You may be interested in…
-
Sold out
When God is Silent
Influences & Suggested Reading, Leadership, The Inner Journey“Barbara Brown Taylor’s concise, pithy and challenging prose is evidence that she is practicing what she preaches:that Christian pastors take more care with the words they use and treat language with economy, courtesy and reverence. . . .She offers concrete and practical suggestions for ways to improve our relationship with both silence and the words God has given us.” - KATHLEEN NORRIS, for Christian Century Renowned minister Barbara Brown Taylor focuses on the task of preaching in a world where people thirst for communication with a God who often seems to be silent. Originally delivered as the 1997 Lyman Beecher Lectures in preaching at Yale Divinity School, When God is Silent addresses questions essential not only to preachers, but also to anyone yearning to hear from God.£9.99 -
Encompassing God
Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyDavid Adam has spent a lifetime exploring the depths of God's love, and this richly contemplative collection of new prayers and meditations draws us very near to the heart of the Trinity. Based on 'the prayer of seven directions', Encompassing God seeks to increase our awareness of being held by God. We are nurtured at every moment of our existence in the encompassing love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whatever we might be facing, we can trust that God is before us and behind us. He is on our right and on our left; above us, beneath us - and gloriously alive within.£9.99 -
Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the long walk of faith
Spiritual Direction, The Inner Journey96 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Henri Nouwen, beloved author, priest, and world-famous counsellor and guide, understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community and relationships. Though he counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of spiritual direction were never written down. Now two of his longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, have taken his famous course in spiritual direction and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to create the definitive work on Nouwen’s thoughts about the Christian life.£12.99 -
Theology After Christendom: forming prophets for a post-Christian world
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 read£23.99 -
Lux Aeterna: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: None Background: This is based on an album called Lux Aeterna by David Fitzgerald. Mary drew together elements from David’s inspirations with themes from some of the tracks, such as ‘Christchild’, ‘Golgotha’ and ‘Resurrection’. The Trinity is expressed in the embracing figure of God the Father behind the cross, the dove of the Spirit and the representations of Jesus as a babe in the womb and ascending to His Father.£2.25Printing 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.
-
Never Thirst Again: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual Growth£2.25John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” © NIV 1984
Background: This could be used as a blessing for a Baptism, Confirmation or Ordination. This passage in John holds a powerful message of hope for a world which thirsts for that elusive ‘something’. Whether that ‘something’ is spiritual meaning, true love, happiness, security or day to day needs, God, in the man Jesus, promised that if we allow the Spirit of God into our lives then not only will our needs be met one way or another (since our idea of how to improve matters may not be God’s ways), but we will live forever with Him.
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.
-
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 Cambridge£14.99 -
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 -
Lost in Wonder: Rediscovering the Spiritual Art of Attentiveness
Everyday Life, The Inner Journey'To take time to be apart ... is not a luxury, it is essential. The gift of space for myself seems so simple, and in a way it is; but it is also surprisingly difficult to do without some form of external encouragement. And that is the very simple purpose of this book.' With these words, Ester de Waal begins to show us ways into a fuller and deeper sense of attentiveness to the world around us and to the presence of God in that world. As she observes, 'if we fail to find the time to stand back, to give ourselves a break, a breathing space we are in danger of failing to be fully alive, or to enjoy that fullness of life for which we were created.' Many aspects of modern life can distract us: busyness, boredom, stress, lethargy, lack of direction. Yet Christ's invitation to each of us is, 'Come and see'. Responding to this call, Lost in Wonder clears and refreshes our inner vision, teaching us again how to use those gifts we may have come to take for granted or forgotten we had: sight, sound, silence, awareness, mystery, wonder.£9.99 -
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 -
Christ is the Light: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Christ is the Light, May He illumine your path Christ is the Way, May He direct your life Christ is the Breath, May He feed your soul Background: Mary tells us that...'The words were inspired by the Celtic Christian belief that God, as Father, Son and Spirit, infuse every part of daily life. The journey of life can be directed by Him if we allow it and its twists and turns will be clearer if seen in the light He gives.' 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 -
Godzone: a guide to the travels of the soul
Re-imagining Church, Seasons of Life, Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneyGodzone is a book of mystery and illumination, a guide-book to the travels of the heart. With humour, story-telling and captivating originality, it entices the reader to join its hitchhiking author on the most important journey of all.£8.99 -
Love The Lord: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual Growth£2.25Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 New International Version (NIV)
To love God with all that we are, with our whole self, is an enormous challenge. Our hearts and minds are easily distracted and persuaded; our souls are unfathomable, perhaps our greatest and most faithful lover of God. But to give all, consciously and subconsciously takes a continual recommitment to God's will, a constant re-examining of our relationship with our Creator and, scariest of all, a constant vulnerability to allow God to work in us.
