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The purpose in offering the Great Shorter Works is ""to make essential classical Pascalian literature, other than the Provincial Letters and the Pensees, available to discriminating readers who might find the original texts difficult and discouraging.""Preceded by a valuable introduction, forty-five letters are presented, beginning with a letter written when Pascal was a precocious twenty and ending with his will at thirty-eight.These remarkable letters, covering a nineteen-year period of intense activity, reflect the variety of Pascal''s interests. For this reason, among others, they are of value, not only to those who are interested in Christianity, but also to those who are interested in physics, or mathematics, or philosophy.Blaise Pascal bequeathed to the world many tangible legacies, including the calculating machine, the barometer, the hydraulic press, and the omnibus. In his letters he has bequeathed that quality of mind and spirit which surpasses the tangible and illumines life.Emile Cailliet was born and educated in France and became an American citizen in 1937. He was on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, Scripps College, and Wesleyan University. He had been elected to the chair of Stuart Professor of Christian Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary. He held the degrees of Litt.D. cum laude from the University of Montpellier and Th.D. summa cum laude from the University of Strasbourg.

Mr. Hayden points out that the key to the revival which arose under Spurgeon''s ministry, and went on almost continuously throughout his long and fruitful pulpit career, is to be found in Spurgeon''s autobiography. There, Spurgeon reveals and credits the membership of his new Park Street Chapel and their earnest, all-out prayer for his success in the ministry. This documented study of Spurgeon''s emphasis upon and attitude toward revival will reward today''s reader with insight into and understanding of our need for revival today--and the only source from which this revival can come. A prayerful reading of these pages could well result in renewed and revitalized Christian living among God''s people today.Eric W. Hayden received his MA degree at Durham University and was trained for the ministry at Spurgeon''s College, London. In addition to Spurgeon on Revival he has written two other books, Church Publicity and Faith''s Glorious Achievement, both published by London firms. He is probably the greatest living authority on Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the message and the man.

""In speaking of the relation between the types of the Old Testament and the gospel they prefigured, Paul calls the former ''a shadow'' and the latter ''the body,'' or substance (Col. 2:17). Having thus linked type and antitype, it follows that the gospel must have existed in the mind of Jehovah at the time he set the type. We reason that without reality there can be no shadow. In harmony with this thought, it is recorded that God chose us in Christ ''before the foundation of the world'' (Eph. 1:4). The necessity of giving attention to typical teaching arises from the fact that the types ''were written for our admonition'' (1 Cor. 10:11). As a part of the Jewish Scriptures their design was to make us ''wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus'' (2 Tim. 3:15). With that in mind this volume is intended to assist the reader in his effort to acquire knowledge of divine wisdom in order to enter into its enjoyment through practice. The material for these studies has been used by the author in the classroom for a number of years."" --From the PrefaceVictor E. Hoven (1871-1965) was Professor of Biblical Doctrine, Christian Evidences, and Hermeneutics at Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon.

Much has been written about prominent women of the Bible such as Sarah, Ruth, and Esther. But little attention has been paid to the obscure or unnamed women of the Old Testament whose words are not recorded. Yet even while mute, these women often played critical roles in the unfolding of God''s plan, at times signaling the emergence of great events. In Jeroboam''s Wife, Robin Gallaher Branch introduces seven of these obscure yet noteworthy women and girls. Through her careful examination of the literary contours of the biblical narratives, she highlights their unique challenges and indelible contributions. Drawing from contemporary biblical, psychological, and sociological scholarship, Branch brings these women and their stories to life in fresh ways. Thoughtful questions for personal reflection or group discussion help contemporary readers ponder how these women''s lives are still relevant. ""Amid a plentitude of literature on feminist interpretation, Robin Gallaher Branch here offers a singular contribution that merits careful attention. She combines careful, informed attention to the text with daring imagination that turns the text in new directions. Who would have thought to focus on the wife of Jeroboam who never speaks but who turns out to be an engine for compelling interpretation? Certainly not I! The book is reliable and suggestive, enhanced by over fifty pages of endnotes. Here is a book in which the long silenced are brought to speech!""--WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary""Robin Gallaher Branch examines scriptural narratives that contain women and girls who qualify as ""minor characters."" Some are not even named in the narrative. She deftly subjects the narratives to close readings, brings the modern reader along with her through sensible, insightful commentary, and enters into dialogue with exponents of the Jewish and Christian traditions. Time and again the reader will want to respond to the author''s analysis with: ''There is nothing minor about that!''""--J. ANDREW DEARMAN, Professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological SeminaryROBIN GALLAHER BRANCH received her PhD in Hebrew Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She was a Fulbright Scholar at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. She retains her research affiliation with North-West.

