The Eucharist in the European Middle Ages was a multimedia event. First and foremost it was a drama, a pageant, a liturgy. The setting itself was impressive. Stunning artwork adorned massive buildings. Underlying and supporting the liturgy, the art and the architecture was a carefully constructed theological world of thought and belief. Popular beliefs, spilling over into the magical, celebrated that presence in several tumultuous forms. Church law regulated how far such practice might go as well as who was allowed to perform the liturgy and how and when it might be performed. This volume presents the medieval Eucharist in all its glory combining introductory essays on the liturgy, art, theology, architecture, devotion and theology. Contributors include: Celia Chazelle, Michael Driscoll, Edward Foley, Stephen Edmund Lahey, Lizette Larson-Miller, Ian Christopher Levy, Gerhard Lutz, Gary Macy, Miri Rubin, Elizabeth Saxon, Kristen Van Ausdall and Joseph Wawrykow.

Passover and Easter constitute for Jews and Christians respectively the most important festivals of the year. Although sharing a common root, the feasts have developed in quite distinct ways in the two traditions, in part independently of one another and in part in reaction against the other. Following the pattern set in earlier volumes in this series, these two volumes bring together a group of distinguished Jewish and Christian scholars to explore the history of the two celebrations, paying particular attention to similarities and connections between them as well as to differences and contrasts. They not only present a convenient summary of current historical thought but also open up new perspectives on the evolution of these annual observances. Volume 6 focuses on the contexts in which they occur--the periods of preparation for the feasts in the respective calendars and their connection to Shavuot/Pentecost--as well as to their traditional expression in art and music. Volume 5, also in the series, focuses especially on the origins and early development of the feasts and on the way that established practices have changed in recent years. At the same time, the essays raise some fundamental questions about the future. Have modern human beings so lost the sense of sacred time in their lives, for instance, that these great feasts can never again be what they once were for former generations of believers? And what about recent attempts by some Christians to enter into their heritage by celebrating a Jewish Seder as part of their annual Holy Week and Easter services? Specialists and general readers alike will find much to interest and challenge them within these two additions to what has become a highly regarded series in the world of liturgical scholarship.

"In these companion volumes of essays, Jewish and Christian liturgical scholars examine, from historical, theological, and aesthetic perspectives, the practices and intricate interrelationships of Passover and Easter. Several essays lament the antisemitism that has infected the Easter liturgy, and one-Israel Yuval's 'Easter and Passover as Early Jewish-Christian Dialogue'-pushes beyond the oft-told tale of Jewish-Christian enmity to explore ways the development of worship patterns of the two faiths have influenced one another. Both volumes are required purchases for libraries supporting liturgical studies. Volume 5 would also be a good choice for broader collections in the history of Judaism and Christianity." -Choice

Samuel Rees Howells, A Life of Intercession: The Legacy of Prayer and Spiritual Warfare of an Intercessor by Richard A. Maton, Paul Backholer and Mathew Backholer. Hardback and paperback edtions have 39 black and white photos interspersed throughout the book.
Rees Howells, a powerful intercessor, taught his son Samuel the principles of intercession and commissioned him some weeks before his death, stating, "Whatever you do, stand and maintain these intercessions." For the next fifty-four years, Samuel Rees Howells exercised a powerful intercessory ministry as he focused prayer on gospel liberty, in order for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be given to every creature.
With the mantle of intercession weighing heavily upon him, Samuel spent decades participating with others in their own countries, in profound spiritual struggles that shook world events and shaped history for God's glory Discover how Samuel was led by the Holy Spirit to exercise authority over the principalities and powers, and to 'pray through' until God's purposes were fulfilled in many lethal world conflicts. Learn how God still intervenes in world history, from the Korean War to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and from the Six-Day War to the fall of the Soviet Union
Beginning in the days of Rees Howells, this book continues this powerful story of intercession and traces its effectual legacy into the twenty-first century. Filled with principles of intercession, faith and spiritual warfare, this book provides a fascinating insight into what is possible when the Holy Spirit finds an individual, who will stand in the gap and become a channel for His intercession. Ezekiel 22:30, Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 6:12.
Richard A. Maton worked under Samuel's ministry for forty-seven years and provides us with an eyewitness account of Samuel's life of intercession. Richard is married to Kristine who joined Rees Howells' Bible College in 1936 and prayed alongside him. Together Richard and Kristine spent more than 120 years at the College

