You may be interested in…
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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 -
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The Voyage of St Brendan: Journey to the Promised Land
Celtic Sites & SaintsThe Voyage of Saint Brendan – Journey to the Promised Land (Translated from Latin by John J. O’Meara) John J. O’Meara has here translated one of the most famous and enduring stories of western Christendom, the Navigatio Sancti Brendan Abates, written in Ireland perhaps as early as the year 800. While the routes of Saint Brendan’s journeys remain a subject of controversy, the tale itself is of great interest – a strongly integrated text which derives from several centuries of Irish literary tradition. The Voyage of Saint Brendan presents the late Professor O’Meara’s translation of the only scientific edition of the original Latin text, with his introduction, and is illustrated by the relevant woodcuts from a German version of the tale, Sankt Brandans Seefahrt, printed in Augsburg in 1476.£5.99 -
Hidden Wings: Emerging from troubled times with new hope and deeper wisdom
Everyday Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyYou must become the change you long for. Fine words, a great vision, but where to begin? We caterpillars know. From the moment we are conceived in our parents' mating dance, we already contain the cells that hold our future butterfly. Let us tell you our story... Tumultuous changes are occurring in the world around us, and the structures and values by which we have charted our lives seem to be collapsing. Many of us are struggling to plot a spiritual path through this unfamiliar landscape, and to believe in a positive future. Hidden Wings is a book offering hope and understanding. Using the example of a caterpillar entering the devastating, world-altering stage of the chrysalis, before emerging – transformed – as a butterfly, Margaret Silf helps us to see that these times of chaos could in fact be an opportunity for profound spiritual transformation.£12.99 -
The Art of Advent: A painting a day from Advent to Epiphany
Advent & Christmas, Resources for the Christian YearJoin Jane Williams on a journey from Advent to Epiphany, and discover the timeless wisdom to be found in some of the world's greatest paintings. Illustrated in full colour with nearly forty famous and lesser-known masterpieces of Western art, this beautiful book will lead you into a deeply prayerful response to all that these paintings convey to the discerning eye.£9.99'A brilliant foundation for parish and small-group discussions, both during Advent and through out the year'
The Most Revd and Rt Hon, Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
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The White Stone: The art of letting go
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyEsther de Waal is one of today's most beloved spiritual writers. In The White Stone, she reflects on the changes and losses that come with growing older. Esther reflects on solitude and, following a period of illness, saying goodbye to a family home and the Welsh border landscape she had known for decades which inspired some of her greatest writing, and adjusting to a new city environment. In her characteristic style, she sees everything as a portal into a deeper spiritual understanding. She draws on the wealth of the Christian tradition, especially scripture and the monastic and Celtic spiritualities she knows so well, to help her navigate her way through not only the inevitable sense of loss that accompanies such change, but also to embrace the new possibilities it brings. The white stone of the title refers to a small pebble from the river that ran through her garden that she keeps in her pocket, but also strikes a note of hope referring to the new identity promised by God (Revelation 2.17). This is a book of simple, profound wisdom that will speak to many coping with change in their own lives.£12.99 -
Striking Out : Poems and stories from the Camino
Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyOn a September morning, Bishop Stephen Cottrell said mass in his chapel, kissed his wife goodbye, stepped out of his front door and walked two miles to the nearest station. It was the start of a 700 kilometre pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Choosing the least travelled route across northern Spain, he craved the solitude of the road and felt the small vulnerabilities of not knowing what each day would bring - where meals or a bed would be found - would be beneficial. As a busy diocesan bishop, he looked forward not so much to arriving at the great destination, but to what the journey itself would reveal to him. This is a spiritual diary of that journey, comprising reflections, prayer poems and evocative images from the road and poetry which Stephen Cottrell has written for many years. Arranged in four sections, each with seven paired reflections and poems, the shape of the book echoes the rhythm of walking and is an intimate and honest account of the profound effect of the age-old tradition of going on pilgrimage.£9.99 -
Multicoloured Praises
CreativityA collection of sixteen simple outlines to colour in. Ideal for children and adults, use Multicoloured Praises for relaxation or prayer, on holiday or retreat.£4.49 -
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Show Me: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Lord Jesus show me Your way Background: Artist Mary Fleeson comments...'This piece was inspired by the lighthouse beam I see each night. It cuts through the darkness like a sword, like the word of God. It is a guide, a warning, a comfort and a reassurance.' Printing and Sizing: This item is 210mm x 297mm and is printed on 300gsm card stock£14.50 -
