Amy Lyles Wilson

Forgiveness

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:00:37 GMT

Forgiveness asks more of us than forgiving and forgetting. It invites us to make peace with our past.

"Like many of you, I've been dealt a few cards I do not think I deserved," writes editor Amy Lyles Wilson. "In response, I used to think forgiving and forgetting meant I had to act like I had never been wronged. The writers in this collection tell me otherwise. Forgiving, they say, does not require pretending you were never hurt. It does mean, however, that you'll need to make peace with your past to embrace the future."

Through the gentle, guiding words of Henri Nouwen, Marjorie Thompson, Douglas Steere, Mary Lou Redding, Flora Slosson Wuellner, and others, discover how to release old resentments and open your heart to healing.

This book explores questions such as:

What exactly is forgiveness, and what is it not?
Should every hurt or offense be forgiven?
What do I do if someone refuses to forgive me?
How do I forgive myself?

If forgiveness doesn’t come easily to you, take heart. It is a practice, not a single moment, and these voices will walk alongside you, one step at a time.

Part of the Hope, Anger, Forgiveness, Compassion: Wisdom for Today Book Series. Also available as a four-book bundle.

Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:00:09 GMT

Enhance your capacity to care ... by cultivating a compassionate heart.

When disaster strikes, many of us are quick to respond. We donate, volunteer, and pray. But quieter sorrows surround us every day: the faraway look in the eyes of a coworker, a friend, a family member, or a stranger at the next table. Burdens come in all sizes, and each one is real.

"Compassion: Thoughts on Cultivating a Good Heart invites us to consider that our attention to the little things makes it easier to appreciate the concerns of our friends, families, communities, and the world at large," writes editor Amy Lyles Wilson. "In so doing, we can begin to conduct our lives with an ever-present spirit of compassion instead of saving such outpouring for tragic situations and natural disasters."

In these reflections, writers as varied as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Wendy Wright, Henri Nouwen, and Robert Corin Morris show us what that looks like, from tending an injured animal to sitting with someone in their grief. Together they invite us to slow down, pay attention, and offer our time, our presence, and a listening heart to the people right in front of us.

Inside you'll find:

Short essays and poems on compassion from beloved spiritual writers
Practical paths for deepening your capacity to care
Wisdom suited to personal prayer, journaling, or small-group conversation

Someone near you may need a little of your attention today. These voices will help you notice and remind you what it means to carry one another's burdens.

Part of the Hope, Anger, Forgiveness, Compassion: Wisdom for Today Book Series. Also available as a four-book bundle.

Hope

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:59:40 GMT

Hope for the here and now.

Hope can feel in short supply these days. Yet it is often in the waiting, the not-knowing, and the dark that hope quietly takes root.

In this small book of inspiring reflections, trusted spiritual voices across generations offer an invitation to discover hope again, for yourself and for your community. Joan D. Chittister, Frederick Buechner, Parker J. Palmer, Walter Brueggemann, Doris Donnelly, and others remind us that hope is not wishful thinking or easy optimism. It is a steady, faithful way of living toward what might yet be.

"Hope is precisely what we have when we do not have something. Hope is a sense of what might yet be."

Read one reflection at a time, in a quiet morning moment or at the end of a hard day, and let these voices help you find light for the path ahead.

Inside you’ll find:

Short essays and poems on hope from beloved spiritual writers
Reflections for anyone who feels weary, uncertain, or discouraged
Wisdom suited to personal prayer, journaling, or small-group conversation

Part of the Hope, Anger, Forgiveness, Compassion: Wisdom for Today Book Series. Also available as a four-book bundle.

Anger

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:59:12 GMT

Even Christians get angry.

As people of faith, we may believe we shouldn’t feel anger, that somehow we ought to rise above it. But anger is part of being human. Injustice, loss, and hurt can stir it in us, and sometimes they should.

In this small book of reflections, trusted spiritual voices across generations help us meet our anger honestly, without shame or fear. Thich Nhat Hanh, Sue Monk Kidd, Howard Thurman, Madeleine L'Engle, Roberta Bondi, and others show us how to listen to what anger is telling us and how to let it lead toward healing, courage, and right action instead of harm.

"Anger is a natural passion. It's how we express our anger and where we allow it to lead us that matter."

Read one reflection at a time, and let these voices help you tend your anger with wisdom and grace.

Inside you’ll find:

Short essays and poems on anger from beloved spiritual writers
Honest reflections for anyone feeling frustrated, hurt, or overwhelmed
Wisdom suited to personal prayer, journaling, or small-group conversation

Part of the Hope, Faith, Forgiveness, Compassion: Wisdom for Today Book Series. Also available as a four-book bundle.