Fifty-two stories about the large themes of life, nature and faith. Positive and life-affirming, 52 Original Wisdom Stories follows the liturgical year and is an ideal resource for public worship. Sid and Rosie are an older married couple, with several children and grandchildren. Through a series of short, engaging narratives, we learn about their faith, their feelings for one another, their hopes and dreams, and their perception of how God speaks to them through the events of their lives. Each story stands on its own; their sequence follows the rhythm of the church's year from Advent through Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Harvest Thanksgiving. With an open tone of wonder and reflection, author Penelope Wilcock explores the ordinary and extraordinary topics of daily life: falling in love, marriage, birth, education, illness, woodlands, farming, meeting adversity, hospitality, home-making, work. This beautiful book is ideal for personal reflection and growth and as a refreshing resource for church and small group discussions.

* All the most exciting readings - in all three years - come from the Gospel of John

Jesus was a pest to the Romans and a threat to the religious leadership, so they hung him out like so much refuse. Little did they realize that it was like trying to put out a fire with petrol. The whole world exploded. With characteristic style, John Pritchard takes us on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as he unpacks the five great events that made Christianity - Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. We explore: `What happened?' `What did it mean?' `What does it mean for us?' Absorbing, immediate and full of stories, this volume offers deeply considered theology, brilliantly communicated to connect with life as we actually experience it.

Though Christians the world over make yearly preparations for Lent, there s a conspicuous lack of good books for that other great spiritual season: Advent. All the same, this four-week period leading up to Christmas is making a comeback as growing numbers reject shopping-mall frenzy and examine the deeper meaning of the season. Ecumenical in scope, these fifty devotions invite the reader to contemplate the great themes of Christmas and the significance that the coming of Jesus has for each of us not only during Advent, but every day. Whether dipped into at leisure or used on a daily basis, Watch for the Light gives the phrase holiday preparations new depth and meaning. Includes writings by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Sylvia Plath, J. B. Phillips, Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster, Henri Nouwen, Bernard of Clairvaux, Kathleen Norris, Meister Eckhart, St. Thomas Aquinas, Karl Rahner, Isaac Penington, Madeleine L Engle, Alfred Delp, Loretta Ross-Gotta, William Stringfellow, J. Heinrich Arnold, Edith Stein, Philip Britts, Jane Kenyon, John Howard Yoder, Emmy Arnold, Karl Barth, Oscar Romero, William Willimon, Johann Christoph Arnold, Gail Godwin, Leonardo Boff, G. M. Hopkins, Evelyn Underhill, Dorothy Day, Brennan Manning, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Romano Guardini, Annie Dillard, Martin Luther, St. John Chrysostom, Giovanni Papini, Dorothee Soelle, C. S. Lewis, Gustavo Gutierrez, Philip Yancey, J. T. Clement, Thomas Merton, Eberhard Arnold, Ernesto Cardenal, T. S. Eliot, John Donne, Gian Carlo Menotti and Jurgen Moltmann."

Using biblical examples, John Hull and Tim Elmore teach readers how to pray at critical junctures in life. An ideal resource for those seeking to enlarge their prayer vision and alter their circumstances for God's glory.

Egeria, who was most probably a Spanish nun, visited the Holy Land only fifty years after the death of Constantine, making her work the earliest surviving account of the area. Her description of the Holy Land, particularly that of Jerusalem, are written with a loving attention to detail, making her the prime source of early Christian pilgrimage and worship. The third edition of John Wilkinson's well-known book is completely updated and as well as a translation of Egeria's account, includes a wealth of information about Egeria, her journey and early liturgy.

This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the internal arrangement of church buildings in Western Europe between 1500 and 2000, showing how these arrangements have met the liturgical needs of their respective denominations, Catholic and Protestant, over this period. In addition to a chapter looking at the general impact of the Reformation on church buildings, there are separate chapters on the churches of the Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican and Roman Catholic traditions between the mid-sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, and on the ecclesiological movement of the nineteenth century and the liturgical movement of the twentieth century, both of which have impacted on all the churches of Western Europe over the past 150 years. The book is extensively illustrated with figures in the text and a series of plates and also contains comprehensive guides to both further reading and buildings to visit throughout Western Europe.

I believe. These two words are among the most explosive words any human can utter. The Apostles' Creed has shaped and guided Christian faith for almost two thousand years. Shared by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions, it is perhaps the most compelling statement of Christian doctrine the world has ever known. But do we know what it really means-and how it applies to us today? In The Apostles' Creed, renowned theologian and pastor R. Albert Mohler Jr. works line-by-line and phrase-by-phrase through each section of the Creed, revealing the rich truths it contains, including: the profound mystery of the Trinity the miracle of the Incarnation the world-shaking truth of the resurrection the hope of Christ's return the theological heritage contained in this ancient statement The Apostles' Creed is an often-overlooked treasure that contains the power to shape us for vibrant and steadfast living today, equipping believers to live faithfully in a post-Christian culture.

Will the Christian church live or die? What is the way ahead? Answering these questions, this book challenges all people of God to seek unity in and beyond the norms of dogma and hierarchy.

A comprehensive guide to symbols used in Christian liturgical art, architecture, manuscripts, stained glass, etc. The book includes over 500 new illustrations. First published in 1964, now completely updated.

That was the stunned reaction of Stan Telchin, a successful Jewish businessman, when his daughter said she had accepted Jesus as her Messiah. Her words were a bombshell. The family, their race, their heritage--everything that Stan treasured--felt shattered in an instant. With grim determination he set out to prove to his daughter just how wrong she was . . . with astonishing results. A true and powerful story that rings with the excitement of prophecy being fulfilled before our own eyes.