In Spiritus Loci Bert Daelemans, who graduated as an architect and a theologian, provides an interdisciplinary method for the theological assessment of church architecture. Rather than a theory, this method is based on case studies of contemporary buildings (1995-2015), which are often criticized for lacking theological depth. In a threefold method, the author brings to light the ways in which architecture can be theology - or theotopy - by focusing on topoi (places) rather than logoi (words). Churches reveal our relationship with God by engaging our body, mind, and community. This method proves relevant not only for the way we perceive these buildings, but also for the way we use them, especially in our prophetic engagement for a better world.

"Lord, teach us to pray," every small group, from Jesus' to yours, has asked. Prayer is intimidating--what do you say to the God of the universe? How do you listen to Someone you can't see? Add other voices to the mix and prayer becomes downright scary--one more opportunity to feel like an idiot in front of your small group, or one more opportunity to highlight the differences between you. And yet prayer is a gift from God to all of us, and group prayer binds us to one another in ways that no other activity can. InTogether in Prayer Andrew R. Wheeler lays the groundwork for establishing a responsible, meaningful prayer ministry in your small group. Here you'll find guidelines for praying in groups, common pitfalls of communal prayer and suggestions for spurring your group onward. Comprehensive in its scope, thoughtful in its approach and practical in its insights, Together in Prayer serves as an authoritative guide for your group to embrace and enhance prayer together.

The WorshipMusic.com 2003 Book of the Year Andy Park writes, "I've learned through the years that becoming a worship leader involves far more than developing a set of skills--it's all about developing a life in God." Here's your opportunity to sit at the feet of one who has for twenty-five years led contemporary worship services in the United States and Canada. In Park's book you'll get an inside look at how this worship leader has learned to follow the leading of the Spirit as he brings others into God's presence. And you'll find practical advice, experienced counsel and inspiring ideas on a variety of issues like songwriting pulling together a team staying humble planning the flow of worship what to do in times of dryness working with the pastor and much more Above all, Park will help you discover what it means for you as a worship leader to be first and foremost a worshiper.

Taiz?--the word is strangely familiar to many throughout the contemporary church. Familiar, perhaps, because the chanted prayers of Taiz? are well practiced in churches throughout the world. Strangely, however, because so little is known about Taiz?--from its historic beginnings to how the word itself is pronounced. The worship of the Taiz? community, as it turns out, is best understood in the context of its greater mission. On the day Jason Brian Santos arrived in the Taiz? community its leader was brutally murdered before his eyes. Instead of making Santos want to leave, the way the community handled this tragedy made him long to stay and learn more about this group of people who could respond to such evil with grace and love. In this book he takes us on a tour of one of the world's first ecumenical monastic orders, from its monastic origins in the war-torn south of 1940s France to its emerging mission as a pilgrimage site and spiritual focal point for millions of young people throughout the world. InA Community Called Taiz? you'll meet the brothers of the order and the countless visitors and volunteers who have taken upon themselves a modest mission: pronouncing peace and reconciliation to the church and the world.

Holiness is totally about our orientation to a Holy, perfect God who sees us, calls out our name and blesses us abundantly. Holiness is often taught as being about how well we live out our Christian faith and what we should and shouldn't do. This makes it about how well we perform as a believer. In A Monkey's Orientation holiness is unpacked and looked at as more about orientating ourselves to the Fathers blessing, making it about where we are rather than what we do.

The call of Deep Church is not just for theologians and church leaders; it is also about each individual Christian experiencing and knowing that Jesus rescues from the depths and changes them deeply In this book Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing explore the concept of Deep Church in a 21st-century context. They argue that a missionary congregation needs to be deeply evangelical and evangelistic, deeply reliant on the power of the Holy Spirit, deeply engaged with its surrounding culture and community, deeply realistic about its limitations and temptations, and deeply convinced of its faith, in the face of all other worldviews and alternatives. Deep Church is about restoring the heart of the Christian faith within a rapidly changing and demanding culture, without lurching from one new methodology to another, rescuing today's church from unnecessary disillusionment, and wholeheartedly embracing Christ and his Kingdom.