Religion

A modern revision of a timeless but forgotten spiritual classic by Robert Law

In researching Jesus’s emotional life, Episcopal priest and Day1 producer and host Peter Wallace came across a scanned copy of Robert Law’s book, The Emotions of Jesus, in the Internet Archive. He found it to be a brilliant jewel of a book that flashes light on the facets of Jesus’s emotions and personality, brightening our understanding and appreciation of who Jesus was, how he lived, what it must have been like to be with him, and follow him.

Law’s century-old text has been carefully revised for a contemporary audience, without diminishing its beauty. Wallace addresses obscure wording and gender bias and provides background information and notes in order to ensure a fresh appreciation by modern readers. The result is a new approach to understanding Jesus, the wholly human one, who embodied a range of emotions as we do, and who serves as a model for living bold, authentic, and fervent lives today as followers of the way of love. Questions for meditation or discussion are included with each chapter.

Women live uniquely demanding lives as providers, managers, caretakers, and, amidst those many roles, both chosen and cast upon them, the individual spirit sometimes loses her voice. To awaken this voice, Martha Bourlakas began a group for women in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia called “Our One Word” to pray about and observe the secular, holy, and personal significance of one word each week. This simple goal affects participants in profound ways, and now Bourlakas shares their practice with the rest of us in book form. She provides a structure and resource for those who want to start a group, as well as meditation for anyone who wants to expand her or his own spiritual horizons. The book encompasses words Bourlakas has offered to groups in the weekly format and at weekend retreats. Each chapter focuses on a different word, such as Joy, Heart, Change. There are brief quotations from religious texts, literature, music, etc. that explicate the word, combined with her own perspective. Our One Word offers a way for individuals or groups to cultivate a hospitable, constant presence, modeling the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives—a way to celebrate, pray, just be.

This is the indispensable companion for worship planning for the Episcopal Church.

Following the three-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle and the church calendar year, this is the all-in-one liturgical season planner for worship. Included are suggestions for each season: rites, blessings, prayers, litanies, pageants. Readings, psalms, worship, and formation, and hymn suggestions are compiled for each Sunday and holy day.

Presiders and preachers, worship team leaders, musicians, Christian educators, sacristans, and altar guilds will find this to be the perfect resource, putting all the elements for planning worship and seasonal observances in one handy volume.

The two volumes of Prayer Book Parallels are aids to the study of the development of the American book from as many points of view as possible. They include liturgical texts and related historical documents. Volume Two is a comparison of Collects, Family Prayers, and Prayers at Sea, as well as the Articles of Religion, the Psalter, and other texts and documents pertinent to Prayer Book study.

The two volumes are of great value to seminarians, clergy, church historians, and anyone interested in the development of the present Prayer Book. (576 pp)

A delightfully-written exploration of faith for those who are searching and for those who are settled

What if we stopped trying to find the perfect church in the right Christian tradition and intentionally explored our faith with all our Christian brothers and sisters? Can Christians embrace God fully by exploring other faith traditions? In Not All Who Wander, we discover that we do indeed find Jesus in a church, and traces of him in our everyday lives as well.

Not All Who Wander walks readers through the author’s faith journey, and how her experience with churches in a number of traditions has left her longing for more of Jesus than any one church offers. It also presents stories from other believers to give readers a sense of how alike, and different, our spiritual experiences can be. Rhoades has developed a passion for discovering all the ways we worship Jesus and invites readers to join her. With utter delight, she’s discovered no matter which traditions she worships with, Jesus meets her there.

The occasion of Dr. Hatchett's thirtieth anniversary as professor of liturgics and church music at the School of Theology of the University of the South is being celebrated with this stimulating collection of essays by an international cadre of authors.

Ready-to-use material for children’s Sunday worship based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
Versatile and practical, with options for small, large, and mixed-age groups alike. Simple liturgies provide a complete resource for children’s Liturgy of the Word for Episcopal and Catholic churches. Joins Year A and B editions completing the series. Ask almost any clergy or educator what one of their biggest challenges in worship is likely to be “coming up with ideas for including children in worship.”

This book provides a whole year’s worth of activities and ideas complete with artwork and visual aids. These sixty-four outlines have been developed and used in an Anglican parish (Church of England) over the last eight years by a professional educator, artist, and experienced children’s minister. The worship outlines include simple children’s liturgies and a complete lesson or story plan that harmonizes with the lectionary. Through fun ideas, children encounter a real aspect of the Christian faith focused on a theme from each Sunday’s Gospel. Each outline includes a variety of options, which make them appropriate for small and large groups of children as well as mixed age groups. Illustrated throughout, the text and full-color artwork are included on a CD ROM for downloading, printing, and copying.

