Many American Christians today are not sure what spiritual maturity is or how to get there. Thomas Bergler has written this accessible guide to help both individuals and whole faith communities to grow spiritually. Bergler claims that spiritual maturity - which he defines as basic competence in the Christian life - is not only desirable but attainable, and he identifies its character from pertinent New Testament passages. He further offers a wealth of practical, research-based guidance for effectively fostering spiritual maturity in Christian believers and entire congregations. -- Publisher.

In From Here to Maturity Rodney follows up his highly successful autobiography The Landlords Son with the continuation of his life story, including the formation and running of his Construction Company. A story of a colourful life in all its phases; happy, traumatic, challenging, controversial and sad. The book covers Rodney’s charitable voluntary work, legal challenges and family life. Personal recollections of a life between the 70's and modern day. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

Once Upon a Time There Lived a precocious little girl with slightly unruly hair who shot free throws with her brother on the backyard basketball court, dressed up in snazzy outfits and shiny strap shoes, and thought her big sister was the most gorgeous creature since Brigitte Bardot. This little girl grew into a smart teenybopper with bouffant hair who surreptitiously passed notes to her best friend in study hall, dressed in snug-fitting bell-bottom trousers and the scantiest miniskirts, and held hands with her boyfriend at the Uptown Theater. Finally, Deborah Paul grew into a very bright, sophisticated lady who savors long baths, conducts Internet searches for her discontinued favorite bra, and knows exactly what's wrong with doctors today. Her hairdo changes are still the talk of the town, as is the professional success of this woman who now serves as vice president and editorial director of Emmis Publishing. This collection of bright, breezy, pertinent (and sometimes impertinent) personal essays by the prizewinning and distinguished editor spans a writing career of some twenty years. Longtime fans and anyone interested in exceptionally well-written, pithy, and often humorous commentary on the passing scene in America will savor this treasury of tales. Book jacket.

Jesus commissioned His apostles""and, by extension, the church""to make disciples. Many church leaders have come to the conclusion that attending worship services and Bible study classes will result in making disciples. A review of statistical reports indicates a majority of church members and attenders do not believe this process will work, or they have come to the conclusion they do not want to become disciples. The 2010 US Religion Census report indicated 79% of the 150,686,156 members, children, and other attenders did not attend worship services. It also reported over 60% of the same group did not attend Bible study classes. In 2014 one of the major denominations in the United States reported 63% of church members did not attend worship services and 62% did not attend Bible study classes. There are literally thousands of spiritual surveys available to church leaders. A majority of these surveys develop conclusions based on a single survey being administered or two surveys being administered several months apart. If a disciple-making process is to be effective, there needs to be a method of measuring the progress of individuals moving toward spiritual maturity. This type of measurement would produce a visual of spiritual growth, spiritual decline, or spiritual non-growth. The only way to measure the spiritual progress of an individual is to create a measurement of the various elements of the spiritual life. The process of measuring spiritual maturity in this book is self-contained within the participating church, and the responses of the participating individuals are highly confidential and warehoused by the participating church.

More than ever, Christians must be grounded in their identity and purpose to reach a hurting world. This groundbreaking book brings together the latest best practices for how to be (and help others become) mature, balanced, and joyful Christians today. Evangelism experts Gordy DeMarais and Daniel Keating lay out thoughtful actions for effectively bringing Christ to the world. A must-read for every follower of Jesus.

This is the fourth anthology in a four-volume set of dramatic monologues exploring the Mother/Daughter experience. Each volume reflects a different stage of a woman's life: "Urgent Maturity" reveals the anger, wisdom and transformation of later life. This anthology features the work of playwrights Agnes Szmidel, Barbara H. Macchia, Barrie Cole, Carol Samson, Cass Erickson, Cassie Rush, Claire Braz-Valentine, Ed Friedman, Faye Sholiton, Giovanni Affinito, Jan Watts, Jere Pfister, Karen Jeynes, Karen Kinch , Katherine H. Burkman, Laura Shamas, Lia Romeo, Ludmilla Bollow, Marj O'Neill-Butler, Martha Patterson, Mary Millner McCullough, Monica Raymond, Nancy Gall-Clayton, Nina Solomita, Paddy Gillard-Bentley, Patricia Milton, Patricia Montley, Roberta D'Alois, Sandra Dempsey, Sandra Ostrander, and Terri L. Atkins Febuary. Foreword by Margaret McSeveney.

