Search results for ""Darton,Longman Todd Ltd""

** This title is available for pre-order and will be released on September 26th**Tommy Greenan was a young Scottish priest who chose to live and work among the poorest of the poor in civil war-torn El Salvador in the 1980s and early 1990s, shortly after the altar assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero, whose ministry to the victims of state repression had greatly inspired him. Tommy shared the poverty, fears and grief of the communities in which he lived. Death was an everyday reality, and priests who sided with the poor were considered subversives, enemies of the regime. Amid the danger and his pastoral duties, he wrote hundreds of reflections, stories and meditations that gave true witness to the daily life of his friends and neighbours. Together they represent a passionate voice for the voiceless, a memorial to short lives that would otherwise have been unknown and unseen. Following Tommy's death, The Song of the Poor collects an exceptional selection of his writings from El Salva

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In this collection of talks and interviews, previously unpublished in book form, Metropolitan Anthony discusses the nature of `Church' and what we mean when we speak of the Church as being the body of Christ. He discusses the development of the early Church, its mission and its historical legacy, and offers insights into where the contemporary Church finds itself. He explores what the vocation of the Church should be, and our role within that, with his customary accessibility and simplicity of style. `...our vocation is - and the vocation of the Church is - to be an icon of the Holy Trinity. The only real structure, the only real way in which the Church can be formed so as to fulfil its vocation is by expressing in all its being these relationships within the Holy Trinity: relationships of love, relationships of freedom, relationships of holiness.'

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Monk in the Market Place … and the Simpsons is a memoir like no other. Ray Simpson, Founding Guardian of the international new monastic Community of Aidan and Hilda, recalls the story of a unique life in which he has followed faithfully a calling to live monastically beyond the traditional enclosures of monastery or shrine. Ray’s unputdownable account charts human pain and God-incidents in his childhood and college, baptisms of fire in industrial heartlands and multi-racial London, pioneering a Village of God at Bowthorpe, Norwich, the call to be ‘a contemplative in the market place’ living without a salary, his co-founding of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, and twenty years as founder of the Celtic Christianity library and CAH Retreat Facilities on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, ‘the spiritual capital of England’.

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All of Life is an inspiring Christian course based on the much-loved BBC television drama Call the Midwife. Over the course of five weekly sessions, it offers church study groups and individuals a new way of engaging with God and profound questions around who we are and why we’re here. The course helps us to think about and discuss these themes: • Liturgy and Prayer, with a reflection by George Guiver • Disability and Ability, with a reflection by Katie Tupling • Windrush, with a reflection by Chine McDonald • LGBTQIA+ People, with a reflection by Claire Jones • Vocation and Calling, with a reflection by Frances Wilson • Living with Death, with a reflection by Juliet Stephenson Each session opens with a suggested Call the Midwife clip to watch, and is followed by an appropriate Bible reading, questions for discussion, and suggestions for helpful prayers and group activities. This book contains notes to help group leaders guide participants through the session in an inclusive and stimulating way.

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These 75 simple recipes for delicious, healthy smoothies are just what the doctors ordered! Every day, doctors see the effects that current lifestyles are having on people’s health and wellbeing. Western society suffers from high rates of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer, many of which are preventable. It is often the case that making small changes can have a tremendously positive impact on our health. Smoothies are an excellent example of a small change you can make for better health – they take minutes to prepare but they can provide a daily dose of vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and antioxidants. Each of the recipes in Smoothie Doctors has been contributed by a practising health professional representing one of a broad range of medical specialties. Not only do the smoothies taste delicious, they’re packed with goodness, and their creators explain how they are beneficial for your health. The book includes: • Breakfast smoothies • Post-workout smoothies • Smoothies for children • Smoothies for gut health and constipation • Smoothies for healthy hearts, bones and sleep • Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory smoothies • Low sugar smoothies Smoothie Doctors has been collated and edited by Dr Emma Short, an NHS doctor specialising in gastrointestinal and soft tissue pathology, based in Swansea Bay University Health Board. She is a health and fitness writer and runs a popular running club. ** All royalties from sales of Smoothie Doctors will go to the humanitarian health aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières **

