Slow Down Show Up And Pray

A practical look at how we can renew wellbeing in our own lives and our local communities. After Ruth Rice unexpectedly found herself grappling with her own mental health, she began to look for ways to renew her own wellbeing. As she introduced simple habits woven around prayer and stillness into her life, God began to give her a heart to help others too. The Renew Wellbeing charity was born, assisting churches to open accessible, safe spaces on the high street for those who have mental ill health. Ruth shares why the renew centre/ cafe model is so different, looking at the three important principles of being present, being prayerful, and being in partnership. Full of helpful resources, readers will learn how to connect, keep learning, get active, take notice and give in order to maintain their own wellbeing. Ruth inspires, encourages and enables the church to step out and provide Renew spaces. This timely and insightful book is packed full of practical resources to help local communities journey alongside each other to renew wellbeing. 'This book is much like its author . . . practical, inspiring, humorous and hugely relatable. Ruth Rice is not only a great writer, but also a great theologian, a great leader and a great person. Through long and hard work, she has renewed her own wellbeing, moving from a position of languishing, to a place of flourishing. For that I am in awe of her courage, skill and tenacity. 'Slow Down, Show Up and Pray is both inspiring and practical and of course hugely accessible as well. I unreservedly commend it to anyone who wants to help the Church become an even greater expression of Christ among us - a safe, nurturing and welcoming place for all to encounter the grace of God in tangible ways.' Daniel Whitehead, CEO, Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries 'Sometimes your own pain, your own unexpected journey to a different (and better) place and the purposes of God entwine together to create something beautiful and worth sharing. This is Ruth's experience as God has birthed Renew Wellbeing [the organization she leads]. This book resonates in my soul, inspires me once again as a church leader on our own journey to connect people with the welcoming love of God and offers huge amounts of practical wisdom that will equip us to travel well.' Revd Lisa Holmes, Lead Minister of Skipton Baptist Church, Member of Spring Harvest Planning Group and the Evangelical Alliance Council 'Ruth has walked her talk, so this book is full of hard-earned wisdom. Not only is it essential reading as we all consider the issues around spiritual and emotional wellbeing, it is also incredibly practical. You will find yourself encouraged but also equipped to think about the wellbeing of yourself and others in new, insightful ways. Highly recommended reading.' Cathy Madavan, speaker, broadcaster and author

"Lewis presents an intimate view of his centering prayer journey. He helps us discover the contemplative life and who we are in the deepest sense, made in God's image." - Fr. Carl Arico, founding member of Contemplative Outreach Ltd., and author of A Taste of Silence "This work offers a friendly and accessible approach to centering prayer that will be of great benefit to those new to the practice. Rich has a lovely way of inviting the reader in through honest reflections on his own experience, both struggles and graces. These stories offer comfort and gentle encouragement on the way." - Christine Valters Paintner, author of The Soul of a Pilgrim "Rich Lewis's writing is unique in its simplicity and lack of pretense. And he is nothing if not honest, especially regarding his passion for centering prayer. In this book you will find down-to-earth spiritual practice that echoes throughout Rich's life as a husband, dad, and financial consultant. Highly recommended!" - Amos Smith, author of Be Still and Listen

Pray A-Z: A Practical Guide to Praying for Your Community will help you topically organize your prayer requests and lay the burdens of your community at the feet of our Heavenly Father. Whether you are praying for a friend's adoption journey, a neighbor's bankruptcy, or a family member's cancer, this book will give you Bible verses, prayer prompts, and prayer starts to guide you through praying for even the most difficult issues that affect the people you know and love. Perfect for either individual or group prayer, Pray A-Z will help you experience the peace that comes from communicating with God.

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? The good news is that “something more” does not mean “doing more.” God is not waiting for you to get your spiritual life “right.” He wants to be with you right where you are. The real question is not “What does God want from you?” but “What does God want for you?” Sharon Jaynes understands what it’s like to have a “glory ache”—a longing to experience God’s presence on a daily basis. She also knows how easily working for God can get in the way of intimacy with God. And she’s discovered that we tend to make our faith journey much too hard. In A Sudden Glory, Sharon uses Scripture and story to help you erase the line between your “spiritual life” and your “daily life” as you enter the sanctuary of God’s presence even in the middle of your busy, messy day. Here you will find your eyes opened to moments of sudden glory in which the Creator assures you of His love as you live and move and have your being in Him. Here you will discover true freedom—the freedom of experiencing God in a deeper and more intimate way than ever before. Includes Bible study and discussion guide.

Where do I begin with this review? I think I should take my sisters advice and repeat what she often tells me: If I cant say amen, just say ouch. Keeping that in mind, Im over here saying ouch because author Toni L. Wortherly is on my toe stomping pretty hard with this petite but powerful book. As a single Christian woman combating some of the issues of loneliness and frustration associated with living a single life, this book speaks volumes to me. There is nothing like reading what youre going through to let the reader know they are not alone on this journey. As Ive pledged my life to following the tenants of my faith, its good to have confirmation, in the form of a book, which I can reference from time to time. Ill admit that Im not crazy about the title; I dont like to be referred to as prey or as the hunted. The Word of God says: He that finds a wife, finds a good thing so a loose translation would mean that I am prey. I would hope that my mate wouldnt refer to me in this manner. The translation would also imply that Im weak or defenseless; I feel that Im a strong vessel, who patiently awaits capture. Pray While Youre Prey is a great read for single women. Those of us who have the desire to be spiritually grounded in all that we do, can draw strength from the scripture, interpretation and study questions found at the end of each chapter. This is a book to share with your entire cadre of single sister friends as we journey down the path to closeness with God and the quest to be a virtuous woman and wife.

Do you want to pray but get distracted in every possible way?In this 6-week Prayers of REST Bible study, you'll discover the joy of resting in God's presence even in this distracted world. Learn to: R: Recite God's GoodnessE: Express Your NeedinessS: Seek His StillnessT: Trust His FaithfulnessWhen you REST in prayer, distractions will fade away as you accept Jesus' invitation to "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (Mark 6:31)

For over two decades Too Busy Not to Pray has stood as a classic on prayer, helping Christians all over the world slow down to draw near to God. During those years, the world certainly hasn't slowed down. If anything, the pace, intensity and number of distractions have only increased. Brokenness and pain seem to have increased as well, with news of civil war, poverty, broken families and sex-trafficking touching us daily. The urgent need for prayer is clear, but busyness still keeps many of us from finding time to pray. Two truths haven't changed in all these years: God is the same powerful, just, holy God he's always been; and true prayer—prayer that changes us and allows us to participate in God's work in the world—can't happen on the fly. So Bill Hybels once again offers us his practical, time-tested ideas on slowing down to pray. Revised throughout and including a new introduction and new chapter on prayer and compassion for the world, this twentieth-anniversary edition of Too Busy Not to Pray calls both young and old to make prayer a priority, and broadens our vision for what our eternal, powerful God does when his people slow down to pray.

Most Christians have experienced the "laundry list" phase of spiritual life, in which praying means giving God an agenda of needs to handle. But how do you move to having real conversation with God? How do you hear what God is saying back to you? How can you make your experience of God's presence part of everyday life? In this six-session LifeGuide® Bible Study, Jan Johnson covers the disciplines of prayer and of practicing God's presence. Going deeper in these areas will help you to draw closer to God in everything you do. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.