Susan S. Phillips

From Mali to Mozambique, from Alaska to Argentina, Blaine and I have covered quite a few miles. We have learned so much from experiencing other cultures, which has enabled us to become more patient and tolerant of a time before cell phones and social media. We have become more aware and respectful of the people around us but above all we have carried the burden of responsibility in our adventures to become mini ambassadors of this grand country -- the United States of America which we all too often take for granted but are fortunate enough to call home. - Susan S. Phillips

Dallas Willard Center Book and Research Award Finalist Hearts Minds Bookstore's Best Books of 2015, Spirituality and the Devotional Life "This is a book written specifically for those of us who are assigned the task of developing an imagination for living the Christian faith with insight and skill in and for a society that is disconnected from the biblical revelation and the Jesus incarnation," writes Eugene Peterson in the foreword of The Cultivated Life. "But it is equally useful for all of us who are committed to following Jesus with our families and coworkers and neighbors." Sociology professor and spiritual director Susan Phillips walks us through the "circus" of our cultural landscape to invite us into a cultivated life of spirituality. If we want to accept the invitation to return to the garden, then we must face down the temptation to live life as spectators of the circus that plays on around us. We want to be rooted and grounded in Christ, but are pushed toward constant work, alternating between performance and spectacle. Cultivation requires a kind of attentiveness that is countercultural to our age of distraction. These pages unfold the spiritual practices that can lead us into a new and delightful way of living. Are you ready to leave the circus?

Candlelight offers an intimate view of spiritual direction through written re-enactments of actual spiritual direction sessions. The experiential practice is accompanied by theoretical and theological foundations guiding it. The book includes the stories of nine men and women whose stories illustrate how the journey of Christian discipleship is helped by spiritual direction.