Product Categories

Christian spirituality

Filters

Showing all 54 results

Departments

Price Filter

54 products

  • The White Stone
    The White Stone
    £12.99

    The White Stone: The art of letting go

    ,
    Esther de Waal is one of today's most beloved spiritual writers. In The White Stone, she reflects on the changes and losses that come with growing older. Esther reflects on solitude and, following a period of illness, saying goodbye to a family home and the Welsh border landscape she had known for decades which inspired some of her greatest writing, and adjusting to a new city environment. In her characteristic style, she sees everything as a portal into a deeper spiritual understanding. She draws on the wealth of the Christian tradition, especially scripture and the monastic and Celtic spiritualities she knows so well, to help her navigate her way through not only the inevitable sense of loss that accompanies such change, but also to embrace the new possibilities it brings. The white stone of the title refers to a small pebble from the river that ran through her garden that she keeps in her pocket, but also strikes a note of hope referring to the new identity promised by God (Revelation 2.17). This is a book of simple, profound wisdom that will speak to many coping with change in their own lives.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £14.99

    Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God

    ,
    "Come away and rest awhile." Jesus invites us to be with him, offering our full and undivided attention to him. When we choose retreat, we make a generous investment in our friendship with Christ. We are not always generous with ourselves where God is concerned. Many of us have tried to incorporate regular times of solitude and silence into the rhythm of our ordinary lives, which may mean that we give God twenty minutes here and half an hour there. And there's no question we are better for it! But we need more. Indeed, we long for more. In these pages Transforming Centre founder and seasoned spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton gently leads us into retreat as a key practice that opens us to God. Based on her own practice and her experience leading hundreds of retreats for others, she will guide you in a very personal exploration of seven specific invitations contained within the general invitation to retreat. You will discover how to say yes to God's winsome invitation to greater freedom and surrender. There has never been a time when the invitation to retreat is so radical and so relevant, so needed and so welcome. It is not a luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual life.
    £14.99
    £14.99
  • £6.99

    Listening to the Boys: Meditations on Francisco de Zurbaran’s Jacob and His Twelve Sons

    “The Boys” is an affectionate term sometimes used to describe the outstanding portraits of Jacob and his twelve sons by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán, housed at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland.

    This is an unusual practical book which provides a concise and readable introduction to the paintings and encourages the reader to take time to “listen to the boys.” After some useful introductory pages about the background to the paintings, the substance of the book contains reproductions of each of the paintings along with reflections and questions to stimulate the reader to record their own personal reflections and responses.

    £6.99
    £6.99
  • £14.99

    Soulful Nature: A spiritual field guide

    ,
    In our busy, pressured world, the natural world can be a powerful counter-balance, offers wisdom for the challenges, pain and dislocations of life as well as for beauty, wonder and healing. In Soulful Nature, Brian Draper and Howard Green encourage you to get outside and make deeper connections with creation and its creator. They chart walking journeys through rural landscapes and town streets over the course of a year, showing how the natural cycle of the changing seasons can awaken us to the rhythms of our own lives. Each chapter explores a different landscape, zooming in on the small details of the natural world as well as panning out to the wide-screen beauty of time and place. Simple and practical spiritual exercises are provided throughout.
    £14.99
    £14.99
  • The Divine Conspiracy
    £12.99

    God Untamed : Out of the Spiritual Comfort Zone

    , , ,
    Powerful. Almighty. Sovereign. Magnificent. Fearsome. This is the God we encounter in the Bible and in prayer--a God who astounds. Yet, Johannes Hartl argues that this is an astonishment that many have lost in the West today. A challenging rejection of 'feel-good' Christianity, God Untamed explores the deep crisis of faith that effects the Western world. At a time where the need for spirituality is great, yet churches are losing more and more members; in the face of a generation with so many opportunities and so little direct threat, yet who are so anxious, depressed and disenchanted--Hartl speaks of the voice that can still oceans. God, as He encounters us, is not simply 'nice' and certainly not trivial or comfortable. He is fascinating and intimidating at the same time. Hartl calls us to rediscover this sense of wonder and re-imagine what it is to have a fear of God--not founded in a whimper at the unknown, but a respect borne out of watching His visible power in the nature of our world. Without this fear, Hartl warns that the church is in danger of weakening under the immense pressures of our times. God Untamed is a compelling charge to get out of our spiritual comfort zones to find a real, truly fulfilled and fulfilling faith.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £17.99