Selby Parker's novel is a shocking and imaginative tale of murder, mayhem, and out-of-body fantasies, filled with plot twists and provocative issues that tear at the fabric of three families who become involved with a New York psychiatrist. A rich Jewish widow recovering from a failed marriage, a Vietnam veteran who suffers night terrors, and a successful Jewish businessman who learns that his mother was a mistress to a Cuban mobster all make for interesting clients, whilst endangering the psychiatrist's life. The soldier's dreams reveal him to be the reincarnation of Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria. His lurid tale under hypnosis reveals the culpable parties in the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders in London's White Chapel. Rich with descriptive details of London, San Francisco, and Sicily, the novel offers gritty realism, powerful characters, and historical fantasy all woven together in a common thread.Selby Parker is a former chief of vocational rehabilitation and counseling for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Parker is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi. He received his doctorate of education from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the author of The Man from Bandera and The Camel Boy.

Zelma Studebaker was a writer, teacher and mother of eight children. She was a Christian woman who worked for peace and justice as a participant in humanitarian service projects. In August of 1963 she participated in our nation's historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Her son, Ted Studebaker, was an agriculturalist with Vietnam Christian Service and is a celebrated, nonviolent peace martyr. After Zelma and Stanley raised their children on an Ohio farm, she then went on to earn her university degree at the age of 61. She taught elementary students in the public school system for 19 years. Shortly thereafter she and Stanley celebrated 65 years of marriage.Zelma Studebaker was a compassionate and driven woman who saw the power of written correspondence through letter writing, poems and short stories. She impacted numerous lives far and wide through her writing and simply being open and available for shared dialogue. Zelma's life influenced and prompted her children to express thankfulness and support in letter writing as well as biographies and other projects that connect people and celebrate family life and humanity.Gary W. Studebaker is a son of Zelma and Stanley Studebaker. He was a volunteer agriculturalist in Laos and a special education teacher. He is a writer of family biographies and other publications. Gary and his wife Susan are the parents of a daughter.Amy L. Powell is a granddaughter of Zelma and Stanley Studebaker. She had a career in business and was an elementary school teacher. Amy and her husband John are the parents of three children.

In the 1930s, Karl Barth was unquestionably the most discussed personality in the theological world of that time. This book was the first of its kind to be published in America, giving an adequate story of Barth's life, a complete outline of his teaching, and a careful estimate of the so-called ""Barthian Movement.""Dr. Pauck, of the Chicago Theological Seminary, was born and educated in Germany, and had studied under Barth. By training, personal relationship with Barth and his followers, and by a knowledge of practically everything that has been written by or about Barth, Dr. Pauck was preeminently fitted to write this book. Moreover, his American professorship allowed him to be more cognizant of the American mind, enabling him to explain Barth and his message to a puzzled, sometimes skeptical, American audience.The author pictures Barth in his early days as a minister of a Reformed Church in Geneva. Fresh from a seminary training in liberal theology, he finds that he is not assured of that authority with which he feels he has to speak of God to his people. He therefore attempts to retrieve the old Christian belief in a revelation of the divine. Opposing the orthodox dogma of supernaturalism as well as the modernist emphasis on the psychological approach to religion, he develops a theology of ""divine realism.""The challenging theology of Barthianism is presented historically, practically, and without prejudice. It not only confronts every minister, conservative or liberal, with the persistent question, ""What do I think about Barth?"" but also with the more personal question, ""What do I now do in light of Barth's prophetic message?""Wilhelm Pauck (1901-81) studied with Harnack and Troeltsch at the University of Berlin and became the first foreign student at the University of Chicago in 1925. He joined the faculty in 1926 and was made full professor of Church History in 1931. After twenty-seven years at the University of Chicago, he taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York. After retirement in 1967, he taught at Vanderbilt University and Stanford University. His books include From Luther to Tillich: The Reformers and Their Heirs and Paul Tillich: His Life and Thought, the latter of which was co-authored with his wife, Marion Pauck, who was former assistant editor of religious books at the Oxford University Press.

