{"product_id":"9780992059248","title":"Strength to Strength: Meditations for Spiritual Direction","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThose whose strength is in you,…\u003cp\u003ego from strength to strength,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003etill each appears before God in Zion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e– Psalm 84:5, 7\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToo many Christians are more resigned than need be to a stumbling\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eapproach to spiritual growth. We presume that progress towards\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ematurity happens by a “two steps forward, one step back” process. But the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBiblical model doesn’t quite support this view. Instead Scripture speaks of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“unveiled faces” that are being transformed “from glory to glory.” It imagines\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eus as trees planted close to a stream, whose “branches never wither.” And it\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003espeaks of those whose hearts are “set on pilgrimage” who then go “from\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003estrength to strength until each appears before God in Zion.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe meditations in this book encourage such proximity to Jesus and the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecultivation of a steadfast prayer life that alone can “establish” us in Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey assure us that simply remaining in His love will not only produce vitality\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ein the spiritual life, but also sustain it for the whole journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of Christian contemplatives and mystics from the early\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecenturies to the present, Rob Des Cotes brings fresh insights to many familiar\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebiblical passages, applying them to prayer and to the transforming work of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003espiritual direction. The numerous images and creative metaphors of the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003espiritual journey found in these concise and thought-provoking meditations\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eare both contemporary while deeply rooted in the classics of Catholic,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrthodox and Reformation contemplative traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eROB DES COTES is a spiritual director, retreat leader and pastor of Imago\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDei, a network of faith communities that encourages the practice of prayer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand a transforming relationship with God. He is the author of four other\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebooks of meditations for spiritual direction, \"Fan the Flame,\" \"Higher Than I,\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Ultreia! (Go Higher)\" and \"Strength to Strength\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"imago dei publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47024290562288,"sku":"9780992059248","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780992059248_p0.jpg?v=1763899677","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780992059248","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}