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The Wisdom of the Desert
Desert Monasticism, Influences & Suggested ReadingThe Wisdom of the Desert was one of Thomas Merton's favourites among his own books - surely because he had hoped to spend his last years as a hermit. The personal tone of the translations, the blend of reverence and humour so characteristic of him, show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth century Christian Fathers who sought solitude and contempation in the deserts of the Near East. The hermits of Scete who turned their backs on a corrupt society remarkably like our own had much in common with the Zen Masters of China and Japan, and Father Merton made his selection from them with an eye to the kind of impact produced by the Zen mondo.£13.00 -
Life Journey: A6 Greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Life journey winding, Patterns undulating, overlapping Weaving community Touch as you pass, smile, hold the moment As God holds you in His heart Background: Artist Mary Fleeson comments...'The weaving of lives in community are expressed in 'Life Journey', whether that is a religious community or not. It is about living each moment, making a positive difference in the lives of others and getting to know God better as we see Him in those we meet.' Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mm x 148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
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 -
An Introduction to the Wisdom of the Celtic Saints
Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Core Teaching, Influences & Suggested Reading, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingEdward C Sellner has recently published a revised and expanded edition of his important work Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, which presents the stories of 27 of the most important of the Celtic saints from Ireland, Scotland, northern England, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. However, this is currently only available in hardback form and the author has permitted the Northumbria Community to publish his excellent introduction to his book in this booklet form, making it more widely accessible.£4.00 -
Face to Face. Meeting Christ in Friend and Stranger
Church & Leadership, LeadershipThis is a book of epiphanies - moments when it became clear that God was present in ordinary events or extraordinary coincidences. It's intended as an encouragement to all who minister, and a reminder of why we do what we do, especially should we ever feel discouraged, underappreciated or bewildered. It's also designed as a way to gain fresh perspective on the humble and surprising ways God shows up.£12.99 -
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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. -
From Darkness to Light
Lent & Easter, Scripture & PrayerFrom Darkness to Light is a masterpiece of contemplative exegesis of the Bible. Daniel Bourguet takes the reader on a challenging, three-chapter pilgrimage exploring the mystery of three conversions: in the darkness at Jesus's death, in the cries of descent into the grave, and in the light at his garden resurrection. Bourguet interprets with precision and passion the story of the one thief's conversion on the cross as he witnesses Jesus's suffering love. His treatment of Heman's cry from the depths in Psalm 88 plumbs the depths of a biblical theology of the cross. His final chapter on Mary Magdalene's transformative encounter with Jesus in the garden is brilliant, inspiring more careful study, contemplative prayer, and adoration.£17.00 -
The ‘just got a minute or two’ Creative Retreat Sampler Activity Book
CreativityTake time out with God. Few of us can spare a whole day or more to take a retreat but there are many benefits of taking time out of the ordinary routine. This book contains a selection of activities, including colouring images, taken for the range of activity books to inspire and encourage you.£1.99 -
The Promise of Paradox: a celebration of contradictions in the Christian life
The Inner JourneyFirst published in 1980 - and reissued here with a feisty new introductory essay - The Promise of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer s career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not "either/ors", allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being. Animated by the insights of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, The Promise of Paradox explores spiritual questions in the open and generous spirit of Christian mysticism, challenging forms of Christianity that are closed and even cruel. There are no easy answers to these questions, and there may be no answers at all. But with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Palmer advocates the rich possibilities that emerge when we learn to "live the questions".£15.99 -
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with Thomas Merton
Advent & Christmas, Resources for the Christian YearAdvent and Christmas are special times for all Christians. The spiritual longing of the Advent season can only be satisfied by the joy and celebration of a Christmas focused on Jesus' birth in our hearts. Advent and Christmas Wisdom with Thomas Merton give readers the opportunity to experience Advent and Christmas in a way that unwraps the spiritual joy, allowing it to shine brighter that all the tinsel and trappings that can blind our eyes to the deeper meaning of the season. This book is arranged for use on every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Each day's reflection begins with a scriptural quotation, continues with a thought from the writings of Thomas Merton, and concludes with a prayer for the day. Merton's writing capture the familiar themes of the season: the Incarnation, anticipation, angels, giving, and many others - each drawing us closer to the joy of welcoming the Saviour into our lives. An appendix includes a suggested plan for using each day's meditation as part of a morning or evening prayer.£11.99 -