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.
-
Silence and Honey Cakes
Desert MonasticismSilence and Honey Cakes – The Wisdom of the Desert by Rowan Williams In Silence and Honey Cakes, Rowan Williams returns to the desert fathers and mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries, revealing a spirituality that resonates strongly with aspects of the modern spiritual search. Drawing on their stories and sayings, he reflects on questions such as: How can we discover the truth about ourselves? How do we live in relationship with others? What does the desert say about our priorities? How can we create a fearless community?£7.99 -
Remember Me: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthBackground: Artist Mary Fleeson tells us that... " ‘Remember’ is a celebration of Christ’s words to His disciples, 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, NIV The image includes the empty tomb and the angel standing outside with Jesus and Mary in the garden, the road to Emmaus, a bright star – to remind us of His birth and the light He brought to a fallen world and Jesus carrying the cross as a symbol of carrying the sin of the world. The rich knotwork pattern behind is the backdrop to the royal story of The King of the Universe. The large knot reminds us of our life journey and how God wants us to be immersed, surrounded and sharing in His journey." This item is 105 x 148mm and is printed on 300gsm 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 -
Wild Goose: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual Growth£2.25In modern Celtic tradition the Holy Spirit is represented as a bird, but not the peaceful and serene dove landing on Jesus at his baptism.
The Wild Goose tells a different side of the Holy Spirit. To begin with, wild geese aren’t controllable, you can’t restrain a wild goose and bend it to your will. They’re raucous and loud, unlike the sweet and calming cooing of a dove, a goose’s call is strong, challenging, strident and unnerving - and just a bit scary.
In much the same way the Spirit of God can be demanding and unsettling and at times even a little scary.
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.
-
Caim: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: None Background: Mary tells us that...‘Caim’ was originally designed as a CD cover for an album of prayers set to music by the same name, therefore the imagery reflects themes of the music included, however as is often the case the illustration evolved into something which speaks beyond the obvious inspiration. The hand seems to reach out in a loving, gentle gesture to caress the face of the Creator, symbolised by the star (Revelation 22:16 ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’). The complex knotwork intersperses three overlapping circles which represent the Trinity and the patterns and colours are life patterns, weaving and merging, coloured by experiences, actions and reactions. 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 -
Falling Upward: A companion journal
The Inner JourneyIn his bestselling Falling Upward, Father Richard Rohr offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how our failings 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, he demonstrates that we grow spiritually more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. The Companion Journal helps those who have (and those who have not) read Falling Upward to engage fully with the questions the book raises. Using a blend of quotes, questions for individual and group reflection, stories, and suggestions for spiritual practices, it provides a wise guide for deepening the spiritual journey – at any time of life.£9.99 -
Sanctuary of the Soul: A Journey into meditative prayer
Influences & Suggested Reading, Scripture & Prayer, The Inner JourneyRichard Foster, bestselling author of Celebration of Discipline and founder of Renovare, has written this book for all who hunger to go deeper into prayer but don’t know where to start. Sanctuary of the Soul gently guides you along the path of meditative prayer, so that you too can know a deeper fellowship with God. Weaving together quotes and stories from the lives of the mothers and fathers of the faith as well as powerful encounters with God from his own life, Foster describes the riches to be gained through quietening your mind and heart in order to listen to and obey God more closely. Along the way, at his clearest, most practical best, he also provides the biblical teaching and step-by-step help you need to begin to find this sanctuary of prayer yourself.£9.99 -
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.£8.99 -
A Simplified Life
The Inner JourneyAs many people face the prospect of enforced change in their lives as western economies falter, this account of a life of radical simplicity freely chosen offers gentle life-giving wisdom for our times. A Simplified Life tells the story of what made a young Cambridge-educated woman embark on a solitary life, literally on the edge of the world with only a simple hut for shelter against the elements, and how that experience continues to nourish and enrich her today.£12.99 -