India – One Act of Kindness
Everyday Life, Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthIndia- One Act of Kindness is a love story that reads like a modern day Acts of The Apostles written by an Irishman. It is jam-packed full of true stories of dreams, visions, prophecy, healings, raising the dead, child sacrifice, demons, angels, visions of Jesus and heaven, glimpses of hell, idol worship, conversions, blessings, persecutions, gangsters, answered prayer, fasting, intercession, arranged marriages, kidnapping, suffering, babies, opposition, compassion, beating, orphans, AIDS, supernatural provision and much more. It is a life and death story of love and hope triumphing over impossible odds of adversity and rejection in response to the call of God. Reading this book has been an emotional experience for many. If you are tender hearted you will shed many tears as you weep with those who weep in this wonderful book.£7.99 -
Befriending Our Desires
Everyday Life, Scripture & Prayer, Seasons of Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyDesire is at the heart of what it is to be human. The power of desire, while embodied and sensuous, is God-given and the key to all human spirituality. Humanity is blessed with a deep longing that is infinite in extent and can only ultimately be satisfied in God. Befriending Our Desires portrays the intimate connection between desire and the spiritual journey. Drawing on Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, Christian spiritual classics (with some reference to Buddhist spirituality), poetry, and other literature, plus personal and pastoral experience, Philip Sheldrake explores the role of desire in relation to God, prayer, sexuality, making choices, and responding to change.£9.99 -
Lent With the Beloved Disciple: The 2024 Lent book
Daily Readings, Lent & Easter, Scripture & PrayerThe 2024 Bloomsbury Lent Book invites you on a six-week journey in the company of the "beloved disciple" as found in the narrative of the Gospel of St John. As the only disciple to have stayed close to Jesus at every stage from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion at Calvary, this eagle-eyed eyewitness intentionally records certain subtle details and signs which, when perceived with the eyes of faith, indicate a deeper and far lasting significance. Michael Marshall explores what these signs are and how, with prayerful reflection, they draw us ever more deeply into the personal, eternal and cosmic significance and awareness of all that Christ accomplished by his death and resurrection: the Paschal Mystery. Ideal for both individual use and for small group study, Lent with the Beloved Disciple takes us into the heart of that Paschal Mystery, by which all things in heaven and earth are ultimately fulfilled in the risen and ascended Christ, who is "all in all".£10.99 -
Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyPrior to writing his great classic, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen suffered an enormous personal loss and breakdown that took him away from his home in the L'Arche Daybreak community for a period of seven months. His thoughts were intense, raw and deeply private, and ultimately revealed to him the passionate drama of parenthood, filial duty, rivalry, anger and unconditional live on display in Rembrandt's painting. On his return from solitude, Henri held small private workshops on his revelations that were recorded in audio. The material of those extremely personal talks has now been formed into a unique work. Home Tonight brings to light Nouwen's lectures on the Prodigal Son in a powerful guide for spiritual reflection. Providing exercises, suggestions for times of solitude, questions for pondering, simple prayers, and aids for personal journalling, Home Tonight leads readers to commune with God through spiritual listening. A practical guide for the inner journey home, this important book will give those who adore Nouwen's works the chance to hear his voice anew on his most popular topic.£9.99 -
Sustaining Leadership : You are more important than your ministry
Church & LeadershipMany 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.£8.99 -
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Christ as a light: A6 postcard
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. The design is also available as an A4 poster, an A5 poster and an A6 greetings card.£0.75 -
The Two Saints Way Guide
Celtic Sites & SaintsThe Two Saints Way is a new 92 mile pilgrimage route between the cathedral cities of Chester and Lichfield. Its historic sites, beautiful scenery and hidden treasures provide a perfect opportunity to connect with the past, and find peace in the present. This accompanying 144 page guide, written by the route's creator David Pott, is packed with pictures, facts, and maps that make walking the route easy and informative. 'This superb new guidebook is as clear and colourful as it is full of detail. It will enable users to get the very best out of every section of the route, whetting the appetite of those planning a trip, and serving as a souvenir for those looking back on the experience.' The Very Revd Dr Pete Wilcox Dean of Liverpool Cathedral and formerly Canon Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral. This guidebook is currently out of print until autumn 2019. In the interim the Two Saints Way team have made available a downloadable PDF version of the guidebook and the link to the website is: https://bit.ly/2EQ8wwQ. There is also a new website available here: www.twosaintsway.co.uk£12.99 -