Spiritual Maladies
Scripture & Prayer, The Inner JourneyTo love is to live and to live is to love; this is God's intention for humanity. However, humanity falls ill along the way; its love of God and neighbour becomes diseased, infected with other loves; the love of money, of pleasure. . . . To these malaises God becomes our physician; he draws alongside us to heal and to restore us to fullness of life. The author enables us to rediscover this obscured face of God, the face of God our physician, full of compassion and very attentive--a God before whom it is best to lay bare all our ills in order to be healed. In this important corrective, Daniel Bourguet reorients readers. Sin is not so much law-breaking behaviour that requires a punitive judge as it is a spiritual malady of the passions in need of the Great Physician. From Cain's sin to Christ's ministry, we see grace as God's medicine for our sick world. This book is gentle, therapeutic gift.£13.00 -
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Contemplative Prayer
Influences & Suggested Reading, Scripture & PrayerThomas Merton's classic study of monastic prayer and contemplation brings a tradition of spirituality alive for the present day. But, as A M Allchin points out in his Introduction to this new edition, Contemplative Prayer also shows us the present day in a new perspective, because we see it in the light of a long and living tradition. Merton stresses that in meditation we should not look for a 'method' or 'system' but cultivate an 'attitude' or 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, trust, joy. God is found in the desert of surrender, in giving up any expectation of a particular message and 'waiting on the Word of God in silence'. Merton insists on the humility of faith, which he argues 'will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalisation of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history'.£9.99 -
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The Cost of Discipleship
Influences & Suggested ReadingWhat can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the labourer, or the aristocrat? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is His will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between 'cheap grace' and 'costly grace'. 'Cheap grace', Bonhoeffer wrote, 'is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship...Costly grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must know...It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it give the man the only true life.' The Cost of Discipleshipis a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.£21.99 -
Show me: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Lord Jesus show me Your way Background: 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 105mmX148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
A Prayer in Brokenness: A6 postcard
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Creativity, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThis A6 Postcard is printed with the words of 'A Prayer in Brokenness' which you can also find in the section of Celtic Daily Prayer Book 1: The Journey Begins entitled 'In Difficult Times'.£0.75 -
One Day Creative Retreat Activity Book
Creativity, Spiritual Exercises, The Inner JourneyThis book has been designed to guide you through a day long creative retreat or quiet day whether it be at home or away. It offers a combination of prayers and activities, some to challenge and some to help you relax and clear your mind and always to encourage you to hear the 'still, small voice.'£3.99 -
Contemplation in a World of Action
The Inner JourneyThe spiritual and psychological insights of these essays were nurtured in a monastic milieu, but their issues are universally human. Thomas Merton lays a foundation for personal growth and transformation through fidelity to "our own truth and inner being". Our desire and need to attain "a fully human and personal identity" is the focus of Merton's concern.£24.99 -
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Places of Enchantment: Meeting God in Landscapes
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyThere is a great and honourable tradition of finding God in landscapes. Many who have given up on church appreciate the spiritual benefits they gain from climbing a mountain or walking in nature. But how and why do we encounter God in land, forest, river, mountain, desert, garden, sea and sky? That is what Graham Usher explores in this captivating volume which takes us from the giant Redwoods of the Californian Sierra Nevada to the jagged New York skyline; from the wilds of the ancient Scottish Highlands to the rolling pastures of English Shropshire. Drawing on material from biblical and church history traditions, as well as scientific research and contemporary art, he seeks to ascertain how such encounters support our Christian pilgrimage and challenge our assumptions. More than anything, the author's desire is to encourage readers to look at the world with fresh eyes - and so be enchanted by the world all around us.£11.99 -
Benedictus: A Book of Blessings
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthIn sharing words of grace and wisdom, the poet and writer John O'Donohue offers blessings to shelter and comfort us on our journey through life. As he opens our eyes to the natural beauty and splendour of the world that surrounds us, he inspires in us a new confidence and passion for life and helps us to confront key thresholds of human experience. Guided by these blessings and by a reassuring vision of hope and possibility for the present and the future, we begin to recognise that our relationships with one another and even the most seemingly insignificant rituals which frame our days, are crucial to our emotional and spiritual well-being. Through his poetic blessings, John O'Donohue also ignites in us a greater understanding of our innate qualities and, perhaps for the first time, we experience a true sense of belonging in this often troubled world. Drawing on the heritage of ancient Celtic thought and imagination, Benedictus is, ultimately a sanctuary of peace and a gentle, illuminating gift of light on our path through this world.£16.99 -
