Some invitations we desperately want: "Will you marry me?" "Would you consider a promotion?" Other invitations we never want to receive but must respond to all the same: "What treatment do you want for your tumor?" Invitations pound away at the coastlines of the soul with a transforming force. God is also sending invitations.

Sometimes they seem less compelling than anything on my to-do list. Why would I want to say yes to the invitation to rest when I'm already so far behind? Why follow when I could lead? Why accept invitations to weep or to admit I am wrong or to wait? Saying yes might slow me down, sabotage my agenda and even undo who I think I am. Adele Calhoun, author of the popular Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, offers a book about invitations like these-divine invitations we miss or ignore because we've said yes to going with the cultural flow.

While these invitations from God can sometimes be difficult to accept, they can heal and restore even as they shape where we go, what we do and who we become. What we say yes to, what we say no to forms the terrain of our future. Included in this book are reflection questions and exercises as well as overview charts with recommended disciplines to guide you through each theme. As you attend to the often hidden, quiet voice of the Great Inviter, you will find yourself as God created you to be.

Some invitations we desperately want: "Will you marry me?" "Would you consider a promotion?" Other invitations we never want to receive but must respond to all the same: "What treatment do you want for your tumor?" Invitations pound away at the coastlines of the soul with a transforming force. God is also sending invitations. Sometimes they seem less compelling than anything on my to-do list. Why would I want to say yes to the invitation to rest when I'm already so far behind? Why follow when I could lead? Why accept invitations to weep or to admit I am wrong or to wait? Saying yes might slow me down, sabotage my agenda and even undo who I think I am. Adele Calhoun, author of the popular Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, offers a book about invitations like these—divine invitations we miss or ignore because we've said yes to going with the cultural flow. While these invitations from God can sometimes be difficult to accept, they can heal and restore even as they shape where we go, what we do and who we become. What we say yes to, what we say no to forms the terrain of our future. Included in this book are reflection questions and exercises as well as overview charts with recommended disciplines to guide you through each theme. As you attend to the often hidden, quiet voice of the Great Inviter, you will find yourself as God created you to be.

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun (M.A., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) has worked in Christian ministry for over thirty years and is currently copastor, with her husband, Doug, of Redeemer Community in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She was formerly pastor of spiritual formation at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois. A trained spiritual director, she has taught courses at Wheaton College and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. In the early 1970s she helped pioneer student work with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. She has also worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in New England and Canada and with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in the West Indies and South Africa.

In a task-oriented society in which achievement and excellence are often held up as ultimate goals, it is sometimes hard to see, argues Calhoun (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook), that the world is replete with opportunities to be changed by encountering God. Calling God the "Great Inviter," Calhoun, a spiritual director, offers a persistent critique of modern culture and of status quo Christianity, along with advice on taking God up on these invitations: "Only free people know how to say yes and no." Culling gems from her own experiences seeking God, the author divides her book into a series of meditations on divine invitations, including the practices of following, forgiving, remembering, and "the most excellent" way of loving--the journey of growing into Christ's image. Breaking with the convention of adding questions at the end of each chapter, the writer begins each one with a useful introductory chart that lets readers know where she plans to take them. A challenging but straightforward and warm introduction to the spiritual life, Calhoun's book should be appropriate for Christians of all denominations. (July) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.

"In an attention deficit culture, Adele Calhoun gently invites us to walk through many doorways of growth and awareness. She invites us into greater humility that yields attention and perception, wisdom and abundant life. To enter deeply into this guidance is to participate with God in the redemption of our lives."

"What a wonderful book so full of riches! Practical, profound, seasoned, thoughtful, challenging. I can't wait to recommend it to our church."

"This is a book you will want to read and reread and then keep on your nightstand to refer to constantly for all the insight available in its pages. I found it so refreshing that a book of such depth would be of such use in my everyday spiritual walk. It is unique to find a work that puts you in touch with your own soul in a way that makes you want to live your life in the best way possible. I am changed by these invitations from God."

"This is a lovely book that helps us to hear and respond to God's most winsome and challenging invitations--invitations for our good and our growth. Read it and be blessed!"

"Learning how to attend responsively to God's invitations leads us into wholeness, freedom and transformation. Thanks for reminding us that Jesus continually invites us to come close, draw near and follow him via these pathways of grace, healing and joy."

"I have known Adele Calhoun since seminary days, and I have seen her face many of the divine invitations named in this book, as well as help other people navigate through them. She is a wise and godly guide!"

"I am so grateful to Adele Calhoun for reminding us that life is brimming with divine invitations. A wise and gracious guide, she teaches us how to hear the overtures of God and to respond to them with a resounding,'Yes!' This book will richly nourish your soul."

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