After You Believe - Why Christian Character Matters

N.T. Wright

In the tradition of his award-winning "Surprised by Hope," Bishop Wright once again topples the accepted wisdom about what many people think the Bible teaches.

HarperOne

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 307

Dimensions: 8 x 5.42 x 0.8

 $15.99  

And God Spoke to Abraham: Preaching from the Old Testament

Fleming Rutledge

Sixty superlative sermons on familiar Old Testament texts. Many Christian preachers today largely neglect the Old Testament in their sermons, focusing instead on the Gospel accounts of Jesus teachings and activities. As Fleming Rutledge points out, however, when the New Testament is disconnected from the context of the Old Testament, it is like a house with no foundation, a plant with no roots, or a pump with no well. In this powerful collection of sixty sermons on the Old Testament, Rutledge expounds on a number of familiar Old Testament passages featuring Abraham, Samuel, David, Elijah, Job, Jonah, and many other larger-than-life figures. Applying these texts to contemporary life and Christian theology, she highlights the ways in which their multivocal messages can be heard in all their diversity while still proclaiming univocally, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

William B. Eerdmans Publishing

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 421

Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.0

 $30.00  

Black Battle, White Knight: The Authorized Biography of Malcolm Boyd

Michael Battle

Civil rights activist, a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War, champion of gay rights, and author of over 30 books - including his spiritual classic Are You Running with Me, Jesus? - Malcolm Boyd gained prominence during the 1960's as the "Espresso Priest" for his readings in coffeehouses and his activism outside the confines of the institutional church.

Based on actual spiritual direction sessions plus a series of e-mail exchanges between Boyd and the author, readers are permitted to eavesdrop as Boyd recounts narratives of his life as a celebrity priest, his battles against racism and homophobia, and the people and events that shaped his life, including his association with celebrities such as Mary Pickford and Hugh Hefner, plus his long-term partner Mark Thompson.
 
An unconventional biography of an unconventional life, Black Battle, White Knight also reflects the lively exchanges between Boyd and the book's African-American, heterosexual author as Battle seeks guidance for his own religious career and inspiration from one of the elders of the church. In addition to reproducing many of the e-mails and transcripts of the oral exchanges, the book is enhanced by the inclusion of numerous rare photographs from Boyd's personal archives - many unpublished until now.

Church Publishing

Cover: Hardcover

Pages: 239

Dimensions: 9.27 x 6.32 x .85

 $30.00  

Blessed Relief

Gordon Peerman

Based on his conviction that Buddhist teachers have a lot to offer about how to deal with suffering, Episcopal priest Peerman takes readers on a lively, even lighthearted, journey through eight Buddhist practices that can bring "blessed relief" to a wide range of human suffering. Show Less

SkyLight Paths

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 182

Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6

 $16.99  

Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts

Sam Portaro

In these meditations on the lesser feasts and fasts of the church calendar Sam Portaro asks the question, What do these saints and commemorations have to say to Christians today?

Please e-mail us to reserve your place for the free lecture.

Cowley Publications

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 225

Dimensions: 9.04 x 7.1 x .63

 $24.95  

Child by Child: Supporting Children with Learning Differences and their Families

Susan Richardson

A how-to guide to integrate children and youth with special needs into church programs and activities, including worship. Includes how to train volunteers and staff for hands-on work with children and youth who have special needs. Provides a theological grounding for the inclusion of people with learning differences and disabilities in the life of a congregation. Integrating children and teens with learning differences into church programs is a growing priority for nearly all congregations, large and small, yet many feel ill-equipped to “manage” those with special needs in their classrooms, programs and worship. This new guidebook for churches is designed to help integrate children and teens with learning differences—and their families—into the fabric of everyday church life. A useable on-the-ground resource for church leaders with specific suggestions, samples, and processes for adapting curricula, training volunteers, and supporting parents and caregivers, this guide is grounded in theological principles for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the life of a congregation. It begins by focusing on human relationships instead of programs. Expanding the church’s awareness and understanding of inclusion is done with respect and achieved by extending the gospel of welcome to all. An extensive annotated bibliography of support materials is included.

Morehouse Publishing

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 112

Dimensions: 9.0 x 6.0

 $14.00  

Christianity after Religion

Diana Butler Bass

In her latest book, religion expert Bass offers a fresh interpretation of this transformation and identifies a new spiritual awakening taking place inside and outside the church.

HarperOne

Cover: Hardcover

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 9.31 x 6.4 x 1.14

 $25.99  

Discerning Your Spiritual Gifts

Lloyd Edwards

Edwards discusses spiritual gifts from a biblical perspective, and guides us in the discovery of our particular spiritual gifts through step-by-step exercises and challenging self-evaluation.

