""'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my """house. Test me in this, ' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not"" """throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that""" """"you will not have room enough for it.'""""" -- Malachi 3:1 0
In these uncertain economic times, does it really make sense to tithe?
Douglas LeBlanc thinks the answer is clear enough in Malachi 3:10, where God goes so far as to tell us, "Test me in this." The people profiled in this book have done exactly that--and the effect on their lives has been dramatic.
In these intimate journalistic portraits, LeBlanc shows us true tithing in action. From members of the clergy, to best-selling authors, to social activists both conservative and liberal, these are the lives of real people who tithe in joy and plenty, in the face of poverty and natural disaster, in community and missionally, and as a spiritual practice commanded by God. They come from different backgrounds and live in varying degrees of financial comfort; but they all tithe--and wouldn't have it any other way. Through their eyes, we come to understand this ancient practice as God's call to a life of generosity, compassion, and joy.
"""""THE ANCIENT PRACTICES"""""
There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries. . .everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the """"""Ancient Practices"""""" series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.

"A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the daily offices. Tickle puts each day's prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains-everything you need-in one place. The rhythm that Tickle's book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy."
-Nora Gallagher, "beliefnet.com, and author of "Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith
The third and final volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by "Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.
"The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, "The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.
The third and final book in the set, "Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth. Compact, with deluxe endpapers, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, "The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first twovolumes the completion they are seeking. With this volume, the series culminates with three prayer manuals encompassing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.

"From the Hardcover edition.

Author, historian and keen cultural observer Phyllis Tickle invites us to join her in examining the changing face of Christianity and culture. Phyllis surveys 2000 years of Western history, identifying the great upheavals that occur in Western culture and Christianity every 500 years. The last was the Great Reformation of the 1500 s; the next is happening now. What are the implications of this Great Emergence, both culturally and spiritually? What are the key questions and issues that need to be addressed? Where might we be headed next? And, perhaps most importantly, where are you, at this moment? Might you be an emergence Christian?

The six sessions are: 1) Emergence 101, 2) Where Now Is the Authority? 3) The 20th Century and Emergence, 4) Gifts from Other Times, 5) How Then Shall We Live? and 6) Hallmarks of Emergence

The Participant s Workbook contains all the material needed for use by class participants as well as notes for the class leader to facilitate each session; leadership can be shared among members of the group.

DVD SOLD SEPARATELY There are six sessions on the DVD. Each session begins with a video presentation by Phyllis Tickle, lasting from 10-15 minutes. Ms. Tickle s presentation is followed by filmed interaction with a small group. The Participant Workbook then helps your small group join the dialogue in your own setting.

Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the religion department of Publisher s Weekly, is frequently quoted in print sources like USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, and NY Times as well as in electronic media like PBS, NPR, Hallmark Channel and innumerable blogs and websites. She is an authority on religion in America and a much sought after lecturer and workshop leader. In addition to lectures and numerous essays, Tickle is the author of over two dozen books in religions and spirituality."

An inside look at the foundational sacred text of one of the world's youngest and fastest growing religions The Book of Mormon stands alongside the Bible as the keystone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church/Mormonism). Translated by the prophet Joseph Smith from ancient writings inscribed on golden plates, the Book of Mormon is an account of people living in the Western Hemisphere in a timeline that parallels that of the Bible. It covers a thousand years of loss, discovery, war, peace and spiritual principles that focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ, outlining a plan for salvation and the responsibilities we must assume to attain it. The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained explores this sacred epic that is cherished by more than twelve million members of the LDS church as the keystone of their faith. Probing the principal themes and historical foundation of this controversial and provocative narrative, Jana Riess focuses on key selections that offer insight into contemporary Mormon beliefs and scriptural emphases, such as the atonement of Christ, the nature of human freedom, the purpose of baptism and the need for repentance from sin. She clarifies the religious, political and historical events that take place in the ancient communities of the Book of Mormon and their underlying contemporary teachings that serve as the framework for spiritual practices that lie at the core of Mormon life. Now you can experience this foundational sacred text even if you have no previous knowledge of Mormonism. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the key teachings and essential concepts of the Mormon faith tradition with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that helps to dispel many of the misconceptions that have surrounded the Book of Mormon since its publication in 1830.

Letters from Samaria gathers together much of Louie (Crew) Clay's best and most influential prose and poetry, written from 1974 until the present day, including an essay composed especially for the volume. Much of the material has not appeared since its original publication in newsletters and other ephemeral sources. It is crisply written, and often surprising for its bravery, matter-of-fact self-disclosure, insight, and love. Louie played a pivotal role in transforming The Episcopal Church - and, indeed, Christianity - over the past 40 years. This collection provides a window into Louie Clay's unlikely and at times shocking ministry throughout the years as history was unfolding. * Foreword by Phyllis Tickle * Louie Clay has been the leading voice in LGBTQ issues in the Church over the past forty years; founder of Integrity; * Well-loved, well-known Episcopalian * Funny, sharp, sad, thoughtful, poignant, historic * Afterword by Bishop Mary Glasspool, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Dicoese of Los Angeles

This book holds timeless appeal for readers who hunger for a meaningful and creatively balanced framework for life. It offers a simple blueprint, based on the Rule of St. Benedict, to order ones time and create physical and inner space, to step back from the demands and pressures of the moment, and to step into a place of peace.

