How do you help an 8-12-year-old to get to grips with prayer for themselves? Welcome to the Prayer Experiment Notebook. The book includes 14 interactive 'prayer experiments' for children to try out, including: - Lego Bible modelling - Minecraft church - Bubble wrap worry prayers - Play dough prayers - Rough times sandpaper prayers - Prayer types chatterboxes - Bedhead prayer posters - Prayer Den - God is great collage - Thank you jar - Prayer Tree - Praying with your body - Contemplation bottles There is also a 'bonus' section of prayer games and activities to play with a friend, at home or in a church group, plus comments from other 'prayer experimenters' and space to write your own reflections.

This book is based on a blog run by Revd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and her teenage son, Noah, www.TeenagePrayerExperiment.blogspot.co.uk. Miranda and Noah developed the blog and book as they could find nothing on the market to introduce teenagers to different ways of praying. Each chapter of the book introduces a prayer practice, eg using labyrinths, Lego Bible modelling, prayer beads, prayer walking. It also includes comments by teenagers who have tried it out and space for the young person to record their own thoughts.

Chaplaincy - a place for those who have sold out, can't hack church ministry and don't believe in mission? Against the negative stereotypes, this book argues that chaplains are a valuable resource to the Church. Embedded in places as diverse as prisons, hospitals, educational establishments and the armed forces, chaplains often encounter social trends well in advance of the institutional churches. Their experiences and expertise can be very helpful for thinking about ministry, ecclesiology and the engagement with contemporary society. The first five parts of this book gather together stories of 22 chaplains working in a wide variety of contexts and from a range of Christian churches. The final part consists of four essays on key themes: multi-faith issues; the core skills needed by a chaplain; models of chaplaincy; and tensions that can arise in the work. This book is for chaplains, students, clergy and all those who are considering becoming a chaplain or have dealings with people in the role. It will be of considerable interest to anyone who wonders what exactly chaplains do, how and why they do it and what the churches can learn from their experiences.

An interactive and accessible book of 'prayer experiments' that encourages readers to try out different approaches to prayer and to record their experiences. The prayer experiments include: Praying with your whole body Colouring the Bible The Lord's Prayer Labyrinth Breathing meditation Pearls of life Examen Prayer walking The author has had several requests for a version of this book for adults.

The history of Christianity can seem dauntingly complex: it covers two thousand years and involves virtually every corner of the earth. It has shaped the world as we know it today. The Essential History of Christianity covers both the key historical events and the big picture. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes helps us to understand what has gone on in the past, and sheds light on our present experiences of churches, religion, spirituality and religious conflict. She also gives important clues about what might happen in the future. This entertaining and accessible guide makes sense of a fascinating subject, providing a clear overview of the broad sweep of Christian history, and is indispensible for those beginning to study Christianity or the Church.

Conspicuous consumption in the 15th century both offers causes for revolt and allows reconstruction of regional supply and trading networks. The essays in this volume focus on the sources and resources of political power, on consumption (royal and lay, conspicuous and everyday) on political revolution and on economic regulation in the later middle ages. Topics range from the diet of the nobility in the fifteenth century to the knightly household of Richard II and the peace commissions, while particular case studies, of Middlesex, Cambridge, Durham Cathedral and Winchester, shed new light on regional economies through an examination of the patterns of consumption, retailing, and marketing.Professor MICHAEL HICKS teaches at King Alfred's College at Winchester.Contributors: CHRISTOPHER WOOLGAR, ALASTAIR DUNN, SHELAGH MITCHELL, ALISON GUNDY, T.B. PUGH, JESSICA FREEMAN, JOHN HARE, JOHN LEE, MIRANDA THRELFALL-HOLMES, WINIFRED HARWOOD, PETER FLEMING.

'a fiercely intelligent theologian and historian' - The Independent 'Miranda gives us the confidence to sit and taste the Bible's profound and life-changing goodness.' - Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York As a vicar, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes is used to being asked to recommend a book on how and why to read the Bible. Filling the gap between popular Bible reading notes and more academic books, How to Eat Bread is the book she'd give to anyone wanting to explore the Bible as part of their faith. Its three main sections delve into the rich heritage of how Christians have read the Bible down the ages: From the Larder - ways that scripture itself uses other parts of scripture, or models and demonstrates different ways of reading Grandma's Recipe Book - historical methods of biblical interpretation Molecular Gastronomy - the insights and methods of modern theological hermeneutics Encouraging readers to try out a variety of tried and tested ways of Bible reading, experiment with different ingredients and sample the results, How to Eat Bread is a refreshingly hands-on approach to understanding this ancient library of texts. 'exhilarating and hands-on ... Miranda Threlfall-Holmes provides a fantastic guide' - Fergus Butler-Gallie

The institutions of the middle ages are generally seen as tradition-bound; Monks and Markets challenges this assumption. Durham's outstanding archive has allowed the uncovering of an unprecedented level of detail about the purchasing strategies of one of England's foremost monasteries, and it is revealed that the monks were indeed reflective, responsive, and innovative when required. If this is true of a large Benedictine monastery, it is likely to be true also for the vast majority of other households and institutions in Medieval England for which comparable evidence does not exist.
Furthermore, this study gives a unique insight into the nature of medieval consumer behaviour, which throughout history, and particularly from before the early modern period, remains a relatively neglected subject. Chapters are devoted to the diet of monks, the factors influencing their purchasing decisions, their use of the market and their exploitation of tenurial relationships, and their suppliers.