Cowley Publications

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 8.48 x 5.72 x 0.65

 $16.95  

Embracing Emergence Christianity: Phyllis Tickle on the Church's Next Rummage Sale DVD

Phyllis Tickle

Author, historian and keen cultural observer Phyllis Tickle invites us
to join her in examining the changing face of Christianity and culture.
Phyllis surveys 2000 years of Western history, identifying the great
upheavals that occur in Western culture and Christianity every 500
years. The last was the Great Reformation of the 1500’s; the next is
happening now.

What are the implications of this “Great Emergence,” both culturally
and spiritually? What are the key questions and issues that need to be
addressed? Where might we be headed next?

And, perhaps most importantly, where are you, at this moment? Might
you be an emergence Christian?

There are six sessions on this DVD.  Each session begins with a video
presentation by Phyllis Tickle, lasting from 10-15 minutes. Ms. Tickle’s
presentation is followed by filmed interaction with a small group. The
Participant Workbook (sold separately)  then helps your small group “join the dialogue” in
your own setting.

THE SIX SESSIONS:
Session 1: Emergence 101
Session 2: Where Now is the Authority?
Session 3: The 20th Century and Emergence
Session 4: Gifts from Other Times
Session 5: How Then Shall We Live?
Session 6: Hallmarks of Emergence

Church Publishing

Cover: DVD

 $39.95  

First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus' Birth

Marcus J. Borg & John Dominc Crossan

n The First Christmas Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan—top Jesus scholars and authors of The Last Week—help us see the real Christmas story buried in the familiar Bible accounts. Basing their interpretations onthe two nativity narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Borg and Crossan focus on the literal story—the inner truth rather than the historical facts—to offer a clear and uplifting message of hope and peace. With The First Christmas readers get a fresh, deep, and new understanding of the nativity story, enabling us to better appreciate the powerful message of the Gospels. - from the Publisher

HarperOne

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 259

Dimensions: 8 x 5.25 x .75

 $13.99  

How God Became King - The Forgotten Story of the Gospels

N.T. Wright

Noted bishop and New Testament scholar Wright shows readers how they have been misreading the Gospels for centuries and restores its lost central story: the coronation of God through Jesus as the climax of history.

HarperOne

Cover: Hardcover

Pages: 282

Dimensions: 9.28 x 6.39 x 1017

 $25.99  

In Vain: A Prequel to "The Averillan Chronicles"

Barbara Reichmuth Geisler

In 11th-century England, Abbess Cecily hosts a dinner at Shaftesbury Abbey. Among the guests are Cecily's half brother, Tirel, a knight and world-weary veteran of the Crusades, Sir Baudri de Beaumont and his lovely wife, Beatrice, and Beatrice's look-alike sister Sophina. As minstrels, jugglers, and acrobats amuse the diners, Beatrice suddenly collapses in agony and breathes her last. It now falls to Dame Averilla, a headstrong young nun, Sir Tirel, and Bailiff Robert Bradshaw to investigate. The three must determine whether a crime has indeed been committed, or whether the death, which appears to have been caused by poisoned food, was a dreadful accident. In the process, they discover that the woman who actually succumbed to the poison might not have been Beatrice, and that the murder may have arisen either from jealousy and avarice among the nobility, or was a politically driven outrage ordered by King Henry himself.

Lost Coast Press

 $0.00  

Keeping in Tune with God: Listening Hearts Discernment for Clergy

Suzanne G. Farnham & Timothy H. Grayson

Keeping in Tune with God is an essential resource for clergy and the people who love, work with, and care about them. Based on the tested wisdom of Listening Hearts discernment, the book provides clergy with encouraging words and practices to develop their relationships with God, their families and friends; to carry the practice of spiritual discernment into the life of their congregations; and to work more effectively with other leaders to nurture the life of Christ in the world around them.

Morehouse Publishing

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 101

Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.0 x .4

 $16.00  

Love God Heal Earth: 21 Leading Religious Voices Speak Out on Our Sacred Duty to Protect the Environment

The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham

Foremost religious leaders from diverse faith communities respond to the most controversial question of our time: Can we save the earth? The answer could hinge on the phenomenon of the fast-growing interfaith religious environmental movement. The author makes the case for environmental stewardship that cuts across old divisions of faith and politics. She presents 20 fellow religious leaders and eminent scholars (from rabbis to evangelicals to Catholics, Muslims and Buddhists) each contributing an original essay-chapter, with personal stories of awakening to the urgent need for environmental awareness and action. From all parts of the religious and political spectrum, they come together to tell why caring for the earth is a spiritual mandate, giving chapter and verse and offering plans of action that go beyond the walls of religious congregations and out into the broader community.

St. Lynn's Press

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 227

Dimensions: 8.94 x 6.1 x .6

 $17.95  

Made For Goodness - And Why This Makes All the Difference

Desmond Tutu & Mpho Tutu

In his most personal and inspirational book to date, the beloved Nobel Prize-winner shares a powerful vision on why each person can find hope and joy even in troubled times.
 
