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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Companions in Christ: The Way of Discernment Participant’s Book

Stephen V. Doughty, Marjorie J. Thompson • August 2008

BUY Print $9.99

The Way of Discernment Leader's Guide is also available.

How do you discover God's guidance for personal and congregational decisions? Explore paths to clarity in The Way of Discernment, a 10-week study for small groups.

Who is this book designed for?

  • People yearning to hear the Holy Spirit's guidance
  • Individuals looking for direction in vocation or life changes
  • Church leaders seeking clarity about their congregation's distinctive mission
  • Christians searching for God's will in matters of belief, ethics, and faithful living

Part of the Companions in Christ series, The Way of Discernment offers a biblical, theological, and practical framework for understanding the practice of discernment. Sessions include

  • The Beckoning of Discernment
  • The Heart of Discernment
  • Fruit as Touchstones
  • Core Identity as Touchstone
  • Growing in the Gift
  • In the Hard Places
  • Communal Discernment: Beginnings
  • Communal Discernment: Going Farther
  • Elements of Perpetual Challenge
  • The All-Encompassing Audience


Stephen V. Doughty served for over two decades in parish ministry and for ten years as the executive presbyter for the seventy-one congregations of Lake Michigan Presbytery. A regular contributor to Weavings, he is currently engaged in a full-time ministry of retreat leadership and writing. He and his wife, Jean, live in Otsego, Michigan.

Marjorie J. Thompson is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has served as director of the Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership and as spiritual director to Companions in Christ, a program outgrowth of the Pathways initiative of The Upper Room. Companions in Christ is a series of small-group resources for spiritual formation in local congregations, suited to ecumenical use. Marjorie has exercised a ministry of teaching, writing, and spiritual guidance for many years.

ISBN: 978-0-8358-9958-1

Imprint: Upper Room

Pub Date: August 2008

Trim Size: 7.3125 in (w) x 9.25 in (h) x 0.278 in (d)

Page Count: 128

BISAC Categories: RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth

BISAC1: REL012120

BISAC2: REL095000

BISAC3: REL023000

"Drawing on both classic (Augustine, Ignatius of Loyola) and contemporary authors (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rose Mary Dougherty), Steve Doughty’s The Way of Discernment is a journey into a spiritual practice readers are sure to enjoy. He guides the participant through authentic stories that span the globe and yet are as close as childhood memories. Combined with selected scriptures, these illustrations create touchstones along the way. Powerful quotes from discerning authors, along with Marjorie Thompson’s thought-provoking questions, deepen one’s faith and complement the exploration of the practice of discernment. Both individuals and groups will be blessed by taking on the challenging commitment to be discerning disciples in the church and the world."
—Mary A. Morrison Associate for Vocations and Education, Foothills Presbytery Simpsonville, South Carolina