Church Publishing Incorporated

Here, in handy pocket- or purse-sized format, is a nuts-and-bolts guide to visiting the elderly in a variety of settings to offer pastoral care and spiritual comfort. Kirkwood offers readers a thorough overview of the aging process, including the challenges of dementia and a look at the unique emotional and spiritual needs of the elderly.

This book offers help to those who want to make visits to the elderly more meaningful.

The Advent season is filled with rich themes that have fascinated poets. In Run, Shepherds, Run, Bill Countryman presents a poem a day for devotional reading during Advent and the twelve days of Christmas. Readers will find classic poets they know and love, including George Herbert, John Donne, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as well as contemporary poets, known and unknown.

Run, Shepherds, Run includes helpful hints for reading poetry, for those who have less experience reading it than others, as well as useful annotations to help readers with older language that may not have easily apparent meanings for today's readers.

Eyes to See: The Redemptive Purpose of Icons offers the discovery of life-giving spiritual insights found through learning to read the language of religious icons. Written especially for those whose traditions have not included icons, this book introduces eight icons written (painted) by the author. Historical notes, explanation of symbolism, related scriptures for interpretation, and a reflection for each icon deepens understanding and appreciation for the ancient holy images of the Church.

The book is eight chapters in length, each describing one of the eight full-color icon plates in the insert.

How do we live as "resurrection people"? How do we take those stories into our hearts and lives, living as though we believe resurrection to be a reality?

Frank Brookhart takes stories of the resurrection and illuminates a way for Christians and seekers to explore life in the new creation. Tying the Gospel narrative to our lives as followers of Jesus, he proposes a means for transforming people and churches through living into the resurrection with the Risen Lord.

Developed as a companion to Christ Walk: A 40 Day Spiritual Fitness Program, Christ Walk Kids is an exciting 40-day journey for youth (ages 11 and up) to explore mind, body, and spiritual health.
This book helps kids set physical goals by committing to walk different routes based on routes in the Bible. Each chapter explores a topic that everyone thinks about, but not everyone knows how to address. Anna Courie opens up a discussion with youth about health topics they think and talk about amongst themselves, but puts the dialogue in the perspective of spiritual development. Key to the success of this outline is that each day there are topics for youth and parents and/or youth leaders to use as they explore health in a safe environment.

Youth are encouraged to participate fully in the Christ Walk program by physical challenges (walking, running, or biking “biblical” routes); mental challenges (deep discussion and thoughtfulness of youth health risks); and spiritual challenges (biblical references and spiritually grounded self-development). Youth and parents are urged to participate together in the Christ Walk program so that the church can address the health of the entire family holistically: mind, body, and spirit.

The only way you can really get to know God is through prayer, says author Christopher L. Webber, and the Prayer Book sets out a pattern that has been used by saints and sinners for centuries. This guide will help readers, newcomers, and longtime Episcopalians alike get started on the ancient way of praying found in the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer. A User's Guide illuminates the theology, history, and practical concerns of worshipping God in Morning and Evening Prayer. With the complete text of these prayer services, in both Rite I and Rite II, along with running commentary, this book takes Episcopalians by the hand as they explore and pray the Daily Office.

Raise hopeful, grounded and action-oriented children in a time that feels full of uncertainty.

Kids and parents alike are feeling the weight of these troubling times. Anxiety disorders are on the rise in teens and children. “Climate anxiety” is a phrase entering our cultural lexicon.

Ancient practices of Christianity, both internal and external, can be a guidepost for parents navigating this uncharted territory. They give us a way to be grounded as well as provide a way of living with purpose in a time of urgency. The Hopeful Family is the guidebook for parents who are building a life of meaning and hope even in a time of unease. Readers will be reminded of the hope that is part of the Christian story and find both inspiration and evidence to step more fully into a framework of abundance and optimism.

Powerful sermons from Washington National Cathedral that inspire and a foreword by John Meacham.

Through their sermons, Cathedral clergy and guest preachers such as Jon Meacham, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry share inspiring words. Collectively, they offer lasting guidance for difficult times, reinforcing that even in the midst of loss and chaos, God is at work among us, lifting us up and giving us hope for the future.

Topics include hope, faith during times of distress, love, grief, and the presence of God. With a foreword by Jon Meacham.

The God of Second Isaiah, the “Holy One of Israel,” is increasingly foreign to modern Anglicans, who are often uncomfortable with the uncanny, fiery side of God. Unfortunately, this may leave Anglicans frustrated both with God’s “non-rational” ways and with morality-centered Christianity.

The new research behind this book reveals Second Isaiah as priestly temple literature, expert at the Holy and its coming dawn on earth. Second Isaiah highlights priestly themes and quotes the temple texts to help readers approach that which is utterly mysterious. To study this material is to rediscover the overwhelming, absolute worth of God.

Using an ecological approach to study how emerging technologies impact individual and communal formation, Faith Formation 4.0 looks at how our efforts to be story-keepers, story-sharers, and story-makers have evolved over four eras of human communication.Framed by the Great Commission imperative to “make disciples,” this book offers a road map to help leaders develop goals to form, inform, and transform new members, as well as long-time believers, within a faith community. The author successfully illustrates that church success depends not only on knowing the Christian message of God’s enduring love, but also how to use today’s tools appropriately for evangelization and faith formation.

Step-by-step instructions for painting icons, from original drawings through finished product. This is the sequel to the authors previous work, A Brush with God, for advanced beginners, intermediate, and advanced iconographers. It presents greater detail and instructions for creating entirely new icons. One major feature of this book is the full-page sketches that artists can photocopy and use as the basis of their own icons, providing a unique and much-requested resource. Includes eight full-color plates of the author's original icons.

Chapters and topics include:

1. Introduction and contemporary reflections on iconography, spirituality, and technique.
2. Highlighting folds on full-length figures, including black and white renderings of draped legs, arms, and torsos.
3. Architectural and landscape renderings in Byzantine iconography, including background shadow and highlighting techniques, plus inverse perspective.
4. Festal icons, involving multiple figures, landscapes, architecture, furniture, vegetation, and animals.
5. Construction of heads, figures, and analysis of whole compositions, sacred geometry and proportion.

A thoughtful analysis of the faulty rationale behind Christian anti-gay bias.

There have been enormous strides toward equality for the queer community in recent years. There have also been regressive local legislative actions seeking to limit those national steps toward equality. Many of those who have led these regressive efforts are individuals steeped in purposeful ignorance, bias, tribalism, and a radicalization of faithful beliefs, misleading their congregations and influencing legislators.

Personhood, the intense value of our individuality, cannot be made less by these few passages of scripture: God’s love for our uniqueness is not compromised by oft misinterpreted verses. Having knowledge and words to counter baseless accusations can disarm those who would use these passages as weapons of exclusion and judgement, and can empower the queer community to live confidently in God’s love.

A renowned physician explores the transformative journey of being a patient, offering profound insights into the power of the human spirit and what it means to truly heal from a traumatic medical event

Inspired by the harrowing experience of being a seasoned doctor who unexpectedly becomes a patient, Dr Andrew G. Kadar reimagines the conventional medical narrative by inviting readers into an enlightening journey of healing. More than a simple story of physical recovery, however, this trailblazing guide delves into the emotional, spiritual, and psychological facets of getting better, ultimately helping readers through initial challenges, gradual return to normalcy, and introspective reflections during convalescence. From the confines of a medical facility to the reality of everyday life, Kadar shows what to expect when transitioning from the patient experience to sobering post-recovery reality. Enriching each chapter is a unique fusion of professional medical insights and personal experience. This dual viewpoint gives an invaluable glimpse into the healthcare system, providing rich insights into everything from patient care, to staying in a positive mindset regardless of diagnosis, to the personal impact of long-term health challenges. What results is a testament to human resilience, one that underscores the transformative power of adversity and the importance of self-care. Whether you're a medical professional, a patient, or navigating a loved one's health challenges, this book delivers a uniquely enlightening and empowering perspective on the complexities of healing and the innate strength within us all.