The Whole Easter Story: The BRF 2025 Lent book
Daily Readings, Lent & Easter, Scripture & PrayerExplore the profound meaning of Easter beyond personal spirituality. There is no doubt that each of us has a place in the Easter story, but what happened on the cross is not just a story of me and Jesus. It is far deeper and wider than that. In this Lenten journey, Jo Swinney explores the broader impact of the Easter story on God’s relationship with creation. Through Bible readings, reflections and stories from A Rocha’s global conservation efforts, discover how the cross transforms not just our own individual connection with Jesus, but also our relationships with each other and our world.£9.99 -
Availability and Vulnerability: A way for living
Core Teaching, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThe Rule of the Northumbria Community with an introduction by Trevor Miller, one of the leaders of the Community. A new Way for Living that offers hope in the changed and changing culture of today's world.£4.00 -
The Making Of Us: who we can become when life doesn’t go as planned
Everyday Life, Seasons of Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyBeautiful Things Can Emerge from Life Not Going as Planned. When life takes one too many unexpected turns, do you find yourself saying, "I don't know who I am anymore"? In the wake of shattered dreams, do you wonder how you will keep going-and if you'll ever find purpose or joy again? After infertility, an international move, and a professional change shook Sheridan Voysey's world, he realized that he couldn't reconcile his expectations with the life he was living. Feeling lost, he decided to pair his spiritual journey with a literal one: a hundred-mile pilgrimage along the northeast coast of England. Inspired by the life and influence of the seventh-century monk Cuthbert, Sheridan travelled on foot from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham. Taking his friend DJ along for the journey, and keeping a journal by his side, Sheridan discovered not resolution but peace. Not ambition but purpose. Not shouts of convictions but whispers of the presence of God. In The Making of Us, Sheridan invites us to join him as he walks along England's shores and we trace the borders of our own hearts. Part pilgrim's journal, part call to reflection, The Making of Us eloquently reminds us of the beauty of journeying into uncertainty, the freedom of letting go, and the wonder of losing our identity only to discover who we really are.£12.99 -
Seasoned By Seasons: flourishing in life’s experiences
Seasons of Life, Spiritual GrowthLike the seasons themselves, our lives are variable and can change in a moment. In Seasoned by Seasons, Michael Mitton acknowledges this and offers Bible reflections for the variety of life's seasons: spring, the season of emerging new life; summer, the season of fruitfulness; autumn, the season of letting go; winter, the season of discovering light in the dark. What can we learn, and how can we be encouraged in each season of our lives? This book will empower you to discover for yourself the truths and messages of scripture, and might well change the way you view life's changes.£7.99 -
Sacred Strangers: what the Bible’s outsiders can teach Christians
Culture & Mission, Everyday Life, Scripture & PrayerThe Bible is laced with stories in which strangers behave better than believers. What do these encounters with "others"--people from different cultures, religions, genders, economic and social classes--teach us about our own spiritual values, about the faith and God behind them? In Sacred Strangers, Nancy Haught leads readers through these stories, line by line, offering insight to open hearts to sacred strangers at a time when personal encounters can make us or break us--as people and citizens of the world.£10.99 -
Pioneers of Modern Spirituality
Church & Leadership, Culture & MissionMany people today think of themselves as 'spiritual but not religious'. What riches and resources does the Anglican tradition have to offer those who are spiritually curious but on the margins of, or outside, the church, as well as to those inside the church? Pioneers of Modern Spirituality introduces four Anglicans Evelyn Underhill, Reginald Somerset Ward, Percy Dearmer, and Rose Macaulay each of whom was a significant influence in a revived interest in spirituality at a time when people were questioning institutional religion.£12.99 -
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The Art of Lent: A painting a day from Ash Wednesday to Easter
Creativity, Lent & EasterJoin Sister Wendy on a journey through Lent, and discover the timeless wisdom to be found in some of the world's greatest paintings. Illustrated in full colour with over forty famous and lesser-known masterpieces of Western art, this beautiful book will lead you into a deeply prayerful response to all that these paintings convey to the discerning eye. For those who want to appreciate the spirituality behind some of the world's greatest works of art, this book will be hugely inspiring – not only during Lent but at any time of year. Dr Janina Ramirez, art historian and broadcaster.£9.99 -
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Into the depths: A Journey of Loss and Vocation