The culture of this country has become so far secularized that there is a danger that its Christian origin may be forgotten. This provocative series of lectures (the Edward Alleyn Lectures of 1944) indicates how the present crisis in our culture must be faced in the light of those origins in order that the continuity of the Christian tradition may be maintained. The lecturers are all authorities in their respective spheres: philosophy is dealt with by Professor H. A. Hodges and education by Christopher Dawson; Miss Dorothy L. Sayers contributes a lecture on Christian aesthetics; Maurice B. Reckitt, the editor of Christendom, discusses industrial problems; and the introductory and closing lectures are by Canon Demant, the editor.

""Al Staggs knows about words and puts them to fresh and suggestive use. He knows about brutality that shows its ugly face in too many places. And he knows about phoniness that supports evil by its default. With his words he conducts guerilla warfare, leaving us unsettled, seeing more clearly than we might wish, inviting us to decide anew. No easy slumbers here!""--Walter Brueggeman""Al Staggs writes his poetry with the passion of a prophet. Like Amos of old, he recognizes that divine worship is nothing but human justice being offered to God and that human justice is nothing but divine worship being acted out. His words call religious spokesperson and political leaders who lace their rhetoric with religious phrases alike to acknowledge both their idolatry and their hypocrisy. Read him and weep for what your country has become and for what Christianity is no more."" --John Shelby SpongAl Staggs holds a B.A. from Hardin-Simmons University, an M.R.E. from Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Harvard Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In the spring of 1983 he was honored as a Charles E. Merrill Fellow at Harvard with major emphasis in applied theology under the direction of Harvey Cox. After serving as a pastor for 24 years, Al became a full-time performing artist. His repertoire of seven programs includes characterizations of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Clarence Jordan, and Oscar Romero. He has been writing and publishing poetry related to the themes of peace and justice throughout his careers as pastor and performer.

First published as Word Biblical Themes: 1 Peter (Word Publishing, 1989), this volume explores Peter's effort to build a sense of identity and responsibility among the Christians to whom he wrote, scattered through several Roman provinces in Asia Minor. Their past is a biblical past, he tells them, rooted in the history of the Jews as the people of God. Consequently, they are called to live as strangers in a strange land, never fully at home in Roman society. Their present journey is a journey in the footsteps of Jesus, in paths of servanthood, and undeserved suffering. Their future is the completion of this journey to heaven, wrapped in a hope of victory over death and the devil and issuing at last in ""joy unspeakable and full of glory"" when their Lord Jesus Christ is revealed. Because these distant Gentile Christians are not personally known to Peter in Rome (which he calls ""Babylon,"" reminding them that he is as much a stranger as they are), he deals in the great universals of Christian experience: faith, baptism, and doing good; love, suffering and the hope of salvation. These universals make 1 Peter a letter for twentieth (or twenty-first) century American Christians no less than for his first century readers. The concluding chapter, ""The Message of 1 Peter Today,"" begins to explore certain parallels between Peter's readers in the Roman Empire and Christians in America, where we, no less than they in the provinces and Peter himself in ""Babylon"" are not fully at home either. This is even more the case now than it was in 1989 when the book first appeared, so that we need to listen ever more closely to ""The News from Babylon"" that 1 Peter sent so long ago. To this end a postscript has been added, addressing candidly the difficulties of being Christian in America in a new millennium.J. Ramsey Michaels, now living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Missouri State University in Springfield. He is the author of a major commentary on First Peter in the Word Biblical Commentary series (1988) and a much shorter one in the one-volume Mercer Commentary on the Bible (1994). He has also written commentaries on Revelation, on Hebrews, and most notably the Gospel of John in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (2010). In a different vein, he recently published Passing by the Dragon: The Biblical Tales of Flannery O'Connor (Wipf & Stock, 2013), marking a crossover into American literary criticism.