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Mary, Mother of Jesus, has been the focus of much piety and theology down the centuries, and whatever it is she represents has been and remains central to the vitality of Christianity in many parts of the world. Grace is Not Faceless collects the essential writings and addresses on Mary by Ann Loades, one of the most important contributors to contemporary feminist Marian theology, especially from an Anglican perspective. Including both rare and original material spanning more than thirty years, this volume traces the trajectories of Loades’ distinctive writings on Mary; for example, her emphasis on Mary in the arts, her attention to the iconology of the Rabbula Gospels, and the key she finds to approaching the Mother of Jesus in Cornelius Ernst’s memorable phrase ’grace is not faceless’. It is prefaced with a substantial introduction by Stephen Burns, providing significant context both for the chapters and the wider work of Ann Loades herself.

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"Is death something to be feared? What is the point of a funeral? How should we prepare for one? Can it ever be right to allow, or even to help, someone to die? The Bible can help us understand". ‘The Bible,’ says Pope Francis, ‘is not a collection of books for the benefit of a privileged few. It belongs to those called to hear its message and to recognise themselves in its words.’ The How the Bible Can Help Us Understand guides are designed to help us explore these words together today. Each book asks what the Bible has to say about an important aspect of our lives, and can be read either privately or as part of a small study group. The authors offer thoughts and questions for reflection, prayers, and suggestions for considering a topic more deeply.

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Anne Hope is well known as president of the ecumenical lay community The Grail in South Africa, as co-founder of the acclaimed Training for Transformation programme for community development, and for her important work in the struggle against apartheid. Less is known about her dramatic and inspiring inner journey. Here, drawing on unique access to Anne’s diaries and prayer journals, Stephanie Kilroe sheds light on this previously hidden life and her struggle for freedom and wholeness in herself, in vocation, and in love.

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Therese Vanier, founder of L'Arche in the UK, was also a distinguished doctor who worked with Cecily Saunders at the world-renowned St Christopher's Hospice in London, and a tireless contributor to Christian ecumenism and interfaith understanding. This biography draws on the memories of nearly fifty people who knew her, as well as her own published and unpublished writings, to offer a tribute to Therese and a critical assessment of her lasting legacy in the three areas of her work. Includes photo section.

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The world glorifies youth and degrades old age. The Gift of Years flies in the face of this conventional wisdom. It is a wonderful celebration of the blessings of growing older, clear-eyed and unsentimental about the reality of the ageing process but showing us that our later years are gift, not burden. It is time for us, Joan Chittister says, to let go of both our fantasies of eternal youth and our fears of getting older.

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Thomas Merton’s classic study of monastic prayer and contemplation brings a tradition of spirituality alive for the present day. But, as A. M. Allchin points out in his Introduction to this new edition, Contemplative Prayer also shows us the present day in a new perspective, because we see it in the light of a long and living tradition. Merton stresses that in meditation we should not look for a 'method' or 'system' but cultivate an 'attitude' or 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, trust, joy. God is found in the desert of surrender, in giving up any expectation of a particular message and 'waiting on the Word of God in silence'. Merton insists on the humility of faith, which he argues 'will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalisations of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history'.

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A unique and fascinating journey into discipleship and ministry as seen through the eyes of a cyclist* Bishop of Selby John B. Thomson draws on 4 decades of ministerial experience and spiritual learning* In a world besotted by speed, we see how contemplative travel deepens and expands so many aspects of our lives As an enthusiastic recreational cyclist I have frequently found myself mulling over matters of discipleship and ministry whilst pedalling through the Yorkshire countryside. In the process I have come to recognise many connections between them.'Drawing on his experiences of ministerial formation in South Africa during the latter years of apartheid, and of thirty-five years of ministry in Yorkshire, the Bishop of Selby John B. Thomson takes readers on a unique and fascinating journey into discipleship and ministry as seen through the eyes of a cyclist. Bishop John explains:* how we learn most, as Jesus taught us, through the gift of strangers; * the importance of devoting time t

