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{"id":2439828766820,"title":"The Psalms: A commentary for prayer and reflection","handle":"the-psalms-a-commentary-for-prayer-and-reflection","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe psalms are Israel's prayer book. Their origins are in many cases shrouded in mystery. We cannot be sure how they were selected or collected or how most were used. They cover the whole sweep of Israel's history and spirituality echoing the very earliest periods of the nation's life right up to the laments of the Babylonian exile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey speak of the joy of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; they tell of great victories and defeat, of individual achievement and failure, of release and deliverance, of love for the law and repentance from sin, of a God at work in nature and throughout the nation's history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCovering all 150 Psalms, these bite-sized devotions, which were first published in BRF's Guidelines Bible reading notes series, have been revised and expanded. They draw on Henry Wansbrough's years of living and working in the Middle East to provide insight into the historical, literary and cultural background of the Psalms as well as showing how these ancient texts can still guide and inspire you in your Christian walk today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDom Henry Wansbrough OSB is based at Ampleforth Abbey, teaching at Ampleforth school and currently serving as Alexander Jones Professor of Biblical Studies at Liverpool Hope University. He is a contributor to Guidelines Bible reading notes and is a former Master of St Benet's Hall, Oxford.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Alexander Murray, University College, Oxford\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book’s two most striking qualities complement each other. One is its author’s knowledge. Event to those otherwise unacquainted with Fr Henry and his work, it is obvious that he is thoroughly conversant with the Hebrew language and environment. He never lets us forget that the psalms began life in Hebrew. He often clarifies a word by giving us its Hebrew original and, where he thinks it constructive to do so, he offers his guess as to a psalm’s original context. This easy familiarity extends to the psalm’s physical environment. A good example is on p.176, but it is one of many, unobtrusively dropped in to the exposition to make it clearer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second quality is complementary to it. It is clarity of exposition. The reader never has to look back to see what a sentence means. One educational publisher I knew made it a rule not to publish books unless the author was a practising teacher. I do not know how much teaching Fr Henry now does, but his writing style is such that he must often have had to explain potentially obscure points to students still in their teens. His book is an ‘easy read’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFr Henry has said a lot, and from a lot of angles, within the limits of a short book. I am delighted to have it in my library, have already often turned to it, and I am sure I will go on doing so.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Alexander Murray, University College, Oxford\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:39+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:40+00:00","vendor":"Henry Wansbrough","type":"Paperback","tags":["Biblical engagement","Devotional","For individuals","Kindle","Mar-14","Prayer"],"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":21770228039780,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781841016481","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"The Psalms: A commentary for prayer and reflection - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":231,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9781841016481"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016481-l.jpg?v=1549043116"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016481-l.jpg?v=1549043116","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881984651,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"width":427,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016481-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9781841016481-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":427}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThe psalms are Israel's prayer book. Their origins are in many cases shrouded in mystery. We cannot be sure how they were selected or collected or how most were used. They cover the whole sweep of Israel's history and spirituality echoing the very earliest periods of the nation's life right up to the laments of the Babylonian exile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey speak of the joy of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; they tell of great victories and defeat, of individual achievement and failure, of release and deliverance, of love for the law and repentance from sin, of a God at work in nature and throughout the nation's history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCovering all 150 Psalms, these bite-sized devotions, which were first published in BRF's Guidelines Bible reading notes series, have been revised and expanded. They draw on Henry Wansbrough's years of living and working in the Middle East to provide insight into the historical, literary and cultural background of the Psalms as well as showing how these ancient texts can still guide and inspire you in your Christian walk today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDom Henry Wansbrough OSB is based at Ampleforth Abbey, teaching at Ampleforth school and currently serving as Alexander Jones Professor of Biblical Studies at Liverpool Hope University. He is a contributor to Guidelines Bible reading notes and is a former Master of St Benet's Hall, Oxford.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Alexander Murray, University College, Oxford\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book’s two most striking qualities complement each other. One is its author’s knowledge. Event to those otherwise unacquainted with Fr Henry and his work, it is obvious that he is thoroughly conversant with the Hebrew language and environment. He never lets us forget that the psalms began life in Hebrew. He often clarifies a word by giving us its Hebrew original and, where he thinks it constructive to do so, he offers his guess as to a psalm’s original context. This easy familiarity extends to the psalm’s physical environment. A good example is on p.176, but it is one of many, unobtrusively dropped in to the exposition to make it clearer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second quality is complementary to it. It is clarity of exposition. The reader never has to look back to see what a sentence means. One educational publisher I knew made it a rule not to publish books unless the author was a practising teacher. I do not know how much teaching Fr Henry now does, but his writing style is such that he must often have had to explain potentially obscure points to students still in their teens. His book is an ‘easy read’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFr Henry has said a lot, and from a lot of angles, within the limits of a short book. I am delighted to have it in my library, have already often turned to it, and I am sure I will go on doing so.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Alexander Murray, University College, Oxford\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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The Psalms: A commentary for prayer and reflection
£9.99
The psalms are Israel's prayer book. Their origins are in many cases shrouded in mystery. We cannot be sure how...
{"id":2439828045924,"title":"Resilience in Life and Faith: Finding your strength in God","handle":"resilience-in-life-and-faith-finding-your-strength-in-god","description":"\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker encourage us to develop our resilience and to prepare ourselves for the challenges that life throws at us in an increasingly difficult world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough biblical wisdom and psychological insight, they show us how to understand ourselves better, appreciate our areas of strength and strengthen our areas of weakness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead this book if you want a faith that persists to the finishing line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall is a freelance trainer and associate trainer with EQUIP, a missions programme based near Doncaster. He is an elder of his local church in West Yorkshire and regularly travels abroad leading retreats and Quiet Days. His other books include Spiritual Growth in a Time of Change (BRF, 2016). He also contributes to BRF's New Daylight Bible reading notes. Dr Debbie Hawker is a psychologist based in Nottingham with a global reputation as a specialist in debriefing and trauma counselling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Dr. Laura Mae Gardner,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e f\u003c\/span\u003eormer International Vice President for Personnel for Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International. Author of \u003cem\u003eHealthy, Resilient and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry. \u003c\/em\u003eMay 2020\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI just finished reading this wonderful book and am strongly impacted by it. It gives sound practical concepts by two very qualified and experienced mission workers who have worldwide awareness. I know these authors and highly respect them. They have given us an immensely useful tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book includes spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive, social and systemic aspects of resilience. Resilience is illustrated by the lives of Biblical characters—Nehemiah, Elijah, David, Joseph, Paul, Jesus and women as well as men.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strengths of the book are its Biblical anchoring and its practicality. It is comprehensive and clear. It will be a great resource for pastors, church and organisational leaders as well as individuals in the work force. The book will be a guide for all who have personnel and administrative oversight of workers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Resilience Scale at the end of the book is an excellent self evaluation instrument. It is followed by a faith-based creed, a simple but powerful personal commitment. This book will have a ministry-wide impact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Dr. Laura Mae Gardner, Former International Vice President for Personnel for Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International. Author of 'Healthy, Resilient and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry'.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Roger Thornington\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe assertion on the back of this book - ‘Read this if you want a faith that persists to the finishing line – develop resilience and prepare for the challenges life throws at us’ sums up the authors’ intention. Does it do what it says on the cover? Debbie Hawker, a clinical psychologist, introduces the subject and contributes chapters on the psychological aspects of resilience using a model of resilience under the following domains: spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive and creative, and finally social and systemic. Tony Horsfall, a trainer and retreat leader, provides studies of biblical characters illustrating each aspect considered. Each of the 15 short chapters concludes with some questions. Finally there are two appendices – a self-assessment ‘Resilience Rating Scale’ using their model, and then a ‘Resilience Creed’, using scriptural truths to strengthen faith during times of hardship. For those of an investigative nature, 145 annotated references are cited. It is a readable book; I found several nuggets amidst the many referenced opinions and conclusions. In summary, the book should interest Readers keen to investigate and develop the psychological aspects of their faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Roger Thornington\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch of England Newspaper, July 2019. Review by Carol Turner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn today’s world where so much is ‘instant’ and it is easy to give up and move onto the next thing, resilience seems to be in short supply.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Christians, Tony Horsfall says, we should fix our eyes on Jesus and keep going. Resilience is what this short paperback is all about and I was amazed at how much is contained in it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two authors have collaborated well and the chapters really flow together to form one whole. The combination of the authors’ experience in pastoral work, psychology and mission serve to give the book’s content a real depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book focuses on the spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive \u0026amp; creative and social \u0026amp; systemic aspects of resilience. Of them all as is stated (p167) spiritual resilience is the key and all aspects return to that; the spiritual is not able to be divorced from the rest of our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe format of the book is excellent; the components of resilience are outlined and then applied to the lives of Biblical characters, and for us as Christians today. Practical suggestions are given as to how we can apply the teaching in today’s world. Of further benefit are the questions at the end of each chapter: these are challenging but do not result in readers being ‘put down, there are no wrong answers!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is well written and easy to read and understand, and will benefit the lay reader and those with more theological knowledge. I fully intend to re read this book, there is so much to recommend and it gives much food for thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Carol Turner, midwife with 20 years' experience in Morocco, Sudan, Afghanistan \u0026amp; Burkina Faso. Member of church leadership team in UK.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Tim Herbert, Director, SYZYGY Missions Support Network\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker have combined their unique talents to produce this new resource. As one would expect from two authors with excellent track records, it does not disappoint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDefining resilience not as merely 'bouncing back' (as I so often have done!) but helpfully quoting a variety of authors to demonstrate that the status quo in our lives may not be restored after a trauma, though what we learned in the process changes us for the better, they have come up with their own model for understanding the different facets of life which impact upon our ability. They call it 'SPECS' and I will not explain that here so that I don't have a negative impact on their book sales! Suffice to say it considers all aspects of our human being to ensure we have a complete awareness of how to balance our lives well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapters explore each of these facets in turn, first the psychology (Debbie) and then a character study from the Bible (Tony). This useful pairing means that the theory, presented simply enough for the amateur to understand but deeply enough to be helpful and authoritative, is balanced with lived-out practice, which is thoughtfully and interestingly brought to us. Each chapter closes with helpful questions for reflection, which gives the book the feel more of a devotional rather than a textbook, usefully bringing together two genres. At the end is a quick but effective self-assessment to highlight the reader's current life practice and how it affects each facet of their resilience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading this book I felt better informed about resilience, and inspired to maintain it. I commend this resource to practitioners of pastoral care for whom it is an invaluable addition to the bookshelf, and to all Christians who will find information to help them thrive in their daily lives'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Tim Herbert, Director, SYZYGY Missions Support Network\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Phil Jolley of ECMI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a practical and helpful book dealing with different aspects to help develop resilience alongside snapshots of characters from the Bible that illustrates those aspects at work. The material that is presented covers building resilience in the areas of the spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive and creative, social and systemic (SPECS) parts of our lives and then illustrates those through the biblical record of characters like Nehemiah, Elijah, David, Joseph, the early disciples and Jesus himself. A whole chapter is devoted to resilient women in the Bible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"rev_body\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuestions at the end of each chapter help to move it on from merely information transfer to active engagement and application for one’s own life and at the end there is a personal resilience rating scale to help the reader assess their own level of resilience, as well as a resilience “creed” that is both challenging and inspirational and could be used in a church or group setting. Overall, the book is pitched at a level that any reader looking for help in dealing with life’s normal as well as extreme challenges will be able to respond to with gratitude for the insights and practical counsel given.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI could do worse than sum up the central message of the book through a quotation that the authors have added from Tim Herbert: “How do we develop these deep roots? To use a sapling as an analogy, trees develop deep roots by going through hardship… We know that we need to stake a young tree to stop it blowing over in the first place, but… if we stake it too tightly, it… will not develop deep roots. Only if it is allowed to wave in the wind will its roots go deeper in the ground to provide more stability. The more it shakes, the further the roots will go seeking rocks to hang on to. For us, those rocks are God and the great truths of our salvation.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"blogpost_authorbio\" class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Phil Jolley\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003ePhil Jolley works for European Christian Mission International. Previously based in Spain, he now works in the International office as Director of Finance and Administration\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA very personal reader review. Name supplied.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere is a book suitable for all different types of people: professionals, people with health issues or challenges in any sphere of their lives, and useful to people of other faiths or none. For an understanding of the psychology of resilience beyond its use as a ‘buzzword’ see the first chapter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCo-written in alternate chapters by a Christian clinical psychologist and a prolific Christian writer and theologian, it is based on a Biblical perspective of resilience, seeking to show that being resilient in the Bible sense does not mean being unflawed, just being willing to persevere and learn lessons from great hardship instead of becoming ‘hardened’ and not giving up!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing as an approach a model called ‘SPECS’ (standing for Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Cognitive \u0026amp; Creative and Social \u0026amp; Systemic) the book helps identify key areas in each of these fields in which to grow in resilience and give oneself ‘margin’ and time to enable the change to take place and ‘take root’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow to become more personally specific. I was feeling quite low and not at all ‘bouncy’ when I did the questionnaire at the back of the book and to my surprise, given that I was coping with a very recent Autistic Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, I found that in the sphere of spiritual resilience my ‘score’ was surprisingly high. This is down to a very good family, friends and faith (i.e. Church) support network. It cheered me up just to realise I was not at the ‘bottom of the chart’ when taking all five areas into consideration, but ‘fair to middling’. It helped me differentiate between the physical side and the emotional, social etc. and gave me a greater understanding of areas I could work on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is almost like a devotional at times, with in-depth study of the Bible characters. For me, the ‘Resilient Women of the Bible’ chapter was outstanding. I thoroughly recommend it and I will be giving it to friends – Christians and others –- as I have already seen how it could be of help to people who are family\/carers of people on the Spectrum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also usable as a manual to help with daily life. Debbie Hawker has incorporated a great deal of resilience into her own life through her faith. This for me is the ultimate test of a self-help ‘system’: it works in daily living. Thanks to both authors, great! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nThis is a really useful book - readable, practical and with sufficient supportive evidence and further reading to be authoritative and engaging. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIan Orton\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:37+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:38+00:00","vendor":"Tony Horsfall","type":"Paperback","tags":["For individuals","Kindle","Leadership","Mar-19","Pastoral care","PDF","Spirituality"],"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":21770222338148,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467348","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Resilience in Life and Faith: Finding your strength in God - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":600,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467348"},{"id":34809602965656,"title":"PDF","option1":"PDF","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781800390706","requires_shipping":false,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Resilience in Life and Faith: Finding your strength in God - PDF","public_title":"PDF","options":["PDF"],"price":999,"weight":600,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":""}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467348-l_grande_3a84b95e-4be3-4914-9be2-cf0d5eaf8695.jpg?v=1563183998"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467348-l_grande_3a84b95e-4be3-4914-9be2-cf0d5eaf8695.jpg?v=1563183998","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3266376990859,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.708,"height":600,"width":425,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467348-l_grande_3a84b95e-4be3-4914-9be2-cf0d5eaf8695.jpg?v=1570103552"},"aspect_ratio":0.708,"height":600,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467348-l_grande_3a84b95e-4be3-4914-9be2-cf0d5eaf8695.jpg?v=1570103552","width":425}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker encourage us to develop our resilience and to prepare ourselves for the challenges that life throws at us in an increasingly difficult world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough biblical wisdom and psychological insight, they show us how to understand ourselves better, appreciate our areas of strength and strengthen our areas of weakness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead this book if you want a faith that persists to the finishing line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall is a freelance trainer and associate trainer with EQUIP, a missions programme based near Doncaster. He is an elder of his local church in West Yorkshire and regularly travels abroad leading retreats and Quiet Days. His other books include Spiritual Growth in a Time of Change (BRF, 2016). He also contributes to BRF's New Daylight Bible reading notes. Dr Debbie Hawker is a psychologist based in Nottingham with a global reputation as a specialist in debriefing and trauma counselling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Dr. Laura Mae Gardner,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e f\u003c\/span\u003eormer International Vice President for Personnel for Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International. Author of \u003cem\u003eHealthy, Resilient and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry. \u003c\/em\u003eMay 2020\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI just finished reading this wonderful book and am strongly impacted by it. It gives sound practical concepts by two very qualified and experienced mission workers who have worldwide awareness. I know these authors and highly respect them. They have given us an immensely useful tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book includes spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive, social and systemic aspects of resilience. Resilience is illustrated by the lives of Biblical characters—Nehemiah, Elijah, David, Joseph, Paul, Jesus and women as well as men.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strengths of the book are its Biblical anchoring and its practicality. It is comprehensive and clear. It will be a great resource for pastors, church and organisational leaders as well as individuals in the work force. The book will be a guide for all who have personnel and administrative oversight of workers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Resilience Scale at the end of the book is an excellent self evaluation instrument. It is followed by a faith-based creed, a simple but powerful personal commitment. This book will have a ministry-wide impact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Dr. Laura Mae Gardner, Former International Vice President for Personnel for Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International. Author of 'Healthy, Resilient and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry'.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Roger Thornington\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe assertion on the back of this book - ‘Read this if you want a faith that persists to the finishing line – develop resilience and prepare for the challenges life throws at us’ sums up the authors’ intention. Does it do what it says on the cover? Debbie Hawker, a clinical psychologist, introduces the subject and contributes chapters on the psychological aspects of resilience using a model of resilience under the following domains: spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive and creative, and finally social and systemic. Tony Horsfall, a trainer and retreat leader, provides studies of biblical characters illustrating each aspect considered. Each of the 15 short chapters concludes with some questions. Finally there are two appendices – a self-assessment ‘Resilience Rating Scale’ using their model, and then a ‘Resilience Creed’, using scriptural truths to strengthen faith during times of hardship. For those of an investigative nature, 145 annotated references are cited. It is a readable book; I found several nuggets amidst the many referenced opinions and conclusions. In summary, the book should interest Readers keen to investigate and develop the psychological aspects of their faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Roger Thornington\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch of England Newspaper, July 2019. Review by Carol Turner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn today’s world where so much is ‘instant’ and it is easy to give up and move onto the next thing, resilience seems to be in short supply.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Christians, Tony Horsfall says, we should fix our eyes on Jesus and keep going. Resilience is what this short paperback is all about and I was amazed at how much is contained in it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two authors have collaborated well and the chapters really flow together to form one whole. The combination of the authors’ experience in pastoral work, psychology and mission serve to give the book’s content a real depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book focuses on the spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive \u0026amp; creative and social \u0026amp; systemic aspects of resilience. Of them all as is stated (p167) spiritual resilience is the key and all aspects return to that; the spiritual is not able to be divorced from the rest of our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe format of the book is excellent; the components of resilience are outlined and then applied to the lives of Biblical characters, and for us as Christians today. Practical suggestions are given as to how we can apply the teaching in today’s world. Of further benefit are the questions at the end of each chapter: these are challenging but do not result in readers being ‘put down, there are no wrong answers!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is well written and easy to read and understand, and will benefit the lay reader and those with more theological knowledge. I fully intend to re read this book, there is so much to recommend and it gives much food for thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Carol Turner, midwife with 20 years' experience in Morocco, Sudan, Afghanistan \u0026amp; Burkina Faso. Member of church leadership team in UK.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Tim Herbert, Director, SYZYGY Missions Support Network\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker have combined their unique talents to produce this new resource. As one would expect from two authors with excellent track records, it does not disappoint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDefining resilience not as merely 'bouncing back' (as I so often have done!) but helpfully quoting a variety of authors to demonstrate that the status quo in our lives may not be restored after a trauma, though what we learned in the process changes us for the better, they have come up with their own model for understanding the different facets of life which impact upon our ability. They call it 'SPECS' and I will not explain that here so that I don't have a negative impact on their book sales! Suffice to say it considers all aspects of our human being to ensure we have a complete awareness of how to balance our lives well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapters explore each of these facets in turn, first the psychology (Debbie) and then a character study from the Bible (Tony). This useful pairing means that the theory, presented simply enough for the amateur to understand but deeply enough to be helpful and authoritative, is balanced with lived-out practice, which is thoughtfully and interestingly brought to us. Each chapter closes with helpful questions for reflection, which gives the book the feel more of a devotional rather than a textbook, usefully bringing together two genres. At the end is a quick but effective self-assessment to highlight the reader's current life practice and how it affects each facet of their resilience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading this book I felt better informed about resilience, and inspired to maintain it. I commend this resource to practitioners of pastoral care for whom it is an invaluable addition to the bookshelf, and to all Christians who will find information to help them thrive in their daily lives'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Tim Herbert, Director, SYZYGY Missions Support Network\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Phil Jolley of ECMI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a practical and helpful book dealing with different aspects to help develop resilience alongside snapshots of characters from the Bible that illustrates those aspects at work. The material that is presented covers building resilience in the areas of the spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive and creative, social and systemic (SPECS) parts of our lives and then illustrates those through the biblical record of characters like Nehemiah, Elijah, David, Joseph, the early disciples and Jesus himself. A whole chapter is devoted to resilient women in the Bible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"rev_body\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuestions at the end of each chapter help to move it on from merely information transfer to active engagement and application for one’s own life and at the end there is a personal resilience rating scale to help the reader assess their own level of resilience, as well as a resilience “creed” that is both challenging and inspirational and could be used in a church or group setting. Overall, the book is pitched at a level that any reader looking for help in dealing with life’s normal as well as extreme challenges will be able to respond to with gratitude for the insights and practical counsel given.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI could do worse than sum up the central message of the book through a quotation that the authors have added from Tim Herbert: “How do we develop these deep roots? To use a sapling as an analogy, trees develop deep roots by going through hardship… We know that we need to stake a young tree to stop it blowing over in the first place, but… if we stake it too tightly, it… will not develop deep roots. Only if it is allowed to wave in the wind will its roots go deeper in the ground to provide more stability. The more it shakes, the further the roots will go seeking rocks to hang on to. For us, those rocks are God and the great truths of our salvation.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"blogpost_authorbio\" class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Phil Jolley\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003ePhil Jolley works for European Christian Mission International. Previously based in Spain, he now works in the International office as Director of Finance and Administration\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA very personal reader review. Name supplied.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere is a book suitable for all different types of people: professionals, people with health issues or challenges in any sphere of their lives, and useful to people of other faiths or none. For an understanding of the psychology of resilience beyond its use as a ‘buzzword’ see the first chapter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCo-written in alternate chapters by a Christian clinical psychologist and a prolific Christian writer and theologian, it is based on a Biblical perspective of resilience, seeking to show that being resilient in the Bible sense does not mean being unflawed, just being willing to persevere and learn lessons from great hardship instead of becoming ‘hardened’ and not giving up!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing as an approach a model called ‘SPECS’ (standing for Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Cognitive \u0026amp; Creative and Social \u0026amp; Systemic) the book helps identify key areas in each of these fields in which to grow in resilience and give oneself ‘margin’ and time to enable the change to take place and ‘take root’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow to become more personally specific. I was feeling quite low and not at all ‘bouncy’ when I did the questionnaire at the back of the book and to my surprise, given that I was coping with a very recent Autistic Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, I found that in the sphere of spiritual resilience my ‘score’ was surprisingly high. This is down to a very good family, friends and faith (i.e. Church) support network. It cheered me up just to realise I was not at the ‘bottom of the chart’ when taking all five areas into consideration, but ‘fair to middling’. It helped me differentiate between the physical side and the emotional, social etc. and gave me a greater understanding of areas I could work on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is almost like a devotional at times, with in-depth study of the Bible characters. For me, the ‘Resilient Women of the Bible’ chapter was outstanding. I thoroughly recommend it and I will be giving it to friends – Christians and others –- as I have already seen how it could be of help to people who are family\/carers of people on the Spectrum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also usable as a manual to help with daily life. Debbie Hawker has incorporated a great deal of resilience into her own life through her faith. This for me is the ultimate test of a self-help ‘system’: it works in daily living. Thanks to both authors, great! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\"\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\nThis is a really useful book - readable, practical and with sufficient supportive evidence and further reading to be authoritative and engaging. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIan Orton\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e"}
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Resilience in Life and Faith: Finding your strength in God
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Tony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker encourage us to develop our resilience and to prepare ourselves for the challenges that life...
