Religion

Lent has traditionally been a time for self-denial and penitence, a time to examine the baser aspects of human nature. But the church increasingly recognizes that this negative focus does not always build a relationship with God, especially among women who already struggle with issues of worth and self-esteem. In its wide range of writings, Gifts from Within invites women to spend the time of Lent focusing on their uniqueness and on the gifts of their feminine spiritual nature. This collection points the way for women to deepen their ability to recognize God's love and to live as God directs.

Starting with Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Day, each day's meditation explores an aspect of women's lives, their unique spirituality, and their heritage in the biblical stories. By connecting their own stories -- some sad and some joyous -- with the biblical texts, readers of these devotions may find Lent to be a time of inspiration instead of merely something to be endured.

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.

A pastor and a tech guru provide a path to sustaining a soulful life

In an age when new ideas, trends, and innovations can alter the world overnight, a strong foundation in faith can be the guiding light. In fact, without that connection to a higher power, many not only feel a deep sense of unease about a soulless future, but also wonder: are there values and beliefs we should we be building our lives on? Are there ones we should be comfortable letting change?

A groundbreaking book that offers a unique antidote to the most urgent spiritual and cultural ailments of our time, The Faith Code is the product of nearly a decade of collaboration between a prominent pastor who resides in the heart of San Francisco Bay's technology hub, and a renowned Silicon Valley investor, leader, and philanthropist. By combining moral and ethical counsel with the pioneering tactics of entrepreneurship and community building, Terry Brisbane and Rusty Rueff have methodically distilled the essentials of what it takes to live a full life while simultaneously becoming citizens who contribute to the world around us. From important matters of career and vocation advancement to the pillars of fulfilling relationships both at home and in our social circles, this trailblazing guide will give any reader the tools necessary to apply the time-tested wisdom of the gospel to the contemporary struggles of today. What results is a transformative journey with three different pathways interwoven together: being faith-driven, pursing personal improvement, and doing good, meaningful work.

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.

To be effective, leadership must be humble and strong. The leadership we often see in churches and not-for-profits, as well as in corporations, can be neither. The purpose of this book is to analyze these assertions, then to discuss how those who are preparing to be leaders and those who wish to be more effective leaders can recognize and avoid the pitfalls that lead to weak and arrogant leadership by adopting certain habits of life.

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.

Playing off the last chapter of her previous book, The Courage to Grow Old, well-beloved author Barbara Crafton looks at the world around us: what do we know about creation? What gift is there for us in the "also life" of stars and other organic and non-organic forms of existence? How might that shape the way we see our existence and the God who breathed that life into us? And what might life after death be like?

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.
  

Cotter gracefully merges the beauty and poetry of the original Psalms with the reality of today's world in well-crafted, contemporary language.

The world has changed, but will the church keep up? This seminal report from the Church of England evaluates the changing religious landscape and introduces exciting new forms of church that speak directly to their diverse mission contexts. The Archbishop of Canterbury's Council on Mission and Public Affairs collaborated to research and produce the Mission-Shaped Church report in 2004, and Seabury Books is the new North American Publisher.

Centering prayer, both a meditative technique and the experience of God’s presence in every waking moment, is a spiritual practice that all Christian continue to strive for. David Keller, close colleague of Thomas Keating and director of Keating’s Contemplative Ministry project, offers practical suggestions for personal prayer, addresses its difficulties, and reveals what is special about it in relation to other prayer traditions.

Short but substantive, this book is for Christians looking for new insights about prayer and for people who are drawn to contemplation, but do not think the church has much to offer them.

Above all, Keller emphasizes that it is the integration of personal prayer and our day-to-day activities that forms a life of prayer. Prayer is a life-long vocation, he reasons, not a separate compartment of life.

In this latest addition to the Spiritual Directors International Series, professional spiritual directors and those in formation programs learn to extend traditional forms of hospitality by living out its deeper meaning as they explore ways in which the spirit of hospitality enriches the spiritual direction experience.