Esta serie nueva de cinco volúmenes invita a los niños desde preescolar hasta 6to. grado, a ingresar en nuestras historias sagradas. Basado en el método Montesori, Jugar Junto a Dios utiliza una cuidadosa forma de contar las historias de las escrituras, agradables figuras de las historias y una variedad de actividades creativas para animar a los niños a buscar y encontrar sus propias respuestas a sus dudas de fe.

Esta aproximación única a la educación religiosa invita a los niños a preguntarse acerca de ellos mismos, Dios y el mundo en una manera que es juguetona y significativa para ellos. Jugar Junto a Dios respeta la innata espiritualidad de los niños y los anima a utilizar su curiosidad e imaginación para experimentar el misterio y la gracia de Dios.

Las sesiones de Jugar Junto a Dios pueden ser adaptadas para ajustarse a reuniones de 45 minutos hasta de 2 horas. Cada plan de lección incluye la historia y una lista completa de materiales.

Volumen 1: Como Dirigir las Lecciones de Jugar Junto a Dios
Volumen 2: 14 Presentaciones para el otoño
Volumen 3: 20 Presentaciones para el Invierno
Volumen 4: 20 Presentaciones para la Primavera

What does it really mean to "proclaim the good news of God in Christ" and to "continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?" These promises from the baptismal rite of the Book of Common Prayer have become very familiar to most Episcopalians, but they have yet to be fully lived out in most congregations. In this lively and accessible guide, Clayton Morris argues that everyone present on Sunday mornings has a ministry of hospitality, coming together in a proclamation of welcome to all.

At once “travel guide” and vision for the future, the Transformation series is good news for the Episcopal Church at a time of fast and furious demographic and social change. Series contributors - recognized experts in their fields - analyze our present plight, point to the seeds of change already at work transforming the church, and outline a positive new way forward. What kinds of churches are most ready for transformation? What are the essential tools? What will give us strength, direction, and purpose to the journey?

Each volume of the series will:

• Explain why a changed vision is essential
• Give robust theological and biblical foundations
• Offer a guide to best practices and positive trends in churches large and small.
• Describe the necessary tools for change
• Imagine how transformation will look

In the Episcopal Church, it seems the only real purpose and end of Christian discernment is professional ordination, either to the priesthood or to the vocational diaconate. This book deals with such questions as, How can both communities and individuals discern a call from God within the vocations and tasks in which they find themselves? How can the Church deal creatively with its confusion about the differing roles and authority of ordained and lay ministers?

Religion today is in competition with the leisure and entertainment industries. Gen Y, the postmodern generation, is open to spirituality; but most of todays young adults have not been born into faith communities where they feel any lasting allegiance. Studies suggest that for the young, belief in God is an optional matter, a virtual consumer choice. As a result, different trends in worship and worship styles are offered by different churches to suit lifestyles, attitudes, and personal taste.

This stunning collection of prayers from women throughout the Anglican Communion is organized according to themes of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.
The prayers make direct connections between women’s lives and global concerns of women everywhere, showing the interrelatedness, for example, between a woman’s prayer for her infant in America and the plight of child laborers in developing countries. The prayer selections are representative of women from of all parts of the Anglican world. Members of the editorial board include Jane Williams, Phoebe Griswold, and women from Asia, South America, and the Middle East.

This is not a book about why people give; it is a guide for how to create outreach partnerships to provide better help more efficiently and responsibly. With text aided by practical worksheets, it explores the entire step-by-step process of outreach, from motivations and documentation of available resources, to focus on desired outcomes and alternative methods to achieve goals.

Written in clear, concise language and illustrated by real-life stories of good and bad programs, the authors include evaluation techniques, bibliography, and index.

A concise and thorough guide to all aspects of the theology and practice of stewardship.

The careful, step-by-step approach to giving and planning will help the reader consider a Bible-based theology of money; the development and presentation of the parish budget within this theological context; sacrificial giving and tithing; a detailed structure for the Every Member Canvass; and a program of year-round stewardship. Also included are stewardship success stories from a broad cross section of parishes, sermon examples, and sample mailing pieces for use in the Every Member Canvass.