The flourishing website EpiscopalCafe.org produced by the Diocese of Washington attracts several thousand visitors a day. Its popular column “Speaking to the Soul,” which contains a concise, well-developed spiritual reflection for every day of the year, draws from many different sources, including scripture, church history, saints’ biographies, books of prayers, liturgies, and ancient and contemporary theologians and spiritual writers.

This daily reader grew out of that column. It follows the Episcopal Church’s liturgical seasons and includes observation of major feast days as well as saints’ days.

The reading for a particular saint’s day might be taken from the saint’s writings, prayers, or biography, or might develop a theme such as martyrdom or growth in the spirit. Other readings focus on particular emphases of the seasons (the Incarnation during Advent and Christmas; spiritual disciplines during Lent); or speak more generally to the Christian life (prayer, discipleship, ministry, the sacraments, conflict and reconciliation, and so on).

Readings are taken from every century of the church’s life, with particular attention to how the writings and experiences of earlier Christians can shed light on the difficulties, joys, and concerns of the church today. Excerpts are long enough to give a satisfying and complete context of the writer’s intended meaning.

Offers reflections on how the words of a first-century Jew can offer meaning, hope, and wholeness to readers today.

Across the Threshold, into the Questions includes new encounters with Jesus and his parables and teachings from the Gospel stories in Mark, Matthew and Luke. This volume continues to build the strong foundation needed for another volume that uses Goldman and William Dols' method to explore the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas.

What distinguishes Christian ministry from other helping professions? While many books tell clergy how to run a capital campaign, handle conflict, and lead a vestry, this book helps pastors, chaplains, and lay professionals appreciate the spiritual depth of their calling and reminds them that Christian ministry is Christs ministry working through them.

This vital resource explores the essential considerations of pastoral work with those with intellectual disabilities.

Drawing on the vast experience of the L’Arche community that fully includes and centers those with intellectual disabilities, this practical guide offers ideas for imaginative worship to engage people with all abilities. It gives suggestions for enabling participation and building familiarity while keeping worship fresh and varied, with ready-to-use themed service outlines that are appropriate throughout the Christian year. It includes a compendium of resources for creating your own acts of worship, including prayers, blessings, stories, quotes, a directory of online resources, ideas for what to keep in a “liturgy box,” ideas or seasonal decoration of the worship space, and many more resources from L’Arche.

This book is rooted in the belief that each human being is on a spiritual quest to find meaning in their life, and while each person’s path is uniquely their own, we share the journey together. The important thing is to encourage each other’s personal development, and celebrate the gifts and talents that emerge within and for the whole community.

In this simple yet comprehensive account, William Sydnor provides essential materials for persons who are beginning to discover the Episcopal Church. Topics covered include the church’s symbols, customs, and practices, as well as its history, creeds, sacraments, and mission. The book also includes a leader’s guide in the appendix to assist in conducting confirmation instruction.

Traces of Glory is the first in a three-volume collection of prayers and other resources based on the Common Worship Lectionary used in many parts of the Anglican Communion, and very similar to lectionaries in use in the United States. Written in the Celtic style for which the author is known, and linked to the Sunday readings, these prayers and intercessions may be used by congregations for the Prayers of the People, as well as by individuals seeking to supplement their own devotions.

"Only the strong can forgive. God, who is strongest, forgives best," writes Dr. L. William Countryman in this fresh look at forgiveness. Unlike most books on the subject, Forgiven and Forgiving is not about a step-by-step process. Rather, it is about conversion. Once we truly understand the depths of God's love for us and know deep-down that we are forgiven, we begin to see the world anew through God's eyes. Only when we are able to accept God's forgiveness for ourselves can we offer forgiveness to others. Biblically based with sound academic research, yet written in a conversational style, Forgiven and Forgiving offers valuable insights for clergy, laity, and church study groups.

Recent crises have revealed the desperate need for wise, grounded leadership.

Too often, leaders have little experience and even less training in how to address crises in a way that strengthens their communities and guides them into the future. Drawing on examples from government, business, health care, non-profits, and the church, this book helps leaders in those sectors in the present crises and beyond. When a pandemic closes down churches, schools, and offices; when protests rage over racist police brutality; when everything you’ve always done as a leader becomes irrelevant, where can you turn? This book examines leaders who creatively navigated crises, drawing out principles of crisis leadership from them.

This series of Little Books of Leadership is designed to foster conversations within congregations around certain principles and practices that nurture community and growth in the ongoing life of the church.

Memory loss should not be spiritual loss.

“What do I do to help?” Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, almost everyone knows someone with some form of dementia, yet few know how to answer that question, and very little material exists on providing spiritual care to adults with dementia-related diseases. Even seminaries rarely provide training or clinical pastoral education in this field.

This book is an answer. It provides a hands-on manual that will give clergy, spiritual care providers, and family members an understanding of the ongoing spiritual needs of individuals with dementia, as well as practical tools such as how to create a religious service in a memory care unit and how one might plan a nursing home visit. Accessibly written, with real life applications and sample services for a variety of settings. More than just useful, the book inspires with shared stories that are tender, sad, funny—and sometimes all three at once, encouraging readers to develop spiritual care ministries for people with memory loss in congregations, homes, nursing facilities, or other communities—a ministry that will only gain in importance in the coming decade, as Baby Boomers age and the number of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia skyrockets.

The dinner table may be the only time that today's busy families sit down together and pray together. This book meets families where they are, offering prayers of thanks for macaroni and cheese, fast-food meals, and, yes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Includes rhyming prayers for little kids, dinner-table prayers for special family occasions, and prayers marking the movement of the church year.

Deeper Simplicity, Broader Generosity uses images found in agriculture, architecture, and creation—including a trellis, a jackpine, an artichoke, a ballet barre, a stork nest—to engage the reader in exploration of how and why we earn, spend, invest, and share our money. Reflections on these images help to build financial knowledge and engagement that can be transformational for ourselves, our communities, and the world.

• Financial wellness book for individuals; views financial planning and decision-making through the lens of personal spirituality.
• Respected workshop leader and CREDO faculty member.
• Twelve full color images.
• Discussion questions included.

An all-age resource to help children and families celebrate the run-up to Christmas.

Love Life, Live Advent provides a simple prayer activity for children and families to do together, every day of December until Christmas Day. Brightly illustrated throughout, it is designed to heighten a family's anticipation of Christmas and to enrich everyone’s understanding of this season of waiting and preparation.

“A Wing and a Prayer offers profound truths and vivid images of a more peaceful and just world. This powerful book will inspire people of faith and seekers alike to make its vision real.”—Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson, author of God's Troublemakers: How Women of Faith Are Changing the World

Katharine Jefferts Schori is a bishop on the move. She pilots her plane to remote parishes around the sprawling Diocese of Nevada and shares her passionate message of reconciliation and peace. As the first female primate in the 500-year history of Anglicanism, she has the opportunity to speak to a far wider audience.

“A collections of micro-sermons grouped thematically around issues like social justice, the deep love of God, the need for interfaith understanding, and the responsibility of all baptized persons to participate in lay ministry. Jefferts Schori speaks from an Episcopalian perspective, but also draws on Orthodox, Catholic and other Protestant traditions, making this a thoughtful resource for many different Christian denominations.”—Publishers Weekly

“Read this book as a series of daily meditations, and by the end of it you will not only know Bishop Katharine better, but you will find yourself filled with a livelier hope, reenergized for the ministry and mission of all of us baptized in Christ.”―The Rev. Linda Lee Clader, Ph.D., Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Homiletics, Church Divinity School of the Pacific

Help your congregation develop a deeper understanding of stewardship that goes well beyond the traditional function of supporting the church financially.
With this comprehensive manual, you'll learn how to plan and implement a year-round stewardship focus that involves more members in the life of the church community. Includes instructions for educating the congregation on the mission and ministry of the church and developing a long-range plan, plus useful tips and resources for organizing stewardship events, and forms for charting progress throughout the year. A "must read" for any congregation that wants to move beyond a once-a-year focus on Christian stewardship.