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.

Meditations to inspire new ways to commune with God while reading the Psalms

This straightforward, real-world devotional guide is designed to help people of all ages connect powerfully with the God of the Bible as revealed in the Psalms—the Bible’s songbook. Within the exquisitely emotional lyrics in these songs, readers will find all the feelings, struggles, and fears they face each day. And they’ll find the spiritual resources to help them thrive.

Using 90 selected passages from the Psalms, Peter Wallace has put together a stimulating devotional full of fresh ideas for finding ways to connect with God, with one another, and with the world at large. As a result, readers will gain encouragement and strength to face their uncertain world with the wisdom and love of the God who so deeply loves them.

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.

"For just strolling, walking, and running are bodily exercises, so spiritual exercises are methods of preparing the soul," wrote St. Ignatius in his "Spiritual Exercises." In her homage to this classic, Nancy Roth offers a rationale and overview of contemporary prayer practices that prepare the soul in the here and now through a variety of exercises that honor the link between "body" and spirit" and lead the body to express itself in prayer.

To help us in our quest to integrate physical well-being with spiritual practice, Roth introduces and leads us through many different disciplines, including Pilates, Tai Chi, yoga, dance, strength training, and aerobic exercises. After summarizing their origins, she describes each discipline clearly, with three or four examples, and then discusses how this particular form of exercise provides a metaphor for the spiritual journey. Other sections discuss breathing and posture, alignment, and progressive relaxation, while the final chapter helps us think through all the different offerings presented here and decide which we might incorporate into our own lives of prayer.

Becca Stevens extolls the power of love in this inspirational collection of letters.

Letters from the Farm describes a faith that strives for justice and peace through loving our neighbors. It began with the simple hope that love can help in the community. That hope led to a social enterprise called Thistle Farm and that led to learning that we reap a hundredfold the seeds that are sown into a loving community.

Accompanying each letter is a verse of Scripture and some questions for reflection so that this book can be used as a devotional guide, as well as a piece to inspire you in your faith and life.

“Becca Stevens has written a beautiful book demonstrating the power of God’s healing love.”—Jane Shaw, Dean for Religious Life and Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University

"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.

The third edition is updated to the Revised Common Lectionary.

Many of us have difficulty hearing the Bible as it is read to us in church Sunday after Sunday through the year. Even with the best intentions we come to the Word of God “cold” because we have not been given the skills and the preparation to hear and understand the content of Scripture.

These brief and insightful introductions to all the readings of the church’s three-year lectionary cycle are designed to sharpen our listening and increase comprehension of Scripture by summarizing each passage, setting it in a liturgical and historical context, connecting it to the season, and drawing out its relevance to our lives and faith, week by week.

This is an ideal tool for Christian formation as well as homiletical preparation. The style is clear, straightforward, well grounded in biblical scholarship, and Anglican in its theological approach. Extra features include an essay on the Bible and Christian formation, five brief use guides, an index to the biblical readings, and a summary of the seven most common Bible translations used in church services.

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.

What does it mean to preach to a 21st century congregation?

Today’s church has a digital dilemma: We live in an age where “new media” is inescapable, yet many still perceive these new forms of communication as either an unmanageable challenge or at odds with the mission of the church. Clergy and lay leaders alike can be at a loss as to what methodologies, practices, and adjustments are necessary to engage today’s congregations. How can we effectively meet the challenges of our present context?

In Talking God, Fr. Cutié, whose wide following spans both traditional and new media, starts where preaching the gospel has always started, with a preacher and an audience, and examines the challenges digital communications pose to all involved in the craft of preaching, including the way contemporary audiences receive and listen to the message preached. Is the 21st century church responding to this evolution by seeking to understand the present-day "listening context" and the often overwhelming "media culture" in which it is called to preach? Must preachers and teachers of the Word of God evolve in style and practice to continue being effective communicators of the gospel? Has the world changing around us changed our methodology or even our message?