E
very five hundred years, the church cleans out its attic and has a giant rummage sale. Well, not exactly. But according to Phyllis Tickle, this is an accurate summary of the church's massive transitions over time. According to the pattern, we are living in such a time of change right now. Tickle calls it "the Great Emergence"--a time of dizzying upheaval and hopeful promise during which various sectors of today's church swirl into a great confluence at the center.
As an internationally renowned expert on religion, Phyllis Tickle has incisive perspective on the trends and transformations of our time. Here, she invites us into a conversation as she shares her reflections stemming from not only personal faith but also decades of observation and analysis. The result is a work that meets the challenge of chronicling a pivotal time in the church's history so we might better understand where we have been and what the future holds. Now available in trade paper with study guide.

"A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the daily offices. Tickle puts each day's prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains-everything you need-in one place. The rhythm that Tickle's book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy."
-Nora Gallagher, "beliefnet.com, and author of "Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith
The third and final volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by "Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.
"The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, "The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.
The third and final book in the set, "Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth. Compact, with deluxe endpapers, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, "The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first twovolumes the completion they are seeking. With this volume, the series culminates with three prayer manuals encompassing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.

"From the Hardcover edition.

"A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the daily offices. Tickle puts each day's prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains-everything you need-in one place. The rhythm that Tickle's book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy."
-Nora Gallagher, "beliefnet.com, and author of "Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith
The third and final volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by "Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.
"The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, "The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.
The third and final book in the set, "Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth. Compact, with deluxe endpapers, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, "The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first twovolumes the completion they are seeking. With this volume, the series culminates with three prayer manuals encompassing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.

"From the Hardcover edition.

Many Christians are new to the practice of daily, formal liturgical prayer and are just discovering the powerful benefits for worshipping God this way. EASTERTIDE is the perfect introduction to the tradition of fixed-hour prayer. Elegantly designed, compact, and accessible, it is an ideal gift for those seeking spiritual guidance and renewal.

Beginning with Ash Wednesday and moving through Holy Week into Easter Sunday, EASTERTIDE provides the daily prayers, psalms, and readings from the Bible and hymns of praise and worship that appear in the larger volume The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime. Refreshingly contemporary yet grounded in one of the oldest forms of Western prayer, this exquisite new book is an insightful program of prayer for Christians dedicated to the contemplation of Lent and the celebration of Easter. Newcomers to this tradition will find that it is the perfect introduction to joining the ancients in prayer during the most solemn time in the Christian calendar.

“A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the daily offices. Tickle puts each day’s prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains–everything you need–in one place. The rhythm that Tickle’s book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy.”
–Nora Gallagher, beliefnet.com, and author of Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith

The third and final volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.

The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.

The third and final book in the set, Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth. Compact, with deluxe endpapers, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first two volumes the completion they are seeking. With this volume, the series culminates with three prayer manuals encompassing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.


From the Hardcover edition.

What would you do for twenty-four hours if the only criteria were to pursue your deepest joy?

Dan Allender's lyrical book about the Sabbath expels the myriad myths about this "day of rest," starting with the one that paints the Sabbath as a day of forced quiet, spiritual exercises, and religious devotion and attendance. This, he says, is at odds with the ancient tradition of Sabbath as a day of delight for both body and soul. Instead, the only way we can make use of the Sabbath is to see God's original intent for the day with new eyes. In "Sabbath," Allender builds a case for delight by looking at this day as a festival that celebrates God's re-creative, redemptive love using four components:

Sensual glory and beautyRitualCommunal feastingPlayfulness

Now you can experience the delight of the Sabbath as you never have before--a day in which you receive and extend reconciliation, peace, abundance, and joy.

The Ancient Practices

There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries . . . everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the Ancient Practices series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.