    The Monkhood of All Believers : The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality

    Although the institution of monasticism has existed in the Christian church since the first century, it is often misunderstood. Greg Peters, an expert in monastic studies, reintroduces historic monasticism to the Protestant church, articulating a monastic spirituality for all believers. As Peters explains, what we have known as monasticism for the past 1,500 years is actually a modified version of the earliest monastic life, which was not necessarily characterized by poverty, chastity, and obedience but rather by one's single-minded focus on God--a single-mindedness rooted in one's baptismal vows and the priesthood of all believers. Peters argues that all monks are Christians, but all Christians are also monks. To be a monk, one must first and foremost be singled-minded toward God. This book presents a theology of monasticism for the whole church, offering a vision of Christian spirituality that brings together important elements of history and practice. The author connects monasticism to movements in contemporary spiritual formation, helping readers understand how monastic practices can be a resource for exploring a robust spiritual life.
    £17.99
    £17.99
  • £15.00

    Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of “And” in an Either-Or World

    ,
    What if certainty isn't the goal? In a world filled with ambiguity, many of us long for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to complex questions and clarity in the face of confusion. We want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims designed to solve the problems and pain that life throws at us. With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and. The incarnation--the paradox of God made human--teaches us to look for God in the and of body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by actively participating in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world. As Michel writes, "As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is." With personal stories and reflection on Scripture, literature, and culture, Michel takes us deeper into mystery and into worship of the One who is Mystery and Love.
    £15.00
    £15.00
  • £10.99

    George McDonald in the Age of Miracles

    The Bible is full of miracles. Yet how do we make sense of them today? And where might we see miracles in our own lives? In this instalment of the Hansen Lectureship series, historian and theologian Timothy Larsen considers the legacy of George MacDonald, the Victorian Scottish author and minister who is best known for his pioneering fantasy literature, which influenced authors such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, G. K. Chesterton, and Madeleine L'Engle. Larsen explores how, throughout his life and writings, MacDonald sought to counteract scepticism, unbelief, naturalism, and materialism and to herald instead the reality of the miraculous, the supernatural, the wondrous, and the realm of the spirit. The Hansen Lectureship series offers accessible and insightful reflections by Wheaton College faculty members on the transformative work of the Wade Center authors.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £13.99

    Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety

    ,
    At one of the lowest points in his life, Henri Nouwen gave a series of lectures on the importance of following Jesus in an age of anxiety. This new work from the archives of the Nouwen estate draws on those talks. It reveals the deep turmoil and sometimes chaotic inner life of the man who has become an icon of compassion and vulnerability for Christians and non-Christians alike. Nouwen writes eloquently about calling and purpose, fear and hope and explains why, with so many choices available to 21st century seekers - including atheism and secularism - the greatest reward for those looking for fulfilment is to choose belief in God. Along the way he offers warm, insightful, practical spiritual practices to help readers navigate the narrow, sometimes arduous, but ultimately fulfilling road of conviction and faith.
    £13.99
    £13.99
  • Sold out
    £7.99

