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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Living into the Answers

A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment

Valerie K. Isenhower, Judith A. Todd • April 2008

BUY Print $7.99

What do I do now?!

Face life's "forks in the road" and write your own future—fearlessly. Be guided to your own wisdom within the context of the always-present divine voice. Living into the Answers teaches a way to ask for and receive God's guidance as you approach an issue or choice.

"Large or small, the decisions of life point toward particular paths," write Isenhower and Todd. "Paying attention to the process of discerning God's desire for our life starts us on a journey that leads to abundant life. …It opens us to a larger number of life choices and to a more interactive relationship with God who calls us for future possibilities."

Discernment isn't magic. It isn't passive. Discernment isn't a complicated mystical practice. Rather, it's a process of listening and choosing based on the understanding that God is to be at the center of decision making. The authors explain how to live in a way that satisfies the yearning for a deeper connection with the spiritual.

There may not always be one "right" answer because there's no shortcut to knowing which job to take, house to buy or relationship to pursue. But we don't have to make these decisions alone. As people of faith, we know every aspect of our lives is important to God, who created us for a purpose.

Living into the Answers is an inspiring and practical personal workbook that

  • introduces tools and practices that invite God in as we consider priorities and alternatives
  • guides us to create prayerfully considered options
  • helps us live with the confidence that God will use our choices to invite us into a deeper and more fruitful relationship

With Isenhower and Todd as your guides, you'll learn how to make every decision an opportunity for living in God's presence more deeply.


Valerie K. Isenhower, executive director of Water in the Desert Ministries in Albuquerque, is also owner of V. Isenhower Photography and Genuine Southwest Art & Gifts. She received her undergraduate education at University of Montana and University of Northern Colorado. Isenhower earned an MDiv from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and pursued additional graduate work at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is the former coordinator of ministry for Worshipful-Work, an ecumenical ministry in spiritual discernment. An American Baptist minister, Isenhower teaches spirituality and photography classes and training in the discernment process. As a photographer, she specializes in meditative and discernment photographs. She also records photos of hot-air balloons. Her photographs have been published and displayed in galleries.

Judith A. Todd is program director for Water in the Desert Ministries. She received her undergraduate education from Hastings College and University of New Mexico. Todd earned an MDiv from McCormick Theological Seminary, and MA in Hebrew Bible and a PhD in Biblical Studies from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. A former seminary lecturer and associate professor, she now leads retreats in spiritual formation and biblical interpretation. Todd is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

ISBN: 978-0-8358-9944-4

Imprint: Upper Room

Pub Date: April 2008

Trim Size: 7.3125 in (w) x 9.25 in (h) x in (d)

Page Count: 128

BISAC Categories: RELIGION / Christian Living / Personal Growth

BISAC1: REL012070

BISAC2: REL012120

BISAC3:

"What a fantastic resource for such an essential and foundational practice! This fine book helps Christians affirm 'Not thy will but thine be done.' Living into the Answers has value not only for individuals but also (especially) for churches that practice a congregational form of government, where direction is more often decided than discerned."
— Rick Bennett Director of Congregational Life Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

"If the church of the 21st century is to have men and women following a call, they must know the art of discernment. If God still calls, we all need help in recognizing the divine voice. This guide will be an excellent resource in the discernment process."
— Ben Campbell Johnson Author, GodSpeech: Putting Divine Disclosure into Human Words

"I had a rich association with Valerie Isenhower and Judith Todd through Worshipful-Work. In this book, they have woven together pioneering insights on discernment from that work, complementary spiritual leadership practices, their own artistic and biblical flair, and stories on the journey. All these are organized into a practical and usable workbook. Now they offer it to you! This is BIG! Just think of the transforming power of individuals and groups seeking God's guiding will in their day-to-day lives and callings!"
— Chuck Olsen Founder, Worshipful-Work: Center for Transforming Religious Leadership