Author: Gary L. Thomas
Translator: Jong-suk Yoon
Publisher: CUP
Size: 151*206mm
Soft Cover: 304pages
Date of Pub.: June 2003

About this book

Some Christians effortlessly spend hours in contemplative prayer. Just being around them makes you wish you were that way. Or maybe you are that way, but others are far better at showing God's love in practical ways or courageously standing up for God's kingdom. Why can't you be like them? Maybe you weren't designed to be. In Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas strips away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and guides you toward a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors recognize that all of us pray differently; if your devotional times have hit a snag, perhaps it is because you're trying to follow someone else's path. This book explodes the barriers that keep Christians locked into rigid methods of worship and praise.

Sacred Pathways unfolds nine distinct spiritual temperaments--their traits, strengths, and pitfalls. Illustrated with examples from the Bible and from the author's life experience, each one suggests an approach to loving God, a distinctive journey of adoration. In one or more, you will see yourself and the ways you most naturally express your relationship with Jesus Christ. You'll also discover other temperaments that are not necessarily "you" but that you may wish to explore for the way they can stretch and invigorate your spiritual life.

Perhaps you are a Naturalist. Prayer and praise well up within you when you're walking a forest path or drinking in a mountain's jagged beauty. Or maybe you're an Activist. Taking a stand for God's ways is your meat and drink. Whatever temperament or blend of temperatments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions.

If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God.

About the Author
Gary L. Thomas is a writer and the founder and director of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality, a writing and speaking ministry that integrates Scripture, church history, and the Christian classics. He has served as a campus pastor and is an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches on spiritual formation. He is also an instructor on spirituality in the Koinos program, a consortium of churches and theological institutions working together to make theological education accessible in the Northwest.

His books include Sacred Marriage (Zondervan, 2000), The Glorious Pursuit (NavPress, 1998), Sacred Pathways (chosen by World magazine as one of the top ten books of 1996), and Seeking the Face of God (Harvest House, 1999). As a collaborative writer, Gary has written for such well-known Christians as Chuck Colson (BreakPoint radio commentaries), Norma McCorvey (a.k.a. Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade), Franklin Graham, Michael W. Smith, and Senator John Ashcroft. His book with Senator Ashcroft was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Award. He is also one of the contributors to the Spiritual Formation Bible and the Couples' Devotional Bible, both published by Zondervan.

Written in Korean Only