    Less is More : Spirituality for Busy Lives

    ,
    Brian Draper was tired of feeling tired; "life in its fullness" felt like a life crammed full of stuff, and no more. "I don't want to be the kind of father who turns up late and exhausted for his children's school concert and sits at the back fiddling with a Blackberry, distracted, vacant. I want to be THERE, in the front row, fully present." Drawing on the guidance of Christian wisdom, he began to notice opportunities, day to day, to reduce the quantity, and increase the quality of life - to make room for his soul. LESS IS MORE distils a wonderful spiritual principle which is especially significant at this point in history, when time is limited and money is in short supply. Chapters include: Clearing the loft - literally and spiritually; Using your senses to savour what is free; Finding rhythm; Giving freely; Expressing yourself.
    £7.99
    £7.99
  • £13.00

    Putting Joy Into Practice : Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church

    ,
    Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church is an invitation to a life of joy. Phoebe Farag Mikhail explains what joy is and how to experience it through seven spiritual practices that cultivate our inner lives and connect us to our communities. These seven practices, which include giving thanks, hospitality, praise, and more, take us on a journey that leads to joy through the giving and receiving of sacrificial love. She describes her own experiences and struggles with joy and offers practical ways to implement these practices to increase joy in our own lives and in the lives of all those around us.
    £13.00
    £13.00
  • £19.99

    For Peace and For Good : A History of the Community of St Francis

    ,
    Wolfgang Bader offers a fresh translation of 55 of St. Francis of Assisi's most beautiful prayers including Poverty: My Only Riches, Like the Tax Collector in the Temple, Greatness of the Little Ones, Canticle of the Creatures, and Dear Brother Fire. This graceful translation of a spiritual classic belongs in the devotional library of anyone who seeks to deepen his or her own prayer life. Editorial commentaries place each prayer in its historical context allowing the reader to experience it from the saint's own perspective.
    £19.99
    £19.99
  • £3.95

    Francis of Assisi: living prayer today

    , ,
    Francis of Assisi was very much a man of his time; and yet his influence continues today in a surprising range of ways. This study briefly outlines his life journey, before considering Francis' attitude to prayer, and then exploring the ways in which the Franciscan approach to life relates to a wide range of contemporary concerns.
    £3.95
    £3.95
  • £8.99

    A Franciscan Way of Life : Brother Ramon’s quest for holiness

    ,
    Be inspired by one man's unflinching faith in God. This is the first biography of Brother Ramon. It tells of his life's pilgrimage, his quest for holiness as a Franciscan friar, his inner journey of discovery and transformation, his love of God and his influence on others. The selection from his writings which concludes the book illustrates his spiritual journey. It will be an inspiration to readers to live lives fully for Jesus Christ.
    £8.99
    £8.99
  • £11.50

    Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge

    ,
    Addressing the central question facing the church today--Is the Gospel true?--Dallas Willard offers an impassioned argument that Christian spiritual ideals are a reliable source of wisdom that should be granted the same authority as other intellectual disciplines such as science or philosophy. He shows how faith and reason are complementary and confronts the difficult issues of Christian pluralism (the challenge of other faiths) and how we can know God exists.
    £11.50
    £11.50
  • £3.95

    Mission-Shaped Hermit: Thomas Merton, Mission and Spirituality

    ,
    The church is rediscovering a passion for mission‚ and with that there is the danger that it finds an addiction to action, and puts itself, rather than God, at centre stage.Thomas Merton was a radical and engaging thinker who saw contemplation as the necessary partner to action.  This profound and challenging study distils some of his insights and offers a radical agenda for mission in the new realities of today.
    £3.95
    £3.95
  • £12.99

    Thomas Merton: The Exquisite Risk of Love : The Chronicle of a Monastic Romance

    ,
    While 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
    £12.99
  • £20.00

    Divine Discontent : The Prophetic Voice of Thomas Merton

    ,
    Thomas 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).
    £20.00
    £20.00
  • £10.99

    Thomas Merton My Brother : His Journey to Freedom, Compassion and Final Integration

