• ISBN13: 9780446563598
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With the grace of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea and the wisdom of M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, Simple Abundance is a book of 366 evocative essays-one for every day of your year-written for women who wish to live by their own lights. In the past a woman's spirituality has been separated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily life can be an expression of your authentic self ... as you choose the tastiest vegetables from your garden, search for treasures at flea markets, establish a sacred space in your home for meditation, and follow the rhythm of the seasons and the year. Here, for the first time, the mystical alchemy of style and Spirit is celebrated. Every day, your own true path leads you to a happier, more fulfilling and contented way of life-the state of grace known as... Embrace its gentle lessons, savor its sublime common sense, dare to live its passionate truth, and share its extraordinary and exhilarating gift with every woman you encounter: the authentic self is the Soul made visible.

This book features 366 essays penned from a woman's perspective. Sample topics include gratitude, harmony, self-nurturing, positive body image, the importance of scented linen closets, and many others. Each essay sports a pithy quote from (surprise!) the likes of Kahlil Gibran. Viewed uncritically, it's hard to argue with Simple Abundance's earnest admonitions to appreciate life, in all its messy imperfect excellence. And the fact that serenity and happiness are each in dreadfully short supply can excuse some of the treacly writing. But Breathnach sometimes lapses into what can only be described as her "Martha Stewart on Prozac" voice, and the results are aggravating to the extreme: "If you've been hesitant to strike up a reciprocal relationship with your guardian angel, don't be." Fans of guardian angels will greet these feel-good essays every morning with the rising sun, a cup of mint tea, and a bluebird chirping on the windowsill, and be happy. Skeptics will prefer their coffee very black.

When beloved author Henri Nouwen set out to record this daybook of totally new reflections, he suddenly found himself on "a true spiritual adventure." For in these 366 original, interlocking morsels of daily wisdom, Nouwen provides both sustenance and a trail for us to follow, as he unveils, to his own surprise, his personal map of faith. From the delicate interplay of human experience to the surrender to Christ and the embrace of Christian community, that journey of Christian spirituality is explored and celebrated here in each eloquent, thought–provoking passage,

"The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, 'Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass, don't be shy, enjoy it,' we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion.... Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner can become a time of growing communion with one another."

Intimately personal and inspiring, Bread for the Journey is a daily feast of fresh insight into the challenges and deep joys of a life lived in close communion with God. Nouwen is a wise, loving companion who invites us along as he finds joy in the community of loss, true freedom in forgiveness of others, and hope in surprising places. Each daily meditation is a stepping–stone along a path of private discovery, offering Nouwen's seasoned yet fresh ideas on kindness, love, suffering, and prayer, the Church as God's people, and the importance of Jesus in one's life–reflecting, as a whole, Nouwen's own 'personal creed.' Bread for the Journey brims with daily nourishment and guidance for devoted followers and new friends alike –– food for thought on a yearlong journey of discovery and faith.

Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith is a devotional containing meditations for every day of the year. Henry Nouwen begins the book by honing in on everyday experiences and objects. His reflection on the spiritual significance of mealtime, for instance, renders breakfast a revelatory hour:

The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, "Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass...," we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion.

These prayers for kindness, for love, for gratitude and guidance are the perfect way to begin or end a child's busy day.

Readers are challenged with the simple but profound question: What would happen-how would your life be different-if you committed the next year to learning about prayer and devoting time to prayer every single day? A Daybook on Prayer weaves together poignant meditations from classic and contemporary Christian writers with powerful Bible verses, directed prayers, and personal prayer-starters, to create a life-changing resource for those who want to draw closer to the heart of God. The daily selections are drawn from many of the greatest historical and modern teachers on the subject of prayer, including Augustine, Thomas A Kempis, Martin Luther, Brother Andrew, John Wesley, A.W. Tozer, Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, Billy Graham, Charles Swindoll, Max Lucado, and many others.

The success of the Weigh Down Diet program is evident by both the best-selling sales of the book and the countless members of the Weigh Down program. Jan Christiansen is one of those successful members and winners. As Jan applied the principle of eating taught in Weigh Down, she not only began to lose weight, but more importantly, began to really know God. She began sharing her new insight on her website and soon found thousands of people hitting her sight each week for inspiration and encouragement for their Weigh Down journey.