{"id":2439827619940,"title":"Retired and Inspired: Making the most of our latter years","handle":"retired-and-inspired-making-the-most-of-our-latter-years","description":"\u003cp\u003eAttitudes to retirement vary, and in this book Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral skills and life experience to ask the question: what is a Christian view of retirement? If we believe that life is a gift from God, should we not be viewing retirement as part of an integrated whole and see our latter years as part of God's plan? This book is intended for all to read: individuals preparing for retirement and in their retirement years as well as their families, friends, befrienders, carers and professionals. Written in two sections, 'Uprooting the weeds' and 'Sowing the seeds', it includes questions for group discussion at the end of each chapter, followed by a meditative thought for the day and a closing prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWendy Billington is Pastoral Assistant Emeritus in the diocese of Rochester, having served many years as a key pastoral worker at St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks. She now uses her wide experience, skills and knowledge leading training courses and in one-to-one pastoral support. She is trustee of Sevenoaks Counselling Service and the author of Growing a Caring Church: Practical guidelines for pastoral care (BRF, 2010) and I'm Fine: Removing masks and growing into wholeness (BRF, 2013).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times review 20.9.19 Review by Anne Spalding\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRetirement may or may not be planned. But, sooner or later, we are likely to face losses of what we used to do and of people who are important to us. Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral experience to explore both the challenges and the opportunities of these years. She illustrates this through the story of a fictional ‘Jim’ which runs alongside other reflections in the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are two sections: ‘Clearing the Weeds’, which addresses common difficulties, and ‘Sowing the Seeds’, which gives a range of possibilities. ‘Clearing the Weeds’ includes facing loss, facing our fears, and healing the memories as the changes of later years may bring to the surface wounds thought to be long past. She recognises that body, mind, emotions and spirit all play a part in living these years well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second section is the book’s core. In it, Billington argues that retired people can still offer much, in particular through learning to listen well. She encourages looking for opportunities and recognising gifts, especially gifts that may have been in the background until now. She is also realistic about the continuing changes that come with older age. Her chapter on relationships is almost at the end. I was sorry it came so late: from my own experience, relationships become increasingly important as other aspects of life diminish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelpfully, each chapter ends with questions for group discussion, questions for personal reflection, and a thought for the day on a fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, and so on). I would recommend discussion on the book’s themes, as I found that I had quite a few questions about how they would work out in other contexts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, Billington offers a useful overview of many aspects of later life, giving a good place to start reflecting and talking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Anne Spalding is a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis, and lives in Suffolk\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Dr Caroline Berry\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title and sub-title of this book should alert anyone on the verge of retirement. As life expectancy increases there may be decades rather than years of life left to live and Christians need inspiration in order to use them well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book starts by facing the realities that accompany our getting older: retirement is not always a series of golden days. Early chapters outline obstacles that may have to be faced and difficult issues are not side-stepped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurprisingly, bereavement is faced first; it may come suddenly or with time for preparation, but either way it has a huge impact and brings the need for major rethinking of so much previously taken for granted. Important questions are raised on the understanding that they should be addressed now rather than pushed under the carpet as not being necessary ‘just yet’. These difficult topics are discussed sensitively and practically with down to earth suggestions for dealing with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother chapter outlines the fears that often arise in retirement: anxiety about ill-health, loss of independence and concerns about financial security. Any or all of these may become burdensome and lead into a spiral of depression or withdrawal. With more time to dwell on them, memories of difficult past life events may become intrusive and burdensome. All these and other potential problems are discussed with helpful proposals and frequent mention of the part a supportive church can play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoving on to more positive aspects there are chapters on the importance of finding new roles with opportunities for service as well as the chance to develop talents long forgotten or never previously recognised. Learning to listen in order to become better able to support others could be a steppingstone to new worlds and the gift of time can lead to the satisfaction of building better relationships with family and friends. One minor omission is any discussion of the major contribution to childcare made by many of today’s grandparents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough all these varying chapters run some consistent threads. As we read, we open up little episodes in the life of ‘Jim’, the author’s creation based on long experience and close observation. Struggling with the loss of his wife when we first meet him, Jim is gradually helped towards a better life and frame of mind as the book progresses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author often shares relevant episodes from her own life story to illustrate particular points. The importance of the Christian community is a constant theme, sometimes as an opportunity for service, sometimes as a source of support and comfort. The need for sensitivity is stressed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter includes a few short questions for reflection and discussion so the book could be used by groups as well as individuals. Each chapter ends with a ‘Thought for the Day’ based on one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that needs to be read and acted upon, but one warning: do not expect your pastor or vicar to show the same degree of self-sacrifice as Jim’s does!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Dr Caroline Berry\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePremier Christianity Magazine, August 2019. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOut of her vast experience as a counsellor and pastoral worker, Wendy Billington has created the character of Jim to be the connecting thread between the chapters of this book. He is composed of the problems, fears and anxieties of all of us as we grow older. The author does not seek to give glib answers to issues such as self-doubt or the loss of loved ones, but rather deals with them in practical ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe overarching theme of this book is: ‘Sowing seeds and producing fruit that will last in our latter years.’ It could be a great help to those preparing for retirement, those already retired and also for their friends, relatives or carers. Each chapter has questions for group discussion and other material for personal reflection. Firmly based in scripture and a Christian view of the value of every life, this book is well worth reading and sharing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Jean Watson, Sevenoaks Counselling Newsletter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver a cuppa in Waitrose I asked Wendy why she wrote this book. She replied that she enjoyed writing (she has already written two other books for BRF) and wanted to say something from her heart for retirees and those coming up to retirement age, as well as for their friends and families, carers and other professionals involved with older people.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe book reflects Wendy’s chatty style and friendly personality, her strong Christian faith, her personal experiences and her work in pastoral care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book looks attractive inside and out and the contents are well organised and easy to read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first main section – clearing the weeds – gives practical suggestions and spiritual advice about processing any past issues and memories which might sabotage future wellbeing and growth which is the focus of the second section. Again practical suggestions and spiritual advice go hand in hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe passionate message of the message of the book is that older people have a huge amount to offer and should not be written off or sidelined but encouraged to go on contributing, learning and growing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are many illustrations from life in the book and also a fictional character called Jim who pops up throughout and who is helped to process some very traumatic experiences and become a positive, contributing person again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe biblical content would make the book more immediately attractive to people with some degree of Christian faith and knowledge, but the practical ideas and psychological insights could be helpful in their own right to others as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Angus MacLeay, Rector St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWendy is a much valued member of St Nicholas Sevenoaks. For many years she served as a Pastoral Assistant and out of that experience she has developed all sorts of pastoral insights. This particular book should be a source of much encouragement to those in their retirement years. Through setting out a helpful scenario which is then developed in each chapter she is able to help us take note of a number of the key issues which we are likely to face during retirement. Each chapter is appropriately linked with a different aspect of the fruit of the Spirit highlighting the attractive nature of living wholeheartedly for Christ right to the end of our days. I trust as this book is read many will be helped in navigating their way through their latter years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Angus MacLeay, Rector St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:35+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:36+00:00","vendor":"Wendy Billington","type":"Paperback","tags":["Apr-19","Kindle","Recommended for Anna Chaplaincy","Retired and inspired"],"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":21770218504292,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467201","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Retired and Inspired: Making the most of our latter years - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":600,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467201"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467201-l.jpg?v=1549043117"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467201-l.jpg?v=1549043117","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881853579,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467201-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467201-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eAttitudes to retirement vary, and in this book Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral skills and life experience to ask the question: what is a Christian view of retirement? If we believe that life is a gift from God, should we not be viewing retirement as part of an integrated whole and see our latter years as part of God's plan? This book is intended for all to read: individuals preparing for retirement and in their retirement years as well as their families, friends, befrienders, carers and professionals. Written in two sections, 'Uprooting the weeds' and 'Sowing the seeds', it includes questions for group discussion at the end of each chapter, followed by a meditative thought for the day and a closing prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWendy Billington is Pastoral Assistant Emeritus in the diocese of Rochester, having served many years as a key pastoral worker at St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks. She now uses her wide experience, skills and knowledge leading training courses and in one-to-one pastoral support. She is trustee of Sevenoaks Counselling Service and the author of Growing a Caring Church: Practical guidelines for pastoral care (BRF, 2010) and I'm Fine: Removing masks and growing into wholeness (BRF, 2013).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times review 20.9.19 Review by Anne Spalding\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRetirement may or may not be planned. But, sooner or later, we are likely to face losses of what we used to do and of people who are important to us. Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral experience to explore both the challenges and the opportunities of these years. She illustrates this through the story of a fictional ‘Jim’ which runs alongside other reflections in the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are two sections: ‘Clearing the Weeds’, which addresses common difficulties, and ‘Sowing the Seeds’, which gives a range of possibilities. ‘Clearing the Weeds’ includes facing loss, facing our fears, and healing the memories as the changes of later years may bring to the surface wounds thought to be long past. She recognises that body, mind, emotions and spirit all play a part in living these years well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second section is the book’s core. In it, Billington argues that retired people can still offer much, in particular through learning to listen well. She encourages looking for opportunities and recognising gifts, especially gifts that may have been in the background until now. She is also realistic about the continuing changes that come with older age. Her chapter on relationships is almost at the end. I was sorry it came so late: from my own experience, relationships become increasingly important as other aspects of life diminish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelpfully, each chapter ends with questions for group discussion, questions for personal reflection, and a thought for the day on a fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, and so on). I would recommend discussion on the book’s themes, as I found that I had quite a few questions about how they would work out in other contexts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, Billington offers a useful overview of many aspects of later life, giving a good place to start reflecting and talking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Anne Spalding is a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis, and lives in Suffolk\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Dr Caroline Berry\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title and sub-title of this book should alert anyone on the verge of retirement. As life expectancy increases there may be decades rather than years of life left to live and Christians need inspiration in order to use them well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book starts by facing the realities that accompany our getting older: retirement is not always a series of golden days. Early chapters outline obstacles that may have to be faced and difficult issues are not side-stepped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurprisingly, bereavement is faced first; it may come suddenly or with time for preparation, but either way it has a huge impact and brings the need for major rethinking of so much previously taken for granted. Important questions are raised on the understanding that they should be addressed now rather than pushed under the carpet as not being necessary ‘just yet’. These difficult topics are discussed sensitively and practically with down to earth suggestions for dealing with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother chapter outlines the fears that often arise in retirement: anxiety about ill-health, loss of independence and concerns about financial security. Any or all of these may become burdensome and lead into a spiral of depression or withdrawal. With more time to dwell on them, memories of difficult past life events may become intrusive and burdensome. All these and other potential problems are discussed with helpful proposals and frequent mention of the part a supportive church can play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoving on to more positive aspects there are chapters on the importance of finding new roles with opportunities for service as well as the chance to develop talents long forgotten or never previously recognised. Learning to listen in order to become better able to support others could be a steppingstone to new worlds and the gift of time can lead to the satisfaction of building better relationships with family and friends. One minor omission is any discussion of the major contribution to childcare made by many of today’s grandparents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough all these varying chapters run some consistent threads. As we read, we open up little episodes in the life of ‘Jim’, the author’s creation based on long experience and close observation. Struggling with the loss of his wife when we first meet him, Jim is gradually helped towards a better life and frame of mind as the book progresses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author often shares relevant episodes from her own life story to illustrate particular points. The importance of the Christian community is a constant theme, sometimes as an opportunity for service, sometimes as a source of support and comfort. The need for sensitivity is stressed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter includes a few short questions for reflection and discussion so the book could be used by groups as well as individuals. Each chapter ends with a ‘Thought for the Day’ based on one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that needs to be read and acted upon, but one warning: do not expect your pastor or vicar to show the same degree of self-sacrifice as Jim’s does!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Dr Caroline Berry\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePremier Christianity Magazine, August 2019. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOut of her vast experience as a counsellor and pastoral worker, Wendy Billington has created the character of Jim to be the connecting thread between the chapters of this book. He is composed of the problems, fears and anxieties of all of us as we grow older. The author does not seek to give glib answers to issues such as self-doubt or the loss of loved ones, but rather deals with them in practical ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe overarching theme of this book is: ‘Sowing seeds and producing fruit that will last in our latter years.’ It could be a great help to those preparing for retirement, those already retired and also for their friends, relatives or carers. Each chapter has questions for group discussion and other material for personal reflection. Firmly based in scripture and a Christian view of the value of every life, this book is well worth reading and sharing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Jean Watson, Sevenoaks Counselling Newsletter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver a cuppa in Waitrose I asked Wendy why she wrote this book. She replied that she enjoyed writing (she has already written two other books for BRF) and wanted to say something from her heart for retirees and those coming up to retirement age, as well as for their friends and families, carers and other professionals involved with older people.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe book reflects Wendy’s chatty style and friendly personality, her strong Christian faith, her personal experiences and her work in pastoral care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book looks attractive inside and out and the contents are well organised and easy to read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first main section – clearing the weeds – gives practical suggestions and spiritual advice about processing any past issues and memories which might sabotage future wellbeing and growth which is the focus of the second section. Again practical suggestions and spiritual advice go hand in hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe passionate message of the message of the book is that older people have a huge amount to offer and should not be written off or sidelined but encouraged to go on contributing, learning and growing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are many illustrations from life in the book and also a fictional character called Jim who pops up throughout and who is helped to process some very traumatic experiences and become a positive, contributing person again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe biblical content would make the book more immediately attractive to people with some degree of Christian faith and knowledge, but the practical ideas and psychological insights could be helpful in their own right to others as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Angus MacLeay, Rector St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWendy is a much valued member of St Nicholas Sevenoaks. For many years she served as a Pastoral Assistant and out of that experience she has developed all sorts of pastoral insights. This particular book should be a source of much encouragement to those in their retirement years. Through setting out a helpful scenario which is then developed in each chapter she is able to help us take note of a number of the key issues which we are likely to face during retirement. Each chapter is appropriately linked with a different aspect of the fruit of the Spirit highlighting the attractive nature of living wholeheartedly for Christ right to the end of our days. I trust as this book is read many will be helped in navigating their way through their latter years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Angus MacLeay, Rector St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Retired and Inspired: Making the most of our latter years
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Attitudes to retirement vary, and in this book Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral skills and life experience to ask...
{"id":2439827161188,"title":"Faithful Grandparents: Hope and love through the generations","handle":"faithful-grandparents-hope-and-love-through-the-generations","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere has never been a more important time to find meaningful and acceptable ways of passing on faith from one generation to the next. Part of this privilege and responsibility lies with grandparents who live authentic Christian lives. They can be the vital link between the gospel and the faith of a younger generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFaithful Grandparents\u003c\/em\u003e is a visionary call to an older generation to take the initiative with courage and wisdom, humour and prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreach, Spring 2020. Review by Alan Rashleigh\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is more than an element of truth in the adage, ‘You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’ I was attracted to review this book because I am a grandparent with four grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 13. To be honest, I was expecting either a book which looked at the ideals of grandparenthood, where everything is hunky-dory and love abounds everywhere (a very creditable aim) or what to do (or not to do) to be the perfect grandparent. Being a realist, I wanted something between those two extremes, that was useful and practical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book looks at relationships between grandparents, children and grandchildren – warts and all. There is seriousness: for example, the acrimonious breakdown of a marriage and grandchildren denied contact with grandparents, contrasting with the grandmother whose favourite activity was to camp in the attic with her grandchildren under a blue sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is humour: the mere thought of the author playing on a trampoline with her grandchildren who ‘shrieked with delight, deliberately throwing me off balance as I hurtled around.’ This is an image which should remind all grandparents of the need to recognise their physical abilities are more restricted than those of their grandchildren!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book draws attention to the responsibility of grandparents to pass on Christian values and ethics, to live Christian lives and to impart the Gospel message to their grandchildren, to be a constant in a world of disbelief. As parents are often working full time, this gives a fantastic opportunity to influence the lives of children for the good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a well-researched, well-written book, full of wisdom, practical advice and helpful hints, balanced with biblical references and relevant quotes from people such as CS Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Timothy Keller and many others including Jo Swinney.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany may consider the book a bit of a hotch-potch or disjointed, but that is part of its charm, and a way to encourage readers to read more which they reflect on their own relationships with their grandchildren. Well worth reading!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Alan Rashleigh\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times 27.09.19. Review by Dennis Richards \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis entertaining and challenging volume is written by a Christian grandparent for other grandparents. Its purpose is clearly defined. It is primarily intended to help grandparents who wish to hand on the baton of faith to a younger generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is unashamedly biblical, and the writer freely acknowledges her Evangelical roots. But do not be misled. Anita Cleverly has lived a rich and interesting life. There is an avowedly ecumenical flavour to her life’s history, and one is left very much with the impression that her story still has chapters to be written.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf her 35 years in church ministry, in various guises, ten of them were spent in inner-city Paris, and it shows. She has clearly come under the influence of some great Catholic theologians, and speaks warmly of her Jesuit friends in Oxford. As she says, ‘My own church history has taken me through “Label Land”.’ She finds herself increasingly exploring the contemplative tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost important in a volume of this nature, the author is very aware of the speed of change in contemporary culture. The internet has changed everything. Individualism and relativism are today fundamental to the teenagers’ creed. She is well aware that grandparents today may face the prospect of a blended family, or a gay marriage and transgender discussion. She is very sure that ‘unconditional love’ defines what should be ‘on the tin’ for Christian grandparents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven the vocabulary has changed, as I know to my cost. Writing this review as a grandfather of six, I find myself being mocked, lost in bewilderment, and, at times, genuinely scared that I’ve totally lost the plot. Pathetically trying to join in a game of football, I am exhorted to ‘Stop flexing, Grandad!’ Far from being worried about my physical welfare, they are actually telling me to stop showing off. Blank incomprehension on my part. Hilarity all round on theirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author’s predicament was even worse. She climbed on the grandchildren’s trampoline. Bad mistake. All of which tells you that there is plenty to make you smile in her account of her own experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest of all, it is a volume that makes you think. What kind of grandparent am I? Formal? Fun-seeker? Surrogate parent? Reservoir of family wisdom? Distant? It is also reassuring. Some things haven’t changed. The definitions for example. Grandparent: so easy to operate, even a child can do it. Grandparent: breaks most of the rules and loves every second of it. I can live with that. Thanks Anita.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDennis Richards is a former head of St Aidan’s C of E High School, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eevangelicals now October 2019. Review by Val Archer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiven the seismic cultural, moral, sexual and social upheaval in Britain today, the author’s call to the older generation of Christians to model courage, wisdom, faith and prayer is both timely and vital – not least in passing on the ‘faith once delivered’ to children generally – and one’s grandchildren especially. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnita Cleverly has a lifetime of experience as a Christian mother and grandmother and in family ministry, which she ransacks to great effect. She writes with a light touch, interweaving gospel truths and scriptural wisdom with a sharp understanding of the complex challenges facing Christian parents today. All in all it makes for both an enjoyable and stimulating read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the opening insightful chapter on ‘21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Century Grandparents’, she quotes \u003cem\u003eThe Daily Telegraph \u003c\/em\u003ecolumnist Allison Pearson, who has discovered that ‘two thirds of the nation’s grandparents – that’s 5 million people – now provide regular childcare for their grandchildren’. The contact time with grandchildren in Britain today is at a very different level than was generally the case with previous generations. After the parent-child relationship, grandparents usually provide the second most important emotional influence in a child’s life. The opportunity and need is immense. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 11 chapters which follow, the whole landscape of grandparenting is explored and practical biblical wisdom and advice brought to bear on a whole raft of issues – the art of listening, storytelling the family history, seeking to reach the heart of the child with the gospel, the vital place and role of the church and church family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo chapters, one ‘A Grandparent’s Creed’ and the other ‘A Grandparent’s Prayers’, are outstanding and worth buying the book for. Taking the Apostles’ Creed and reflecting and meditating on each phrase in the context of the challenges facing children today in our oft-pernicious culture, is so helpful. Praying for and with grandchildren takes the focus to that which any Christian parent of grandparent wants for their offspring – that they grow to love and serve Christ all their days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAddressing some of the cultural, social and sexual changes in a chapter entitled ‘Shifting Tectonic Plates’ brings a rootedness and contemporary awareness that is much needed in Christian thinking today. Pointing out that it is not all ‘gloom and doom’, that many of the changes in society have been for the good, is a welcome corrective that recognises ‘common grace’ has not yet left town! At the same time the author goes on to provide a thoughtful critique of the blatantly anti-God agenda that is so prevalent. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe light Charismatic influences and context from which the author writes mean that on occasion there are one or two things those in other traditions might not always go along with, or perhaps express in different ways. However, to major on these would be to lose the great benefit and blessing this delightful book provides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Val Archer: conference speaker, mother of four and grandmother of seven. Member of both The King’s Church Chessington and The Globe Church London.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Howard Rowe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is for Christian grandparents. Anita Cleverly writes of her own journey and approach as a grandparent, and covers the responsibilities of the grandparent’s role in the twenty-first century, together with the opportunities we have, and the limitations we are subject to. The chapters on sensitive listening, the wonder of the created world, Bible stories and children’s questions are well covered. There is an encouraging view of the church today, and valuable advice regarding the changing landscape of culture and today’s technology. The chapter I enjoyed most was the one on praying for and with our grandchildren. Anita Cleverly has written a book of authentic Christian wisdom and grace, sprinkled with real comments from real people, and pieces of practical advice, for ourselves as well as for our families. She writes with feeling about the difficulties of being a faithful grandparent as well as the joys. I commend it to you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Howard Rowe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform, May 2019. Review by Ruth Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a gem. I read it quickly, because it is hard to put down, and I shall immediately read it again more slowly, to savour the wisdom that’s on every page. The title tells you what it’s about: encouragement for grandparents to share their faith with their grandchildren.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnita Cleverly is an experienced spiritual director and bereavement counsellor. Her sensitivity undergirds the wise words in every chapter. Never does she forget that we have our grandchildren on loan, and that discipline and criticism, however gently applied, are not our lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first two chapters of the book survey what grandparenting really is, in our time and culture, recognising the different situations that many grandparents find themselves in. Many grandparents are left with very limited opportunities to build the relationship which permit the sharing of faith stories. There are useful suggestions for grandparents who have little contact with their grandchildren to make the most of the possibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral chapters help us to identify the essentials of our own faith, and ways in which they could be put over. One uses the Apostles’ Creed to help us focus. There are chapters on the Church and on the problems facing people of faith in an increasingly secular world, as well as one on the contentious issues facing Christians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubjects like human sexuality are dealt with gently and sensitively. We are encouraged never to pontificate but to accept our grandchildren’s choices with grace and love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is full apposite quotations from the bible and other Christian writers. It is very easy to read, the writer having the wonderful gift of being able to speak apparently straight to the individual reader. There are anecdotes galore, both funny and sad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am genuinely looking forward to reading this a second time, and wholeheartedly commend it to any grandparent. Your grandchildren will be much blessed through it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRuth Allen is \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ea retired United Reformed minister based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:33+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:35+00:00","vendor":"Anita Cleverly","type":"Paperback","tags":["Feb-19","Kindle","Parenting","Retired and inspired"],"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":21770212933732,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466617","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Faithful Grandparents: Hope and love through the generations - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":214,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466617"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466617-l.jpg?v=1549043117"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466617-l.jpg?v=1549043117","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881820811,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466617-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466617-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThere has never been a more important time to find meaningful and acceptable ways of passing on faith from one generation to the next. Part of this privilege and responsibility lies with grandparents who live authentic Christian lives. They can be the vital link between the gospel and the faith of a younger generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFaithful Grandparents\u003c\/em\u003e is a visionary call to an older generation to take the initiative with courage and wisdom, humour and prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreach, Spring 2020. Review by Alan Rashleigh\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is more than an element of truth in the adage, ‘You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’ I was attracted to review this book because I am a grandparent with four grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 13. To be honest, I was expecting either a book which looked at the ideals of grandparenthood, where everything is hunky-dory and love abounds everywhere (a very creditable aim) or what to do (or not to do) to be the perfect grandparent. Being a realist, I wanted something between those two extremes, that was useful and practical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book looks at relationships between grandparents, children and grandchildren – warts and all. There is seriousness: for example, the acrimonious breakdown of a marriage and grandchildren denied contact with grandparents, contrasting with the grandmother whose favourite activity was to camp in the attic with her grandchildren under a blue sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is humour: the mere thought of the author playing on a trampoline with her grandchildren who ‘shrieked with delight, deliberately throwing me off balance as I hurtled around.’ This is an image which should remind all grandparents of the need to recognise their physical abilities are more restricted than those of their grandchildren!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book draws attention to the responsibility of grandparents to pass on Christian values and ethics, to live Christian lives and to impart the Gospel message to their grandchildren, to be a constant in a world of disbelief. As parents are often working full time, this gives a fantastic opportunity to influence the lives of children for the good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a well-researched, well-written book, full of wisdom, practical advice and helpful hints, balanced with biblical references and relevant quotes from people such as CS Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Timothy Keller and many others including Jo Swinney.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany may consider the book a bit of a hotch-potch or disjointed, but that is part of its charm, and a way to encourage readers to read more which they reflect on their own relationships with their grandchildren. Well worth reading!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Alan Rashleigh\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times 27.09.19. Review by Dennis Richards \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis entertaining and challenging volume is written by a Christian grandparent for other grandparents. Its purpose is clearly defined. It is primarily intended to help grandparents who wish to hand on the baton of faith to a younger generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is unashamedly biblical, and the writer freely acknowledges her Evangelical roots. But do not be misled. Anita Cleverly has lived a rich and interesting life. There is an avowedly ecumenical flavour to her life’s history, and one is left very much with the impression that her story still has chapters to be written.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf her 35 years in church ministry, in various guises, ten of them were spent in inner-city Paris, and it shows. She has clearly come under the influence of some great Catholic theologians, and speaks warmly of her Jesuit friends in Oxford. As she says, ‘My own church history has taken me through “Label Land”.’ She finds herself increasingly exploring the contemplative tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost important in a volume of this nature, the author is very aware of the speed of change in contemporary culture. The internet has changed everything. Individualism and relativism are today fundamental to the teenagers’ creed. She is well aware that grandparents today may face the prospect of a blended family, or a gay marriage and transgender discussion. She is very sure that ‘unconditional love’ defines what should be ‘on the tin’ for Christian grandparents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven the vocabulary has changed, as I know to my cost. Writing this review as a grandfather of six, I find myself being mocked, lost in bewilderment, and, at times, genuinely scared that I’ve totally lost the plot. Pathetically trying to join in a game of football, I am exhorted to ‘Stop flexing, Grandad!’ Far from being worried about my physical welfare, they are actually telling me to stop showing off. Blank incomprehension on my part. Hilarity all round on theirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author’s predicament was even worse. She climbed on the grandchildren’s trampoline. Bad mistake. All of which tells you that there is plenty to make you smile in her account of her own experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest of all, it is a volume that makes you think. What kind of grandparent am I? Formal? Fun-seeker? Surrogate parent? Reservoir of family wisdom? Distant? It is also reassuring. Some things haven’t changed. The definitions for example. Grandparent: so easy to operate, even a child can do it. Grandparent: breaks most of the rules and loves every second of it. I can live with that. Thanks Anita.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDennis Richards is a former head of St Aidan’s C of E High School, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eevangelicals now October 2019. Review by Val Archer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiven the seismic cultural, moral, sexual and social upheaval in Britain today, the author’s call to the older generation of Christians to model courage, wisdom, faith and prayer is both timely and vital – not least in passing on the ‘faith once delivered’ to children generally – and one’s grandchildren especially. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnita Cleverly has a lifetime of experience as a Christian mother and grandmother and in family ministry, which she ransacks to great effect. She writes with a light touch, interweaving gospel truths and scriptural wisdom with a sharp understanding of the complex challenges facing Christian parents today. All in all it makes for both an enjoyable and stimulating read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the opening insightful chapter on ‘21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Century Grandparents’, she quotes \u003cem\u003eThe Daily Telegraph \u003c\/em\u003ecolumnist Allison Pearson, who has discovered that ‘two thirds of the nation’s grandparents – that’s 5 million people – now provide regular childcare for their grandchildren’. The contact time with grandchildren in Britain today is at a very different level than was generally the case with previous generations. After the parent-child relationship, grandparents usually provide the second most important emotional influence in a child’s life. The opportunity and need is immense. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 11 chapters which follow, the whole landscape of grandparenting is explored and practical biblical wisdom and advice brought to bear on a whole raft of issues – the art of listening, storytelling the family history, seeking to reach the heart of the child with the gospel, the vital place and role of the church and church family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo chapters, one ‘A Grandparent’s Creed’ and the other ‘A Grandparent’s Prayers’, are outstanding and worth buying the book for. Taking the Apostles’ Creed and reflecting and meditating on each phrase in the context of the challenges facing children today in our oft-pernicious culture, is so helpful. Praying for and with grandchildren takes the focus to that which any Christian parent of grandparent wants for their offspring – that they grow to love and serve Christ all their days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAddressing some of the cultural, social and sexual changes in a chapter entitled ‘Shifting Tectonic Plates’ brings a rootedness and contemporary awareness that is much needed in Christian thinking today. Pointing out that it is not all ‘gloom and doom’, that many of the changes in society have been for the good, is a welcome corrective that recognises ‘common grace’ has not yet left town! At the same time the author goes on to provide a thoughtful critique of the blatantly anti-God agenda that is so prevalent. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe light Charismatic influences and context from which the author writes mean that on occasion there are one or two things those in other traditions might not always go along with, or perhaps express in different ways. However, to major on these would be to lose the great benefit and blessing this delightful book provides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Val Archer: conference speaker, mother of four and grandmother of seven. Member of both The King’s Church Chessington and The Globe Church London.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Howard Rowe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is for Christian grandparents. Anita Cleverly writes of her own journey and approach as a grandparent, and covers the responsibilities of the grandparent’s role in the twenty-first century, together with the opportunities we have, and the limitations we are subject to. The chapters on sensitive listening, the wonder of the created world, Bible stories and children’s questions are well covered. There is an encouraging view of the church today, and valuable advice regarding the changing landscape of culture and today’s technology. The chapter I enjoyed most was the one on praying for and with our grandchildren. Anita Cleverly has written a book of authentic Christian wisdom and grace, sprinkled with real comments from real people, and pieces of practical advice, for ourselves as well as for our families. She writes with feeling about the difficulties of being a faithful grandparent as well as the joys. I commend it to you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Howard Rowe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform, May 2019. Review by Ruth Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a gem. I read it quickly, because it is hard to put down, and I shall immediately read it again more slowly, to savour the wisdom that’s on every page. The title tells you what it’s about: encouragement for grandparents to share their faith with their grandchildren.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnita Cleverly is an experienced spiritual director and bereavement counsellor. Her sensitivity undergirds the wise words in every chapter. Never does she forget that we have our grandchildren on loan, and that discipline and criticism, however gently applied, are not our lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first two chapters of the book survey what grandparenting really is, in our time and culture, recognising the different situations that many grandparents find themselves in. Many grandparents are left with very limited opportunities to build the relationship which permit the sharing of faith stories. There are useful suggestions for grandparents who have little contact with their grandchildren to make the most of the possibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral chapters help us to identify the essentials of our own faith, and ways in which they could be put over. One uses the Apostles’ Creed to help us focus. There are chapters on the Church and on the problems facing people of faith in an increasingly secular world, as well as one on the contentious issues facing Christians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubjects like human sexuality are dealt with gently and sensitively. We are encouraged never to pontificate but to accept our grandchildren’s choices with grace and love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is full apposite quotations from the bible and other Christian writers. It is very easy to read, the writer having the wonderful gift of being able to speak apparently straight to the individual reader. There are anecdotes galore, both funny and sad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am genuinely looking forward to reading this a second time, and wholeheartedly commend it to any grandparent. Your grandchildren will be much blessed through it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRuth Allen is \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ea retired United Reformed minister based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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{"id":2439826800740,"title":"Praying the Way: with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John","handle":"praying-the-way-with-matthew-mark-luke-and-john","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrough raw and authentic prayers, based on the gospel stories, Terry Hinks leads readers into the heart of the gospels the more clearly to see the needs and joys of today's world. This highly original book helps readers to pray out of, and with, the words of Jesus and to discover the joy of prayer as a two-way conversation - listening as much as speaking to God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks' book is a multi-layered gift. At once, it both offers prayers that can enrich personal devotions and public worship and enables insightfully novel theological reflection upon some very familiar material. I am grateful for it myself and warmly commend it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Nigel Uden, URC General Assembly Moderator 2018 - 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks is a gifted wordsmith. His latest book, Praying the Way with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John consists of 160 amazingly fresh prayers - 40 for each gospel - in which Scripture becomes the springboard for the soul. I know of no other prayer resource quite like it. I found these prayers not just stimulating and broadening, but also deeply challenging. This is a book not to be read - but to be used. I warmly commend it to anyone looking for a more authentic relationship with God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Beasley-Murray, 'Church Matters'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks has thought and written over many years about ways that the gospels can inspire and inform our praying. Now this mature collection of prayers draws on important texts from across the four gospels and from all around the themes of the Christian year. The primary tone is reflective, coming near to God in measured, thoughtful praise, and with deep confidence and hope. The language is both reverent and accessible, moving yet not complicated. These prayers would work very well in a church service, and would be equally helpful in a small house group or in private devotion. This book deserves to circulate widely, and I suspect that many copies will become well-worn in the course of the years. This is a resource to return to, time and again, for one's own faith and in the service of others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Revd John Proctor, General Secretary, The United Reformed Church\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks' thoughtful and useful prayers help us better understand the Jesus presented in each of the gospels. The book is very helpful for personal devotional use, but also an invaluable resource for leaders of worship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndy Braunston, Coordinator of URC Daily Devotion Project\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry writes with freshness and honesty to all those who, like him, are trying to walk Christ's way. Like a seasoned traveller, he crafts prayers - inspired by the four gospels - that act as a way marker for his fellow travellers. I warmly commend this resource to enable us all to pray the way before turning back to the challenges that await us on the road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Richard Church, Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship) of The United Reformed Church\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Praying the Way, Terry Hinks has developed his work around the four gospels into a thoughtful and accessible resource for prayer. He takes Jesus' life and relationship with his heavenly Father as a starting point for exploring our own life of prayer. This book, while primarily designed as an aid to personal devotion, will, I am sure, be a source of material for many worship leaders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Clare Downing, Moderator of the Wessex Synod\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks is a United Reformed Church minister, serving churches in Hereford, Reading and Romsey before moving to two churches in the High Wycombe area. He served as Secretary to the URC Doctrine Prayer and Worship Committee and contributed the Order of Daily Worship to the URC's Service Book Worship. He is the author of a number of books on prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader website, 6 March 2019. Review by Laura Hillman.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection of prayers and meditations is firmly anchored in the four gospels. An introduction to each section highlights the characteristics of prayer in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The reader is invited to follow 'the way', a life based on prayer leading to action and changed attitudes. The author has obviously thought hard and long about the lessons to be learned and the strength to be gained from meditating on the scriptures. Each prayer is introduced by a sentence from the relevant gospel with a reference to the longer passage from which it is drawn. The language is refreshingly simple and direct with sparing and effective use of imagery. Although rooted in the Bible, the text has multiple references to life in the 21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury. As well as being a springboard for personal prayer these readings will provide new insights for preachers and study group leaders looking for a fresh take on a well-known text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Laura Hillman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.readers.cofe.anglican.org\/resources\"\u003ewww.readers.cofe.anglican.org\/resources\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e_______________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform Magazine, Dec 2018-Jan2019, reviewed by John Proctor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks has thought and written over many years about ways in which the gospels can inspire and shape our praying. His long ministry, across four United Reformed Church pastorates, has certainly deepened and developed this work, and now he has provided us with a rich collection of mature prayers, drawing on important texts from across the four gospels and around the themes of the Christian year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePraying the Way \u003c\/em\u003econtains 160 prayers in all - 40 based on passages in each of the gospels. Most of them are short - between about 100 and 150 words in length - and, while Hinks has a recognisable mood and approach, there is definitely no single pattern of length, rhythm or style. The primary tone is reflective, drawing near to God in measured, thoughtful praise, with deep confidence and hope, yet often with searching humility too. The language is both reverent and accessible, often moving, never complex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prayers in \u003cem\u003ePraying the Way\u003c\/em\u003e would work well in church worship and could be equally helpful in a house group or for private use. They would connect most deeply with Christians who were reasonably familiar with the bibilcal material, and who were glad to have their thoughts taken to new places in their praying. Worship leaders will welcome the book, not least because the prayers relate so directly and obviously to scripture passages, many of which appear in the Revised Common Lectionary used in Sunday services.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few sample snippets from the book with show the counterpoint of freshness and familiarity. The prayer based on Matthew 18:12-13 talks of 'sheep, ready to be counted, not to send us to sleep, but to waken us to your kingdom'. The one on Mark 2:1-12 says: 'Let us praise God for friends who carry us through the darkest of times'. The prayer for Luke 15:8-10 asks: 'Holy Spirit, sweep through the dust of my life'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book deserves to be widely known and well used, and many copies will surely become well-worn in the course of the years. This is a resource to return to, time and again, for one's own faith and in the service of others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJohn Proctor is General Secretary of the United Reformed Church\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e This is a real treasure trove. Here are 40 readings and prayers for each of the 4 Gospels; 160 pages of wisdom, illumination, inspiration and motivation with helpful introductions and an Appendix suggesting ways in which these jewels can be made to sparkle. What is found here is not just the product of academic study but of rich pastoral experience in grass-roots ministry serving churches in Hereford, Reading, Romsey and High Wycombe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe value of these crisp reflections is that they can be used systematically to travel through the Gospels or they can be dipped into. They are also a valuable starting point for sermon preparation because of their pithy headings and the prayers which give further insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI warmly commend this creative devotional book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Tom Stuckey, a Former President of the Methodist Church in Britain\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Baptist Times, 16.01.19. Reviewed by Keith Parr\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found myself in a rather beautiful place in late October.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is this beautiful little Baptist church in beautiful Bunessan on the beautiful Isle of Mull in beautiful Scotland. Everything about it is, well beautiful! The people smile an outrageous amount, the weather is always clement (unless it's cold and raining which happens quite a lot) and the view from the pulpit... oh my, I could wax lyrical about the view from the pulpit for hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found myself in this beautiful place clutching this book I'd promised to review. I don't normally use much liturgy or many written prayers when I lead worship, but decided to take \u003cem\u003ePraying the Way\u003c\/em\u003e for a trial run this Sunday morning, knowing after the service I could ask all of the congregation if it helped or hindered their encounter with Jesus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is how it works: Terry Hinks has written prayers around various passages in the four Gospels. As I was preaching on John 4:1-42 (Jesus and the woman at the well) after the reading, I used the prayer based on that passage. Leading the prayer felt a little odd, but that could be put down to my lack of practice with this form of praying. The congregation, though, all seemed to appreciate the structure and pauses (which I put in), especially because it related to the reading and the sermon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI probably wouldn't have purchased this, but it is the kind of book that I will know I can dip into if needs be. If your church uses liturgical language you will like this a lot. If you don't, then it isn't a bad idea to have these resources around, and this is not a bad place to start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Keith Parr, the minister at Maghull Baptist Church north of Liverpool\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:31+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:33+00:00","vendor":"Terry Hinks","type":"Paperback","tags":["Biblical engagement","For individuals","Kindle","Oct-18","Prayer"],"price":1099,"price_min":1099,"price_max":1099,"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":21770206347364,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467164","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Praying the Way: with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":1099,"weight":248,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467164"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467164-l.jpg?v=1549043118"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467164-l.jpg?v=1549043118","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881788043,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"width":427,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467164-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467164-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":427}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThrough raw and authentic prayers, based on the gospel stories, Terry Hinks leads readers into the heart of the gospels the more clearly to see the needs and joys of today's world. This highly original book helps readers to pray out of, and with, the words of Jesus and to discover the joy of prayer as a two-way conversation - listening as much as speaking to God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks' book is a multi-layered gift. At once, it both offers prayers that can enrich personal devotions and public worship and enables insightfully novel theological reflection upon some very familiar material. I am grateful for it myself and warmly commend it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Nigel Uden, URC General Assembly Moderator 2018 - 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks is a gifted wordsmith. His latest book, Praying the Way with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John consists of 160 amazingly fresh prayers - 40 for each gospel - in which Scripture becomes the springboard for the soul. I know of no other prayer resource quite like it. I found these prayers not just stimulating and broadening, but also deeply challenging. This is a book not to be read - but to be used. I warmly commend it to anyone looking for a more authentic relationship with God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Beasley-Murray, 'Church Matters'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks has thought and written over many years about ways that the gospels can inspire and inform our praying. Now this mature collection of prayers draws on important texts from across the four gospels and from all around the themes of the Christian year. The primary tone is reflective, coming near to God in measured, thoughtful praise, and with deep confidence and hope. The language is both reverent and accessible, moving yet not complicated. These prayers would work very well in a church service, and would be equally helpful in a small house group or in private devotion. This book deserves to circulate widely, and I suspect that many copies will become well-worn in the course of the years. This is a resource to return to, time and again, for one's own faith and in the service of others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Revd John Proctor, General Secretary, The United Reformed Church\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks' thoughtful and useful prayers help us better understand the Jesus presented in each of the gospels. The book is very helpful for personal devotional use, but also an invaluable resource for leaders of worship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndy Braunston, Coordinator of URC Daily Devotion Project\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry writes with freshness and honesty to all those who, like him, are trying to walk Christ's way. Like a seasoned traveller, he crafts prayers - inspired by the four gospels - that act as a way marker for his fellow travellers. I warmly commend this resource to enable us all to pray the way before turning back to the challenges that await us on the road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Richard Church, Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship) of The United Reformed Church\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Praying the Way, Terry Hinks has developed his work around the four gospels into a thoughtful and accessible resource for prayer. He takes Jesus' life and relationship with his heavenly Father as a starting point for exploring our own life of prayer. This book, while primarily designed as an aid to personal devotion, will, I am sure, be a source of material for many worship leaders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Clare Downing, Moderator of the Wessex Synod\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks is a United Reformed Church minister, serving churches in Hereford, Reading and Romsey before moving to two churches in the High Wycombe area. He served as Secretary to the URC Doctrine Prayer and Worship Committee and contributed the Order of Daily Worship to the URC's Service Book Worship. He is the author of a number of books on prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader website, 6 March 2019. Review by Laura Hillman.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection of prayers and meditations is firmly anchored in the four gospels. An introduction to each section highlights the characteristics of prayer in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The reader is invited to follow 'the way', a life based on prayer leading to action and changed attitudes. The author has obviously thought hard and long about the lessons to be learned and the strength to be gained from meditating on the scriptures. Each prayer is introduced by a sentence from the relevant gospel with a reference to the longer passage from which it is drawn. The language is refreshingly simple and direct with sparing and effective use of imagery. Although rooted in the Bible, the text has multiple references to life in the 21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury. As well as being a springboard for personal prayer these readings will provide new insights for preachers and study group leaders looking for a fresh take on a well-known text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Laura Hillman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.readers.cofe.anglican.org\/resources\"\u003ewww.readers.cofe.anglican.org\/resources\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e_______________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform Magazine, Dec 2018-Jan2019, reviewed by John Proctor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerry Hinks has thought and written over many years about ways in which the gospels can inspire and shape our praying. His long ministry, across four United Reformed Church pastorates, has certainly deepened and developed this work, and now he has provided us with a rich collection of mature prayers, drawing on important texts from across the four gospels and around the themes of the Christian year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePraying the Way \u003c\/em\u003econtains 160 prayers in all - 40 based on passages in each of the gospels. Most of them are short - between about 100 and 150 words in length - and, while Hinks has a recognisable mood and approach, there is definitely no single pattern of length, rhythm or style. The primary tone is reflective, drawing near to God in measured, thoughtful praise, with deep confidence and hope, yet often with searching humility too. The language is both reverent and accessible, often moving, never complex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prayers in \u003cem\u003ePraying the Way\u003c\/em\u003e would work well in church worship and could be equally helpful in a house group or for private use. They would connect most deeply with Christians who were reasonably familiar with the bibilcal material, and who were glad to have their thoughts taken to new places in their praying. Worship leaders will welcome the book, not least because the prayers relate so directly and obviously to scripture passages, many of which appear in the Revised Common Lectionary used in Sunday services.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few sample snippets from the book with show the counterpoint of freshness and familiarity. The prayer based on Matthew 18:12-13 talks of 'sheep, ready to be counted, not to send us to sleep, but to waken us to your kingdom'. The one on Mark 2:1-12 says: 'Let us praise God for friends who carry us through the darkest of times'. The prayer for Luke 15:8-10 asks: 'Holy Spirit, sweep through the dust of my life'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book deserves to be widely known and well used, and many copies will surely become well-worn in the course of the years. This is a resource to return to, time and again, for one's own faith and in the service of others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJohn Proctor is General Secretary of the United Reformed Church\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e This is a real treasure trove. Here are 40 readings and prayers for each of the 4 Gospels; 160 pages of wisdom, illumination, inspiration and motivation with helpful introductions and an Appendix suggesting ways in which these jewels can be made to sparkle. What is found here is not just the product of academic study but of rich pastoral experience in grass-roots ministry serving churches in Hereford, Reading, Romsey and High Wycombe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe value of these crisp reflections is that they can be used systematically to travel through the Gospels or they can be dipped into. They are also a valuable starting point for sermon preparation because of their pithy headings and the prayers which give further insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI warmly commend this creative devotional book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Tom Stuckey, a Former President of the Methodist Church in Britain\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Baptist Times, 16.01.19. Reviewed by Keith Parr\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found myself in a rather beautiful place in late October.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is this beautiful little Baptist church in beautiful Bunessan on the beautiful Isle of Mull in beautiful Scotland. Everything about it is, well beautiful! The people smile an outrageous amount, the weather is always clement (unless it's cold and raining which happens quite a lot) and the view from the pulpit... oh my, I could wax lyrical about the view from the pulpit for hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found myself in this beautiful place clutching this book I'd promised to review. I don't normally use much liturgy or many written prayers when I lead worship, but decided to take \u003cem\u003ePraying the Way\u003c\/em\u003e for a trial run this Sunday morning, knowing after the service I could ask all of the congregation if it helped or hindered their encounter with Jesus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is how it works: Terry Hinks has written prayers around various passages in the four Gospels. As I was preaching on John 4:1-42 (Jesus and the woman at the well) after the reading, I used the prayer based on that passage. Leading the prayer felt a little odd, but that could be put down to my lack of practice with this form of praying. The congregation, though, all seemed to appreciate the structure and pauses (which I put in), especially because it related to the reading and the sermon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI probably wouldn't have purchased this, but it is the kind of book that I will know I can dip into if needs be. If your church uses liturgical language you will like this a lot. If you don't, then it isn't a bad idea to have these resources around, and this is not a bad place to start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Keith Parr, the minister at Maghull Baptist Church north of Liverpool\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Praying the Way: with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
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Through raw and authentic prayers, based on the gospel stories, Terry Hinks leads readers into the heart of the gospels...
