LIFE WITH GOD: A Course for Growing a Spiritual Practice
.png)
Life with God: A Course for Growing a Spiritual Practice is an interactive, eleven-week course whose goal is to establish or enrich a daily spiritual practice. Designed to be used by groups, individuals, or spiritual companions, the course uses stories from the authors’ own lives, quotes from a wide range of spiritual sources, exercises, and additional resources, all designed to invite participants into the presence of the divine. The core practice emphasizes experiencing God’s love in daily life. Life with God can be accompanied by the Life with God Leader’s Guide which gives detailed instructions for group leaders.
The contents are:
Introduction
Ch. 1 Experiencing God
Ch. 2 What is Prayer?
Ch. 3 Experiencing God’s Love
Ch. 4 Examen, Rejoicing, and Gratitude
Ch. 5 Prayer from the Heart and Embodiment in the Spiritual Life
Ch. 6 Listening for God in Nature
Ch. 7 Planning a Spiritual Practice
Ch. 8 Intercessory Prayer and Praying the Psalms
Ch. 9 Dark Times
Ch. 10 Imagination in the Spiritual Life
Ch. 11 Wrapping Up and Follow Up
About the Authors
An ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister since 1986, Catherine Robinson has served churches in Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, and New Mexico. She now works as a spiritual director and preaching mentor. Married to Kenny Jones, Catherine is also a proud mother, stepmother, and grandmother.
Catherine Robinson
Anna Redsand is the author of To Drink from the Silver Cup: From Faith Through Exile and Beyond, Vikor Frankl: A Life Worth Living, and a number of essays and stories. She was raised by missionaries in the Navajo Nation, left her Christian church in her twenties because there was no room for her as an out lesbian, learned from several other faith traditions, and joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) several years ago. You can learn more about her on her website: http://www.annaredsand.com
Anna Redsand
From the Introduction to "Life with God: A Course for Growing a Spiritual Practice
​
One of the expressions to which we return frequently in this course is the reminder that “Something is better than nothing.” The expression comes from an experience that Catherine had with a doctor. During the visit, the doctor asked Catherine what she was doing for exercise. At that point in her life, Catherine’s son, who has multiple disabilities, was a very young child, and she was also working on her doctoral degree. Somewhat embarrassed, Catherine replied that she was so overwhelmed with the rest of her life that she wasn’t getting exercise. The doctor affirmed that Catherine did indeed have a lot on her plate, and then she said, “But the first thing on the prescription pad is for you to get some exercise. Something is better than nothing. Even if you only walk around the block, that is something.” Those words—Something is better than nothing—were life changing for Catherine. From that day on, she realized that even with all that she was juggling, she could exercise. Something was better than nothing.
We believe that what is true of exercise is also true of spiritual practice. Especially when we are starting out with a spiritual practice, it can sometimes feel challenging to carve out the necessary time. There are so many demands in our lives. We live in a culture where busyness is considered a virtue. The two of us understand that the exercises in this book require time that people may not always have. When that occurs, we hope that you will not give up, that you will remember that something is better than nothing. Even if you can only take five minutes a day, that is still five minutes in the divine presence. Over time, the Holy One will transform you through those five minutes a day. Keep praying! Something is better than nothing...