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.

A classic and indispensable resource for public worship and private devotion that speaks to people across a range of traditions - both within and beyond the church. Composed in response to the desire for worship language of worship that's inclusive of women's experience yet deeply rooted in the words, stories, and images of Scripture, they have resonated not only with women, but with all who love the Bible and who want to pray with honesty and directness.

The third edition introduces a fresh selection of material on themes of global justice, as well as a contemporary Eucharist and prayers that coincide with the Revised Common Lectionary.

Wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases.

Biblical and cultural proverbs have been cherished throughout the ages. One reason for their enduring influence is that they reveal deeper wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. They form our lives by offering wisdom we can hold onto and use in life’s most complex situations. In the increasingly complex world of modern ministry, it has become harder for pastors and church leaders to act wisely when the models for ministry keep changing.

Ministry Proverbs is a collection of 60 proverbs that the Rev. Dr. Graham Standish has developed over the years to guide his own ministry. These are proverbs such as “We are only responsible for our efforts. God is responsible for the results. So be responsible for your part, and let God be responsible for God’s part. Wisdom comes in learning to tell the difference.” Each proverb is followed by 4-6 paragraphs of reflection that take the reader deeper into the ramifications and applications of the proverb. The reflections are intended to help readers to apply the proverbs in their own ministries, and to remember them so that when they face a difficult or uncertain situation, they can tap into the wisdom.

Put faith into action with this mission guide book
Building on the success of Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People, this book focuses on the themes and core values of youth ministries in the Episcopal Church. Youth seek ways to put their faith into action and claim their “power,” which is a hallmark of the millennial generation according to recent research. This book offers reflections and prayers to help young people do just that—to live out their faith at home, church, community, and beyond. It specifically addresses Episcopal identity for emerging adults, ages 15-25. Available in kivar or paperback binding.

From the creator of the bestseller Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective comes Food & Faith.

Food is itself a joyful gift – recall how the gift of food so often mediates the sanctity and preciousness of life. This collection of reflections by Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Johnson, Alan Durning and others helps you start thinking about the moral, spiritual and economic implications of eating.

Readings focus on the enjoyment and spirituality of good food, ways in which eating connects us to the land and to each other, and on the economic, environmental and cultural impacts of daily food choices. Food & Faith includes an eight-week study guide for groups or individuals, which leads to action: setting a table that is healthy, joyful and just.

"A threshold is a sacred thing," goes the traditional saying of ancient wisdom. In some corners of the earth, in some traditional cultures, and in monastic life, this is still remembered. But in our fast-paced modern world, this wisdom is often lost on us. It is important for us to remember the significance of the threshold. While it is certainly true that thresholds mark the end of one thing and the beginning of another, they also act as borders-the places in between, the points of transition. These can be physical, such as the geographical borders of a country; others, such as the spiritual border between the inner and outer world-between ourselves and others-are intangible.

In To Pause at the Threshold, Esther de Waal looks at what it is like to live in actual "border country," the Welsh countryside with its "slower rhythms" and "earth-linked textures," and explores the importance of opening up and being receptive to one's surroundings, whatever they may be.

Carol Anderson, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California, has written an ideal introduction to the Christian faith, sharing key moments of her own life and telling the story of Jesus as it is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and presented in the Gospels. She powerfully points out that God is not remote, but personal and involved with His creation, wanting to know and love us. It is through Jesus that we can know God for ourselves without the distortion of New Age philosophy or even religious principles.

A complete guide to what clergy wear, including the various cloths, a brief history, and theology of each liturgical garment.

Vestments—the robes, stoles or other items worn by clergy, or cloths used at the altar—not only add beauty to a worship service, but are visual clues to the liturgical season and to the tone of a particular service. The most beautiful and meaningful vestments are often those made for a particular priest, serving in a specific sanctuary. But many shy away from trying to sew vestments, which seem too complicated and difficult to make.

