Whether it's leaving home, having children, losing a parent, or retiring, we spend much of our lives passing through transitions -- and it is often very stressful to cope with changing circumstances, as we feel lost, confused, and depressed, sometimes even wondering ""Where is God in all of this?"" The scriptures offer valuable guidance for navigating these difficult passages. Andre Papineau suggests that if we think of biblical journey stories (such as the Prodigal Son or Jonah's journey to Nineveh) as accounts of life transitions, we can begin to understand the profound spirituality of our own transitions -- no matter how ""godawful"" the experiences may seem. By viewing transitional experiences and journey stories through a common lens, this enlightening book provides abundant insight into both the scriptures and the human condition, helping us to see how the hand of God, yes even ""Godawful,"" is at work in our everyday lives. Each chapter includes helpful exercises and discussion questions, making it an ideal individual or group study resource. Andre Papineau writes about identity and authenticity with penetrating clarity. He grounds the religious search and the human equation in our passion to be truthful. The truth will make us free. This book shows us how that is accomplished. The sources used, the stories told, even the discussion questions are compelling. Anthony T. Padovano Distinguished Professor of American Literature &amp; Religious Studies Ramapo College Andre Papineau brings to this book his deep familiarity with the scriptures, his knowledge of psychology, and his common sense honed in a lifetime of experience. With deep wisdom and perceptive insight, he helps us understand better both important biblical passages and the transitions that occur in all our lives. All pilgrim Christians can learn much from this book. Charles E. Curran Elizabeth Scurlock Professor of Human Values Southern Methodist University Andre Papineau is the maestro of the liminal, emcee in the cabaret called Transition, which is always open and whose customers are always edgy, confused, and desperate to get out. It isn't simplistic psychobabble pabulum he offers here, but hard, good advice, the kind grownups need in order to advance to the next grade. Each of these chapters is a meditation on the strange and intermittently glorious thing called being alive. Russell Shorto Author of Gospel Truth Once again, Father Papineau has gifted us with a unique blend of theology, psychology, and biblical savvy. He reminds the reader that life is a process and, as such, is a succession of transitions reflected in innumerable personal and collective stories. Using this as a central template, he takes the reader deep into the exegetical and imaginative core of several critical biblical events. This is a book of inclusive theology in understandable and relevant story form. Father Papineau has helped restore integrity to what should be a loving and meaningful Christian paradigm that has been so misused, misunderstood, and cruelly distorted in our times. Frederick R. Gustafson Editor of The Moonlit Path: Reflections on the Dark Feminine Andre Papineau is a Salvatorian priest and associate professor of pastoral studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Franklin, Wisconsin. A frequent lecturer on life stages and the co-founder of the C. G. Jung Center in Milwaukee, Father Papineau is the author of ten previous books, including Lightly Goes The Good News (CSS), and is a member of The Abraham Group (www.abrahamgroup.com). He holds degrees in theology and drama from Catholic University and the University of Notre Dame.

Godawful

Religion & Spirituality

Andre Papineau

Christian Books & Bibles

CSS Publishing Company

We all go through many life transitions things like graduating, marrying, moving from one city to another, being depressed, losing a job, and these are but a few examples. But how often do we think of any of these transitions as opportunities for conversion experiences in which we might come to a deeper understanding of self, world, and God? In this book you will find twenty-five brief, scripture-based homilies that are, hopefully, about our own experiences in transitions and their potential as conversion experiences.

Homilies to Transform Hearts and Minds

Liturgy Training Publications

The stories in this book are about Jesus and how he turned his and our world upside down by his concern for the losers, the lost, and the least. Throughout the gospels these are the people whom Jesus embraces as members of his family. By singling out familiar biblical stories and retelling them with these categories in mind, we can view and recreate the stories from a fresh and surprising perspective. Here's a clue. Imagine your church four times its original size. And continue imagining that a couple of thousand folks hear that Jesus is going to preach, and has sent out the word, "Everybody's invited!" No sooner is the word out than people are streaming in from the suburbs, the inner city, the countryside. What a mix of folks they are! Busy bankers, bag ladies with pushcarts, social butterflies and shady ladies, bleary-eyed derelicts, purple spike-haired teens with rings in noses and ears, folks of every color, married couples, divorced and remarried couples, unmarried straight and gay couples, plus a few shapely ladies with very deep voices--very deep voices--a little too deep for shapely ladies! An observer on the scene might think, "Boy, there's a lot of losers and lost souls showing up- the least likely to get through the doors at the Ritz! Pouring through the open doors, imagine Jesus smiling from ear to ear, greeting them with open arms, but NOT screening the winners from the losers by demanding that losers mend their ways before entering the church. "You're out! You got dirt on your soul!" Or, "You're in! You're clean as a whistle!" Why would he be so careless and carefree about who'd enter? It was because he was delighted that they showed up. Because he loved to throw parties and surround himself with losers, lost souls, and the least loved, those not likely to get ahead in this world. And imagine that after listening to him for three days (you can preach that long when you're the boss's son), he invites them to break bread with one another--mingling, interacting, communing with him and one another. Think about it! Communion with Jesus -- all the losers, the lost, and the least. Would our theology, our politics, our biases, our fears of reprisals lead us to bar the doors rather than open them wide? Would we be so fearful that in our haste to exclude those losers we would even have excluded the young bearded man with the invitin smile, passionately crying out, "Open the doors"?

Jesus Stories for the Losers, the Lost, and the Least

Lemieux Intl Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Andre Papineau. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Andre Papineau

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Andre Papineau. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Godawful

Homilies to Transform Hearts and Minds

Jesus Stories for the Losers, the Lost, and the Least