-
Course in Desert Spirituality: Fifteen Sessions with the Famous Trappist Monk
Desert Monasticism, Influences & Suggested ReadingThomas 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 -
The Promise of Paradox: a celebration of contradictions in the Christian life
The Inner JourneyFirst published in 1980 - and reissued here with a feisty new introductory essay - The Promise of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer s career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not "either/ors", allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being. Animated by the insights of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, The Promise of Paradox explores spiritual questions in the open and generous spirit of Christian mysticism, challenging forms of Christianity that are closed and even cruel. There are no easy answers to these questions, and there may be no answers at all. But with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Palmer advocates the rich possibilities that emerge when we learn to "live the questions".£15.99 -
Less is More : Spirituality for Busy Lives
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyBrian 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 -
Sale
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.Original price was: £10.99.£7.99Current price is: £7.99. -
Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life
The Inner Journey, Traditional MonasticismOur 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 -
Immortal Diamond: The Search For Our True Self
The Inner JourneyIn 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.£11.99Immortal 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.
-
Contemplative Prayer
Influences & Suggested Reading, Scripture & PrayerThomas Merton's classic study of monastic prayer and contemplation brings a tradition of spirituality alive for the present day. But, as A M Allchin points out in his Introduction to this new edition, Contemplative Prayer also shows us the present day in a new perspective, because we see it in the light of a long and living tradition. Merton stresses that in meditation we should not look for a 'method' or 'system' but cultivate an 'attitude' or 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, trust, joy. God is found in the desert of surrender, in giving up any expectation of a particular message and 'waiting on the Word of God in silence'. Merton insists on the humility of faith, which he argues 'will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalisation of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history'.£9.99 -
The White Stone: The art of letting go
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyEsther de Waal is one of today's most beloved spiritual writers. In The White Stone, she reflects on the changes and losses that come with growing older. Esther reflects on solitude and, following a period of illness, saying goodbye to a family home and the Welsh border landscape she had known for decades which inspired some of her greatest writing, and adjusting to a new city environment. In her characteristic style, she sees everything as a portal into a deeper spiritual understanding. She draws on the wealth of the Christian tradition, especially scripture and the monastic and Celtic spiritualities she knows so well, to help her navigate her way through not only the inevitable sense of loss that accompanies such change, but also to embrace the new possibilities it brings. The white stone of the title refers to a small pebble from the river that ran through her garden that she keeps in her pocket, but also strikes a note of hope referring to the new identity promised by God (Revelation 2.17). This is a book of simple, profound wisdom that will speak to many coping with change in their own lives.£12.99 -
The Monkhood of All Believers : The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality
New MonasticismAlthough 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 -
Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of “And” in an Either-Or World
Everyday Life, Scripture & PrayerWhat 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 -
Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety
Influences & Suggested Reading, The Inner JourneyAt 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 -
Putting Joy Into Practice : Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church
Spiritual Exercises, The Inner JourneyPutting 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