A classic and accessible guide in the field of Episcopal liturgy.

Originally published in 1979, Liturgy for Living remains a time-tested classic exploration of history, theology, and spirituality that shapes Anglican liturgy and specifically The Book of Common Prayer. Writing for all Episcopalians—pastors, seminarians, and laity—Professor Charles Price and Louise Weil uncover the riches of various liturgy, including Holy Baptism, Confirmation, the Daily Office, the Holy Eucharist, and the various pastoral offices. This edition contains an extensive and updated bibliography, a glossary of liturgical terms, and a list of internet website addresses that contain documents, further bibliographic information, and links to other websites—all related to liturgical studies.

“The worship of the Christian community, properly understood and done, leads worshipers to act out in their lives the love of God, which is at the heart of our worship. Worship also provides the power and the sustenance which makes this style of living possible. This Christian style of living, moreover, drives those who are committed to it back to the worship of God, to find forgiveness and strength...When this interdependent relationship is understood, the power of worship is illuminated and the power to live increased.”—From the Preface

Preaching Through Holy Days and Holidays is the eleventh in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes in the Episcopal Church. These sermons, collected from clergy around the country, focus on preaching the Holy Days and Holidays of the church and secular calendar.

Contents include sermons for:

• The High Holy Days (Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Evening, and Pentecost)
• major festivals (The Presentation of Our Lord, Ascension Day, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, All Saints' Day)
• Feasts of various saints
• Celebrations of ministerial vocation (The Baptism of Our Lord, The Nativity of John the Baptist, the ordination of a bishop, the renewal of ordination vows)
• Civic holidays (Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving) and more.

A diverse compilation of essays that explore the complex idea of simplicity in our lives, community, and environment, and how buying less and decluttering creates an enriching and sustainable life.

In a rare collection of voices, the authors of Simpler Living, Compassionate Life explore voluntary simplicity as a path to wholeness and abundance. Henri Nouwen, Cecile Andrews, Richard Foster, and 19 other writers encourage you to listen to your own story, and to respond to dialogue about the fundamental issues of life: time, money, food, spirituality, heritage, and community. A diversity of voices and a helpful study guide make this an effective tool for individuals and groups ready to consider alternatives to high-price, high-stress “good life”: the riches of simplicity and compassion.

“Simpler Living, Compassionate Life is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to have a comprehensive overview of the myriad ways living more simply has positively affected our culture. It is a delightful and practical guide for creating simplicity in our own lives, our communities, and for the benefit of our culture.”—Elaine James, author of Simplify Your Life and Inner Simplicity

A comprehensive history of the Christianity in Great Britain from the Roman Empire, through the Reformation and the 20th century.

This authoritative account of the Church in England covers its history from earliest times to the late twentieth century. Includes chapters on the Roman, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Medieval periods before a description of the Reformation and its effects, the Stuart period, and the Industrial Age, with a final chapter on the modern church through 1972.
“[JRH Moorman’s]]] work has all the qualities of that rare achievement, a good textbook. It is written in a plain but eminently readable expository prose . . . a piece of authentic historical writing, in which the author communicates his interest to the reader without misleading him.”―The Times Educational Supplement

A comprehensive, detailed handbook for the entire liturgical year that includes colors, music, and decorations for each season and occasion.

This guide for clergy, parish musicians, lay readers, and congregational representatives covers all the stages of organizing worship services for the entire year. Using The Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal 1982 as primary resources, it explores the rich variety of options—both time-honored traditions and accepted innovations.

Times and seasons covered in depth include Advent, the Twelve Days of Christmas, Lent and Holy Week, Easter and the Great Fifty Days, and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost. Planning the Church Year explains the preparations that make for meaningful holy days and special occasions, such as Lesser Feasts, Thanksgiving Day, Vigils, Michaelmas, All Saints’ Day, the bishop’s visitation, the Patronal and Dedication Festivals.

"It’s hard to have a God complex when your kids expect you to play garbage truck every night. This is the game where I lie on the floor as the boys stuff trucks, action figures, and plastic dinosaurs into my shirt. When the garbage truck is full to the point of overflowing, I go to the town dump by standing up. This is repeated ad nauseum. On any given day, I might find myself absolving sins in the name of the Church one moment and serving the cause of waste management the next."

Do you believe God can be found in both the miraculous and the mundane? Through 40 insightful and engaging essays, Tim Schenck helps us encounter God through the chaos of everyday life. The divine presence weaves its way into a family room fish tank, a child’s probing questions, the town pool, and the drive-thru window of the local fast food chain.

The long history of children in theology is told via analysis of some twenty-five theologians, grouped according to six historical periods.
Each account examines what a particular theologian thought about children and the experience it was based upon. Four themes that have shaped our attitudes about children in the church emerge from this history: ambivalence, ambiguity, indifference, and grace. The result of this study is to promote a healthier church, which will respect and utilize the distinctive gifts of children. In so doing, theologians will be better able to help clear the way for grace in the postmodern church.

In 1999, five scholars presented lectures at Washington National Cathedral about our images of God and what difference they make. This book is ideal for parish study groups and individuals to consider and discuss the viewpoints of Marcus Borg, Karen Armstrong, Jack Miles, James Cone, and Andrew Sung Park.

"Does the face of God change? Years ago I would have said, 'No.' Countless hymns, passage of Scripture and confessions of faith assert or imply the changelessness of God. To take issue with traditions that are centuries, if not millennia old, seemed to be daunting and misguided....But when the great professions of confidence in God harden into philosophical propositions, one is bound to ask: What difference would it make to say that God has only one face? Even if true in some sense, the fact of the matter is that features each of us would count as necessary and changeless would be a matter of considerable debate."
- From the Introduction

From the very beginning, human beings have loved to listen to stories. And Jesus loved to tell them. The parables are vivid, rich,arresting stories that make us think and teach us lessons about our relationship with God and others. From talents to mustard seeds, from shepherds to Samaritans, Jesus used common reference points to teach important truths.

But the parables are filled with ambiguity and room for interpretation. With historical and cultural background, and careful scholarly detail, this book helps readers explore their beauty, richness, and joy.

Includes discussion questions and activities. Chapters are organized by parable types such as seeking and growth.

A bishop and gun safety activist offers a way forward from opposing viewpoints.

Instead of dismissing those whose views and experiences are different from our own, the author argues that we must look directly at them and see the goodness that is inherent in all things. From the language we use to the imperative to understand and include, we have a duty to work through opposition and build community.

Bishop Beckwith describes it this way: "We are trained to think, yet the cultural emphasis on thinking has not be applied to our ability to see . . . We are not as well trained in seeing the world’s fullness—pain and joy, compassion and cruelty. We regularly receive glimpses of pain and joy, but they are often presented in such a way as to reinforce our thinking."

Invites us to recognize – and respond – to our own unique vocations.

Ears to Hear takes readers on a journey through the Old Testament, showing the way God called ordinary people to service, and drawing parallels for ordinary people in the twenty-first century. The story of Abraham, who was called away from his homeland with no clear destination, exemplifies the insecurity of modern-day readers who may be called to abandon the security of their homes or their jobs to do God’s will. The story of Moses, who was armed with a list of serious—and logical—objections to God’s call, is a lesson for contemporary readers faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles to their vocations. In each of these stories, Little shows that God’s call—in Old Testament days and now—is always accompanied with more than enough grace to answer it.

