The Cup of Life by Joyce Rupp

A wonderful devotional that explores how the cup is a symbol of life, with its emptiness and fullness, its brokenness and flaws, and all of its blessings.

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Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer

With wisdom, compassion, and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leadings toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives.

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Life of the Beloved by Henry Nouwen

Initially written for a Jewish friend, Life of the Beloved has become Henri Nouwen’s greatest legacy to Christians around the world. This sincere testimony of the power and invitation of Christ is indeed a great guide to a truly uplifting spiritual life in today’s world.

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The Centered Life by Jack Fortin

Is there an alternative to a fragmented, frantic, meaningless life? Jack Fortin finds it in a life centered in God. Spiritual exercises, questions for reflection, and discussion in every chapter make this a timely and valuable resource for individuals and congregational study groups.

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Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness.

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Living the Story by R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green

This instructive, practical book explores the meaning of "biblical spirituality," a spirituality rooted in the Scriptures, in the grand story of God. Writing to promote genuine discipleship and an everyday sense of God's presence, R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green show that biblical spirituality is based on down-to-earth principles meant to foster righteous living' at home, at work, wherever one is. 

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Journey to the Common Good by Walter Brueggemann

Brueggemann considers biblical texts as examples of the journey now required of the faithful if they wish to move from isolation and distrust to a practice of neighborliness, as an invitation to a radical choice for life or for death, and as a reliable script for overcoming contemporary problems of loss and restoration in a failed urban economy.

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Fragrance of Faith by Jamal Rahman

The essence of Islam is conveyed to spiritual students in this practical and heartwarming introduction to the religion and its practices. The ancient wisdom of the faith is lovingly passed down to readers from a distinguished lineage of teachers, including the author's own parents and grandparents. Each chapter features a series of thought-provoking questions and suggestions concerning Islamic spirituality along with a list of actions that will guide new believers in the simple spirituality of the faith while spreading compassion worldwide.

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Finding Peace through Spiritual Practice by the Interfaith Amigos

Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon and Imam Jamal Rahman, who have become known as the Interfaith Amigos, believe truly effective interfaith dialogue can inhibit the demonization of any religion. Their work together, which began with the horrors of 9/11, aims to help us see all authentic spiritual traditions as sacred avenues to a shared Universal Reality―when we achieve this, the healing of our shared personal and planetary problems begins. Here the Interfaith Amigos look at the specific issues we face in a pluralistic society and the spiritual practices that can help us transcend those roadblocks to effective collaboration on the critical issues of our time.

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Parents and Grandparents as Spiritual Guides by Betty Shannon Cloyd

Attentiveness to God's daily presence gives the family (and society) the root system that's necessary to live with whatever events life brings. It's been said we provide children wings, but we also have to give them roots! Roots first, then wings. Parents & Grandparents as Spiritual Guides will help you do that.

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50 Ways to Pray by Teresa Blythe

Each of the exercises includes not only instructions on how to use it as a prayer practice, but also some background, an introduction, a statement of intention, and tips to help you become comfortable with the practice.

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Taking the Plunge by Anne E. Kitch

In Taking the Plunge, parents explore how the Baptismal Covenant helps to shape the experience of raising children.  What are you promising when you baptize your child?  Why are "please" and "thank you" theological words, not simply polite things to say?  Anne Kitch writes with a light touch and includes plenty of real-life stories.

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Contemplation in Action by Richard Rohr

Where else can you find spiritual inspiration from Richard Rohr, Edwina Gateley, Thomas Keating, Basil Pennington, Paula D'Arcy, and others in one accessible volume? This book, designed for bedside devotion,

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Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Living as an Ordinary Radical. Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we’ve made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane’s message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable . . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love.

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Praying Our Goodbyes by Joyce Rupp

Everyone has unique goodbyes--times of losing someone or something that has given life meaning and value. With the touch of a poet, Joyce Rupp offers her wisdom on "these experiences of leaving behind and moving on, the stories of union and separation that are written in all our hearts." Praying Our Goodbyes, Rupp says, is about the spirituality of change. It is a book for anyone who has experienced loss, whether a job change, the end of a relationship, the death of a loved one, a financial struggle, a mid-life crisis, or an extended illness. It is designed to help readers reflect, ritualize, and re-orient themselves--to help heal the hurts caused by goodbyes and the anxieties encountered when one season of life ends and another begins.

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Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn

This refreshing book invites the reader to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing God’s order for life—a rhythm of working six days and setting apart one day for rest, worship, festivity, and relationships. Dawn develops a four-part pattern for keeping the Sabbath: (1)ceasing—not only from work but also from productivity, anxiety, worry, possessiveness, and so on; (2) resting— of the body as well as the mind, emotions, and spirit—a wholistic rest; (3) embracing—deliberately taking hold of Christian values, of our calling in life, of the wholeness God offers us; (4) feasting—celebrating God and his goodness in individual and corporate worship as well as feasting with beauty, music, food, affection, and social interaction. 

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How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

How to Love is the third title in Parallax’s Mindfulness Essentials Series of how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, introducing beginners and reminding seasoned practitioners of the essentials of mindfulness practice. This time Nhat Hanh brings his signature clarity, compassion, and humor to the thorny question of how to love. He distills one of our strongest emotions down to four essentials: you can only love another when you feel true love for yourself; love is understanding; understanding brings compassion; deep listening and loving speech are key ways of showing our love.

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​Ending Poverty a 20/20 Vision by Nancy Maeker and Peter Rogness

Ending Poverty invites people from varied faith backgrounds to commit themselves to the study of poverty issues and to just action on behalf of those who experience poverty and prejudice due to class. Stories from four different settings help define poverty, recognize communities of poverty, explore the hidden culture of class, and take a deeper systems view that shows how we are all one community. A practical guide for congregational study groups, this book is a call to action on behalf of the poor.

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Souls in the Hands of a Tender God by Craig Rennebohm

Since 1987, Craig Rennebohm has ministered to people who are homeless and struggling with mental illness. In Souls in the Hands of a Tender God, he tells the evocative stories of those who desperately need psychiatric, psychological, and spiritual support, like Mary, who surrounds herself with bulging trash bags, and Jerry, barred from every shelter and meal program in Seattle. With gentleness and grace, solid knowledge and wisdom, Rennebohm reaches out to each of them, and their stories become parables that explore mental illness and the spiritual heart of care and recovery.

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Beyond Guilt by George Johnson

As an African saying goes, "When a person is hungry, tomorrow is a long way away." George Johnson wants us to know the world's suffering with new depth. And then he wants us to find hope. His rich book, filled with stories, insights and quotations, is a valuable tool. Join the conversation, and believe in the power of a Christian response to suffering.

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Sleeping with Bread by Dennis Linn

This book is about asking ourselves two questions: For what am I most grateful? For what am I least grateful? These questions help us identify moments of consolation and desolation. We call this process the examen. Since even small children can do this, we have tried here to present the examen in a format that families, friends and communities can share and that will be easily accessible to anyone.

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Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth

Maybe you hunger to know God better. Maybe you love color. Maybe you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, a distractible or impatient soul, or a word-weary pray-er. Perhaps you struggle with a short attention span, a restless body, or a tendency to live in your head. This prayer form can take as little or as much time as you have or want to commit, from 15 minutes to a weekend retreat. "A new prayer form gives God an invitation and a new door to penetrate the locked cells of our hearts and minds, for many of us, using only words to pray reduces God by the limits of our finite words."  Sybil also wrote a kid’s edition.​