Books authored by Jerry and published by Sheltering Tree Media Publishing
Via Lucis: in the Presence of Saint Joseph celebrates and highlights the most glorious time in the Christian liturgical year: the fifty days from Easter to Pentecost. This Via Lucis journey adds light to Scripture with the dimension of artwork and encountering an imagined Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, becomes present in a what-would-he-say style by observing, commenting, and conversing about the Scripture and artwork for each encounter. He walks with you from Jesus’ Resurrection through Ascension. Brief meditations and thought-provoking questions are included for group discussion or individual contemplation in eighteen encounters. It is the first in an annual series of Via Lucis: in the Presence of fictional encounters with saints and early Christian leaders. Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.com/Via- Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Rk5Nbc4YmUc |
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For the Good of the Order
I am pleased to announce the availability of my book “For the Good of the Order” which has been published by Sheltering Tree Earth Publishing. For the Good of the Order is based on my role as Lecturer in a Christian fraternal order. Near the end of each meeting, I share thoughts that focus on positive emotions such as joy, happiness, and love. I prepare for what I might say I use the prayer practices included in the Immersive Prayer website. Additional books authored by Jerry are being edited and published by Sheltering Tree Earth Publishing and are coming soon. The book offers twelve topics on emotion three stories for each one. The book is designed for both personal growth and group discussion. There is an section dedicated to how to use the book in a group discussion setting. There is also a website in development that can be used for private group use. This book is available on Amazon in soft or hard book format, or . All profits go to charity. |
Self-published books by Jerry on Amazon
I am passionate about sharing my observation of God’s grandeur and Christ’s love for us in the ordinary moments of our lives. St. Paul suggests we should “Pray Always” as part of being Christian. There is help in the form of spiritual directors who can assist in making people aware of God’s love. However, not enough Christian spiritual directors are available for those who help others in their desire for a deeper prayer life. I am creating a small lending library and grants for materials that can be used in a spiritual growth process. I want to do more, but I do not have sufficient personal funds. If you feel drawn to help others towards this goal, please consider purchasing one or more of the self-published books by Jerry that I have written. Each book below is available in multiple formats and has a modest profit of around $1.00 in Kindle or print. Profit from my books goes to charity, or if a Spiritual Director needs assistance purchasing a book for those, they help get closer to God. |
Daily Gospel Reflections using Lectio Divina for the 2024 Liturgical Calendar is a compilation of daily Lectionary Scripture for 2024 Reflections using the prayer of Lectio Divina. These Daily Lectio reflections are available on the Immersive Prayer site for all three yearly cycles. You can locate desired Scripture passages using search. These Daily Gospel Reflections using Lectio Divina for the 2024 Liturgical Calendar are available in a new book on Amazon as soft copy, hard copy and and Kindle Unlimited. All proceeds go to charity. |
Daily Gospel Reflections using Lectio Divina for the 2023 Liturgical Calendar is a compilation of daily Lectionary Scripture for 2023 Reflections using the prayer of Lectio Divina. These Daily Lectio reflections are available on the Immersive Prayer site for all three yearly cycles. You can locate desired Scripture passages using search.
These Daily Gospel Reflections using Lectio Divina for the 2023 Liturgical Calendar are available in a new book on Amazon as soft copy and . All proceeds go to charity.
Scriptural Rosary Mysteries for Thriving: Standard and Alternate Rosary Mysteries with Lectio Reflections (Contemplatio, Absconsa, Mysteria: To Contemplate Hidden Mysteries) is a collection of the classic Rosary Mysteries and 19 alternate sets of mysteries including a Patriotic Rosary. “Besides the precise rosary pattern long known to Catholics, we can freely experiment. New sets of mysteries are possible. (Bishops Pastoral Letter).” These mysteries include James Tissot’s art and Lectio Divina mediations. If you are not Catholic, please consider using these Rosaries by leaving off the second half of the Hail Mary.
The collection is available in a new book for 2022 on Amazon in both color and black and white (lower printing cost) soft copy editions, Unlimited and . All proceeds go to charity.
Daily Gospel Lectio Divina Reflections is a compilation of daily Lectionary Scripture for 2022 Reflections using the prayer of Lectio Divina. These Daily Lectio reflections are available on the Immersive Prayer site for all three yearly cycles. You can locate desired Scripture passages using search.
These reflections for 2022 are availabe in as a book on Amazon in soft or hard copy books and . All proceeds go to charity.
Without Love I am Nothing: Lectio Divina Reflections on the Daily Gospel, for 2021
St. Paul takes us on a journey into the depth of faith with God’s love in beautiful prayerful prose. Gods love and our love back is difficult to explain in words or pictures. Love has no real sense of depth. The longer one falls in love, the deeper the perceived end point appears to be. Love has attempted to be described since the beginning of time. I personally think of love as a beautiful horizon that as I move toward it, it never appears closer no matter how hard I might try. Loves appeal draws me in and each time that I think I have gotten closer, the desire to love back increases and I grow further immersed in its embrace.
One way to allow this love to daily wash over us is to use the practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). Lectio is an ancient prayer technique originating with the church fathers that was further explored and adopted by the Benedictines and many others. Lectio is a way of allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate and teach by way of personalizing Scripture. It consists of progressively reading and praying with a Scripture passage.
Without Love I am Nothing is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle, and on paperback.