Good Goats: Healing our Image of God
Scripture & Prayer, The Inner JourneyThis is an illustrated book by Matthew Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn and Dennis Linn. They describe it as follows:'We become like the God we adore. Thus, one of the easiest ways to heal ourselves and our society is to heal our image of God, so that we know a God who loves us at least as much as those who love us the most. Discusses whether God throws us into hell or otherwise vengefully punishes us, and the role of free will. Includes a questions and answer section that gives theological and scriptural foundation for the main text.'£13.99 -
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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 -
A Retreat with Thomas Merton
The Inner JourneyThe celebrated spiritual writer Thomas Merton remains one of the most influential voices of our day. His many books have become modern spiritual classics and he opened up the riches of the monastic tradition for many. Here, Esther de Waal devises a seven day personal or group retreat programme using extracts from Thomas Merton's writings and a selection of the photography for which he was also renowned. She creates a retreat that can be made at home, at a centre or on holiday, over a week or a period of weeks. The focus of each of the seven days is: The Call; Response; The Solitary Within; Encounter With Christ; The Demands of Love; Common and Natural and Ordinary; Integration.£14.00 -
Healing the Purpose of Your Life
Everyday Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner Journey£12.99The Linns have a knack for choosing topics that are very timely and communicating them in a way that speaks to our everyday experience. In this book they explore how we discover our unique calling and develop it as a gift – for ourselves, others and the earth. For those caught up in our hectic culture, this little book is a rich source for reflection and prayer that can be used either individually or with groups.
Robert T Sears, SJ Professor of Pastoral Theology, Loyola University
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Merton’s Palace of Nowhere
Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneySpiritual identity is the quest to know who we are, to find meaning in life and to overcome that sense of "is that all there is?" At the heart of this quest are found Thomas Meron's illuminating insights leading from an awareness of the false and illusory self as the way to a realization of the true self. For twenty-five years, Merton's Palace of Nowhere has been the standard for exploring, reflecting on, and understanding this rich vein of Merton's thought.£14.00 -
Celtic Daily Prayer – music CD
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingSung and spoken versions of Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer; and Complines for each day of the week. This music and liturgy is recorded in normal Audio CD format and can be played on any CD player or computer. This album is also available as an audio download. To purchase the download please click on one of these options:£10.00 -
Your Breath: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Your breath I hear as the wind, whispering worship Your peace I seek as I travel Your face I see as the sun, smiling solace Your peace I seek as I travel Your hand I feel as the water, cradling comfort Your peace I seek as I travel Background: Artist Mary Fleeson tells us that ..." 'Your Breath' is about the feeling I get when I think about leaving our Island home to travel inland and how much the everyday experience of being surrounded by its infinite changes - and constancy - relates to my experience of God." Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mmX148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
Anxious For Nothing: finding calm in a chaotic world
Everyday Life, Scripture & Prayer, Seasons of Life, The Inner JourneyWhen it comes to anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses, America is the frontrunner. Thankfully, there's a practical prescription for dealing with them. Anxious for Nothing, the most recent book from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for battling with and healing from anxiety. Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night?Is irrational worry your constant companion?Could you use some calm?If the answer is yes, you are not alone. According to one research program, anxiety-related issues are the number one mental health problem among women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men. Stress-related ailments cost the nation $300 billion every year in medical bills and lost productivity. And use of sedative drugs like Xanax and Valium have skyrocketed in the last 15 years. Even students are feeling it. One psychologist reports that the average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s. Chances are, you or someone you know seriously struggles with anxiety. Max writes, "The news about our anxiety is enough to make us anxious." He knows what it feels like to be overcome by the worries and fear of life, which is why he is dedicated to helping millions of readers take back control of their minds and, as a result, their lives. Anxious for Nothing invites readers to delve into Philippians 4:6-7. After all, it is the most highlighted passage of any book on the planet, according to Amazon: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. In the characteristic tone of his previous books like You'll Get Through This and Fearless, Max guides readers through this Scripture passage and explains the key concepts of celebration, asking for help, leaving our concerns, and meditating. Stop letting anxiety rule the day. Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. Anxiety comes with life. But it doesn't have to dominate your life.£14.99 -