    ,
    This intriguing expose not only traces Merton's remarkable journey through life, but it also explores the various deposits of his vast literary heritage. Pennington, one of the leading spiritual writers of our times, was a close friend of Merton. As a fellow Cistercian monk for many years, he can understand as few others can the lifestyle and concerns of Thomas Merton. Chapters deal with Merton's quest for inner freedom, his growth to compassion, his attraction to the Orient and its mysticism, his vast literary output. Pennington's personal recollections of their times spent together allows his writing an original warmth that cannot be found elsewhere.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £10.99

    In the Heart of the Temple: my spiritual vision for today’s world

    , ,
    Highly provocative and practical spiritual writing on today's most pressing issues The spiritual vision that emerges in this book is a spirituality of both action and contemplation. For to be at the heart of the temple without being in the heart of the world, the author believes, is at most only half a spiritual life. Rather we are required to see what is going on around us and to do everything we can to square it with the will of a loving God for the world God created. Both highly provocative and immensely practical, In the Heart of the Temple addresses today's most pressing questions, challenging readers of every religious and political persuasion to personal, spiritual, social and moral change.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £12.99

    The Naked God : Wrestling for a grace-ful humanity

    `Every generation puts "clothes" onto God to help their understanding; but the underlying reality of God still lies beneath those garments. If we go on clothing God only with garments that are suitable for medieval Christendom, or any other age, then we can hardly expect that God will be understood in the twenty-first century.'We live in an age in which many people are interested in spirituality but have been disillusioned by the Church and are unaware of what lies behind institutional religion. There is little knowledge of historical attempts to understand and to `clothe' God, and it is more difficult for twenty-first-century generations to find the tools with which to wrestle with the big questions about who we are and how we relate both to God and to each other. Vincent Strudwick - in collaboration with theologian, historian and priest Jane Shaw - invites all readers to become wrestlers: to explore difficult questions about God, the Bible, spirituality and the Church.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £9.99

    Forgetful Heart : Remembering God in a Distracted World

    , ,
    We live in a world full of distractions, where lack of time and the pressures of daily living contribute to our spiritual lives becoming sometimes treated with less priority, sometimes forgotten altogether. This is a book for the forgetful-hearted; those who frequently forget God in their lives, even when they desperately want to remember him. Lucy Mills asks what it means to remember God? Here she suggests that it is about more than simply `knowing' things - it is about how we live. Forgetful Heart is a beautifully-written book, full of personal testimony, biblical reflection and practical challenges and advice.
    £9.99
    £9.99
  • £12.99

    Undivided Heart : Finding Meaning and Motivation in Christ

    ,
    `"Give me an undivided heart."`Something in my soul has always been snagged by that phrase in Psalm 86. Something in it speaks to me of my own heart division, my own disarray. It captures a deeper longing, beyond the surface chatter of my mind. I find, amid the muddle that is me, that there is something - someone - calling me on, gathering together my disparate, fraying threads and weaving them into a story greater than I could ever perceive.'Why do we do what we do? What makes us who we are? And what could make us more?In Undivided Heart, Lucy Mills digs deep in search of an understanding of human identity, purpose and living by faith, asking what the influences are that shape us and define us. She explores what it might mean to have an undivided heart - to live a life compelled by Christ's love, undistracted by all other motives. This is not a book of easy answers. It is a book of deep questioning, of relationship, honesty and encounter, counter-cultural in our age of social media, soundbite news and mass communication. But God can meet us in our confusion and distraction as much as in our certainty. Join Lucy on her exploration of this demanding, fragmented life, and the quest for a faith that is deeper, stronger and undivided.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £9.99

    Mere Spirituality : The Spiritual Life According to Henri Nouwen

    ,
    Henri Nouwen's compelling spirituality of the heart is at once simple and complex, accessible but deeply profound. For this Catholic theologian, whose ecumenical writings continue to inspire Christians of all denominations and levels of involvement, spirituality is, at its most basic, simply 'attention to the life of the spirit in us'.Wil Hernandez's sensitive distillation of Nouwen's vast literary legacy invites us to take courage and be still, creating space for God and our true selves. It is in this place of trust and solitude that we discover our belovedness and our capacity to love God and others.A scholar and spiritual director intimately acquainted with Nouwen's understanding of the spiritual life, Wil Hernandez offers an elegant synthesis of Nouwen's main themes, inspiring us to embrace the power and vulnerability of mere spirituality.
    £9.99
    £9.99
  • £10.99

