Night time signifies many things. Apart from the rest and refreshment that sleep brings, the night is a time for gazing at the stars, dreaming and loving. For some it means keeping vigil as they tend the very young, or the sick. For others, it means working so that others may rest peacefully. For most people, there are occasions when the night brings no relief: when we are worried or afraid, trouble never looms larger than in the early sleepless hours. Yet such times can lead to a richer experience of intercession, meditation and contemplation. These experiences of the night are universal and have inspired poetry, prayers, lullabies, songs and stories down the ages. This wide-ranging collection is the perfect bedside companion and will help soothe us to sleep, dispel night time fears and attune us to the gifts and opportunities that each new day brings.

It's always been the same: good fortune seldom came the way of those endowed, they say, with genius and a dainty face. What tragedies take place within each circling space of years 'Rich in good looks' appears to mean poor luck and tears of woe; which may sound strange, I know, but is not really so, I swear, since Heaven everywhere seems jealous of the fair of face. The tale of Kieu, a talented young girl, was written in verse in Vietnamese by Nguyen Du, who lived in Vietnam from 1765 to 1820. Although the story is set in China, it was the greatest work of literature until then to be written in the Vietnamese language, and many would say it is still unrivalled. It tells the story of Kieu, a beautiful girl, who falls in love with Kim, a handsome student, and they become engaged. But while Kim is away, Kieu's father is arrested on a false charge, and Kieu follows the Confucian teaching that duty to one's parents overrides all other duties, and gives herself to be sold as a bride to a stranger. Her life continues with terrible suffering alternating with periods of relative happiness, but always she dreams of Kim. But eventually they are reunited and there is a happy ending. Michael Counsell lived as a civilian in Vietnam for almost four years during the Vietnam War. He read the tale of Kieu, and was deeply moved by the human drama and the descriptions of nature. It seemed to symbolise the suffering which the Vietnamese people, and especially Vietnamese women, endured during the twentieth century. Among the many misunderstandings of the Vietnamese people by the English-speaking world in our days, he says, we must include the failure to understand that they are a nation of poets and heirs to a great culture. So to make this story more widely known, he started to translate the poem into English. This was probably the first and may still be the only translation made by a native speaker of English directly from the Vietnamese into English verse using the same scansion and rhyme-scheme as the original. Michael visited Hanoi in 1994, and was again struck by the beauty of the scenery and the friendliness of the people. His translation of Kieu was published in a bilingual edition, with beautiful illustrations, by the The Gioi Publishers. But it has proved difficult to buy that edition outside Vietnam, so in order that many more people should be able to enjoy it, the English text only is now published by Createspace, a branch of amazon, and also aas an e-book on Kindle. Michael Counsell is now living in Birmingham in England. His dream is that eventually, like Edward Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, his translation of Kieu may prove as popular among English-speakers as with those who can read the original. Janet Marshall writes: Kieu is not a love story in the romantic, light-hearted sense. But it expresses not only the profound and lasting love between Kieu and Kim, but also their patience and endurance through years of cruel, undeserved trials. Yet even through the darkest parts of the poem, the reader has hope of the triumph of goodness over evil, and that Kuan-Yin will eventually bring about a happy ending. All the characters are delicately drawn, and bring a Far Eastern culture, with its modes and manners, vividly to life. So many stories from far-away lands lose much of their fascination and genuine warmth and believability in translation. It is not so in this instance. Michael Counsell, with a true understanding for, and sympathy with the Vietnamese traditions, has brought before the English reader a literary experience of extraordinary beauty.

Many people claim that the Bible supports their views, when they are simply selecting verses and reading them out of context to bolster their prejudices. This book imagines Mary Magdalene telling her life story. It is by a published author who has made a lifelong study of the text of the Bible, and of the way people lived in the time of Jesus; it should encourage readers to use their own imagination to enter into the minds of Jesus and his disciples. It is fiction, in that all these events are unlikely to have happened to one person. But each event is closely based on the Bible account of something which certainly happened to somebody, and the fictional structure should help people to imagine what the experiences felt like, and what the words meant to the hearers at a particular point in history. At this time there are many debates about the role that women should play in the home, society, the church and its ministry. 'She was the First Apostle' may make you think again about what answers the Bible gives to these questions.

A Basic Christian Dictionary is an accessible and easy to use reference guide to the essential elements of Christian belief and the varying ways that it is live out in different denominations and traditions. In a secular age when religious faith is increasingly questioned, this useful resource will deepen understanding and broaden perceptions of Christianity in its multi-faceted expressions around the world today. A Basic Christian Dictionary is a vital tool for all who wish to express their faith in ways which will be helpful and persuasive in the modern world.

Far more than just an A-Z listing of Bible words, people and places, A Basic Bible Dictionary is a comprehensive, easy to useintroduction to the text of the Bible, its essential teaching, its purpose and its influence throughout history. An extensive dictionary of biblical words is included, as are many extra features: a Bible time line an introduction to each of the 66 books that make up the Bible the background to the world of the Old and New Testaments the life and teachings of Jesus key themes in the Bible how the Bible has been translated and interpreted through the centuries internet Bible study sites maps and charts A Basic Bible Dictionary is a handy reference guide which will be an essential tool for ail readers of the Bible.

England's rich spiritual history is portrayed in this informative pocket travel companion, covering more than a thousand places that can be visited today. Cathedrals and abbeys, simple chapels, martyrs' memorials, pilgrim shrines and famous resting places are all featured in this book which connects us to our deepest spiritual roots, reveals the vast holy land lying beneath our feet and tells the stories of the men and women who shaped it.

This informative, pocket-sized guide is a travelling companion for the growing number of visitors to the sites of the Early Church. The guide includes practical information for tourists such as maps, a language guide and information on local services and facilities. It also features historical background, notes on Paul's letters and devotional insights. This volume covers all the major places featured in the Book of Acts as well as the seven churches of the Book of Revelation, including: Jerusalem, Samaria, Gaza, Lydda, Jopa, Caesarea, Damascus and Tarsus; Paul's first missionary journey - Antioch, Cyprus and Galatia; the second journey - Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus; the third journey - Mitylene and the islands of Kos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes; the journey to Rome - Crete, Malta, Syracuse and through Italy to Rome; and the seven churches - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.