In the New Testament, figures drawn from common experience often communicate deep theological truth, depicting the vital relationship of the believer to Jesus Christ. However, there is one figure used throughout Scripture to describe the relationship of peoples to their Lord which for the most part is either minimized or ignored: the figure of master and slave. -From the Introduction Daniel R. Lockwood was president of Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary. Under his guidance, the University blossomed into an accredited institution bursting with new programs, new buildings, and new teaching sites beyond its Portland campus.

In this remarkable book about religion and politics today, Commonweal writer Michael Gallagher asks the question, How does one adhere to an essentially simple faith in a complex society that lacks moral leadership not only in its government, but also in its religious institutions? Laws of Heaven answers by exploring the lives of twelve extraordinary men and women whose controversial beliefs have led them to challenge their church and government as well as to frequently place their lives on the line. Here you will meet some of contemporary America's bravest and most unusual citizens: Marietta Jaegar, whose young daughter was brutally murdered by a serial killer, and who has become a dedicated anti-death penalty and peace activist; Charlie Liteky, who, relinquishing the Medal of Honor and the pension that accompanies it, fasted regularly in order to protest U.S. support of the Contras in Nicaragua; Elizabeth McAlister, who, like her husband, Philip Berrigan, repeatedly took part in acts of civil disobedience to protest American reliance on nuclear weapons; William P. Ford, a Wall Street attorney whose life was turned upside down when his sister was killed in El Salvador. Laws of Heaven is a challenging and provocative contribution to our understanding of the world in which we live. The lives of its twelve subjects force us to confront our own values and to ask how far we would be willing to go for what we believe in. EXTRAORDINARY PRAISE FOR LAWS OF HEAVEN""Michael Gallagher is the rare writer who can write about saintliness without sounding sanctimonious, about religion without losing the interest of the nonbeliever, about humanity in the deepest sense as one who practices it."" --John Simon""Michael Gallagher's Laws of Heaven is a compassionate look at men and women who are willing to accept martyrdom for their beliefs. Its effect is to make the reader examine with diligence his own beliefs in these last years of our twentieth century."" --Horton Foote""Being an atheist, I do not share the religious faith of these embodiments of the life force, but I greatly admire their witnessing--and I wish this book were in every school library in the country. Everybody is talking about the need for moral guidance in America. Well, here it is."" --Nat HentoffMichael Gallagher is a former Jesuit seminarian and an ex-paratrooper who spent many years working within the Catholic Church as the film critic for the U.S. Catholic Conference. He has written extensively about religion, literature, and film for such periodicals as Commonweal, Newsday, Sports Illustrated, The National Catholic Reporter, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He now teaches and works at John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he lives with his family.

Pastors of smaller membership churches have a huge calling. They are responsible for changing the world! Rather than look at the small number of members in their congregations as a limitation, pastors should view their congregations as an elite force, able to impact their communities for the Kingdom of God.Small Church, Excellent Ministry is a handbook designed for pastors serving in smaller membership churches. This book will help you to conduct your ministry with excellence. Written by practitioners and professors, the information provided in this book is on the vanguard of pastoral ministry and is useful for training pastors to be leaders of their churches.""In Small Church, Excellent Ministry, Jeffrey Farmer gathers a team of pastor-scholars who provide biblical and practical guidance for those who serve in smaller membership churches. The resultant book will be a blessing for those pastors and a much-needed resource for the church.""--Adam Harwood, Associate Professor, New Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryJeffrey C. Farmer is the Associate Director of the Caskey Center for Church Excellence and Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Ministry. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he has served in different ministry positions in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

Pastors of smaller membership churches have a huge calling. They are responsible for changing the world! Rather than look at the small number of members in their congregations as a limitation, pastors should view their congregations as an elite force, able to impact their communities for the Kingdom of God.Small Church, Excellent Ministry is a handbook designed for pastors serving in smaller membership churches. This book will help you to conduct your ministry with excellence. Written by practitioners and professors, the information provided in this book is on the vanguard of pastoral ministry and is useful for training pastors to be leaders of their churches.""In Small Church, Excellent Ministry, Jeffrey Farmer gathers a team of pastor-scholars who provide biblical and practical guidance for those who serve in smaller membership churches. The resultant book will be a blessing for those pastors and a much-needed resource for the church.""--Adam Harwood, Associate Professor, New Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryJeffrey C. Farmer is the Associate Director of the Caskey Center for Church Excellence and Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Ministry. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he has served in different ministry positions in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