Each chapter concludes with a set of discussion questions, making this an ideal book not only for individuals discerning God’s call, but also for parish study groups.

Practical ideas for connecting and building communities of service.

Bishop Andy Doyle understands that the church must change. Every day, he presides over parishes that are no longer vital, that have not adapted to the “VUCA” (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world of today — the world in which the church exists. The church still looks to hierarchies when it needs to build networks, and stays mired in arguments when it needs to find unity. With the experience of a bishop and the insight of a deep learner, Doyle points the way to the future with a vision for how we can learn, serve, and communicate with each other.

This substantive book addresses the CREDO approach to wellness. Chapters explore the theology of wellness and identity, core values, creativity and passion, renewal, emotional health, spiritual practices, balance, transformation, and fitness. It features a foreword by the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Models, perspectives, theories, and stories are provided by contributors who are involved with CREDO as faculty, researchers, or participants.

A wide-ranging exploration of the past, present, and future effects of women’s ordination on the church.

This book gauges the impact and implications of women’s ordination on today and tomorrow. What has women’s ordination meant for the church? For preaching? For pastoral care? For the episcopate? For lay women and for women across the Anglican Communion? The editor draws upon a rich variety of writers and thinkers for this book.

Daniel was written during a time when God’s people were struggling to discern how to remain faithful, even as their lives were dominated by the political and cultural forces of the Empire. Daniel’s central themes have remained relevant ever since: the challenge of remaining loyal to God despite the alternately seductive and threatening voices of imperial powers; the indispensability of humility before God; the perpetual problem of human arrogance and failure to recognize the overarching power of God; the insatiable and life-denying human thirst for power and control; and the call to find in God the source of just, joyful and abundant living.

As people today try to make sense of a newly emerging global reality, Daniel continues to speak an important word about faithful living. Who truly controls our lives? To what or whom do we owe ultimate allegiance? To whom do the kingdom, the power and the glory belong? This book invites readers to consider the questions that Daniel raises and then live out the answers.

This lively blend of theory, story, and practical resources and checklists is designed for churches committed to welcoming and nurturing children, and those who care for them. Written for clergy, religious educators, Christian Education superintendents and planners -- from the local to the national level -- it shows how to work effectively with children in educational, liturgical, and pastoral settings.

A Prayer book designed to be used by individual women, as well as by those who are leading group prayer services.

For nearly two millennia, Christian women have learned to pray in the language of other people's souls. From worshiping God as father to envisioning a holy life as a military campaign, they've been taught to approach the Divine with the hearts and minds of men.

She Who Prays: A Woman's Interfaith Prayer Book offers women a new way to pray. It draws on feminine images of God, as well as the language and experience of women, to help women tap into their own rich and unique spirituality. With material from new translations of ancient Christian hymns and prayers, as well as original prayers in the Christian and other faith traditions, She Who Prays will help women speak to God in their own voices.

Arranged in roughly the same format as the Book of Common Prayer, She Who Prays contains a seven-day cycle of daily prayer services, prayers for special occasions, and a woman-oriented liturgical calendar that honors the lives of women of all faiths. The book also contains four rituals marking such themes as healing, reconciliation, and new beginnings, and a prayer to be used while walking a labyrinth.

An appendix provides information on world religions and instructions for group services.

“Of all the women in the Bible,” writes Nicola Slee, “Mary has been for me the most ambivalent, the most alien and yet, at some level, the most alluring. I’ve taken a long time to come to her—or for her to come to me. I grew up in a religious tradition—low church Methodism—in which Mary hardly featured, other than in the nativity story. Yet it is hardly possible to exist as an inhabitant of the western world, with even half an eye open to the visual and cultural heritage of Christendom, and not to have been in some way affected by this woman, the woman of the Christian tradition.”

With a collection of prayers and liturgical material focused around the figure of Mary, and the themes of motherhood, sisterhood, and female faith, this book projects a strong, contemporary attitude. It is clearly feminist, affirming the significance of Mary in the faith journey of contemporary Christian (and other) women, plus it challenges and critiques traditional stereotypes of Mary. The author explores the sorrows of Mary, her defiance and resistance, sexuality, sensuality, aloneness, independence and freedom, companionship, sisterhood, friendship, ministry, priesthood, contemplation, prayer and silence, wisdom, authority, faith, risk, and daring.

"The image of dancing with God may seem like an odd one for a book on Christian theology," writes Jay Johnson, "More than a few people probably assume dancing and theology have at least one thing in common: Other people do them. The good news of Christian faith suggests something different. Each and everyone of us is invited to dance with God. Each of us can dance. Each of us can do theology."

Theology, long seen as the domain of professors, scholars, and clergy, is actually the work of all God's people. Dancing with God uses the metaphor of dance to help readers--especially those without a theological background--approach the discipline of theology as something we all do, and not only something to believe. And doing theology is the practice of hope.

This book explores the way Anglicans approach theology. The good news, according to Johnson, is not about the assurance of "getting things right." It comes, instead, from considering our texts, creeds, and liturgies as invitations to dance with the God of abundant life. Beautifully and accessibly written, Dancing with God makes an excellent book for individual or parish study.

Although the Ten Commandments has been the center of much recent controversy in American politics, scripture contains many laws about which Christians are perplexed. If the Bible contains laws, shouldn't those laws be followed? What does the law that prohibits reaping a harvest to the very edges of your field mean in modern times? Or, what about God's prohibition, in Leviticus, not to round off the hair on your temples or to mar the edges of your beard? The Decalogue and the Holiness Code in Leviticus contain guidelines to ethical behavior that originally helped to shape a covenant community and still have meaning for us today.

In the newest addition to the Conversations with Scripture series, Kevin Wilson offers fresh insights into the meaning of the Law for today. In chapters that explore the Law in Exodus and Leviticus, Wilson examines the historical and cultural contexts of these legal codes. He discusses rituals such as sacrifice and rituals related to purification from defilement. Wilson demonstrates the ways in which the temple priests used many of these laws as their own code of purity and their own method of enforcing purity in the covenant community.

As with other books in the series, Wilson's book features definitions and sidebars in each chapter on particular topics, as well as study questions.

Life and faith are improvisational theater, and finding meaning is a work in progress.

From first breath to the first day of school, from first dates to last rites, most of us struggle with the overwhelming desire to find meaning. How do we love well, stay authentic, build community, enjoy life, and live justly all at the same time? No one knows. God may have a plan, but God never gave us the script.

This book will teach strategies to escape the oppressive voice of self-doubt, foster compassionate creativity, transform Christian faith into a meaningful life practice, and organize communities of faith based on the the principles of improvisational theater. Each chapter will focus on a skill or practice of improv, made relevant through autobiographical stories of and grounded in the Christian tradition. The end of each chapter will include brain exercises the average reader can do to strengthen the creative neural pathways required to master the improv skill for living.

Deeply poignant and astonishingly personal, this “moving story of a death in Tennessee” (Bill Moyers) shows hope can endure, grace can redeem, and humanity can exist—even in the darkest of places

It was a clash of race, privilege, and circumstance when Alan Robertson first signed up through a church program to visit Cecil Johnson on Death Row, to offer friendship and compassion. Alan's wife Suzanne had no intention of being involved, but slowly, through phone calls and letters, she began to empathize and understand him. That Cecil and Suzanne eventually became such close friends—a white middle-class woman and a Black man who grew up devoid of advantage—is a testament to perseverance, forgiveness, and love, but also to the notion that differences don’t have to be barriers.

This book recounts a fifteen-year friendship and how trust and compassion were forged despite the difficult circumstances, and how Cecil ended up ministering more to Suzanne’s family than they did to him. The story details how Cecil maintained inexplicable joy and hope despite the tragic events of his life and how Suzanne, Alan, and their two daughters opened their hearts to a man convicted of murder. Cecil Johnson was executed Dec. 2, 2009.

