The 15 Minute Prayer Solution

2017 Catholic Press Association Book Awards, Honorable Mention: Prayer, Books About Prayer What might happen if you gave just ONE PERCENT of your day to God? I don’t have time to pray. I don’t know how to pray. I don’t know what to pray for. Perhaps you identify with one or all of these statements; most people do. But with Gary Jansen’s The 15-Minute Prayer Solution, anyone can learn to turn those “I don’t” statements into “I do” declarations— and be transformed in the process. Drawing on spiritual practices from the Christian tradition throughout the centuries, Jansen offers numerous and wide-ranging prayer exercises that can be completed in less than fifteen minutes. The Jesus Prayer, lectio divina, the Examen, imaginative prayer, and many more ways to joyfully encounter the Living God are explained. Deeply personal stories, thought provoking modern-day parables, and even humorous anecdotes bring spiritual ideas down to earth, revealing the practical side of prayer. And, as Jansen himself discovered, if you’re willing to take just fifteen minutes a day to pray, you may soon find that the entirety of your life has become a prayer, a relentless desire to place God at the center of everything. Now in paperback: Gary Jansen's bestselling Exercising Your Soul retitled, repackaged and revised!

The ministry of catechesis is critical to the mission of the Church, and the most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the catechetical leader. But for these leaders to succeed in their role, they must develop specific leadership skills and competencies. This second volume of The Effective Catechetical Leader series closely examines what catechetical leadership should look like, how it should work, and whom it should serve. A few of the key topics covered in this book include how to be a servant leader while still exercising legitimate authority; how to properly and pastorally handle difficult situations and conflict to build community; how to avoid burnout by delegating responsibility and engaging in collaborative ministry; and so much more. The Effective Catechetical Leader series, developed in conjunction with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership and written by some of the top catechetical leaders in the country, is the only series to encompass all the various aspects of catechetical leadership. This series provides the practical skills, strategies, and approaches that ensure successful parish faith formation in an evangelizing manner, which leads directly to a vibrant Church. From best practices to new approaches for proclaiming God’s word in a rapidly changing world, this groundbreaking series will empower catechetical leaders to excel at everything from administrative duties to effectively catechizing people of all ages within our diverse Church.

An imaginative way to pray the Stations of the Cross every day of the year. “As Jansen walks with us from station to station, he points us from pain toward love and hope, toward strength and endurance, toward transformation.” —Jessica Mesman Griffith, from the introduction Throughout the centuries, Christians have asked, “Why is there suffering?” or, on a more personal level, “Why am I suffering?” Answers abound, but none are likely to suffice or satisfy. A far more helpful question might be, “How should I respond to suffering?” And the answer to that question, believes Gary Jansen, can be found by looking closely at the Passion of Jesus. In Station to Station, Jansen uses the scriptural Way of the Cross to focus our minds and hearts on Jesus’ anguish and death. Walking through each station, we see the unique ways in which Jesus responded to suffering, and we are challenged to react similarly in our own struggles. Furthermore, through various Ignatian exercises, Jansen encourages us to imaginatively pray our way through the stations and to gradually respond more as Jesus would when we are weighed down by life’s burdens. Whether you are bearing your own cross or helping someone else carry theirs, Station to Station will show you how Christ’s character in the midst of suffering can, with time and prayer, become your character too.

Prayer is the raising of our hearts and minds to God. It is a holy and sacred experience open to everyone. We do not need to be experts in prayer to enjoy the opportunity to grow in prayerful awareness of our friendship with God.Sacred Space: The Prayer Book can lead us into a life of prayer and, in doing so, inspire new expressions and depths of faith. The Scripture, prayers, and reflections in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book will inspire you to a richer daily spiritual experience throughout the liturgical year and invite you to develop a closer relationship with God. Each day of Sacred Space: The Prayer Book includes a Scripture reading and points of reflection, as well as a weekly topic enhanced by six steps of prayer and contemplation: The Presence of God, Freedom, Consciousness, The Word, Conversation, and Conclusion. Sacred Space: The Prayer Book is designed to help you stay faithful to your intention to deepen your spiritual journey. It is the perfect gift for your parish, campus ministry program, small group, friend, family member, or yourself.

Reach Me with Smiles is a useful resource that will enhance teacher effectiveness, merging six approaches that can be used in any teaching context. How do you teach a lesson that will assist with growth? Teachers and leaders stimulate, motivate, involve, love, encourage, and strengthen students. The concept is recommended for teacher development to improve existing skills for independent or group study: • Examine how to equip persons who make disciples of others, a core value of Christian ministry • Keep lessons fresh as you remain equipped and updated with what God has called you to do • Consider unique characteristics of God’s creation—your students • Discover how to be intentional about teaching others how to demonstrate their faith • Distinguish between “disciple” and “disciple maker” as a part of increasing effectiveness • Examine processes to assist Christians with equipping the body of believers • Explore how to escort church members toward becoming more mature Christians • Equip servants to build strong foundations for transformational ministry in the church and community • Uncover practical strategies for the local church or in service to the community The user-friendly layout considers teacher preparation as a process, offers suggestions to help teachers self-evaluate regularly, and provides a ready reference for specific skills with confidence. The investment of teaching, training, and equipping saints enriches and empowers Christian education. Reach Me with SMILES is a handy source for developing and nurturing spiritual growth, changing lives, and winning souls for the kingdom. Teachers, leaders, or anyone exploring teaching will be edified and empowered to sail away, reaching others for Christ.

“A helpful and transformative book. MicroShifts can change your life.” – Deepak Chopra, author of Metahuman 2020 Catholic Press Association Book Awards, First Place: Healing/Self-Help 2020 Independent Publisher Book Award, Bronze Medal: Inspirational/Spiritual 2020 Illumination Book Award, Bronze Medal: Self-Help/Recovery 2020 International Book Awards, Finalist: Self-Help—Motivational 2019 Independent Press Award, Distinguished Favorite: Self-Help/Spiritual 2019 Best Book Awards, Finalist: Self-Help/Motivational Gary Jansen, popular author of The 15-Minute Prayer Solution and Life Everlasting, knows how difficult it can be to create significant, sustainable change, especially in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we feel too overwhelmed to even start, and in other cases deepening our relationship with God seems like one more burden among the many we have from day-to-day. In his latest book, Jansen offers an answer that he calls “microshifting”—small, incremental adjustments to the way we think, act, work, and pray that gradually reshape our deeply rooted patterns. With a blend of masterful storytelling and dozens of practical tips, MicroShifts suggests simple, small changes across many aspects of our lives—everything from how we greet others, how we sleep, and how we deal with the incessant chatter in our own heads—to generate big results physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you are looking to improve your life in ways that are achievable, sustainable, and potentially life-changing, MicroShifts is a powerful place to begin.

The author describes how he re-embraced his Christian heritage and regained his spiritual center after abandoning it for twenty years in the fairy tale world of Hollywood.

Fifteen minutes is a lot of time! A lot can happen in fifteen minutes. Someone may not be able to find time to pray for one hour in a stretch in the morning, afternoon, or evening. For others, if they found time, they might not know how to use it. Each of these groups of people can use the suggested programme for fifteen-minute retreats that are in the following pages and find their prayer life transformed. We have used the fifteen periods of one minute each since most believers will be able to have enough to talk to the Lord about any topic for one minute, whereas some believers may not have enough to say to the Lord about a topic for three minutes.