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‘A canticle to God, and full of psychological insights that might have been written yesterday, the Confessions are the story of a soul, and also the story of God, and how he is constantly at work seeking us.’ Confessions is perhaps the most important spiritual autobiography of all: it chronicles Saint Augustine’s wild, dissonant youth and subsequent conversion to Christianity, as well as providing significant divine and philosophical insight. Bestselling author, Fr Benignus O’Rourke OSA, provides a new and luminescent translation of Confessions, his beautiful and eloquent prose shedding new light on the various shades of meaning in Saint Augustine’s meditations and stories. Each book is prefaced with an introduction providing further accessibility and depth of understanding to this seminal work. Fr Benignus O’Rourke O.S.A is an Augustinian friar and a member of the community at Clare Priory, Suffolk, and the bestselling author of Finding Your Hidden Treasure (DLT, 2010).

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Daily Prayer and Divine Office offers a simple introduction to a scripture-based form of prayer used by clergy, Religious and some lay people as part of their spiritual discipline. Many are unaware of this structured form of prayer, or think it is not intended for them, and it’s likely that few have received any instruction in its benefits. This book, based on no particular version of the Office, seeks to reveal the riches of this form of prayer for all.

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Reading the Bible Through Lent is the perfect accompaniment to Lenten study and reflection using the scripture readings of the Catholic liturgy. For every day of Lent, it provides the Bible readings for the day (taken from the Revised New Jerusalem Bible), with a short commentary, two questions for personal reflection and two prayers – all written by the Revd Dr Adrian Graffy, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission – enabling the Bible to be read in the contemplative tradition of Lectio Divina.

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Letting Photos Speak is for anyone who takes photos, on standard cameras or smartphones, and who wants to explore personal meaning and well-being through their pictures. The book, designed for readers of all faiths and none, begins by exploring some of the common ground between Christian contemplation and mindfulness and the effects that photography can have on wellbeing. It outlines some ways of exploring meanings in photos, ranging from theological reflection to visio divina, and considers how photography can function as a place of unrushed reflection or contemplation, involving the mind, emotions and body. Drawing on the authors' experience of utilising photography in churches, leading retreats and running workshops, the book includes a number of practical exercises to 'let photos speak' and help readers connect with themselves, others, nature, and God. The book also offers some practical examples of how images can speak effectively in group contexts, such as workshops and alternative styles of worship. At the end, readers are invited to draw together their reflections in a personal photo journal, inspired by the ancient practice of keeping a 'Book of Hours', using reflective prompts and innovative bookmark overlays.

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In Give Peace a Chance, Scot McKnight sketches a peace ethic, or a peace witness, that embodies the embodied self-denial of Jesus to the point of the cross and through that cross is vindicated by God. As such, a peace ethic volitionally and communally participates in the cruciform pattern of the life of Jesus. Through the power of God's grace and the indwelling Spirit of God the participant in the way of Jesus is transformed into a Christoform life. A peace ethic is a lived theology whose discerning witness transcends the specific principles and ideas of that theology.

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A short definitive account of Keith Ward’s theology, based on the philosophy of Personal Idealism. It records Ward’s views about God, revelation, the kingdom of God, life after death, the incarnation, atonement, and Trinity. In summary, it is a concise and clear account of most central Christian doctrines, formed in the light of modern science and Idealist philosophy.

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Priest, poet and broadcaster Rachel Mann believes the world is charged with a divine spark. She explains how in our encounters with what she terms ‘the spectres of God’, one can become at peace with limitation, precariousness, lack of certainty, and one’s fragility and fractures - and at the same time find in divine fragility the hope of the world. Drawing on her own experiences, in three short chapters (on the body, on love, and on time) Mann explores how God invites us, repeatedly, to live in a rich three-dimensional mystery that subverts the depressing flat-earth of modern life.