The much-needed message of this book is that spiritual practice is not a weekend hobby or an activity for adolescent seekers (of any age). Instead, Lalitha makes a case for mature spirituality, which evolves from a serious commitment to the Path, and assumes dignity, integrity and personal responsibility for one’s life choices. She proposes a series of “questions that matter”. . . including: • What Path Are You Really On? • What Are You Seriously Committed to? • What Do You Call Love? • Are You on Your Deathbed? The playing field of spiritual maturity can never be separate from one’s everyday life—one’s work, relationships, art, physical limits, suffering, aging and dying—Lalitha affirms. And, it will always reflect a sacred regard for the highest principles (one’s aim), along with gratitude for what is, and kindness, generosity and compassion toward others. Lalitha is a spiritual teacher and a farmer—her ashram in BC is also a working organic farm. She knows the disciplined efforts needed to prepare a ground for planting, to nurture and maintain young shoots, to guard against predators and to harvest a mature crop. As a long-term spiritual practitioner, she has worked with students for over twenty years. She knows the risks, the sweat and the fruits of the spiritual path. Full of practical help, her book cites dozens of examples relative to spiritual authority, doubt and confusion, a life of practice, and the facing and embracing of death . . . as well as other issues that matter! She is the author of Waking to Ordinary Life, and several books on health and healing.

How to raise kids who can handle the real world Today's Generation iY (teens brought up with the Internet) and Homelanders (children born after 9/11) are overexposed to information at an earlier age than ever and paradoxically are underexposed to meaningful relationships and real-life experiences. Artificial Maturity addresses the problem of what to do when parents and teachers mistake children's superficial knowledge for real maturity. The book is filled with practical steps that adults can take to furnish the experiences kids need to balance their abilities with authentic maturity. Shows how to identify the problem of artificial maturity in Generation iY and Homelanders Reveals what to do to help children balance autonomy, responsibility, and information Includes a down-to-earth model for coaching and guiding youth to true maturity Artificial Maturity gives parents, teachers, and others who work with youth a manual for understanding and practicing the leadership kids so desperately need to mature in a healthy fashion.

Aging is stressful for anyone in youth-oriented Western societies. Elderly people encounter difficulties and discrimination, sometimes because of reduced income, transportation and housing problems, and failing health, but often due to the persistent negative stereotypes that color others’attitudes and behavior toward old people. Gay men and lesbians experience these stresses, as well as the numerous additional problems associated with their sexual orientation. Gay Midlife and Maturity is a dynamic and positive volume that challenges the long-held stereotype of the sad and lonely old homosexual. A growing body of international literature, much of which is featured in this book, rejects this myth and illustrates that older gay men and lesbians cope well with the aging process and are comparable to younger homosexuals in social and psychological adjustment. A much-needed and major contribution, Gay Midlife and Maturity contains an enormous amount of information for readers interested in gerontology and homosexuality. Experts, for the first time, examine the relationship between the adjustment of gay people to later life and the age and sequence of the resolution of these typically early developmental processes, raising many questions about traditional theories of gay development. The existing contradictions and debates about gay men and accelerated aging are addressed. Other valuable chapters focus on a theory of successful aging, a comparison of the traditional gay community (pre-Stonewall) versus the organized gay community, the vital role of communication in gay relationships, the sexual attitudes and behaviors of older gay men, and much more. Additional interesting and worthwhile chapters of this thought-provoking new book include an in-depth interview with Don Bachardy about his 33-year relationship Christopher Isherwood, a renowned English writer who was 30 years his senior, and a review of the growing literature on gay aging.