Spirituality
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In this remarkable book, Henry Martin invites us to study in close detail van Gogh’s painting ‘The Good Samaritan’, and the famous parable told by Jesus of Nazareth. He asks what lessons we can learn from meditation upon the imagery and each of the characters portrayed.
Samuel Wells writes as a theologian and pastor to explore the cross in the purposes of God and how this act brings about salvation. Three sections, each with six short chapters, explore the cross in: - the Old Testament (Covenant, Test, Passover, Atonement, Servant, Sacrifice) - the Epistles (Forgiveness, Obedience, Foolishness, Example, Reconciliation, Boast) - the Gospels (Finished, Judged, Betrayed, Pierced, Forsaken, Mocked)
In this, Father Richard Rohr offers a new way of understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how failings can be the foundation for ongoing spiritual growth. With rare insight, Rohr takes the reader on a journey to give an understanding of how heartbreak, disappointment and first loves are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys of the second half of life.
In this beautifully designed hardback journal, theologian Paula Gooder leads readers through fifteen favourite Psalms.After a brief introduction to the history and context of each one, Paula invites readers to stand back and contemplate the Psalm as a whole, before zooming in to pick up on fascinating details and posing searching questions to deepen our understanding of God and ourselves.Lined pages face each Psalm, with in-text boxes for journalling following each question.
Julian of Norwich, the famous fourteenth-century anchoress, was seriously ill and preparing for death when she received a series of 16 visions of the passion of Christ. As a result of these visions, she dedicated the rest of her life to solitary prayer, and wrote down the content of the visions, which became the first book in English known to have been written by a woman. The first vision includes her famous meditation on the hazelnut, which for her becomes an image of God’s love.
Walking is one of the simplest things we do as humans. It’s how most of us experience life. In The Way Under Our Feet, Graham Usher conveys how exhilarating it is to walk into the depths of our humanity. We become more ready to recognize the needs as well as the joys of others; we sift our thoughts; we seek to heal our battered world, even as we glory in the beauty of nature; we find ourselves companying with our three mile an hour God.
An instant classic of contemporary spirituality, bringing together an engaging introduction to the Christian contemplative tradition for people inside or on the margins of the churches who feel drawn to the world of silent prayer. Martin Laird shows how silence and meditation can offer a remedy to many contemporary dilemmas and emotional struggles. Writing with great clarity, depth and authority, Laird examines the meditative methods and traditions found within contemplative prayer.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Henri Nouwen, one of the most beloved spiritual writers of contemporary times, this retreat companion offers a guide for spiritual transformation and growth based on Nouwen's own writings and experience. Nouwen's own spiritual journey, marked by a restless quest and yearning for an experience of the divine, led him down paths familiar to many spiritual seekers today. The questions he wrestled with are the same that speak to our own hearts
Drawing on the riches of Persian culture and her own dramatic experience of loss of a homeland, Guli Francis-Dehqani offers memorable and perceptive reflections on Jesus’ seven final sayings from the cross, opening up for Western readers fresh and arresting insights from a Middle Eastern perspective.
9780281078158 £9.99 Internationally recognized teacher Richard Rohr circles around this most paradoxical idea as he explores the nature of God - circling around being an apt metaphor for this mystery we're trying to apprehend - the Trinity.
Prayer
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The Book of a Thousand Prayers is a collection of wise and honest prayers to God about his concerns and ours: who he is to us and who we are to him, and how we experience life, death, relationships, the church and the world.;Ideal for private prayer and public worship, and containing practical advice on how to pray, this book offers a spiritual feast that will nourish you for the rest of your life.;
Having addressed God's silence in God on Mute, and then How to Pray in his previous bestseller, Pete Greig is back to bring wisdom and guidance to one of the most pressing and perplexing aspects of universal Christian experience - How to Hear God. Exploring the story of Christ's playful, poignant conversation on the road to Emmaus, Pete draws deeply from the insights of a wide range of Christian traditions.
Laid out in a way that makes a daily pattern of prayer possible and sustainable, it has a wealth of common-sense teaching about faith and the practice of it, and an imaginative and catholic selection of material.