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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Celtic Christian Spirituality
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityThe Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and their theological texts give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God. In this introduction to Celtic Christian spirituality, Mary C. Earle presents the primary texts from the Celtic Christian tradition - selections from the writings of Pelagius, Eriugena and St Patrick, as well as prayers and poems from Wales, the Outer Hebrides and Ireland. These essential texts direct humanity to read the 'book of creation' as well as the book of scripture, and call us to remember that 'matter matters'. The author's engaging facing-page commentary explores how faithful Christians and spiritual seekers use the writings of this lively tradition as ways of embodying and living the gospel.£10.99 -
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Church After Christendom
Culture & MissionChristianity must be understood not as a religion of private salvation, but as a gospel movement of universal compassion, which transforms the world in the power of God's truth. Amid several major global crises, including the rise of terrorism and religious fundamentalism and a sudden resurgence of political extremism, Christians must now face up fearlessly to the challenges of living in a "post-truth" age in which deceitful politicians present their media-spun fabrications as "alternative facts." This book is an attempt to enact a transformative theology for these changing times that will equip the global Christian community to take a stand for the gospel in an age of cultural despair and moral fragmentation. The emerging post-Christendom era calls for a new vision of Christianity that has come of age and connects with the spiritual crisis of our times. In helping to make this vision a reality, Searle insists that theology is not merely an academic discipline, but a transformative enterprise that changes the world. Theology is to be experienced not just behind a desk, in an armchair, or in a church, but also in hospitals, in foodbanks, in workplaces, and on the streets. Theology is to be lived as well as readOriginal price was: £9.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
Multicoloured Blessings
CreativityA pocket collection of designs to colour in. Multicoloured Blessings is inspired by Matthew 5: 1-12 also known as 'The Beatitudes'. Each colouring is a blessing to aid meditation, prayer or relaxation.£3.49 -
Gift from the Sea
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyFirst published in 1955 and an instant bestseller, Gift from the Sea is a classic, wise book for women about how to flourish in life, how to balance life, work, motherhood; about finding space to think and breathe. Holidaying by the sea, and taking inspiration from the shells she finds on the seashore, Anne Morrow Lindbergh meditates on youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude and contentment. Her insights – into aspects of the modern world that threaten to overwhelm us, the complications of technology, the ever multiplying commitments that take us from our families – are as relevant today as they ever were, perhaps even more so. By recording her thoughts during a brief escape from everyday demands, Ann Morrow Lindbergh helps readers find a space for contemplation and creativity within their own lives.£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. -
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Lost Icons
Culture & Mission, Everyday LifeWhy does our contemporary culture find it so hard to handle certain concepts and images? What aspect of the range of human possibilities have been lost in modernity and postmodernity? Rowan Williams argues that we have let go of a number of crucial imaginative patterns ‘icons’ – for thinking about ourselves. He considers areas such as images of childhood. Our awkwardness at speaking about community, our unwillingness to think seriously about remorse, and our devastating lack of vocabulary for the growth and nurture of the self through time. This book by a master of contemporary Christian thought sketches out a renewed language for the soul. "There is nothing remotely sentimental in these clearsighted, closely-argued pages, in which Archbishop Williams pleads, with wisdom, compassion and cool articulate anger, for the recovery of habits of self understanding in grave danger of becoming unavailable: for childhood, friendship and remorse, as aspects of identity fashioned and discovered over time." Professor Nicholas Lash "Those who are already familiar with the writings of Rowan Williams will know of his git of taking the ordinary stuff of human experience and opening it up to show how it can carry is into the mystery of God incarnate. They will not be surprised to discover that in this new book he once again enlightens us." The Most Revd Frank T GriswoldOriginal price was: £10.00.£5.00Current price is: £5.00. -
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 -
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 -
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Carnival Kingdom
Culture & Mission, Everyday LifeThe first Christians lived out a new social order and envisaged the world anew. Divisions, inequalities and injustices would be overturned as the world would reflect a new kind of reign. In the Kingdom of God, the powerful are brought low, while the oppressed are raised up; the hungry are filled with good things, while the rich are sent empty away; the wolf lives with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the goat; the slave becomes the son, the master is the servant of all and the meek will inherit the earth. This same upside-down Kingdom is echoed in the Carnival festivals of the Medieval era, which both parodied the oppressive structures of their day and dramatically portrayed an alternative reality. In this book, twelve scholars, theologians, and social activists from around the world take up the Carnival's call for justice and a renewed society, and portray in their own contexts the Kingdom of God coming in justice and fullness of life - the coming of the Carnival Kingdom.Original price was: £12.99.£8.99Current price is: £8.99. -