This classic resource is a valuable development tool with a proven track record that's highly praised by clergy and lay leaders throughout the church.

Ideal growth and development tool for small congregations in all mainline denominationsSimple, clear exercises and techniques to help leaders and members pinpoint problems and claim and identify gifts and values of their shared history, in order to engage in a ministry of renewal, welcome, and growth. Topics include:

• Relationships and Identity - understanding the starting point for rebuilding and outreach
• Grief and Healing - unpacking concerns that might be inhibiting growth
• Providing Safety and Security - engendering trust, beginning with leaders
• Inviting Growth - plans and exercises to cultivate invitation and inclusion of newcomers
• Understanding Gifts through Storytelling - helping leaders identify their future through variety of teaching and learning styles.
  

This welcome addition to resources available for children and parents is a book about prayer as a way of life. It proposes in text and illustrations that prayer may happen through noticing, thinking, working, playing, and making decisions, as well as through words and speaking. Although designed for ages 8 to 12, sections could be read to younger children.

"My greatest teacher has been my cancer," says the author in his story of faith as he faces death.

But the author never goes too far in the direction of becoming "touchy-feely" with his illness. In fact, he refers to his cancer as being of the devil, yet he never dwells too long in this application either. There is humor but never too much. There is some "preaching" about people with grudges against God but never too much. Instead he tells us, step by step, how he learned of his cancer, how he learned that his cancer was worse than originally thought, how he came to bond with his doctor, how he came to accept the stages of disintegration of his body.

The author's main work here is to find ways to bring us unbearable tidings about sickness and dying in ways that, with God, are bearable.

What does it mean to inhabit the life of liturgy? What does it mean to be inhabited by Christ? This book offers a way to rethink what we do when we pray, so that we do not so much call on God for help but join in a conversation.
Readers will learn how to think about God through certain habits and practices: how posture effects our perceptions of God and Christ, how feasting on Christ in the Eucharist shapes our understanding of the body—both our individual bodies and the body of the Church. The author also offers tools for forming a deliberate rule of life to ground readers in the transcendent life of liturgy.

Readers will recognize the inseparability of the tables of their homes and the Eucharistic Table, relating daily life with Eucharistic life. Dr. Daniel connects the language of the Book of Common Prayer with the everyday realities of ordinary life, compelling the worshiper to discern how daily practices correspond with or fight against her participation in the Eucharistic economy.

The thirteen fascinating essays in this book bring together theoretical articles and practical planning strategies to create a how-to guide for worship.

The editors have compiled the work of eighteen lay people and clergy actively serving the Church today in a variety of ministries. Article topics include style in worship, liturgical space, the role of the arts, dance, small church issues, etc. The planning strategies describe how to form a parish worship committee, to evaluate worship, to welcome children, to design service leaflets, to compose intercessions, to celebrate the Triduum, etc.

The book carries the publisher's permission for non-commercial reprinting of articles for local parish use. It is ideal for instruction or discussion in the worship committee or parish study groups.

At once “travel guide” and vision for the future, the Transformation series is good news for the Episcopal Church at a time of fast and furious demographic and social change. Series contributors - recognized experts in their fields - analyze our present plight, point to the seeds of change already at work transforming the church, and outline a positive new way forward. What kinds of churches are most ready for transformation? What are the essential tools? What will give us strength, direction, and purpose to the journey?

Each volume of the series will:

• Explain why a changed vision is essential
• Give robust theological and biblical foundations
• Offer a guide to best practices and positive trends in churches large and small.
• Describe the necessary tools for change
• Imagine how transformation will look

Preaching is one of the more “transformable” aspects of the church’s life. Performance teacher Ruthanna Hooke, writing for both clergy and lay leaders, delivers the good and bad news about Episcopalians and preaching. She explains why preaching is more difficult than ever today, and provides essential models and spiritual practices in order to transform both the creators of preaching and its listeners as both participate in sermons.

How will we regather the church after pandemic?

The Covid-19 pandemic is an inflection point for the church everywhere—and certainly for the Episcopal Church. The sudden flowering of creativity, connection, and collaboration is an expression of the Holy Spirit’s relentless presence within the church; yet ongoing distancing creates difficulties to be overcome on the other side of the present crisis.

How will we change habits of isolation and regather the church? How will we manage the impact on church finances? How is God calling us to embrace the energy and creativity of this moment—and the longing people have felt for a return to community? What challenges will we face regathering the people of God, particularly in already weakened communities?