{"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":["For churches","Group reading","Jan-19","Kindle","Prayer"],"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"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3271241859211,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.705,"height":600,"width":423,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466730-l.jpg?v=1570104537"},"aspect_ratio":0.705,"height":600,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466730-l.jpg?v=1570104537","width":423}],"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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80 Reflective Prayer Ideas: A creative resource for church and group use
£9.99
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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\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\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\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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. Olly Goldenberg, Children Can\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\n\u003cp\u003eThese ideas came from the first of the trilogy of books contained in this omnibus.\u003c\/p\u003e\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\n\u003cp\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith would make a fabulous Christmas present for a Christian mum or dad.\u003c\/p\u003e\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\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransforming Ministry, April 2020. Review by Veronica Bright\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRachel Turner sets out to empower, inspire and assist Christian parents to guide and help their children develop a lasting and vibrant two-way relationship with God. The book consists of three sections. [nb: this is an omnibus edition of three previous titles]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the first, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of faith\u003c\/em\u003e, Turner says, ‘What gets missed out most often in our retelling of Bible stories is God’s relationship with people within the story.’ She stresses the importance of relationships, and suggests ways parents can help children to ‘chat’ to God and ‘catch’ his messages. The second section, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epurpose\u003c\/em\u003e, explores how Christian parents can equip their children with confidence, helping them live compassionately and courageously, understanding the power of love. The third section, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of confidence\u003c\/em\u003e, helps the reader to understand and shape their children’s attitude to life. There are ‘evangelical’ clichés in the text, and there is a tendency to take all Bible stories literally, which would not suit everybody. However, this book could be a great help to people where the whole family is Christian. The book is part of a Bible Reading Fellowship initiative, and links with a free video course \u003cem\u003eParenting for Faith\u003c\/em\u003e, found at www.parentingforfaith.org.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Veronica Bright \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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":["Kindle","Oct-18","Parenting","Parenting for Faith books","Torch Trust"],"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"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881656971,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.705,"height":650,"width":458,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466945-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.705,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466945-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":458}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eEquipping parents to raise God-connected children and teens.\u003c\/p\u003e\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\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\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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. Olly Goldenberg, Children Can\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\n\u003cp\u003eThese ideas came from the first of the trilogy of books contained in this omnibus.\u003c\/p\u003e\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\n\u003cp\u003eParenting Children for a Life of Faith would make a fabulous Christmas present for a Christian mum or dad.\u003c\/p\u003e\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\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransforming Ministry, April 2020. Review by Veronica Bright\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRachel Turner sets out to empower, inspire and assist Christian parents to guide and help their children develop a lasting and vibrant two-way relationship with God. The book consists of three sections. [nb: this is an omnibus edition of three previous titles]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the first, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of faith\u003c\/em\u003e, Turner says, ‘What gets missed out most often in our retelling of Bible stories is God’s relationship with people within the story.’ She stresses the importance of relationships, and suggests ways parents can help children to ‘chat’ to God and ‘catch’ his messages. The second section, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epurpose\u003c\/em\u003e, explores how Christian parents can equip their children with confidence, helping them live compassionately and courageously, understanding the power of love. The third section, \u003cem\u003eParenting children for a life of confidence\u003c\/em\u003e, helps the reader to understand and shape their children’s attitude to life. There are ‘evangelical’ clichés in the text, and there is a tendency to take all Bible stories literally, which would not suit everybody. However, this book could be a great help to people where the whole family is Christian. The book is part of a Bible Reading Fellowship initiative, and links with a free video course \u003cem\u003eParenting for Faith\u003c\/em\u003e, found at www.parentingforfaith.org.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Veronica Bright \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Parenting Children for a Life of Faith omnibus: Helping children meet and know God
£12.99
Equipping parents to raise God-connected children and teens. Collecting all the wisdom of titles previously published as Parenting Children for...
{"id":2439824638052,"title":"Really Useful Guides: Colossians and Philemon","handle":"really-useful-guides-colossians-and-philemon","description":"\u003cp\u003eEach Really Useful Guide focuses on a specific biblical book, making it come to life for the reader, enabling them to understand the message and to apply its truth to today's circumstances. Though not a commentary, it gives valuable insight into the book's message. Though not an introduction, it summarises the important aspects of the book to aid reading and application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Really Useful Guide to Colossians and Philemon will transform understanding of the biblical text, and will help you to engage with the message in new ways today, giving confidence in the Bible and increasing faith in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series is edited by Simon Stocks and Derek Tidball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is special about the 'Really Useful Guides'?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are laid out in an easy-to-read format, with less text on the page and plenty of headings, bulleted lists, bold type and diagrams where helpful. Despite this they are not patronising, and do not hide away from engaging with difficult bits of the book. While reading them straight through would probably be the most helpful, they can certainly be dipped into as well, with some sections that people might like to come back to more than once. Similarly, they can be read 'straight' or side-by-side with the biblical text; a slower, more engaged read will probably be more helpful but a reader who didn't do this would still find plenty to learn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times e-newsletter 1 February 2019.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its new series of Really Useful Guides, the Bible Reading Fellowship follows the trend towards smaller and shorter books. So far in this series the volumes on the Psalms and on Colossians have appeared, written by the series' editors, Stocks and Tidball, respectively. The books are tiny (4 by 6 inches) but sturdy and the contents are fine, so they should not for that reason be looked down on. If you are uncertain what to give to a Christian friend, books like these make nice little presents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStocks does indeed offer a 'very useful guide' of over 100 pages. Writing with obvious love for the Psalms, he explains many aspects briefly yet clearly, and in a personal style. Whereas he is aware of the gap which separates us from these old songs, he points to many bridges across it. After a brief introduction, the second chapter covers introductory issues such as composition and authorship. Chapter 3 gives a brief theology of the Psalms (what they say about God) and chapter 4 focuses on how they say it (the stAyle and the imagery).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe very brief chapter 5 surveys the relevant part of the history of Israel and chapter 6 gives suggestions for reading psalms today. Chapters 7 and 8 look at some unknown psalms in more detail. The final page contains questions for discussion but there are no suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Colossians and Philemon guide, our fellow Baptist Derek Tidball takes some 70 pages to introduce us to Colossians, but less than 15 for Philemon. Yet in these few pages he manages to get across key elements of Philemon and its lasting value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe treatment of Colossians is more traditional than that of the Psalms: it largely consists of Tidball making his way through the letter, commenting on backgrounds and contents along the way. Like Stocks, he uses bullet points and he prints the key Scripture verses in his text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA separate chapter compares Colossians to other parts of the New Testament. In addition to some questions, suggestions for further reading are included. My one query is that slightly divergent outlines of Colossians are presented on pages 27, 28-29, and in what follows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Revd. Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches the Bible at Spurgeon's College\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:22+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:23+00:00","vendor":"Derek Tidball","type":"Paperback","tags":["Biblical engagement","Kindle","Oct-18","Really Useful Guides"],"price":599,"price_min":599,"price_max":599,"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":21770162438244,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467300","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Really Useful Guides: Colossians and Philemon - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":599,"weight":91,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467300"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467300-l.jpg?v=1549043119"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467300-l.jpg?v=1549043119","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881624203,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.709,"height":650,"width":461,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467300-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.709,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467300-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":461}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eEach Really Useful Guide focuses on a specific biblical book, making it come to life for the reader, enabling them to understand the message and to apply its truth to today's circumstances. Though not a commentary, it gives valuable insight into the book's message. Though not an introduction, it summarises the important aspects of the book to aid reading and application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Really Useful Guide to Colossians and Philemon will transform understanding of the biblical text, and will help you to engage with the message in new ways today, giving confidence in the Bible and increasing faith in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series is edited by Simon Stocks and Derek Tidball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is special about the 'Really Useful Guides'?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are laid out in an easy-to-read format, with less text on the page and plenty of headings, bulleted lists, bold type and diagrams where helpful. Despite this they are not patronising, and do not hide away from engaging with difficult bits of the book. While reading them straight through would probably be the most helpful, they can certainly be dipped into as well, with some sections that people might like to come back to more than once. Similarly, they can be read 'straight' or side-by-side with the biblical text; a slower, more engaged read will probably be more helpful but a reader who didn't do this would still find plenty to learn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times e-newsletter 1 February 2019.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its new series of Really Useful Guides, the Bible Reading Fellowship follows the trend towards smaller and shorter books. So far in this series the volumes on the Psalms and on Colossians have appeared, written by the series' editors, Stocks and Tidball, respectively. The books are tiny (4 by 6 inches) but sturdy and the contents are fine, so they should not for that reason be looked down on. If you are uncertain what to give to a Christian friend, books like these make nice little presents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStocks does indeed offer a 'very useful guide' of over 100 pages. Writing with obvious love for the Psalms, he explains many aspects briefly yet clearly, and in a personal style. Whereas he is aware of the gap which separates us from these old songs, he points to many bridges across it. After a brief introduction, the second chapter covers introductory issues such as composition and authorship. Chapter 3 gives a brief theology of the Psalms (what they say about God) and chapter 4 focuses on how they say it (the stAyle and the imagery).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe very brief chapter 5 surveys the relevant part of the history of Israel and chapter 6 gives suggestions for reading psalms today. Chapters 7 and 8 look at some unknown psalms in more detail. The final page contains questions for discussion but there are no suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Colossians and Philemon guide, our fellow Baptist Derek Tidball takes some 70 pages to introduce us to Colossians, but less than 15 for Philemon. Yet in these few pages he manages to get across key elements of Philemon and its lasting value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe treatment of Colossians is more traditional than that of the Psalms: it largely consists of Tidball making his way through the letter, commenting on backgrounds and contents along the way. Like Stocks, he uses bullet points and he prints the key Scripture verses in his text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA separate chapter compares Colossians to other parts of the New Testament. In addition to some questions, suggestions for further reading are included. My one query is that slightly divergent outlines of Colossians are presented on pages 27, 28-29, and in what follows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Revd. Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches the Bible at Spurgeon's College\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Really Useful Guides: Colossians and Philemon
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{"id":2439824113764,"title":"Really Useful Guides: Psalms","handle":"really-useful-guides-psalms","description":"\u003cp\u003eEach Really Useful Guide focuses on a specific biblical book, making it come to life for the reader, enabling them to understand the message and to apply its truth to today's circumstances. Though not a commentary, it gives valuable insight into the book's message. Though not an introduction, it summarises the important aspects of the book to aid reading and application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Really Useful Guide to Psalms will transform understanding of the biblical text, and will help you to engage with the message in new ways today, giving confidence in the Bible and increasing faith in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series is edited by Simon Stocks and Derek Tidball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is special about the 'Really Useful Guides'?\u003c\/h3\u003e\nThey are laid out in an easy-to-read format, with less text on the page and plenty of headings, bulleted lists, bold type and diagrams where helpful. Despite this they are not patronising, and do not hide away from engaging with difficult bits of the book. While reading them straight through would probably be the most helpful, they can certainly be dipped into as well, with some sections that people might like to come back to more than once. Similarly, they can be read 'straight' or side-by-side with the biblical text; a slower, more engaged read will probably be more helpful but a reader who didn't do this would still find plenty to learn.\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Elizabeth Hogg\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is small in size, but substantial in content – 111 pages filled with important ideas and helpful insights. It is part of the BRF ‘Really Useful Guides’ series, and this designation is most apt. Stocks has written for a wide audience, including those with little previous knowledge of the psalms, but those who have used them daily for many years will nonetheless find much that is new and fascinating. He is especially strong on the poetic imagery of the psalms, and how these relate to the context of life in ancient Israel. I was also impressed by the way the author is not afraid to address the difficult questions posed by the so-called ‘vengeful’ psalms, including the seldom used Psalm 58. While some of these may never become favourites, the ideas described will open our minds to wider issues, including the overriding need for justice. This book will help readers to pray the psalms with new hearts, and greater dedication, and is strongly recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Elizabeth Hogg\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e ___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times e-newsletter 1 February 2019.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its new series of Really Useful Guides, the Bible Reading Fellowship follows the trend towards smaller and shorter books. So far in this series the volumes on the Psalms and on Colossians have appeared, written by the series' editors, Stocks and Tidball, respectively. The books are tiny (4 by 6 inches) but sturdy and the contents are fine, so they should not for that reason be looked down on. If you are uncertain what to give to a Christian friend, books like these make nice little presents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStocks does indeed offer a 'very useful guide' of over 100 pages. Writing with obvious love for the Psalms, he explains many aspects briefly yet clearly, and in a personal style. Whereas he is aware of the gap which separates us from these old songs, he points to many bridges across it. After a brief introduction, the second chapter covers introductory issues such as composition and authorship. Chapter 3 gives a brief theology of the Psalms (what they say about God) and chapter 4 focuses on how they say it (the stAyle and the imagery).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe very brief chapter 5 surveys the relevant part of the history of Israel and chapter 6 gives suggestions for reading psalms today. Chapters 7 and 8 look at some unknown psalms in more detail. The final page contains questions for discussion but there are no suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Colossians and Philemon guide, our fellow Baptist Derek Tidball takes some 70 pages to introduce us to Colossians, but less than 15 for Philemon. Yet in these few pages he manages to get across key elements of Philemon and its lasting value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe treatment of Colossians is more traditional than that of the Psalms: it largely consists of Tidball making his way through the letter, commenting on backgrounds and contents along the way. Like Stocks, he uses bullet points and he prints the key Scripture verses in his text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA separate chapter compares Colossians to other parts of the New Testament. In addition to some questions, suggestions for further reading are included. My one query is that slightly divergent outlines of Colossians are presented on pages 27, 28-29, and in what follows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Revd. Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches the Bible at Spurgeon's College\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview on Picking Apples of Gold, Jules Middleton's blog\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI've been asked to review this new guide to the psalms, the first Old Testament title in a series of 'Really Useful Guides' from the Bible Reading Fellowship. The series hopes to provide compact accessible guides to books of the bible, enhancing biblical literacy with a simple, unintimidating, but authoritative overview of each text. Sounds like my kind of books! I do get frustrated when theologians use lots of long words and endlessly long sentences when a few simple words would do, it can make subjects so inaccessible. Simon P Stocks 'Psalms' is exactly as intended, easy to understand but at the same time, bringing the psalms alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Psalter is a funny book in the bible, a bit like marmite, you either love 'em or hate 'em, perhaps because for many of us, as Stocks himself found, he didn't at first 'get' them. Filled with a rollercoaster of emotion, the psalms can be hard to decipher but Stocks seeks to explain the difficult bits, address common misconceptions, show the reader how they can incorporate psalms into their own lives \u0026amp; suggests that they need to be 'experienced and felt'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf 8 chapters, the first 5 ask questions to explore the topic: Why read the psalms? What is the Book of Psalms? What do the psalms say? How do they say it? What was going on at the time? In these, Stocks uses themes to delve deeper into the psalms. He explains particular terms, gives good tips and helpful facts but without overloading the reader.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the final few chapters are focussed on reading the psalms today and how that can help us, in fact the book is filled with helpful pointers for us to use the psalms in every day life, how the psalms can encourage us when we are discouraged by the world around us and the importance of lament in refocusing our perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticularly helpful I found, is the explanation of the style of writing, which helps to clarify some difficult areas and explains the Hebrew poetic style, again with simplicity. Similarly the author points out key metaphors of imagery and symbolism, and the need to understand the context in which a psalm was written and in how we use them today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt just 112 pages long, this is a quick and easy read, but one that you can delve into deeper if you wish. Stocks includes suggestions of psalms to read, asks questions for the reader to consider and reflect upon, and points out circumstances in which we might find a psalm helpful. The guide is aimed in general at Christian readers, as well as home group leaders, lay leaders and anyone who just wants to know a bit more about the psalms, and it really is accessible enough to be read by anyone, and interesting enough to keep you focussed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.pickingapplesofgold.com\/book-review-psalms-by-simon-stocks\/\"\u003ehttp:\/\/www.pickingapplesofgold.com\/book-review-psalms-by-simon-stocks\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very accessible book, laid out in an easy-to-read format. The author manages to pack in a lot of information in a short space and to teach the nuts and bolts without being patronising and without shying away from the difficult bits. I commend it to you as a genuinely useful guide to the Psalms. You should find plenty to learn. \u003cbr\u003eThomas Renz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:20+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:21+00:00","vendor":"Simon Stocks","type":"Paperback","tags":["Biblical engagement","Kindle","Oct-18","Really Useful Guides"],"price":699,"price_min":699,"price_max":699,"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":21770152673380,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857467317","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Really Useful Guides: Psalms - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":699,"weight":104,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857467317"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467317-l.jpg?v=1549043119"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467317-l.jpg?v=1549043119","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881591435,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.709,"height":650,"width":461,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467317-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.709,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857467317-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":461}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eEach Really Useful Guide focuses on a specific biblical book, making it come to life for the reader, enabling them to understand the message and to apply its truth to today's circumstances. Though not a commentary, it gives valuable insight into the book's message. Though not an introduction, it summarises the important aspects of the book to aid reading and application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Really Useful Guide to Psalms will transform understanding of the biblical text, and will help you to engage with the message in new ways today, giving confidence in the Bible and increasing faith in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series is edited by Simon Stocks and Derek Tidball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is special about the 'Really Useful Guides'?\u003c\/h3\u003e\nThey are laid out in an easy-to-read format, with less text on the page and plenty of headings, bulleted lists, bold type and diagrams where helpful. Despite this they are not patronising, and do not hide away from engaging with difficult bits of the book. While reading them straight through would probably be the most helpful, they can certainly be dipped into as well, with some sections that people might like to come back to more than once. Similarly, they can be read 'straight' or side-by-side with the biblical text; a slower, more engaged read will probably be more helpful but a reader who didn't do this would still find plenty to learn.\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by Elizabeth Hogg\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is small in size, but substantial in content – 111 pages filled with important ideas and helpful insights. It is part of the BRF ‘Really Useful Guides’ series, and this designation is most apt. Stocks has written for a wide audience, including those with little previous knowledge of the psalms, but those who have used them daily for many years will nonetheless find much that is new and fascinating. He is especially strong on the poetic imagery of the psalms, and how these relate to the context of life in ancient Israel. I was also impressed by the way the author is not afraid to address the difficult questions posed by the so-called ‘vengeful’ psalms, including the seldom used Psalm 58. While some of these may never become favourites, the ideas described will open our minds to wider issues, including the overriding need for justice. This book will help readers to pray the psalms with new hearts, and greater dedication, and is strongly recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Elizabeth Hogg\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e ___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times e-newsletter 1 February 2019.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its new series of Really Useful Guides, the Bible Reading Fellowship follows the trend towards smaller and shorter books. So far in this series the volumes on the Psalms and on Colossians have appeared, written by the series' editors, Stocks and Tidball, respectively. The books are tiny (4 by 6 inches) but sturdy and the contents are fine, so they should not for that reason be looked down on. If you are uncertain what to give to a Christian friend, books like these make nice little presents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStocks does indeed offer a 'very useful guide' of over 100 pages. Writing with obvious love for the Psalms, he explains many aspects briefly yet clearly, and in a personal style. Whereas he is aware of the gap which separates us from these old songs, he points to many bridges across it. After a brief introduction, the second chapter covers introductory issues such as composition and authorship. Chapter 3 gives a brief theology of the Psalms (what they say about God) and chapter 4 focuses on how they say it (the stAyle and the imagery).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe very brief chapter 5 surveys the relevant part of the history of Israel and chapter 6 gives suggestions for reading psalms today. Chapters 7 and 8 look at some unknown psalms in more detail. The final page contains questions for discussion but there are no suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Colossians and Philemon guide, our fellow Baptist Derek Tidball takes some 70 pages to introduce us to Colossians, but less than 15 for Philemon. Yet in these few pages he manages to get across key elements of Philemon and its lasting value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe treatment of Colossians is more traditional than that of the Psalms: it largely consists of Tidball making his way through the letter, commenting on backgrounds and contents along the way. Like Stocks, he uses bullet points and he prints the key Scripture verses in his text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA separate chapter compares Colossians to other parts of the New Testament. In addition to some questions, suggestions for further reading are included. My one query is that slightly divergent outlines of Colossians are presented on pages 27, 28-29, and in what follows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Revd. Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches the Bible at Spurgeon's College\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview on Picking Apples of Gold, Jules Middleton's blog\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI've been asked to review this new guide to the psalms, the first Old Testament title in a series of 'Really Useful Guides' from the Bible Reading Fellowship. The series hopes to provide compact accessible guides to books of the bible, enhancing biblical literacy with a simple, unintimidating, but authoritative overview of each text. Sounds like my kind of books! I do get frustrated when theologians use lots of long words and endlessly long sentences when a few simple words would do, it can make subjects so inaccessible. Simon P Stocks 'Psalms' is exactly as intended, easy to understand but at the same time, bringing the psalms alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Psalter is a funny book in the bible, a bit like marmite, you either love 'em or hate 'em, perhaps because for many of us, as Stocks himself found, he didn't at first 'get' them. Filled with a rollercoaster of emotion, the psalms can be hard to decipher but Stocks seeks to explain the difficult bits, address common misconceptions, show the reader how they can incorporate psalms into their own lives \u0026amp; suggests that they need to be 'experienced and felt'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf 8 chapters, the first 5 ask questions to explore the topic: Why read the psalms? What is the Book of Psalms? What do the psalms say? How do they say it? What was going on at the time? In these, Stocks uses themes to delve deeper into the psalms. He explains particular terms, gives good tips and helpful facts but without overloading the reader.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the final few chapters are focussed on reading the psalms today and how that can help us, in fact the book is filled with helpful pointers for us to use the psalms in every day life, how the psalms can encourage us when we are discouraged by the world around us and the importance of lament in refocusing our perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticularly helpful I found, is the explanation of the style of writing, which helps to clarify some difficult areas and explains the Hebrew poetic style, again with simplicity. Similarly the author points out key metaphors of imagery and symbolism, and the need to understand the context in which a psalm was written and in how we use them today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt just 112 pages long, this is a quick and easy read, but one that you can delve into deeper if you wish. Stocks includes suggestions of psalms to read, asks questions for the reader to consider and reflect upon, and points out circumstances in which we might find a psalm helpful. The guide is aimed in general at Christian readers, as well as home group leaders, lay leaders and anyone who just wants to know a bit more about the psalms, and it really is accessible enough to be read by anyone, and interesting enough to keep you focussed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.pickingapplesofgold.com\/book-review-psalms-by-simon-stocks\/\"\u003ehttp:\/\/www.pickingapplesofgold.com\/book-review-psalms-by-simon-stocks\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very accessible book, laid out in an easy-to-read format. The author manages to pack in a lot of information in a short space and to teach the nuts and bolts without being patronising and without shying away from the difficult bits. I commend it to you as a genuinely useful guide to the Psalms. You should find plenty to learn. \u003cbr\u003eThomas Renz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Really Useful Guides: Psalms
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Each Really Useful Guide focuses on a specific biblical book, making it come to life for the reader, enabling them...
