Kresta in the Afternoon – July 26, 2017 – Hour 2

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  God Moments: Unexpected Encounters in the Ordinary

  Where do you seek God? Are you waiting for him to appear in a monumental, life-altering event? In God Moments, Catholic blogger Andy Otto shows you how to discover the unexpected beauty of God's presence in the story of ordinary things and in everyday routines like preparing breakfast or walking in the woods. Drawing on the Ignatian principles of awareness, prayer, and discernment, Otto will help you discover the transforming power of God's presence in your life and better understand your place in the world. Andy Otto found God's presence in surprising moments during his life--when, as a Jesuit scholastic, he taught children in Jamaica and also as he discerned the call to marriage with his wife. By combining elements of Ignatian spirituality with the lessons that came from his experiences, Otto identified three practices that helped him find God in all things:

  • • Awareness--Gain an understanding that God is present in the ordinary messiness of our lives such as battle with depression or sharing in the struggle of a friend.

  • • Prayer--Develop a prayer life using Ignatian practices such as asking for a morning grace and examining how your prayer was answered at the end of the day. That way you can focus on a personal relationship with God that finds everyday physical activities such as making a meal as an opportunity to talk to him.

  • • Discernment--The more you are aware of God's presence and draw closer to him in prayer, the better you can learn how to plug into God's narrative of the world in a way that enables you to participate in the divine story through the use of your gifts and talents.

  With God Moments as a guide, you'll have a better understanding of how to seek personal wholeness in the reality of God's presence in the ordinary and learn to accept his invitation to participate in his transformation of the world. (learn more)

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  Forgotten Girls (Expanded Edition): Stories of Hope and Courage

  2014 Readers' Choice Award Winner Think of the little girls you know: your daughter, a niece, a friend's child. Then think about this: little girls are tossed away every day. All over the world, women and girls face troubles such as starvation, displacement, illiteracy, sexual exploitation and abuse. In fact, statistics show that the world's most oppressed people are overwhelmingly female. Moved by the plight of these neglected girls, advocates Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett took a trip across continents to interview girls and to partner with ministries working to help females in some of the most difficult places in the world. These pages hold those girls' stories: stories of deep pain and suffering, inspiring courage, and incredible hope. They are the stories of girls who have discovered their value in God's eyes, in the midst of cultures that have rejected them. They are stories of rescue and redemption by God working through compassionate people―people like you. These pages might hold pieces of your story as well, as the authors invite you to pray and speak on behalf of the millions of women and girls who still need to know how much they're worth. For each of the five sections of the book―physical suffering, education, sexual protection, prison and war, and spiritual life―the authors provide specific, practical action steps and prayer points that allow you to get involved as God leads. This expanded edition includes updated statistics throughout and a discussion guide to accompany each section of the book, as well as a new preface. (learn more)