Tim Sledge

After my life of faith collapsed, I picked up the broken pieces and tried to envision a new way of living. Faced with a multitude of choices about what the new version of me might look like, I began to think for myself about how to build a meaningful life. I decided that if I could describe a religion-not-required way of finding meaning in life by focusing on things that really matter, it would be something worth sharing-especially if it could make sense and work for anyone, regardless of religious beliefs, political stance, personality type, lifestyle, or generational label. And that's how this book came to be. Regardless of whether you're a free-thinking skeptic or a person of faith, my hope is that in these pages you can discover new pathways toward values, purpose, and meaning as you consider what matters most in your life. Tim Sledge

This is the facilitator's guide for a self-help support group using the Making Peace with Your Past workbook.

Moving Beyond Your Past is the follow-up study to Making Peace with Your Past. Both books grew out of support group ministries led by author Tim Sledge when he was pastor of the Kingsland Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, in the 1980s. Making Peace with Your Past and Moving Beyond Your Past, have been used as interactive workbooks for 20,000 support groups across the U. S. Moving Beyond Your Past focuses on a biblical approach to recovery in the present tense. With a focus on attitudes, actions, and changes, this 13-unit study guides participants to move beyond the hurts of the past into joyful and productive day-to-day living. This course will help you to: -take responsibility for your own emotional and spiritual wholeness -learn to care for others without having the codependent tendencies of controlling or rescuing -develop spiritual and emotional vitality in your relationship with God -move beyond the hurts of the past to a life of joy, purpose, and meaning This book provides self-paced, interactive study and resources for participation in a 13-week support group or can be worked through on your own. The companion book, Moving Beyond Your Past Facilitator's Guide, provides administrative guidance and suggested activities for the support group study. Making Peace with Your Past is a recommended prerequisite to this support group study. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com.

This book is the facilitator's guide for leading a support group using the Moving Beyond Your Past interactive workbook by Tim Sledge.

This is a book for ministers and lay leaders. It is my story of a lost ministry in a church that was in every way I could imagine the best place in the world for me to be a pastor. I have attempted to tell the story in a way that allows you to live it with me and to feel the joy and the pain I experienced. And I have attempted to analyze what happened, to make sense of it, and to take responsibility for my part in it. I am one of the estimated one in ten ministers who eventually left the ministry after a forced termination. But I still feel a deep affinity for individuals who dedicate themselves to lead congregations, to be present and available, to help, to guide, and to inspire. It is my hope that this book will in some way help churches and ministers avoid the trauma I experienced. And if you are a minister who has already experienced a similar loss, it is my aim that this book will provide some comfort and support as you work through what happened. Tim Sledge Note: This book is based on excerpts from my spiritual autobiography, Goodbye Jesus.

When former evangelical minister Tim Sledge walked away from five decades of faith more than 10 years ago, he made a clean break-no more church, prayer, religion, or God. But there was one thing that surprised him: He still wanted to be spiritual. Looking beyond traditional Christian views of spirituality, he found no "spiritual but not religious" model that worked for him-including the mindset of connecting with the energy of the universe. Eventually, Sledge decided to redefine spirituality for himself, and to use the term "meta-spirituality" to identify his personal approach as beyond any conventional concept of spirituality. His vision of meta-spirituality touches that part of us that seeks inspiration, yearns for the highest and best in life, and longs for a connection to something noble and wondrous. This is spirituality without God or magic, without religion or faith, and with no need of an invisible spirit world. It is a call to kindness, listening, vulnerability, compassion, and gratitude; a quest for a growing sensitivity to the world of emotions; and, a challenge to let mistakes lead to growth instead of shame. The book's 26 chapters are organized around five topics: How to Be Spiritual Without GodHow to See RealityHow to Live With MeaningHow to Keep Moving ForwardHow to Practice Meta-SpiritualityA Meta-Spiritual Handbook is a simple guide to seeing spirituality in a new way and a challenge to find your best self without reference to religion, faith, or God.

Youth Emmaus is a course designed to help those aged 11 to 16 explore the basics of the Christian faith. This is no easy task - but Youth Emmaus offers a winning combination of meaty leaders' notes, cool handouts for group members, great cartoons and graphics. The material is fully road-tested and ideal for youth groups and as a confirmation course for young people. Youth Emmaus tackles: What Christians Believe (5 Units) How Christians Grow (5 Units) Living the Christian Life (3 Units) Youth Emmaus also contains free online content that includes: Handouts and supplementary handouts for all sessions as PDF files Emmaus Poster Downloadable services to use with young people and a section on using Youth Emmaus in an all-age context Powerpoint presentation on Youth Emmaus All icons from handouts available in colour in a downloadable format

This study offers practical, biblically-based guidance to lead you to identify, understand, and come to terms with the feelings and problems of growing up in a dysfunctional family.