This empowering back-to-basics review of Bible-based spirituality for those who refuse to be "half-Christians" and for those beginning their lives as Christians offers a refreshing guide to the basic spiritual disciplines that are the true pathway to a dynamic, growing life of faith.

Essential Spirituality

Smith, Gordon T.

Religion & Spirituality

Thomas Nelson. Inc.

&amp;"This is my body," said Jesus at the Last Supper. What did he mean? Throughout church history, there have been various interpretations of his words. These differences have caused denominational ruptures that have yet to heal. In A Holy Meal, Gordon T. Smith shows that we cannot appreciate the Lord's Supper until we understand it. In light of the renewed attention given to the sacraments by all branches of the church, he examines the historic interpretations and seeks common ground among believers. In the process, he shows how the Lord's Supper can infuse new meaning into the church as it confronts the forces of postmodernism and secularism. A Holy Meal is essential reading for Christians who want to ponder the Lord's Supper againperhaps truly for the first time.

A Holy Meal: The Lord's Supper in the Life of the Church

Arts & Photography

Music

Baker Academic

All Christians yearn to live at the center of God's will. But how to discern his will is an art that eludes many of us. And the advice we get often conflicts. Some tell us to look for a divine "blueprint"-the one perfect plan for our lives that we need to find. We are encouraged to search the Scriptures and hunt for signs, trying to uncover the map of our lives that God has drawn. Others have rejected the blueprint school of guidance for the "wisdom school." With minds renewed by the teaching of Scripture, we are to develop the wisdom necessary to make wise choices. We are told not to expect that there is just one answer to God's will for every decision we face. Several may be possible. The difficulty with both approaches, writes Gordon Smith, is that they minimize the presence and voice of God in times of choice. Instead, he argues for a third way. He suggests that we develop discernment as a spiritual discipline. By stressing the personal aspects of growing in our relationship with God, we can understand his will, not just in times of crisis but throughout our daily lives. This book provides no magic formulas, no recipes for guaranteed success-just a lot of insight, gleaned from centuries of lived Christian experience, that will guide and encourage you in the art of discerning God's will.

Listening to God in Times of Choice: The Art of Discerning God's Will

History

World

God has called you--first to himself, to know and follow him but also to a specific life purpose, a particular reason for being. This second call, to a defining purpose or mission in life, is often termed a vocation, from the Latin root meaning "calling." And while it has implications for your work or occupation, it also reaches wider. It includes your giftedness, your weakness, your life in community, what you do day to day. In this book, Gordon Smith invites you to discover your vocation by listening to God and becoming a coworker with him. 
<ul>
<li>What is my calling?</li> <li>How do I live it out in the midst of difficult relationships or moral challenges?</li> <li>Will my vocation change as I enter a new stage of life?</li> <li>As I cope with competing needs and demands, how can I craft a balanced, ordered way of living?</li> <li>Where do I find the courage to follow God's call?</li> </ul> Smith addresses these questions and many more, pointing the way in this book toward freedom--and toward emotional and spiritual maturity. If you long to hear and follow God's call to you, here is the book that can get you started.

Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential

Christian Books & Bibles

IVP Books

"Saints are made by good conversions." In this challenging and provocative book, Gordon T. Smith contends that a chief cause of spiritual immaturity in the evangelical church is an inadequate theology of conversion. Conversion, he says, involves more than a release from the consequences of sin--the goal is spiritual transformation. But there is little transformation without a complete and authentic conversion. The key is beginning well. In this age of false starts and stunted growth, maturing Christians need help reflecting on and interpreting their own religious experience. Christian leaders need to rethink the way that conversions happen. Beginning Well is a catalyst toward this end. Surveying Scripture, spiritual autobiographies and a broad range of theologies of conversion (Protestant and Catholic, Reformed and Wesleyan), the author seeks to foster in the Christian community a dynamic language of conversion that leads to spiritual transformation and mature Christian living. In the process he moves us from a short-sighted "minimalist" view to one that recognizes seven elements necessary for good conversions. This book--a stirring call to rethink the relationship between conversion and transformation--is a must read for pastors, evangelists, spiritual directors, seminary professors and others who are concerned about the nurture and development of Christian converts, and the nature of authentic religious experience.

Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation

<ul><li>A Personal Growth Finalist in the 2004 Word Guild Canadian Writing Awards</li></ul>"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." Jesus takes it for granted that you will hear his voice. But how do you hear it? How do you separate it out from the cacophony of other voices you hear everyday, including those of your own desires? Is your experience of Jesus' voice something purely subjective, or is it something you can talk about with others and have them confirm? Building on the rich spiritual tradition that spans the diversity of history and theology from Ignatius Loyola to John Wesley to Jonathan Edwards, Gordon T. Smith helps open your ears and heart to the depths of the inner witness of the Spirit. By learning to attend to the Spirit, Smith urges, you will learn to hear and heed the voice of Jesus in everyday life. Written with warmth and wisdom, this book speaks to the mind and heart of every Christian who longs for a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus.