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 -
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.£14.99 -
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 -
Sold out
Finding My Way Home : Pathways to Life and the Spirit
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyThis collection consists of four short essays: The Path of Living and Dying,The Path of Power, The Path of Peace, and The Path of Waiting.£9.99 -
Speaking of Sin
Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthIn Speaking of Sin, Barbara Brown Taylor brings her fresh perspective to words that often cause us discomfort and have widely fallen into neglect: sin, damnation, repentance, penance, and salvation. Asking why we should speak of sin at all, she argues that abandoning words will not make sin go away, and that alienation, deformation, damnation and death will continue no matter what we call them. Abandoning the language will simply leave us speechless before them, and increase our denial of their presence in our lives. Ironically, it will also weaken the language of grace, since the full impact of forgiveness cannot be felt apart from the full impact of what has been forgiven. Contrary to the prevailing view, Taylor calls sin “a helpful, hopeful word.” Naming our sins, she contends, enables us to move from guilt to grace. In recovering this lost language of salvation in our worship and in the fabric of our individual lives, we have an opportunity to take part in the divine work of redemption.£10.99 -
The Inner Voice of Love: A journey through anguish to freedom
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyThis is Henri Nouwen's 'secret journal'. It was wrtten during the most difficult period of his life, when, following the breakdown of a close relationship, he suddenly lost his self-esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. Although he experienced excruciating anguish and despair, he was stilla ble to keep a journal in which he wrote eah day a spiritual imperative to himself, which emerged from his conversations with friends. For more than eight years, Henri Nouwen felt that what he wrote was too raw and private to share with others. Instead he published The Return of the Prodigal Son in which he expressed some of the insights gained during his mental and spiritual crisis. But then friends asked hi,, 'Why keep your anguish hidden from the many people who have been nurtured by your writing? Wouldn't it be of consolation for many to know about the fierce inner battle that lies underneath many of your spiritual insights? For the countless men and women who have to live through the pain of broken relationship, or who suffer from the loss of a loved one, this book offers new courage, new hope, even new life.£9.99 -
Sale
Real God in the Real World: Advent and Christmas readings on the coming of Christ
Advent & Christmas, Resources for the Christian YearThis book offers a lively, engaging and accessible look at the theme of the Incarnation, the mysterious event at the heart of Christmas, using personal stories, illustrations from popular culture and the arts, as well as daily Bible readings. The starting-point is what the 'Word made flesh' means for us and how the first Christmas should still have an impact on our everyday lives. We will be taken on an absorbing journey to help us recognise the person of Jesus in the people we meet, the conversations we have, and even in our relationship with nature and the arts. By the end of our journey, we will not only recognise Christ in others but also in ourselves, as we model ourselves on him and share his love, compassion and peace with our neighbours, whoever they are and whatever their backgrounds.Original price was: £7.99.£4.00Current price is: £4.00. -
Aidan, Bede, Cuthbert: Three Inspirational Saints
Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityIn this rousing book, David Adam celebrates the lives and interweaving stories of Aidan, Bede and Cuthbert. Recalling, in a personal introduction, his ordination to the pastoral ministry in Durham Cathedral (the burial place of Bede and Cuthbert) and his thirteen years as Vicar of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (where Aidan lived), the author communicates clearly his appreciation of these three great saints. They have much to teach us, he believes, about vision – about expanding our spiritual awareness and deepening our love for God.£9.99 -
A Northumbrian Office Dance Edition
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingDance scripts for Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer from Celtic Daily Prayer. A4 sheets with a card cover.£4.00 -
Sold out
With Every Blessing: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual Growth£2.25A simple design containing the words With Every Blessing.
