Marjorie J. Thompson

Drawing on the writings and wisdom of Henri J. M. Nouwen's themes of caregiving, Marjorie J. Thompson offers a vulnerable exploration of caregiving intertwined with both her own many years of intimate caregiving of family members and collected stories of caregivers in varied settings and stages of life. While not shying away from the demanding physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of caregiving, Courage for Caregivers also celebrates the gifts of caregiving grounded in the belovedness both caregiver and care receiver share in God's eyes. Practical leader guides and resources make Courage for Caregivers a tool that moves smoothly from individual encouragement to group and congregational ministry to develop support for the universal experience of caregiving.

Now available in enlarged print, Soul Feast has equipped and inspired tens of thousands of readers to lead a spiritual life. Marjorie Thompson offers a framework for understanding the spiritual disciplines and provides instruction for developing and nurturing those practices. Many new additions, including a new chapter on keeping the sabbath, make this newly revised edition of Soul Feast a must-have for individual reflection and group study.

Forgiving others and humbly asking for forgiveness are central disciplines for all Christian believers. Lent, a time to reflect on our Christian journey, is an appropriate time to deepen our understanding and practice of forgiveness. Marjorie J. Thompson, author of the best-selling book Soul Feast, takes a close look at our understanding of forgiveness in this encouraging study. In six brief chapters, Thompson addresses such questions as the following:Is forgiveness a Christian duty under all circumstances? Or are there situations when Christians do not need to forgive? Is forgiveness a matter between individuals, or is it meaningful only in the context of communities? Is forgiving the best route to healing for the injured? How do we get past emotional barriers to real forgiveness? Using biblical examples and real-life situations, Thompson illustrates each chapter's theme in an informative and engaging way. A study guide is also included at the back of the book that is appropriate for either individual reflection or group discussion. With clarity, insight, and sensitivity, this book is the perfect resource for examining both our ability to forgive and our own need for forgiveness.

This guide provides everything you need to prepare and lead small-group studies. The Way of Discernment provides: Principles of personal and group discernmentDaily exercises to help you move from information to experienceWeekly meeting plans designed for group sharing and worshipPenetrating questions to aid the process of discernmentThe 10-week study focuses on the ancient spiritual discipline of discernment for individuals, congregations, or larger bodies of the church. In addition to a preparatory meeting, sessions include: The Beckoning of DiscernmentThe Heart of DiscernmentFruit as TouchstonesCore Identity as TouchstoneGrowing in the GiftIn the Hard PlacesCommunal Discernment: BeginningsCommunal Discernment: Going FartherElements of Perpetual ChallengeThe All-Encompassing AudienceThe Leader's Guide contains step-by-step instructions for sessions and a list of materials needed for the weekly group meetings.

How do you discover God's guidance for personal and congregational decisions? Explore paths to clarity in The Way of Discernment, a 10-week study for small groups. Who is this book designed for? People yearning to hear the Holy Spirit's guidanceIndividuals looking for direction in vocation or life changesChurch leaders seeking clarity about their congregation's distinctive missionChristians searching for God's will in matters of belief, ethics, and faithful livingPart of the Companions in Christ series, The Way of Discernment offers a biblical, theological, and practical framework for understanding the practice of discernment. Sessions includeThe Beckoning of DiscernmentThe Heart of DiscernmentFruit as TouchstonesCore Identity as TouchstoneGrowing in the GiftIn the Hard PlacesCommunal Discernment: BeginningsCommunal Discernment: Going FartherElements of Perpetual ChallengeThe All-Encompassing Audience

Embracing the Journey: The Way of Christ focuses on an exploration of spiritual formation as an individual and corporate journey toward wholeness and holiness through the grace of God. This book is the first segment of a five-volume study of the original 28-week Companions in Christ resource. The 5-piece participant series is designed for groups that will take breaks between the other four volumes: Feeding on the Word (scripture)Deepening Our Prayer (prayer)Responding to Our Call (vocation)Exploring Spiritual Guidance (spiritual companionship)

Everything you need to guide a small group on a 10-week journey into the heart of prayer is contained in this Leader's Guide. Find the practical help you need: Ideas for a session to introduce the resource to participantsA list of Weekly Needs at a GlanceDetailed instructions for leading 10 weekly meetingsHelp your group members become the people God wants them to be through this study. By exploring the nature of prayer and a variety of its forms, participants will discover expressions of prayer that draw them closer to God and give them a deeper sense of spiritual vitality. Sessions address these topics: How Do You Pray? Images of GodPraying by HeartPraying with MusicPraying by GazePraying with Our BodiesScriptural PrayerContemplative PrayerPraying with and for OthersPrayer and Social Transformation