    Compassion : A Reflection on the Christian Life

    In 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
    £10.99
  • £3.99

    Threshold of Light: daily readings from the Celtic tradition

    , ,
    This delightful book draws on one of out richest native spiritual traditions, the Celtic heritage, and presents extracts from Irish, Welsh and Scottish sources in a form suitable for daily meditation. The Celts had an extraordinarily clear spiritual vision, born of close association with nature. They thought in vivid images: making a fire, the wind in the wood, the song of the birds, the white waves of the sea. Yet the sense of light and the sense of incarnation which runs through so much Celtic writing is only possible because of its recognition of the dark of sin and evil, and also its acknowledgement of the power of the cross of the resurrection. A belief in the sacredness of the earth, a belief that the victory of the cross illumines and transforms the everyday, an awareness that despite the dark, heaven is not far from us, all this shines through these pages and brings us into closer contact with these fascinating people.
    £3.99
    £3.99
  • £10.99

    Precious Thoughts: daily readings from Thomas Merton

    , ,
    Thomas Merton wrote to people of all faiths and none; he wrote to people who were searching, and those who were firmly established in religious orders; he wrote to students, peace activists and `ordinary' people who had read about him and were curious. Some are letters of spiritual direction, a sharing of spiritual insights and social concerns, some more personal. In this carefully selected collection, Merton scholar, Fiona Gardner, has focused on extracts that seem to speak to all who are searching. They have been chosen because they offer an opening into something other - to provide a way into both silence and contemplative prayer.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £9.95

    15 Days of Prayer with Saint Clare of Assisi

    , , ,
    To enter into a relationship with Clare of Assisi for fifteen days is to race along carried by the momentum of a woman burning with love. What a paradox: the cloister of Saint Damian - closed in upon itself - opens to the infinite. Clare, a pilgrim of the interior adventure, always re-directs her readers onto the road towards the Lord. The loving kenosis of Christ captivates her and incites her to a Passover, brisk as a dance step, on the path of happiness. The love that fills Clare with life springs forth like a fountain in her heart. This is one of several books we stock in the "15 Days of Prayer" series,  providing direction from foundational spiritual figures. Each volume in the series contains: * A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader introduced in that volume, a guide to creating a format for prayer and retreat, 15 meditations sessions with focus points and reflection guides.
    £9.95
    £9.95
  • £5.99

    Giving Attention: becoming what we truly are

    ,
    This collection of exquisite meditations is vintage Michael Mayne. Originally given as a series of retreat addresses, it focuses on timeless aspects of spiritual experience and means of growth: * Discovering the gifts of silence * Redemption at work in human life* Seeing with the heart* Cultivating a true and proper self-regard All who enjoy Michael Mayne's writing will delight in these previously unpublished reflections.
    £5.99
    £5.99
  • £10.99

    Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book

    ,
    Such is the far-reaching influence of the modern mystic Evelyn Underhill that she is commemorated liturgically by the Church of England on 15 June. Her best-known book, Mysticism, was widely read in the first half of the twentieth century and her work continues to have great impact on the theology of contemporary spiritual writers, such as Richard Rohr. Between 1924 and 1938, Evelyn Underhill compiled two personal prayer books for use when conducting spiritual retreats at Pleshey (the retreat house for the diocese of Chelmsford). The prayers were carefully selected and include quotes from a variety of theologians and writers in Christian spirituality, as well as her own very rich, metaphorical and theologically deep prayers. This volume makes these collections available for the first time.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • To Dare the Our Father
    To Dare the Our Father
    £12.99