The Classic Victorian poem about Christian angst that still speaks to modern audiences. Accompanied by illustrations that deepen the meaning of the poem.

A portable paperback version of a long poem by the Catholic Victorian poet Francis Thompson that grapples with our relationship with God and faith. The Hound of Heaven was written in 1890, but it foresaw the 20th century themes of existentialism and anxiety in modern times. This poem was much loved by Christian-influenced authors like G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis, and in turn informed their own writing.

“[A] treat in store for you is the edition of the perennial Catholic classic. Francis Thompson's The Hound of Heaven. Jean Young provides beautiful new illustration for this poem. Thompson tells the familiar story of the sinner's flight from God, and God's even more insistent pursuit of the erring soul. . . . The poem has major appeal on many levels. . . . This little edition is great for a thoughtful gift.”—The Priest

"Our goal is the Kingdom, the completion of God's creative vision, and we are God's hands in bringing that vision to pass, " wrote Urban Holmes in Spirituality for Ministry, originally published in 1982. But, Holmes warned, ministers who are not rooted in the intimate knowledge of God will have a hard time being God's hands and serving the congregation well.

This timeless and still timely book examines the spiritual base that allows ordained clergy to be interpreters of God's message and symbol-bearers of God's presence in their congregations. Based on interviews with clergy from many denominations, Holmes explores the role of spirituality in the vocation of the ordained, the classic virtues of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the place of worship, prayer, and parish piety, and finally the necessity of spiritual companionship in the life of the clergy.

An invitation to a more participatory relationship with God through the power of prayer.

Nothing is more remarkable—or more beautiful—than an ordinary life, quietly transformed by prayer. This is the life that Deborah Smith Douglas chronicles—and invites readers into—in her lovely collection of essays and poems. Drawing from events as simple as breakfast with her five-year-old daughter or waiting in line at the post office, Douglas shows how a loving relationship with God can be nurtured in small ways every day. “Without my ever really intending it,” she writes, “my own life—as a wife and mother, daughter and friend—has taught me to see God hidden in the ordinary, to watch for God under the surface of things as a fisherman watches for fish.”

Woven into each of these pieces, along with reflections on the author’s experiences, are guidelines for readers watching for God in their own unique—and ordinary—lives. Divided into four sections—Ways of Praying, Healing, Spiritual Companionship, and Fruitfulness—The Praying Life will help Christians move from awareness of God’s presence in their lives to a deep participation in God’s love.

In these insightful essays, Barbara Cawthorne Crafton reflects on a broad range of experiences ministering among merchant seafarers, the homeless, the bereaved, AIDS patients, and others in need of personal and spiritual help. She shares honestly her own emotions as she grapples with the harsh realities of the world, while delighting in the humor and joy found in everyday living.

Crafton compassionately recounts the unique stories of the men, women, and children she worked with during her service as a port chaplain in New York and New Jersey and as a minister at Trinity Church on Wall Street. In doing so, she weaves together threads of the mundane and the traumatic, the lovely and the ugly, and the down to earth and the holy, creating an original tapestry of the richness of life.

This classic critique of Christian education is revised, expanded and includes Westerhoff's overview on the state Christian education over the past forty years.

According to Westerhoff, instead of guiding faith formation within the family, the church, and the school, we relegate religious education to Sunday morning classes. There, children learn the facts about religion, but how will they learn or experience faith? How can we nourish and nurture the faith of children, instead of only teaching the facts?

A wonderful resource to guide admirers of the humblest of saints what it means to live out the Christian life with a Franciscan accent.

In a little town in Italy, nearly 800 years ago, Francis of Assisi renounced everything he owned to follow Christ with passionate and single-minded abandon. Even today, centuries later, this simple saint draws people around the world to his story of living in humility, love, and joy.

Here in Following Francis, Susan Pitchford tells her own story of the Franciscan life, as a member of the Third Order, founded by Francis himself so that people from all walks of life can follow the saint's ideal, without leaving their homes or occupations. Pitchford learned that the Franciscan tradition isn't the exclusive possession of monks cloistered in a monastery, but a spiritual path for ordinary people living in the 21st century.

A handbook on domestic violence from a spiritual perspective, for clergy, parish nurses, and others.

Breaking the Silence contains important, action-oriented information about domestic violence and its pervasiveness in society. Sections include “myths” about domestic violence; a checklist to determine if a relationship is potentially violent; clergy resources for counseling, worship, and congregational outreach; rape; information for youth; and pages that can be customized with local and national contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and websites. Also includes questions for discussion and suggestions for using the book for training or as a youth and adult education tool.

This resource is limited to adult abuse, as the subject of child abuse is highly specialized and often includes many more laws and involvement from local agencies that will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

A valuable resource for enhancing liturgical understanding.

What is the point of the Lectionary? What are the problems and opportunities that it presents to those who use it? What are its strengths and weaknesses as an aid to worship? How can it be used and communicated most effectively today? These are among the key questions Thomas O'Loughlin addresses in this stimulating and much needed liturgical guide to the design, history, theology, and purposes of the Lectionary.

In the summer of 1995, Mary Earle returned from a vacation feeling refreshed and restored from her time away. A few days later, all that changed, when she was rushed to the emergency room with a case of acute and life-threatening pancreatitis. Being ill, she discovered, forces you to learn to live in whole new ways, ones often marked by limitation and fragility.

As a priest and spiritual director, Earle began to explore ways in which her own prayer life might help her build a different relationship with her illness. Using the Benedictine practice of lectio divina, or sacred reading, she began to "read" her own illness, and discovered a way of befriending and helping to heal--if not cure--her body and her life.

In Broken Body, Healing Spirit, Earle introduces this strategy to others who are hungry to find ways of living more fully despite chronic or serious illness or pain. Her practical, step-by-step approach to "reading the text of our illnesses," and learning to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us will be of help to those who are currently suffering with disease or limitations, as well as to those who are caregivers and counselors.

This practical manual guides churches through a year-long stewardship program. Covers the fundamentals of building a successful program -- from teaching Christian stewardship to hosting creative, successful commitment events. Filled with useful advice and how-to sections on topics ranging from recruiting and training leaders, to charting progress. Offers a complete overview of The Joyful Giving Program for stewardship.

This collection of thoughtful reflections looks at events and activities of everyday life and discovers routes to spiritual practice and deeper, daily spirituality.

At the behest of CREDO Institute, Inc., which hosts health and wellness conferences and is supported by the Episcopal Church Pension Fund, priest and CREDO conference leader Renée Miller wrote the 20 reflections and grouped them into the categories: Meditative Practice, Ministry Practice, Media Practice, Mind Practice, and Movement Practice. Each entry, accented with color photographs, is aimed at evoking mindfulness in the common activities of life, from music and movie going to reading, writing, and walking.

For the reader who wishes to use the book to introduce or more deeply explore spiritual practices with other people or in an instructional setting, each chapter concludes with a nod toward who might be inclined to certain practices, based on individual predilections or personality.

The Foreword by Herb Gunn lays out the theological underpinnings of spiritual discipline in what could stand alone as a primer on spiritual practice.

A modern interpretation the Rule of St. Benedict to infuse Christian spirituality to all aspects of our daily lives

These simple and inviting reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict take as their starting point our search for wholeness in a world that is fragmented and increasingly polarized. Many people today struggle to balance the demands of professional and personal lives, and find little satisfaction or peacefulness in either. Yet the ancient wisdom of St. Benedict offers a clear and helpful pathway that leads directly to healing, transformation and new life.

Written in de Waal's inimitable style, this book is for old friends of the Rule of St. Benedict and novices alike. Holding up segments of the Rule, de Waal's meditations on Benedict's words illuminate the wisdom of the Rule not only for those of Benedict's time, but for all of us today as well.

Preaching as Prophetic Calling is the twelfth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church.