This new edition of Pete Greig s classic book includes a new forty-day study guide, a foreword from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a new introduction from the author who has personally revised and updated the text throughout. Originally written out of the pain of his wife's fight for her life, but also the wonder of watching the prayer movement they founded changing lives around the world, Pete Greig steps into the dark side of prayer and emerges with a hard-won message of hope, and comfort.
We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running. How many times have you heard this? Or maybe you’ve said it yourself? ‘But,’ as Stephen Cottrell says, ‘when someone hits the ground running, there is no guarantee they are going in the right direction.' Hit the Ground Kneeling takes common statements about leadership – statements that we often take for granted – and questions them in the light of Christian faith and Christian perspectives on leadership. Ideal for Christians in leadership
The most important journey in life is the journey inwards, to the depth of our own being. It is a journey we are all invited to make. It takes us beyond words and images into silence. The silence allows the restless mind to become still and in the stillness we enter a new world. We return to our hearts, here we find our true selves, we discover an ancient way of finding God that has almost become lost.
9781529374926 £13.99 This down-to-earth introduction to prayer will guide you deeper in your relationship with God - making you more centred, more aware of God's voice, more likely to see breakthroughs and more able to make sense of your unanswered prayers, too. It's full of honest, hard-won wisdom interspersed with real-life stories - some humorous, others moving - to equip and inspire your prayer life.
9781848670648 £4.99 Daily Prayer provides traditional prayers and a short form of daily prayer, followed by suggested prayers for morning, evening and night.
A collection of intercessions to accompany the Church of England Common Worship Lectionary, years A, B and C, all in one volume. Each petition includes a focusing bidding with some dots ( ), to indicate where intercessors may address specific concerns, a gathering sentence and a responsory. The intercessions are compatible with the traditional areas of church, political governance/world concerns, neighbourhood, sick and deceased.
A brand new two-year collection of daily readings and prayers, with Celtic themes and inspiration. Building on the foundations set down in the first volume, this new collection blends the voices of the early Celtic and desert saints with more contemporary sources in ways that continue to speak to us in our own generation and culture.
General Christian Life
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In this new book from church leader Dave Smith, through 50 days you’ll be guided in steps to improve each of the dials on the dashboard of your life, one at a time but always linked with the others: • Your levels of physical energy and health • Your emotional freedom and peace • Your sense of satisfaction in your relationship with God • Your connectivity and harmony with others • Your financial margin, peace and means for generosity • Your role-based sense of motivation and creativity
We usually think of Jesus as preaching and teaching, but throughout the gospels he is often asking questions – searching enquiries, that disarm the hearers into responding unreservedly and provide some of the most profound lessons in the New Testament. But what were the questions that Jesus asked? And how can we learn from them today?
An Opportunity to Explore the Meaning of Life. In this international bestseller, Alpha pioneer Nicky Gumbel addresses some of the foundational questions of life that challenge us all: why am I here? Is there more to life than this? How can I make the most of the rest of my life? Answering step-by-step some of the key questions that lie at the heart of the Christian faith, his intelligent, well-researched and informed approach makes this a sympathetic, fascinating readable introduction to faith
In his best-selling book ‘That’s a Good Question!’, J.John helped answer some of the most curious and tricky questions that children ask about God, the Bible and Christianity. In his latest book, ‘Will I be Fat in Heaven? and Other Curious Questions’, J.John answers thirty-eight questions that adults think and ask about God, the Bible, the world, and everything in-between.
God is a tough audience as far as audible response is concerned, but at least you don't have to explain the references. In this collection of prayers, much-loved comedian, broadcaster and radio host Frank Skinner has tried to retain the bare candour of the rehearsal-room improvisation - to show what faith feels like, from the inside - but infused it with all the production values required to make it a passable public entertainment. In it are his convictions, his questions, his fears, his doubts,
Who are you becoming? That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. By outward metrics, everything appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: 'Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.' It wasn't the response he expected, but it continues to be the answer he needs.
