You may be interested in…
-
Learning to Walk in the Dark
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyNew from best-selling author Barbara Brown Taylor, perhaps best known for An Altar in the World, comes Learning to Walk in the Dark. In this hardback book she writes with wisdom, grace and beauty as she seeks to rehabilitate what we have learned to fear - the dark. Here she reflects on how our lives do not only work when everything is brightly lit; twilight and deep darkness have treasures of their own waiting to be discovered. Babara Brown Taylor writes: 'Darkness is shorthand for anything that scares me - either because I am sure that I do not have the resources to survive ti or because I do not want to have to find out. If I had my way, I would eliminate everything from chronic back pain ti the fear of the devil from my life ad the lives of those I love. At least I think I would. The problem is this: when, despite all my best efforts, the lights have gone off in my life, plunging me into the kind of darkness that turns my knees to water, I have not died. The monsters have not dragged me out of bed and taken me back to their lair. Instead, I have learned things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things that have saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light. Learning to Walk in the Dark is a wise spiritual companion and guide for those times in life when we don't have all the answers. Recognising our tendency to associate all that is good with light, and all that is evil and dangerous with darkness, Barbara Brown Taylor asks whether God doesn't work at night too? With her characteristic grace and generosity, she invites us to put aside our fears and anxieties and to discover all that the darkness has to teach us. She takes us to underground caverns, subterranean chapels, basement night clubs and unlit cabins in the woods on moonless nights. Through darkness, we begin to see the world and sense God's presence around us in new ways, guiding us through things seen an unseen, and teaching us to find out footing in times of uncertainty. Like seeds buried in the ground, we will find how darkness is essential for our own growth and flourishing.£12.99 -
Cranky Beautiful Faith
Church & Leadership, Culture & Mission, Re-imagining ChurchFormer stand-up comic and unlikely pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber weaves personal narrative, hilarious rants and powerful spiritual insight as she relates her unusual journey of faith, offering a fresh and uncompromising look at the transformative power of grace. As one of today's most provocative Christian leaders, she blends sardonic irreverence and brilliant theology to offer a new portrait of faith - one that is edgy, outrageous and, above all, real. Smart-mouthed and heavily tattooed, Nadia Bolz-Weber didn't consider herself ‘religious leader material’ and didn't expect to find her vocation leading a funeral in a smoky, downtown comedy club. But surrounded by recovering alcoholics, depressives, and comedians, she realized these were her people and maybe she was meant to be their pastor. This compassionate book portrays both church and seekers as deeply flawed yet deeply faithful.£12.99 -
Sunset on Lindisfarne: Greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthGreetings card with a beautiful photograph by Lindsay Grant of a spectacular sunset on Lindisfarne. Blank inside for your own message.£2.00 -
Aidan, Bede, Cuthbert: Three Inspirational Saints
Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityIn this rousing book, David Adam celebrates the lives and interweaving stories of Aidan, Bede and Cuthbert. Recalling, in a personal introduction, his ordination to the pastoral ministry in Durham Cathedral (the burial place of Bede and Cuthbert) and his thirteen years as Vicar of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (where Aidan lived), the author communicates clearly his appreciation of these three great saints. They have much to teach us, he believes, about vision – about expanding our spiritual awareness and deepening our love for God.£9.99 -
The Heretical Imperative
Core TeachingTrevor Miller, one of the leaders of the Northumbria Community, expounds on this vital (but difficult and challenging) part of the Community's Rule which exhorts us to 'take the heretical imperative'. He discusses the 'Inductive' method of approaching our faith (comparing it to the 'Deductive' and 'Reductive' approaches) and outlines five practical ways we can live this out in our daily lives.£4.00 -
Sister Wendy’s Bible Treasury: Stories and wisdom through the eyes of great painters
Creativity, The Inner JourneyFrom the majesty of Genesis to the mystery of Revelation, the Bible contains some of the world's most powerful stories and sublime wisdom. It is also the inspiration for some the greatest pictures ever painted. Adan and Eve expelled from Paradise, Jacob wrestling with the angel, God appearing to Moses in the burning bush, Samson betrayed by Delilah, David slaying Goliath, the beauty of Bathsheba, the wisdom of Solomon: these are among the dramatic episodes and memorable characters from the Old Testament, portrayed here by artists such as Masaccio, Raphael, Rubens, Degas and Rembrandt Then, in the New Testament, the figure of Jesus takes centre stage, with his compelling parables and miracles depicted by artists such as Poussin, Delacroix and van Gogh, and with major events in his ministry – from the nativity to the resurrection – painted by Botticelli, Piero, Duccio, Leonardo, Giotto, Titian and Craigie Aitchison. Commenting on these and many other fine works, Sister Wendy takes you on a journey into the heart of the Bible and of biblical art, making this a book you will want to turn to again and again.£9.99 -
Celtic Parables: Stories, Poems and Prayers