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyIn January 1984, Sr Mary Margaret Funk, a Benedictine nun from Indiana, paid a visit to Maryknoll missionary nuns working in Bolivia. On what should have been a routine trip to the local town for a convocation ceremony, a flash flood swept away the jeep in which she, three nuns, a priest, and a disabled boy they had adopted were travelling. Only she and the priest survived What happened that night catapulted Sr Meg into twenty-five years of prayer and self-examination. She relentlessly explored her relationship with the transcendent and immanent God, the profundities of her religious tradition, her commitment to spiritual practice, and her very human failings. It was a journey that left her spiritually naked before the terrible love of God; a journey to keep one's heart open to the transforming wounds of suffering. In the great tradition of spiritual confessions from Augustine to Thomas Merton's The Seven-Story Mountain, Into the Depths is a fearlessly honest and simply told account of one woman's struggle to engage at the deeper levels with the most profound questions of faith.Original price was: £12.99.£8.99Current price is: £8.99. -
Journey: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: None Background: Artist Mary Fleeson comments...'The design of ‘Journey’ was an experiment inspired by a manuscript at the British Library. The parchment I saw had been painted with a rich purple-red ink and the script was formed using gold ink which appeared coppery in colour. Therefore I formed my cross in a similar way and to achieve the layered textural depth effect I experimented with collage. The working title for the piece was ‘Unknown Journey’, its layers representing C.S Lewis’ view of death as an ‘onward and upward’ journey to a better, brighter, more ‘real’ place.' Printing and Sizing: This item is 210mm x 297mm and is printed on 300gsm card stock.£14.50 -
Even though the day A5 poster
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThese words by Alistair Maclean from Hebridean Altars are repeated as part of the Day 20 meditation every month in Celtic Daily Prayer. This calligraphic design by Pam French is also available as an A6 Greetings card and an A6 postcard.£1.50 -
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home
Influences & Suggested Reading, Scripture & PrayerNo-one who reads Prayer will remain Unmoved. Even in the most difficult times, when we feel the 'agony of prayerlessness', this book will provide encouragement and the possibility of a profound experience of prayer will come within our reach. Richard Foster explores many facets of prayer, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, describing it an an inward journey of change and an upward journey of intimacy with God.He draws on the riches of the great classics of prayer throughout history as well as his own personal experience, and roots his teaching in Scripture.£9.99 -
Home by another way: Biblical meditations through the Christian year
Daily Readings, Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyWritten by one of the world's greatest preachers, these insightful meditations began their life as beautifully crafted sermons that explore the meanings of the major seasons and holy days of the Christian year. Reviewer Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James's Picadilly, writes: "This is a deeply compassionate book that takes seriously what it's like to live in the world now, while holding out the scriptural hope of a life not yet imagined. Barbara Brown Taylor tells new parables that reveal meaning in everyday holiness, and the thoroughly human states of confusion, suffering and joy of which she is keenly aware.This book is for all who want to believe but can't quite get there, or for those whose jaded spirit needs a long cool drink at a freshwater spring. Reading these reflections is like being drenched in grace." Recently voted one of the world's top ten contemporary spiritual sages, Barbara Brown Taylor is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. Her previous books include An Altar in the World and Leaving Church.£13.99 -
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Circle Me: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthCreated: 2016 Circle me Creator God. May I hope joyfully, Keep me from despair. May I love freely, Keep me from indifference. May I believe expectantly, Keep me from ignorance. Background: This piece was inspired by - "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 New International Version) Printing and Sizing: This item is 210mm x 297mm and is printed on 300gsm card stock using our in-house printer. Each print is individually signed by Mary Fleeson and is packaged in a cellophane wrapper with a descriptive backing sheet explaining more about the piece and the Scriptorium.£14.50 -
Bread and Ashes
Lent & Easter, Scripture & PrayerMary writes, 'These poems and prayers were written in response to the season of Lent, a time to consider what is separating us from a full and loving relationship with our Creator God and to prepare ourselves for the joyful celebration of Easter. Join with me as I contemplate these things through poetry, prayer and words from the Bible.' This book is staple bound, A6 (10.5x14.8cm) and 20 pages.£3.75 -
Look at The Birds of the Air: lessons from birds in the Bible
Everyday Life, Scripture & Prayer'Look at the birds of the air', Jesus taught his followers. This book is the result of a lifetime spent following that teaching. It brings to life the role of birds in the Bible; in the lives of individuals like Elijah, in prophecy and poetry, wise sayings and songs of worship. This book is a study guide for Christian reflection on the avian world, as well as a personal account of the joy of watching birds.£12.99 -
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Calm me O Lord: A6 postcard
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Creativity, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThese words by David Adam form part of the Felgild Compline (for Wednesday each week) in Celtic Daily Prayer. This calligraphic design by Pam French is also available as an A4 poster, an A5 poster and and A6 greetings card.£0.75 -
