The act of blessing is a powerful one in Christianity with deep biblical roots, reaching back to the early chapters of Genesis. It expresses a very basic human instinct - the longing for protection, peace and happiness. So it is not surprising that the world is full of blessings for that most basic of human provisions - a place to call home. Peter Watkins has collected together over 100 house blessings from widely differing cultures and sources - the Bible, Celtic spirituality, Latin prayers (translated here!), prayers of St Francis and other saints, poems of blessing from Robert Herrick and other literary figures, contemporary liturgies for rites of blessing for each room of a home - and much more.

Known author and sure-footed Bible teacher

The heat of the summer is fading away, and it's time to start looking forward to America's favorite season of all: fall. Fall is coming; it's a time to be inspired by the reds and golds of the season and to thank God for His many blessings. With simple and timeless devotions, delicious recipes, and ideas for fall traditions, Devotions for the Fall will help you kick off and thoroughly enjoy the fall season. In Devotions for the Fall, you will find 40 devotions together with: festive photographs inspiring quotes and prayers of thanksgiving ideas for fun fall activities and traditions fall inspired recipes to warm your heart Devotions for the Fall is the perfect hostess gift, housewarming present, fall birthday treat, or a self-purchase for anyone who loves all things fall. Relax by the fire, sip some apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte, and enjoy the season to the fullest with this festive devotional.

Discover the hymns that influenced US presidents. ""Presidential Praise: Our Presidents and Their Hymns"" offers the most comprehensive coverage ever written of the influence of hymns on the lives and administrations of America's presidents. Each chapter begins with Michael Williams' concise presentation of each president's path to the White House and his accomplishments and failures as president. D. Edward Spann then introduces how each president regarded music, whether or not he was musical, and music in the White House during each president's administration. These hymns may be related to developments in the life of the president, including his spiritual journey, major decisions he had to make as president, or even his selection of the inaugural Scripture. Spann then tells the story of how the hymn was written, both the words and the music. Presenting this scholarly material in an inspiring manner is part of the delight of the book. In doing so, the book covers a panorama of hymnody from 1614 to the 1980s. After an interpretation of the words, it is demonstrated why the chosen hymns were meaningful to each president. The format of each chapter reveals this special emphasis that can't be found elsewhere.

Handy little book of essential prayers. Daily prayers, prayers for Confession and Communion, prayers for every day of the week.

In History Makers, Dutch Sheets and William Ford III reveal how God wants us to connect with the powerful and timeless things He has done in the past so that we can become empowered for the future. We must look to our Christian forefathers and pray for the renewal of the covenants God made with them, building on God's past work to move closer to His ultimate goals for us as a nation and a planet. Now is our chance to connect with the past, shaping the outcome of the future, and turning it back in God's direction!

2013 Catholic Press Award Winner What can we learn from early Christian imagery about the theological meaning of baptism? Robin Jensen, a leading scholar of early Christian art and worship, examines multiple dimensions of the early Christian baptismal rite. She explores five models for understanding baptism--as cleansing from sin, sickness, and Satan; as incorporation into the community; as sanctifying and illuminative; as death and regeneration; and as the beginning of the new creation--showing how visual images, poetic language, architectural space, and symbolic actions signify and convey the theological meaning of this ritual practice. Considering image and action together, Jensen offers a holistic and integrated understanding of the power of baptism. The book is illustrated with photos.

Gospel medicine' is Barbara Brown Taylor's metaphor for the power of God's word to heal and mend a broken world. In this searingly beautiful collection, she practises the oldfashioned art of gospel home remedies, drawing strength and piercing insight from biblical stories that can help us confront our weaknesses, revive our spirits and restore us to lasting wholeness.

Based on the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 2 is an invaluable aid that provides liturgical pieces needed in preparing for worship each week. Written and compiled by a team of eleven ecumenical and seasoned liturgy writers under the creative leadership of Kimberly Bracken Long, this resource offers a multitude of poetic prayers and responsive readings for all parts of worship and is meant to complement existing denominational resources. In addition, the weekly entries include questions for reflection and household prayers for morning and evening that are drawn from the lectionary, allowing churches to include them in their bulletin for parishioners to use throughout the week.

During times of the year when two different tracks of Old Testament texts are offered by the RCL, this resource offers an entire set of materials for each track. Also, a CD-ROM is included with each volume that enables planners to easily cut and paste relevant readings, prayers, and questions into worship bulletins.

The book is an annotated critical edition of an unpublished collection of hymnographical texts, preserved in the eleventh-century Greek manuscript 11 of the library of Leimonos monastery, Lesbos, Greece. This important codex is a Menaion for June comprising thirty akolouthiai on saints; nineteen of them are hitherto unpublished. The edition of the texts is accompanied by an introduction, a liturgical, palaeographical, and hymnographical commentary, appendices of unpublished hymns preserved in manuscripts other than Lesbiacus Leimonos 11, and indices. The introduction examines codex Lesbiacus Leimonos 11 and its importance from a liturgical, hymnographical, and palaeographical perspective. It is divided into four chapters. The first presents the liturgical environment of the period from the ninth century, when most of the texts edited were composed, to the eleventh, when the production of the codex could be placed, and the liturgical books used in the period, the structure of the akolouthiai and the festal calendar of the Byzantine church. The second chapter deals with the content of the texts edited. Chapter Three presents briefly the life and the hymnographical work of the authors of the texts. The last chapter of the introduction is devoted to the manuscript tradition of the texts.