We Shall Be Changed is a gathering of brief essays from thought leaders around the church on pressing topics that the church needs to be considering now—in preparation for the end of this pandemic. The book is designed to spur conversation within parishes, fellowship groups, and clergy gatherings about how to embrace the gifts this time has given while anticipating and addressing the very real challenges the church will confront in its wake.

Explores how we can use our bodies sexually and holistically in contemporary culture.

What About Sex? provides a moral compass to navigate the changing landscape of sex and sexuality. Dealing with the Bible, evolving traditions and customs, and the findings of science and psychology, Haller endeavors to inform and guide rather than lay down the law. This book is not about what goes where or who does what to whom, but about what it means to be an embodied person with responsibilities both to oneself and others.

• Experiential activities for celebrating the saints
• For use in churches, schools, camps, and home settings

Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together – at church, at home, in our communities. Often we only celebrate the saints on All Saints Sunday or when a particular saint is commemorated in a secular way. This volume in the Faithful Celebration series focuses on some well-known and some not-so-well-known saints, many who are not all officially "sainted" but certainly having lived a life of faith under difficult circumstances. Each event recalling a particular saint includes key ideas, a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas, materials needed, full instructions for implementation, background history and information, music, art, recipes, and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate or large multi-generational group. For children, youth, adults, or any combination of ages, any of these activities can take place in any setting. Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God with the Saints includes activities to celebrate Patrick of Ireland, Nicholas of Myra, Joan of Arc, Sebastian of Gaul, Absalom Jones of Philadelphia, Julian of Norwich, and Emmegahbowh of White Earth.

An economic justice toolkit for Christians

The church is positioned to be an ally of the poor and laborers in their search for social justice and equality, but only if it actively chooses to be. Numerous passages in Scripture convey God’s strong disapproval of inequality point toward a religious imperative to speak out. What are the most effective ways to frame and facilitate discussions about poverty, and how can pastors and activists add to their own understandings of the theological and religious history of labor and work?

By critically examining biblical texts, Church history, and present-day events and experiences, Eric Atcheson offers pastors, activists, and concerned citizens a faith-based toolkit for understanding and addressing the economic disparities present in their communities, as well as ways to initiate hopeful conversations. On Earth as It Is in Heaven is a powerful resource for any of the faithful interested in building a more just and equitable kingdom in the face of increasingly powerful opposition.

Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together—at church, at home, in our communities. Holidays and family events are times for celebration, learning, rituals, food, and fun. For each edition of Faithful Celebrations, you will discover plenty of activities to learn more about the season, holiday, or special day for church settings, at home, camp, or anywhere in between. This abundance of ideas allows you to create meaningful celebrations within a faith context throughout the year. Each event to be celebrated includes key ideas, a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas, materials needed, full instructions for implementation, background history and information, music, art, recipes, and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate or large multi-generational group. Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God in Autumn includes Back to School, Labor Day, St. Francis International Day of Peace, Halloween, All Saints, and Thanksgiving.

Indaba! depicts the adventures and challenges of participants who explored mutual listening and understanding across the worldwide Anglican Communion through the innovative Continuing Indaba project. Indaba is an African Zulu cultural process for engaging differences of view on a shared concern. Introduced to the Anglican Communion for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, it has been adapted and used as a transformative resource for church, interfaith, and civic organizations to use alongside other processes of relationship-building, conflict transformation, reconciliation, decision-making, and governance.

As a groundbreaking book, Indaba! shares findings from a cross-cultural research team who traveled with the participants, documenting their observations through interviews and survey research. The wisdom and practices of this indigenous cultural tradition offer fresh insights on how to maintain healthy and vital communities that respect differences of culture, belief, and viewpoint in moving forward together. The use of indaba in contemporary global religious and civic life offers a path forward for genuine postcolonial relationships, partnerships, and mission, grounded in deeper understanding and mutual respect.

An exploration of the Christian mission of Evangelism in the context of the Episcopal faith.

At once “travel guide” and vision for the future, the Transformation series is good news for the Episcopal Church at a time of fast and furious demographic and social change. Series contributors - recognized experts in their fields - analyze our present plight, point to the seeds of change already at work transforming the church, and outline a positive new way forward. What kinds of churches are most ready for transformation? What are the essential tools? What will give us strength, direction, and purpose to the journey?