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‘And because of our good Lord’s tender love to all those who shall be saved, he quickly comforts them, saying: “The cause of all this pain is sin. But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”’ All Shall Be Well presents – in a series of short passages suitable for daily reading and meditation – Sheila Upjohn’s acclaimed modern translations of fourteenth-century anchoress Julian of Norwich’s The Revelations of Divine Love. The Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom comprises some of the very best Christian writing published by Darton, Longman and Todd since its foundation in 1959.

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This book presents the complete texts of the gospel readings for every Sunday throughout the three-year cycle of the Sunday lectionary in the Catholic Church during the season of Ordinary Time, and for the solemnities and feasts which fall on Sundays. It may be used for personal study to enhance understanding and appreciation of the Sunday gospel. Each reading is accompanied by a short commentary, two questions for personal reflection and two prayers, to enable the gospels to be read in the contemplative tradition of Lectio Divina. These reflections have been written by the Revd Dr Adrian Graffy, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. The gospels are from the Revised New Jerusalem Bible, a bold new rendition of the scriptures designed for study and proclamation, and acclaimed for the richness, accuracy and inclusivity of its language. A companion to this volume, The Sunday Gospels for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, is to be released in November 2021.

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‘For many generations thousands of the most gifted and exemplary human beings have been devoting all their energies of mind and body to becoming holy; on the way they have let fall many crumbs of wisdom; it is a privilege, as well as a joy, to pick up those crumbs and recycle them.’ Holiness cannot be taught by any kind of trick or technique and can only be truly understood through a personally transformative process, explains theological writer and professor Donald Nicholl in this classic work, which arose first from a series of conferences that he gave to a community of Poor Clares. The Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom comprises some of the very best Christian writing published by Darton, Longman and Todd since its foundation in 1959.

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A quarter-century after writing the acclaimed The Celtic Way, Ian Bradley, one of the foremost experts on the spiritual beliefs and practices of the indigenous Christian communities in the British Isles in the early Middle Ages, revisits the original sources and makes a substantial reappraisal of Celtic spirituality. Following the Celtic Way challenges many of the myths and romanticised portrayals of Celtic Christianity and shows evidence of the harder edge and demanding austerity of the lives and spirituality of believers from this time. This book sits among the most insightful and up-to-date introductions to this distinctive and evocative expression of faith, and draws out its themes that are most relevant to us today. It also offers practical spiritual guidance on how to follow the Celtic Way in the contemporary world.

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Let there be light (entertainment)! Find out why God called it a day. Try Eve’s apple crumble recipe. Wave an Allen key at Noah’s ARKEA instruction manual. Study the scripts of CSI: Eden, The Jeremiah Kyle Show and Pharaoh’s Apprentice. Bibluff your way through the Good Book’s first book as Paul Kerensa introduces us to all the big players in the Bible’s big opener, in bite-sized sketches, spoofs and scribbles. Whether you are a Bibliever or a Scripturesceptic, you’ll boost your knowledge and your grin with this fun, reverent and relevant tale of creation, nation and dream interpretation, via the invention of wine, language and bellybutton fluff.

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Oscar Romero: Prophet of Hope is a comprehensive account of the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador’s incredible journey of holiness and courageous witness in the face of cruel state oppression. Historian Roberto Morozzo Della Rocca draws directly on previously unpublished documents – some of which were used as evidence in the process leading to Romero’s beatification in 2015 – to write the most authoritative biography of Romero to date. Morozzo tells the complete story of Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez, from his humble roots in Ciudad Barros, El Salvador, to his ordination in Rome and his eventual appointment as Archbishop of San Salvador. It weaves a sensitive account of Romero’s character – both public and private – with a mature appraisal of his theology and unfailing commitment to the poor, marginalised and persecuted of Latin America. The final chapter describes Romero’s movements and words during the final months, weeks and days that led to his martyrdom – assassinated while celebrating Mass the day after publicly appealing to soldiers of El Salvador’s Revolutionary Government to refuse their orders to kill.

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Disability: The Inclusive Church Resource is written to help your own church to be equipped to welcome all people who live with some form of physical disability. It contains first-hand personal experiences of people who have felt excluded from churches because of their disability, a Theology of Disability by the late John M.Hull and a resource section containing addresses, websites and practical advice. Other books in the Inclusive Church Resource series include Mental Health and forthcoming titles on Poverty, Sexuality, Gender and Ethnicity.

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These amazing little books are potential life-savers. Using simple text and bold design, each book meets the reader at a point of low mood or unhelpful thinking, and guides them through rational thought processes to a more positive mood and a healthier outlook on life. Based on CBT, which aims to change patterns of thinking or behaviour that are behind people’s difficulties and so change the way they feel (and currently the subject of major government investment), Pick Me Ups can enable readers to feel happier, to sleep better, to do more and to feel more confident. A royalty from each sale goes to Anxiety UK.

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These amazing little books are potential life-savers. Using simple text and bold design, each book meets the reader at a point of low mood or unhelpful thinking, and guides them through rational thought processes to a more positive mood and a healthier outlook on life. Based on CBT, which aims to change patterns of thinking or behaviour that are behind people’s difficulties and so change the way they feel (and currently the subject of major government investment), Pick Me Ups can enable readers to feel happier, to sleep better, to do more and to feel more confident. A royalty from each sale goes to Anxiety UK.

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John Henry Newman is one of the most significant and enigmatic figures of the nineteenth century, renowned for his original mind, the beauty of his writing, and for his profound influence on both Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism. He will be canonised on October 13th, 2019. Yet his personality remains elusive and his legacy is still contested. Who was Newman and what is his significance for us today? John Henry Newman: A Mind Alive paints a vivid and nuanced portrait of Newman as a thinker, a friend, and a priest, and shows us how he approached some of the controversial issues that still divide Christians. Those who want to come to know Newman better and to learn from him will be able to meet him in this concise and elegant new study.

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These reflections on Jesus’ final words from the cross open our ears to the language of the Bible while opening our hearts to a truer vision of God. Hauerwas touches in original and often surprising ways on fundamental themes, emphasising both the humanity of Jesus and the sheer ‘differentness’ of God. Ideal for personal devotion during Lent and throughout the year, Cross-Shattered Christ offers a transformative reading of Jesus’ words that goes directly to the heart of the gospel. This short book is perhaps the most powerful and poignant ever written by the man described by Time magazine as our ‘greatest theologian’.

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Jean Vanier reflects on who we are and how we build our communities.

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Explores how distinctive themes in the early Christianity of the British Isles might be applied in practical terms to Christian life today.

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How should today's Church shape its response to the Gospel? How can we set about 'making disciples of all nations' in our post-Christian, multi-faith world? What does 'mission' mean in our times? Here, at last, is a book which addresses these issues - and many more - with honesty and openness. It strips 'mission' of its old associations with colonialism and militarism. It looks anew at the underlying theology, reminding us that our task is God's mission, not a human construct. It explores key aspects of contemporary mission, from the familiar - such as the relation of mission to evangelism, and to people of others faiths - to the unusual and thought-provoking - such as mission and the environment, justice for the poor, and the overcoming of violence. J. Andrew Kirk, who has written and lectured widely on the subject of mission, also reflects on the importance of partnership and community - of mission as a shared enterprise. He brings the fruits of his own broad experience, along with current academic thinking in missiology, and presents this afresh for a wide readership. Brief exercises at the end of each chapter draw the reader personally into the issues covered. Students of mission and Christians who wish to engage with today's world, to integrate faith and life, will find here an inclusive, comprehensive and lucid presentation of all relevant discussions.

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This book is designed to cover one year's work in Hebrew leading up to a full understanding of the language. It has been used by the author with his students for many years and the published text is the result of testing and refining over these years. Every attempt has been made to make the grammar clear and simple. For example, all Hebrew words are transliterated, as well as being given in the original for the first three-quarters of the book. The grammatical discussion is made as unsophisticated as possible for it is the author's intention that this book should also be of use to those who study Hebrew without a teacher.

