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{"id":3178559209572,"title":"Seriously Messy: Making space for families to talk together about death and life","handle":"seriously-messy-making-space-for-families-to-talk-together-about-death-and-life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen families experience bereavement and loss, it can be hard for the wider church community to know how best to support them. In this book, four experienced authors and practitioners offer intergenerational approaches for engaging with questions of death and life in a safe and supportive setting. The material guides church communities who are dealing with the death of loved ones and other situations of loss in talking together as a church family, in applying the Christian message of the resurrection in challenging situations, and in listening to each other and developing their own insights. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe opening chapters offer an easy-to-read overview of issues of death and dying, and why this is such an important topic for churches. Part 2 consists of a series of five short theological reflections, exploring traditional images and the language that Christians have always used when talking about death. The five Messy Church sessions in Part 3 continue these themes, each offering material for a two-hour all-age Messy Church service followed by a meal together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eA\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003euthor info\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRevd Canon Dr Joanna Collicutt is Karl Jaspers Lecturer in Psychology and Spirituality at Ripon College Cuddesdon. She is also an associate minister in an Oxfordshire parish. Her other books include The Psychology of Christian Character Formation (SCM, 2015) and Thinking of You: A resource for the spiritual care of people with dementia (BRF, 2017).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-03-26T14:55:47+00:00","created_at":"2019-03-26T14:57:50+00:00","vendor":"Joanna Collicutt","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jun-19"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":26075616051300,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857468239","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Seriously Messy: Making space for families to talk together about death and life","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":600,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857468239"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468239-l.jpg?v=1553612308"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468239-l.jpg?v=1553612308","options":["Title"],"content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen families experience bereavement and loss, it can be hard for the wider church community to know how best to support them. In this book, four experienced authors and practitioners offer intergenerational approaches for engaging with questions of death and life in a safe and supportive setting. The material guides church communities who are dealing with the death of loved ones and other situations of loss in talking together as a church family, in applying the Christian message of the resurrection in challenging situations, and in listening to each other and developing their own insights. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe opening chapters offer an easy-to-read overview of issues of death and dying, and why this is such an important topic for churches. Part 2 consists of a series of five short theological reflections, exploring traditional images and the language that Christians have always used when talking about death. The five Messy Church sessions in Part 3 continue these themes, each offering material for a two-hour all-age Messy Church service followed by a meal together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eA\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003euthor info\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRevd Canon Dr Joanna Collicutt is Karl Jaspers Lecturer in Psychology and Spirituality at Ripon College Cuddesdon. She is also an associate minister in an Oxfordshire parish. Her other books include The Psychology of Christian Character Formation (SCM, 2015) and Thinking of You: A resource for the spiritual care of people with dementia (BRF, 2017).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Seriously Messy: Making space for families to talk together about death and life
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When families experience bereavement and loss, it can be hard for the wider church community to know how best to...
{"id":2920842592356,"title":"God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? Wrestling honestly with the Old Testament","handle":"god-of-violence-yesterday-god-of-love-today-wrestling-honestly-with-the-old-testament","description":"\u003cp\u003eDo you find the violence in the Old Testament a problem?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDoes it get in the way of reading the Bible – and of faith itself?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile acknowledging that there are no easy answers, in \u003cem\u003eGod of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today\u003c\/em\u003e?, Helen Paynter faces the tough questions head-on and offers a fresh, accessible approach to a significant issue. For all those seeking to engage with the Bible and gain confidence in the God it portrays, she provides tools for reading and interpreting biblical texts, and points to ways of dealing with the overall trajectories of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor Info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing a first career in medicine, Helen Paynter is now a Baptist minister, Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence at Bristol Baptist College, and Editor of BRF’s Guidelines Bible reading notes. Helen is passionate about helping people to get to grips with the Bible because she has seen its power to transform lives. She loves to study it, preach it, teach it, and encourage others to study and understand it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Copan, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Palm Beach Atlantic University, the author of 'Is God a Moral Monster?', and the co-author of 'Did God Really Command Genocide?'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter’s exploration of Old Testament ethical challenges is insightful, balanced and honest. I appreciate the fact that she does not deny divine severity while putting in perspective God's goodness. She admits that she is still wrestling and learning, as indeed I am. She humbly but boldly approaches an array of key topics and she writes with deep pastoral concern. Her treatment of the imprecatory psalms is particularly effective and illuminating. While I have a few quibbles here and there, I want to emphasize the spirit, the breadth, and the balance of this book. It sheds light on a complex and controversial subject, encouraging further conversation and deeper understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Rev'd Dr. Lissa M. Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, Chair, Seminary Bible and Theology Department, Providence University College and Theological Seminary\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eGod of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? Honestly wrestling with the Old Testament\u003c\/em\u003e, Helen Paynter tackles problematic texts of violence in the Old Testament. The questions Paynter asks are pressing ones today, and she sketches out the complex issues clearly but without undue oversimplification. Outlining valuable principles of interpretation and applying them in worked examples, the author’s candor and pastoral attentiveness invite readers into the conversation. The volume models Christian engagement with the biblical text and shows the value of \u003cem\u003ehonest wrestling\u003c\/em\u003e within the text’s own vision of \u003cem\u003eshalom\u003c\/em\u003e. Providing tools to think not only about specific texts of violence, but the biblical text more broadly, it is a welcome and compact initial resource for Christian laypeople troubled by biblical texts of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Meredith Editor of Word \u0026amp; Worship, the publication of the NZ Lay Preachers Association\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn lucid prose Helen Paynter argues that violence featured in the biblical canon should not be ignored or denied but acknowledged and faced honestly. While history is played out in a broken and often violent world the author shows how the movement of scripture is toward God’s creative intention for healing and wholeness. Without providing final answers Paynter offers ways of interpreting even the most violent passages so that we may hear God’s word for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by David Mitchell, Pastor, Woodlands Church, Bristol. May 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen has written a book on one of the most difficult questions Christians face. In it she has managed to be both accessible, compassionate and scholarly as she navigates the tension between a high view of scripture and yet its depiction of God’s apparent actions and decrees in ways which offend our most basic instincts of what is good and loving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe begins with a really helpful guide to reading the bible well whatever (and wherever) the biblical text is addressing, which I would commend to any serious reader of the bible, especially those coming to it fresh. She goes on to deal specifically with the issues of violence, not just to people; animals are included. She gives really helpful cultural context to hard passages without ducking some of the difficulties and ambiguities that remain even for her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe invites us foundationally to see Jesus as God’s last word on the issue of violence and to read the Old Testament not just as a foundation for the revelation of Jesus but as sacred texts which He provides the ultimate guide to understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Andy Goodliff, May 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter is a Baptist minister and Old Testament scholar based at Bristol Baptist College. This is her second book. Her first, a version of her PhD, was Reduced Laughter, looking at how to read the books of 1 \u0026amp; 2 Kings. This second book, written for a broad audience, engages with the thorn of subjects violence in the Old Testament. It arrives at the same time as the work of the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bristol-baptist.ac.uk\/study-centres\/csbv\/\"\u003eCentre for the Study of the Bible and Violence\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(CSBV) begins, of which Paynter is the Director. The book comes in two parts. The first establishes some 'foundations' — reading the Bible as God's word, how to read the Bible well and what is meant or encompassed by the word 'violence.' The chapter in reading the Bible well is especially helpful in offering some important lessons. The second half of the book seeks through 5 chapters to engage with the most serious of questions around the Old Testament and violence. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese 5 chapters make a series of important points. When violence is described, it is not always (often?) being endorsed. An example is given in the story of Samson. Paynter provides a different way of reading the book of Judges that pays attention to how the book is narrated. When violence is implored, as is the case of a good number of Psalms, there is a cry for justice and handing over of that desire for vengeance to God. Violence against animals is not as wanton as might be supposed. Paynter offers some helpful readings of the story of the flood in Genesis 6-9 and the place of sacrifices within Israel's worship. The fourth and fifth chapters explore violence as divine judgement and violence as commanded (e.g. the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eherem\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epassages in Joshua). These questions are more difficult to address, and Paynter acknowledges, that this is not her last word on them, but almost a first foray into these questions, in conversation with wider scholarship. She takes us carefully through the importance of justice, the meaning of the law of talion (eye for an eye), a reading of the death of Uzzah (2 Sam 6) and in the latter chapter the meaning of the word\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eherem\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA final chapter suggests that God's great plan in the Old Testament is shalom (peace) and we read it with trajectory in mind. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an excellent book, which wears its scholarship lightly. Paynter has a great way of explaining and the book is an easy read, although exploring difficult questions. The book seeks as its subtitle suggests to 'wrestle honestly' with the violence found in the Old Testament. It doesn't have, and doesn't promise, a magic solution, but does show that a surface level reading will miss or overlook at more subtle ways the Bible describes and responds to violence. I look forward to future explorations that I'm sure will be forthcoming from Paynter and the CSBV that will continue to reach a broad audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Andy Goodliff. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/andygoodliff.typepad.com\/my_weblog\/2019\/05\/helen-paynter-god-of-violence-yesterday-god-of-love-today-brf-2019.html\" title=\"Andy Goodliff on God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?\"\u003eClick \u003c\/a\u003ehere for blog.