Each volume of the series will:

• Explain why a changed vision is essential
• Give robust theological and biblical foundations
• Offer a guide to best practices and positive trends in churches large and small.
• Describe the necessary tools for change
• Imagine how transformation will look

How can Episcopalians reclaim evangelism primarily as an enriching spiritual practice? How soon will we recognize that our traditional hands-off approach has led to a crisis of evangelism with our own children? How can we learn to practice evangelism in an multicultural and multifaith society ? and to what purpose? What styles and practices of spirituality do most to enrich our sense of evangelical calling?

These are some of the questions David Gortner asks in this book on evangelism for clergy and congregational discussion. He delivers both good and bad news about Episcopalians and evangelism, and provides models and spiritual practices to feed the growing hunger in our churches for good news.

Frank Griswold writes out of his understanding that “all things have the potential to reveal the Divine and the mystery of love that lies at the heart of the universe . . . ” Though a teacher, preacher, recognized ecumenical and interfaith leader, and former head of the Episcopal Church, he describes himself as a seeker still, “a person under construction.” Griswold’s opening words set the tone: “These pages are the fruit of my effort to gather up fragments from what I have learned along the way about myself, about love and longing, about God and God’s ways with us. If you are drawn, as I have been, to follow lines of spiritual motion, perhaps the stories and reflections in these pages will be an encouragement along the way. You may discover revelatory moments in your own life you have overlooked because they seem so ordinary and mundane . . . ”

Though not a memoir, the book includes autobiographical material to give readers a sense of the writer as a friend and companion who shares their journey. It also illustrates and brings to life various teachings drawn from the Great Tradition as well as contemporary authors and spiritual guides.

All Our Children aims to create a moral imperative for congregations, faith leaders, and faith-based social justice groups to make advocating for quality public education for all an explicit part of their mission through partnerships with under-resourced public schools. Includes an Introduction and Epilogue as well as chapters executive summary and discussion guide written by diverse voices within the Episcopal Church, laying the theological groundwork while showcasing examples of how partnership between church and school can lift up “education as forming humans” as one way to serve God’s mission in our neighborhoods.

A collection of essays issued under the direction of the Standing Liturgical Commission (SLC) on baptism and ministry. Topics addressed are welcoming new ministers, reaffirmation of ordination vows, confirmation/reception, and baptismal ministry.

Invites us to engage in the creative process, live creative, authentic, playful lives.

Berryman invites the reader into a creative process that explores what it means to be spiritually mature, starting with Jesus' injunction to "become like a child." What does this mean at the literal level? the figurative level? the mystical level? the ethical level? The structure of the process parallels the book's organization and the structure of Christian worship, as well as the arc of life itself. The steps on this journey begin when we enter, and the world of childlike maturity opens to us as we respond with inarticulate wonder and gratitude.

Berryman includes stories and examples from his long career working with children, which adds warmth and appeal to the book. He has described this volume as his "summary, theological statement."

Lifelong Faith provides a blueprint for Christian formation that forms disciples of all ages and transforms church communities.

Vibrant lifelong faith formation can renew and revitalize faith across generations and contribute towards a thriving congregation that lives its mission. Using the seven elements outlined in this book, churches will create a dynamic and vital plan that can be customized to meet the needs, interests, and challenges we face today and nurture the spiritual growth of all ages.

With current research, clear examples, and tools for design and evaluation, Lifelong Faith is a practical, thoughtful, and comprehensive guide for clergy, educators, and lay leaders who seek a fresh, holistic approach to Christian education and discipleship.

A call for new ways of starting thriving church communities, based on global case studies of churches who have innovated from within their local communities.

As many established churches struggle to connect with people in increasingly post-Christian societies, there has been a vital shift in focus toward starting new Christian communities. Many of these new forms of church are incarnationally embedded in local contexts as leaders and neighbors together follow the Spirit’s lead in asking, “What would church look like for us together in this place?”

This book–edited by two leading thinkers around innovation in the Church, one from the United States, the other from the UK–brings a rich and international array of practitioners and scholars together to explore starting new contextual Christian communities as a way of life. Addressing this from an incarnational “go and stay” model of mission, it seeks to offer an alternative perspective. Rather than provide another how-to manual, the authors go deeper into unpacking the spiritual foundations, inward qualities, and outward practices that make for faithful, vibrant, and sustainable leadership of new Christian communities. Framed around fifteen paradigm-shifting principles, The Starter’s Way offers a hopeful exploration of the open-ended journey of developing new forms of church that are responsive to the Spirit and to the uniqueness of local neighborhoods.