For centuries the New Testament book of Hebrews has been interpreted as though it had been written for Jewish Christians in danger of lapsing back into legalism and religious ceremony. This view is now being challenged by current scholarship. Rather than attacking the Old Testament and Judaism, the author of Hebrews praises the person and work of Jesus through a series of comparisons on which he bases exhortations and warnings to the present people of God. Hebrews urges God''s people to learn from past mistakes and failures, and to take up the challenge in difficult times to live faithfully in the new relationship to God through Jesus, God''s Son.In The Second Chance for God''s People: Messages from Hebrews, Quaker pastor and professor Timothy W. Seid encourages today''s church to respond to the challenge of Hebrews: first individually by progressing in spiritual and moral maturity, and second collectively by being God''s faithful people in the world. In the light of ancient Greek language and rhetoric after having extensively researched Hebrews, Seid interprets the text of Hebrews section by section in an accessible and nontechnical way while also illustrating and applying the meaning of the text for the contemporary church.Honoring the attention the author of Hebrews gives to hearing and responding to the word of God speaking through prophets, a Son, and still through the Spirit, Timothy Seid offers an exposition of this early Christian sermon in perhaps the most appropriate form -- a series of sermons inviting contemporary hearers to attend to what the Spirit is saying. Combining the fruits of his doctoral work on the rhetorical comparisons in Hebrews and years of preaching experience, Seid offers a a collection that will inspire pastors in their own proclamation and disciples in their appropriation of this rich and challenging text.David A. deSilva, author of Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle ""To the Hebrews"" (2000) and An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods and Ministry Formation (2004).""In The Second Chance for God''s People, Tim Seid . . . has worked his way through the book of Hebrews and the book of Hebrews has worked its way through him . . . He offers the fruit of critical analysis and commentary in terms . . . easily understood together with illustrations from popular culture and everyday life as well as practical applications."" Cynthia Long Westfall, author of Discourse Analysis of the Letter to the Hebrews""[This Hebrews] commentary combines explanation of the book''s details with a winsome style and generous use of rich illustrations. The modern church is in great need of Hebrews'' relevant messages, and Seid''s readable commentary should make those messages both accessible and . . . applicable.""George H. Guthrie, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee""Timothy Seid has combined the scholar''s insights with the pastor''s concern . . . The result is a . . . valuable resource for lay readers and church study groups. By . . . clarifying his exegetical insights with illustrations from movies, literature, and his own experience, he shows that Hebrews is a word that is ''living and active.''""James W. Thompson, author of The Beginnings of Christian Philosophy: The Epistle to the Hebrews Tim Seid is Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana. He is also a pastoral minister at Salem Friends Meeting in Liberty, Indiana.