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Peter King, Diocese of Chichester\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the past few years I have become increasingly troubled by the violence in the Bible. Although this is a subject we don’t often talk about in our churches, I know from a number of informal conversations that many churchgoers (and others) have questions they would like to explore on these issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished to coincide with June’s inaugural events of Bristol College’s Centre for the Study of Bible \u0026amp; Violence, Helen Paynter’s new book offers a rigorous yet accessible exploration of Old Testament violence ideal for individuals or groups wishing to engage with these troubling texts and the issues they raise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is divided into two parts. The first part offers valuable groundwork on the nature of the Bible and the nature of violence, and concludes with some very helpful suggestions on 'Reading the Bible well'. It is good to be reminded that the reason that texts of violence disturb us is because of our core belief that God is good. It is important, too, to be made aware that just because the Bible describes violence this does not necessarily mean that it commends it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second part identifies a range of types of violent text, and discusses these in ascending order of importance from what is termed 'Violence described' through 'Violence implored' and 'Violence against animals' (sacrifice) to 'Violence as divine judgement and what is the standout case for most people Violence commanded. I found this a very helpful way of classifying the different examples of violence in the OT. Each chapter concludes with some thoughts on how the type of texts under discussion might be read and used in churches today. Here I was particularly struck by what the author sees as the pastoral implications of ignoring the texts of 'Violence described'. By ignoring these stories of interpersonal and sexual violence we risk silencing those for whom they are a reality in their lives today. Yes, indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book concludes with a chapter entitled 'Shalom: God’s great plan', which puts the violent texts in the context of what is arguably an even more significant OT theme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author herself acknowledges at the end of the chapter on 'Violence commanded' that 'there might be more to say' on these most troubling of all the texts of violence. Not everyone will agree with the suggested interpretation, but I hope that all will agree on the important suggestions for reading them 'with ethical integrity' both in our churches and beyond. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in the questions it explores. If you are new to the subject, it offers a comprehensive introduction and the reassurance that you are being guided by a capable and safe pair of hands as you begin to engage with challenging and important issues. If, like me, you are familiar with some of the literature on the subject, reading it will surely bring new insights and ideas. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeter King trained at Bristol Baptist College and now works for the Anglican Diocese of Chichester in adult theological education.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWord \u0026amp; Worship, journal of the New Zealand Lay Preachers Association, Winter 2019 (June). Review by John Meredith\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter addresses the question of biblical violence honestly and without proposing any final answer. She is clear that what is in the scriptures should be neither hidden nor denied and that the Old Testament God of judgement should not be contrasted with the New Testament God of grace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaynter recognises that while violence may be deliberately aggressive it may also find expression through oppressive social structures. Colonisation and cultural devaluation are examples of this. Violence may also be associated with polarising rhetoric. We need think only of the ‘war on terror’ against nations defined as evil. We should not think that violence may be consigned to savage antiquity from which we have moved on. It is still possible to think that with bombs, rather than swords, we are doing God’s will.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we consider episodes of violence in the Bible, Paynter invites readers to reflect on the narrators’ purposes. For example, in Judges 19 we find the gang rape and murder of a concubine. This is deeply shocking, but also draws attention to the appalling consequences for a defenceless woman in a society without law or leadership. Although part of the biblical text, such stories are not usually read in public worship, yet the airing of such stories may allow women who have experienced sexual violence to feel heard and present opportunities for pastoral care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiblical writers recognise the reality of emotions such as anger and desire for revenge arising within the human heart. But rather than being encouraged to give reign to free expression of such emotions we are invited to leave vengeance to God who is just and merciful. The concept of ‘an eye for an eye’ should, Paynter believes, be understood as defining the limitation of personal vengeance, a limitation which Jesus extends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModern sensitivities may cause us to shudder at the conquest of Canaan recorded in the book of Joshua where slaughter seems to be commanded by God. Rather than a literal record of history Paynter suggests the story may be understood as a type of biblical literature dealing with God bringing order out of chaos and affirming the identity of Israel as God’s covenant people. This does not mean, however, that it can be used to support modern Israel’s actions towards Palestine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Hebrew mind God was awesome in holiness with power to create and to destroy. The stories of creation are placed at the beginning of the Old Testament as affirmation of God’s perfect design and intention for universal shalom\/ wholeness. History is played out in a broken and often violent world, but the law and the prophets point to God’s creative intention for healing and wholeness and this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not for us to edit from the Bible what offends us. We must learn to read with understanding. Helen Paynter writes clearly and makes a major contribution to informed reading so that we may hear and interpret God’s word for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJohn Meredith was ordained in the Methodist Church of New Zealand and has completed post-graduate study at Spurgeon’s College, London. John has served in pastoral roles in New Zealand and Western Australia. He is currently editor of Word \u0026amp; Worship, the publication of the NZ Lay Preachers Association and reviews books on theological and biblical themes.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-02-27T11:27:42+00:00","created_at":"2019-02-27T11:31:44+00:00","vendor":"Helen Paynter","type":"Paperback","tags":["May-19"],"price":999,"price_min":999,"price_max":999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":24703390875748,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466396","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? Wrestling honestly with the Old Testament","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":999,"weight":186,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466396"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466396-l.jpg?v=1551267108"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466396-l.jpg?v=1551267108","options":["Title"],"content":"\u003cp\u003eDo you find the violence in the Old Testament a problem?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDoes it get in the way of reading the Bible – and of faith itself?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile acknowledging that there are no easy answers, in \u003cem\u003eGod of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today\u003c\/em\u003e?, Helen Paynter faces the tough questions head-on and offers a fresh, accessible approach to a significant issue. For all those seeking to engage with the Bible and gain confidence in the God it portrays, she provides tools for reading and interpreting biblical texts, and points to ways of dealing with the overall trajectories of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor Info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing a first career in medicine, Helen Paynter is now a Baptist minister, Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence at Bristol Baptist College, and Editor of BRF’s Guidelines Bible reading notes. Helen is passionate about helping people to get to grips with the Bible because she has seen its power to transform lives. She loves to study it, preach it, teach it, and encourage others to study and understand it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Copan, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Palm Beach Atlantic University, the author of 'Is God a Moral Monster?', and the co-author of 'Did God Really Command Genocide?'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter’s exploration of Old Testament ethical challenges is insightful, balanced and honest. I appreciate the fact that she does not deny divine severity while putting in perspective God's goodness. She admits that she is still wrestling and learning, as indeed I am. She humbly but boldly approaches an array of key topics and she writes with deep pastoral concern. Her treatment of the imprecatory psalms is particularly effective and illuminating. While I have a few quibbles here and there, I want to emphasize the spirit, the breadth, and the balance of this book. It sheds light on a complex and controversial subject, encouraging further conversation and deeper understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Rev'd Dr. Lissa M. Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, Chair, Seminary Bible and Theology Department, Providence University College and Theological Seminary\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eGod of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? Honestly wrestling with the Old Testament\u003c\/em\u003e, Helen Paynter tackles problematic texts of violence in the Old Testament. The questions Paynter asks are pressing ones today, and she sketches out the complex issues clearly but without undue oversimplification. Outlining valuable principles of interpretation and applying them in worked examples, the author’s candor and pastoral attentiveness invite readers into the conversation. The volume models Christian engagement with the biblical text and shows the value of \u003cem\u003ehonest wrestling\u003c\/em\u003e within the text’s own vision of \u003cem\u003eshalom\u003c\/em\u003e. Providing tools to think not only about specific texts of violence, but the biblical text more broadly, it is a welcome and compact initial resource for Christian laypeople troubled by biblical texts of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Meredith Editor of Word \u0026amp; Worship, the publication of the NZ Lay Preachers Association\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn lucid prose Helen Paynter argues that violence featured in the biblical canon should not be ignored or denied but acknowledged and faced honestly. While history is played out in a broken and often violent world the author shows how the movement of scripture is toward God’s creative intention for healing and wholeness. Without providing final answers Paynter offers ways of interpreting even the most violent passages so that we may hear God’s word for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by David Mitchell, Pastor, Woodlands Church, Bristol. May 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen has written a book on one of the most difficult questions Christians face. In it she has managed to be both accessible, compassionate and scholarly as she navigates the tension between a high view of scripture and yet its depiction of God’s apparent actions and decrees in ways which offend our most basic instincts of what is good and loving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe begins with a really helpful guide to reading the bible well whatever (and wherever) the biblical text is addressing, which I would commend to any serious reader of the bible, especially those coming to it fresh. She goes on to deal specifically with the issues of violence, not just to people; animals are included. She gives really helpful cultural context to hard passages without ducking some of the difficulties and ambiguities that remain even for her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe invites us foundationally to see Jesus as God’s last word on the issue of violence and to read the Old Testament not just as a foundation for the revelation of Jesus but as sacred texts which He provides the ultimate guide to understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Andy Goodliff, May 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter is a Baptist minister and Old Testament scholar based at Bristol Baptist College. This is her second book. Her first, a version of her PhD, was Reduced Laughter, looking at how to read the books of 1 \u0026amp; 2 Kings. This second book, written for a broad audience, engages with the thorn of subjects violence in the Old Testament. It arrives at the same time as the work of the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bristol-baptist.ac.uk\/study-centres\/csbv\/\"\u003eCentre for the Study of the Bible and Violence\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(CSBV) begins, of which Paynter is the Director. The book comes in two parts. The first establishes some 'foundations' — reading the Bible as God's word, how to read the Bible well and what is meant or encompassed by the word 'violence.' The chapter in reading the Bible well is especially helpful in offering some important lessons. The second half of the book seeks through 5 chapters to engage with the most serious of questions around the Old Testament and violence. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese 5 chapters make a series of important points. When violence is described, it is not always (often?) being endorsed. An example is given in the story of Samson. Paynter provides a different way of reading the book of Judges that pays attention to how the book is narrated. When violence is implored, as is the case of a good number of Psalms, there is a cry for justice and handing over of that desire for vengeance to God. Violence against animals is not as wanton as might be supposed. Paynter offers some helpful readings of the story of the flood in Genesis 6-9 and the place of sacrifices within Israel's worship. The fourth and fifth chapters explore violence as divine judgement and violence as commanded (e.g. the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eherem\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epassages in Joshua). These questions are more difficult to address, and Paynter acknowledges, that this is not her last word on them, but almost a first foray into these questions, in conversation with wider scholarship. She takes us carefully through the importance of justice, the meaning of the law of talion (eye for an eye), a reading of the death of Uzzah (2 Sam 6) and in the latter chapter the meaning of the word\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eherem\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA final chapter suggests that God's great plan in the Old Testament is shalom (peace) and we read it with trajectory in mind. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an excellent book, which wears its scholarship lightly. Paynter has a great way of explaining and the book is an easy read, although exploring difficult questions. The book seeks as its subtitle suggests to 'wrestle honestly' with the violence found in the Old Testament. It doesn't have, and doesn't promise, a magic solution, but does show that a surface level reading will miss or overlook at more subtle ways the Bible describes and responds to violence. I look forward to future explorations that I'm sure will be forthcoming from Paynter and the CSBV that will continue to reach a broad audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Andy Goodliff. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/andygoodliff.typepad.com\/my_weblog\/2019\/05\/helen-paynter-god-of-violence-yesterday-god-of-love-today-brf-2019.html\" title=\"Andy Goodliff on God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?\"\u003eClick \u003c\/a\u003ehere for blog.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Peter King, Diocese of Chichester\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the past few years I have become increasingly troubled by the violence in the Bible. Although this is a subject we don’t often talk about in our churches, I know from a number of informal conversations that many churchgoers (and others) have questions they would like to explore on these issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished to coincide with June’s inaugural events of Bristol College’s Centre for the Study of Bible \u0026amp; Violence, Helen Paynter’s new book offers a rigorous yet accessible exploration of Old Testament violence ideal for individuals or groups wishing to engage with these troubling texts and the issues they raise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is divided into two parts. The first part offers valuable groundwork on the nature of the Bible and the nature of violence, and concludes with some very helpful suggestions on 'Reading the Bible well'. It is good to be reminded that the reason that texts of violence disturb us is because of our core belief that God is good. It is important, too, to be made aware that just because the Bible describes violence this does not necessarily mean that it commends it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second part identifies a range of types of violent text, and discusses these in ascending order of importance from what is termed 'Violence described' through 'Violence implored' and 'Violence against animals' (sacrifice) to 'Violence as divine judgement and what is the standout case for most people Violence commanded. I found this a very helpful way of classifying the different examples of violence in the OT. Each chapter concludes with some thoughts on how the type of texts under discussion might be read and used in churches today. Here I was particularly struck by what the author sees as the pastoral implications of ignoring the texts of 'Violence described'. By ignoring these stories of interpersonal and sexual violence we risk silencing those for whom they are a reality in their lives today. Yes, indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book concludes with a chapter entitled 'Shalom: God’s great plan', which puts the violent texts in the context of what is arguably an even more significant OT theme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author herself acknowledges at the end of the chapter on 'Violence commanded' that 'there might be more to say' on these most troubling of all the texts of violence. Not everyone will agree with the suggested interpretation, but I hope that all will agree on the important suggestions for reading them 'with ethical integrity' both in our churches and beyond. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in the questions it explores. If you are new to the subject, it offers a comprehensive introduction and the reassurance that you are being guided by a capable and safe pair of hands as you begin to engage with challenging and important issues. If, like me, you are familiar with some of the literature on the subject, reading it will surely bring new insights and ideas. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeter King trained at Bristol Baptist College and now works for the Anglican Diocese of Chichester in adult theological education.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWord \u0026amp; Worship, journal of the New Zealand Lay Preachers Association, Winter 2019 (June). Review by John Meredith\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Paynter addresses the question of biblical violence honestly and without proposing any final answer. She is clear that what is in the scriptures should be neither hidden nor denied and that the Old Testament God of judgement should not be contrasted with the New Testament God of grace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaynter recognises that while violence may be deliberately aggressive it may also find expression through oppressive social structures. Colonisation and cultural devaluation are examples of this. Violence may also be associated with polarising rhetoric. We need think only of the ‘war on terror’ against nations defined as evil. We should not think that violence may be consigned to savage antiquity from which we have moved on. It is still possible to think that with bombs, rather than swords, we are doing God’s will.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we consider episodes of violence in the Bible, Paynter invites readers to reflect on the narrators’ purposes. For example, in Judges 19 we find the gang rape and murder of a concubine. This is deeply shocking, but also draws attention to the appalling consequences for a defenceless woman in a society without law or leadership. Although part of the biblical text, such stories are not usually read in public worship, yet the airing of such stories may allow women who have experienced sexual violence to feel heard and present opportunities for pastoral care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiblical writers recognise the reality of emotions such as anger and desire for revenge arising within the human heart. But rather than being encouraged to give reign to free expression of such emotions we are invited to leave vengeance to God who is just and merciful. The concept of ‘an eye for an eye’ should, Paynter believes, be understood as defining the limitation of personal vengeance, a limitation which Jesus extends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModern sensitivities may cause us to shudder at the conquest of Canaan recorded in the book of Joshua where slaughter seems to be commanded by God. Rather than a literal record of history Paynter suggests the story may be understood as a type of biblical literature dealing with God bringing order out of chaos and affirming the identity of Israel as God’s covenant people. This does not mean, however, that it can be used to support modern Israel’s actions towards Palestine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Hebrew mind God was awesome in holiness with power to create and to destroy. The stories of creation are placed at the beginning of the Old Testament as affirmation of God’s perfect design and intention for universal shalom\/ wholeness. History is played out in a broken and often violent world, but the law and the prophets point to God’s creative intention for healing and wholeness and this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not for us to edit from the Bible what offends us. We must learn to read with understanding. Helen Paynter writes clearly and makes a major contribution to informed reading so that we may hear and interpret God’s word for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJohn Meredith was ordained in the Methodist Church of New Zealand and has completed post-graduate study at Spurgeon’s College, London. John has served in pastoral roles in New Zealand and Western Australia. He is currently editor of Word \u0026amp; Worship, the publication of the NZ Lay Preachers Association and reviews books on theological and biblical themes.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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{"id":3178537517156,"title":"God's Word for Messy People: 31 Bible readings and reflections","handle":"gods-word-for-messy-people-31-bible-readings-and-reflections","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWanting to go deeper in your journey as a Messy Church leader or helper, or are you just curious about what makes Messy Church a way of being church together? This accessible booklet contains 31 short Bible passages, with a reflection on each passage by Messy Church founder Lucy Moore, exploring the core values of Messy Church and reinforcing the creativity, hospitality, joy, inclusivity and character of Jesus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLucy Moore is the founder of Messy Church. She promotes Messy Church nationally and internationally through training and speaking events, and is the author of a number of books for BRF.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-03-26T14:47:11+00:00","created_at":"2019-03-26T14:53:39+00:00","vendor":"Lucy Moore","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jun-19"],"price":399,"price_min":399,"price_max":399,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":26075519975524,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467492","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"God's Word for Messy People: 31 Bible readings and reflections","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":399,"weight":600,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467492"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467492-l.jpg?v=1553612022"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467492-l.jpg?v=1553612022","options":["Title"],"content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWanting to go deeper in your journey as a Messy Church leader or helper, or are you just curious about what makes Messy Church a way of being church together? This accessible booklet contains 31 short Bible passages, with a reflection on each passage by Messy Church founder Lucy Moore, exploring the core values of Messy Church and reinforcing the creativity, hospitality, joy, inclusivity and character of Jesus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLucy Moore is the founder of Messy Church. She promotes Messy Church nationally and internationally through training and speaking events, and is the author of a number of books for BRF.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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{"id":2439826473060,"title":"80 Reflective Prayer Ideas: A creative resource for church and group use","handle":"80-reflective-prayer-ideas-a-creative-resource-for-church-and-group-use","description":"\u003cp\u003ePrayer remains a vital part of Christian discipleship. Following the success of the author's 80 Creative Prayer Ideas, this ready-to-use resource book contains 80 further ideas on setting up reflective and creative prayer stations or responses. Claire Daniel shows us how to pray with our whole being - our senses as well as our voice, our hearts as much as our minds. Tried and tested, these ideas will enhance the praying of small groups, churches and individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniels' book not only offers us a wide variety of ways to engage with God, but opens up experiences that ignite our senses and help us step right into an enhanced understanding of God and of our journey with him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Rachel Turner, Parenting for Faith Pioneer \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Jane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniel is author of 80 Creative Prayer Ideas and Prayer Journey into Parenthood. She is passionate about encouraging others to use creative prayer methods and speaks at conferences and leads workshops on the subject of prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGodVenture blog: review by Victoria Beech, February 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat for: people organising prayer in any group setting, including those wanting to inspire family prayers at home\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest bit: Loads of simple, creative ideas for reflective prayer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorst bit: No pictures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe instructions for the prayer activities are simple and easy to follow, and most activities need minimal resources, which is fab. If you're a church leader or childrens' worker or anyone who plans times of prayer for a group of people, the ideas in this book are simple and easy to do and, with a little preparation, you could create take-home versions to inspire family prayer at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI didn't feel the activities were age-limited, which is great, as it means they could be used in a toddler group or an all-age service, giving everyone a way of connecting with God in a creative way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prayer ideas are grouped together so you could use a different one each week or create a variety of prayer stations with a similar theme. I particularly like that many of them use nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt first, I was disappointed the strapline didn't mention families, but the activities are all written for those organising prayer times for a group, and it's hard to make the text work for people doing things in a family and a group (I've tried!). If I was planning to make take-home packs, I'd be tempted to shorten the instruction text, maybe picking one or two of the suggestions for reflection to make it quicker to read and get on to actually praying. I find families tend to have less time to read instructions, and things which are 'good to go' are best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I said above, it's a shame there's no pictures, especially as the author says she's used lots of the activities herself. It would be fab to have a colour photo of each activity, but that would be a pricey book I guess.