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In this treasure of a book, Henri Nouwen presents a powerful vision of leadership for now and for the future. As he looks back at his own life, the author reflects upon the challenges and solutions that are faced by today's Christian leaders. Nouwen questions many of the current preconceptions of how to lead, and takes the reader back to lessons of Scripture and the lived example of Jesus. Thought-provoking, stimulating, this is a book for anyone already involved in leadership, and for all those who may be called to it. It will become a source of inspiration and renewal.

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Your mother did not love you as she should have – because of her alcoholism, or her narcissism, or her absence, or her mental illness, or for any number of possible reasons. None of them are your fault, but all of them are your burden. Whatever the reason, it has left unsaid so much that you should have heard from your mother –advice, support, compliments, validation, encouragement and so much more. These Notes From Your Inner Mother are your chance to ‘hear’ them all now. They are what a loving mother would say. They’re what you need and deserve to hear. They’re designed to read as if they’re from your own inner mother, the part of you who is your own wise mother to yourself. This wisdom and love is accessible to you through your quietness and attention, and these notes are from that place of healing and kindness. ‘I read the notes every day and I appreciate them more than words can say. It has helped me to understand what a real healthy mother and daughter relationship should be.’ LC , Ontario ‘Your short notes have been food for the soul ….’ MT, Lisbon, Portugal ‘The note series has been uplifting and heart-breaking at the same time, but has led me to a better inner dialogue.’ ED, Oregon ‘Your notes are like my daily prayer. Each one for that day has a direction pertaining to me.’ MS, Arizona

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An engaging and practical introduction to what the Bible has to say about poverty. In a world of inequality, injustice and need, this book will inspire you biblically to serve God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength; to live justly and do justice in every part of your life.

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** Over 250,000 copies sold ** Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field’. God of Surprises shows how we can find that treasure in the most unlikely of places – ourselves. Written for ‘bewildered, confused and disillusioned Christians’ as a guide for the inner spiritual journey in which we are all engaged, God of Surprises has much to say to those who have a love/hate relationship with the Church to which they belong or once belonged. This is an unforgettable book that has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of readers. God of Surprises is also available as a course study package for groups, ideal for Lent use. Each pack includes an audio cassette and ten copies of the accompanying booklet. The booklet includes extracts from the original book plus new material written by Hughes for the course, and ends with suggestions for different ways of praying. The 2022 edition of this evergreen classic comes with a new foreword written by Margaret Silf and is presented in paperback with a contemporary cover design and French flaps.

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For over five hundred years, Gypsies, Roma and Travellers have been persecuted, misrepresented, enslaved and even murdered in whatever land they reside, and there is a deep ignorance of the absolute centrality of religious conviction at the heart of GRT communities. Steven Horne’s Gypsies and Jesus lights the touchpaper on the grace-filled, intimate and unheard core of GRT religiosity that is Traveller Theology. This is a field of study that has long been dominated by non-GRT voices. In this book Dr Horne attempts to take back the pen and reclaim a past and a future for Gypsies and Travellers. Gypsies and Jesus: A Traveller Theology identifies and threads cultural strands (beliefs and customs, narratives and histories, and rituals and traditions) from Gypsy and Traveller culture into a coherent message that speaks of collective piety and cultural purity. Testimonies from members of the GRT community develop this message further. All of these factors are supported with a biblical exegesis to produce an exciting, revelatory and at times sobering book that, for perhaps the first time, hands over the reins of Gypsy-Christian identity to Gypsies themselves.

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This unique anthology of biblical and other sacred religious texts, sermons, essays, poems and hymns offers a rich collection of perspectives and beliefs on what lies beyond death, and is designed to bring encouragement, comfort and reassurance as well as prompting spiritual reflection and intellectual curiosity. Ian Bradley is a much-respected writer, broadcaster and academic, and a former Church of Scotland minister, and offers a short commentary on the facing page of each reading, providing context and helpful information and observations. This book will be a valuable resource for all who seek to understand death personally or professionally.