In Vestments for All Seasons, Barbara Baumgarten demystifies the making of vestments—from designing and fitting patterns, to fabric and color selection, to putting on the finishing touches. She provides patterns and directions for producing special vestments for Advent and Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, and general instructions for designing and making vestments completely from scratch. A history of the development of vestments from Roman times to the present is included, as well as a full glossary describing the various vestments worn by clergy, bishops, deacons, and choir.

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.

Beginning with Palm Sunday, the gospels record every day of Jesus’ life up to the time of his death and resurrection. These eight days are unparalleled in the canon of Scripture for their narrative power, their detail, and their focus. A unique synthesis of the four gospel accounts of the passion and resurrection of Christ is provided in this seamless and elegant narrative account of the Easter events, including every detail mentioned in all four Gospels, but without any unnecessary repetition or distracting references.

A chapter is assigned to each of these days to facilitate devotional reading and study during the days leading up to Easter. Two chapters are added on either side of the eight days to round out the story. A study guide is also included.

The book invites reader to experience the events of Christ’s passion as they happened, thus fully entering into the drama of the Easter story. More than anything, this book is an invitation to join Jesus and the disciples in walking the road that leads to Jerusalem, and to experience the events that happened there in an intimate and life-changing way.

Using the metaphor of pilgrimage, this book invites readers to reflect on living with illness.
The heart of the book is a collection of 30 meditations, each followed by a reflection, a short prayer, and a suggested spiritual practice. The meditations voice the difficulties and the challenges of living with illness, and call the reader toward a deepening understanding, compassion and generosity. While the meditations intend to offer comfort, they are also written from the conviction that God invites us to grow even in these circumstances.

When living with chronic, terminal, or progressive illness, discovering a way to pray can be quite a challenge. These 30 meditations provide a welcome means with practices inspired by the psalms.

What Did Jesus Do All Day? bridges two worlds—the one we know today and the one Jesus knew in the Holy Land under Roman rule.
Archaeological discoveries, historical writings, and early-Jewish studies continue to uncover what everyday life was like back then. Surprisingly, as the distant past comes into sharper focus, similarities emerge that are far beyond sharing basic needs like food, drink, sleep, companionship and housing. Like us, Jesus’ contemporaries worked and studied hard, worshipped in community, and observed holidays with family and friends. Like us, they struggled with temptation and sin, failure and loss, political upheaval and war, betrayal and violence, sickness and death. Somehow, the closer we look into Jesus’ world, the more familiar it feels—and the more his words ring true.

Questions for discussion after each chapter.

The desert, with its great emptiness and silence, has long been a symbol of solitude. In our spiritual lives, we sometimes seek such isolation as a means of abandoning ourselves completely to God. At other times, solitude comes upon us uninvited and unwelcome, as we find ourselves totally alone and desolate. In facing the silence and the vast expanses of loneliness, we test our courage, deepen our faith, and hear the voice of God anew.

This book explores the tradition and relevance of desert spirituality in the life and worship of the church today and offers a collection of pertinent writings by these and many other ancient and contemporary authors: Thomas à Kempis, Mother Mark Clare, Henri Nouwen, René Voillaume, Charles de Foucauld, Thomas Merton, R. S. Thomas.

The readings are ideal Lenten devotionals (but wonderful any other time of year as well) as you answer your own call of the desert.

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.

"God is mystery," writes Norvene Vest in the Introduction to Tending the Holy, "and every form of religion is an effort to respond faithfully to the mystery of God by whatever name. The Divine breaks through into human experience in many ways, and humans respond variously to the awesome experience of God." And those various responses are what the contributors to Tending the Holy document.

