In the final year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen set out to write a book about the Creed. His plans changed when he learned of the death of his friend Adam, a severely handicapped young man from the L'Arche Daybreak Community outside Toronto where Nouwen lived. In the story of Adam he found a way to describe his own understanding of the Gospel message. Adam could not speak or even move without assistance. Gripped by frequent seizures, he spent his life in obscurity. And yet, for Nouwen, Adam became "my friend, my teacher, and my guide." It was Adam who led Nouwen to a new understanding of his faith and what it means to be Beloved of God. Through the story of Adam Nouwen found a new way to tell God's story of Jesus and the story of all of us human creatures, broken and yet beloved, who live in a world charged with the mystery of God's overwhelming love. Completed only weeks before his own death, Adam: God's Beloved became Nouwens final, precious gift, a fitting summation of his own message and legacy.

A handbook to help seminarians grow in love for God as they study

Theological education can cool your love for the Lord. It's sad but true. Learning that is not fully integrated into your daily life and patterns of living can lead to spiritual detachment. On the other hand, theological studies that are properly processed over time (with sufficient time for reflection and service) can aid your loving service toward God and others. As you enter into a theological program (seminary, divinity school, or other graduate studies), make a plan to help you balance the head knowledge with heart patterns.

With seasoned advice from seminary veterans, discussions include such pressing questions as, "Is seminary still relevant for today?" and "How are today's Christian leaders really being formed?" This helpful resource also considers the potential danger of doing seminary 100 percent online. Blessed Are the Balanced will guide you as you learn to pursue both scholarship and the Kingdom.

Create new family traditions for Advent!

The first volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.

The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.

The first book in the set, Prayers for Summertime, filled with prayers, psalms, and readings, is one readers will turn to again and again. Compact in size, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and will whet the hunger of a large and eager audience for the follow-up autumn/winter and spring volumes.