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Compassion : A Reflection on the Christian Life
The Inner JourneyIn this provocative essay on that least understood virtue, compassion, the authors challenge themselves and us with these questions: Where do we place compassion in our lives? Is it enough to live a life in which we hurt one another as little as possible? Is our guiding ideal a life of maximum pleasure and minimum pain? Compassion answers no. After years of study and discussion among themselves, and with men and women at the very centre of national politics, the authors look at compassion with a vigorous new perspective. They place compassion at the heart of a Christian life in a world governed far too long by principles of power and destructive control. Compassion, no longer merely an eraser of human mistakes, is a force of prayer and action - the expression of God's love for us and our love for God and one another. Compassion is a book that says no to a compassion of guilt and failure and yes to a compassionate love that pervades our spirit and moves us to action. Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, and Douglas Morrison have written a moving document on what it means to be a Christian in a difficult time.Original price was: £10.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
Advent for Everyone: A Journey with the Apostles
Advent & Christmas, Resources for the Christian YearJoin Tom Wright on a journey with the Apostles, exploring the New Testament themes of thankfulness, patience, humility and joy. Within each of these themes, Wright offers a week of daily readings and meditations, beginning with the Sunday reading in the Revised Common Lectionary and ending with stimulating questions for personal reflection or group discussion. Drawing on key passages in his popular For Everyone series of commentaries, these sparkling reflections take you on a journey of spiritual enlightenment, guiding you towards the wonder and joy of Christmas.£8.99 -
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Born to Fly: A handbook for butterflies-in-waiting
Everyday Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneySometimes it can feel as though we are living in the worst of times – a world of chaos, uncertainty and breakdown. But could this also be the best of times – a crucible of change in which a wiser and more spiritually mature future is being forged? The stars are most clearly visible in the deepest darkness. The butterfly emerges out of the worst meltdown of the chrysalis. In Born to Fly, Margaret Silf helps us to explore what it would mean for each of us to be such an emerging butterfly – to be an agent of spiritual transformation in our own lives and in the world around us. What kind of future do we desire for ourselves, for those who follow after us, and for the whole of creation? And if the choices we make today are shaping that future, how might we learn to make those choices more wisely? The second part of the book takes us on a gentle journey in five stages through the process of transformation mapped out for us by the caterpillar as it changes from a pesky garden grub, taking what it wants without regard for the rest of creation, to a butterfly, giving life wherever it lands? Born to Fly is designed to be read for personal reflection and inspiration, or alongside fellow readers, with suggestions for further discussion. It is a companion book to Margaret Silf's Hidden Wings.£12.99 -
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Building Utopia: seeking the authentic church for new communities
Culture & Mission, Re-imagining ChurchThe new urban areas are reshaping much of Britain. Those who live, work or minister within them are not only at the cutting edge of new forms of built environment, they must also discover new ways of being community and contemplate new expressions of Church. All this demands careful and bold analysis and creative theological reflection. While powerful global economic forces are changing our landscapes, human beings have to wrestle with themes of belonging and identity. The gospel engages with these human narratives, driving and shaping a Christian search for alternative perspectives and practices. What are the appropriate building projects, mission programmes and lifestyles that will be effective in meeting the challenges of the urban settlements? How should other areas respond? The writers of this book have worked together as a group, mapping the new situation, analysing their findings and drawing out those themes which demand attention – making it possible to reflect theologically about the challenges of our newly built urban developments.Original price was: £14.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
Help me to journey beyond the familiar 210mm square print
Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Creativity, Spiritual GrowthLynda Owen-Hussey, a companion with the Northumbria Community, is a mixed media artist living on the shores of the West Coast of Ireland in County Kerry, close to the birthplace of St Brendan. These days, her work is inspired by the many gifts of the sea she encounters on walks along the shore, often pondering the life of St Brendan and the many monks of old who inhabited this land. In describing this original artwork Lynda says:£12.00Painted whilst on retreat at Nether Springs, the Mother House of the Northumbria Community, this artwork is inspired by a verse in the Northumbria Community’s Brendan Liturgy:
Lord, I will trust You, help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.