This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of preaching a prophetic word. What does a prophetic sermon look like without being shrill, and without being filled with “musts,” “oughts,” and “shoulds”? This collection of sermons includes examples of prophetic preaching that are visionary and that speak in ways that offer radical comfort as well as radical challenge.

Hardly a day goes by without some poll or news story documenting the changing relationship between the general population and religion, often accompanied by predictions of doom. The rise of the "nones" and the "dones" leaves many adrift in a world with multiple complex challenges. Providers of "spiritual friendship"—pastors, spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, concerned Christians—will need to change their approach as those with whom they interact distance themselves from the church. How should we talk with the "nones" and the "dones" about their spiritual lives? How can we be with them in their struggles when they are suspicious of our motives?

These are questions providers of spiritual friendship face every day. This book offers answers that can help them look at their work in new ways. Stewart-Sicking presents an innovative approach to spiritual friendship, addressing major challenges of modern life and significant challenges in the lives of individuals, as well as making accessible scholarship on the subject that is difficult for practitioners to access.

You may be the only Jesus some people ever meet! Suppose that the 2:00 am feeding of your infant daughter was not just meeting a physical need but also was teaching her that God’s provision could be trusted? And suppose her cries for succor were also teaching you to respond to the cries of Jesus when he presents himself as “the least of these”?

Based on the Great Commandment, this book examines relationships common to us all—those of intimacy, authority, rivalry, and otherness— and shows how learning to love within those relationships affects our relationship with God.

Supported by biblical examples and references to psychological studies, this book examines all our basic relationships—family relationships, relationships with authority figures, friends and enemies, companion animals, even virtual relationships—to show how learning to love within those relationships is truly divine work.

In a culture where relationships are often divisive and exploitative, and where the call to love enemies often seems impractical, this book offers the reminder that every relationship provides an opportunity to love God in the other and to be “God with skin on” for that person in return.

Little sketches of grace to invite you to notice your own soul's companions in your daily life.

With a light touch and warm voice, and just a hint of a Southern accent, Martha Sterne tells the stories of her encounters with Christ - in the supermarket and the beauty parlor, in the garden, the kitchen, and sometimes even church. Sterne shares her gift for storytelling, showing readers that the Incarnation is alive and loose everywhere they look, in the listening ears, kind voices, and loving hearts of people they bump into everywhere. Each essay is followed by reflection questions, making this a lovely volume for group study.

This booklet helps readers change the world for the better during Lent by undertaking one small action at a time.

Love Life Live Lent offers 40 age-appropriate actions for each day of Lent to make the world a better place—locally, nationally, and globally. The adult/youth edition also includes a scripture quote and brief reflection for each day. The booklet is undated and may be used in any year.

Explore the variety of ways humans experience the holy through 150+ one-page biographies of notable masters from the world’s great spiritual traditions.

Key historical figures vividly come to life with pertinent biographical details presented in a readable, conversational style by a well-respected figure in the Episcopal Church.

By exploring the Episcopal Church’s mission and precepts in the context of 21st century and its challenges, this thoughtful book deepens the Church’s relationship with its people and makes the faith more relevant.

Society and culture are constantly evolving so must religion and its mission to remain meaningful. The legacies of establishment, benefactor approaches to mission, and the ‘national church’ ideal are no longer adequate for the challenges and opportunities facing the 21st century church. But if the Episcopal Church is no longer the Church of the Establishment and the benefactor model of church is dead, what is the heart of Episcopal mission and identity?

Scholar and Episcopal priest Dwight Zscheile draws on multiple streams of Anglican thought and practice, plus contemporary experience to craft a vision for mission that addresses the church’s post-establishment, post-colonial context. With stories, practices and concrete illustrations, Zscheile engages readers in re-envisioning what it means to be Anglican in America today and sends readers out to build new relationships within their local contexts.

An honest and innovative look at our relationship to money.

Though theologians of every era have written about money, and scripture and theology provide ample material for a rich discussion of wealth and possessions, we have tremendous difficulty talking about money in the church. Therefore, congregational leaders need to know how to talk about money, and particularly how to lead a theological discussion about it and the anxiety individuals often feel.

This series of Little Books on Faith and Money is designed to foster conversations within congregations around certain principles and practices that nurture community and growth in the ongoing life of the church.

Why do so many evangelicals flock to liturgical traditions today? Robert Webber first explored the question in this thoughtful and engaging classic in 1989; now evangelical scholar and pastor Lester Ruth updates the conversation. Much remains of Webber s beloved original text, including his discussion of Anglicanism s six great gifts: mystery and awe, Christ-centered worship, sacramental reality, historical identity, participation in catholic traditions and holistic spirituality. Ruth adds fresh stories from evangelicals who have followed Webber's footsteps on the Canterbury trail, along with new essays that highlight the diversity of Anglican expressions today.

An enchanting guide for turning the art of gardening into opportunities for reflection and meditation.

Contemplative Gardening makes the connection between tending to the earth and tending to our own souls, between caring for the planet and caring for one another. Pamela Dolan explores the myriad relationships between all living things that come to light when we dig in the soil. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or one just beginning, you will be fed by this intersection of food and faith.

The resources collected in this book equip young adults to explore deep questions of meaning and purpose and to find ways to connect these questions to the call to faithful living.

People in their twenties and thirties are in a stage of life where questions of meaning, purpose, and identity loom large. Here are six core discernment questions to help readers look deeply at where they are now and where they desire to grow.

This book offers gathering prayers, scripture readings, prayer practices, and discussion/reflection questions, together with additional resources that leaders can use to custom design each session if working with a particular group. Readers will learn to listen for God’s leading in the choices that they face around relationships, time, and money, and the kinds of work that awaken purpose and passion in their daily life, both in the present and for the future.

Jennifer R. Durant, busy career woman, wife, and mom of two, made a drastic career change. In the lexicon of ministry, God called her to be an Episcopal priest, and Jennifer answered. Several years later, in the final weeks of seminary, Durant's world changed dramatically again, when the persistent weakness in one of her hands was diagnosed as ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease).

In Sparrow, completed with her husband, Matthew, Durant recounts her battle and brings the reader with her on her spiritual journey through her priesthood and ministry which, despite her illness, continued to her death—with the aid of a speech box, she preached her final sermon on the Sunday before her death. Durant leads readers forward through the confusion of our caffeine-fueled and perpetually exhausted world to discover, as she did, a renewing sense of God-given purpose and sacred light which even the darkest of circumstances cannot extinguish, a place where even in silence, God is present, whispering through us.

An inspiration to any who suffer from a debilitating disease (or know someone who does) and those who provide pastoral care to others. It is a story of God's redemption and new life.

This modern classic explores the key concepts and people who have shaped our Christian spiritual heritage.

Concise and readable Holmes begins this introduction to Christian spirituality with the Jewish antecedents, and proceeds through the New Testament period, monasticism, the Middle Ages, Byzantine spirituality, and the modern period. Holmes ends his overview with key contemporary figures such as Simone Weil, Thomas Merton, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Brief bibliographies of the books written by each notable figure are included for those who wish to read more extensively.

A History of Christian Spirituality is the perfect book for introductory classes at the M. Div. level, for diaconate programs, lay people or parish study classes of all Christian denominations, and for any reference collection. This is a unique and invaluable learning tool and reference for readers, students, or teachers who want a quick explanation of the significance of a person or idea, or who are interested in a broad overview of the entire field.

Each chapter in Marvelously Made focuses on a vital part of the body (the heart, the lungs, the brain, the joints); relates an anecdote from the author’s experience; provides reader-friendly(i.e., not overly technical) information about the wonders of the organ or body part, and offers a prayer and a set of “gratitude practices”—physical and spiritual meditation exercises to deepen the reader’s appreciation of the body.