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Victoria Beech in her blog GodVenture\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e_____________________________________________\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:29+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:31+00:00","vendor":"Claire Daniel","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jan-19"],"price":999,"price_min":999,"price_max":999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21770194681956,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466730","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"80 Reflective Prayer Ideas: A creative resource for church and group use - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":254,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466730"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466730-l.jpg?v=1559576089"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466730-l.jpg?v=1559576089","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003ePrayer remains a vital part of Christian discipleship. Following the success of the author's 80 Creative Prayer Ideas, this ready-to-use resource book contains 80 further ideas on setting up reflective and creative prayer stations or responses. Claire Daniel shows us how to pray with our whole being - our senses as well as our voice, our hearts as much as our minds. Tried and tested, these ideas will enhance the praying of small groups, churches and individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniels' book not only offers us a wide variety of ways to engage with God, but opens up experiences that ignite our senses and help us step right into an enhanced understanding of God and of our journey with him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Rachel Turner, Parenting for Faith Pioneer \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Jane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniel is author of 80 Creative Prayer Ideas and Prayer Journey into Parenthood. She is passionate about encouraging others to use creative prayer methods and speaks at conferences and leads workshops on the subject of prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGodVenture blog: review by Victoria Beech, February 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat for: people organising prayer in any group setting, including those wanting to inspire family prayers at home\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest bit: Loads of simple, creative ideas for reflective prayer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorst bit: No pictures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe instructions for the prayer activities are simple and easy to follow, and most activities need minimal resources, which is fab. If you're a church leader or childrens' worker or anyone who plans times of prayer for a group of people, the ideas in this book are simple and easy to do and, with a little preparation, you could create take-home versions to inspire family prayer at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI didn't feel the activities were age-limited, which is great, as it means they could be used in a toddler group or an all-age service, giving everyone a way of connecting with God in a creative way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prayer ideas are grouped together so you could use a different one each week or create a variety of prayer stations with a similar theme. I particularly like that many of them use nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt first, I was disappointed the strapline didn't mention families, but the activities are all written for those organising prayer times for a group, and it's hard to make the text work for people doing things in a family and a group (I've tried!). If I was planning to make take-home packs, I'd be tempted to shorten the instruction text, maybe picking one or two of the suggestions for reflection to make it quicker to read and get on to actually praying. I find families tend to have less time to read instructions, and things which are 'good to go' are best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I said above, it's a shame there's no pictures, especially as the author says she's used lots of the activities herself. It would be fab to have a colour photo of each activity, but that would be a pricey book I guess.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Victoria Beech in her blog GodVenture\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e_____________________________________________\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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{"id":2439839252580,"title":"Prayer in the Making: Trying it, talking it, sustaining it","handle":"prayer-in-the-making-trying-it-talking-it-sustaining-it","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eFaith in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBooks on prayer can so often make us feel challenged but guilty. Not this one! \u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e is a book for everyone wanting to pray more confidently. Because we are all different, we need to find the prayer life that fits with who God made us to be. Lyndall Bywater explores twelve different types of prayer, helping us to find the ones which best suit us and our lifestyles. She certainly challenges us, but leaves us ready to talk confidently with God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLyndall Bywater is a freelance speaker and writer, specialising in the subject of prayer. Having worked for ten years as The Salvation Army's UK prayer coordinator, she is now part of Connecting the Isles and works with the Europe team of 24-7 Prayer. She also heads up Canterbury Boiler Room, an interdenominational prayer community, and contributes to BRF's Day by Day with God Bible reading notes. She is married to Phil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Jani Rubery, Trustee of 24-7 Prayer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those interested in how to go deeper in prayer, this book will build confidence and excitement about the possibility of what can be achieved through prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf your aim is to be an instrument of prayer, that helps transform, rebuild and reform our world, nation, communities, churches and families - then this is the book for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis like being given a DIY toolkit for helping us create a more effective and fulfilling prayer life. For some, the tools will be familiar but the methods outlined in the book will help you to use them in ways which are possibly new, innovative and grounded. For those who may be somewhat familiar with the tools, but have not known how to use them, then Lyndall's insights will help you explore and experiment in order to become more comfortable using different ways of praying personally as well as corporately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI highly recommend\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor use as an individual, small group or wider church community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Jani Rubery, Trustee of 24-7 Prayer, executive coach and spiritual mentor\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehave known Lyndall for years through Connecting the Isles and always appreciated her clarity of thought and expression. I wouldn't normally rush to buy or read a book on prayer. However, having read this one I find myself both encouraged and inspired. I really appreciated the practical aids that are found in every chapter and the sense of grounded reality. I liked it a lot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaphne Godwin, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI am delighted to endorse Lyndall Bywater's book, Prayer in the Making. Lyndall lives and practices what she preaches; the messenger incarnates the message.\u003cbr\u003eSo many books about prayer lead to a confusion regarding what our personal prayer life is supposed to look like. Condemnation quickly weighs on our hearts. But here, Lyndall writes from the heart about relationship, not performance. Love, not law. Grace to be ourselves and enter into the discovery of how and where God might meet us in our own personal, unique way. Acceptance by Jesus beats failure and condemnation any day. Read this book and enjoy being a Life in the Making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRoy Godwin Executive Director, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-02-15T12:25:45+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:26:21+00:00","vendor":"Lyndall Bywater","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jan-19"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21770420748388,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857468017","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Prayer in the Making: Trying it, talking it, sustaining it - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":181,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857468017"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468017-l.jpg?v=1549043108"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468017-l.jpg?v=1549043108","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eFaith in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBooks on prayer can so often make us feel challenged but guilty. Not this one! \u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e is a book for everyone wanting to pray more confidently. Because we are all different, we need to find the prayer life that fits with who God made us to be. Lyndall Bywater explores twelve different types of prayer, helping us to find the ones which best suit us and our lifestyles. She certainly challenges us, but leaves us ready to talk confidently with God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLyndall Bywater is a freelance speaker and writer, specialising in the subject of prayer. Having worked for ten years as The Salvation Army's UK prayer coordinator, she is now part of Connecting the Isles and works with the Europe team of 24-7 Prayer. She also heads up Canterbury Boiler Room, an interdenominational prayer community, and contributes to BRF's Day by Day with God Bible reading notes. She is married to Phil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Jani Rubery, Trustee of 24-7 Prayer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those interested in how to go deeper in prayer, this book will build confidence and excitement about the possibility of what can be achieved through prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf your aim is to be an instrument of prayer, that helps transform, rebuild and reform our world, nation, communities, churches and families - then this is the book for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis like being given a DIY toolkit for helping us create a more effective and fulfilling prayer life. For some, the tools will be familiar but the methods outlined in the book will help you to use them in ways which are possibly new, innovative and grounded. For those who may be somewhat familiar with the tools, but have not known how to use them, then Lyndall's insights will help you explore and experiment in order to become more comfortable using different ways of praying personally as well as corporately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI highly recommend\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrayer in the Making\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor use as an individual, small group or wider church community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Jani Rubery, Trustee of 24-7 Prayer, executive coach and spiritual mentor\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehave known Lyndall for years through Connecting the Isles and always appreciated her clarity of thought and expression. I wouldn't normally rush to buy or read a book on prayer. However, having read this one I find myself both encouraged and inspired. I really appreciated the practical aids that are found in every chapter and the sense of grounded reality. I liked it a lot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaphne Godwin, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI am delighted to endorse Lyndall Bywater's book, Prayer in the Making. Lyndall lives and practices what she preaches; the messenger incarnates the message.\u003cbr\u003eSo many books about prayer lead to a confusion regarding what our personal prayer life is supposed to look like. Condemnation quickly weighs on our hearts. But here, Lyndall writes from the heart about relationship, not performance. Love, not law. Grace to be ourselves and enter into the discovery of how and where God might meet us in our own personal, unique way. Acceptance by Jesus beats failure and condemnation any day. Read this book and enjoy being a Life in the Making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRoy Godwin Executive Director, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
You may also like:
Prayer in the Making: Trying it, talking it, sustaining it
£8.99
From the author of Faith in the Making Books on prayer can so often make us feel challenged but guilty....