    To Dare the Our Father: A transformative spiritual practice

    The 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
    £12.99
  • £12.99

    Discernment – reading the signs of daily life

    , ,
    Henri Nouwen understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community and relationships. And the practice of discernment is about how to read the 'signs of the times' in daily life in order to know what to do next. Nouwen believes our calling and mission may be made clear through the people we meet on our path, the circumstances that each day brings, the books and sacred texts we read and meditate on, and through current events. Discernment seeks the will of God, requiring the disciplines of contemplative prayer, compassionate action and theological reflection. Discernment has been compiled by two of Nouwen's longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, from coursework, journals and unpublished writings.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £13.50

    Course in Desert Spirituality: Fifteen Sessions with the Famous Trappist Monk

    ,
    Thomas Merton's sessions with the young monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani showcase Merton's brilliant ability to survey the key figures and synthesize their writings, inspiring his listeners and readers with what it means for the spiritual life. Like its companion volume, A Course in Christian Mysticism, this book is a collection of fifteen lectures that get to the heart of Merton's belief that monastic wisdom and spirituality are applicable for everyone. This compact volume allows anyone to learn from one of the twentieth century's greatest Catholic spiritual teachers. The study materials at the back of the book, including additional primary source readings and thoughtful questions for reflection and discussion, make this an essential text for any student of Christian desert spirituality.
    £13.50
    £13.50
  • £12.99

    Beauty’s Field: seeing the world

    As the leader of the World Community for Christian Meditation, Laurence Freeman's calling takes him all over the world to teach and lead groups who want to practice contemplative prayer. In this spiritual travel memoir, he recounts timeless, memorable and moving stories of people, places and events in which he has encountered God 's transformative presence. The title of the book comes from a Shakespeare sonnet and the book explores how the life of God can be found in the most unlikely places, not only in the world's beauty but even in its tragedy. Slum priests quietly bringing hope to the favelas of Brazil, the gloriously fat stone ladies of Malta which are the world's oldest depictions of God, the different effects of a mountain-top retreat on an investment banker, a tired social worker and a cancer patient, the impact of a child's death on a whole community - these and many more stories movingly reveal how the sacred strains to find expression in every life, every place, every day.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £12.99

    Pioneers of Modern Spirituality

    ,
    Many people today think of themselves as 'spiritual but not religious'. What riches and resources does the Anglican tradition have to offer those who are spiritually curious but on the margins of, or outside, the church, as well as to those inside the church? Pioneers of Modern Spirituality introduces four Anglicans Evelyn Underhill, Reginald Somerset Ward, Percy Dearmer, and Rose Macaulay each of whom was a significant influence in a revived interest in spirituality at a time when people were questioning institutional religion.
    £12.99
    £12.99
  • £10.99

    The Making Of Us: who we can become when life doesn’t go as planned

    , , ,
    Beautiful Things Can Emerge from Life Not Going as Planned.  When life takes one too many unexpected turns, do you find yourself saying, "I don't know who I am anymore"? In the wake of shattered dreams, do you wonder how you will keep going-and if you'll ever find purpose or joy again? After infertility, an international move, and a professional change shook Sheridan Voysey's world, he realized that he couldn't reconcile his expectations with the life he was living. Feeling lost, he decided to pair his spiritual journey with a literal one: a hundred-mile pilgrimage along the northeast coast of England. Inspired by the life and influence of the seventh-century monk Cuthbert, Sheridan travelled on foot from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham. Taking his friend DJ along for the journey, and keeping a journal by his side, Sheridan discovered not resolution but peace. Not ambition but purpose. Not shouts of convictions but whispers of the presence of God. In The Making of Us, Sheridan invites us to join him as he walks along England's shores and we trace the borders of our own hearts. Part pilgrim's journal, part call to reflection, The Making of Us eloquently reminds us of the beauty of journeying into uncertainty, the freedom of letting go, and the wonder of losing our identity only to discover who we really are.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £10.95

