Touching the Bones of Elisha: Nine Life-Giving Spiritual Practices from an Ancient Prophet
Ebook
In this book, Franciscan priest Fr. Albert Haase, OFM, and Protestant pastor Phil Vestal bring to life nine spiritual practices from the life and ministry of the ancient Hebrew prophet Elisha--practices later promoted by Jesus, Paul, and subsequent figures in the history of Christian spirituality. These spiritual practices point directly to important themes in spiritual formation:
-The call of God
-Healing
-Perseverance in the face of opposition
-Gratitude and charity
-Prayer, petition, and intercession
-The tension between obedience to the law and Jesus' command to love
-Living with the awareness of God's investment in every human endeavor
-God's ever-present grace and protection in the face of trials and tribulations
-Mercy
Based upon incidents in the life of an ancient prophet, these nine practices are life-giving bones that God uses to instill new spirit and creativity in the contemporary believer.
“The authors, like well-worn, flat stones, skip across the waves of three thousand years of Judeo-Christian traditions. They bounce from young volunteers in Malawi to Job to sisters in a Nazi concentration camp to Francis of Assisi to the Curse on the Chicago Cubs! And with each bounce, the reader is treated to inspiring stories of God acting in our lives. Each chapter concludes with four helpful ways to awaken our spiritual lives. Practical, touching, effective ways to help us touch those life-giving bones of Elisha.”
—William L. Burton, OFM, professor of Scripture, St. Mary’s Seminary & University
“Prophets are agents of the future who act outside of the structures of power to awaken imagination for new ways of seeing and living. In this book, Albert Haase and Phil Vestal explore surprising connections between the life of Elisha and key themes in the teachings of Jesus. They dare us to imagine what it might look like for us to be awake to divine reality in our everyday lives.”
—Mark Scandrette, author of Practicing the Way of Jesus
“In this book, various insights derived from nine episodes of the prophet Elisha are brought to bear on contemporary experience. The insights are discussed from several different religio-cultural perspectives, then take the form of religious practices that prove universally relevant. Though boasting dual authorship, lines of diversity cannot be detected in this very readable study of an unfamiliar prophet.”
—Dianne Bergant, CSA, professor emerita of Old Testament studies, Catholic Theological Union
- Title: Touching the Bones of Elisha: Nine Life-Giving Spiritual Practices from an Ancient Prophet
- Authors: Albert Haase, Christine Aroney-Sine, Phil Vestal
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666760750, 9781666760736, 1666760730, 9781666760743, 1666760749, 1666760757
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666760750
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-05-04T22:37:14Z
Albert Haase, OFM, is the bestselling author of fourteen books on popular spirituality. He is a full-time preacher and spiritual director (www.AlbertOFM.org).
Phil Vestal is a pastor at Oakhurst United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is also the founder of the Ruah Space online ministry (www.ruahspace.com).