{"id":2439750189156,"title":"80 Creative Prayer Ideas: A resource for church and group use","handle":"80-creative-prayer-ideas-a-resource-for-church-and-group-use","description":"\u003cp\u003ePrayer is a vital part of the Christian life but people often struggle with actually getting on and doing it. This book offers 80 imaginative and creative ideas for setting up 'prayer stations', practical ways of praying that involve the senses - touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing, rather than simply reflecting, as we bring our hopes, fears, dreams and doubts to God. \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped from material tried and tested with small groups, the ideas here provide activities ranging from bubble prayers to clay pot prayers (via just about everything else in between), and have been designed to be used with grown-ups - of all ages!\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eForeword\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world! It is wonderfully creative, helping us to engage with all of our being in the whole business of listening to, walking with, waiting for and talking with God. It provides biblically based ideas to make prayer accessible to an individual, small group or church congregation in ways that are engaging, stimulating and fun!\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eSo many people find getting down to pray and praying hard, whether they try on their own or with others in a small group or in a church setting. Often this is because we rely solely on using verbal tools to 'pray'. And while that does work for some of us, others need to engage more actively in the doing and so be able to connect with the Bible passage, themes or issues in more interactive ways which enable our praying to flow for ourselves and for others.\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eI hope this book will spur on leaders who want to include creative praying in church services and home groups as well as individuals who want to explore new ways of encountering God in the place of prayer. Jesus clearly showed us what our responsibilities are as his followers: to pray for his kingdom to come and for his will to be done in and for our families and our neighbours; in our communities , our nation and our world. Let's use these creative methods of prayer and see where God leads us as we sense our own prayer journey developing and reaching up to God and out to those he puts on our heart to pray for and about.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniels' book not only offers us a wide variety of ways to engage with God, but opens up experiences that ignite our senses and help us step right into an enhanced understanding of God and of our journey with him.\r\nRachel Turner, Parenting for Faith Pioneer\r\n$$$\r\nThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world!\r\nJane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniel has led creative prayer sessions for a variety of age groups at Aldridge Parish Church, near Birmingham and also for The Hothouse, a fresh expression of church and growing worshipping community in the West Midlands. She is passionate about encouraging others to explore different ways of praying and supporting groups and churches to use creative prayer ideas in ministry.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Diocese of Lichfield Magazine July\/August 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCreative Prayer 'it enables you to respond to God in practical and very personal ways. When the words won't come - because you feel inadequate or don't know what to say, you can do something and physically give it to God.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniel wrote her new book, 80 Creative Prayer Ideas, either side of the birth of her son. The book features prayer ideas and approaches that involve all the senses. Each prayer idea is built around a bible reflection. \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The thing with creative prayer is it gives the chance to spend time with God. It is not just about a list of requests, thanks or things you've done wrong, it is listening to God.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'People can develop through creative prayer because it gives you the time and space to listen and let God work. There is a place for liturgical prayer, but also something significant in doing things a different way.'\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClaire leads prayer sessions at Aldridge Parish Church and also at The Hothouse, a fresh expression of church and growing worship community. \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'We do creative prayer as part of the Hothouse services once a fortnight. Prayer stations are firmly something for adults, not just children. When I personally started creative prayer, I \r\nfound it brilliant, and powerful - especially where you can take something away as a keep sake of faith and return to it again.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'People are really excited, and raring to use it. Our youth fellowship can't wait to get their hands on it. I would love to speak or lead workshops for churches that are passionate \r\nabout different ways of praying, bringing alive their prayer life.'\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a youth and children's worker I am always looking out for ideas for creative ways to encourage people to pray, so I have seen many resource books on how to engage people in prayer. I came to this book wondering what could be said that has not already been said and what new ideas might be included.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nI have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The book is divided into various sections looking at different areas of walking with God - walking with the Bible, walking in our world, walking as a church, walking together with God and our personal walk with God.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nUnder each of these headings are a series of chapters looking at prayer for different people and different seasons. Each idea is then divided into a prayer focus, Bible reflection and personal reflection. There is also a section highlighting what materials you would need to have ready in order to make your prayer session interactive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nThroughout the book are ideas using all our senses and having already used several of the ideas I can testify to the fact that they work well with different age groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nSo I would highly recommend this book for people who lead prayers in their church, house groups, schools or in youth and children's ministry. There is a wealth of different ideas here and for GBP8.99 it is excellent value for money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Sharon Prior. Co-founder and Chair of the Sophia Network.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:39+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:41+00:00","vendor":"Claire Daniel","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jun-14"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21769083355236,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781841016887","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"80 Creative Prayer Ideas: A resource for church and group use - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":254,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9781841016887"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016887-l.jpg?v=1549043172"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016887-l.jpg?v=1549043172","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003ePrayer is a vital part of the Christian life but people often struggle with actually getting on and doing it. This book offers 80 imaginative and creative ideas for setting up 'prayer stations', practical ways of praying that involve the senses - touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing, rather than simply reflecting, as we bring our hopes, fears, dreams and doubts to God. \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped from material tried and tested with small groups, the ideas here provide activities ranging from bubble prayers to clay pot prayers (via just about everything else in between), and have been designed to be used with grown-ups - of all ages!\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eForeword\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world! It is wonderfully creative, helping us to engage with all of our being in the whole business of listening to, walking with, waiting for and talking with God. It provides biblically based ideas to make prayer accessible to an individual, small group or church congregation in ways that are engaging, stimulating and fun!\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eSo many people find getting down to pray and praying hard, whether they try on their own or with others in a small group or in a church setting. Often this is because we rely solely on using verbal tools to 'pray'. And while that does work for some of us, others need to engage more actively in the doing and so be able to connect with the Bible passage, themes or issues in more interactive ways which enable our praying to flow for ourselves and for others.\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eI hope this book will spur on leaders who want to include creative praying in church services and home groups as well as individuals who want to explore new ways of encountering God in the place of prayer. Jesus clearly showed us what our responsibilities are as his followers: to pray for his kingdom to come and for his will to be done in and for our families and our neighbours; in our communities , our nation and our world. Let's use these creative methods of prayer and see where God leads us as we sense our own prayer journey developing and reaching up to God and out to those he puts on our heart to pray for and about.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniels' book not only offers us a wide variety of ways to engage with God, but opens up experiences that ignite our senses and help us step right into an enhanced understanding of God and of our journey with him.\r\nRachel Turner, Parenting for Faith Pioneer\r\n$$$\r\nThis is a book that is so needed in our word filled world!\r\nJane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniel has led creative prayer sessions for a variety of age groups at Aldridge Parish Church, near Birmingham and also for The Hothouse, a fresh expression of church and growing worshipping community in the West Midlands. She is passionate about encouraging others to explore different ways of praying and supporting groups and churches to use creative prayer ideas in ministry.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Diocese of Lichfield Magazine July\/August 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCreative Prayer 'it enables you to respond to God in practical and very personal ways. When the words won't come - because you feel inadequate or don't know what to say, you can do something and physically give it to God.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClaire Daniel wrote her new book, 80 Creative Prayer Ideas, either side of the birth of her son. The book features prayer ideas and approaches that involve all the senses. Each prayer idea is built around a bible reflection. \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The thing with creative prayer is it gives the chance to spend time with God. It is not just about a list of requests, thanks or things you've done wrong, it is listening to God.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'People can develop through creative prayer because it gives you the time and space to listen and let God work. There is a place for liturgical prayer, but also something significant in doing things a different way.'\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClaire leads prayer sessions at Aldridge Parish Church and also at The Hothouse, a fresh expression of church and growing worship community. \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'We do creative prayer as part of the Hothouse services once a fortnight. Prayer stations are firmly something for adults, not just children. When I personally started creative prayer, I \r\nfound it brilliant, and powerful - especially where you can take something away as a keep sake of faith and return to it again.' \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'People are really excited, and raring to use it. Our youth fellowship can't wait to get their hands on it. I would love to speak or lead workshops for churches that are passionate \r\nabout different ways of praying, bringing alive their prayer life.'\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a youth and children's worker I am always looking out for ideas for creative ways to encourage people to pray, so I have seen many resource books on how to engage people in prayer. I came to this book wondering what could be said that has not already been said and what new ideas might be included.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nI have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The book is divided into various sections looking at different areas of walking with God - walking with the Bible, walking in our world, walking as a church, walking together with God and our personal walk with God.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nUnder each of these headings are a series of chapters looking at prayer for different people and different seasons. Each idea is then divided into a prayer focus, Bible reflection and personal reflection. There is also a section highlighting what materials you would need to have ready in order to make your prayer session interactive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nThroughout the book are ideas using all our senses and having already used several of the ideas I can testify to the fact that they work well with different age groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nSo I would highly recommend this book for people who lead prayers in their church, house groups, schools or in youth and children's ministry. There is a wealth of different ideas here and for GBP8.99 it is excellent value for money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Sharon Prior. Co-founder and Chair of the Sophia Network.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n"}
You may also like:
80 Creative Prayer Ideas: A resource for church and group use
£8.99
Prayer is a vital part of the Christian life but people often struggle with actually getting on and doing it....
{"id":2439839842404,"title":"Restoring the Woven Cord: Strands of Celtic Christianity for the Church today","handle":"restoring-the-woven-cord-strands-of-celtic-christianity-for-the-church-today","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen they discover Celtic spirituality, many Christians feel that in some sense they have come home. As they begin to explore the people and places significant in the early centuries of Christianity in the British Isles, they find an expression of faith that weaves together strands of being and belonging, worship and witness in a unique and powerful way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRestoring the Woven Cord takes 15 leading figures from that era - ranging from Patrick of Ireland to John of Beverley - and shares something of their stories, showing their burning love for the Bible, their depth of prayer, their radical commitment to the poor and to caring for creation. Reflecting on their lives and works, we can find powerful inspiration for our own walk with God and rich resources for the ministry of the local church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a revised edition of a best-selling book first published in 1995. It now includes insights on the continuing popularity and development of Celtic spirituality from Ray Simpson of the Community of Aiden and Hilda, Lindisfarne, Jack Stapleton of the USA branch of the Community, Bishop Eric Pike of South Africa and Liz Hoare, Tutor in Prayer, Mission and Spirituality at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eContents include:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe strands of our faith\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrayer: Patrick\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpiritual battle: Illtyd\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinistry of women: Brigid\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWild goose: Brendan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommunity: David\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreation: Columba\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEvangelism: Columbanus\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProphecy: Fursey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAuthenticity: Aidan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBible: Boisil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChildren: Cuthbert\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreativity: Hilda and Caedmon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeath and the dead: Drythelm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHealing and miracles: John of Beverley\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe woven cord\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Mitton is a freelance writer and consultant and Adviser in Fresh Expressions in the Diocese of Derby. He was previously the Diocesan Mission and Ministry Development Adviser. Before that, he was Deputy Director of the Acorn Christian Healing Foundations, heading up Acorn's Christian Listeners, and was Director of Anglican Renewal Ministries from 1989 to 1997. He has also written The Rainbow of Renewal and A Handful of Light for BRF.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Outlook', Derby Cathedral Magazine, June 2019. Review by Pat Neal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘I have called this book “Restoring the Woven Cord” because it is my deep conviction that the Celtic church challenges us to rediscover the strands of our faith and find ways of weaving them together in our personal lives and in the life of our churches.’ \u003c\/em\u003eMichael Mitton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRestoring the Woven Cord \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eby Michael Mitton is engaging, enlightening and short (fewer than 200 pages). It does not purport to be academic theology or history but is in fact something much more interesting. It opens the world of the Celtic saints and shows us how their way of understanding and living a life based on the Gospel aligns with and is different from our own. Using Bede’s \u003cem\u003eEcclesiastical History of the English People \u003c\/em\u003eand other primary sources, Mitton has chosen the issues which interest him most and the saint whose life best demonstrates an issue. He tells the story of the saint with additional background and reflection; then gives a Bible reading, questions for meditation, and a prayer. The Saints’ lives are related uncritically. I would read them as poetry rather than history: they tell a different kind of truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of Patrick leads into a discussion on prayer; Illtyd, whom some regard as the founder of the Welsh church, is used to engage in a thoughtful piece on spiritual battle. I was particularly taken by the idea of encompassing or encircling prayer and the prayer known as St Patrick’s Breastplate. I know and love this prayer in the sung version known as ‘The Deer’s Cry’, which begins ‘I arise today through the power of Heaven.’ Brigid is used to show the important ministry of women. The story of Brendan leads into ideas of the Celtic spirit of adventure, the divine restlessness which sent Brendan and others across the seas, ‘not only to spread the Gospel but with a mystical quest to seek glimpses of paradise.’ The story of David is used to show the importance of community. His chapter also explains the concept of the ‘soul-friend’ or anamchara, a spiritual guide or counsellor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was particularly pleased to find a chapter on Columba and care for Creation. I have never been to Lindisfarne, but Iona I know well. Mitton quotes in full a beautiful poem by Columba which takes me back to Iona immediately. It begins, ‘Delightful it is to stand on the peak of a rock, in the bosom of the isle, gazing on the face of the sea.’ This chapter also reminds us that the Celtic love for Creation included the animal world. It mentions the story of Cuthbert and the otters, which I first read in Helen Waddell’s book \u003cem\u003eBeasts and Saints \u003c\/em\u003e(1934).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Columbanus and Evangelism I found more challenging. Mitton praises the cultural sensitivity of the Celtic saints who went to live alongside the people they wished to convert, respecting their beliefs. He cites the custom of well-dressing in Derbyshire as an example. ‘For example, a well dedicated to the water-sprite Eilan was rededicated to St Helen.’ He sees similarities here with some of the Fresh Expressions that are emerging in the church today. He moves on to talk about the Pioneer Ministry, church planting, Power Evangelism, Alpha and ‘Healing on the Streets’. He states that the witness of the Celtic church ‘challenges the unbelief in the church today, which is only just beginning to emerge from the cold grip of rationalism.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Fursey opens a discussion on prophetic vision and the imagination, saints foretelling the future and revealing events that were happening elsewhere. ‘In charismatic circles nowadays, it would be said that Cuthbert had been given “a word of knowledge”.’ They looked for signals from heaven in nature and dreams and were sensitive to ‘disturbances in the air’. As Mitton writes, ‘This openness to the intuitive, together with the confident anticipation that God delighted to communicate with his people, meant that the Celtic church often went about its decision-making processes in rather different ways from the church of today.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Aidan is on authenticity and contains an interesting comparison between Celtic Aidan or Cuthbert and Roman Wilfrid. Wilfrid was not content with an austere life and went in for rather grander things. The chapter on Boisil emphasises the importance of the Bible, especially the Psalms and the Gospel of John. In the chapter on Cuthbert and respect for children, there is the story of a three year old boy who prophesied to the eight year old Cuthbert to give up idle play because he was to become a most holy priest and bishop. I would be cautious today about encouraging children to prophesy, but we do spend a lot of time attempting to heal the Inner Child in the adult.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the final chapters of his book, Mitton reflects on Celtic creativity through Hilda and Caedmon, and laments that the church today is still ‘bound up in its addiction to words’. I like words myself, and art. I am less enamoured of digital projectors and flags. There is a challenging chapter on Death and the Dead which begins with the story of Drythelm and his after-death experience. The final chapter is on John of Beverley and healing experiences. The ability to heal was then seen as evidence of holiness, as was the concept of the uncorrupted body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have learned such a lot from this book. Michael Mitton wears his learning lightly and has made it eminently accessible to the lay person. I have found the prayers both beautifully phrased and useful. Although I am not particularly charismatic in my own devotional and spiritual life, I hope to include the Celtic strand in future and to restore the woven cord in myself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Pat Neal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:26:23+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:26:25+00:00","vendor":"Michael Mitton","type":"Paperback","tags":["Feb-19"],"price":999,"price_min":999,"price_max":999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21770437034084,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857468628","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Restoring the Woven Cord: Strands of Celtic Christianity for the Church today - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":200,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857468628"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468628-l.jpg?v=1549043107"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857468628-l.jpg?v=1549043107","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003eWhen they discover Celtic spirituality, many Christians feel that in some sense they have come home. As they begin to explore the people and places significant in the early centuries of Christianity in the British Isles, they find an expression of faith that weaves together strands of being and belonging, worship and witness in a unique and powerful way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRestoring the Woven Cord takes 15 leading figures from that era - ranging from Patrick of Ireland to John of Beverley - and shares something of their stories, showing their burning love for the Bible, their depth of prayer, their radical commitment to the poor and to caring for creation. Reflecting on their lives and works, we can find powerful inspiration for our own walk with God and rich resources for the ministry of the local church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a revised edition of a best-selling book first published in 1995. It now includes insights on the continuing popularity and development of Celtic spirituality from Ray Simpson of the Community of Aiden and Hilda, Lindisfarne, Jack Stapleton of the USA branch of the Community, Bishop Eric Pike of South Africa and Liz Hoare, Tutor in Prayer, Mission and Spirituality at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eContents include:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe strands of our faith\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrayer: Patrick\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpiritual battle: Illtyd\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinistry of women: Brigid\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWild goose: Brendan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommunity: David\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreation: Columba\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEvangelism: Columbanus\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProphecy: Fursey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAuthenticity: Aidan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBible: Boisil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChildren: Cuthbert\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreativity: Hilda and Caedmon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeath and the dead: Drythelm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHealing and miracles: John of Beverley\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe woven cord\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Mitton is a freelance writer and consultant and Adviser in Fresh Expressions in the Diocese of Derby. He was previously the Diocesan Mission and Ministry Development Adviser. Before that, he was Deputy Director of the Acorn Christian Healing Foundations, heading up Acorn's Christian Listeners, and was Director of Anglican Renewal Ministries from 1989 to 1997. He has also written The Rainbow of Renewal and A Handful of Light for BRF.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Outlook', Derby Cathedral Magazine, June 2019. Review by Pat Neal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘I have called this book “Restoring the Woven Cord” because it is my deep conviction that the Celtic church challenges us to rediscover the strands of our faith and find ways of weaving them together in our personal lives and in the life of our churches.’ \u003c\/em\u003eMichael Mitton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRestoring the Woven Cord \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eby Michael Mitton is engaging, enlightening and short (fewer than 200 pages). It does not purport to be academic theology or history but is in fact something much more interesting. It opens the world of the Celtic saints and shows us how their way of understanding and living a life based on the Gospel aligns with and is different from our own. Using Bede’s \u003cem\u003eEcclesiastical History of the English People \u003c\/em\u003eand other primary sources, Mitton has chosen the issues which interest him most and the saint whose life best demonstrates an issue. He tells the story of the saint with additional background and reflection; then gives a Bible reading, questions for meditation, and a prayer. The Saints’ lives are related uncritically. I would read them as poetry rather than history: they tell a different kind of truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of Patrick leads into a discussion on prayer; Illtyd, whom some regard as the founder of the Welsh church, is used to engage in a thoughtful piece on spiritual battle. I was particularly taken by the idea of encompassing or encircling prayer and the prayer known as St Patrick’s Breastplate. I know and love this prayer in the sung version known as ‘The Deer’s Cry’, which begins ‘I arise today through the power of Heaven.’ Brigid is used to show the important ministry of women. The story of Brendan leads into ideas of the Celtic spirit of adventure, the divine restlessness which sent Brendan and others across the seas, ‘not only to spread the Gospel but with a mystical quest to seek glimpses of paradise.’ The story of David is used to show the importance of community. His chapter also explains the concept of the ‘soul-friend’ or anamchara, a spiritual guide or counsellor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was particularly pleased to find a chapter on Columba and care for Creation. I have never been to Lindisfarne, but Iona I know well. Mitton quotes in full a beautiful poem by Columba which takes me back to Iona immediately. It begins, ‘Delightful it is to stand on the peak of a rock, in the bosom of the isle, gazing on the face of the sea.’ This chapter also reminds us that the Celtic love for Creation included the animal world. It mentions the story of Cuthbert and the otters, which I first read in Helen Waddell’s book \u003cem\u003eBeasts and Saints \u003c\/em\u003e(1934).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Columbanus and Evangelism I found more challenging. Mitton praises the cultural sensitivity of the Celtic saints who went to live alongside the people they wished to convert, respecting their beliefs. He cites the custom of well-dressing in Derbyshire as an example. ‘For example, a well dedicated to the water-sprite Eilan was rededicated to St Helen.’ He sees similarities here with some of the Fresh Expressions that are emerging in the church today. He moves on to talk about the Pioneer Ministry, church planting, Power Evangelism, Alpha and ‘Healing on the Streets’. He states that the witness of the Celtic church ‘challenges the unbelief in the church today, which is only just beginning to emerge from the cold grip of rationalism.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Fursey opens a discussion on prophetic vision and the imagination, saints foretelling the future and revealing events that were happening elsewhere. ‘In charismatic circles nowadays, it would be said that Cuthbert had been given “a word of knowledge”.’ They looked for signals from heaven in nature and dreams and were sensitive to ‘disturbances in the air’. As Mitton writes, ‘This openness to the intuitive, together with the confident anticipation that God delighted to communicate with his people, meant that the Celtic church often went about its decision-making processes in rather different ways from the church of today.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter on Aidan is on authenticity and contains an interesting comparison between Celtic Aidan or Cuthbert and Roman Wilfrid. Wilfrid was not content with an austere life and went in for rather grander things. The chapter on Boisil emphasises the importance of the Bible, especially the Psalms and the Gospel of John. In the chapter on Cuthbert and respect for children, there is the story of a three year old boy who prophesied to the eight year old Cuthbert to give up idle play because he was to become a most holy priest and bishop. I would be cautious today about encouraging children to prophesy, but we do spend a lot of time attempting to heal the Inner Child in the adult.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the final chapters of his book, Mitton reflects on Celtic creativity through Hilda and Caedmon, and laments that the church today is still ‘bound up in its addiction to words’. I like words myself, and art. I am less enamoured of digital projectors and flags. There is a challenging chapter on Death and the Dead which begins with the story of Drythelm and his after-death experience. The final chapter is on John of Beverley and healing experiences. The ability to heal was then seen as evidence of holiness, as was the concept of the uncorrupted body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have learned such a lot from this book. Michael Mitton wears his learning lightly and has made it eminently accessible to the lay person. I have found the prayers both beautifully phrased and useful. Although I am not particularly charismatic in my own devotional and spiritual life, I hope to include the Celtic strand in future and to restore the woven cord in myself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Pat Neal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Restoring the Woven Cord: Strands of Celtic Christianity for the Church today
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{"id":2851864772708,"title":"My Keepsake Bible","handle":"my-keepsake-bible","description":"\u003cp\u003eCombining favourite Bible stories and prayers with a baby record book and family tree, this beautifully illustrated keepsake Bible is the perfect way to help you connect your family's story to God's story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSally Ann Wright is a trained teacher and experienced author. She has written a large number of books for children, including several retellings of well-loved Bible stories. Married with four children, she lives just outside London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHonor Ayres' first book, A Child's Bible, topped 100,000 copies in its first printing. Married with three young children, she is actively involved in her church in the south-west of England\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-02-20T08:52:36+00:00","created_at":"2019-02-20T08:55:34+00:00","vendor":"Sally Ann Wright","type":"Paperback","tags":[],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":24417462812772,"title":"Hardback","option1":"Hardback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857461780","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"My Keepsake Bible - Hardback","public_title":"Hardback","options":["Hardback"],"price":899,"weight":416,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857461780"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857461780-l_grande_resize.jpg?v=1558098998"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857461780-l_grande_resize.jpg?v=1558098998","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003eCombining favourite Bible stories and prayers with a baby record book and family tree, this beautifully illustrated keepsake Bible is the perfect way to help you connect your family's story to God's story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSally Ann Wright is a trained teacher and experienced author. She has written a large number of books for children, including several retellings of well-loved Bible stories. Married with four children, she lives just outside London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHonor Ayres' first book, A Child's Bible, topped 100,000 copies in its first printing. Married with three young children, she is actively involved in her church in the south-west of England\u003c\/p\u003e"}
You may also like:
My Keepsake Bible
£8.99
Combining favourite Bible stories and prayers with a baby record book and family tree, this beautifully illustrated keepsake Bible is...