Heart: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Do not be afraid Do not let your heart be troubled Background: A variation on John 14:27, incorporating the rainbow, symbol of God's covenant with man and the dove as the Holy Spirit and the image of peace. Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mm x 148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
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Don’t Forgive Too Soon: Extending the Two Hands that Heal
Influences & Suggested Reading, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyThis is an illustrated book by Matthew Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn and Dennis Linn. They describe it as follows: 'When we are hurt, we are tempted to either act as a passive doormat or to strike back and escalate the cycle of violence. We can avoid both of these temptations and find creative responses to hurts by moving through the five stages of forgiveness. In so doing, we discover the two hands of nonviolence: one hand that stops the person who hurts us and the other that reaches out, calms that person and offers new life. This book has healing processes so simple that children can use them."£12.99 -
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Divine Discontent : The Prophetic Voice of Thomas Merton
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyThomas Merton's best-selling spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, was one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. The original (1948) hardback edition sold 600,000 copies and by 1984 paperback sales had exceeded 3m. It has been translated into 15 languages and remains in print today. The 2015 centenary of Merton's birth provides an opportunity to reconsider both his international reputation and his startling relevance in today's world. Merton was a Trappist monk, writer, contemplative, social critic, pacifist, jazz lover and (in the context of world faiths) ecumenist whose sudden, premature death in unexplained circumstances prompted a further surge of interest in the man and his work. His extensive writings, many only recently available, provide the basis for a fresh examination of his story, permitting Merton to speak for himself whenever possible, but enabling also an analysis of his abiding fascination and the discontents - human and divine - that dominated so much of his life. The author inspires us to look again at our preconceived ideas about the natural world, the prevailing culture, abuses of power, questions of war and peace, contemplation and action, institutions and the freedom of the individual - and the search for God. NB The International Thomas Merton Society has 40 Chapters in the US alone, overseas Chapters in Argentina, Australia (2), France, Japan, New Zealand and Russia, and affiliated organisations in 11 further countries (Belgium & the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Poland, Spain and Sweden).Original price was: £20.00.£15.00Current price is: £15.00. -
Watchman: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: My soul waits for the Lord, More than those who watch for the morning, More than those who watch for the morning. Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord hear my voice. With my whole heart I want to praise you, O Lord hear my voice. If You Lord should mark iniquities Who could stand? Who could stand? I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits And in His word do I hope. Background: Based on Psalm 130 these words were written by Larry & Pearl Brick for a song called ‘I Will Wait’ on their 1989 album ‘See-through Servant’. Northumbria Community use the song in their Evening Prayer liturgy. Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mmX148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
Accidental Saints. Finding God in All the Wrong People
Culture & Mission, The Inner JourneyWhat if the annoying person you try to avoid is actually seconds away from becoming an accidental saint in your life? What if, even in our persistent failings, holy moments are waiting to happen? In Accidental Saints, New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls 'a religious but not-so-spiritual life.' Tattooed, angry, and profane, this unlikely priest stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people―a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, and a gun-toting member of the NRA. As she lives and worships alongside these 'accidental saints,' Nadia is swept into first-hand encounters with grace―a gift that often feels less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit by a blunt instrument. But by this grace, people are transformed in ways they couldn't have been on their own. In a time when many have become disillusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints demonstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives. This unforgettable account of their faltering steps toward wholeness will ring true for believer and sceptic alike. Told in Nadia’s trademark confessional style, Accidental Saints is the stunning next work from one of today’s most important religious voices.£12.99 -
Multicoloured Mysteries
CreativityAn exciting collection of outlines to colour in. Use Multicoloured Mysteries for relaxation or meditation, on holiday or retreat.£5.49 -
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Atheism After Christendom: unbelief in an age of encounter