What are we supposed to think about the coronavirus crisis? There are various responses: ‘This is a sign of the End,’ It’s all predicted in the book of Revelation.’: ‘This is a call to repent. God is judging the world and through this disease he’s telling us to change; ‘It’s the fault of the Chinese, the government, the World Health Organization...'Tom Wright examines these reactions and finds them wanting. Instead, he invites you to consider a different way of seeing and responding.
Written during the first months of the pandemic, Candles in the Dark is a series of short, hopeful reflections from Rowan Williams. A spiritual guide through what's to come
9780007461219 £8.99 The book brings together C.S. Lewis's legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to `explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times'.
9780007461240 £8.99 This profound narrative takes the form of a series of letters from Screwtape, a devil high in the Infernal Civil Service, to his nephew Wormwood, a junior colleague engaged in his first mission on earth trying to secure the damnation of a young man who has just become a Christian.
Theology and Ethics
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Commended as essential reading by reviewers, this insightful guide shows how Black theology makes a difference to Christian thought and practice. Full of Bible studies and practical exercises, here is a stimulating resource that encourages a new awareness of ourselves and others.This timely new edition includes a new afterword on the Black Lives Matter movement, and the difference it is making in the struggle for a society where we are all equally accepted and respected as God's children.
In Priesthood for all Believers, Fr Simon Cuff argues that a radical focus on the particularity of vocation and intentionality of living out vocation are central tools in the Church's tool box to stop clericalism in its tracks. Some attempts to be less clericalist by doing away with certain forms of ministry can, he suggests, encourage clericalism. One of the best ways to overcome clericalism is a more intentional focus on particular ministries and the particular ministry of the ordained.
Cole Arthur Riley writes an unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in her skin. In these deeply transporting pages, Cole reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father and encounters of enfleshed, embodied spirituality. As she writes memorably of her own lived experiences of childhood and selfhood, Cole boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith:
The Power of Reconciliation will come to be seen as Archbishop Welby's most important book to date. Welby writes about Reconciliation as seeking to disagree well. It relates to both religious and secular communities, from the household to the international.
Covering themes such as climate change, racial inclusivity, sexual purity, homelessness, food poverty, sexuality, trans identity, feminism, peace-making, interfaith relations, and disability justice, the collection is a cry for the reform of the church to not ally with 'woke' issues because they are popular with youth, but because they are gospel issues. With a powerful prologue from Anthony Reddie.
What does it mean when God is presented as male?What does it mean when – from our internal assumptions to our shared cultural imaginings – God is presented as white? These are the urgent questions Chine McDonald asks in a searing look at her experience of being a Black woman in the white-majority space that is the UK church – a church that is being abandoned by Black women no longer able to grin and bear its casual racism, colonialist narratives and lack of urgency on issues of racial justice.
9780281076628 £8.99 A fresh look at the meaning Christian discipleship written in a highly accessible level, for people of all ages and backgrounds. Designed for use by individuals or groups, with questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter. this book is ideal for anyone near the start of their spiritual journey or wanting to be refreshed and reinvigorated in the Christian life.
9780281071715 £7.99 This book is an invitation to everyone to think through the essentials of the faith and how to live it, making it an ideal gift for anyone at the start of their spiritual journey or thinking about confirmation.
ISBN: 9781472946089 Price: £12.99 Apart from being a scholar and theologian, Rowan Williams has also demonstrated a rare gift for speaking and writing plainly and clearly about essentials of the Christian faith. In the chapters of this book he writes with profound perception about the life of holiness to which we are called.
9780281079759 £9.99 What is consciousness? Is the mind a machine? What makes us persons? How can we find the path to human maturity? These are among the fundamental questions that Rowan Williams helps us to think about in this deeply engaging exploration of what it means to be human.
Testimony, Biography, Fiction and Poetry
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A companion volume to Sounding the Seasons, this book of sonnets focuses on many passages in the gospels with the aim of enriching worship and reflection for leaders and congregations alike
Sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of this notoriously private monarch, The Faith of Queen Elizabeth features intimate stories and inspiring reflections on the personal faith behind the Crown. With testimonies from historic figures such as Winston Churchill, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Margaret Thatcher, this magnificent tribute explores the faith of the world's most famous Queen - and the King she serves.
