This short, sympathetic and warm book will help both Christian and non-Christian readers understand anxiety better, learn some useful techniques to cope with it and, most importantly, show how the living God can liberate us from its grip.
God calls us to be "devoted to one another in love" (Romans 12:10). What does this look like for us today? How can we be the kind of church member who makes a real difference? This timely and engaging book by Tony Merida explores what church is, why being part of it is exciting, and why it’s worthy of our love and commitment. He sets out eight privileges and responsibilities of a church member: to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve, to honour, to witness and to send.
In a world of turmoil, art matters more than ever. Art can bring about political action, even social revolution. Art reminds us of the things that really matter. It lifts our eyes to eternity and show us the importance of the here and now. With illustration from contemporary art and reference to theatre and film, this book shows the importance of art for all, not just the professionals. Creativity helps humans to flourish and reflects the character of a creative God.
All churches have had to learn to do things differently during closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. None has been more imaginative or inventive than London's St Martin in the Fields. Through its HeartEdge programmes, it has continued many aspects of its ministry, and developed significant new initiatives and is now a virtual college with an impressively varied programme for practitioners. Here the St Martin's team reflects theologically and share its newly found pastoral and practical wisdom
A Time for Creation encourages us to praise God for his creation, take responsibility for our actions, repent of our misuse of natural resources and hear the voice of creation itself in our prayer. Compiled by the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England and is designed to provide its parishes, schools and chaplaincies with a rich selection of resources for worship and prayer. Drawing together texts from Common Worship with newly commissioned material, it offers liturgies for all occasions
150 complete sermons for Sundays, Festivals and Special Occasions - Year C
The stunningly powerful testimony of someone growing up with severe dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, in a broken dysfunctional family, and their discovery of hope, love and faith through the healing power of God. Chrissie Chevasutt’s tumultuous journey has taken her through drug addiction, prostitution, and begging on the streets of India, before being led to the feet of Jesus.
Three decades after the decision to allow the ordination of women to the priesthood, nine lay women in the Church of England have written their thoughts on what it means to be committed to being ‘lay’ in the contemporary church and world. For more than twenty years the writers have been part of an Anglican lay women’s group, meeting, sharing and reflecting together. Edgewise? collects their individual perspectives on being a lay woman in the church
In Pandemic Reflections, popular writer, John Cox, has outlined an alphabet of lessons we can all learn from the crisis, ranging from baking, exercise and food banks, to key workers, rainbows, and even video calls, and so much more. With key passages from Scripture and prayers to assist reflection, this truly unique book will not only inspire, but help you to see just how much good can come out of the worst of times.
Prayers and reflections for those who are retired and in later life... Looking at the changes that take place during this time of life, and some of the difficulties experienced, Patrick Coghlan provides a comforting and encouraging resource to help you walk with God through retirement and beyond.
This brilliant resource from the Industrial Christian Fellowship is a companion for Christian disciples as they engage in various experiences of the world of work. The authors identify Ten Commandments which can be used to focus on the outworking of faith in the world of work. Through reflection on the scriptures and especially on the life and teaching of Jesus we explore how our spiritual view of work can develop, and with it the character of the workplace itself.
How can we trust God in the dark? Framed around a nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary, explores themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God's seeming absence. When she navigated a time of doubt and loss, the prayer was grounding for her. She writes that practices of prayer gave words to my anxiety and grief and allowed me to reencounter the doctrines of the church not as tidy little antidotes for pain, but as a light in darkness,.
Consecrated Women in Britain 597 AD to date The author claims to be the first person to argue that there is a historical precedent for the creation of female lay non ordained cardinals within the Catholic Church.
Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God-but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.Exploring how the Bible--through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations--gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve and tap into God
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:
This book by Bible expositor Richard Coekin will spur you on to live by faith in Jesus as you examine the witnesses of Hebrews 11. The refreshing honesty of their stories will help you manage your expectations in a world of lies and spin. They will remind you of the glory and blessing that await you at the finishing line. And they will encourage you to see that Jesus is the real Hero of the faith and that his Spirit will enable you to endure through exhaustion, opposition & discouragement
If you're a human being, then you're a sexual being. But what is your sexuality for? That's a question we often struggle to answer because we find it so hard to talk about our powerful and personal sexual feelings - perhaps especially if we're Christians.Ed Shaw explores the Bible's deepest answers to this question in ways that will help everyone to appreciate and enjoy God's purposeful gift of sexuality - whatever your past history, current situation or sexual orientation might be.
Isn’t religious faith a hangover from a pre-scientific age? If there really is a God, why is he hiding? How could a God of love allow suffering? These are just some of the legitimate questions that can block the pathway to a life-transforming encounter with Jesus. In Letters to Jane, the author seeks to place these questions in the context of an honest conversation between two friends. No question is out of bounds, and neat and tidy answers are off the table.
What does it mean when God is presented as male and white? Asks 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 Part memoir, part social and theological commentary, God Is Not a White Man is a must-read for anyone troubled by a culture that insists everyone is equal in God’s sight, yet fails to confront white supremacy; a lament about the state of race and faith, and a clarion call for us all to do better.
Commemorating 75 years of Christian Aid Rage and Hope is a prayer book to enable us as the people of God cry out in lament. With prayers for the poor, the sick, broken and the oppressed, you will find words for raging at the darkness and struggles in the world. And with prayers for healing and renewal, you will find words to kindle hope as we look towards a kingdom in which all things will be made new. Edited by Chine McDonald
Return to Lindchester once more with Tales from Lindford, the fourth in the beloved series of novels from Catherine Fox. Valiantly written in real time in the midst of the pandemic, this entertaining book captures the difficulties of 2020 with heart, humour and insight. Perfect for Lindchester fans, it’s also the ideal novel for anyone seeking comfort and a way of understanding all that has been happening.
In this sparklingly witty book, BBC sitcom writer James Cary gives us a new and liberating way of looking at the gospel as he entertainingly relates it to a modern context, with references ranging from Charles Dickens to The Vicar of Dibley. Cheerfully playing around with the text, he takes the Bible seriously but allows us to laugh at our own petty vanities and foibles – and be enlightened in the process.
In this small but masterly-crafted book, Richard Rohr addresses what Christianity views as the three traditional sources of evil – the world, the flesh and the devil – to encourage us to look beyond our personal moral failings and give us principles for resisting evil on a wider scale.
We live in a world inundated by choice, but we often struggle to choose. Unwavering seeks to demonstrate the life-transforming power of intentional living and choosing well, through exploring characters from both the Old and New Testaments as well as Jesus Himself.Sharing from her own personal journey of going from making fear-based decisions to faith-based living, Jen Baker encourages and inspires us to live an empowered lifestyle of faith. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection.
The Bible calls us to honor our parents—and one way we can do that is by praying for them. Little children often see their mothers and fathers as the ones with all the answers. It’s not until we grow up that we realize our parents are just like us—regular people in need of prayer. This guide will help you to pray rich, intentional prayers for your mother or father—be they biological or adoptive, working or retired, frail or fit, married or separated, believers or unbelievers.
The living world is beautiful scientists are constantly discovering more about it.These findings spark awe and raise questions about the meaning of what we see: What’s so special about life? Why are we here? Drawing on the thoughts of six scientists of faith, the work of the theologian Alister McGrath, and the biblical scholar Hilary Marlow, Dr Ruth M. Bancewicz examines their research to assess the claim that the discoveries of science are consistent with the existence of a God.
The Rule of St Benedict, is the foundation of monasticism. The Rule not only defines life for men and women in monasteries, but has also become central to the spirituality of lay Christians across the globe. For communities and individuals alike, the text of the Rule is central. This first ever gender-neutral translation is true to the original text but provides an alternative for those who might prefer such a version over the masculine language of the original as it was written for St Benedict
Using the analogy of God as the director of the greatest show on earth, Richard Porter shows how the kingdom of God is the overarching story line throughout the Bible. Each scene, from the people of Israel to Jesus and the early church, reveals kingdom truths that should impact the church today.