{"id":2439823786084,"title":"Living Differently to Make a Difference: The beatitudes and countercultural lifestyle","handle":"living-differently-to-make-a-difference-the-beatitudes-and-countercultural-lifestyle","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew would doubt that we live in a wounded and broken world. But God has sent a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who calls us, in the beatitudes, to live an authentic, countercultural lifestyle. By being different we can make a difference, becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Through living the beatitudes, we could make the world a better place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving been in parish ministry for 25 years, Will Donaldson is Chaplain and Senior Welfare Officer of St Edmund Hall, Oxford University. He is also Area Dean of Oxford and Director of Pastoral Care at St Aldates Church. He is the author of Word and Spirit (BRF, 2011).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJulian Meetings Magazine, April 2019. Review by Felicity Bayne\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his foreword Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, writes that ‘There are signs that the beatitudes are coming back into focus in the life of the church as a text for the 21st century.’ Will Donaldson suggests that all our social, political and technological problems connect to the same root cause – chronic lifestyle dysfunction – and then explores a solution based on Jesus’ teaching in the beatitudes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter sets one of the beatitudes in its biblical context, particularly as it relates to Isaiah 61, the Old Testament passage that Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth to announce the arrival of the Messiah. In each chapter one beatitude is put alongside a current or historical character or context, before leading the reader into considering how that beatitude might apply in their own lives, to the benefit of the world. Chapters 8 and 9 lead us to reflect on Jesus’ words of encouragement to his followers to be salt and light in the world. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChapters end with thoughtful, helpful questions, and suggestions for reflection alone, or within a small group. This would work well for a Lent group, taking two chapters each week.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonaldson’s writing is both informative and challenging: an opportunity for serious study and reflection. He provides a pithy guide to Christians who wish their faith in Jesus to make a difference, becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world, a step at a time. It’s not always a comfortable read, but practising our faith in line with the beatitudes is always an uncomfortable, but hopefully creative, challenge towards building the church of the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Felicity Bayne \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Spring 2019. Review by Ben Brown\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beatitudes are the series of teachings by Jesus at the start of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. They are sayings where the hierarchies of the world and the hierarchies of the heart are turned upside down. We are called to become people who are poor, meek (or gentle), merciful and pure in heart. Will Donaldson has written a passionate and engaging study of how we are called to live the beatitudes in a world where the idols of power and status are prevalent. The book has some probing questions to ask of aspects of our modern society and our modern selves. Why are we fixated on ideals of success? Why is so much modern culture obsessed with revenge? Donaldson shows how living out of the beatitudes, embracing vulnerability and spiritual poverty in our lives, embodies a joyful alternative to our cultural norms. Occasionally I found the presentation a little moralistic. His interpretation, for example that being pure in heart meant simply living with integrity struck me as reductive. Being pure can also mean being uncluttered and therefore able to see the divine more clearly. But this is a book which makes you ask transformative questions of yourself and your society and gives you, or a reading group, the opportunity to take Christi's teaching personally and embark on the daily adventure of following him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Ben Brown\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiocese of Oxford. Review by Kate Seagrave\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.oxford.anglican.org\/living-differently-to-make-a-difference\/\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.oxford.anglican.org\/living-differently-to-make-a-difference\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt would appear to be a brave undertaking to write a book on such a famous passage as the beatitudes and on such topics that so many have tackled before, but Will does so with originality and confidence. This easy to read book follows the standard mixed format of so many of BRF's publications, being a combination of an individual devotional read, a small group Bible study, and an introductory guide to this famous passage of scripture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis extensive experience in pastoral care and discipleship shines through his approach and his challenge to the reader to a more distinctively and holistic Christian life. Topics covered challenge both our inner lives and 'secret' attitudes as well as our more outward and visible actions and service. The structure of each chapter stands alone, which makes dipping in and out as well as selecting chapters of particular interest entirely possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe format makes this a quick and easy read, with plenty of illustrations from history, politics, culture, sport and literature. The individual devotions and group discussion questions provide ample invitation and space for pausing and thinking, even when read outside of a more intentional devotional or group study setting. The group questions are particularly accessible and appropriate to a group which had never done a similar study before, with a range of suggested options catering to timings from 15 minutes to an hour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strength of this book is in the pastoral experience of the writer. His intuitive understanding and deep conviction that the presence of inner faith must be accompanied by a transformational impact upon the world around us (however big or small that world may be) shapes the way that he guides the reader through the chapters. If you are looking for an approach to the beatitudes which is easy to read, yet challenges you to pause and think and examine the lifestyle choices we make day to day, then this is for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by the Revd Kate Seagrave, Mission Priest at the Community of St Frideswide in Oxford\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresbyterian Herald, October 2018\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Will Donaldson, a chaplain in Oxford University, explores the beatitudes taught by Jesus during his sermon on the mount, and suggests ways in which we can apply them today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat struck me about this book is that every chapter is so well researched and, as a result, Donaldson is able to explain each beatitude in the context of our history and the world in which we exist today. Scripture is woven throughout each chapter and the author draws heavily from Isaiah 61 throughout the book, as the Old Testament basis of the beatitudes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter concludes with prompts for personal reflection, prayerful response and discussion for small groups, including a starter (questions to be considered over a 15-minute period), a main course (allowing for a 60-minute discussion) and concluding with dessert (another 15 minutes of discussion). While I used this book to aid my own time of devotion, I believe it would be an excellent basis for a book group or discipleship group to study the beatitudes together and decipher what the application of them looks like in their daily lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found this to be a very challenging and beneficial read. It reinforced that as Christians, it is not for us to conform to the cultural narrative but rather to be 'set apart' for God, as has always been his desire for his people. This book is one of the most helpful books I have read for a long time.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:18+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:19+00:00","vendor":"Will Donaldson","type":"Paperback","tags":["Biblical engagement","Group reading","Kindle","May-18","Mission"],"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":21770140188772,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466716","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Living Differently to Make a Difference: The beatitudes and countercultural lifestyle - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":166,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466716"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466716-l.jpg?v=1549043120"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466716-l.jpg?v=1549043120","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881558667,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466716-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466716-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eFew would doubt that we live in a wounded and broken world. But God has sent a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who calls us, in the beatitudes, to live an authentic, countercultural lifestyle. By being different we can make a difference, becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Through living the beatitudes, we could make the world a better place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving been in parish ministry for 25 years, Will Donaldson is Chaplain and Senior Welfare Officer of St Edmund Hall, Oxford University. He is also Area Dean of Oxford and Director of Pastoral Care at St Aldates Church. He is the author of Word and Spirit (BRF, 2011).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJulian Meetings Magazine, April 2019. Review by Felicity Bayne\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his foreword Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, writes that ‘There are signs that the beatitudes are coming back into focus in the life of the church as a text for the 21st century.’ Will Donaldson suggests that all our social, political and technological problems connect to the same root cause – chronic lifestyle dysfunction – and then explores a solution based on Jesus’ teaching in the beatitudes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter sets one of the beatitudes in its biblical context, particularly as it relates to Isaiah 61, the Old Testament passage that Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth to announce the arrival of the Messiah. In each chapter one beatitude is put alongside a current or historical character or context, before leading the reader into considering how that beatitude might apply in their own lives, to the benefit of the world. Chapters 8 and 9 lead us to reflect on Jesus’ words of encouragement to his followers to be salt and light in the world. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChapters end with thoughtful, helpful questions, and suggestions for reflection alone, or within a small group. This would work well for a Lent group, taking two chapters each week.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonaldson’s writing is both informative and challenging: an opportunity for serious study and reflection. He provides a pithy guide to Christians who wish their faith in Jesus to make a difference, becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world, a step at a time. It’s not always a comfortable read, but practising our faith in line with the beatitudes is always an uncomfortable, but hopefully creative, challenge towards building the church of the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Felicity Bayne \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Spring 2019. Review by Ben Brown\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beatitudes are the series of teachings by Jesus at the start of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. They are sayings where the hierarchies of the world and the hierarchies of the heart are turned upside down. We are called to become people who are poor, meek (or gentle), merciful and pure in heart. Will Donaldson has written a passionate and engaging study of how we are called to live the beatitudes in a world where the idols of power and status are prevalent. The book has some probing questions to ask of aspects of our modern society and our modern selves. Why are we fixated on ideals of success? Why is so much modern culture obsessed with revenge? Donaldson shows how living out of the beatitudes, embracing vulnerability and spiritual poverty in our lives, embodies a joyful alternative to our cultural norms. Occasionally I found the presentation a little moralistic. His interpretation, for example that being pure in heart meant simply living with integrity struck me as reductive. Being pure can also mean being uncluttered and therefore able to see the divine more clearly. But this is a book which makes you ask transformative questions of yourself and your society and gives you, or a reading group, the opportunity to take Christi's teaching personally and embark on the daily adventure of following him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Ben Brown\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiocese of Oxford. Review by Kate Seagrave\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.oxford.anglican.org\/living-differently-to-make-a-difference\/\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.oxford.anglican.org\/living-differently-to-make-a-difference\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt would appear to be a brave undertaking to write a book on such a famous passage as the beatitudes and on such topics that so many have tackled before, but Will does so with originality and confidence. This easy to read book follows the standard mixed format of so many of BRF's publications, being a combination of an individual devotional read, a small group Bible study, and an introductory guide to this famous passage of scripture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis extensive experience in pastoral care and discipleship shines through his approach and his challenge to the reader to a more distinctively and holistic Christian life. Topics covered challenge both our inner lives and 'secret' attitudes as well as our more outward and visible actions and service. The structure of each chapter stands alone, which makes dipping in and out as well as selecting chapters of particular interest entirely possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe format makes this a quick and easy read, with plenty of illustrations from history, politics, culture, sport and literature. The individual devotions and group discussion questions provide ample invitation and space for pausing and thinking, even when read outside of a more intentional devotional or group study setting. The group questions are particularly accessible and appropriate to a group which had never done a similar study before, with a range of suggested options catering to timings from 15 minutes to an hour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strength of this book is in the pastoral experience of the writer. His intuitive understanding and deep conviction that the presence of inner faith must be accompanied by a transformational impact upon the world around us (however big or small that world may be) shapes the way that he guides the reader through the chapters. If you are looking for an approach to the beatitudes which is easy to read, yet challenges you to pause and think and examine the lifestyle choices we make day to day, then this is for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by the Revd Kate Seagrave, Mission Priest at the Community of St Frideswide in Oxford\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresbyterian Herald, October 2018\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Will Donaldson, a chaplain in Oxford University, explores the beatitudes taught by Jesus during his sermon on the mount, and suggests ways in which we can apply them today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat struck me about this book is that every chapter is so well researched and, as a result, Donaldson is able to explain each beatitude in the context of our history and the world in which we exist today. Scripture is woven throughout each chapter and the author draws heavily from Isaiah 61 throughout the book, as the Old Testament basis of the beatitudes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter concludes with prompts for personal reflection, prayerful response and discussion for small groups, including a starter (questions to be considered over a 15-minute period), a main course (allowing for a 60-minute discussion) and concluding with dessert (another 15 minutes of discussion). While I used this book to aid my own time of devotion, I believe it would be an excellent basis for a book group or discipleship group to study the beatitudes together and decipher what the application of them looks like in their daily lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found this to be a very challenging and beneficial read. It reinforced that as Christians, it is not for us to conform to the cultural narrative but rather to be 'set apart' for God, as has always been his desire for his people. This book is one of the most helpful books I have read for a long time.\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Living Differently to Make a Difference: The beatitudes and countercultural lifestyle
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Few would doubt that we live in a wounded and broken world. But God has sent a Saviour, Jesus Christ,...
{"id":2439823261796,"title":"What Would Jesus Post?: A Biblical approach to online interaction","handle":"what-would-jesus-post-a-biblical-approach-to-online-interaction","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf Jesus had access to the internet, what would he post? And, as importantly, what wouldn't he post? This book asks the intriguing questions of those who engage with the internet, which biblical principles inform its use, and how might Christians steward their online presence?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Robertson is vicar of South Ossett, West Yorkshire. He has ministered in rural, suburban and urban deprived parishes and, as a graduate in Biblical Studies, he is primarily a Bible teacher. He has written several books, as well as daily Bible readings for BRF.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnvil vol 36 issue 1. April 2020. Review by Mary Kells\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis short and accessible book applies biblical principles to online life, reminding the reader that being online is not ‘downtime’ from faith, but an arena, rather, in which faith can be enacted, and in which it can also be tested. It is only towards the end that we discover that the book was written as a result of a damaging online experience. The book is designed for individuals, parents, youth and church leaders and could be used in a group or by individuals. It identifies three generations of online users: the tech-immigrants, pre-dating the advent of the World Wide Web in 1990, and more comfortable offline; tech-assimilators, who have learned to make use of online resources; and the tech-indigenous, who have never known anything else. The book is intended for all\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ethree groups, spelling out basic concepts to facilitate the tech-immigrants, but challenging the tech-indigenous to re-think their online behaviour. A key question is: are we being conformed to online culture, or prepared to be a transformative presence, reflecting counter-cultural Christian values?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe individual chapters spell out the nature of the online environment and its temptations and consequences, including such perils as trolls and digital porn, and offer helpful tools and biblical resources. Each chapter follows the same simple structure, combining reflection and action. The chapters begin by outlining a particular issue or challenge, then suggest specific Bible passages which address it, and finish with a set of questions, for discussion, reflection or to prompt action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book one would wish were not necessary, as its premises at one level seem so obvious, and yet, it clearly is. It encourages everyone to recognise online life as a powerful reality, but one that must be integrated into the greater reality of a life lived in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eRev Dr Mary Kells, St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times. 31 August 2018. Review by Bryony Taylor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a simple guide to thinking biblically about one's online interactions. I imagine that it would be helpful for church leaders who are realising that they need to engage with the internet and all the attendant issues that might affect people's discipleship, but who might not know where to start. If you already use social media and the internet a great deal, you may find it a little simplistic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book covers a wide range of themes, such as prayer, taking a sabbath, gossip, pornography and bullying, and then looks at what they might mean online. The aim is to help the reader think 'What would Jesus post?', updating the '90s slogan for the next generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobertson makes an interesting point about hypocrisy that, as online lives blend with offline lives, it is becoming harder to live a double life -- and that is a good thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore could have been said about the benefits of the internet and social media for pastoral care and discipleship: for example, the way in which the housebound and those with mental health problems and disabilities have access to church communities online; or the way in which apps, such as the YouVersion Bible app or PrayerMate, can support spiritual development. Neither of these apps is mentioned in the chapter on prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobertson helpfully explains what the book is and is not. Unfortunately, he does this in the afterword rather than the introduction; so it is a good idea to read the afterword first. The book is structured in such a way that the reader can dip in and out of it easily.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few relevant chapters could be used as material fo ra small group Bible study, or even a short course. I would recommend it to a congregation who, perhaps, are feeling a generational divide around the use of technology and would like a way of approachig discipleship in this area together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Reverend Bryony Taylor is the author of 'Sharing Faith Using Social Media' (Grove, 2016) and a priest in the diocese of Derby.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlog review by The Revd Kate Wharton 01.09.18\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a really interesting book to read and review. There are so many conflicting thoughts and opinions around about social media and the whole online world. Some people think it's the best thing since sliced bread, a fabulous gospel opportunity, a way to reach out and spread the good news and connect with people you wouldn't otherwise meet. Some people think it's the work of the devil, all about spreading lies and hate and evil, bringing out the worst in people and distracting us from the real work of the kingdom. The truth, inevitably, probably lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Like many things, social media and the internet can be used for good or for evil, and there are plenty of people and organisations doing both of those things.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt would be easy to assume that the Bible has nothing to say about the online world - after all computers and electricity couldn't even have been dreamed of during the time the Bible was written, let alone the internet. But it's vital as Christians that we consider what God thinks about all aspects of life, and that we weigh up what we do and say and think in the light of what we know to be true. This is what theology does - it enables us to look at an aspect of life in our world and to consider it within the gaze of God, asking ourselves what he wishes to say to us about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is what David Robertson has sought to do in this new book: \u003cem\u003eWhat Would Jesus Post? - A Biblical Approach to Online Interaction\u003c\/em\u003e. Personally, I'm a big fan of social media, as you'll know if you follow me, and have been assailed by multiple posts on anything from chocolate to church to squirrels to fencing to gin to Jesus... and much more! So, I was fascinated to read what David Robertson had to say, and to see what he thought Jesus would have made of the world of social media.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy own view is that Jesus would have been all over social media - he was never one to shy away from a chance to interact with people, after all. He was always where the people were - even when that meant being in a place that the 'good', righteous, religious people felt that he shouldn't have been. Of course, Jesus would have used his social media accounts without sinning, as he did everything - unfortunately that's something I can't claim to have always managed, and I doubt whether any of us have. But in 2018 I simply don't think that we can declare the whole online world to be morally bankrupt and declare that we want nothing to do with it. The internet isn't going anywhere, and I believe that we need to understand it and engage with it - in a way that's shaped around and formed by what we know to be true of God's kingdom rule. So, what might that look like?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really liked how practical the book was, and that it's structured in such a clear and readable way. It constantly refers back to the truths and wisdom of the Bible, and it is also totally up to date and relevant to 21st century life and culture. There are helpful tips about how we can all make better use of social media in our kingdom ministry, and there are also important challenges as to just how we come across, how we engage, how we interact. We're reminded to 'pray before posting' and to think about the responsibilities as well as the opportunities that come with having a 'personal digital pulpit.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe overall advice from this book is that it's important for Christians as individuals, and for churches as organisations, to engage on social media, and to make the most of all that is offered by it. But crucially we're also encouraged to be wise, discerning, humble, hospitable and generous as we do so. There's also a really important and interesting challenge about our overuse of\/reliance on all things online, and an encouragement to consider an occasional 'digital sabbath.' Ultimately, we're reminded that we are 'stewards of a digital footprint.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall I think this is an important and timely book for Christians. I haven't come across anything quite like it before and it definitely gave me a lot of food for thought. I'm very much pro all things internet (well, most things...!) but this has given me some important new ideas, and questions to ask, for which I'm grateful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKate Wharton is Vicar of St. Bartholomew's Church in Roby, Liverpool, and Assistant National Leader of New Wine England\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:16+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:25:17+00:00","vendor":"David Robertson","type":"Paperback","tags":["Church life","Jun-18","Kindle"],"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":21770133766244,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466648","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"What Would Jesus Post?: A Biblical approach to online interaction - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":193,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466648"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466648-l.jpg?v=1549043120"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466648-l.jpg?v=1549043120","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238881525899,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466648-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466648-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eIf Jesus had access to the internet, what would he post? And, as importantly, what wouldn't he post? This book asks the intriguing questions of those who engage with the internet, which biblical principles inform its use, and how might Christians steward their online presence?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Robertson is vicar of South Ossett, West Yorkshire. He has ministered in rural, suburban and urban deprived parishes and, as a graduate in Biblical Studies, he is primarily a Bible teacher. He has written several books, as well as daily Bible readings for BRF.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnvil vol 36 issue 1. April 2020. Review by Mary Kells\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis short and accessible book applies biblical principles to online life, reminding the reader that being online is not ‘downtime’ from faith, but an arena, rather, in which faith can be enacted, and in which it can also be tested. It is only towards the end that we discover that the book was written as a result of a damaging online experience. The book is designed for individuals, parents, youth and church leaders and could be used in a group or by individuals. It identifies three generations of online users: the tech-immigrants, pre-dating the advent of the World Wide Web in 1990, and more comfortable offline; tech-assimilators, who have learned to make use of online resources; and the tech-indigenous, who have never known anything else. The book is intended for all\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ethree groups, spelling out basic concepts to facilitate the tech-immigrants, but challenging the tech-indigenous to re-think their online behaviour. A key question is: are we being conformed to online culture, or prepared to be a transformative presence, reflecting counter-cultural Christian values?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe individual chapters spell out the nature of the online environment and its temptations and consequences, including such perils as trolls and digital porn, and offer helpful tools and biblical resources. Each chapter follows the same simple structure, combining reflection and action. The chapters begin by outlining a particular issue or challenge, then suggest specific Bible passages which address it, and finish with a set of questions, for discussion, reflection or to prompt action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a book one would wish were not necessary, as its premises at one level seem so obvious, and yet, it clearly is. It encourages everyone to recognise online life as a powerful reality, but one that must be integrated into the greater reality of a life lived in God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eRev Dr Mary Kells, St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times. 31 August 2018. Review by Bryony Taylor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a simple guide to thinking biblically about one's online interactions. I imagine that it would be helpful for church leaders who are realising that they need to engage with the internet and all the attendant issues that might affect people's discipleship, but who might not know where to start. If you already use social media and the internet a great deal, you may find it a little simplistic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book covers a wide range of themes, such as prayer, taking a sabbath, gossip, pornography and bullying, and then looks at what they might mean online. The aim is to help the reader think 'What would Jesus post?', updating the '90s slogan for the next generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobertson makes an interesting point about hypocrisy that, as online lives blend with offline lives, it is becoming harder to live a double life -- and that is a good thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore could have been said about the benefits of the internet and social media for pastoral care and discipleship: for example, the way in which the housebound and those with mental health problems and disabilities have access to church communities online; or the way in which apps, such as the YouVersion Bible app or PrayerMate, can support spiritual development. Neither of these apps is mentioned in the chapter on prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobertson helpfully explains what the book is and is not. Unfortunately, he does this in the afterword rather than the introduction; so it is a good idea to read the afterword first. The book is structured in such a way that the reader can dip in and out of it easily.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few relevant chapters could be used as material fo ra small group Bible study, or even a short course. I would recommend it to a congregation who, perhaps, are feeling a generational divide around the use of technology and would like a way of approachig discipleship in this area together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Reverend Bryony Taylor is the author of 'Sharing Faith Using Social Media' (Grove, 2016) and a priest in the diocese of Derby.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlog review by The Revd Kate Wharton 01.09.18\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a really interesting book to read and review. There are so many conflicting thoughts and opinions around about social media and the whole online world. Some people think it's the best thing since sliced bread, a fabulous gospel opportunity, a way to reach out and spread the good news and connect with people you wouldn't otherwise meet. Some people think it's the work of the devil, all about spreading lies and hate and evil, bringing out the worst in people and distracting us from the real work of the kingdom. The truth, inevitably, probably lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Like many things, social media and the internet can be used for good or for evil, and there are plenty of people and organisations doing both of those things.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt would be easy to assume that the Bible has nothing to say about the online world - after all computers and electricity couldn't even have been dreamed of during the time the Bible was written, let alone the internet. But it's vital as Christians that we consider what God thinks about all aspects of life, and that we weigh up what we do and say and think in the light of what we know to be true. This is what theology does - it enables us to look at an aspect of life in our world and to consider it within the gaze of God, asking ourselves what he wishes to say to us about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is what David Robertson has sought to do in this new book: \u003cem\u003eWhat Would Jesus Post? - A Biblical Approach to Online Interaction\u003c\/em\u003e. Personally, I'm a big fan of social media, as you'll know if you follow me, and have been assailed by multiple posts on anything from chocolate to church to squirrels to fencing to gin to Jesus... and much more! So, I was fascinated to read what David Robertson had to say, and to see what he thought Jesus would have made of the world of social media.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy own view is that Jesus would have been all over social media - he was never one to shy away from a chance to interact with people, after all. He was always where the people were - even when that meant being in a place that the 'good', righteous, religious people felt that he shouldn't have been. Of course, Jesus would have used his social media accounts without sinning, as he did everything - unfortunately that's something I can't claim to have always managed, and I doubt whether any of us have. But in 2018 I simply don't think that we can declare the whole online world to be morally bankrupt and declare that we want nothing to do with it. The internet isn't going anywhere, and I believe that we need to understand it and engage with it - in a way that's shaped around and formed by what we know to be true of God's kingdom rule. So, what might that look like?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really liked how practical the book was, and that it's structured in such a clear and readable way. It constantly refers back to the truths and wisdom of the Bible, and it is also totally up to date and relevant to 21st century life and culture. There are helpful tips about how we can all make better use of social media in our kingdom ministry, and there are also important challenges as to just how we come across, how we engage, how we interact. We're reminded to 'pray before posting' and to think about the responsibilities as well as the opportunities that come with having a 'personal digital pulpit.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe overall advice from this book is that it's important for Christians as individuals, and for churches as organisations, to engage on social media, and to make the most of all that is offered by it. But crucially we're also encouraged to be wise, discerning, humble, hospitable and generous as we do so. There's also a really important and interesting challenge about our overuse of\/reliance on all things online, and an encouragement to consider an occasional 'digital sabbath.' Ultimately, we're reminded that we are 'stewards of a digital footprint.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall I think this is an important and timely book for Christians. I haven't come across anything quite like it before and it definitely gave me a lot of food for thought. I'm very much pro all things internet (well, most things...!) but this has given me some important new ideas, and questions to ask, for which I'm grateful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKate Wharton is Vicar of St. Bartholomew's Church in Roby, Liverpool, and Assistant National Leader of New Wine England\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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What Would Jesus Post?: A Biblical approach to online interaction
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If Jesus had access to the internet, what would he post? And, as importantly, what wouldn't he post? This book...