In this provocative and cutting-edge collection readers are given the opportunity to see what spiritual direction looks like--and what questions are asked--through a variety of lenses. From an examination of the spiritual direction relationship in the Evangelical Christian tradition, to Buddhism and Hindu ones, to the better-known ones of the Benedictines, Carmelites, and Ignatians, and finally, to the contemporary lenses of feminism, Generation X, the institutional perspective, and even one based on the natural world and the spirituality of St. Francis, this collection explores unexplored territory. Tending the Holy is an important resource for spiritual directors and pastoral counselors.

Contributors include: Shaykha Fariha al-Jerrahi (New York); Ven. Tejadhammo Bhikku (Sangha Lodge Buddhist Monastery, Australia); Chrisopher Key Chapple (Loyola Marymount University); Rabbi Zari Weiss (Seattle, Washington); Sr. Marian Cowan, CSJ (Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis, Missouri); Lisa Myers (La Canada, California); Dr. Michael Plattig (University of the Capuchins, Germany); Sister Katherine Howard, OSB (St. Benedict's Convent, St. Joseph, Minnesota); John H. Mostyn, CBC (Rome); The Rev. Dr. John Mabry ( San Francisco); Norvene Vest (Altadena, California), and The Rev. Dr. H. Paul Santmire (Watertown, Massachusetts).

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.

365 days of meditations based on passages from the Psalms that comes alive for readers of today.

The Psalms, written by ordinary people thousands of years ago, are filled with the same emotions and issues that challenge, comfort, and confound us today. Their complaints, joys, and celebrations are ours as well. In this book of meditations for each day of the year, best-selling author Barbara Cawthorne Crafton explore our relationships with God and with one another. From the desire to start afresh in January, to the need to “lighten up” in December, Crafton’s meditations are perfect daily companion who finds nourishment in biblically based devotional reading.

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 practical and spiritual guide to find God during times of health crisis or chronic disease.

In 1995 Mary Earle was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. When she was able to return home, she still faced a long recovery. She had to stay in bed most of the time, and eating was difficult some days. The busy life she had always known was gone, and she had to begin again. Like others who suffer from serious or chronic conditions, Mary Earle found that living with illness can require major adjustments in life.

Using St. Benedict's ancient Rule--his way of ordering the life and days of religious communities--Beginning Again teaches readers how to discern a rule of life that helps them with changes in resting and activity levels, with food restrictions, and requirements for medicine or medical treatment. The ancient Benedictine concepts of stability, obedience, and conversion can help anyone living with illness, even those who are dying.
Beginning Again is a practical resource, written for those who know little about St. Benedict and his Rule of Life, with exercises to help readers discover how to live with God at the center of their lives and illnesses. It is useful for those living with illness, and for clergy, counselors, and spiritual directors who care for them.

When C. W. McPherson asked the members of his congregation to practice just ten minutes of silence each day during Advent, it seemed like a simple task. "It sounded easy, " said one of his parishioners, "but then I actually tried to do it."

This concise, conversational, and engaging book is for those who find it difficult or even impossible to slow down and be quiet. But if we can't learn how to be still in the midst of a noisy world, we will have a hard time listening for God's voice and guidance in our lives.

McPherson explores the positive effects that practicing silence has on body, soul, and mind. He provides historical background and easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of Christian practices. Among the practices included are Benedictine rumination, psalm repetition, the Jesus Prayer, Ignatian meditation, meditation on icons or candles, walking the labyrinth or the Stations of the Cross, and more. This valuable book is written to be used by individuals or groups.

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."

Perhaps nothing expresses the mystery of our search for the divine as well as the labyrinth. A circular pathway based on spirals found in nature, the labyrinth is a time-honored spiritual tool in faith traditions as varied as Native American, Jewish, and Celtic. As seekers walk to the center of the labyrinth, their minds quiet and turn to God. Walking out again, they bring into the world the spiritual gifts they've received.

In A Labyrinth Year, Kautz guides readers on a labyrinth pilgrimage that winds through the seasons of the liturgical year with devotions (to be used while walking the labyrinth) based on the thoughts and emotions of biblical characters whose stories are recalled in the seasonal scripture readings. As readers explore the journeys of these people of faith, they connect with the deeper meaning of the stories and learn to live them out in their own experience.