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Heaven Come Down is the stunningly powerful testimony of someone growing up with severe dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, in a broken dysfunctional family, and their discovery of hope, love and faith through the healing power of God. Chrissie Chevasutt’s tumultuous journey has taken her through drug addiction, prostitution, and begging on the streets of India, before being led to the feet of Jesus. It is a story of hope for anyone who has or is suffering from addictions, suicidal ideation, homelessness, mental illness and the crisis of sexual or gender identity conflict, and seeks to build bridges in places where the Church and the transgender community have been divided.

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Where The Lost Things Go is a 'practically perfect' Lent course for small group study - or for reading on one's own - based on the popular film Mary Poppins Returns. Poet and minister Lucy Berry skilfully draws out some of the themes of the Oscar-nominated movie (which stars Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw and Lin-Manuel Miranda) and shows how we can consider them more deeply alongside passages from the Bible. The course is based around five weekly sessions, entitled: * Were we dreaming? Belief and unbelief * This can't be happening! Loss, denial and acceptance * The Banks children? Or the Bank's children? * Lost people, being found: Fogs and the wilderness * Light! A seriously heavy symbol Each session includes suggested clips from the film, as well as discussion questions, Bible readings and closing prayers. There are detailed notes, advice and additional questions for leaders to help them plan an enriching group study in which all group members can feel accepted and involved. And the book contains an additional section for those who wish to make a deeper study of Mary Poppins Returns' songs.

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Home is Where tells of the journeys – across continents, over time, and through the challenges of family love, loss and letting go – of Margaret Beetham, whose parents were Helen and Lesslie Newbigin, missionaries in India between the 1930s and the 1970s. The life and thoughts of her father, one of the twentieth century’s most admired missionary theologians, have been well documented, but the experiences of a missionary’s family are rarely told. This is Margaret’s story, centred around the profound effects on a young girl of being sent away from the heat, colour and safety of her Indian home to an old-fashioned boarding school in England, and her relationship with the younger sister nearest to her in age, entrusted to her care in childhood and in later life.

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"You must become the change you long for. Fine words, a great vision, but where to begin? We caterpillars know. From the moment we are conceived in our parents’ mating dance, we already contain the cells that hold our future butterfly. We become, literally, the change we carry within us, as our hidden wings take shape. Let us tell you our story …" Tumultuous changes are occurring in the world around us, and the structures and values by which we have charted our lives seem to be collapsing. Many of us are struggling to plot a spiritual path through this unfamiliar landscape, and to believe in a positive future. Hidden Wings is a book offering hope and understanding. Using the example of a caterpillar entering the devastating, world-altering stage of the chrysalis, before emerging – transformed – as a butterfly, Margaret Silf helps us to see that these times of chaos could in fact be an opportunity for profound spiritual transformation.

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** Suitable for online learning and study ** The Mystery of Everything is a new and original Lent course by Hilary Brand, which takes the multi-award winning film about Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything, as its starting point. The course explores ways in which the mysteries of the universe and of everyday life – and the acceptance that we have more questions than answers – can reinvigorate our faith and spiritual journey. The course is based around five weekly group sessions entitled: * The experience of wonder * The enigma of weakness * The complexity of relationships * The encounter with frailty * The hope beyond brokenness Each session includes an extract from the film, group discussion questions and a meditation. There are also short introductory and follow up chapters for individual reading each week, and a chapter of Bible passages for further daily reading. The book supplies full notes for group course leaders.

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Your children have left home, you have lost your job, you have had to move to a strange town, your partner has died ... Every life is filled with changes and transitions. In The Other Side of Chaos, the popular writer and speaker Margaret Silf takes us on a journey through the pitfalls and the opportunities of change. Transitions may be awkward and uncomfortable, but they also put into places where new life can flourish. Silf invites us to embrace the inevitability of upheaval, and shows us how the leaving of our comfort zone can become an invitation to set ourselves free. Through stories and examples and down-to earth tips, she shows us how we can live our transitions constructively and creatively. ‘We will discover what new growth may be sprouting in our lives only if we risk the journey that takes us, like reluctant time travellers, hurtling through the uncharted universe of change.'

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