{"id":2439774437476,"title":"A Prayer Journey into Parenthood","handle":"a-prayer-journey-into-parenthood","description":"\u003cp\u003ePregnancy and new parenthood are some of the most exciting and challenging times of life, and this book forms a gentle devotional guide for that journey. Providing undated Bible reflections and prayers, plus space for personal journaling, it makes an attractive gift for an expectant mother and also an easy-to-use resource for couples to use together as they prepare for parenthood. Arranged so that it can be read chronologically or thematically, it begins with the earliest days of pregnancy and continues into the first months of parenthood.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniel is mum to two busy boys and lives in Water Orton, Birmingham. She is author of '80 Creative Prayer Ideas,' is passionate about supporting other parents, and speaks at conferences, churches and workshops on prayer.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 15px; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/mamawillmot.wordpress.com\/\"\u003emamawillmot blog\u003c\/a\u003e November 2016 \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI think that pregnancy, or the time leading up to an adoption, is the most amazing time to get spiritually ready for parenthood, a time for seeking God and drawing close to him as you get ready for your family to expand. So, I'm delighted to be able share with you a fantastic resource that can help you on that journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e It's called \u003cem\u003ePrayer Journey into Parenthood\u003c\/em\u003e, written by Claire Daniel, and it's designed to go alongside you on the journey to parenthood. It's a devotional guide with Bible reflections, prayers and space for writing your own notes. You could work through it from beginning to end or use the contents and pick and choose themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e The themes include things like, 'What's in a name?', 'Are you prepared' and 'The best person for the job'. They go from the first positive pregnancy test throughout the journey of pregnancy, or preparation to foster or adopt, right into early parenthood. They are such good, relevant themes and wonderfully written devotionals, and I know I would have loved to have had a linked Bible verse and prayer guidance to look at each day throughout my pregnancy.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e I'm a very reflective person so I think the questions in the devotionals are fantastic. Things like, 'Is there someone you can invite to pray for you and your unborn baby at this time?', 'What is stopping you from embracing all the excitement and joy of your journey through pregnancy?' or 'Does your faith 'show' to the world, like your baby bump?' So many of my friends have said that pregnancy and early parenthood are the times when they have had the most faith questions, and I know that I was so constantly in awe of the incredible nature of pregnancy that it had a profound impact on my faith. This book provides opportunities to think deeper and explore faith in relation to pregnancy and parenthood, and gives guidance on where to look in the Bible and ideas for what questions to ask yourself or what to reflect on. It could be done individually or could be used for couples to pray together.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e It would also be a great keepsake to look back over with your kid when they're older to talk about what it was like preparing for them, or to look back on the next time you're going to be welcoming a child into your family.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e So if you, or someone you know, are expecting a baby then I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to you! Particularly if you're like me and love having a little prompt to reflect but don't always manage to find consistent time to do it. This is the perfect resource for sitting down for a more leisurely moment with a cup of tea (baby bump stage), to have a read or for reading whilst you brush your hair (early parenthood stage, if you're lucky enough to find time to brush your hair!). Also, practically, it's spiral-bound which is a big tick for me as it can be written in easily and it can be left open on a page to come back to later.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnnie Willmot\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:22:04+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:22:06+00:00","vendor":"Claire Daniel","type":"Paperback","tags":["Oct-16"],"price":999,"price_min":999,"price_max":999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21769393209444,"title":"Spiral bound","option1":"Spiral bound","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857464798","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"A Prayer Journey into Parenthood - Spiral bound","public_title":"Spiral bound","options":["Spiral bound"],"price":999,"weight":233,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857464798"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857464798-l.jpg?v=1558098177"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857464798-l.jpg?v=1558098177","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003ePregnancy and new parenthood are some of the most exciting and challenging times of life, and this book forms a gentle devotional guide for that journey. Providing undated Bible reflections and prayers, plus space for personal journaling, it makes an attractive gift for an expectant mother and also an easy-to-use resource for couples to use together as they prepare for parenthood. Arranged so that it can be read chronologically or thematically, it begins with the earliest days of pregnancy and continues into the first months of parenthood.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nClaire Daniel is mum to two busy boys and lives in Water Orton, Birmingham. She is author of '80 Creative Prayer Ideas,' is passionate about supporting other parents, and speaks at conferences, churches and workshops on prayer.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 15px; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/mamawillmot.wordpress.com\/\"\u003emamawillmot blog\u003c\/a\u003e November 2016 \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI think that pregnancy, or the time leading up to an adoption, is the most amazing time to get spiritually ready for parenthood, a time for seeking God and drawing close to him as you get ready for your family to expand. So, I'm delighted to be able share with you a fantastic resource that can help you on that journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e It's called \u003cem\u003ePrayer Journey into Parenthood\u003c\/em\u003e, written by Claire Daniel, and it's designed to go alongside you on the journey to parenthood. It's a devotional guide with Bible reflections, prayers and space for writing your own notes. You could work through it from beginning to end or use the contents and pick and choose themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e The themes include things like, 'What's in a name?', 'Are you prepared' and 'The best person for the job'. They go from the first positive pregnancy test throughout the journey of pregnancy, or preparation to foster or adopt, right into early parenthood. They are such good, relevant themes and wonderfully written devotionals, and I know I would have loved to have had a linked Bible verse and prayer guidance to look at each day throughout my pregnancy.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e I'm a very reflective person so I think the questions in the devotionals are fantastic. Things like, 'Is there someone you can invite to pray for you and your unborn baby at this time?', 'What is stopping you from embracing all the excitement and joy of your journey through pregnancy?' or 'Does your faith 'show' to the world, like your baby bump?' So many of my friends have said that pregnancy and early parenthood are the times when they have had the most faith questions, and I know that I was so constantly in awe of the incredible nature of pregnancy that it had a profound impact on my faith. This book provides opportunities to think deeper and explore faith in relation to pregnancy and parenthood, and gives guidance on where to look in the Bible and ideas for what questions to ask yourself or what to reflect on. It could be done individually or could be used for couples to pray together.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e It would also be a great keepsake to look back over with your kid when they're older to talk about what it was like preparing for them, or to look back on the next time you're going to be welcoming a child into your family.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e So if you, or someone you know, are expecting a baby then I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to you! Particularly if you're like me and love having a little prompt to reflect but don't always manage to find consistent time to do it. This is the perfect resource for sitting down for a more leisurely moment with a cup of tea (baby bump stage), to have a read or for reading whilst you brush your hair (early parenthood stage, if you're lucky enough to find time to brush your hair!). Also, practically, it's spiral-bound which is a big tick for me as it can be written in easily and it can be left open on a page to come back to later.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnnie Willmot\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e"}
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{"id":2439825162340,"title":"Parenting Children for a Life of Faith omnibus: Helping children meet and know God","handle":"parenting-children-for-a-life-of-faith-omnibus-helping-children-meet-and-know-god","description":"\u003cp\u003eEquipping parents to raise God-connected children and teens.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eCollecting all the wisdom of titles previously published as \u003cem\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith, Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose,\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Confidence\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book provides inspiration and wisdom for nurturing children into the reality of God's presence and love, equipping them to access him themselves and encouraging them to grow in a two-way relationship with him that will last a lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \r\n\r\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nThis book brings together three of Rachel Turner's books in one place. Full of nuggets and practical insights it will help your children to connect with God as an overflow of a growing relationship with Him. It should be found on every Christian parent's bookshelf.\r\nOlly Goldenberg, Children Can\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExtract from review by Lucy Rycroft in her blog: 'Desertmum - Pursuing discipleship through the haze of early parenting', 30.11.18\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI have been reading an excellent book ... which I'm delighted to share with you today. 'Parenting Children for a Life of Faith', by Rachel Turner, has been around for a few years, along with its sequels 'Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose' and 'Parenting Children for a Life of Confidence'.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut in October, BRF brought out 'Parenting Children for a Life of Faith (Omnibus Edition)' which comprises all three books, and it is this book which I've had the pleasure to read and now share with you.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a pretty hefty tome, containing three books, but there's no need to be daunted. All the chapters are short and extremely readable. Rachel Turner has a very accessible style, with plenty of stories and examples to bring her points to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's also very possible to dip into different chapters (as I've been doing for this review). I would recommend reading it from start to finish (as I intend to in more depth, over the coming months), because Rachel introduces frameworks and patterns which she then refers to in subsequent chapters - but you can find plenty to inspire you if you only have time to dip into a chapter now and then.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhat struck me about this book was just how much I need it. After nine years of parenting, I feel I am only just scratching the surface in terms of understanding how my kids respond to events, and how I respond to them, and how that may or may not be affecting them.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, I'd go as far as to say that just when I think I've got parenting all wrapped up, at least one of my kids moves into a new 'phase', and the whole thing needs rethinking again. I'll be honest and say that, just right now, I'm feeling pretty negative about my ability to nurture the four precious souls God has given me.