An authentic portrait of grief, as poetic and soul-lifting as it is poignant.

In 1994, William Ritter’s adult son committed suicide, sending Ritter and his family on a journey no family wants to take. Part of Ritter's own process of healing the loss of his son was to preach about it occasionally from the pulpit. This book is a collection of the sermons he preached, the first one just three weeks after his son’s death, and the final one nine years later.

Through them, we get a glimpse of a father and a family struggling honestly with their pain and gradually coming to grips with their loss. Ritter offers no easy solutions, no rosy pictures, and no silver linings, but speaks honestly instead about the difficult emotions and confusion of this kind of loss, and ultimately, about a sense of hopefulness for the survivors of suicide.

“With the language of a gifted poet, the eye of a portrait artist, and the heart of a faithful pastor and loving parent, Bill Ritter takes us on a poignant God-shaped journey toward healing and wholeness—his and ours.”
—L. Georgory Jones, Dean of Divinity School and professor of theology, Duke University.

A groundbreaking collection of writings that place queer ritual at the center of the theological conversation.

In this collection of essays, leading scholars in queer theology and liturgical studies explore the ways in which the distinctive theological voices of LGBTQIA+ Christians challenge and expand thinking and practice around worship in new directions. This challenge has expanded in the past decades, as obstacles to the full participation of queer Christians—particularly in marriage and ordination—have fallen.

Organized into three main parts, the volume begins with an introduction to queer engagement with ritual practices, continues with a series of case studies that examine queer texts and contexts, and concludes with an examination of the horizons of queer liturgical theology and practice. Throughout the volume, Queering Christian Worship provides new imagination and tools to those who study and curate Christian worship across traditions.

A rigorous devotional for the 40 days of Lent.

For centuries Lent has been a time when Christians stop and take stock of their lives. It is a time for revisiting the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It is a time of focusing on our sinfulness and the need to repent, as well as a season in which we focus on putting aside our luxuries and making sure that others have what they need. All of these themes, and more, are explored in this collection of Anglican readings that begin with Ash Wednesday and end on the Saturday of Easter Week.

These readings are arranged in a regular sequence through each week of Lent. Sunday readings focus on God’s love, Mondays on the need for discipline, Tuesdays on fasting, Wednesdays on prayer, Thursdays on sin, Fridays on the cross, and Saturdays on baptism.

A Time to Turn draws on the best sermons, books, poems, and hymns of Anglican writers throughout the centuries, with a reading for each day, followed by the brief suggestion for focusing the reader's meditations. Writers include Christina Rossetti, John Donne, Philips Brooks, John Keble, Thomas Traherne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and many others. Brief biographies are included, along with a bibliography for those who would like to read more from a given writer.

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.

Prayer and praying takes a variety of forms, but in today’s secular world, many people aren’t sure what it is or how to do it.

Donigian (re)introduces three prayers – the Lord's Prayer, the Serenity Prayer and Dag Hammarskjold's famous prayer from Markings – as gifts for those who are uncertain or unclear about prayer…and praying. Study guide included.

A desire and demand to know more about the Jewish legacy of Christian identity is growing among laity. A similar desire to foster interfaith understanding and dialogue is growing among leaders of local churches.

Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar? seeks to meet these demands by providing information and insight about Judaism’s legacy as it is revealed in Christian rites, rituals, and traditions. Drawing upon scripture and historical sources, this book explains how Judaism has influenced the structure of liturgical worship; the design and décor of church sanctuaries; and how Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation find their roots in Judaism.

This book invites readers to develop a deeper understanding of Judaism, one that will enrich their Christianity and appreciation for their enduring Jewish heritage. Includes: questions for reflection; activities for individuals or groups; and easy-to-follow timelines.

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.