Do you feel weary or even a bit jaded? Tired and overworked, but can't seem to find a respite? Not even a rejuvenating vacation seems to chase this nagging, insipid feeling away? We are all prone to a sleepiness of the soul. That raging fire of love that was once within dwindles slowly, often extinguishing without notice. Like an unknown cancer, this spreading toxin clouds your reasoning and enfeebles your will. Your spirit feels somehow empty and your joy becomes fleeting if not faded. What can you do? Like any relationship of love, the soul's friendship with God must always be reinvented, refreshed, and renewed. When the honeymoon is over, the real work begins. This brilliant volume—fully revised and remastered by the author—will help you to squelch that silent poison within: lukewarmness. From the creator of the internationally best-selling In Conversation with God series, this indispensable guide can truly change your life. Learn how to defeat the “noonday devil”—that sluggish tepidity within—by rekindling the incomparable joy of following Christ. You will find that an unwavering cheerfulness will begin to pervade every area of your being and that what once was dying will be filled with life: the life of true love.

This issue of The Ministry of the Word contains the final eight messages given during the spring 1998 term of the full-time training in Anaheim, California. These messages unveil many practical points concerning the overcomers, particularly as seen in the epistles in Revelation 2 and 3 to the seven churches. These epistles issue a call for overcomers to respond to the speaking Spirit to overcome particular items of degradation in the churches. Messages 9 through 15 speak of the Lord's call for the overcomers in Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Message 16 concludes with the composition and consummation of the overcomers. The Announcements section at the end of this issue contains a list of upcoming conferences and trainings sponsored by Living Stream Ministry.

The Apocalypse or Book of Revelation is one of the most frequently discussed books of the biblical canon and arguably one of the most difficult to interpret. This volume contains three texts as examples of late ancient Christian interpretation of its intriguing visions. It also includes a comprehensive introduction to each text by its respective translator. Brief Explanations of the Apocalypse by Cassiodorus (c. 580), translated by Francis X. Gumerlock from Latin and published in English for the first time in this volume, served as an introduction to the Book of Revelation for Cassiodorus’s students at the Vivarium, a monastery in southern Italy. Cassiodorus divided the Apocalypse into 33 sections, corresponding to the age of Jesus at his Passion, and expressed his belief that John’s visions were revelations of the end of the world, including the Second Coming of Christ for judgment, the defeat of the Antichrist, the general resurrection, and the arrival of the heavenly Kingdom. Testimonies of Gregory the Great on the Apocalypse, translated from Latin by Mark DelCogliano and also published here for the first time in English, is a collection of 55 excerpts on the Apocalypse from the writings of St. Gregory the Great (d. 604) compiled by an anonymous author. Drawn mainly from Gregory’s Moralia, but also from his Book on Pastoral Care and homilies, the excerpts, which are arranged from Revelation 1.4 to 22.17, illustrate Gregory’s grammatical exegesis of the Apocalypse, his interpretation of various figures in the Apocalypse, and his attempt to reconcile certain passages in the Apocalypse with seemingly contradictory texts from other parts of Scripture. The anonymous Greek Scholia on the Apocalypse contains 39 exegetical notes on chapters 1-14 of the Apocalypse, which reveal influences of Origen and Didymus the Blind, among others. The notes provide “spiritual” interpretations of the various passages and give attention to the interpretation of certain words that appear in the Book of Revelation. This new translation from the Greek by T. C. Schmidt utilizes all the Greek editions. Furthermore, its introductory matter contains updates on the Scholia from the latest scholarship and compares each scholion with interpretations found in various patristic authors, mainly of Alexandrian heritage.

We're surrounded by a world of mediocrity. The question the author raises in this study is: Will God be satisfied with mediocrity in our lives as Christians? This book deals with "real" problems and offers practical solutions to such dilemmas as dealing with depression, fostering relationships, becoming more fervent in worship and overcoming the fear of death, as well as why we should long for heaven and fear hell.

Truly, many love the Lord and desire a consistent walk with Him. However most times, they get all worked-up and caught up in a state of lukewarmness. Many are aware and are seeking for ways out of this web, while many others do not even know or perhaps don't seem to care much. This book -OVERCOMING LUKEWARMNESS- is for everyone who seeks a fervent, intimate and consistent walk with God. The book also enlightens you on what lukewarmness really is, how to get out of it and how not to get into it. So it's a must read for all. I therefore recommend this book to every believer, whether young, middle-aged or old.

Chögyam Trungpa explores the the vajrayana teachings of the tantric path in this final volume of his masterpiece on Tibetan Buddhism This three-volume collection presents in lively, relevant language the comprehensive teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist path of the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana. Considered Chögyam Trungpa’s magnum opus, The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma will resonate with new and senior students of Buddhism. In this third and final volume, Chögyam Trungpa’s examines the vajrayana teachings of the tantric path. The vajrayana, or "diamond vehicle," also referred to as tantra, draws upon and extends the teachings of the hinayana and mahayana. As with the hinayana and the mahayana, the formal acceptance into the vajrayana is marked by a vow, in this case the samaya vow. There is an emphasis at this stage on the student-teacher relationship and on the quality of devotion. Generally, students must complete preliminary practices, called ngöndro, to prepare themselves for initiation into the vajrayana path before going further. Having done so, they then receive the appropriate empowerments to begin tantric practices. There are empowerment ceremonies of many kinds, called abhishekas. The vajrayana includes both form practices, such as visualizations and sadhanas (ritual liturgies), and formless practices based on allowing the mind to rest naturally in its inherent clarity and emptiness. Although on the surface, there is much greater complexity in tantric practices, the principles of mindfulness and awareness and the cultivation of compassion and skillful action continue to be of central importance. The tantric path requires complete engagement and fierce dedication. It is said to be a more rapid path, but it is also more dangerous. There is a quality of directness, abruptness, and wholeheartedness. Tantrikas, or vajrayana practitioners, recognize that the most challenging aspects of life, the energies and play of confused emotions and frightening obstacles, can be worked with as gateways to freedom and realization. Other topics covered in detail in this volume include the four reminders, the mandala principle, mahamudra, atiyoga, and more.