    How to Befriend your Shadow: Welcoming your unloved side

    ,
    Each of us has a 'shadow', composed of everything we have driven back into our unconscious for fear of being rejected by the people we loved when we were young. Over the years, we created a whole underground world filled with things that were shameful, displeasing or upsetting to those around us. Our task as adults is to rediscover what makes up our shadow, to bring it into the light, and to use it for our own spiritual growth. If we refuse to do this work, we risk being out of balance psychologically, and our lives and relationships will not reach their fullest potential. Is your shadow your friend or your enemy? That will depend on how you see it and how you relate to it. This book offers you the tools you need to welcome your shadow side. Befriend your shadow, and watch your relationship with yourself and with others grow and deepen.
    £10.95
    £10.95
  • £9.99

    Desperately Seeking Spirituality: A Field Guide to Practice

    ,
    In Desperately Seeking Spirituality, sacred spelunker (someone who explores caves as a hobby!) Meredith Gould combines practical wisdom with lived experience to explain why and when traditional practices don't work for today's seeker and then how to choose ones that will. In short, easy-to-read chapters and with characteristic wit, Gould provides counsel for reframing perception to discover the sacred in everyday life. This guide for self-identified seekers who have tried some, many, or even all the classic spiritual practices and then given up on them when they stop working.
    £9.99
    £9.99
  • £10.99

    The Divine Dance

    'With the wisdom of C.S.Lewis and the accessibility of Rob Bell, Richard Rohr and Mike Morrell unpack our long-lingering questions about God, love, grace, forgiveness, all through the lens of Trinitarian spirituality...Like all good mystics, Rohr and Morrell circle our questions, revelling in the mystery of all that is. Join them. Stand with them "under the waterfall of God's infinite mercy, and know that  you are loved".' David James Poissant, Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist and author of The Heaven of Animals.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • £10.99

    Adam: God’s Beloved

    In 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
    £10.99
  • £12.99

    Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the long walk of faith

    ,
    96 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
    £12.99
  • Franciscan Spirituality
    Franciscan Spirituality
    £15.99

    Franciscan Spirituality: Following St Francis Today

    ,
    What is special about the spirituality of St Francis? Can it be possible for ordinary men and women today, with family, jobs, and other responsibilities, to follow in the way of a thirteenth-century friar? Brother Ramon, an Anglican Franciscan Friar, shows us that Franciscan spirituality is as compelling and relevant today as ever. It is marked by spontaneity and emotional freedom, by openness to every human being and love for the natural world. It treasures both the evangelical and the catholic nature of the gospel. It is rooted in a biblical faith and in reverence for the whole of creation. Franciscan Spirituality introduces us to the world of Francis and his first followers and shows how their excitement and wonder at Jesus alive in their midst can still be recaptured. The book is illustrated throughout by Molly Dowell  
    £15.99
    £15.99
  • From Wild Man to Wise Man
    From Wild Man to Wise Man
    £14.50

    From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on male spirituality

    , ,
    From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality is a revised and updated edition of Richard Rohr's earlier best-seller, The Wild Man's Journey: Reflections on Male Spirituality. For this new work, Rohr added three chapters that discuss John the Baptist, Saint Paul and grief. An appendix provides a structure for a men's group, based on Rohr's work with M.A.L.E.S (Men as Learners and Elders), a program of the Center for Action and Contemplation, which Richard founded and now directs in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    £14.50
    £14.50
  • Falling Upward companion journal
    Falling Upward companion journal
    £9.99

    Falling Upward: A companion journal

    In 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
    £9.99
  • Home Tonight
    Home Tonight
    £9.99

    Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son

    ,
    Prior 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
    £9.99
  • Contemplative Prayer
    Contemplative Prayer
    £9.99

    Contemplative Prayer

    ,
    Thomas 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
    £9.99
  • Finding Happiness
    Finding Happiness
    £8.99

    Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life

    ,
    Our obsession with seeking happiness through consumption and pleasure often leads to very little fulfillment. In this accessible and engaging book, Abbot Christopher Jamison encourages alternative approaches to our view of happiness. He turns to monastic wisdom and Benedictine tradition to offer answers to the eternal question: what does it mean to be truly happy? He also looks in turn at the demons that make us unhappy, providing guidance and generous insight on our search for contentment.
    £8.99
    £8.99
  • Spirituality and Remembering
    Spirituality and Remembering
    £3.50

    Spirituality and Remembering

    This Grove Booklet grew out of a sense of that since memory is such an essential part of our being human, it must be important in our spirituality. Spirituality concerns the way we live out what we believe about God and the way he relates to us. Much of our internal reflecting depends on what we carry in our memories and so God must be concerned about them as he is about the rest of us. But some many people look back with nostalgia, or pain, or large parts of our memory may be suppressed. Chapters cover Memory ...and the Christian faith ... and God ... the Bible ...and prayer ...and pastoral care ...and identity.
    £3.50
    £3.50
  • £10.99

    The Wounded Healer

    ,
    What does it mean to be a healer in the modern world? In this hope-filled and profoundly simple book, Henri Nouwen offers a radically fresh interpretation of modern ministry. Here he inspires devoted men and women who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways of ministry alienating and ineffective. According to Nouwen, ministers are called to identify the suffering in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. For Nouwen, ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional, somewhat aloof role and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering as those they serve. In other words, we heal from our wounds. Generally recognized as one of Nouwen’s finest works, this book is a modern classic.
    £10.99
    £10.99
  • Finding a Personal Rule of Life
    Finding a Personal Rule of Life
    £4.00

    Finding a Personal Rule of Life

    ,
    How can I discover a pattern of life which expresses the discipline God calls me to live by but also the freedom that I am to enjoy as a follower of Christ? This engaging study, full of practical wisdom, shows how the concept of 'rule of life' can do just that when used aright. It explores the practical need and biblical basis for 'rule,' looks at what makes 'rule' helpful, and guides the reader through the process of building a personal rule of life.
    £4.00
    £4.00
  • The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See
    £19.99

    The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See

    The enlightenment you seek in other religions has been present in Christianity from the beginning. Richard Rohr helps you recognise the forces (such as ego resistance and dual thinking) that separate you from your deeper self. then, drawing from the Gospels and the greatest Christian contemplatives, he shows you what it means to be spiritually awake. You'll learn:
      • why your ego resists change and growth
      • - What Jesus, the first mystical leader in the West, can teach you
      • - What is useful about popular ideas such as 'the law of attraction'
      • - how you can enhance spiritual awareness without sacrificing reason
     
    £19.99
    £19.99
  • The Promise of Paradox
    The Promise of Paradox
    £15.99

    The Promise of Paradox: a celebration of contradictions in the Christian life

    First 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
    £15.99
  • £11.99

    Immortal Diamond: The Search For Our True Self

    In Falling Upward  (and in many of his other teachings), Richard Rohr talks at length about ego (or the False Self) and how it gets in the way of spiritual maturity, especially if it’s preoccupations continue into the second half of life. But if there’s a False Self, is there also a True Self? What is it? How is it found? Why does it matter? And what does it have to do with the spiritual journey? In this new book, he likens the True Self to a diamond, buried deep within us, formed under the intense pressure of our lives, needing to be searched for, uncovered and separated from all the debris of ego that surrounds it. In a sense True Self must, like Jesus, be resurrected, and that process is not resuscitation but transformation.

    Immortal Diamond  (the title is taken from a line in a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem) explores the deepest questions of identity, spirituality and meaning in Richard Rohr’s inimitable style.

    £11.99
    £11.99
  • £12.99

    Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit

    ,

    Spiritual 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

    £12.99
    £12.99