Prayer That Gets ResultsPrayer is the Christian's lifeline to God, and with it lives are changed for eternity! E. M. Bounds knew the secrets of prayer and that God has established divine principles and promises for our every need. He reveals these principles and illustrates how God has answered the prayers of men and women since the beginning of Bible times. He also uncovers how you can...* Have direct communication with God* Maintain a prayer life that produces results* Overcome Satan and his hold on prayer* Obtain all that God has for you* Discover all the possibilities of prayerSince the time of the apostles, no man besides E. M. Bounds has left such a rich inheritance of biblical research into the life of prayer. Here are teachings that form the only effective barrier against the powers of evil that prevail throughout the present world. Through his writings, you will discover how you can have a totally effective prayer life and how you can know the fullness of divine power."Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."--John 16:24

Morning Prayer Rite I, Daily Devotions, Baptism, Holy Eucharist Rites I and II, Selected Pastoral Offices, Psalter, Prayers. It is spiral bound for easy use. Designed in collaboration with the Episcopal Society for Ministry on Aging, Inc., this volume is a companion to The Hymnal 1982 Selections in Large Print.

As you read this powerful booklet during the Lenten season, you will experience spiritual growth through interaction with Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments. The readings culminate in the Passion Week and Easter Sunday, and you will gain a greater understanding of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as you examine critical passion narratives in the Gospels. Through your interaction with these Lenten readings, you will be a joyful witness of God s carefully orchestrated plan to redeem the world through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. These 40 devotions will allow you to gain a more complete perspective on your personal relationship with Jesus and the power of his work in your life today. Written by Dr. Kenneth Boa, president of Reflections Ministries, each devotion provides thoughts for meditation along with a prayer for each day, making this the perfect devotional for personal, family or small-group use. Features: * 40 daily devotions with multiple Scripture readings * A meditation that amplifies the Scripture passages* Each daily reading ends with a prayer* Scripture text from the clear, accessible New International Version (NIV) Bible"

Paul Bradshaw, one of the world's foremost scholars on the history of Christian liturgy, has shared this expertise in several works that have become standard texts for students of liturgy. In Rites of Ordination, Bradshaw turns his attention to the ways that Christians through the ages have understood what it means to ordain someone as a minister and how that has been expressed in liturgical practice. Bradshaw considers the typological background to ordained ministry some have drawn from the Old Testament and what ministry meant to the earliest Christian communities. He explores the ordination rites and theology of the early church, the Christian East, the medieval West, the churches of the Reformation, and the post-Tridentine Roman Catholic Church.

Since 1917, when three Portuguese shepherd children received apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the Child Jesus, and Saint Joseph, Fatima has been the destination of many millions of pilgrim visitors. The apparitions occurred at a time of great turmoil in the history of mankind: The Great War was in its third year, and Russia was in the throes of revolution that would lead to Communism taking hold. The so-called "Third Secret" of Fatima foretold the assassination attempt on the Pope, Saint John Paul II in 1981. These events may have passed, but the message of Fatima is eternal: prayer and penance form the path to salvation. This book tells the Fatima story and provides insights into the lives of the seers. It gives the locations of the places of worship and interest in the Sanctuary and nearby villages, and provides information on the Programmes, Mass times, and practical essentials when visiting Portugal. There is a small book of Devotions featuring the Rosary, the Mass, and prayers and songs associated with Fatima. Several trips to the surrounding area include abbeys, castles, The Eucharistc Miracle at Santarem, and the shrine in the fishing town of Nazare. The Convent of Carmel in the historic city of Coimbra, home to Sister Lucia for many years, is visited. Lisbon, the Estoril coast and the palaces of Sintra and Mafra are also included. The book is illustrated in full colour with maps and plans. This is an essential tool to enable you to make the most of what will be a deeply spiritual, personal experience.

Drawing on the riches of the Celtic tradition, a look at seven traditional sacred spaces and their meaning in our own lives There are many books that explore actual, physical, sacred space and pilgrimage sites. This is a different kind of book. It introduces seven traditional "sacred spaces" but then leads readers into a deeper reflection on what such "sacred space" means in our own lives and experience. The various sacred spaces explored are: the Celtic Cross; the infinite knot; hilltops; wells and springs; causeways and bridges; thresholds and burial grounds; and boundaries. In each chapter, the author introduces a "sacred space" as the main theme and then illustrates this by associating it with a particular stage of life and a particular sacramental experience. The ideas are then brought together by means of a scripture story.

No mattter how much or how little you already know about the Ercharist, the "secrets" revealed here will bring you to a new, personal "Emmaus" experience, again and again. Perfect for personal devotion, catechesis, study groups, book clubs, and theological...

We are at our human best when we give and forgive. But we live in a world in which it makes little sense to do either one. In our increasingly graceless culture, where can we find the motivation to give? And how do we learn to forgive when forgiving seems counterintuitive or even futile? A deeply personal yet profoundly thoughtful book, Free of Charge explores these questions--and the further questions to which they give rise--in light of God's generosity and Christ's sacrifice for us. Miroslav Volf draws from popular culture as well as from a wealth of literary and theological sources, weaving his rich reflections around the sturdy frame of Paul's vision of God's grace and Martin Luther's interpretation of that vision. Blending the best of theology and spirituality, he encourages us to echo in our own lives God's generous giving and forgiving. A fresh examination of two practices at the heart of the Christian faith--giving and forgiving--the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lenten study book for 2006 is at the same time an introduction to Christianity. Even more, it is a compelling invitation to Christian faith as a way of life. "Miroslav Volf, one of the most celebrated theologians of our day, offers us a unique interweaving of intense reflection, vivid and painfully personal stories and sheer celebration of the giving God . . . I cannot remember having read a better account of what it means to say that Jesus suffered for us in our place." -- Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury