiences of waiting and longing, of grief and the need for community, and of hungering for God. These poetic and poignant meditations will linger with you long after Christmas. Reflection questions and a prayer challenge accompany each week's meditations. A perfect book for individual or group study.

“JESUS: KING OF PEACE” is a God inspired book that consists of hundreds of God dictated Sayings, which reveal a Spiritual Conversation between Almighty God, Barbara Ann Mary Mack, God’s sent Prophetess, and God’s Earthly people today. “JESUS: KING OF PEACE” is written in the form of Poetry, which makes it easy for the reader to follow and understand God’s written Sayings that flow throughout this book. “JESUS: KING OF PEACE” reveals the Presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives today in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.