The Voice of Jesus: Discernment, Prayer and the Witness of the Spirit

God calls us first to himself, to know and follow him, and also to a specific life purpose, a particular reason for being. This second call or "vocation" has implications not only for our work or occupation, but also includes our giftedness, our weaknesses, our life in community and what we do day to day. In this book Gordon Smith invites you to discover your vocation by listening to God and becoming a coworker with him. 
<ul>
<li>What is my calling? </li>
<li>How do I live it out in the midst of difficult relationships or moral challenges? </li>
<li>Will my vocation change as I enter a new stage of life? </li>
<li>With competing needs and demands, how can I craft a balanced way of living? </li>
</ul> Smith addresses these questions and many more in the pages of this book. This new edition has been revised and updated throughout with two expanded chapters and a new chapter on four specific areas of calling. Here is rich insight for all who long for the ears to hear and the courage to follow God's call.

Self-Help

Happiness

We are not alone. God is present with us. And God gives us companions on the journey. A spiritual director is one such companion, offering spiritual guidance to help 
<ul>
<li>make sense of the faith journey</li>
<li>interpret the significant markers on the road</li>
<li>encourage us, particularly through the more difficult transitions and valleys of our pilgrimage</li>
<li>and, most of all, to notice the ministry of the Spirit in our lives</li>
</ul> Gordon Smith writes: Even if we have been Christians and maturing in our faith for many years, we still need the encouragement and guidance that might come through spiritual direction. . . . Genuine humility is evident in our realization that we need a companion, a fellow pilgrim and Christian, who can help us discern and foster an attentiveness to God's presence in our lives. This is the gift of spiritual direction. Whether you are a director, a directee or simply someone who wants to learn more about this ancient ministry, you will find this book to be a helpful guide.

Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving and Receiving Direction

<ul>
<li>2015 Christianity Today Award of Merit (Spirituality)</li>
<li>2014 Best Book of Spirituality―Academic, from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Bookstore</li>
</ul> Evangelicals are known for their emphasis on conversion. But what about life after conversion and beyond justification? Desperately needed is a comprehensive theology of the Christian life from beginning to end, along with the means of formation and transformation. In Called to Be Saints, Gordon Smith draws on a distinguished lifetime of reflecting on these themes to offer us a theologically rich account of our participation in the life of Christ. Both profound and practical, this book is a trinitarian theology of holiness that encompasses both justification and sanctification, both union with Christ and communion with God. Smith unfolds how and why Christians are called to become wise people, do good work, love others and enjoy rightly ordered affections. If holiness is the ongoing journey of becoming mature in Christ, then there is no better guide than Smith. Christians in every walk of life will find this a rich resource for learning what it means to "grow up in every way . . . into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).

Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity

IVP Academic

Institutional Intelligence: How to Build an Effective Organization

Institutions matter. They give us an opportunity to have an influence for the common good that far outlasts us. But we often assume that institutions are at cross-purposes with dynamic communities, with personal vocational calling, and with core human values. We view them somewhat cynically as, perhaps, a necessary evil. Institutions, far from that, remain essential to human flourishing. They are the very means by which communities thrive, individual vocations are fulfilled, and society is changed for the good. As a result, we all need to learn how to work effectively within institutions. That is just what Gordon Smith provides. He unpacks the core of institutional intelligence―the wisdom of working effectively within an organization. At the same time, he shows how team leaders, directors, executives, board members, key stakeholders, and employees can avoid what is often their greatest source of stress on the job―working with the institutional character of their organizations. Focusing on the nonprofit sector, Smith unlocks the essential elements of how institutions function in a productive, healthy manner. Church staff, educators, and those in service agencies can all thrive by understanding these dynamics instead of fighting against them. By developing this essential vocational capacity, we and those around us can not only fulfill ourselves but also a mission that is larger than we are.

Business & Money

Business Culture

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Smith, Gordon T.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Smith, Gordon T.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Smith, Gordon T.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Essential Spirituality

A Holy Meal: The Lord's Supper in the Life of the Church

Listening to God in Times of Choice: The Art of Discerning God's Will

Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential

Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation

The Voice of Jesus: Discernment, Prayer and the Witness of the Spirit

Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential

Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving and Receiving Direction

Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity

Institutional Intelligence: How to Build an Effective Organization