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthNever mock what others say. Perhaps their words are full of nonsense. Perhaps they are trying to puff themselves up. Perhaps they like hearing the sound of their voices. Perhaps they are trying to deceive their hearers. Perhaps they are foolish and dim. Perhaps they are more clever than wise. Yet amidst the useless clay You may find jewels beyond price. The word of God is in every heart, And can speak through every voice. Never mock (p.104) This collection of stories, meditations, poems and prayers evokes the authentic spirit of Celtic Christianity. Capturing the atmosphere of parables passed down through generations, it shows the human warmth, respect for the natural world and robust, down-to-earth qualities for which Celtic spirituality is so greatly valued. With its rich treasury of material – most of it previously unavailable in modern editions – Celtic Parables offers a fresh lively introduction to the Celtic world. It will appeal to all those fascinated by our Celtic heritage and the way it speaks directly to us today.£10.99 -
Sold out
An Altar in the World
Church & Leadership, Everyday Life, Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyIn this highly acclaimed and lyrical book, the best-selling author Barbara Brown Taylor reveals the countless ways we can discover divine depths in the small things we do and see every day. People go to extraordinary lenghts, she writes, to discover this treasure. 'They will spend hours launching prayers into the heavens. They will travel half way around the world to visit a monastery in India...The last place most people will look is right under their feet, in the everyday activities, accidents and encounters of their lives...the reason so many of us cannot see the red X marks the spot is because we're standing on it.' An Altar in the the World shows us how heaven and earth meet in such ordinary occurrences as hanging out the wahing, doing the supermarket shop, feeding an animal, losing our way. It will transfrom our understanding of ourselves and the word we live in and renew our sense of wonder at the extraordinary gift of life.£12.99 -
Eyes of the Heart; photography as Christian contemplative practice
Creativity, Spiritual ExercisesEyes of the Heart by Christine Valters Paintner explores photography as a spiritual practice from a Christian perspective. Christine builds on the process of contemplative creativity in her book The Artist’s Rule (also available from the community bookshop) by adapting the monastic practice of lectio divina (sacred reading) into a form of visio divina (sacred seeing). A spiritual director and Benedictine oblate, she guides readers through a new way of spiritual observation – through the lens of a camera – and in receiving images, not simply taking them. She writes that, ‘My hope is that, in exploring the language of photography, you [develop] new portals into the your own experience and awareness of God. Shadow and light, framing, colour, reflections, and mirrors all offer us metaphors for ways of understanding how we might move towards seeing ourselves and God with the eyes of the heart.’ She invites us to use our cameras to help us to release our expectations of what we think we ought to see and learn to discover what is actually there. And then helps us to bring this kind of interaction into our everyday lives.£12.99 -
The Creative Pilgrimage Activity Book
CreativityThis little book has been created to inspire the would-be pilgrim, as a companion for the travelling pilgrim and as an introduction to making a pilgrimage to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Included are prayers and activities to help you focus on your journey whether your pilgrimage is part of your inward journey or a physical journey to a sacred place.£3.99 -
Christ as a Light: A4 poster
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThis calligraphic design by Pam French uses the words of the Canticle from our Morning Prayer. This design is also available as an A5 poster, an A6 greetings card and an A6 postcard.£2.00 -
Paradox in the Gospel
Culture & Mission, Scripture & PrayerLife and the gospel contain a good deal of paradox, but a survey has showed that evangelists often ignore it. Here Jim Currin wants to stir a discussion to make evangelism more effective, in the belief that acknowledging paradox makes the gospel more exciting, relevant, and attractive to today's spiritual seeker.£4.95 -
Freehand Celtic Knot Manual
CreativityA practical manual for creating Freehand Celtic Knots. All you need is paper, a pencil, a plastic eraser and some colouring pens or pencils. There are aso ideas for using the knot in meditation and prayer. Mary Fleeson has developed the technique and use of the Freehand Celtic Knot and has been using it in her artwork since she founded Lindisfarne Scriptorium in the late nineties. Mary teaches workshops and leads retreats on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne where whe has lived since 1997.£4.99 -
The Artist’s Rule: nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom
Creativity, Monasticism & New Monasticism, Spiritual Exercises, Spiritual Growth, The Inner Journey, Traditional Monasticism, nature, solitude, artists, creativity The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom by Christine Valters Paintner, author of Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire, invites readers to discover and develop their creative gifts in a spirit of prayer and reflection. This twelve-week course draws on the insights and practices of Benedictine spirituality to explore the interplay between contemplation and creativity. Sumarised in the phrase 'pray and work,' The Rule of St. Benedict provides the inspiration for Christine Valters Paintner's newest exploration of the mutually nourishing relationship between contemplative practices and creative expression. Artists of all stripes and stations in life - poets or painters, potters or photographers - will discover how traditions of Benedictine, Celtic, and desert spirituality can offer new sources of inspiration for their work. Themes like 'Sacred Tools and Sacred Space', 'Creative Solitude and Community,' and 'Nature as a Source of Revelation and Inspiration' are enriched by Paintner's perceptive discussion and enhanced by insightful quotations from well-known artists and writers. Ideally formatted for faith sharing groups and parish retreats, this guide offers suggestions for grounding both the creative and the spiritual life through three basic practices: walking, lectio divina, and journaling. The Artist's Rule is supplemented with online resources, including guided meditation podcasts, video lessons, and discussions.£14.99