Living Grace: Spiritual Growth in the Everyday World

Living Grace offers practical help for those who want to grow spiritually and lead positive, effective lives. Like having your own spiritual director, Living Grace guides you to a clearer understanding of your motivations, actions, and reactions, helping you experience ever-greater love and joy in all aspects of life. Using the wisdom of Jesus, passages from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, and compelling stories, the author presents twelve personal covenants that can lead to a more fulfilling and grace-filled life. Offering ideas for journaling, self-reflection, meditation, prayer, and scripture reading, Martie McMane leads the reader on a path of spiritual discovery and transformation. With tenderness and humor she gently ushers the reader into a palpable understanding of how the grace of God is available for everyday living. Suitable for individual or group use, Living Grace is an accessible and powerful book of inspiration and spiritual encouragement. Praise for Living Grace “Martie McMane brings together the generous heart of a pastor, the passion of a genuine believer, and the smarts of a street gal. The convergence yields a deeply felt rootedness that touches the concreteness of daily life.” —Walter Brueggemann, author, Journey to the Common Good, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary “This book is definitely worth your time and energy to read and do the exercises and meditations. What a wonderful resource to expand spiritual growth and access a fuller, more meaningful life!” —Joyce Rupp, author, Fragments of Your Ancient Name, Codirector of The Institute of Compassionate Presence “Living Grace is a beautiful integration of scripture, reflection, and soulful exercises. Through stories and the wisdom of many spiritual teachers, Martie gently leads the reader into reflections that offer the possibility of transformation. —Rev. Jane Vennard, author, A Praying Congregation: The Art of Teaching Spiritual Practice “Guiding us through a journey of spiritual covenants, Martie McMane follows each of her essays with creative ‘Reflections’—evocative guides for centering prayer, for journal writing, for self-examination, and for new ways to read Scripture. She brings a quality of self-revelation and vulnerability that can encourage the same in the reader.” —James B. Nelson, author, Embodiment: An Approach to Sexuality and Christian Theology, Emeritus Professor of Christian Ethics, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities “Rev. McMane offers readers a remarkable GPS (God Positioning System). Her knowledge of Scripture, her wonderful sense of humor and common sense, her recognition—without judgment—of ways we get lost, her very clear message that much is in our hands, makes this book a wonderful supplement to the Scripture and a hope-filled guide for all who desire to take their spiritual journey seriously.” —Nancy Kehoe, RSCJ, PhD, author, Wrestling with Our Inner Angels, licensed psychologist and clinical instructor in psychology, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School “The first sign of a great book is my sudden urge to pull out a yellow highlighter, to begin underlining and writing comments in the margins. Living Grace is one of those books. Of particular help to me were the journaling reflections at the end of each chapter encouraging me to take Martie McMane’s words and try them on in my own spiritual journey.” —Deborah Kaiser-Cross, author, Prayers through the Seasons, Minister of Pastoral Care and Spiritual Development, Jupiter First Church, Jupiter, FL “Martie McMane’s exploration of the Revolutionary Agreements leads the reader to a very intimate search for peace and understanding in a world of distractions. Her concepts facilitate the opening up of the creative process as it relates to spiritual growth, and light the path to fulfillment on the journey.” —Gretchen Kloten Minney, author, Called-Women Hear the Voice of the Divine