A Novel of Hild of Northumbria
Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, this brilliant crime debut from The Reverend Richard Coles sees the sleepy parish of Champton descend into unexpected chaos, setting Canon Daniel Clement on a hunt for a murderer.
As well as the name of a virus, a corona is a crown, the pearly glow around the sun in certain astronomical conditions and a poetic form where interlinking lines connect a sequence. It is the perfect name therefore for this new collection of 150 poems by the bestselling poet Malcolm Guite, each one written in response to the Bible’s 150 psalms as they appear in William Coverdale’s timeless translation.
Emily Owen was a multi talented teenager with the world at her feet. Highly intelligent, athletic and a gifted musician, she was destined to excel in whichever field she chose to pursue. At the age of 16, Emily was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) and less than a month later, she was in hospital and fighting for her life. This is her inspiring story.
Jay Hulme is an award-winning transgender poet, performer, educator and speaker. In late 2019, his fascination with old church buildings turned into a life-changing encounter with the God he had never believed in, and he was baptised in the Anglican Church. In this new poetry collection, Jay details his journey through faith and baptism during an unprecedented world-wide pandemic.
Paula Hollingsworth 9780745968605 £9.99 Paula Hollingsworth explores Jane Austen's gentle but strong faith and the effect it had both on her life and her writing. Drawing on Jane’s life story, her letters, her friendships, her books and the characters portrayed, Paula shows the depth of Jane Austen’s spirituality.
9781473669727 £14.99 In this, her first work of fiction, Biblical scholar and popular author and speaker Paula Gooder tells Phoebe's story - who she was, the life she lived and her first-century faith - and in doing so opens up Paul's theology, giving a sense of the cultural and historical pressures that shaped Paul's thinking, and the faith of the early church.
9781848252745 £9.99 In Sounding the Seasons, Cambridge poet, priest and singer-songwriter Malcolm Guite transforms seventy lectionary readings into lucid, inspiring poems, for use in regular worship, seasonal services, meditative reading or on retreat.
Ministry and Evangelism
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Samuel Wells explores the key tenets of Christian belief by engaging with the most widely used arguments against religious faith - that it's a crutch for the deluded, a fairy tale for the simple minded, the cause of so many wars, a drug for the poor, powerless against suffering, one path among many, and so on. These are serious accusations against Christianity and Samuel takes them seriously, seeking to understand how and why they have taken hold, what part the church has had in this.
This inspiring and practical handbook draws on the wisdom of a wide variety of practitioners in ten key areas that enable village churches to flourish: 1) Extending a warm welcome 2) Making the most of Life Events 3) Using buildings creatively 4) Caring for God's Acre 5) Being the heartbeat of the community 6) Celebrating our heritage 7) Cultivating fruitful festivals 8) Welcoming more children 9) Reaching the isolated and lonely 10) Communicating effectively Packed with practical advice
Many books on leadership and ministry are written from the point of view of success and strength. In Sustaining Leadership Paul Swann writes out of the raw experience of failure, getting to the heart of who we are as leaders rather than what we do. From this he offers both hope and practical resources for sustaining effective long-term ministry, looking at self-care, balance and healthy ministry, feasting on divine love, and more. As he says, this is the best gift we can offer those we serve.
Samuel Wells is giving the prestigious Chalmers Lectures in Autumn 2019. This book comprises his six talks. It shares the vision of the church as imagined by HeartEdge, the growing network of churches established by St Martin-in-the-Fields, with its fourfold focus for renewing the mission activity of the church: commerce, culture, congregation and compassion.
In 12 Rules for Christian Activists, Ellen Loudon and a host of contributors present 12 accessible and practical principles to encourage a new generation to create a movement for positive social change. Each chapter begins with an outline of the rule and some of the ideas that have inspired it.This is followed by an exploration of a bible passage that is indicative of this rule, and then a case study. Each chapter ends with tips on how to live out the rule plus further reading.