This book will deepen your regard for the church''s task of didache, the act of teaching Christians. The chapters explore what the writers believe are several key biblical texts and themes for teaching, select doctrines of the church that inform teaching as a ministry, and features of teaching in the Lutheran tradition and its current practice. We authors address these matters with deep commitment to our shared Lutheran tradition, yet also with profound respect for what the Holy Spirit has done across the centuries in other orthodox traditions of the Great Church. Welcome to our conversation, a conversation the church has shared--though not without dispute--for centuries (from Chapter 1). A team of seven authors bring together in this book insights and approaches to the task of all who teach in the service of the Christian church. The authors trace the calling to Christian teaching from its Biblical roots and explore real-life situations in the lives of teachers with wisdom and sensitivity. Drawing on Scripture and using the fundamental theological tools of the Lutheran tradition, these master teachers bring readers with them into the middle of the work and the joy of conveying the faith through teaching. The clearly written essays make the book accessible to all readers with anecdotes and analyses that clarify what it means to be a teacher in the Lord''s service. Although it is written out of the Lutheran experience of teaching, the book''s insights will aid all Christian teachers.Robert KolbMission Professor of Systematic TheologyDirector of the Institute for Mission StudiesConcordia SeminaryThis thoughtful biblically and theologically grounded book will be edifying to many readers. It locates the central challenge of Christian education not in technique or educational theory, as important as they might be, but in the spiritual and theological formation of the Christian teacher. At the same time, it pays serious attention to the worldly context in which Christian teaching must take place.Robert BenneDirector, Center for Religion and SocietyRoanoke CollegeA Teacher of the Church provides insights and revelations into Lutheran teaching ministry not found in any other resource. It poses questions and critiques of present practices, assesses the impact that societal pressures have on our concepts of ministry, and serves to connect our actions with a firm biblical understanding of the role of the teacher. It should serve to stimulate thought and discussion among teaching veterans, newcomers in teaching ministry, congregational education boards and pastoral leadership.Mark BlankeDCE Program DirectorAssociate Professor of EducationConcordia University-NebraskaRuss Moulds teaches psychology, education, and theology at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. Dr. Moulds is the op/ed editor for Issues in Christian Education and editor of the online site, www.theteachingministry.com.

At long last here is a textbook for the basic public speaking course--one that integrates a Christian worldview with up-to-date scholarship in the field of communication. Proclamation! covers the standard speech types: informative speech, persuasive speech, and ceremonial speech. In addition, Blake J. Neff recognizes that Christians need to know how to deliver an edifying speech and a personal testimony speech. Neff acknowledges that one of the reasons to study public address at the university level is that God has commanded His people to ""always be prepared to give an account"" (1 Peter 3:15). Proclamation! prepares Christians to speak not only as one to many but also as members of interpersonal or small groups. Christian teachers of public speaking will appreciate the assistance this book offers toward integrating faith with learning. Students will applaud the practical and readable approaches found in Proclamation!Blake J. Neff is Visiting Professor of Communication at Indiana Wesleyan University and Pastor of the Van Buren United Methodist Church. He is the author of A Pastor''s Guide to Interpersonal Communication and coauthor, with Donald Ratcliff, of The Complete Handbook of Religious Education Volunteers. He and Ratcliff also edited Handbook of Family Religious Education. In addition, to preaching, Dr. Neff has taught public speaking for twenty years at a variety of Christian colleges and universities. He and his wife, Nancy, have three adult children. The couple currently resides in Van Buren, Indiana.

Beginning the Good NewsFrancis Moloney provides a narrative critical reading of Mark 1:1-13, Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, and John 1:1-18 to illustrate that the readings of the Gospels set up a tension in the reader who learns from the beginning, but still cannot rest satisfied. The Gospels' beginnings promise the reader the great prize of understanding--later.Francis J. Moloney was formerly Foundation Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University and is Professor Emeritus of the Theology and Religious Studies Department at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He is also the author of 'Glory Not Dishonor: Reading John 13-21', 'Signs and Shadows: Reading John 5-12', 'Belief in the Word: Reading the Fourth Gospel; John 1-4', and 'A Life of Promise: Poverty, Chastity, Obedience'.

A book for those who know and love Merton...and those ready to discover his gift for speaking to the human spirit.Since his death in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 10, 1968, Thomas Merton's influence in both Christian and non-Christian spiritual traditions has grown unabated.'Meditations With Merton' is a collage of reflections, with Merton as your guide. Centered on selected passages from Merton's writings, Verploegen has written 30 brief meditations on themes such as personal integrity, sanctity, identity, integration, God, labor, solidarity and service, words of God, God's will, and love. Related Scripture passages and an original prayer complete each meditation.Merton was deeply concerned with the underriding spiritual yearning of every human heart....--Nicki VerploegenNicki Verploegen holds a doctorate in spirituality and has been giving retreats and spiritual direction for over twenty years. A Montana rancher's daughter, she has spent time in Japan, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Liberia exploring approaches to contemplative living. She is author of 'Planning and Implementing Retreats: A Parish Handbook' and 'Organic Spirituality: A Sixfold Path for Contemplative Living.' Currently, she resides at St. Joseph Dwelling Place in Vermont.