{"id":2439816020068,"title":"How to Be a Church Minister","handle":"how-to-be-a-church-minister","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis timely book sets out what is involved in being a Christian minister - its joys and challenges, its responsibilities and privileges. It discusses the call to and the work of ministry; the breadth and nature of the task. It will enable you to understand your calling more fully and inform your practice. It will stimulate careful and biblical reflection. How to be a Church Minister is relevant across a wide spectrum of church traditions, both to those already in ministry and to those contemplating the vocation. It is set to be a seminal volume on the subject.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eContents\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntroduction: viewing the territory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBe clear about God's call\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLay firm theological foundations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAppreciate the need for recognition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBear the word of God\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConstruct a supportive base for ministry\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild the congregation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePastor the people\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConduct worship well\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave the courage to lead\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeek the lost, heal the sick, overcome evil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eValue the occasional offices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStay on the boil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommit to lifelong development\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEndure and prevail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEpilogue: ending well\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis latest book from Nigel Wright should be on the reading list of all ordinands and ministers. It will be of no surprise to those who read Nigel's books that it is insightful, encouraging and stimulating. To those considering ministry it will be useful in preparing and discerning the way forward. And for those of us already in ministry it challenges and reminds us of our professional calling and how we can best serve the people God calls us to. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd (Capt) C J Rogers, Royal Army Chaplains' Department\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreach, Autumn 2018. Review by Richard Littledale\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo me, Nigel Wright is a spiritual grandee -- a man whose spiritual stature, intellectual understanding and wit I have admired since the day I first met him when I was a nervous prospective ministry candidate. In this regard, the book does not disappoint. It reads like the mature reflection of a finely-tuned theological mind laced with enough wit and humility to gain the reader's interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNigel states that he book is intended for four different audiences. These are: those exploring a call to ministry, those training for such a call, those exercising church ministry and those retiring from it. Although this is a wide brief, it fulfils it well. Where the book is less successful, I feel, is the attempt to 'translate' the insights for those of all different church traditions. Nigel is a Baptist -- and his most profound insights are drawn from that tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose Baptist-honed insights, though, are worth their weight in gold. Nigel is a past master of pithy theological insight and he does not disappoint here. Consider this description, for instance, of the call to preach: 'the task of ministry is to render God's word'. Only a minister and theologian of Nigel's standing could write the following description of ministry: 'The long obedience means holding to Jesus Christ without diminution, addition or compromise.' If I could sum the book up, it would be that it is an extended defence of and call for integrity in every aspect of ministry. After serving as a Baptist minister for over 30 years, I found much in these pages to make me think, reflect and pray.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs well as dealing with aspects of call and training, Nigel also writes about the many and varied facets of church ministry -- from weekly services and pastoral visiting, to occasional offices, conflict resolution and continuing ministerial development. The book is unique amongst those I have ever read on ministry in that it also talks about how, and whether, to bring a ministry to an end. This truly is a comprehensive account.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI cannot think of any stage of ministry at which I would not recommend this book. I have just completed it as an experienced minister, and I am about to lend it to a young man who is contemplating the first inklings of a call to church ministry. I leave you with one of Nigel's typically rich, but elegant, descriptions of what ministry is all about:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A habitual disposition of prayerful availability to God through Jesus Christ and in the Spirit.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you seek such a disposition, have lost it, or even need to lay it down -- I commend this book to you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Richard Littledale\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Summer 2019. Review by David Hanson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet another sober, balanced and thoughtful account of the minister’s craft and calling? Who needs it, I wonder, when there are so many? A glance at the chapter headings – build the congregations; pastor the people; conduct worship well – tells us what is in store. That said, Wright covers the ground well. His writing is clear, practical and wise. There is good biblical reference, honest personal reflection, and a strong sense that ministry may be energising and fresh. A chapter headed ‘stay on the boil’ draws from Richard Baxter and is excellent. ‘When our hears grow cold, our preaching grows cold… If we forbear to take food, then others will be famished,’ he writes – not to discourage, but to urge readers to carry on finding ways to ‘nurture every aspect of our service.’ I was glad to have read this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by David Hanson\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNigel G. Wright is Principal Emeritus of Spurgeon's College, where he taught theology from 1987 to 1995 and was Principal from 2000 to 2013. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Historical Society. He is a prolific author and is widely engaged in preaching and teaching nationally and internationally.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:51+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:52+00:00","vendor":"Nigel G. Wright","type":"Paperback","tags":["Apr-18","Kindle"],"price":1099,"price_min":1099,"price_max":1099,"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":21769995354212,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466891","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"How to Be a Church Minister - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":1099,"weight":215,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466891"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466891-l.jpg?v=1549043125"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466891-l.jpg?v=1549043125","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238880968843,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466891-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466891-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThis timely book sets out what is involved in being a Christian minister - its joys and challenges, its responsibilities and privileges. It discusses the call to and the work of ministry; the breadth and nature of the task. It will enable you to understand your calling more fully and inform your practice. It will stimulate careful and biblical reflection. How to be a Church Minister is relevant across a wide spectrum of church traditions, both to those already in ministry and to those contemplating the vocation. It is set to be a seminal volume on the subject.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eContents\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntroduction: viewing the territory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBe clear about God's call\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLay firm theological foundations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAppreciate the need for recognition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBear the word of God\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConstruct a supportive base for ministry\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild the congregation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePastor the people\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConduct worship well\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave the courage to lead\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeek the lost, heal the sick, overcome evil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eValue the occasional offices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStay on the boil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommit to lifelong development\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEndure and prevail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEpilogue: ending well\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis latest book from Nigel Wright should be on the reading list of all ordinands and ministers. It will be of no surprise to those who read Nigel's books that it is insightful, encouraging and stimulating. To those considering ministry it will be useful in preparing and discerning the way forward. And for those of us already in ministry it challenges and reminds us of our professional calling and how we can best serve the people God calls us to. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd (Capt) C J Rogers, Royal Army Chaplains' Department\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreach, Autumn 2018. Review by Richard Littledale\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo me, Nigel Wright is a spiritual grandee -- a man whose spiritual stature, intellectual understanding and wit I have admired since the day I first met him when I was a nervous prospective ministry candidate. In this regard, the book does not disappoint. It reads like the mature reflection of a finely-tuned theological mind laced with enough wit and humility to gain the reader's interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNigel states that he book is intended for four different audiences. These are: those exploring a call to ministry, those training for such a call, those exercising church ministry and those retiring from it. Although this is a wide brief, it fulfils it well. Where the book is less successful, I feel, is the attempt to 'translate' the insights for those of all different church traditions. Nigel is a Baptist -- and his most profound insights are drawn from that tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose Baptist-honed insights, though, are worth their weight in gold. Nigel is a past master of pithy theological insight and he does not disappoint here. Consider this description, for instance, of the call to preach: 'the task of ministry is to render God's word'. Only a minister and theologian of Nigel's standing could write the following description of ministry: 'The long obedience means holding to Jesus Christ without diminution, addition or compromise.' If I could sum the book up, it would be that it is an extended defence of and call for integrity in every aspect of ministry. After serving as a Baptist minister for over 30 years, I found much in these pages to make me think, reflect and pray.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs well as dealing with aspects of call and training, Nigel also writes about the many and varied facets of church ministry -- from weekly services and pastoral visiting, to occasional offices, conflict resolution and continuing ministerial development. The book is unique amongst those I have ever read on ministry in that it also talks about how, and whether, to bring a ministry to an end. This truly is a comprehensive account.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI cannot think of any stage of ministry at which I would not recommend this book. I have just completed it as an experienced minister, and I am about to lend it to a young man who is contemplating the first inklings of a call to church ministry. I leave you with one of Nigel's typically rich, but elegant, descriptions of what ministry is all about:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A habitual disposition of prayerful availability to God through Jesus Christ and in the Spirit.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you seek such a disposition, have lost it, or even need to lay it down -- I commend this book to you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Richard Littledale\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Summer 2019. Review by David Hanson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet another sober, balanced and thoughtful account of the minister’s craft and calling? Who needs it, I wonder, when there are so many? A glance at the chapter headings – build the congregations; pastor the people; conduct worship well – tells us what is in store. That said, Wright covers the ground well. His writing is clear, practical and wise. There is good biblical reference, honest personal reflection, and a strong sense that ministry may be energising and fresh. A chapter headed ‘stay on the boil’ draws from Richard Baxter and is excellent. ‘When our hears grow cold, our preaching grows cold… If we forbear to take food, then others will be famished,’ he writes – not to discourage, but to urge readers to carry on finding ways to ‘nurture every aspect of our service.’ I was glad to have read this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by David Hanson\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNigel G. Wright is Principal Emeritus of Spurgeon's College, where he taught theology from 1987 to 1995 and was Principal from 2000 to 2013. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Historical Society. He is a prolific author and is widely engaged in preaching and teaching nationally and internationally.\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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How to Be a Church Minister
£10.99
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{"id":2439815463012,"title":"A Franciscan Way of Life: Brother Ramon's quest for holiness","handle":"a-franciscan-way-of-life-brother-ramons-quest-for-holiness","description":"\u003cp\u003eBe inspired by one man's unflinching faith in God. This is the first biography of Brother Ramon. It tells of his life's pilgrimage, his quest for holiness as a Franciscan friar, his inner journey of discovery and transformation, his love of God and his influence on others. The selection from his writings which concludes the book illustrates his spiritual journey. It will be an inspiration to readers to live lives fully for Jesus Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eContents\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLife\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBy way of introduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly days\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConversion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePacifism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe student\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Baptist minister\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBecoming an Anglican\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe quest for a solitary life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Franciscan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOn the Lleyn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Tymawr years\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hermitage at Glasshampton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe great'Hullo!'\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLetters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnthology\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJourneying in faith: the pilgrimage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePraying and reflecting: meditation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlone with God: solitude\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiving faith: in the world\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBooks by Brother Ramon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI recently happened across your book, 'A Franciscan Way of Life' and wanted to thank you for what you wrote. I knew Ramon when we were both members of SSF... My first encounter with him was when he visited Glasshampton... and I recall talking with him in the vegetable garden where I was working. Unfortunately, I can't remember anything of the conversation! However, what you wrote and the style in which you wrote it not only brought him vividly to mind but also inspired me on that 'quest for holiness'. I find that it is stirring something in me and I can hear Ramon speaking encouraging words... So thank you for your words and for bringing that brother of Francis and Jesus, a saint in our times, to life again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn-Francis Friendship\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are all indebted to Arthur Howells for the impact of his book on Brother Ramon. His account of Brother Ramon's life is deeply moving, and the letters and anthology sections make key areas of his thought and teaching available to a wide audience. I was stirred to go and buy one of his books and I am grateful for the stimulus Arthur's book gave me to connect with Ramon's inspiring teaching on the spiritual life.He reveals him as a warm and approachable man with a great gift for teaching others and a heart filled with love for God and concern for others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCanon George Bennett\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCongratulations to Arthur Howells and BRF for producing a book which encapsulates what I knew of Br Ramon SSF. I really appreciate the way the author has blended the story of Ramon's life with extracts from Ramon's own words. And the thematic extracts from his writings provide material for individual or group reflection. Personally, I will be using the book for my daily spiritual reading, as a 'starter' for prayer. Thanks for the publication of this book which I am sure will do a lot to help keep Ramon's teaching alive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBr Christopher John SSF, Minister General, Society of St Francis - First Order Brothers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJulian Meetings Magazine, April 2019. Review by Ann Morris \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tribute to Howells’ great friend is in three parts: biography drawing on both his own memories and those of other close friends, a selection from letters and an anthology of key writings from Brother Ramon’ s books. All seek to answer the questions: Why would a gregarious person, a gifted preacher and evangelist, embrace a hermit’s solitary life? How could this exuberant, joyful personality set self aside to listen attentively to others? \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of short chapters charts Ramon’s outer journey, and show how the seeds of the future were sown, germinated and blossomed. He shares how key stages of Ramon’s life - as student, conscientious objector, Baptist minister - are significant in his decision to become an Anglican. The Eucharist became central to his relationship with Christ and he was finally called to join the Franciscan community, and become a hermit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowells describes the challenges and joys of Ramon’s last illness and his belief in the great mystery of the life beyond. Embracing a breadth of spiritual traditions, he softened bigotry and prejudice with tolerance and understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExtracts from Ramon’s letters share insights with friends. We can observe his inner journey of discovery, transformation and transfiguration in which he sets his eyes firmly on Christ. The letters capture both the big picture and the tiny details of daily life. God infused his life, whether in the ministry of hitch hiking, or in his departing: ‘The last few months yielded a spiritual journey unknown before… the dimension of love and prayer is deepening still.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe anthology has four themes, with questions for personal reflection or group discussion: calling, prayer, solitude and living in the world. This book deepens our knowledge of this man, prompting us to reflect on the universal possibility of his experience of living and dying in the love of God. Life stories may vary greatly, but all God’s people are called to incarnate Christ in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Ann Morris \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Brother Nicholas Alan SSF in 'Franciscan'\u003c\/strong\u003e, published by the Society of Saint Francis (ISSN 0532\/579X). Edition: Volume 30, Number 3, September 2018\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I was a novice at Glasshampton a highlight of my year was the opportunity, on a fairly regular basis, of going to visit the hermit resident in the huts at the bottom of the garden. Sometimes I went alone, at other times we three novices would squeeze into one of the huts as we prayed together or celebrated the Eucharist in his work hut (the chapel hut came later). These were precious times: more precious than I then knew, given the state of his health and his all too early death. Sometimes Ramon would explain volubly and with great enthusiasm the structure of his latest book; at other times he would meekly sit and listen as we or I shared our struggles with this new and strange experience of living the religious life. But he was always there: digging the garden, binding books, singing or playing his recorder, praying through the dark hours of the early morning with the wind and rain rushing through the woods and breaking over the huts likes waves on a rocky sea-shore. For a solitary, his presence was somehow ubiquitous, and for one who spent long hours in silence his voice inhabited the souls of those who talked with him; for years after his death I could hear the inflections of his voice whenever I picked up one of his books or a stray memory crossed my mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book by Arthur Howells is, in a way, a meditation on Ramon's life. Written by a personal friend of Ramon, it combines both biography, and a selection of Ramon's letters and quotations from his published writings. It is warmly, though not reverentially written - a gentle introduction rather than an in-depth analysis, and certainly not an expos . Much will be familiar to those who have already read some of Ramon's books, but even those who are well-used to his work will finds things that make them search the footnotes and take the originals (many here bound by Ramon) once more from the shelves. Ramon published twenty-one books, and at Glasshampton we still receive enquiries from people who come across his writings and want to visit the monastery where he spent much of his time as an SSF friar. He may not have been a saint, but, as the sub-title of this book suggests, he was certainly on a quest for holiness. May those who read this book be similarly inspired, and come to live with him a truly Franciscan way of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Bro Nicholas Alan SSF\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times 31.08.18. Review by Peta Dunstan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrother Ramon SSF was one of the most well-known of Anglican Franciscans, not least because of his 20-or-so books. This volume gives short extracts from those writings and some letters, which illustrate his thoughtful and direct musings on prayer. These are preceded by a succinct narrative of his life. For those who have not come across Ramon before, this will serve as an excellent introduction, while for those who already know of him, this is a helpful reminder of his continued relevance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRamon's journey from his Welsh upbringing through to his death in 2000 at Glasshampton Monastery is told movingly. There are a few historical inaccuracies*, as on page 39: Anglican religious life was revived in the 1840s, not the 1880s; Hilfield Friary was founded by Giles, not Douglas; SSF went to Cambridge in 1939, not the 1960s. Yet these small slips do not undermine the power of the personal narrative of Ramon's sense of God, which led him from Baptist ministry to Anglican Franciscanism, and then his quest for the solitary life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRamon made the hermit life powerful in its witness and yet not something esoteric or exclusive. His way was about finding stillness, and not heroically conquering techniques of prayer. Indeed, the effectiveness of his quest for God was communicated precisely because his solitary life was gentle at the edges and accessible. He was disciplined, but not extreme, visiting his family each year, and being open to a few visitors. He loved conversation on the occasions when it was available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, he had not become a hermit to escape people, but to seek God. In that way, he spoke to many who may not follow his solitary life in general, but, encouraged by his writings, are unafraid to seek times of solitude; for, in those moments, they, like Ramon, can come closer to the God who sustains them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Peta Dunstan is a Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*These innaccuracies have been noted and are being addressed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProgressive Voices, June 2018. Review by Peter Varney\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis provides a comprehensive account of the life and work of the Franciscan Brother Ramon. It includes an anthology of his writings and a summary of his career. Many recent BRF publications have been by evangelical writers but this one comes closer to what interests PCN members. Ramon's career started in Welsh Baptist chapels; he had a charismatic experience, and then discovered Anglo Catholic worship and the Franciscans. This multifaceted identity is shown in his writings. Howells arranges these in sections covering pilgrimage and journey, prayer and meditation, and living in the world. All provide readers with points for further exploration. It is always my hope that spiritual writers will offer help in understanding the meaning of the cross. Ramon does not disappoint when he writes: 'the crucified Christ is also the risen Christ... the cross is the tree of life, the thorn-crowned saviour is the King of Glory reigning from his throne.' His discussion of intercessory prayer, another question for many of us, may also be found helpful: 'Prayer is communion with God; this is much wider and deeper than petition or intercession. ...Our prayer is the prayer of the cosmic Christ ... within the communion of saints it contributes to an increase of hope, light and love in the world.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book's biographical section identifies unexpected events in Ramon's search for holiness as a hermit, and his later acceptance of the cancer which forced him back into Community at Glasshampton. Here he worked for a week, in continuous pain, with Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward on a book on the Jesus prayer. After that 'week of glory' - as they called it - Ramon became much weaker. Bishop Simon returned to find him on his deathbed and reported 'I have never come away from a deathbed actually feeling exhilarated as I did then, despite the sharp sense of loss.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowells summarises Ramon's life as a journey of discovery, transformation and transfiguration. His hours spent in prayer drew him close to god. His holiness did not separate him from people but drew him to them. He saw in all a spark of the divine. This is a book that will gently challenge its readers to go deeper into their own relationship with the divine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeter Varney\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:49+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:50+00:00","vendor":"Arthur Howells","type":"Paperback","tags":["For individuals","Kindle","Mar-18","Spirituality"],"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":21769987588196,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466624","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"A Franciscan Way of Life: Brother Ramon's quest for holiness - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":200,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466624"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466624-l.jpg?v=1549043125"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466624-l.jpg?v=1549043125","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238880936075,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466624-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466624-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eBe inspired by one man's unflinching faith in God. This is the first biography of Brother Ramon. It tells of his life's pilgrimage, his quest for holiness as a Franciscan friar, his inner journey of discovery and transformation, his love of God and his influence on others. The selection from his writings which concludes the book illustrates his spiritual journey. It will be an inspiration to readers to live lives fully for Jesus Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eContents\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLife\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBy way of introduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly days\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConversion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePacifism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe student\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Baptist minister\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBecoming an Anglican\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe quest for a solitary life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Franciscan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOn the Lleyn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Tymawr years\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hermitage at Glasshampton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe great'Hullo!'