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.
-
Caim: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthBackground: Artist Mary Fleeson tells us that...'"Caim" was originally designed as a CD cover for an album of prayers set to music by the same name, therefore the imagery reflects themes of the music included, however as is often the case the illustration evolved into something which speaks beyond the obvious inspiration. The hand seems to reach out in a loving, gentle gesture to caress the face of the Creator, symbolised by the star (Revelation 22:16 ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’). The complex knotwork intersperses three overlapping circles which represent the Trinity and the patterns and colours are life patterns, weaving and merging, coloured by experiences, actions and reactions.' 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.£12.50 -
Streams of Living Water
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyIsn't it a shame that the rich tapestry of Christian belief and practice has so often been rigidly carved up, crammed into denominational boxes and padlocked shut? Richard Foster addresses this by identifying six major strands of Christian spirituality within the worldwide church that have contributed at various times and places across the centuries. They are: The Contemplative tradition - or the Prayer-filled life, The Holiness tradition - or the Virtuous life, The Charismatic tradition - or the Spirit-empowered life, The Social Justice tradition - or the Compassionate life, The Evangelical tradition - or the Word-centred life, The Incarnational tradition - or the Sacramental life, Foster's celebration of spiritual life incorporates history's most significant Christian figures and movements. It serves as a refreshing example of how real peopl have evaded preconceived ideas and lived wonderful Christ-centred lives in spite of constricting labels.£10.99 -
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 -
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 -
Come to Me: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Matthew 11:28 (New American Standard Bible ©1995) "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Background: Artist Mary Fleeson tells us that...'Jesus offers rest to those of us who are burdened with the weights of sin, fear, worry and the absence of purpose. The loads we carry may be hardly noticeable at first but if not released into Gods waiting hand have a habit of becoming heavier until their weight affects our every movement, slowing us spiritually and eventually crippling our effectiveness as the human children of our Heavenly Father. When Jesus spoke the words it was thought that He was addressing the Jews who were burdened and trapped by the complex and numerous laws and traditions but it is an offer which He makes to everyone today. Often the things in our lives that keep us from loving God and each other completely are burdens of our own making and are tightly bound with our human tendency to sin and then to hide from the God who can reveal those sins to us so we end up carrying a burden of guilt and fear. To God our burdens are tiny and light. He wants to relieve us of them. It may take some effort and courage to recognise and release our heavy loads but it is worth it to be able to stand upright and skip onwards (metaphorically speaking) in life without constraint.' 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.£12.50 -
My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge and Belonging
Church & Leadership, Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyIn My Grandfather's Blessings, Rachel Naomi Remen, a cancer physician and master storyteller, uses her luminous stories to remind us of the power of our kindness and the joy of being alive. Dr Remen's grandfather, an Orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life. Life has given us many more blessings than we have allowed ourselves to receive. My Grandfather's Blessings is about how we can recognise and receive our blessings and bless the life in others. Serving others heals us. Through service we will discover our own wholeness – and the way to restore hidden wholeness in the world.£14.99 -
God of Earth : Discovering a Radically Ecological Christianity
Culture & Mission, Everyday Life, The Inner Journey"Informed by rich appeal to religious mystery, voiced in poetic imagery and cadence... offers thick attentiveness to the world" - Professor Walter Brueggemann. "Kristin Swenson blows past petrified Christian traditions to shine light on a profoundly radical new way to experience God" - Stephanie Pearson, contributing editor, Outside magazine. What happens if we imagine the Jesus of Christian theology to be realized in the nonhuman natural world around us? Basic to Christian belief is the notion that God, the creator of all, inhabited the earth in order to call to us. God of Earth embraces this central premise of Christianity - Jesus as both fully divine and fully human - and then allows for the possibility that such a Jesus need not be limited to a human man. What if Jesus were "God of earth" - not only over earth but also in and through it? As Swenson tracks that question through the cycle of a church year, she invites readers to reconsider our relationship to the nonhuman natural world and so experience new dimensions of the sacred and new possibilities for hope and healing.£12.00 -