Culture & MissionAs Christendom continues to dwindle, atheism becomes an increasingly safe pastime. Now that we live in a post-Christendom era, the New Atheists boldly oppose the god of a bygone age, whilst dutifully serving the new gods of our own age. These new gods include the insurmountable, dehumanizing and oppressive political, economic and social forces that acquire power at the expense of the powerless. This is a call to both atheist and Christian to be faithful to their atheistic heritage. At root, this entails radical openness to radical otherness. Exploring Philosophy and Biblical Studies, Science and Ethics, Politics and Ecology, Economics and Literature, this book argues that when atheists are truly atheist and Christians truly Christian, there is true hope for a better world. The book culminates with a presentation of the Lord's Prayer as an atheist manifesto written to incite gracious, pragmatic, effective rebellion against the gods of the age. "Simon Perry's provocative book throws down the gauntlet to atheists and believers alike. So-called 'new atheists' will welcome his attack on much of traditional Christianity - only to discover themselves exposed as worshippers of the gods of this world. But Perry's real challenge is to Christians, who are forced to look again at their beliefs in the light of a 'radical atheism'." Morna Hooker, University of CambridgeOriginal price was: £14.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Culture & Mission, Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyIn The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne invites you into a movement of the Holy Spirit that begins in the heart and extends through our hands into a broken world. Using examples from his own unconventional life, Shane Claiborne stirs up questions about the church and the world, challenging you to live out an authentic Christian faith. This book will comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable, and invite believers to change the world with Christ's radical love.£10.99 -
Incarnational Ministry : Being with the church
Church & Leadership, Everyday LifeThe bestselling writer and popular broadcaster Sam Wells reflects theologically and practically on the essence of discipleship and Christian ministry today. Those in ministry, like Jesus, are called to the task of `being with': with God, with the church, with the created world and those who live in it. Incarnational Ministry explores the concept of `being with' in eight dimensions: presence, attention, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment and glory. It challenges readers to deeper discipleship and more vital ministry as they explore what it means to be with the troubled, the hurt, the afflicted and the dying - and all who are embraced by the Church's incarnational ministry.£16.99 -
A Future and a Hope: Mission, Theological Education, and the Transformation of Post-Soviet Society
Culture & Mission, Everyday LifeAfter more than twenty years since the fall of the USSR, the evangelical movement in post-Soviet society has entered a crucial phase in its historical development. Setting out a transformative vision of mission and theological education, this book makes an important contribution towards the renewal of the church in this fascinating--but deeply troubled--part of the world. After the violent and disruptive events that followed the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity and Freedom in 2013/14, the evangelical movement in post-Soviet society now has an unprecedented opportunity to become a shining example of a "church without walls." Searle and Cherenkov reflect on the political, social, cultural, and intellectual legacy of the Soviet Union and offer bold and innovative proposals on how the church can rediscover its prophetic voice by relinquishing its debilitating dependence on the state and, instead, expressing solidarity with the people in their legitimate aspirations for freedom and democracy. Notwithstanding the pessimism and lament expressed on many pages, the authors conclude on a positive note, predicting that the coming years will witness a flowering of evangelical ecumenism in action as Christian solidarity flourishes and overflows denominational boundaries and parochial interests.£15.99 -
The Art of Healing Prayer : Bringing Christ’s Wholeness to Broken People
Church & LeadershipThe Art of Healing Prayer aims to help both clergy and laity to develop a greater understanding of those who come seeking healing, and to become skilled in praying for such people biblically, imaginatively and sensitively. The authors recognize that this is a costly ministry, requiring counsellors to find time in their own often busy lives to guide others, and necessitating that they continue to be open to the gifts of God's grace. However, it is a ministry that often results in joy and transformation, as those healed from long standing inner woundedness become sources of goodness and healing for others.£10.99 -
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 -
Prayer: encounter with the living God
Scripture & PrayerIn this deceptively simple set of talks, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev explains with grace and clarity the Orthodox understanding of prayer. Beginning with conception of prayer as creating a space of encounter with God, we are guided through the Orthodox ethos of prayer and its irreplaceable role in our Christian lives. With his usual lucidity, Metropolitan Hilarion reminds us of what lies at the very heart of prayer to the Living God: God does not need words; He needs men s hearts. Words are secondary; of paramount importance are the feeling and disposition with which we approach God. The thirty-two part series on prayer was transcribed and translated from television episodes presented on Russian television in the spring of 1999 by Igumen (now Metropolitan) Hilarion (Alfeyev) with the blessing of His Holiness, the late Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia.£7.99 -
Holy Envy. Finding God in the Faith of Others.