\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLetters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnthology\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJourneying in faith: the pilgrimage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePraying and reflecting: meditation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlone with God: solitude\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiving faith: in the world\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBooks by Brother Ramon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI recently happened across your book, 'A Franciscan Way of Life' and wanted to thank you for what you wrote. I knew Ramon when we were both members of SSF... My first encounter with him was when he visited Glasshampton... and I recall talking with him in the vegetable garden where I was working. Unfortunately, I can't remember anything of the conversation! However, what you wrote and the style in which you wrote it not only brought him vividly to mind but also inspired me on that 'quest for holiness'. I find that it is stirring something in me and I can hear Ramon speaking encouraging words... So thank you for your words and for bringing that brother of Francis and Jesus, a saint in our times, to life again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn-Francis Friendship\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are all indebted to Arthur Howells for the impact of his book on Brother Ramon. His account of Brother Ramon's life is deeply moving, and the letters and anthology sections make key areas of his thought and teaching available to a wide audience. I was stirred to go and buy one of his books and I am grateful for the stimulus Arthur's book gave me to connect with Ramon's inspiring teaching on the spiritual life.He reveals him as a warm and approachable man with a great gift for teaching others and a heart filled with love for God and concern for others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCanon George Bennett\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCongratulations to Arthur Howells and BRF for producing a book which encapsulates what I knew of Br Ramon SSF. I really appreciate the way the author has blended the story of Ramon's life with extracts from Ramon's own words. And the thematic extracts from his writings provide material for individual or group reflection. Personally, I will be using the book for my daily spiritual reading, as a 'starter' for prayer. Thanks for the publication of this book which I am sure will do a lot to help keep Ramon's teaching alive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBr Christopher John SSF, Minister General, Society of St Francis - First Order Brothers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJulian Meetings Magazine, April 2019. Review by Ann Morris \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tribute to Howells’ great friend is in three parts: biography drawing on both his own memories and those of other close friends, a selection from letters and an anthology of key writings from Brother Ramon’ s books. All seek to answer the questions: Why would a gregarious person, a gifted preacher and evangelist, embrace a hermit’s solitary life? How could this exuberant, joyful personality set self aside to listen attentively to others? \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of short chapters charts Ramon’s outer journey, and show how the seeds of the future were sown, germinated and blossomed. He shares how key stages of Ramon’s life - as student, conscientious objector, Baptist minister - are significant in his decision to become an Anglican. The Eucharist became central to his relationship with Christ and he was finally called to join the Franciscan community, and become a hermit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowells describes the challenges and joys of Ramon’s last illness and his belief in the great mystery of the life beyond. Embracing a breadth of spiritual traditions, he softened bigotry and prejudice with tolerance and understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExtracts from Ramon’s letters share insights with friends. We can observe his inner journey of discovery, transformation and transfiguration in which he sets his eyes firmly on Christ. The letters capture both the big picture and the tiny details of daily life. God infused his life, whether in the ministry of hitch hiking, or in his departing: ‘The last few months yielded a spiritual journey unknown before… the dimension of love and prayer is deepening still.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe anthology has four themes, with questions for personal reflection or group discussion: calling, prayer, solitude and living in the world. This book deepens our knowledge of this man, prompting us to reflect on the universal possibility of his experience of living and dying in the love of God. Life stories may vary greatly, but all God’s people are called to incarnate Christ in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Ann Morris \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Brother Nicholas Alan SSF in 'Franciscan'\u003c\/strong\u003e, published by the Society of Saint Francis (ISSN 0532\/579X). Edition: Volume 30, Number 3, September 2018\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I was a novice at Glasshampton a highlight of my year was the opportunity, on a fairly regular basis, of going to visit the hermit resident in the huts at the bottom of the garden. Sometimes I went alone, at other times we three novices would squeeze into one of the huts as we prayed together or celebrated the Eucharist in his work hut (the chapel hut came later). These were precious times: more precious than I then knew, given the state of his health and his all too early death. Sometimes Ramon would explain volubly and with great enthusiasm the structure of his latest book; at other times he would meekly sit and listen as we or I shared our struggles with this new and strange experience of living the religious life. But he was always there: digging the garden, binding books, singing or playing his recorder, praying through the dark hours of the early morning with the wind and rain rushing through the woods and breaking over the huts likes waves on a rocky sea-shore. For a solitary, his presence was somehow ubiquitous, and for one who spent long hours in silence his voice inhabited the souls of those who talked with him; for years after his death I could hear the inflections of his voice whenever I picked up one of his books or a stray memory crossed my mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book by Arthur Howells is, in a way, a meditation on Ramon's life. Written by a personal friend of Ramon, it combines both biography, and a selection of Ramon's letters and quotations from his published writings. It is warmly, though not reverentially written - a gentle introduction rather than an in-depth analysis, and certainly not an expos . Much will be familiar to those who have already read some of Ramon's books, but even those who are well-used to his work will finds things that make them search the footnotes and take the originals (many here bound by Ramon) once more from the shelves. Ramon published twenty-one books, and at Glasshampton we still receive enquiries from people who come across his writings and want to visit the monastery where he spent much of his time as an SSF friar. He may not have been a saint, but, as the sub-title of this book suggests, he was certainly on a quest for holiness. May those who read this book be similarly inspired, and come to live with him a truly Franciscan way of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Bro Nicholas Alan SSF\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times 31.08.18. Review by Peta Dunstan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrother Ramon SSF was one of the most well-known of Anglican Franciscans, not least because of his 20-or-so books. This volume gives short extracts from those writings and some letters, which illustrate his thoughtful and direct musings on prayer. These are preceded by a succinct narrative of his life. For those who have not come across Ramon before, this will serve as an excellent introduction, while for those who already know of him, this is a helpful reminder of his continued relevance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRamon's journey from his Welsh upbringing through to his death in 2000 at Glasshampton Monastery is told movingly. There are a few historical inaccuracies*, as on page 39: Anglican religious life was revived in the 1840s, not the 1880s; Hilfield Friary was founded by Giles, not Douglas; SSF went to Cambridge in 1939, not the 1960s. Yet these small slips do not undermine the power of the personal narrative of Ramon's sense of God, which led him from Baptist ministry to Anglican Franciscanism, and then his quest for the solitary life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRamon made the hermit life powerful in its witness and yet not something esoteric or exclusive. His way was about finding stillness, and not heroically conquering techniques of prayer. Indeed, the effectiveness of his quest for God was communicated precisely because his solitary life was gentle at the edges and accessible. He was disciplined, but not extreme, visiting his family each year, and being open to a few visitors. He loved conversation on the occasions when it was available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, he had not become a hermit to escape people, but to seek God. In that way, he spoke to many who may not follow his solitary life in general, but, encouraged by his writings, are unafraid to seek times of solitude; for, in those moments, they, like Ramon, can come closer to the God who sustains them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Peta Dunstan is a Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*These innaccuracies have been noted and are being addressed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProgressive Voices, June 2018. Review by Peter Varney\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis provides a comprehensive account of the life and work of the Franciscan Brother Ramon. It includes an anthology of his writings and a summary of his career. Many recent BRF publications have been by evangelical writers but this one comes closer to what interests PCN members. Ramon's career started in Welsh Baptist chapels; he had a charismatic experience, and then discovered Anglo Catholic worship and the Franciscans. This multifaceted identity is shown in his writings. Howells arranges these in sections covering pilgrimage and journey, prayer and meditation, and living in the world. All provide readers with points for further exploration. It is always my hope that spiritual writers will offer help in understanding the meaning of the cross. Ramon does not disappoint when he writes: 'the crucified Christ is also the risen Christ... the cross is the tree of life, the thorn-crowned saviour is the King of Glory reigning from his throne.' His discussion of intercessory prayer, another question for many of us, may also be found helpful: 'Prayer is communion with God; this is much wider and deeper than petition or intercession. ...Our prayer is the prayer of the cosmic Christ ... within the communion of saints it contributes to an increase of hope, light and love in the world.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book's biographical section identifies unexpected events in Ramon's search for holiness as a hermit, and his later acceptance of the cancer which forced him back into Community at Glasshampton. Here he worked for a week, in continuous pain, with Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward on a book on the Jesus prayer. After that 'week of glory' - as they called it - Ramon became much weaker. Bishop Simon returned to find him on his deathbed and reported 'I have never come away from a deathbed actually feeling exhilarated as I did then, despite the sharp sense of loss.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowells summarises Ramon's life as a journey of discovery, transformation and transfiguration. His hours spent in prayer drew him close to god. His holiness did not separate him from people but drew him to them. He saw in all a spark of the divine. This is a book that will gently challenge its readers to go deeper into their own relationship with the divine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeter Varney\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e"}
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A Franciscan Way of Life: Brother Ramon's quest for holiness
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Be inspired by one man's unflinching faith in God. This is the first biography of Brother Ramon. It tells of...
{"id":2439814250596,"title":"Sensing the Divine: John's word made flesh","handle":"sensing-the-divine-johns-word-made-flesh","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis compelling, inspiring book is an invigorating rereading of the fourth gospel by a well-known spirituality writer who has lived some years in the Holy Land. Uniquely, it approaches John's gospel by exploring how he uses the senses, both physical and spiritual, in his encounter with Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. This refreshing appreciation of the gospel will activate and stimulate our own discoveries and spiritual quest, not only of the gospel, but also of God's world, ourselves and our mission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Revd Canon Dr Andrew D. Mayes is Priest of St Barnabas, Limassol and the Spirituality Adviser for the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He is an international speaker and the author of several books on spirituality, including Journey to the Centre of the Soul (BRF, 2017).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Winter 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an ambitious, intriguing and enthusiastic book written by an expert and learned spiritual adviser. Mayes’ aim is to re-interpret the gospel of John and present it as a sensuous and tactile history – an emotional history of Jesus’ ministry that represents a quite radical re-appraisal. For example, strong links between John and the Song of Solomon are drawn out. The author balances each chapter with a parallel commentary on relevant spirituality. He uses a host of ancient (Hebrew), medieval and modern spiritual writings, concentrating especially on Celtic and Ignatian sources in order to promote spiritual reawakening and maturity of Christian practice. In my view the book does not quite succeed. The language is sometimes over-exuberant and, while the gospel analysis is thought-provoking, it is sometimes slightly shallow. The emotional and sensuous aspects of Jesus’ ministry are not exclusive to John, for example, though the book rather ignores this point. Nonetheless, there is much good, original material here, and this is a valuable read for private study or group teaching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Alice Burdett\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform July\/August 2019. Review by Susan Durber, Minister of Taunton URC, Somerset\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAndrew Mayes is Spirituality Advisor for the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus, and brings to his ministry and to this book a deep knowledge of the Middle East, especially the places where Jesus’ ministry took place. If John’s gospel has a reputation for being abstract and conceptual, this book helps any reader to see it as profoundly rooted in the realities of daily life, in a particular place and time. It dwells on time and place, on empirical experiences of taste, touch, sight, sound and smell, and how God is made known in such ways. The book urges us to ‘unfold the sensuous gospel’ and reminds us that this is the gospel in which the Word becomes flesh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book moves through the senses, exploring how they emerge in John’s gospel and adding varied and liberal quotations from Christian history on each of the senses too. There is plenty of material here for someone preparing a retreat, or the book could work as a kind of retreat for a lone reader too: it has questions for reflection as well as narrative and biblical study.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book offers some fascinating insights into the gospel and, for me, these were the most helpful sections. There are so many distinctive things about John’s gospel – the Bethesda story, and miracle at Cana, and the many references to ‘the garden’, among them. It is good to notice how much Jesus goes on pilgrimage in this gospel and to reflect on all that might signify.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes points were perhaps stretched too far (do 30 references to touching really need a count?) and many quotations and exclamations marks sometimes distract from the distinctive contribution of the author. But this is certainly a useful book for providing a quiet day, or resourcing a church group. The book serves as a helpful inspiration to reflection, preaching and teaching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Susan Durber, Minister of Taunton URC, Somerset\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Canon John Twisleton, June 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve been puzzling over John’s Gospel all my life so I approached Andrew Mayes’s new book with hesitancy. I was rewarded by a commentary starting away from the spiritual and theological in space, time and the senses that somewhat disarmed my questioning. Andrew’s experience of the Holy Land coupled to that of the spiritual direction network equips him to approach John’s account of Christ from a novel perspective helpful to those who struggle with the literal. ‘Sensing the Divine’ has the sub-title ‘John’s word made flesh’. It starts with imaginative entry into the apostle John’s putting pen to scroll in Ephesus where ‘the very word ‘flesh’ took on a meaning that was visceral, earthy, full of passion’. It’s a great asset to this book that its author knows the ground John knew as well as ‘the intimacy and ultimacy of Jesus, his transcendence and tenderness’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn’s symbol is the eagle on account of the perceived sublimity of his Gospel. Augustine saw in it ‘teaching soar(ing) to heights far loftier than those attained by the other three evangelists, and it was his wish to carry our hearts with him on his flight… for John spoke of the divinity of our Lord as no other has ever spoken’. The author has a refreshingly different vantage point. ‘It is the contention of this book that the fourth gospel is rooted in the dust, dirt and beauty of the earth. It brims with sensuality, alerting and activating our senses, both bodily and spiritual… pervaded by a physicality, a materiality, shot through with transcendence, teeming with divine life’. To Mayes Irenaeus rather than Augustine captures the heart of John when he says ‘the glory of God is a human being fully alive’. Jesus Christ, Word made flesh, makes God real to our senses through vulnerability, word and sacrament and helps us into life in all its exuberance (John 10:10).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor John knowledge of God comes from relationship with Jesus Christ which goes beyond the contemporary intellectualism of Plato or Gnostic acquisition of secret ideas allied to despising the body. The book starts by celebrating the gospel of John's emphasis on space and time moving on to how it engages touching, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling in reawakening life in all its fullness through knowing Jesus (John 17:3). Drawing on Ephrem (d.373) we are called to see Jesus: ‘Let our prayer be a mirror, Lord, placed before your face; then your fair beauty will be imprinted on its luminous surface’. Teresa of Avila is commentator on the listening in ‘subversive silence’ invited by St John. Building from the Cana miracle Mayes invites us with John to taste eternity at the Eucharist with a pithy, evocative summary of this rite at the heart of Christianity. The chapter on smell draws on Johannine scholar Raymond Brown’s observation that the use of myrrh ‘and aloes’ at Christ’s tomb evokes the eroticism of Song of Songs 4:9-16. In the last chapter we are reminded how John’s call to mission has three visceral images of washing one another’s feet, bearing fruit and the breath of the Spirit. The disciples mission ‘is communicated and received in the feel of cold water on sweaty feet, the visualisation of dangling succulent grapes, the experience of breath upon their faces’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI appreciated the weaving in of concise summaries on different schools of Christian spirituality like Ignatian meditation, Teresa of Avila, Benedictine tradition, lectio divina as well as the questions for reflection and prayer exercises provided after each chapter. ‘Sensing the Divine’ attempts and seems to succeed in earthing John’s gospel in contemporary human reality, for, to repeat one of its Merton quotes: ‘let the reality of what's real sink into you… for through real things we can reach him who is infinitely real’. Why? Because ‘the word was made flesh’ (John 1:14). \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCanon John Twisleton 5 June 2019\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:45+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:47+00:00","vendor":"Andrew D. Mayes","type":"Paperback","tags":["Apr-19","Biblical engagement","For individuals","Kindle","Spirituality"],"price":1099,"price_min":1099,"price_max":1099,"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":21769976643684,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466587","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Sensing the Divine: John's word made flesh - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":1099,"weight":1,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466587"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466587-l.jpg?v=1549043125"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466587-l.jpg?v=1549043125","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238880870539,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466587-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466587-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThis compelling, inspiring book is an invigorating rereading of the fourth gospel by a well-known spirituality writer who has lived some years in the Holy Land. Uniquely, it approaches John's gospel by exploring how he uses the senses, both physical and spiritual, in his encounter with Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. This refreshing appreciation of the gospel will activate and stimulate our own discoveries and spiritual quest, not only of the gospel, but also of God's world, ourselves and our mission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Revd Canon Dr Andrew D. Mayes is Priest of St Barnabas, Limassol and the Spirituality Adviser for the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He is an international speaker and the author of several books on spirituality, including Journey to the Centre of the Soul (BRF, 2017).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Winter 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an ambitious, intriguing and enthusiastic book written by an expert and learned spiritual adviser. Mayes’ aim is to re-interpret the gospel of John and present it as a sensuous and tactile history – an emotional history of Jesus’ ministry that represents a quite radical re-appraisal. For example, strong links between John and the Song of Solomon are drawn out. The author balances each chapter with a parallel commentary on relevant spirituality. He uses a host of ancient (Hebrew), medieval and modern spiritual writings, concentrating especially on Celtic and Ignatian sources in order to promote spiritual reawakening and maturity of Christian practice. In my view the book does not quite succeed. The language is sometimes over-exuberant and, while the gospel analysis is thought-provoking, it is sometimes slightly shallow. The emotional and sensuous aspects of Jesus’ ministry are not exclusive to John, for example, though the book rather ignores this point. Nonetheless, there is much good, original material here, and this is a valuable read for private study or group teaching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Alice Burdett\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReform July\/August 2019. Review by Susan Durber, Minister of Taunton URC, Somerset\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAndrew Mayes is Spirituality Advisor for the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus, and brings to his ministry and to this book a deep knowledge of the Middle East, especially the places where Jesus’ ministry took place. If John’s gospel has a reputation for being abstract and conceptual, this book helps any reader to see it as profoundly rooted in the realities of daily life, in a particular place and time. It dwells on time and place, on empirical experiences of taste, touch, sight, sound and smell, and how God is made known in such ways. The book urges us to ‘unfold the sensuous gospel’ and reminds us that this is the gospel in which the Word becomes flesh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book moves through the senses, exploring how they emerge in John’s gospel and adding varied and liberal quotations from Christian history on each of the senses too. There is plenty of material here for someone preparing a retreat, or the book could work as a kind of retreat for a lone reader too: it has questions for reflection as well as narrative and biblical study.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book offers some fascinating insights into the gospel and, for me, these were the most helpful sections. There are so many distinctive things about John’s gospel – the Bethesda story, and miracle at Cana, and the many references to ‘the garden’, among them. It is good to notice how much Jesus goes on pilgrimage in this gospel and to reflect on all that might signify.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes points were perhaps stretched too far (do 30 references to touching really need a count?) and many quotations and exclamations marks sometimes distract from the distinctive contribution of the author. But this is certainly a useful book for providing a quiet day, or resourcing a church group. The book serves as a helpful inspiration to reflection, preaching and teaching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by Susan Durber, Minister of Taunton URC, Somerset\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Canon John Twisleton, June 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve been puzzling over John’s Gospel all my life so I approached Andrew Mayes’s new book with hesitancy. I was rewarded by a commentary starting away from the spiritual and theological in space, time and the senses that somewhat disarmed my questioning. Andrew’s experience of the Holy Land coupled to that of the spiritual direction network equips him to approach John’s account of Christ from a novel perspective helpful to those who struggle with the literal. ‘Sensing the Divine’ has the sub-title ‘John’s word made flesh’. It starts with imaginative entry into the apostle John’s putting pen to scroll in Ephesus where ‘the very word ‘flesh’ took on a meaning that was visceral, earthy, full of passion’. It’s a great asset to this book that its author knows the ground John knew as well as ‘the intimacy and ultimacy of Jesus, his transcendence and tenderness’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn’s symbol is the eagle on account of the perceived sublimity of his Gospel. Augustine saw in it ‘teaching soar(ing) to heights far loftier than those attained by the other three evangelists, and it was his wish to carry our hearts with him on his flight… for John spoke of the divinity of our Lord as no other has ever spoken’. The author has a refreshingly different vantage point. ‘It is the contention of this book that the fourth gospel is rooted in the dust, dirt and beauty of the earth. It brims with sensuality, alerting and activating our senses, both bodily and spiritual… pervaded by a physicality, a materiality, shot through with transcendence, teeming with divine life’. To Mayes Irenaeus rather than Augustine captures the heart of John when he says ‘the glory of God is a human being fully alive’. Jesus Christ, Word made flesh, makes God real to our senses through vulnerability, word and sacrament and helps us into life in all its exuberance (John 10:10).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor John knowledge of God comes from relationship with Jesus Christ which goes beyond the contemporary intellectualism of Plato or Gnostic acquisition of secret ideas allied to despising the body. The book starts by celebrating the gospel of John's emphasis on space and time moving on to how it engages touching, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling in reawakening life in all its fullness through knowing Jesus (John 17:3). Drawing on Ephrem (d.373) we are called to see Jesus: ‘Let our prayer be a mirror, Lord, placed before your face; then your fair beauty will be imprinted on its luminous surface’. Teresa of Avila is commentator on the listening in ‘subversive silence’ invited by St John. Building from the Cana miracle Mayes invites us with John to taste eternity at the Eucharist with a pithy, evocative summary of this rite at the heart of Christianity. The chapter on smell draws on Johannine scholar Raymond Brown’s observation that the use of myrrh ‘and aloes’ at Christ’s tomb evokes the eroticism of Song of Songs 4:9-16. In the last chapter we are reminded how John’s call to mission has three visceral images of washing one another’s feet, bearing fruit and the breath of the Spirit. The disciples mission ‘is communicated and received in the feel of cold water on sweaty feet, the visualisation of dangling succulent grapes, the experience of breath upon their faces’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI appreciated the weaving in of concise summaries on different schools of Christian spirituality like Ignatian meditation, Teresa of Avila, Benedictine tradition, lectio divina as well as the questions for reflection and prayer exercises provided after each chapter. ‘Sensing the Divine’ attempts and seems to succeed in earthing John’s gospel in contemporary human reality, for, to repeat one of its Merton quotes: ‘let the reality of what's real sink into you… for through real things we can reach him who is infinitely real’. Why? Because ‘the word was made flesh’ (John 1:14). \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCanon John Twisleton 5 June 2019\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Sensing the Divine: John's word made flesh
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This compelling, inspiring book is an invigorating rereading of the fourth gospel by a well-known spirituality writer who has lived...