Ephphatha, That is, Be Opened: Lectio Divina Reflections on the Daily Gospel, for 2020
The book’s title of Ephphatha, that is, Be Opened! refers to Jesus’s healing words to the deaf man. In whatever way we reflect on the daily Gospel readings I strongly believe it is Jesus’s desire that we open ourselves to hear what is meant for each of us both individually and outward towards others that come into our lives. I use Lectio Divina as my own method of Gospel reflection. The Lectio Divina Reflections on the Daily Gospels in this book are for the Liturgical Calendar year 2020.
Ephphatha, That is, Be Opened is available at Amazon on Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle or paperback.
Inspired by the Living Flame of Love: Daily Lectio Divina Reflections 2019 Liturgical Calendar Gospel Readings
In beautiful prayerful poetry St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, takes us on a journey into the depth of faith within God’s unconditional love. The world needs each of us to be like St. John of the Cross.One way to allow this love to daily wash over us is to use the practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). As you read these short daily Lectio scripture reflections, you will find they have a broad range from the very personal to sometimes external unknown people or situations. My choice of meditative words, phrases or perception are in italics next to the Gospel passage. My hope is by sharing the reflective vignettes that you will consider exploring your own relationship with God and the other through prayer.
Inspired by the Living Flame of Love is available at Amazon on Kindle Unlimited, Kindle or paperback.
Although by Night: Lectio Divina reflections on the Daily Gospel using the 2018 Liturgical Calendar
In beautiful prayerful poetry St. John of the Cross, Doctor of Church, takes us on a journey into the depth of faith in God’s love. Likewise, the Biblical artist James Tissot lets us see the reality of St. James with arms outstretched like Jesus on the Cross filled with prayerful gratitude, open to receiving God’s unconditional love. The world needs us to be like St. James.
Although by Night is available at Amazon on Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle for $.99 or in paperback for $7.99.
Dipsao – I Thirst
Dipsao – I Thirst is based on the scriptural transliterated Greek word “dipsaō” which means the state of being thirsty. Blessed Mother Theresa concluded that Christ’s striking words are a prayer of an endless two-way thirst of both giving and receiving love. I have had my thirst satiated by countless Christ like people so I humbly share their “I” and their effect on me. This quest for love’s thirst let me perceive I had been and needed to be further immersed into the scenes and intimacy of individuals and groups past, present and future that deeply love others. God created moments where I might be like Joshua son of Nun, silently present at the edge of the column of clouds at their tents. Here, face to face, I was witness to their embraces, able to observe what it means to be Christ like in their prayer, humility, faith and action.
Dipsao – I Thirst is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle or in paperback.
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Merchant Searching for Fine Pearls
Good and honorable priests who are committed to their charism and are exemplars of Christian holiness deserve nothing less than their Church finding ways to re-elevate them in the eyes of the world. A partial solution is to leverage their sanctity so they more deeply become “merchants seeking the finest pearls.” This book proposes that parish priests (merchants) should be encouraged and equipped to actively cultivate parishioners who are called to holiness uniquely as lay Catholic mystics (pearls. As Fr. Karl Rainer quotes “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.” I propose that to achieve this goal, priests roles and responsibilities need a slight reformulation working towards getting back just two hours of their time per week: one hour for further development of their spiritual fatherhood and sanctity and one hour to give specific individuals spiritual direction and shape others as spiritual companions to assist in this challenge.
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Merchant Searching for Fine Pearls is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited for free or Kindle
Chanterelles in The Garden
God has manifested beauty since the beginning of time which became especially apparent in the Gardens of Eden and Gethsemane. There is nothing in nature more beautiful to me than to be standing in a group of Chanterelle mushrooms growing among the green moss of a moist riverside, precious gifts in and from The Garden. Appreciating nature opens a window to recognize God’s gift of Himself as Christ in life and action. Christ’s expectation of our behavior regarding all of creation is clearly infused within the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12).There can be no doubt that God delights in making extraordinary beauty plainly visible in the ordinary daily activities of our lives. Exploring this awareness of what God has provided, and continues to provide, increases our sensitivity of how we need to treat each other and creation. To recognize each other as beautiful gifts from God, far more precious than Chanterelles at the river’s edge, has transformed me and immersed me deeply in the garden metaphor. Earth and Heaven have become seamless, Our Father…. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Chanterelles in The Garden is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle or on paperback.
The Color of My Heart
I have discovered by sharing who I am in my writing I am opening the door for others to share in the intimacy of Christ in their own lives with me. Although seemingly subtle, crossing the boundary of this unknown challenged me to embrace it to an even greater extent. You will find a broad range of intensity in my meditations from breathless experiences to my significant and numerous struggles with long periods of not perceiving the presence of God. Faith of course allows one to follow the contours of whatever God has in mind.
Please keep in mind that these thoughts are fragments of my life and everyone has their own unique story. For reasons I am still not quite able to explain I feel compelled to express what I have discovered about myself. Perhaps these forty vignettes will provide an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in your own moments. Ultimately, I believe what we do with the results of our own stories, otherwise known as the fruit, shows the true color of our hearts.
The Color of My Heart is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited for free, Kindle or on paperback.
A Moment for Christ
Every day we all experience momentary encounters with God. I am quite comfortable in saying that I have moved from believing in the possibility of these encounters to knowing the reality. Faith tells us what to do with the truth when we understand this reality. You may have heard the expression that someone cannot see the forest through the trees. I am the opposite; most often, I do not see the trees. But, when I do they are on fire. When these subtleties catch my attention I have learned God is trying to teach me something. I am not alone as God provides unique experiences for each personality He is invited to visit. We each have our own sensitivities to what we think we have or have not experienced. Perception of course like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. A belief system that considers God may be intimately involved in your life awakens and magnifies this perception.
A Moment for Christ is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited, Kindle or on paperback.