Marcus Borg The Heart of Christianity Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time Reading the Bible Again for the First Time The Last Week
Cynthia Bourgeault Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening The Wisdom Way of Knowing
Martin Buber I and Thou
Frederick Buechner Telling Secrets A Long Day's Dying The Book of Bebb The Alphabet of Grace
Diana Butler-Bass A People's History of Christianity Strength for the Journey Broken We Kneel
Arthur Caliandro Make Your Life Count
Will D. Campbell Brother to a Dragonfly Cecelia's Sin< The Glad River
William Sloane Coffin Letters to a Young Doubter
Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
John Dominic Crossan The Greatest Prayer The Last Week
Amy DeLong The Loyal Opposition: Struggling with the Church on Homosexuality
Annie Dillard Teaching a Stone to Talk
Meister Eckhart Meister Eckhart from Whom God Hid Nothing Selected Writings
Matthew Fox Christian Mystics Creativity Original Blessing One River, Many Wells
Viktor Frankl Man's Search for Meaning The Will to Meaning
Daniel A. Helminiak What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality
Thomas Keating Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer
Martin Luther King, Jr. Strength to Love All Labor Has Dignity I Have a Dream Testament of Hope
Anne Lamott Traveling Mercies
Brian McLaren Naked Spirituality
John J. McNeill The Church and the Homosexual Freedom, Glorious Freedom Both Feet Firmly Planted in Midair Taking a Chance on God
Thomas Merton A Year with Thomas Merton Contemplative Prayer The Hidden Ground of Love
Henri Nouwen The Way of the Heart Spiritual Formation The Return of the Prodigal Son
Norman Vincent Peale The Power of Positive Thinking Positive Imaging The Positive Power of Jesus Christ
M. Scott Peck The Road Less Traveled
Richard Rohr The Naked Now Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go Radical Grace Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality Falling Upward Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the 12 Steps
Tex Sample The Loyal Opposition: Struggling with the Church on Homosexuality Earthy Mysticism: Spirituality for Unspiritual People
John Shelby Sponge Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism
Homer Surbeck The Success Formula that Really Works
Barbara Brown Taylor Home By Another Way Bread of Angels When God is Silent Leaving Church An Altar in the World
Phyllis Tickle Prayer is a Place: America's Religious Landscape Observed
Phyllis Trible Texts of Terror
Howard Thurman Jesus and the Disinherited With Head and Heart Meditations of the Heart Disciplines of the Spirit The Inward Journey The Creative Encounter
Evelyn Underhill Mysticism The Mystics of the Church The Ways of the Spirit
Walter Wink Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination Transforming Bible Study
15 Ideas for Staying Positive and "Keeping the Faith"
Count your blessings at the end of every day. Do an inventory of things you have to be thankful for. Rather than focusing on problems you've faced that day, think of all the good things that happened and the happiness they gave you. Â
Think of others rather than yourself. When you do things, even the smallest favors, for other people who mean something to you, you feel good about yourself. Â
Be proactive rather than reactive. Instead of fretting over a problem and letting it stress you out, focus on how to resolve quickly and effectively. When your mind is busy trying to find a solution, you stop feeling sorry for yourself and start thinking positively. Â
Don't allow your mind to remain idle. It may be clichêd, but it's also true that an idle mind is the devil's workshop. So stay busy and keep doing something or the other to prevent negative thoughts from creeping in. Â
Get an hour of exercise every day. Even a brisk walk in the morning or evening will do your mental health a world of good. Â
Allow yourself some "me" time. Set aside some time every day or every few days for yourself when you get to choose what you want to do; read a book, listen to music, catch up with friends, or just laze around. When your soul is nourished, you find that positive energy flows. Â
Stop negative thoughts before they form completely. If you find yourself becoming depressed because your mind is taking a negative bent, stop those thoughts in their tracks and start consciously thinking of positive things. Â
Spend time with people who love you and make you feel good about yourself. Quality relationships make life worth living. Â
Anytime you feel that the weight of your burden is hard to bear, talk to a friend or someone with a sympathetic ear. Even if they cannot do anything to help you out, just the fact that you have someone on your side is uplifting enough. Â
Look around you before you start to feel sorry for yourself. There are people in situations that are a hundred times worse than yours, yet they manage to get through each day. Â
Read helpful books. Some good book resources are: As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and The Bible of course (Philippians 4:4-13) Â
Who is on your frig? Post pictures of people who inspire you and remind you to be positive and to "keep the faith." Â
Spend time in solitude with God. We are "spiritual beings having a human experience." It's essential to spend time alone each day with God to recharge to connect with our spiritual Source. Â
Go to Church Be a part of a faith community where you can be inspired, recharged, and have the opportunity to serve others. Â
Therapy. The therapeutic process can be incredibly helpful. There's an old saying, "We are as sick as our secrets." It may be difficult to be positive unless issues are dealt with. Â