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo I need this book. And maybe you do too. As intentional as I am about my parenting, this book opened my mind to so much that I'd never even considered.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, I'd never thought before about the wrong views of God that my children might have picked up, and how to re-align them. I'd kind of assumed, rather arrogantly, that we were teaching them all the Right Stuff. But we're sinful - they hear our words, and they see our actions, and these don't always match up. And then there's all the stuff they're hearing from school and church and the media. All in all, that can make for a pretty confusing idea of who God is.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnother idea that I picked up, and started to put into practice immediately, is encouraging our kids to 'chat' to God, rather than follow the rather formulaic (and, if you think about it, non-relational) 'thank you - please - sorry' model. As Rachel points out, these are all essential words to use too. Any strong marriage features them in its communication: but if that was all I said to my husband, we wouldn't have a very close relationship at all! Likewise, our relationship with God can be more 'chatty', and maybe this starts more of a genuine and personal connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThese ideas came from the first of the trilogy of books contained in this omnibus.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut the second book, 'Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose', offers great brain fodder too - specifically on the idea of nurturing our children into using the gifts God has given them - both practical and spiritual, so that they are aware from an early age of their place in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe third book, 'Parenting Children for a Life of Confidence', might sound a little 'self-help' in theme, but the very first chapter reveals that it's anything but.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eContrary to the world's idea that we should be confident because we are awesomely wonderful - or the incorrect 'Christian' theology that we should be confident because God made us and we're awesomely wonderful - Rachel outlines that we should be confident because we trust in God - in other words, our confidence is in Him.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the book goes into more detail, and no tricky area is avoided: peer pressure, bullying, body image, competition. All the areas which might shake a child's confidence, Rachel calls out with truth and boldness, giving us helpful and practical ideas on how to handle these situations with grace and Biblical promises.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing I particularly appreciated about all three titles was the helpful way Rachel reduces concepts to simple frameworks which are easy to remember. That's not all there is - Rachel expands on these throughout each book - but for a tired and busy parent, it's good to have short, memorable phrases to pull out when we need them.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the book there's an extensive collection of FAQs, including how to disciple a child if your partner is not a believer, how to nurture the faith of a child who doesn't like to read, and how to encourage children to exercise spiritual gifts. No stone has been left unturned.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo, just to recap, this is THREE BOOKS IN ONE. Don't be put off by the size: it can easily be read one book at a time, or even one or two chapters at a time. Rachel Turner's style is endearing, easy-to-read, challenging and helpful. She is a parent and children's worker of many years' experience, so she sees the full picture of kids and their developing faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith would make a fabulous Christmas present for a Christian mum or dad.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eClick \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lucyrycroft.com\/2018\/11\/29\/parenting-children-for-a-life-of-faith-review-and-giveaway\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e for full blog.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e _____________________________________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:24+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:25+00:00","vendor":"Rachel Turner","type":"Paperback","tags":["Oct-18"],"price":1299,"price_min":1299,"price_max":1299,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21770172170340,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466945","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Parenting Children for a Life of Faith omnibus: Helping children meet and know God - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":1299,"weight":396,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466945"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466945-l.jpg?v=1549043119"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466945-l.jpg?v=1549043119","options":["Format"],"content":"\u003cp\u003eEquipping parents to raise God-connected children and teens.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eCollecting all the wisdom of titles previously published as \u003cem\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith, Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose,\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Confidence\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book provides inspiration and wisdom for nurturing children into the reality of God's presence and love, equipping them to access him themselves and encouraging them to grow in a two-way relationship with him that will last a lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \r\n\r\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nThis book brings together three of Rachel Turner's books in one place. Full of nuggets and practical insights it will help your children to connect with God as an overflow of a growing relationship with Him. It should be found on every Christian parent's bookshelf.\r\nOlly Goldenberg, Children Can\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExtract from review by Lucy Rycroft in her blog: 'Desertmum - Pursuing discipleship through the haze of early parenting', 30.11.18\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI have been reading an excellent book ... which I'm delighted to share with you today. 'Parenting Children for a Life of Faith', by Rachel Turner, has been around for a few years, along with its sequels 'Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose' and 'Parenting Children for a Life of Confidence'.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut in October, BRF brought out 'Parenting Children for a Life of Faith (Omnibus Edition)' which comprises all three books, and it is this book which I've had the pleasure to read and now share with you.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a pretty hefty tome, containing three books, but there's no need to be daunted. All the chapters are short and extremely readable. Rachel Turner has a very accessible style, with plenty of stories and examples to bring her points to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's also very possible to dip into different chapters (as I've been doing for this review). I would recommend reading it from start to finish (as I intend to in more depth, over the coming months), because Rachel introduces frameworks and patterns which she then refers to in subsequent chapters - but you can find plenty to inspire you if you only have time to dip into a chapter now and then.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhat struck me about this book was just how much I need it. After nine years of parenting, I feel I am only just scratching the surface in terms of understanding how my kids respond to events, and how I respond to them, and how that may or may not be affecting them.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, I'd go as far as to say that just when I think I've got parenting all wrapped up, at least one of my kids moves into a new 'phase', and the whole thing needs rethinking again. I'll be honest and say that, just right now, I'm feeling pretty negative about my ability to nurture the four precious souls God has given me.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo I need this book. And maybe you do too. As intentional as I am about my parenting, this book opened my mind to so much that I'd never even considered.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, I'd never thought before about the wrong views of God that my children might have picked up, and how to re-align them. I'd kind of assumed, rather arrogantly, that we were teaching them all the Right Stuff. But we're sinful - they hear our words, and they see our actions, and these don't always match up. And then there's all the stuff they're hearing from school and church and the media. All in all, that can make for a pretty confusing idea of who God is.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnother idea that I picked up, and started to put into practice immediately, is encouraging our kids to 'chat' to God, rather than follow the rather formulaic (and, if you think about it, non-relational) 'thank you - please - sorry' model. As Rachel points out, these are all essential words to use too. Any strong marriage features them in its communication: but if that was all I said to my husband, we wouldn't have a very close relationship at all! Likewise, our relationship with God can be more 'chatty', and maybe this starts more of a genuine and personal connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThese ideas came from the first of the trilogy of books contained in this omnibus.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut the second book, 'Parenting Children for a Life of Purpose', offers great brain fodder too - specifically on the idea of nurturing our children into using the gifts God has given them - both practical and spiritual, so that they are aware from an early age of their place in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe third book, 'Parenting Children for a Life of Confidence', might sound a little 'self-help' in theme, but the very first chapter reveals that it's anything but.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eContrary to the world's idea that we should be confident because we are awesomely wonderful - or the incorrect 'Christian' theology that we should be confident because God made us and we're awesomely wonderful - Rachel outlines that we should be confident because we trust in God - in other words, our confidence is in Him.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the book goes into more detail, and no tricky area is avoided: peer pressure, bullying, body image, competition. All the areas which might shake a child's confidence, Rachel calls out with truth and boldness, giving us helpful and practical ideas on how to handle these situations with grace and Biblical promises.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing I particularly appreciated about all three titles was the helpful way Rachel reduces concepts to simple frameworks which are easy to remember. That's not all there is - Rachel expands on these throughout each book - but for a tired and busy parent, it's good to have short, memorable phrases to pull out when we need them.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the book there's an extensive collection of FAQs, including how to disciple a child if your partner is not a believer, how to nurture the faith of a child who doesn't like to read, and how to encourage children to exercise spiritual gifts. No stone has been left unturned.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo, just to recap, this is THREE BOOKS IN ONE. Don't be put off by the size: it can easily be read one book at a time, or even one or two chapters at a time. Rachel Turner's style is endearing, easy-to-read, challenging and helpful. She is a parent and children's worker of many years' experience, so she sees the full picture of kids and their developing faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith would make a fabulous Christmas present for a Christian mum or dad.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eClick \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lucyrycroft.com\/2018\/11\/29\/parenting-children-for-a-life-of-faith-review-and-giveaway\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e for full blog.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e _____________________________________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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