Practical Church Management provides essential information on all aspects of modern church life. For more than twenty years its clear layout and practical approach has made it a favourite with clergy, church wardens, PCC treasurers, Gift Aid secretaries, PCC members, and all others involved with church management, both at parish and at diocesan level.
ISBN: 9780232533729 Price: £12.99 The first book written by Paul Bayes as Bishop of Liverpool offers a radical new vision of the Church as a table, built by Jesus the carpenter and stretching down every street and into every home. At this table, everyone sits, eats, worships, agrees and disagrees together, as equals.
Learning to live from the still centre 9780857463609 £8.99 This book is concerned with the central vocation of those who are called to the ordained ministry. A contemplative minister is someone who is called first of all to God and to his heart of love, so that the world may also know God and his love for all that he has made.
By Ian Cowley ISBN: 9780857466563 Price: £8.99 Following on from the success of The Contemplative Minister, Ian Cowley offers new insight and greater depth for church leaders in a distracted world. Cowley emphasises that the true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, and he encourages ministers to minister to themselves as well as to others, and to ensure that, in the peace that Jesus promises, their spiritual lives don't run dry amid the pressures of the job.
ISBN: 9780281083640 Price: £10.99 For twenty years, the Archbishops' College of Evangelists has affirmed and supported Anglican evangelists. This book, marking the College's twentieth anniversary relaunch, relaunches the College with a clear focus on identifying and training new evangelists.
Biblical Studies
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Meeting God in Paul brings you fresh insights into Paul's revolutionary message. Written by one of the world's greatest living theologians, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams explores the essentials of Paul's thought for complete beginners - as well as for those who've read Paul's letters many times before.
As a vicar, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes is used to being asked to recommend a book on how and why to read the Bible. Filling the gap between popular Bible reading notes and more academic books, How to Eat Bread is the book she'd give to anyone wanting to explore the Bible as part of their faith. Its three main sections delve into the rich heritage of how Christians have read the Bible down the ages
A spiritual manifesto by one of the world s most popular Christian writers Shows how the Psalms can help us to connect and commune with God in the way that Jesus did Makes a passionate case for putting the Psalms back at the centre of Christian prayer and worship
In our cultural moment, characterised by individualism, identity politics and social fragmentation it is vital to recover the Bible as the overarching human story that makes sense of life. The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life communicates the arc of the biblical narrative and connects its core themes with our human condition in a way that is intellectually rigorous, personally transformative and culturally engaged.
Developed during his teaching ministry around the world, this book is the fruit of a lifetime's engagement with the Psalms. Here John explores the psalms as they impinge on daily life, drawing on stories and personal testimonies in order to help readers grieve, or rejoice, or draw encouragement from this most extraordinary and fascinating collection of sacred poems and songs.
Sometimes spiritual abuse involves leaders misusing their position, but ministers can also be the victims. Common factors include control through misuse of scripture, claims to divine authority, pressure to conform, and enforced accountability. Individuals may be isolated, and compelled to secrecy and silence. Drawing on a combination of extensive research, individual testimonies, and years of hands-on experience, Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys describe clearly the nature of spiritual abuse,
Suffering and evil affect us all, both at a general level, as we look at a world filled with injustice, natural disasters, and poverty, and at a personal level, as we experience grief, pain, and unfairness. And how we think about and process the reality of pain is at the heart of why many people reject God. Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is no stranger to pain and gives a heartfelt yet academically rigorous examination of how different belief systems deal with the problem of pain.
This handbook is for leaders who are faced with leading an individual or a church community through a traumatic event and its aftermath. It arises out of the Tragedy and Congregations Project which helps churches to respond in a healthy way to the impact of tragedies through training in good practice, careful reflection, and drawing on faith resources.
Growing Together is a practical guide that will help you to develop a shared understanding of your future together through exploring your dreams and expectations of married life and by highlighting some of the key issues that being married can raise: Children Communication Conflict Faith Money Roles Sex Starting again
This book seeks to find a better way to do theology – not about, but with and of LGBTQI people – taking insights from the sciences and personal narratives as it seeks to answer the question: ‘What does human flourishing look like?’