Our lives are filled to capacity with routines, habits, conversations, surprises, and disappointments. With all that's going on in life, it's easy to miss those quiet moments of grace which come more often than we realize. But they are there.  In The Balancing Act, a collection of thirty short and insightful devotional readings originally written for his blog at www.fivepractices.org , Bishop Robert Schnase invites readers to take a daily look at how to watch for and include God in their lives. The Balancing Act is written to inspire prayer, conversation, questions, and change. Feel free to use it as a personal daily devotional or in small groups.   Topics include spiritual attentiveness, life goals, and prayer. Readings will be grouped under weekly themes and include group discussion questions with each of the 30 readings. Read an excerpt from the book!...

Lead youth to l ive radically, passionately, intentionally, extravagantly—taking risks to become fruitful disciples of Jesus. These ten ready-to-use sessions teach the fundamentals of Christian living. Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission, and Extravagant Generosity-- these five practices, designed to shape both heart and mind, will help youth grow in their discipleship as they transform the world. Features: 2 ready-to-use interactive sessions for each practice Reproducible pages Scripture references Suggestions for discussion Questions for reflection Planning helps Tried-and-true activities from youth groups across the country Robert Schnase is Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and bestselling author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations . Terry B. Carty is Director of The Youthworker Movement....