Brendan’s journey begins as his heart is stirred by a vision that takes him beyond his present circumstances and surroundings. In Genesis 12 we find Abram, who like Brendan, followed the call of God to leave the familiar comforts of home and venture towards the land of promise. Sometimes we hear that call ourselves, but oftentimes it is discomfort or the unexpected which proves to be the catalyst that opens us afresh to seeking out new ways as we journey in trust.
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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 -
Photographic Prayers 2: the Holy Island of Lindisarne through images and words.
Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityThis second book from Mary, Mark and Aurian Fleeson contains a further selection of stunning images and words exploring the land and sea around Lindisfarne.£7.99 -
All’s Well that Ends Well: From Dust to Resurrection. 40 days with Shakespeare
Daily Readings, Lent & Easter, Scripture & PrayerFew writers have a deeper understanding of the foibles of human nature and life's absurdities and tragedies than William Shakespeare. This makes him a fascinating companion for the season of Lent, a traditional time for a spot of self-examination. This engaging, wise and often amusing Lent book sets quotations from Shakespeare's characters and poems alongside biblical passages and reflects on the resonance between them - one reflection for each day of the season. It starts with dust on Ash Wednesday ('Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust', from Cymbeline) and ends with resurrection as Easter Sunday approaches ('It is required you do awake your faith', from The Winter's Tale). In between, it considers many rich spiritual themes: mercy, love, loyalty, trust, good vs evil, guilt, forgiveness, ageing, grief, death, hope and more. Each day's reflection opens with a quotation from Shakespeare and explores its ideas in conversation with the Bible and Christian thought.£12.99 -
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Reconciliation
Lent & Easter, Resources for the Christian YearThe Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book for 2019 Global in scope, but homing in on the role ordinary people play in conflict and division, Reconciliation enables Christians to engage confidently in a ministry bequeathed to us by Christ himself. The book issues a vibrant call to the Church to support and strengthen relationships among church members; to cross borders to build connections with different denominations; and to maintain open attitudes towards our neighbours from other religions and ideologies. Forty biblically based meditations introduce topics such as impediments to reconciliation, risking the self, humility and self-criticism, radical openness to the other and peace with justice. Questions for reflection are included, making Reconciliation suitable for use at weekly gatherings or for everyday devotion during Lent.Original price was: £9.99.£6.99Current price is: £6.99. -
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The Love That Made Saint Teresa
Culture & Mission, Everyday Life, Leadership, The Inner Journey, Traditional MonasticismPart biography and part spiritual reading, this book brings to light little-known stories from Mother Teresa's life that will help you to grow in your love of God. You will learn her approach to reading Scripture, what enabled her to persevere through agonizing nights, and the remarkable -- some would say mystical -- events that led her to start the Missionaries of Charity.In considering Mother Teresa, her private visions, and her secret sufferings, David Scott has discovered scores of early episodes and chance encounters that point to later, larger meanings. These remarkable patterns, he suggests, show that Mother Teresa's life was choreographed from above, as if a divine script had been written for her from before her birth.In these pages, you will meet for the first time the Mother Teresa who challenged the ancient Goddess of Death and became the first saint of our global village. You will read as she describes, in long-secret letters, the dark night of her soul. The woman you will meet is one that God himself sent to you as a clear sign that despite pain and suffering in our lives and in our world, God's good love will prevail ...beginning in what she called the slums of our hearts. We are all called to holiness, and the saints are sent to us as real-life examples of God's love. With Mother Teresa as your guide, you'll learn how to follow God's call and find holiness in a world marked by the shadow of death and growing indifference to God. Indeed, you'll learn how to be an everyday missionary of Christ's love in the ordinary activities of your daily life.Original price was: £9.99.£5.99Current price is: £5.99. -
God Doesn’t Do Waste: Redeeming the Whole of Life
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyMeet 'the Bookless Bunch', a very ordinary family who went green. When God challenged him over his attitude to the environment, Dave Bookless did a total rethink. This led to major changes, not only in his family's lifestyle but also eventually in his career: full time involvement in the global A Rocha movement that aims to care for God's fragile world. But in one sense this book isn't about going green at all. It's a personal account of a life lived in relationship. It's about roots and belonging, suffering and healing, identity and meaning, faith and doubt. It's about how in God's economy nothing need be wasted. It's about the messiness that each human being wades through in every area of life, and about a God who can take all that seems most wasteful and useless, and recycle it into something of infinite worth.£8.99 -
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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