"With disarming narrative skill, ...Tutu and his daughter...tell true stories in which both brutality and hopefulness turn out to be as intimate as they are global. If you are still open to being convinced that goodness changes everything, then this book is for you."--Barbara Brown Taylor, author of An Altar in the World
 
Recommended by The Rev. Debra Shew, Canon for Community Ministries

HarperOne

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 7.98 x 5.4 x .56

 $15.99  

Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World

John Shelby Spong

For centuries, scholars have been debating, analyzing and exploring perhaps the most influential book ever written--the Bible--and overturning much of what we know about this sacred text. However, a large group of people who actually use this book, mainly lay Christians, aren't aware of this larger, deeper conversation. It is for these people that Spong, drawing on a lifetime of experience, writes Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, a primer on the history and significance of the Bible. In this informal and accessible survey, Spong will move book by book through the Scriptures, introducing their themes and messages by examining the sweep of history in which these books were originally written. What has history taught us? How should we read these stories today? What does it mean for how we live our lives? And why do people tenaciously hold on to so many myths associated with the Bible? For the vast audience of people eager for a meaningful journey into the Bible, Spong leads the way.

HarperOne

Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.5

 $28.99  

Rhythms of Grace: Worship and Faith Formation fro Children and Families with Special Needs

Audrey Scanland and Linda Snyder

Rhythms of Grace is a unique and innovative program resource designed to meet the spiritual needs of children and families living with autism spectrum disorders. Participant families gather monthly with program leaders and volunteers for sessions that are a hybrid of worship and faith formation. Rhythms of Grace helps children and their families feel at the center of a worship/formation experience that is specific to their needs and circumstances, rather than merely at the margins of a more conventionally “inclusive” program of worship or faith formation. With lesson plans and how to develop this in your church, learn more Rhythms of Grace consists of scripture-based session plans, as well as the background material needed to establish a successful program. The program includes 12 monthly sessions (Sept. to Aug.) and 6 feast sessions, plus background material.

Morehouse Publishing

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 140

Dimensions: 11.0 x 8.5

 $30.00  

Songs in Waiting: Spiritual Reflections on Christ's Birth

Paul-Gordon Chandler

There remains a constant need for new perspectives on the liturgical church seasons in order to keep them spiritually fresh and to bring them to life in new ways. This book will enable Christian readers to experience a new depth in their faith journey as they celebrate the season of Advent.

This is a short book of spiritual meditations for the Advent season on the four “Middle Eastern” songs sung around the birth of Jesus: canticles that play an important role in the liturgical worship of the church over the centuries. These canticles include: the Song of Mary (Magnificat), Song of Zechariah (Benedictus), Song of the Angels (Gloria), and Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis). The devotions emphasize the Middle Eastern cultural elements of these songs. - from the Publisher

Morehouse Publishing

Pages: 100

Dimensions: 7.25 x 5.25 x .45

 $2,000.00  

St. Benedict's Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living

Jane Tomaine

When St. Benedict formed his first small community of monks at Monte Cassino on the hilltop, Italy--and much of Europe--was ravaged by war. The Roman Empire was breaking apart, and politics, cultural life, and even the Church, were all in disarray. In the midst of these tumultuous times, Benedict offered his followers a "little rule," a guide about the size of a checkbook, that showed his monks the way to peace as they learned to prefer Christ above all things. Though it was written nearly 1500 years ago, the Rule of Benedict still offers the practical tools for living a Christ-centered today. Here in St. Benedict's Toolbox, readers will find a primer on how to use these tools in their own tumultuous lives. Each chapter examines one aspect of the Rule, from ways of praying to ways of embracing humility, and offers suggestions for prayer, reflection, journaling, and action. As they learn to use Benedict's tools, readers will discover the power--and the timeliness--of this ancient way of life.

Morehouse Publishing

Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.76 x .48

 $20.00  

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis

Lauren F. Winner

In the critically acclaimed memoir "Girl Meets God," Lauren F. Winner chronicled her sojourn from Judaism to Christianity. Now, in "Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis," Winner describes how experiences of loss and failure unexpectedly slam her into a wall of doubt and spiritual despair: "My belief has faltered, my sense of God's closeness has grown strained, my efforts at living in accord with what I take to be the call of the gospel have come undone."

Witty, relatable, and fiercely honest, Winner lays bare her experience of what she calls the "middle" of the spiritual life. In elegant and spare prose, she explores why--in the midst of the overwhelming anxiety, loneliness, and boredom of her deepest questioning about where (or if) God is--the Christian story still explains who she is better than any other story she's ever known. "Still" is an absorbing meditation combining literary grace with spiritual wisdom. It is sure to resonate with anyone looking to sustain a spiritual life in the midst of real life.

HarperOne

Cover: Hardcover

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.53 x 5.83 x 0.76

 $24.99