Spiritual GrowthIn this hardback book, Barbara Brown Taylor tackles the questions, worries and concerns that arise when we encounter "difference" and "others" and explores what is opened and what is revealed when we accept the invitations to investigate all the wonder before us. Here we learn not only that God's preferred language is driven by curiosity and specialises in questions, but we also discover the spiritual riches God can teach us from the faith of others.£16.99 -
Sleeping with Bread
Spiritual ExercisesThis illustrated book by Matthew Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn and Dennis Linn contains a simple process, for individuals, families and others to share, of reflecting on each day's consolations and desolations. This process can help us to get in touch each day with both hurts and healing, guide our decisions and help us to fid the purpose of our life. Includes a question and answer section at the end. Especially recommended for family spirituality.£12.99 -
Thomas Merton: The Exquisite Risk of Love : The Chronicle of a Monastic Romance
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyWhile recuperating from an operation on his spine in a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas Merton befriended a female nurse charged with his care. They fell in love. On returning to the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Merton had been living as a Trappist monk, their clandestine romance continued. In his journal Learning to Love and a collection of eighteen poems, Merton chronicled his relationship with `M.', the gentle, kind and mysterious young woman who opened a window to his heart after his life long refusal of women. Here, for the first time, Robert Waldron explores Merton's rich and full experience of the sacred game of love with reference to Eighteen Poems as well as Merton's own personal account, and how it made it possible for him to attain a spiritual and psychological wholeness he had never known before. Indeed, the book wonderfully illustrates the value in daring to live for the love of another.£12.99 -
A Silent Action: engagements with Thomas Merton
Spiritual GrowthThomas Merton's life, especially once he had become a writer, was to a great extent one of dialogue with people who were distant, both geographically and historically. In these probing and perceptive studies, Rowan Williams looks closely at the key intellectual and spiritual relationships that emerge in Merton's writings, exploring the impact on him of thinkers as diverse as Hannah Arendt, Karl Barth, William Blake, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Olivier Clement, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Paul Evdokimov, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Vladimir Lossky, John Henry Newman, Boris Pasternak and St John of the Cross.£11.99 -
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Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
Influences & Suggested Reading, Seasons of Life, The Inner JourneyIn the first half of life, we are naturally and rightly preoccupied with establishing our identities – climbing, achieving, and performing. But those concerns will not serve us as we grow older and begin to embark on a further journey, one that involves challenges, mistakes, loss of control, broader horizons, and necessary suffering that shocks us out of our comfort zones. Eventually, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-living way. This message of 'falling down' – that is in fact moving upward – is the most resisted and counterintuitive of messages in the world's religions, including and most especially Christianity. In Falling Upward, Father Richard Rohr offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how our failing can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers, and sacred religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or 'gone down' are the only ones who understand 'up'. We grow spiritually more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. With rare insight, Rohr takes us on a journey to give us an understanding of how the heartbreaks, disappointments and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half of life has in store for us.£11.99 -
Becoming a Disciple
Scripture & PrayerIn this little book Daniel Bourguet guides our meditations on three scriptural passages that lead the reader along the pathway ordained by Christ into the depths of his being. Successively, the disciple first follows behind Jesus along the way of perfect love (Mark 1:14-20); then experiences what it is to bear the yoke with Christ and there find rest (Matt 11:28-30); and finally enters the mystery of communion in which he is in Jesus and Jesus abides in him (John 15:1-17). It is a pathway passing from vocation to struggle and then to fellowship, but leading always to joy. In Becoming a Disciple, we see the fruit of Bourget's years of intercession, spiritual direction, and insightful exegesis--all of this at the feet of Christ. Here we see how the Gospels lead us into intimate encounters and authentic discipleship£16.00 -
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Reclaiming the Common Good : How Christians can help re-build our broken world
Culture & Mission, Everyday LifeAfter decades of political consensus, we are entering a time in which everything about the way we live today, and about how our society and communities are structured, is up for discussion. Many people are feeling empowered to ask: What kind of world do we want to live in? One that works for a few, or one that works for the common good?What part can Christians play in building a future of hope, peace, equality an justice?Reclaiming the Common Good is a collection of essays which consider these themes. Beginning with an explanation of the history and meaning of the term `common good', it explores how the sense of working for this ideal has been lost. Focussing, biblically, on issues such as welfare, austerity, migration, environment, peace and justice, it provides a compellingly fresh and insightful analysis on the state of the world today, and offers a realistic vision of how it could be better. This vision is rooted in the idea of a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem, as suggested in the book of Revelation. This collection has been compiled and edited by Virginia Moffatt, a writer, community activist and former Chief Operating Officer of the belief and values think-tank, Ekklesia. Its other contributors are: Dr Patrick Riordan SJ, John Moffatt SJ, Simon Barrow, Bernadette Meaden, Dr Simon Duffy, Rev. Vaughan Jones, Savitri Hensman , Ellen Teague, Edward P. Echlin, Henrietta Cullinan, Susan Clarkson and Rev.Dr Simon Woodman.Original price was: £14.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
A Call To Be
Scripture & PrayerA Call to Be is a little 16-page book of prayers and liturgy for those who minister. Not just clergy but for everyone who hears God's call to be who He wants them to be. It is for:£3.50- people who visit,
- people who bake,
- people who pray,
- people who listen,
- people who teach,
- people who write,
- people who serve,
- people who give,
- people who put God and others first,
- people who love God and others unconditionally,
- people who have a desire to see God's Kingdom prosper on earth...