Companions in Christ Participant's Book in 1 Volume is available for small-group members. Companions in Christ Leader's Guide is designed to develop you as a leader in guiding the spiritual life of your congregation. This resource gives you an overview of the Christian spiritual life and the practices that help people enter into the formative pattern of Christ's life: a life of prayer, study and service. Help your small-group members move from information (knowledge about) to experience (knowledge of) in the means of grace - ways in which Christ meets people, renews their faith, and deepens their life together in love. This revised Leader's Guide provides detailed guidance for leading a small group through the 28 weekly sessions. The plans have been tested and refined by groups in churches across the country. This book contains all you need, including: the Getting Started Guide, which was formerly a separate piece a revised plan for a Closing Retreat Weekly Needs at a Glance page references for both the comprehensive 1-volume Participant's Book and the new 5-volume series "I found that the Leader's Guide was complete, easy to use, and filled with a vast wealth of worship experiences and leadership tools," writes one Companions in Christ group leader. "I haven't found this content in other resources." Lead your group deeper into the heart and mind, the work and spirit, and the very life of Jesus Christ

Exploring the Way Leader's Guide is also available. Do you long for something more? Maybe you can't explain your yearning, but you want to make a difference in the world, and you're never quite satisfied with your life. You're not alone. Even people raised in church can feel disconnected from God. Exploring the Way will help you understand and deepen your experience of God. You'll be able to ask questions about issues and faith in a safe place. You'll discover (or rediscover) a way of grace, joy, and peace - indeed, the way of Christ himself. Ideal for the novice and veteran alike, this book defines and explains the most basic concepts and language of the Christian spiritual life: prayer, the Bible's message for our lives today, spiritual gifts, listening, journaling, and much more. It's the ultimate 6-week orientation to spirituality and the essential elements of faith. Sessions include: Beginning the Journey Sharing the Adventure Bread for the Journey (Scripture) Drink for the Journey (Prayer) Companions on the Way Reaching Out in Love Stories, scripture, and exercises in each chapter will help connect your beliefs with daily experiences. Through independent and group study, you'll establish a rhythm of daily time with God, weekly time in Christian community, and a lifelong attentiveness to possibilities for serving the world. Feed your hungry soul, and use both your head and your heart while rejuvenating your own spiritual journey.

The Way of Blessedness invites readers to cultivate the dispositions of the soul as outlined in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which suit us for the reign of God while drawing us into its realm. Jesus portrays the reign of God in terms that are contrary to social hierarchy in his time as well as our own. It is a realm of outlandish generosity and uncommon compassion. This is a 9-week study of the spiritual practices that help us turn away from pride and fill us with God's abundant love. As we're transformed by God's love, we're able to become people who mourn with and for others and our world, who understand and live out Jesus' example of meekness, who hunger and thirst for holiness, who humbly offer and receive mercy, whose hearts are pure and able to see the imprint of God in all things, who seek peace, and who hold strong in our faith through adversity.

It takes a lot of willingness and practice to see life from God's perspective. Perhaps nothing goes more against the grain of human nature than forgiving those who wound us and accepting forgiveness from others. But practicing forgiveness will transform your life and help you grow in the heart and mind of Christ. In The Way of Forgiveness, an 8-week small-group study, MarjorieThompson examines shame, guilt, and anger, helping you release these emotions so you can move toward wholeness. She also deals with the topics of receiving God's forgiveness, forgiving others, and seeking reconciliation. Thompson gives guidance for such ticklish questions as: Does forgiveness mean release from consequences of sin? Are there no limits to forgiveness? How do we deal with absent offenders or people who refuse to forgive us? A unique feature of this book is the inclusion of a reproduction of Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son. Over the course of the study, the artwork will serve as a focal point for reflection and discovery.

The first place most of us experience God and learn the values that shape our lives is within the family. Is it any wonder, then, that all manner of current social ills are blamed on the disintegration of family life? Children need to see that the spiritual life is significant to their parents at home as well as at church. If your home life differs from the image you present at church, your kids will see faith as contrived and irrelevant. In this revised and expanded edition, Thompson suggests models, rituals, and celebrations that will inspire your children to grow spiritually and will help center your family on God. Family the Forming Center will help you, as parents, develop close family relationships filled with God's love, trust, and values.