Adam: God’s Beloved
The Inner JourneyIn the year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen had planned to write a book about the Apostles’ Creed. But then the death of his friend Adam Arnett, a severely handicapped young man from his Daybreak Community, changed his mind. He found that by reflecting on the story of Adam he had found a way of describing his own understanding of the Gospel message, and in Adam, a book completed only weeks before his own death, he has left a fitting reflection of his essential message and legacy. Adam could not speak, or even move without assistance. Gripped by frequent seizures, he spent his life in obscurity. And yet for Henri Nouwen he became ‘my friend, my teacher and my guide’: it was Adam who led him to a new understanding of his Christian faith and what it means to be Beloved of God. Following the structure of the gospels, Henri Nouwen describes Adam’s ‘hidden life’ in the desert of institutionalised care, the ‘public life’ that came about when his family entrusted him to the Daybreak community, his ministry, his miracles, and finally his passion, death and ‘resurrection’. Gradually, under Adam’s instruction, Henri learned to adjust to a new, slower rhythm of life and to speak with the language of the heart. In Adam Henri Nouwen has found a new way to tell God’s story and the story of all human creatures, broken and yet beloved, who live in a world charged and alive with the mystery of the incarnation. It becomes a poignant and precious gift.£10.99 -
Walkin’ The Road
Creativity, Music & Creativity, Spiritual GrowthNewly-released in 2019, community companion Norman Cumming has written and performs a new CD of songs, which we are delighted to stock and offer for sale.£10.00 -
Living on the Border: Reflections on the Experience of Threshold
Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Spiritual Growth, The Inner Journey, Traditional MonasticismThere is a traditional saying of ancient wisdom: 'A threshold is a sacred thing. In some places of the world, in some traditional cultures and in monastic life, this is still remembered. It is something, however, that we often forget today. To take time to pause at a threshold - be it a place, or a moment between one action and the next - is to show reverence for the handling of space and time, and respect for those who we meet. Pausing allows us to let go of all the demands and expectations of the previous activity, and to prepare for the encounter with another. Esther de Waal explores what this ancient wisdom has to teach us about our public lives in the world today.£12.99 -
Celtic Parables: Stories, Poems and Prayers
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthNever mock what others say. Perhaps their words are full of nonsense. Perhaps they are trying to puff themselves up. Perhaps they like hearing the sound of their voices. Perhaps they are trying to deceive their hearers. Perhaps they are foolish and dim. Perhaps they are more clever than wise. Yet amidst the useless clay You may find jewels beyond price. The word of God is in every heart, And can speak through every voice. Never mock (p.104) This collection of stories, meditations, poems and prayers evokes the authentic spirit of Celtic Christianity. Capturing the atmosphere of parables passed down through generations, it shows the human warmth, respect for the natural world and robust, down-to-earth qualities for which Celtic spirituality is so greatly valued. With its rich treasury of material – most of it previously unavailable in modern editions – Celtic Parables offers a fresh lively introduction to the Celtic world. It will appeal to all those fascinated by our Celtic heritage and the way it speaks directly to us today.£9.99 -
The Road to Daybreak : A Spiritual Journey
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyThe Road to Daybreak is Henri Nouwen's intimate diary recording his most poignant year at l'Arche, which began in the summer of 1985, a precious time of inner renewal and self-discovery. With simplicity and honesty, he describes how the experience changed his attitudes and enriched his spiritual life. He recounts the struggles and self-doubts he faced along this rocky road to a new vocation, and introduces us to the people of l'Arche and many others whose impact on him was deep and long-lasting. Such was the impact of this experience that he chose to say yes to the call to go to l'Arche Daybreak Community in Toronto and make it his permanent home and ministry. Rich in insights and sparkling with touching and inspiring anecdotes, The Road to Daybreak invites the reader to join this renowned spiritual writer on his journey to a deeper understanding of God and the human family.£9.99 -
Trinity: Greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthA square greetings card with envelope in a cellophane bag. The card has a print of original artwork by Francesca Ross.£2.00 -
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.£14.99 -
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 read£9.99 -
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.£10.99 -
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.£9.99 -
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 -