- people being who God wants them to be.
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Youthwork After Christendom
Culture & Mission, Re-imagining ChurchThe end of Christendom where the Christian story was known and the church was central invites Christians in western culture to embrace marginality and discover fresh ways of being church and engaging in mission. While the transition from modernity to postmodernity has received a huge amount of attention the shift from Christendom to postChristendom has not yet been fully explored. This book is an introduction; a journey into the past an interpretation of the present and an invitation to ask what following Jesus might mean in the strange new world of postChristendom. Drawing on insights from the early Christians dissident movements and the world church this book challenges conventional ways of thinking. For those who dare to imagine new ways of following Jesus on the margins it invites a realistic and hopeful response to challenges and opportunities awaiting us in the 21st century.Original price was: £9.99.£6.99Current price is: £6.99. -
Addiction And Grace : Love And Spirituality In The Healing Of Addictions
Everyday Life, Leadership, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyAddiction and Grace offers an inspiring and hope-filled vision for those who desire to explore the mystery of who and what they really are. May examines the "processes of attachment" that lead to addiction and describes the relationship between addiction and spiritual awareness. He also details the various addictions from which we can suffer, not only to substances like alcohol and drugs, but to work, sex, performance, responsibility, and intimacy. Drawing on his experience as a psychiatrist working with the chemically dependent, May emphasises that addiction represents an attempt to assert complete control over our lives. Addiction and Grace is a compassionate and wise treatment of a topic of major concern in these most addictive of times, one that can provide a critical yet hopeful guide to a place of freedom based on contemplative spirituality£15.99 -
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 -
The Tenderness of God
Scripture & Prayer, The Inner JourneyThe tenderness of God is not a theme that can be approached just to satisfy our intellectual curiosity, but is an unfathomable mystery that leads us deep into the heart of God. A deep thirst for tenderness means that many, both young and old, are prepared to do almost anything if only this thirst can be quenched. Many of us go far astray without knowing or even suspecting that the most extraordinary tenderness is that of God, and that indeed he is the source of all tenderness. This volume is the fruit of many years of prayer and thought. Throughout these meditations on lesser-known biblical texts, the reader will engage with the compassionate, merciful God, a God with all the tenderness of both mother and father. In this way, the reader will be opened up to new vistas onto the mystery of God's humble, delicate tenderness. Today the world suffers such a deep wound that only one remedy will suffice: the balm of God's tenderness. Daniel Bourguet, in the spirit of the Great Physician, applies the salve of three achingly beautiful OT texts--good news of God's infinite mercy and compassion--with a tone befitting the deep need of the hour.£17.00 -
Given for Life
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyA guide to motivational gifts by Andy Raine, one of the founders of the Northumbria Community. 'It is not what you do but the underlying WHY that you do it that betrays who you are.' Are you a 'prophet', 'ruler', mercy', server', teacher', 'exhorter', or 'giver'?£17.99 -
Pocket Prayers for Lent
Lent & Easter, Resources for the Christian YearEntering the Season of Lent can be an amazing journey of discovery, an opportunity to journey to the foot of the cross, to be challenged by the sacrifice and reassured by the resurrection. Historically is is a time to fast and repent in preparation for the joyous celebration of Easter Day. The short prayers in this card may be used to help you practise a rhythm of prayer during Lent and to prepare for Easter.£1.49 -
The Awesome Journey: Life’s Pilgrimage
Scripture & PrayerDrawing on a lifetime of Christian pilgrimage, David Adam reflects on biblical encounters with the divine. God's question to Adam, 'Where are you?' is relevant to us all; Abraham's long journey of hearing and obeying (and learning the art of having no agenda) is ours too; Jacob's great discovery – that heaven is found on earth and earth is raise to heaven – helps us to become aware that we often already possess what we think we're searching for. Moses' desert experiences of grief and glory encourage us to press on to the Promised Land; Elijah's powerlessness reminds us that God often call us out of darkness and weakness, and that we may need stillness to hear him. The story of the prodigal son's return is a disarming reminder of the welcome that awaits each one of us; while Paul's call to rejoice inspires us to be present fully to each day. As we continue to move forward, these profound insights – on grief and glory, emptiness and fulfilment, repentance and forgiveness, loving and being loved will transform the way we live and the way we relate to God, here and now.£8.99 -
Multicoloured Life
CreativityA pocket collection of designs to colour in. Used Multicoloured Life for relaxation, prayer or meditation, on holiday or retreat.£3.49