The reflections I share in this book are my parables – my life experiences placed alongside passages from scripture. As you read this book, I invite you to join me on that "parable road" – and to place your experiences beside the words of scripture and listen for their meaning in your life. It is on this road that we can give witness to our faith being lived out, share with one another the source of our hope and our strength, and explore how we hold on to our faith and the reasons we keep coming back to the table of the Lord. It is on this road that we can try to find for ourselves the deeper meanings of Jesus' parables – and, perhaps, to find the meaning of our own.
I hope this book will be a blessing to you, and that your experience on reflection and sharing on the “parable road” will shine forth in the brilliant colors of a new and hopeful Spring.
Jim Welter, Author
Jim Welter's first collection of scripture reflections, When Winter Comes – Scripture Reflections for Daily Living, published in 2003, is
also available from Ascending View Publications.
"Spiritual and emotional health requires that we remember our stories. Wholeness requires remembered brokenness. Being found requires
admitting that we have been lost. Seeing the Promised Land requires time in the wilderness. Jim Welter walks the fields of his
life rooted in the farmland of northern Indiana. He invites us to walk with him and remember our own stories as we celebrate God's grace in
our lives."
- Rev. Steve Cain, Pastor/Therapist/Missionary
Trinity United Methodist Church, Fort Wayne IN
"So often, scripture reflections are either learned but preachy or comforting but ill-informed. Jim's genius lies in his
ability to combine the insights of a Biblical scholar with the comforting perspective of a person speaking from his own life
experience."
- Bill Bradbury, Writer and St. Monica Parishioner
MA, Pastoral Studies, Loyola University
Jim Welter served for seven years as Pastoral Associate and Business Manager for St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He was born and raised in northern Indiana, and is proud to be a native Hoosier. Jim has been married for more than thirty
years and is the father of two sons. Jim became interested in scripture as a teenager and has followed a self-directed scripture study program
for many years. He has attended Bible study seminars presented by some of the world’s foremost Catholic scholars.
In 1995, Jim received his B.A. in Religious Studies (Magna Cum Laude) from Indiana University, where he was recognized
as an “Outstanding Scholar.”Jim taught Old Testament classes for three years as part of the elementary education and youth ministry programs at St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis, and has organized and facilitated a number of Bible study groups. He has also served as vice-president of the Pastoral Council at St. Barnabas, where he was involved in adult education and outreach ministries and received the parish’s Outstanding Layperson Award. At St. Monica Parish, he participated in the RCIA and bereavement ministries. In retirement, Jim continues to be active as a Eucharistic minister and homilist.
For more than 20 years, Jim has presented his adult scripture program, The Ascending View, at parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. This program has also been featured on the campuses of Ball State University and Marian College. Jim is also the author of a Bible study series entitled New Light on the Gospels. His first book, When Winter Comes – Scripture Reflections for Daily Living, was published in 2003 and is now in its third printing.
Jim is currently available for presentations and book signings. Click Here for program content and scheduling.
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