The damage done by hatred and prejudice -- based on race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender -- runs very deep. The damage is often invisible, but it simmers beneath the surface anyway. In Race and Prayer, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton have collected poems, prayers, and prose that bring the anger and frustration to light, and ultimately, they hope, to a place of reconciliation and healing.

Race and Prayer is divided into five sections: Suffering and Anger; Prejudice and Hatred; Diversity; Reconciliation and Healing; and Growth in Understanding and Sharing. Contributors to this collection range in age from teenagers to the elderly, and include men and women from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, all of whom speak honestly of their own experiences, heartbreaks, and hopes. Twelve cartoons from three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Conrad, editorial cartoonist at the Los Angeles Times, add to the power of this collection.

Peter Ball looks at some of the leading figures from the past to illustrate the roots and development of Anglican spiritual direction: George Herbert, Lancelot Andrewes, John Wesley, Somerset Ward, and Evelyn Underhill. More recent influences in the revival of interest in the subject have been Kenneth Leech, Alan Jones, Gordon Jeff, and Margaret Guenther. This is an updated version of a book first published as Journey Into Truth. New material will include developments in Australia and the US, and the increasing role played by women, as well as updated resources.

The Spiritual Directors International Series – This book is part of a special series produced by Morehouse Publishing in cooperation with Spiritual Directors International (SDI), a global network of some 6,000 spiritual directors and members.

Invites readers to enter more deeply into the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation of Christ.

For each day from the first Sunday of Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany, readings, prayers, and suggestions for daily devotions help readers interact imaginatively with the reactions and feelings of the biblical figures involved with the story of Jesus' birth. Rowell and Chilcott-Monk focus particularly on Mary, her "yes" to God at the Annunciation, and her own journey from Bethlehem to Calvary.

The title of the book is a translation of a New Testament prayer, Maranatha!, an expression of the longing, hope, and unity of purpose among the first followers of Christ. At a time of year when commercial pressures threaten to obscure the child in the manger, Come, Lord Jesus! will focus hearts and minds afresh on the miracle of love at work among us.

For all who inhabit a body and wonder about its place in the universe.

In Loving What Doesn’t Last: An Adoration of the Body, Christina Kukuk reminds us that what matters most are things don’t last forever. We find faith, hope, and love in and the string of endings and beginnings that make a life: a mother who plants an orchard in her son’s memory, a girl’s struggle with food scarcity, an adolescent awakening to infatuation at summer camp, and a woman waiting hours for her lover’s recovery on a hospital’s transplant floor. In every fleeting moment from the first pangs of birth to our last breath, God is in all of it.

Almost everywhere throughout the greater church are unsustainable trends-endowments are being depleted, building maintenance deferred, congregations are aging and dwindling, and budgets are too far out-of-whack. And although there is much literature on what to do to grow congregations, little has been said about how to get those things done.

In highly accessible, anecdotal prose, church management expert Gerald Keucher focuses in very practical terms on how to bring the right spirit, approach, and tactics to the work of bringing a congregation back from the edge of the abyss.

The Book of Judges—appropriate for Sunday School curriculum or an irredeemably violent book?

Throughout its history Judges has both entertained and appalled readers some read it as a series of simple stories about faithfulness and some as a brutal and bloodthirsty book. Heller explores how Judges can shape our understanding of our world, our relationships, and can provide a path to a deeper appreciation of the ways of God among people. Far from seeing the book as either simplistic or cruel, Heller allows this odd text to speak to us anew about God, sin, relationships, and justice.

In this second book by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, she explores issues and challenges of deep concern to the Episcopal Church, the wider Body of Christ, and the world at large. Arranged thematically, her essays reflect on the travel, issues, people, and passions that have driven the first three years of her primacy. She places particular emphasis on the Millennium Development Goals, plus the turmoil within the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church in the United States.

How one can trust amidst uncertainty, fear, and anger.

Fragmented Lives describes the meaning of faith for people the Church has shown little facility for attracting but whom it would like to reach, people who have entered church doors occasionally but who have little depth of commitment. It is a book for persons exploring the basis of faith, as well as for church leaders looking to understand how their programs and message can align with faith journeys today.

While examining the growing emphasis on spirituality for those wanting "spirituality without structures," it argues that spirituality has become so elastic in its meaning that it is lacking the definition and direction people seek in finding answers to their questions.

The authors use personal stories to animate the discussion of how faith must be construed as something other than "belief" or "assent." They provide a road map for discovering the journey of living into a faith tradition together. Through this journey, the meaning of faith is illumined and the Church is revealed to be the community of faith that fulfills the needs and intentions of those seeking to live a more authentic life beyond the fragmentation they experience in this age of uncertainty.

Faithful Generations provides a hopeful and helpful guide to the different adult generations alive today, discussing the events that formed them and the issues important to them. Most importantly, it describes their spiritual distinctions the particular needs, gifts and concerns that drive these different generations. With a basic understanding of how other generations think and what drives them spiritually, ministers and congregations can not only avoid conflict, but also put those distinctions to work in order to minister more effectively and create harmony in our religious communities.

Get to know the first five Black women to be elected diocesan bishops within the Episcopal Church.

During this moment, with the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, and the increased feelings of division in our country, Black women clergy in the Episcopal Church have voiced a need to come together, believing that their experiences and concerns may be very different than those of other clergy. That need is answered here in This Band of Sisterhood.

The five Black women bishops featured in this book can provide a compass for how to journey along these new paths. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Carlye J. Hughes, Kimberly Lucas, Shannon MacVean-Brown, and Phoebe A. Roaf offer honest, vulnerable wisdom from their own lives that speaks to this time in American life.

Both women and men will find this book invaluable in discerning how God might be calling them to use their own leadership skills.

An invitation to see Advent and Christmas through the eyes of a Benedictine monk to find the holy and peace in the hustle and bustle of the season.

Take a Benedictine walk through the season of Advent with Benedictine monk Albert Holtz. Join him on his daily outings as he heads out of his abbey and through the colorful, noisy streets of Downtown Newark, New Jersey. In these once-a-day meditations, Father Albert points out the often-unnoticed connections between our secular celebration of the holidays and the deeper, spiritual meaning of the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas.

In a string of colored lights, a crowd of shoppers, or the window of a toy shore, readers will uncover the traditional advent themes of watchful waiting, repentance, and selfless love. In the bustling sidewalks and busy malls, readers will learn to see Isaiah, John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself, all speaking their ancient messages of peace, hope and good will.

Christian communities are a lot like families, so it’s only natural for individuals to show their love and concern by visiting fellow parishioners who are sick in the hospital. But without a bit of information, a well-intentioned visit might bring more harm than good.

In this handy pocket-sized book, Neville Kirkwood, a chaplain with many years’ experience, offers practical guidelines to make a hospital visit an experience that strengthens the bonds of friendship while nurturing the patient’s spiritual health. Included are tips on respecting the patient’s needs and moods, communicating effectively, following hospital protocol, and praying for—and with—those who are confined to the hospital.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is often called "the holiest place in England" because of all the saints who have lived there. St. Aidan and St. Cuthbert, two popular Celtic saints, are buried there. For more than 1,300 years pilgrims have made their way to this island, which now hosts half a million visitors a year. A Holy Island Prayer Book, with prayers for morning, midday, and night, follows the rhythms and seasons of the natural and Christian year as observed on Holy Island.

More contemplative than the earthy spirituality of communities such as Iona, each day of the week has a special theme:

Sunday: Resurrection and renewal

Monday: Creation

Tuesday: incarnation and peace

Wednesday: The Holy Spirit in mission and healing

Thursday: Community and unity

Friday: With broken people at the Cross

Saturday: Leisure (morning) and the Saints (night)

A Holy Island Prayer Book includes prayers by popular author David Adam, and is the perfect companion for anyone who has visited Holy Island, or those who are there in spirit.

