You are the right person for this job! Its one of those words that seems to hold so much meaning but somehow resides just out of our reach: disciple. How do I become one? And how do I become a disciple-maker? Theres no secret formula, nor is there a one-size-fits-all plan for disciple-making, but there are examples to follow. And there are certainly adventures to be had! Disciple-making at its core is learningand demonstratinghow to relate lovingly to God and to others. These pages are at once practical and packed with stories; they are big-picture-minded and strategy-filled. Read on to see how a disciple-making lifestyle will affect your view of: belonging hospitality relationship-building asking the right questions community and how to best love others In fact, discipleship is already in the heart of every Christian. Dont let your fear, your insecurities, or your busyness get in the way. If you know how to be a friend, you already know most of what you need to be a disciple-maker. Take one step of obedience. Just go.

Imitating Christ in Magwi: An Anthropological Theology achieves two things. First, focusing on indigenous Roman Catholics in northern Uganda and South Sudan, it is a detailed ethnography of how a community sustains hope in the midst of one of the most brutal wars in recent memory, that between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. Whitmore finds that the belief that the spirit of Jesus Christ can enter into a person through such devotions as the Adoration of the Eucharist gave people the wherewithal to carry out striking works of mercy during the conflict, and, like Jesus of Nazareth, to risk their lives in the process. Traditional devotion leveraged radical witness. Second, Gospel Mimesis is a call for theology itself to be a practice of imitating Christ. Such practice requires both living among people on the far margins of society – Whitmore carried out his fieldwork in Internally Displaced Persons camps – and articulating a theology that foregrounds the daily, if extraordinary, lives of people. Here, ethnography is not an add-on to theological concepts; rather, ethnography is a way of doing theology, and includes what anthropologists call “thick description” of lives of faith. Unlike theology that draws only upon abstract concepts, what Whitmore calls “anthropological theology” is consonant with the fact that God did indeed become human. It may well involve risk to one's own life – Whitmore had to leave Uganda for three years after writing an article critical of the President – but that is what imitatio Christi sometimes requires.

Our Lord is constantly pouring out graces upon mankind, yet only a few — those closest to His heart — know how to receive them. Sadly, countless graces are left unclaimed (likely many by you!) and are thus never allowed to further God's will on earth. How different our lives would be if we accessed God's grace more intentionally! Thankfully, God in His compassion gave us a perfect model for disposing ourselves to His graces and responding to them: the Blessed Virgin Mary. In The Imitation of Mary, Fr. Quan Tran shows you how to imitate the twelve essential qualities of Mary in order to unleash a torrent of graces in your life. He explains that, like any gift, grace must be received, opened, and used. As you learn how, you'll begin to acquire the temperaments, dispositions, and qualities that are most pleasing to God — and you'll serve as a channel of God's grace for others. You'll also learn:

Following Rabbi Jesus is a surprising exposure of who the Jesus we find in the Gospels really is, what he teaches those who dare to follow him, and how he models what it means to live God's radical-kingdom way. The reader of the book will discover in this exploration a very different Jesus from the celebrity or hero of much popular church culture, the tame, ineffective Jesus of compromised Christianity, and the inaccessible, conceptual Christ of much academic theology. The reader who takes the chance of honestly engaging the Jesus we meet in the Gospel stories may find an engaging and liberating contrast to the life he is now living. He may even want to make a turn or two, and start over.

Recent scholarship has challenged post-Reformation ideas about the early Christian doctrines of salvation. This ground-breaking book draws together the conclusions of recent scholarship into a compelling and clear view of the early Christian paradigm of salvation. It presents the case that the early Christians focussed not on Christ's death on the cross or 'saving faith', but on moral transformation. They saw Jesus as God's appointed teacher, prophet, and leader, who died as a martyr in order to teach them a new way of life. Their paradigm of salvation centred upon this way of life taught by Jesus, and on following faithfully his example and teachings. Part 1: 'How the Gospels present Jesus' explores the way in which the early Christians understood the teaching of Jesus. It highlights five themes of Jesus' message: economics and wealth, moral purity, social equality, the temple system, and physical and spiritual affliction. It shows why people viewed Jesus as a divinely appointed teacher, prophet, and leader, and saw his death as a martyrdom for his cause and movement. Part 2: 'Doctrines of the early Christians' presents the key early Christian doctrines of salvation and shows why several post-Reformation doctrines conflict with their views. It shows that the early Christians believed God's final judgment is made on the basis of character and conduct. They believed that by following Jesus and transforming their lives morally, they would obtain positive judgment and resurrection. This part shows how the early Christians' ideas of faith, justification, forgiveness and grace all fit into this paradigm. Part 3: 'The importance of Jesus' looks at why the early Christians considered Jesus so significant; they focussed on the moral transformation he brought to their lives. This part highlights what they believed Jesus achieved for them, and how they used sacrificial language to explain these beliefs. It explores the evidence for viewing Jesus' death as a martyrdom, and for seeing his resurrection as equally important. Part 4: 'Ideas throughout history' shows that Christians held this paradigm of salvation for several centuries. It outlines the key changes that occurred from the 4th century through to the Reformation, which moved tradition away from the early Christian ideas. Finally, it offers a critique of modern post-Reformation doctrines of salvation.

The Gospel of John would seem to be both the “spiritual Gospel” and a Gospel that promotes Christian mission. Some interpreters, however, have found John to be the product of a sectarian community that promotes a very narrow view of Christian mission and advocates neither love of neighbor nor love of enemy. In this book for both the academy and the church, Michael Gorman argues that John has a profound spirituality that is robustly missional, and that it can be summarized in the paradoxical phrase “Abide and go,” from John 15. Disciples participate in the divine love and life, and therefore in the life-giving mission of God manifested in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As God’s children, disciples become more and more like this missional God as they become like his Son by the work of the Spirit. This spirituality, argues Gorman, can be called missional theosis.

Contains writings from three different stages of Cardinal Walter Kasper’s theological journey. They seek to open up the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that is intelligible to today’s readers. The works are: “An Introduction to the Faith,” “Surpassing All Knowledge,” and an original essay on evangelization, “New Evangelization as a Theological, Pastoral, and Spiritual Challenge.”

This classic of Christian devotional literature, with readings focused on the life of Christ, has brought understanding and comfort to millions for centuries. Written in a candid and conversational style, The Imitation of Christ discusses liberation from worldly inclinations, recollection as a preparation for prayer, the consolations of prayer, and the place of eucharistic communion in a devout life. The Read & Reflect with the Classics edition of The Imitation of Christ includes the classic text in an easy to read adaption coupled with personal reflection questions, additional study questions, and prayer prompts for today's Christian reader.