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Will You Accept God's Gift of Sabbath Rest?In our frenzied culture, the possibility of living in balanced rhythms of work and rest often feels elusive. This rings especially true for pastors and leaders who carry the weight of nonstop responsibility. Most know they need rest but might be surprised to find within themselves a deep resistance to letting go and resting in God one day a week, let alone for longer seasons of sabbatical.The journey to a meaningful sabbath practice is slow and gradual, and it is a journey we need to take in community. Sharing her own story of practicing sabbath for the past twenty years, Ruth Haley Barton offers hard-won wisdom regarding the rhythms of sabbath, exploring both weekly sabbath keeping as well as extended periods of sabbatical time.In Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, you'll find:Practical steps for embedding sabbath rhythms in churches and organizations, grounding us in God's intentions in giving us the gift of sabbath,An opportunity at the end of each chapter to reflect and engage God around your own journey with the material, andA conversation guide for small groups and communities to foster transformation on a community-level. Sabbath is more than a practice—it is a way of life ordered around God's invitation to regular rhythms of work, rest, and replenishment that will sustain us for the long haul of life in leadership.

Spiritual Practices for Burnt Out Leaders'I'm tired of helping others enjoy God—I just want to enjoy God for myself.'With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such asresponding to the dynamics of callingfacing the loneliness of leadershipleading from your authentic selfcultivating spiritual communityreenvisioning the promised landdiscerning God's will togetherEach chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead.This expanded edition includes the popular'How Is It with Your Soul?” assessment for leaders and a flexible six- or twelve-week guided experience for groups.

Ruth Haley Barton brinda sabiduría, sanidad y ayuda concreta a las personas que están prontas a recibir «más» de Dios en medio de sus múltiples ocupaciones y desean hallar la manera de reordenar su vida a fin de recibir la presencia transformadora de Dios. Con toda claridad, la autora presenta un excelente ritmo de prácticas espirituales tradicionales que nos ayudan a estar abiertos y dispuestos a la acción transformadora de Dios en nosotros y entre nosotros. Las prácticas propuestas están fundadas en nuestros deseos más profundos y conectan nuestros deseos con el bienestar que Dios desea para nosotros. Resultan de gran inspiración las experiencias de su lucha como cristiana, que la autora comparte con toda franqueza. Barton ofrece sugerencias útiles para usar el libro con grupos de personas que buscan crear mejores condiciones en su vida para poder recibir la presencia transformadora de Dios.

Best Book of Spiritual Formation, from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds BookstoreHave you joined a church or small group in hopes of experiencing real life change, only to be disappointed?Have you sat through inspiring sermons about what is possible when Christians gather together in mutually edifying relationships, only to recognize how cynical you have become after many failed attempts?Community may be one of the most over-promised, under-delivered aspects of the Christian life today. Individuals remain selfish and stuck in their ways. Communities become spiritually lifeless or even fall apart because we don't know how to experience transformation together.Transforming community does not come primarily from listening to inspiring preaching or adding another church program. It emerges as we embrace a shared commitment to the attitudes, practices and behaviors that open us to Christ in our midst. And that's where Life Together in Christ comes in. Reflecting on the story of the two disciples who meet Christ on the Emmaus Road, Ruth Haley Barton offers this interactive guide for small groups of spiritual companions who are ready to encounter Christ in transforming ways—right where they are on the road of real life.

Although women have unprecedented opportunities and options today, their lives are still often filled with the mundane, the difficult, the downright tragic. And the challenges of life become even more difficult when there doesn't seem to be any purpose for them. Without a sense of purpose, our lives can become unmanageable and unfulfilling. These studies will help you discover God's purposes in your life--in your creation, your salvation, and your giftedness; in your work and home life--and will give you the framework you need to live a purposeful life that brings glory and honor to him.

Bring Hope, Faith, and Love to Your Relationships. The biblical character of Ruth was striking in her capacity to bring life to her relationships. Even in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, her presence blessed and influenced friends and strangers in her community, the man she grew to love, her children, and her in-laws. This six-week Fisherman Bible Studyguide uses Ruth's story to help you reflect on your own relationships and the ways in which God might be inviting you to move different ways--ways that will lead you into life-giving patterns of relating with others. Fisherman Bible Studyguides offer: • Penetrating questions that generate discussion• Flexible format for group or individual needs• Helpful leader's notes• Emphasis on daily application of Bible truth

Christianity Today Book AwardWill you accept God's invitation?Much of our faith and practice is about words—preaching, teaching, talking with others. Yet all of these words are not enough to take us into the real presence of God where we can hear his voice. This book is an invitation to you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. It is an invitation to solitude and silence.The beauty of a true invitation is that we really do have a choice about embarking on this adventure. God extends the invitation, but he honors our freedom and will not push himself where he is not wanted. Instead, he waits for us to respond from the depths of our desire. Will you say yes?In Invitation to Solitude and Silence, you'll find:An expanded edition that includes a discussion guide for groups,Spiritual practices to help you learn to practice silence, as an individual or in groups, andRuth Haley Barton's vital way to deeper intimacy with God and our own true selves.

'I'm tired of helping others enjoy God. I just want to enjoy God for myself.'With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such asresponding to the dynamics of callingfacing the loneliness of leadershipleading from your authentic selfcultivating spiritual community reenvisioning the promised landdiscerning God's will togetherEach chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead.

En Una invitación al silencio y quietud, Barton le ofrece al lector una guía espiritual para su viaje, de modo que pueda escuchar claramente el llamado de Dios, y le muestra una manera concreta de decir «sí».Ruth Haley Barton, ganadora del premio Christianity Today 2005 por su libro, explica cómo descubrió la presencia real de Dios, ese Dios que se hace presente a través de la práctica del silencio y la quietud.Su libro es una invitación a tener un encuentro pleno y profundo con Dios, lejos de las exigencias y el ruido de la vida cotidiana. Es un llamado a la aventura de vivir una transformación espiritual; una aventura que lo llevará a ser libre y auténtico y le permitirá llegar a ser esa persona que Dios en su designio creó.

Ruth Haley Barton looks at the complexity of women's lives and how women experience spiritual transformation. Underneath all the confusion is a longing for freedom—not the freedom to do as we please, but the freedom to discover our full identity in Christ and use our gifts to serve him.

Logos Book AwardDo you long for a deep, fundamental change in your life with God? Do you desire a greater intimacy with God? Do you wonder how you might truly live your life as God created you to live it? Spiritual disciplines are activities that open us to God's transforming love and the changes that only God can bring about in our lives. Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a'rule of life'that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines, this book takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life. Each chapter includes exercises to help you begin the practices--individually and in a group context. The final chapter puts it all together in a way that will help you arrange your life for spiritual transformation. The choice to establish your own sacred rhythm is the most important choice you can make with your life.

Contemporary women face numerous challenging and often painful issues, including infertility, caring for aging parents, singleness, the generation gap, the role of women in marriage and ministry, materialism, and difficult marriages. We're not alone. All of these issues were faced by women in the Bible, and it's God's desire that we learn from, and find encouragement in, their stories. Learn how you can make a difference in your family, your church, and your community by studying the examples of scriptural women who in so many ways were just like us.