Love Is: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthCreated: 1999 Words: Love is always patient and kind. Love is not boastful or conceited. It is never rude, and never seeks its own advantage. It does not take offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice in wrong doing but finds its joy in the truth. It always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. These remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest is love. Background: Based on 1 Corinthians 13 (v. 4-13). A good exercise is to replace the word 'love' with your own name to see if you match up - not an easy task but one worthy of aspiring to! 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 -
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 Griswold£10.00 -
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 Shack
The Inner JourneyWith 18 million copies sold worldwide, THE SHACK is an international bestseller that explores life's toughest questions through the gripping story of one man's struggle to find answers to his suffering. Mack's youngest daughter, Missy, was abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, still trapped in his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack. Against his better judgement Mack arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon. What he finds there will change his life forever. THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question, 'Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?' Mack's experiences when he faces up to his darkest nightmares will astound you, and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.£8.99 -
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 -
Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit
Influences & Suggested Reading, Spiritual Growth£12.99Spiritual formation, I have come to believe, is not about steps or stages on the way to perfection. It’s about the movements from the mind to the heart through prayer in its many forms that reunite us with God, each other, and our truest selves.
Henri Nouwen, from the Introduction
Henri Nouwen, beloved author, priest and spiritual guide, counseled many people during his lifetime, but his principles of spiritual formation were never written down. Now, Michael Christensen, one of Nouwen’s longtime students, and Rebecca Laird have taken the famous course in spiritual formation and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to reveal Nouwen’s sage advice on how to live out the five classic stages of spiritual development.
I always knew I was in the presence of a spiritual master when I was with Henri Nouwen. Here are some simple, wise words that will allow the master to continue to teach.
Richard Rohr, O.F.M., author of The Naked Now
One of the book’s many strengths is its integration of an area especially important to Nouwen, the contemplation of icons and other works of art – visio divina – in order ‘to behold the beauty of the Lord’.
Jim Forest, author of Praying with Icons and The Road to Emmaus
-
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 -
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 -
Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture
Culture & Mission, Influences & Suggested ReadingThis book is for exiles: Christians who find themselves caught in that dangerous wilderness between contemporary secular Western culture and and old-fashioned church culture of respectability and conservatism. Frost presents a plea for such Christians to embrace a dynamic, life-affirming, robust Christian faith that can be lived confidently in a world that no longer values such a faith.£15.99 -
In the Name of Jesus : Reflections on Christian Leadership
Church & Leadership, LeadershipReflections on ministry and Christian leadership by one of our greatest modern spiritual writers.£8.99 -
To Dare the Our Father: A transformative spiritual practice
Scripture & PrayerThe Lord's Prayer accompanies the lives of Christians. When we are happy or sad, when we eagerly wait for a child to be born or silently keep watch as an elder dies, alone in the woods or together in liturgy, filled with gratitude or emptied by grief, driven to praise or dragged to repent, the Our Father finds its way to our lips. To Dare the Our Father recognizes and respects these experiences but it envisions praying the prayer as a more sustained and challenging undertaking. How does praying the Our Father inform our thinking, feeling, willing, and acting? How does it become for us a transformative spiritual practice? John Shea explores these questions and more to discover what it looks like to become people of prayer.£12.99 -
Nothing Can Separate: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual Growth£2.25Words:
I believe that there is nothing in death or life that can separate us from the love of God, Nothing in the realms of the unseen that can separate us from the love of God, Nothing in the world as it is or shall be that can separate us from the love of God, Nothing in the natural forces of the universe that can separate us from the love of God, Nothing above or below that can separate us from the love of God, Nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God, Which is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Background:
Based on the passage in Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Look out for hands reaching from above and below, the timeline from creation to the future, the strand of DNA… all reinforced with the hands spread in supplication and awe at the amazing declaration.
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.
-
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