Put Out Into The Deep

God is Love. To believe in this God of unconditional Love is a lived experience in each person and in each generation everywhere on the globe and all different cultures and historical periods. In the beginning of the nineteenth century we notice in the south of the Netherlands a strong movement to renew and to actualise the Catholic faith in the concrete circumstances of poverty and political neglect. In this way the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity Daughters of Mary and Joseph was founded on 7 July 1820 in ’s Hertogenbosch. Similar to several other congregations in the same period St Vincent de Paul was their principal source of inspiration, determined their charism and remained at the centre of their spirituality. Religious life is essentially a lived experience of faith in which concrete persons touched by the incomprehensible Love of God dedicate their life in total surrender to this Love. As a result, they obey to the divine calling to be wholly transformed in love and to become docile instruments of God’s overwhelming Charity towards all vulnerable persons - young and old – their brothers and sisters who are stripped of their human dignity, humiliated and enslaved in many subtle ways. In this Vincentian congregation this divine vocation of Charity was originally implemented as a specific service to the education of blind and deaf children but widened to the care of other forgotten groups like victims of trafficking in women and discrimination or subordination of women.

Into the Deep traces one woman's spiritual odyssey from birthright evangelicalism through postmodern feminism and, ultimately, into the Roman Catholic Church. As a college student, Abigail Favale experienced a feminist awakening that reshaped her life and faith. A decade later, on the verge of atheism, she found herself entering the oldest male-helmed institution on the planet--the last place she expected to be. With humor and insight, the author describes her gradual exodus from Christian orthodoxy and surprising swerve into Catholicism. She writes candidly about grappling with wounds from her past, Catholic sexual morality, the male priesthood, and an interfaith marriage. Her vivid prose brings to life the wrenching tumult of conversion--a conversion that began after she entered the Church and began to pry open its mysteries. There, she discovered the startling beauty of a sacramental cosmos, a vision of reality that upended her notions of gender, sexuality, identity, and authority. Into the Deep is a thoroughly twenty-first-century conversion, a compelling account of recovering an ancient faith after a decade of doubt.

Edited by J.B. Phillips Chapters indicated but no verse numbers Introduction to each book Index 5 1/2 X 8 1/4 % Font size: 10

Based on Kurt Bennett's popular-ish blog God Running, Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven-year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus' every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus' words than he was following Jesus' words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett's own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including: -Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God's love to others. -How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman's love languages (and how you can too). -The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ's extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions. -How to respond to critics the way Jesus did. -How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did. -How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat). -How Jesus didn't love everyone the same (and why you shouldn't either). -How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself--he even napped--and why you should do the same.-How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end. With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God's definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too. A life of loving like Jesus.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

The Deep End invites readers to come on a journey through the story of Luke’s Gospel and to follow Jesus as he makes his way to Jerusalem. Through a series of reflections on the Sunday Gospels of Year C, it offers a fresh perspective for anyone who wants to explore how the Gospels are relevant for today. Jane and Tríona believe the Word is alive and active (Heb 4:12) and through it we can reflect on the complexities of our lives. Today, in a world threatened by ecological break-down, inequality and division, the message of Jesus as presented by Luke has much to say to us. Jesus is someone who has come to deeply challenge people’s expectations and bring about God’s dream for the world, where the last will be first. We are invited to hear God’s voice within and find our way as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, cultivating inclusiveness, compassion and a love which can turn the world upside down. The book includes tips for prayer and meditation to nourish ourselves along the way, as well as practical suggestions for building communities of welcome and love. There is a particular focus on our call to care for God’s creation. There will be many surprises and challenges as we travel through the year; Luke’s Gospel offers a radical vision which inspires and gives hope and invites us to continue the narrative.