Grasping. Avarice. Covetousness. Miserliness. Insatiable cupidity. Overreaching ambition. Desire spun out of control. The deadly sin of Greed goes by many names, appears in many guises, and wreaks havoc on individuals and nations alike.
In this lively and generous book, Phyllis A. Tickle argues that Greed is "the Matriarch of the Deadly Clan," the ultimate source of Pride, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, and Anger. She shows that the major faiths, from Hinduism and Taoism to Buddhism and Christianity regard Greed as the greatest calamity humans can indulge in, engendering further sins and eviscerating all virtues. As the Sikh holy book Adi Granth asks: "Where there is greed, what love can there be?" Tickle takes a long view of Greed, from St. Paul to the present, focusing particularly on changing imaginative representations of Greed in Western literature and art. Looking at such works as the Psychomachia, or "Soul Battle" of the fifth-century poet Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, the paintings of Peter Bruegel and Hieronymous Bosch, the 1987 film Wall Street, and the contemporary Italian artist Mario Donizetti, Tickle shows how our perceptions have evolved from the medieval understanding of Greed as a spiritual enemy to a nineteenth-century sociological construct to an early twentieth-century psychological deficiency, and finally to a new view, powerfully articulated in Donizetti's mystical paintings, of Greed as both tragic and beautiful.
Engaging, witty, brilliantly insightful, Greed explores the full range of this deadly sin's subtle, chameleon-like qualities, and the enormous destructive power it wields, evidenced all too clearly in the world today.

What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Is it really that important to pray as the early Church did?

In this installment of The Ancient Practices series, Robert Benson presents a structure for our lives where we can live in continued awareness of God's presence and reality. A pattern for worship and prayer that is offered to God at specific times throughout the day, the daily office is meant to be prayed by all the faithful so the Church may be continuous and God's work in this world may be sustained. Yet it is highly personal too--an anchor between the daily and the divine, the mundane and the marvelous.

Says author Robert Benson, "At some point, high-minded discussion about our life of prayer has to work its way into the dailyness of our lives. At some point, we have to move from talking about prayer to saying our prayers so that the marvelous that is possible has a chance to appear."

"In Constant Prayer" is your gateway to deeper communion with God. Expect something new to unfold before you and within you while heeding this ancient call.

The Ancient Practices

There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries . . . everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the Ancient Practices series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.

"Fasting is the body talking what the spirit yearns, what the soul longs for, and what the mind knows to be true."

-- Scot McKnight

Christianity has traditionally been at odds with the human body. At times in the history of the church, Christians have viewed the body and physical desires as the enemy. Now, Scot McKnight, best-selling author of "The Jesus Creed," reconnects the spiritual and the physical in the ancient discipline of fasting.

Inside You'll Find:

In-depth biblical precedents for the practice of fasting;How to fast effectively--and safely;Different methods of fasting as practiced in the Bible;Straight talk on pitfalls, such as cheating and motivation.Join McKnight as he explores the idea of "whole-body spirituality," in which fasting plays a central role. This ancient practice, he says, doesn't make sense to most of us until we have grasped the importance of the body for our spirituality, until we can view it as a spiritual response to a sacred moment. Fasting--simple, primitive, and ancient--still demonstrates a whole person's earnest need and hunger for the presence of God, just as it has in the lives of God's people throughout history.

The Ancient Practices

There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries . . . everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the Ancient Practices series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.

Phyllis Tickle's inspirational trilogy The Divine Hours (TM) was the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer-an age-old discipline of saying prayers at certain times of the day. This highly regarded trilogy has become one of America's best-loved and most frequently consulted manuals for observing this ancient form of Christian worship. Now, in The Night Offices, Tickle offers the perfect complement to The Divine Hours (TM), bringing together prayers, psalms, hymn texts, religious poetry and other readings not included in the original trilogy, covering the offices for the hours from late evening (Compline) to early morning (Prime). Fans of the Divine Hours (TM) will recognize Tickle's simple, elegant format, her use of a modern calendar rather than a liturgical one, and the single ribbon in the binding, to track one's progress through the year. As in the trilogy, Tickle makes primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, and she draws all the scriptural readings from the Revised Standard Version. The book includes a set of Matins, Lauds, and Prime specific to each day of the week and varied only by month. Thus, the Monday reading for January would be used every Monday in January, but Monday in February would have new offices for it. The cumulative total, being 84 Matins, 84 Lauds, and 84 Prime (252 offices), fits neatly into a single, nightstand edition, a small, compact book that can be comfortably held in the hand. Easy to use, poetically rich, with a superb sampling of devotional works, The Night Offices will be welcomed by a broad readership, Christian and non-Christian alike.

A journey of the soul through the map of Christian time.

The liturgical year, beginning on the first Sunday of Advent and carrying through the following November, is the year that sets out to attune the life of the Christian to the life of Jesus, the Christ.

What may at first seem to be simply an arbitrary arrangement of ancient holy days, or liturgical seasons, this book explains their essential relationship to one another and their ongoing meaning to us today. It is an excursion into life from the Christian perspective, from the viewpoint of those who set out not only to follow Jesus but to live and think as Jesus did.

And it proposes to help us to year after year immerse ourselves into the sense and substance of the Christian life until, eventually, we become what we say we are--followers of Jesus all the way to the heart of God. It is an adventure in human growth; it is an exercise in spiritual ripening.

A volume in the eight book classic series, "The Ancient Practices, " with a foreword by Phyllis Tickle, General Editor.