Do you feel stuck on your journey toward spiritual and psychological growth? Do you desire to deepen your insights from God’s word, develop a more intimate prayer life, and relate to your Creator in a more meaningful way? Then this book is for you. It offers a wide-ranging, creative, and practical map of spiritual practices that will help you to understand yourself, draw closer to God, and encourage psycho-spiritual transformation. Readers of this book will learn how to listen with their minds and hearts to Scripture, to awaken to the sacredness and beauty found in nature, and to receive and return God’s loving gaze. As readers make their way through this book and adopt some of these practices to their own lives, they will discover that every moment of life holds possibilities for spiritual vitality and further growth. They will expand their understanding of how to engage with the Divine in a way that leads to deeply satisfying communion. "As followers of Jesus our primary calling is to love God first, our neighbors second, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit. This book will not only deepen your relationship with God and open you up to fresh ways of experiencing his transforming grace, but it will also help you develop a greater awareness of others and enable you to live a life of active worship." --Charles Hewlett, National Leader, Baptist Churches of New Zealand "The Halsteads are nothing short of modern-day prophets and mystics, and their voices are greatly valued in the over-industrialized and utilitarian West. Drawing together a range of voices to speak to the effective and affective results of spiritual practices, they offer a breath of fresh air to our stale environment, they press pause on the noise of the world, and they call each of us to linger longer than we otherwise might in God's presence--however strange and uncomfortable that may be. Stories are offered here that have the power to shape our imagination, actions, and practices, all with the intent to hear God more clearly and become more like him in our daily lives. Perhaps 'tonic for the soul' would have been a suitable subtitle." --Myk Habets, Head of School of Theology, Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand "While the agent of our transformation into Christ's image is the Spirit, we are invited to partner with the living God in this process. It Works brims over with stories of these partnerships and how they are lived out in creative, embodied, and encultured practices. If you have ever struggled with intentional spiritual practices, I encourage you to read this book. You will discover just how life-giving partnering through these practices can be." --Christa L. McKirland, Dean of Faculty, Carey Baptist College, New Zealand " Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini . This Māori proverb speaks to the strength of the collective. It so beautifully describes the treasure of this collaborative work. The acknowledgement, in this book, of land ( whenua ) and place resounds significantly to me as an indigenous person of New Zealand. Our whenua is where transformative spiritual practices are engaged, and our Creator God draws close. This is a rich and thought-provoking work from Philip Halstead and Angelika Halstead. Tēnā kōrua , I acknowledge you." --Luke Kaa-Morgan, Te Pouaraki (Māori leader), Carey Baptist College, New Zealand Philip John Halstead has been lecturing at Carey Baptist College, Auckland, New Zealand, as well as working in the local church for the past seventeen years. He is widely published in the areas of pastoral theology, care, and counseling. His PhD focused on forgiveness between adults and their parents. Angelika Halstead is a licensed counselor, spiritual director, and supervisor. As well as running a very successful private practice, she is a much in demand speaker. Her PhD focused on psycho-spiritual growth and transformation through therapeutic writing.