In our religiously pluralistic society, clergy, medical, and nursing staffs in modern hospitals are confronted with caring for people with varied beliefs and customs. Since the overall care of a patient, and not just the surgeries performed or medicines given, affect an individual's recovery, it is vitally important to be familiar with cultural and religious understandings and expectations around hygiene, pastoral care, autopsies, transfusions, and even the practices associated with death itself.

A Hospital Handbook for Multiculturalism and Religion is a succinct guide to the care of patients from a variety of faiths. The original version included Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Baha'i. In the revised edition Neville Kirkwood has added chapters on Taoism, Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, and Jainism. Each chapter examines not only the customs of adherents to various faith perspectives but also the significance of certain rites and attitudes, supplying health-care workers and chaplains with the information they need to provide the best care possible.

The goal of prayer is to practice it without ceasing.
Focusing on the prayer lives of the laity, this book includes stories of individuals seeking to connect their faith with their work in the world. The goal of this connection is to affirm that prayer is both a quiet act of reverence and an active dynamic expressed in daily life situations at work and home.

Through the stories of people at work and prayer, the book seeks to encourage an understanding of prayer as that dimension of our relationship with God equally alive at work and at play, in public and at home.

In Norwich Cathedral, there is a stained glass window depicting the great mystic, Julian of Norwich. In her hands she holds her book, Revelations of Divine Love, and at her feet sits possessively a regal cat the color of marmalade, staring boldly out at the world. Who was this mysterious feline who so endeared himself to Mother Julian, the author wondered. He must have a story...

The pranks of the slightly naughty but lovable cat will charm pet lovers, the tale of the little child who first loved him will touch the heart, and the language and richness of detail will transport the reader through the pungent streets of medieval Norwich and into the lives of many colorful characters. Here is an enchanting adventure for Julian followers, anglophiles, and cat lovers of all ages.

Blends spiritual narratives and biblical stories with behavioral theory to explain modern family life and its unique contributions to faith formation.
This book offers hope and encouragement for people who have thought that God could not possibly bless them in their peculiar relationships or families. Using archetypes and behavior development frameworks while interpreting and retelling biblical stories, the book features both personal and traditional stories of faith, complemented by the contemporary insights of cognitive scientists, including Gardner, Eisner and others. Reflection questions are included at the end of each chapter.

A hands-on, practical resource for people who want to explore their relationship with God through writing.
Unlike other books that focus on writing itself, Sarah Stockton focuses on the discoveries made--about one's self and about God--through meditation and creative journaling. A Pen and A Path is a book for anyone who wants to explore where God has been present in the various experiences of their life, past and present. Stockton, a spiritual director and writing teacher, walks readers through thirty-five separate topics, which can be read and worked on in order or in any sequence of interest to the reader.

Topics explored include religious understandings such as how God is envisioned, how religious training formed (or didn't form) the reader, and how we envision ourselves as spiritual beings. Other chapters explore life stages: childhood, teenage years, elder years, as well as marriage, parenting, and sexuality. Focusing on emotions such as grief, shame, anger, and loneliness, as well as feelings about work provide readers with the opportunity to explore nearly any aspect of their life of faith.

A religious meditation on borders—physical and spiritual—an elemental and humanist phenomenon for everyone.

If Barbara Brown Taylor and Steven Covey ever wrote a book together, this might be the book! Living Compass is a church-based faith and wellness program designed for individuals and small groups. Readers engage in a 10-week, self-guided wellness retreat, consisting of daily ten-minute readings, plus small, meaningful action steps designed for getting “your life, your relationships, and your work headed in a new direction,” according to the author.

Deeply spiritual and exceedingly practical, this book joins the national Living Compass network, which includes a website, workshop series, wellness resources (including a free Living Well with Living Compass app), social media, and soon, a new multi-million-dollar wellness center to be located in the offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

Structured holistic wellness program for individuals and groups based on a highly successful retreat model developed by priest-psychologist. Builds on the national network of Living Compass workshops, presentations, and publications, and soon, a multi-million faith and wellness center in Chicago. Each chapter includes questions for reflection.

An inspirational, hands-on how-to guide for making and praying with beads, for people of all faiths and traditions.

In stories and pictures, this book shows how people of all faith traditions use prayer beads as a spiritual tool and a means of expressing their creativity. Every major world religion has a tradition of praying with beads and all are explored here, including the history and use of beads and specific prayers. Describes in detail and with diagrams how to make sets of prayer beads for personal use.

Easy to use in a variety of ways, Healing Words is complementary medicine for the mind, body, and spirit that has a history of proven efficacy for people of all faiths on their journeys to healing and wholeness.

Every two-page spread is a chapter headlined by one of 101 words that relate to healing the mind, body, and spirit as a process or event. The word is followed by a definition, a personal reflection or a story that relates to the healing power of the word, quotes, and an affirmation for the reader to use on his or her healing journey. The quotes include contemporary excerpts as well as words from the sages, plus proverbs, psalms, and more.

An important examination of the theological, spiritual, and ethical issues surrounding death.

At the end of a life of faithfulness comes our dying. To approach it as faithfully as we have our living calls for some serious forethought. Because one of the simplest facts of life—that we all die—seems like the most complicated thing we do.

Not only have advances in
medical technology saved lives, but they also have prolonged death, and raise a
number ethical, moral, social, and theological issues. How far should we go to
sustain life? Is it right to withdraw artificial feeding from the dying? Is it
wrong to end the lives of those in pain? No matter who we are, dealing with
these sorts of choices near the end of life is difficult to do on our own.Faithful Living, Faithful
Dying: Anglican Reflections on End of Life Care brings together the wisdom of a
task force created by the 72nd General Convention of the Episcopal Church to
study what faithful living and faithful dying mean today. The task force’s
reflections, published for the first time in this book, assist individuals,
congregations, and the Church as a whole to disentangle the thicket of ethical,
theological, pastoral, and policy concerns.

Mom and Dad in Heaven tells the moving story of a young girl struggling to understand her parents’ untimely deaths in an accident.

Mary has many questions and the pat answers she receives from her grandparents, teachers, friends aren’t enough. In the desire to make sense of her loss – and with the gentle, loving responses of those around her – Mary begins to address her grief. Over the course of these first few months of her bereavement, she also asks questions about faith, God, and heaven.

Originally published in Norway as Mor og far i himmelen (Mother and Father in Heaven), this new edition is beautifully illustrated by Øyvind Torseter. Written as diary entries, the book is set at a third-fifth grade reading level. Elementary school children who may be grappling with loss and grief will find Mary’s story accessible and comforting as they navigate their feelings and questions together.

Age range: 8 - 11 years old, Grade Level: 3rd grade - 5th grade

This charming presentation of the beloved classic hymn by Lesbia Scott (1898-1987) draws children into the vivid world of saints and their life adventures. We see how each saints have demonstrated qualities of courage, joy, love of Christ, kindness, patience, and generosity. Best of all, children discover that they, too, can become saints, and that these heroes and heroines of the church belong not only to the past, but that "the world is bright with joyous saints" still. The saints of God today are moms and dads, storekeepers and school teachers, and, happily, "the saints of God are just folks like me, and I mean to be one too."

Biographies of the saints alluded to in the text, plus the music and words of the hymn are included.

Written from an ecumenical standpoint as a practical aid for moving those experienced in individual spiritual direction toward group practices

This book responds to the movement to expand spiritual direction beyond the classic on-with-one model. Group spiritual direction has the potential to offer the rich experience of individual spiritual direction to a much wider audience, yet very little has been written to provide guidance for starting such groups.

This book responds to that challenge. It outlines ways that a diverse and ecumenical group of spiritual directors worked to initiate groups in multiple contexts. It examines the many variables-among directors, directees, even meeting spaces-that affect and enliven this ministry. And it summarizes pitfalls, success, and discoveries.