{"id":2439813759076,"title":"The Contemplative Response: Leadership and ministry in a distracted culture","handle":"the-contemplative-response-leadership-and-ministry-in-a-distracted-culture","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, in the peace which Jesus promises. Jesus says to each of us in ministry, 'As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide, rest, dwell, in my love' (John 15:9). This book will seek to show what this might mean for those in Christian ministry in the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing on from the success of \u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister\u003c\/em\u003e, Ian Cowley offers new insight and greater depth for church leaders in a distracted world. Cowley emphasises that the true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, and he encourages ministers to minister to themselves as well as to others, and to ensure that, in the peace that Jesus promises, their spiritual lives don't run dry amid the pressures of the job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA must-read for leaders wanting to stay the course.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan Cowley is Vocations and Spirituality Coordinator for the Diocese of Salisbury and set up and developed the Contemplative Minister programme, which has been greatly appreciated by many clergy. He has also written A People of Hope (Highland, 1993), Going Empty Handed (Monarch, 1996) and The Transformation Principle (Kingsway, 2002). He has been a parish priest in Natal, South Africa, and also in Cambridge and Peterborough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e To read Ian's lockdown blog 'Wild times and love of God' click \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/blogs\/collections\/wild-times-and-the-love-of-god\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Julian Meetings Magazine, April 2020. Review by Gail Ballinger\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book explores being a Christian minister or leader in a 'world of ceaseless busyness, endless demands \u0026amp; seductive consumerism'. How to respond to all that drags us away from intimacy with God. How to cope with our compulsive self-centredness. How to reground ourselves: learn contentment, detachment and self-control.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan considers issues of the false self: the desire to acquire, to achieve, to indulge, together with some ways to deal with them. However, the book opens with him studying theology in his native South Africa and the questions thrown up by apartheid. It closes with chapters on the contemplative heart, ending with interior silence drawing on the Rule of Taizé.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA rewarding and often challenging read, it is very accessible and sympathetic and is for ALL who seek to follow Christ, not just leaders and ministers. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Gail Ballinger\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Merton Journal, Advent 2019. Reviewed by Ben Hopkinson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat we live in a distracted culture seems almost too obvious to say. Walk down a street, or sit in a railway carriage, and see how many people have their eyes glued to their phones or tablets. Sit in a restaurant and there are almost certainly fellow diners who, though sitting together, seem not to be interested in each other but only in their devices, as these things have come to be called.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mobile phone is a symbol of our present age, where old patterns of living and working, where old moralities have, in so many ways, been torn to shreds. This pattern of change is not only to be found in the affluent ‘west’ but increasingly across the whole world. Places that were once far removed from advanced technology are now no longer so. Even though there are many people who have not yet caught up or who are neglected, oppressed and set aside, those with power have now found a new means to enforce it. But it is worth noting, too, that the downtrodden are also finding ways of making themselves felt, using new technology to coordinate their protests. The symbol is set in the midst of an affluent culture that seems to set its values as being about how much one has, how successful one is in terms of work position or social status, and how much luxury and comfort a person can grasp, because therein the objectives of life seem to be set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere, in this maze, do we set our compass bearings? How do we distinguish what is false about ourselves and our milieu, and find a direction that connects with the truth of who we are as human beings? How do we meet God in the middle of all this noise? These are the vital questions which this book poses and to which it gives possible answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan Cowley is an Anglican priest who was born and grew up in South Africa during the years when apartheid was at its most appalling. He has served as a parish priest in Natal and in England. Before retiring from full time ministry he spent eight years as the Vocations and Spirituality Coordinator of the Diocese of Salisbury. He has travelled widely, and soaked himself in the wisdom of Thomas Merton. He finds that by opening ourselves to the presence of God in a way that is discovered through contemplative prayer we can reset our lives to eternal, true and fundamental reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe subject matter of this book is of importance for anyone who is trying to follow the Christian way. It is timely, tackling essential problems of discipleship. Primarily, it is written with clergy in mind, and though written from Anglican experience, the quandaries and potential for despair that it addresses are common to clergy of all denominations. Cowley looks the problems in the face, examining them from his own personal context, as he has been 'led to reflect on my own inner life, and the ways in which I tend to respond to the demands and pressures of public ministry. In recent years I have been increasingly aware of my own desires for power and control, for safety and security and for esteem and significance, and of the ways in which these desires are able to rule my heart.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo in peace, I found myself muttering, and pray for me, a sinner, too. His approach gives the book strength, turning it from a self-help manual into a long walk of discussion and suggestion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowley looks at how we — I speak, also, from my life as an Anglican priest — who are in positions of leadership, prominence and pastoral care in the Church, can so easily, and maybe willingly, become submerged into the crowd and be swept along in the currents of the day. It seems to me, moreover, that the book applies beyond the ordained ministry and will be equally helpful to lay people, the committed laity who are desperately concerned to live a life of faith in this age of distraction. He compares our situation to that of the swimmer who is caught in the surf of the Indian Ocean beaches of the South African shore, where the waves pick you up and hurl you willy-nilly. We find ourselves in an ocean of change, where new technology and inventions come along every day, making life into a perpetual catch-up, where the idea of Sabbath rest has gone out of the window. Sabbath rest, he says, is, in fact, a lifesaving self discipline which is part of the answer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe then talks of how, from out of this falseness which so easily infects us, we can discover God as real. He writes movingly of how, as a young white from a farming background in South Africa, who had never met black people other than as servants and farm labourers, he was confronted in his first year at university by huge questions of the relationship between God and justice. He joined the University Christian Movement — a body which was later proscribed — and mixed face to face, for the first time, with students of different racial backgrounds, who were asking very searching questions and proposing very radical answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom here grows a repeating theme of the book, the division between the false self and the real self. The false self is the one that conforms to the culture of the world and succumbs to all its lures and ambitions. The real self is the woman or man who is naked before God, brought to an understanding of their true identity, then clothed with the love of God in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we begin to know ourselves we can grow into who we are created to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowley discusses the blind alleys the false self can lead us into, such as the need to acquire, to achieve success and position, and to be self indulgent. He suggests remedies, like contentment, detachment and self-control. Fine — we can make resolutions but how do we keep to them? It is here, in the last section of the book, that Cowley truly shines, as he deals with how to build up our strength in God. The last four chapters are an excellent introduction to meeting God in contemplation, based on Merton’s teachings. I, for whom the understanding of contemplative prayer has been difficult and who am barely at the kindergarten stage, found them enormously helpful, especially in his relating contemplation to action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am not being adversely critical in any way when I say the book is incomplete. It strikes me, rather, as the second part of a trilogy, following on from Cowley’s earlier book \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/products\/the-contemplative-minister-learning-to-lead-from-the-still-centre?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=c25d7cb32\u0026amp;_ss=r\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister: Learning to lead from the still centre\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003eHe helps those already grounded in their faith to recover their real selves. I wonder if the next step is to ask how we may begin to bring the riches and insights shown, even in our diminutive knowing of God, to those, the majority in the west, who have lost almost all knowledge of God and many of whom are aggressively anti-Christian. Where and how do we meet? I recently read a passage written by a leading particle physicist:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'To have a scientific mind is to respect the consensus of fact … while maintaining an open mind to the still unknown. It helps to have a humble sense of the essential mystery of the world, for the aspects that are known become even more mysterious when we examine them further. … There is not a thing in nature so ordinary that its contemplation cannot be a route to a wordless sense of wonder and gratitude just to be a part of it all.'\u003csup\u003e2\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this a meeting point that needs to be developed, a contemplative approach to all knowledge, leading to an undreamed of unity? Fr. Cowley, please write further.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. Lee Smolin: \u003cem\u003eEinstein’s Unfinished Revolution: the Search for what Lies Beyond the Quantum\u003c\/em\u003e (London: Penguin, 2019), Preface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBen Hopkinson \u003c\/strong\u003eis an Anglican priest, living in retirement in Northumberland. He has served in various parishes in the northern half of England and, also, for seven years, in Botswana, where he came face to face with some of the struggles of Southern Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by David Gillies\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe purpose of this book might be summed up in the phrase ‘how to put God at the centre of everything.’ The author tackles head on the compulsions of our consumerist culture and draws on his experience of the close links between contemplation, action and transformation to produce a very practical book for anyone (although its sub-title is ‘Leadership and Ministry in a Distracted Culture’) who is seeking to allow God to be God in him or herself. The middle section of the book, entitled ‘The false self: the compulsions and the remedies’, invites the reader to investigate who they are and to discover their true selves; and the last section of the book is an examination of the importance of contemplative practice in opening one’s heart to the love of God. There are helpful references to all the sources quoted in the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by David Gillies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times Round up May 2019. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Ed Jones\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe subtitle for the latest book by Ian Cowley sets up beautifully one of the many challenges which we find ourselves facing in the world today: leadership and ministry in a distracted culture. It is easy to be distracted by a whole host of things, few are immune. What is more, distractions come in a variety of ways, catching each of us off guard at different times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBroken into three parts, the book guides the reader to initially ground oneself once again ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’, to be aware of the pulls and strains from the world around us ‘The false self: the compulsion and the remedies’, before finally inviting the reader to connect afresh with God as the means of traversing onward: ‘The contemplative heart’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you’ve read anything by Ian before, his style is easily readable and engaging. He writes from personal experience, open and honest to the fact that he doesn’t have it all sorted and totally together, yet never losing his focus or the heart of what he’s seeking to convey and communicate - this isn’t a book where the author takes centre stage, it being all about them. Knowledge of his previous book \u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister\u003c\/em\u003e is not a necessity by any means, although he’s obviously building on what he’s written about before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpeaking into themes of sabbath and rest, I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves ‘too busy’, ‘up against it’ or ’on the treadmill’ of life unsure of what to do about this fact. Well worth taking time out to consider all Ian has to share and the impact it could have on your life and ministry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEd Jones is pastor and team leader at Battle Baptist Church in Sussex\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e__________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:43+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:45+00:00","vendor":"Ian Cowley","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jan-19","Kindle","Leadership"],"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":21769973629028,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466563","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"The Contemplative Response: Leadership and ministry in a distracted culture - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":168,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466563"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466563-l.jpg?v=1549043126"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466563-l.jpg?v=1549043126","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238880837771,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"width":426,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466563-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.655,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466563-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":426}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThe true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, in the peace which Jesus promises. Jesus says to each of us in ministry, 'As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide, rest, dwell, in my love' (John 15:9). This book will seek to show what this might mean for those in Christian ministry in the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing on from the success of \u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister\u003c\/em\u003e, Ian Cowley offers new insight and greater depth for church leaders in a distracted world. Cowley emphasises that the true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, and he encourages ministers to minister to themselves as well as to others, and to ensure that, in the peace that Jesus promises, their spiritual lives don't run dry amid the pressures of the job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA must-read for leaders wanting to stay the course.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan Cowley is Vocations and Spirituality Coordinator for the Diocese of Salisbury and set up and developed the Contemplative Minister programme, which has been greatly appreciated by many clergy. He has also written A People of Hope (Highland, 1993), Going Empty Handed (Monarch, 1996) and The Transformation Principle (Kingsway, 2002). He has been a parish priest in Natal, South Africa, and also in Cambridge and Peterborough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e To read Ian's lockdown blog 'Wild times and love of God' click \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/blogs\/collections\/wild-times-and-the-love-of-god\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Julian Meetings Magazine, April 2020. Review by Gail Ballinger\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book explores being a Christian minister or leader in a 'world of ceaseless busyness, endless demands \u0026amp; seductive consumerism'. How to respond to all that drags us away from intimacy with God. How to cope with our compulsive self-centredness. How to reground ourselves: learn contentment, detachment and self-control.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan considers issues of the false self: the desire to acquire, to achieve, to indulge, together with some ways to deal with them. However, the book opens with him studying theology in his native South Africa and the questions thrown up by apartheid. It closes with chapters on the contemplative heart, ending with interior silence drawing on the Rule of Taizé.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA rewarding and often challenging read, it is very accessible and sympathetic and is for ALL who seek to follow Christ, not just leaders and ministers. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Gail Ballinger\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Merton Journal, Advent 2019. Reviewed by Ben Hopkinson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat we live in a distracted culture seems almost too obvious to say. Walk down a street, or sit in a railway carriage, and see how many people have their eyes glued to their phones or tablets. Sit in a restaurant and there are almost certainly fellow diners who, though sitting together, seem not to be interested in each other but only in their devices, as these things have come to be called.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mobile phone is a symbol of our present age, where old patterns of living and working, where old moralities have, in so many ways, been torn to shreds. This pattern of change is not only to be found in the affluent ‘west’ but increasingly across the whole world. Places that were once far removed from advanced technology are now no longer so. Even though there are many people who have not yet caught up or who are neglected, oppressed and set aside, those with power have now found a new means to enforce it. But it is worth noting, too, that the downtrodden are also finding ways of making themselves felt, using new technology to coordinate their protests. The symbol is set in the midst of an affluent culture that seems to set its values as being about how much one has, how successful one is in terms of work position or social status, and how much luxury and comfort a person can grasp, because therein the objectives of life seem to be set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere, in this maze, do we set our compass bearings? How do we distinguish what is false about ourselves and our milieu, and find a direction that connects with the truth of who we are as human beings? How do we meet God in the middle of all this noise? These are the vital questions which this book poses and to which it gives possible answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIan Cowley is an Anglican priest who was born and grew up in South Africa during the years when apartheid was at its most appalling. He has served as a parish priest in Natal and in England. Before retiring from full time ministry he spent eight years as the Vocations and Spirituality Coordinator of the Diocese of Salisbury. He has travelled widely, and soaked himself in the wisdom of Thomas Merton. He finds that by opening ourselves to the presence of God in a way that is discovered through contemplative prayer we can reset our lives to eternal, true and fundamental reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe subject matter of this book is of importance for anyone who is trying to follow the Christian way. It is timely, tackling essential problems of discipleship. Primarily, it is written with clergy in mind, and though written from Anglican experience, the quandaries and potential for despair that it addresses are common to clergy of all denominations. Cowley looks the problems in the face, examining them from his own personal context, as he has been 'led to reflect on my own inner life, and the ways in which I tend to respond to the demands and pressures of public ministry. In recent years I have been increasingly aware of my own desires for power and control, for safety and security and for esteem and significance, and of the ways in which these desires are able to rule my heart.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo in peace, I found myself muttering, and pray for me, a sinner, too. His approach gives the book strength, turning it from a self-help manual into a long walk of discussion and suggestion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowley looks at how we — I speak, also, from my life as an Anglican priest — who are in positions of leadership, prominence and pastoral care in the Church, can so easily, and maybe willingly, become submerged into the crowd and be swept along in the currents of the day. It seems to me, moreover, that the book applies beyond the ordained ministry and will be equally helpful to lay people, the committed laity who are desperately concerned to live a life of faith in this age of distraction. He compares our situation to that of the swimmer who is caught in the surf of the Indian Ocean beaches of the South African shore, where the waves pick you up and hurl you willy-nilly. We find ourselves in an ocean of change, where new technology and inventions come along every day, making life into a perpetual catch-up, where the idea of Sabbath rest has gone out of the window. Sabbath rest, he says, is, in fact, a lifesaving self discipline which is part of the answer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe then talks of how, from out of this falseness which so easily infects us, we can discover God as real. He writes movingly of how, as a young white from a farming background in South Africa, who had never met black people other than as servants and farm labourers, he was confronted in his first year at university by huge questions of the relationship between God and justice. He joined the University Christian Movement — a body which was later proscribed — and mixed face to face, for the first time, with students of different racial backgrounds, who were asking very searching questions and proposing very radical answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom here grows a repeating theme of the book, the division between the false self and the real self. The false self is the one that conforms to the culture of the world and succumbs to all its lures and ambitions. The real self is the woman or man who is naked before God, brought to an understanding of their true identity, then clothed with the love of God in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we begin to know ourselves we can grow into who we are created to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowley discusses the blind alleys the false self can lead us into, such as the need to acquire, to achieve success and position, and to be self indulgent. He suggests remedies, like contentment, detachment and self-control. Fine — we can make resolutions but how do we keep to them? It is here, in the last section of the book, that Cowley truly shines, as he deals with how to build up our strength in God. The last four chapters are an excellent introduction to meeting God in contemplation, based on Merton’s teachings. I, for whom the understanding of contemplative prayer has been difficult and who am barely at the kindergarten stage, found them enormously helpful, especially in his relating contemplation to action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am not being adversely critical in any way when I say the book is incomplete. It strikes me, rather, as the second part of a trilogy, following on from Cowley’s earlier book \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/products\/the-contemplative-minister-learning-to-lead-from-the-still-centre?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=c25d7cb32\u0026amp;_ss=r\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister: Learning to lead from the still centre\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003eHe helps those already grounded in their faith to recover their real selves. I wonder if the next step is to ask how we may begin to bring the riches and insights shown, even in our diminutive knowing of God, to those, the majority in the west, who have lost almost all knowledge of God and many of whom are aggressively anti-Christian. Where and how do we meet? I recently read a passage written by a leading particle physicist:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'To have a scientific mind is to respect the consensus of fact … while maintaining an open mind to the still unknown. It helps to have a humble sense of the essential mystery of the world, for the aspects that are known become even more mysterious when we examine them further. … There is not a thing in nature so ordinary that its contemplation cannot be a route to a wordless sense of wonder and gratitude just to be a part of it all.'\u003csup\u003e2\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this a meeting point that needs to be developed, a contemplative approach to all knowledge, leading to an undreamed of unity? Fr. Cowley, please write further.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. Lee Smolin: \u003cem\u003eEinstein’s Unfinished Revolution: the Search for what Lies Beyond the Quantum\u003c\/em\u003e (London: Penguin, 2019), Preface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBen Hopkinson \u003c\/strong\u003eis an Anglican priest, living in retirement in Northumberland. He has served in various parishes in the northern half of England and, also, for seven years, in Botswana, where he came face to face with some of the struggles of Southern Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Autumn 2019. Review by David Gillies\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe purpose of this book might be summed up in the phrase ‘how to put God at the centre of everything.’ The author tackles head on the compulsions of our consumerist culture and draws on his experience of the close links between contemplation, action and transformation to produce a very practical book for anyone (although its sub-title is ‘Leadership and Ministry in a Distracted Culture’) who is seeking to allow God to be God in him or herself. The middle section of the book, entitled ‘The false self: the compulsions and the remedies’, invites the reader to investigate who they are and to discover their true selves; and the last section of the book is an examination of the importance of contemplative practice in opening one’s heart to the love of God. There are helpful references to all the sources quoted in the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReviewed by David Gillies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e___________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaptist Times Round up May 2019. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Ed Jones\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe subtitle for the latest book by Ian Cowley sets up beautifully one of the many challenges which we find ourselves facing in the world today: leadership and ministry in a distracted culture. It is easy to be distracted by a whole host of things, few are immune. What is more, distractions come in a variety of ways, catching each of us off guard at different times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBroken into three parts, the book guides the reader to initially ground oneself once again ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’, to be aware of the pulls and strains from the world around us ‘The false self: the compulsion and the remedies’, before finally inviting the reader to connect afresh with God as the means of traversing onward: ‘The contemplative heart’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you’ve read anything by Ian before, his style is easily readable and engaging. He writes from personal experience, open and honest to the fact that he doesn’t have it all sorted and totally together, yet never losing his focus or the heart of what he’s seeking to convey and communicate - this isn’t a book where the author takes centre stage, it being all about them. Knowledge of his previous book \u003cem\u003eThe Contemplative Minister\u003c\/em\u003e is not a necessity by any means, although he’s obviously building on what he’s written about before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpeaking into themes of sabbath and rest, I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves ‘too busy’, ‘up against it’ or ’on the treadmill’ of life unsure of what to do about this fact. Well worth taking time out to consider all Ian has to share and the impact it could have on your life and ministry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEd Jones is pastor and team leader at Battle Baptist Church in Sussex\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e__________________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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The Contemplative Response: Leadership and ministry in a distracted culture
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The true self finds peace in resting in the love of God, in the peace which Jesus promises. Jesus says...
{"id":2439813398628,"title":"Sustaining Leadership: You are more important than your ministry","handle":"sustaining-leadership-you-are-more-important-than-your-ministry","description":"\u003cp\u003eMany books on leadership and ministry are written from the point of view of success and strength. In Sustaining Leadership Paul Swann writes out of the raw experience of failure, getting to the heart of who we are as leaders rather than what we do. From this, he offers both hope and practical resources for sustaining effective long-term ministry, looking at self-care, balance and healthy ministry, feasting on divine love, and more. As he says, this is the best gift we can offer those we serve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a story of a successfully growing ministry plunged suddenly into soul searching physical, mental and emotional depths. At times shockingly raw, these personal experiences, reflected on so honestly, drive home such hard learned spiritual insights, that I needed to re-read some sections to allow the message to sink in. And it's a profound message: learning simply to be still before God; clinging to personal worth even at the expense of ministry; loving self as well as neighbour; enjoying real Sabbath rest. This is not a book for the casual believer or religiously comfortable. Neither is it just for 'leaders'. Rather, it is essential reading for those courageous enough to accept a God given call to active and costly service. Spoiler alert! It does all work out well in the end. But that, after all, is rather down to God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClive Langmead, Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis courageous, raw and inspiring book is a 'must read' for any who long to live in the fullness God intends for us, amidst the realities and challenges of everyday life. A 'how to' walk the Truth of God's strength in our weakness. I wish I had had this treasure twenty years ago!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlina Clarke\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is both wonderfully easy to read yet at the same time deeply challenging. Paul Swann's gutsy and honest story made me realise the true importance of self-care in ministry (which is ideal as I prepare for ordination). The 'Pause to Reflect' moments scattered throughout the book really help with not just reading it as someone else's story but as a guide through your own story too. This will be re-read many times in the years to come!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Bardell (Ordinand)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthenticity is perhaps the most important value for any religion in the 21st Century Western world. Paul Swann demonstrates in this vital book how the Christian religion and its leaders can be authentic and life-giving even in the most desperate, dark and dismal of experiences that arise from becoming 'addicted' to ministry. Combining insights from the bible, contemporary film and popular culture with his own deeply vulnerable experience here is a plea for leadership which is rooted way down in the God who simply is and therefore is not trying to be anything it can't be, other than the sharing of our beautiful and flawed humanity. I hope it becomes widely used in our highly anxious and often success oriented church systems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Canon Dr Nigel Rooms, Leader, Partnership for Missional Church UK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul, I wish you had written your book 50 years ago! But at least it was published at the end of a long hot summer, when I'm wondering if I shall ever walk the hills again... but the last chapter (as you say) belongs to hope! Your humbling honesty, coupled with wonderful biblical expositions, have brought both inspiration and clarification. I now know what I want to be when I grow up!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Michael Dunn (Spiritual Director and Retired Priest)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSO refreshing to have this deep wisdom - on being\/doing, self-care\/giving, nature of success etc - served up from the point of view of someone who has got there the hard way. This is not a happy, shiny, just-copy-me sort of read, it's more in the painful\/raw\/honest category, which adds to its value. And although this is a Christian book written out of his experience of being a vicar I'd say it's pretty clearly going to be profoundly helpful to a whole range of people. I've already bought four more to pass on!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Owen Gallacher (Vicar)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving known Paul for many years, we initially bought this book to support him. I'm not a great reader but it was such a delight that I soon finished it. Paul speaks openly of his struggles and sets out the challenges we all face in our lives and how to balance things before it gets too much. I would highly recommend this resource to people in any form of leadership.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndy Davenport (Computer Programmer)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann trained for ordination in the Anglican Church and served in two growing parishes in the Diocese of Worcester. In 2008, Paul was forced to retire early and spent four years in the wilderness of total fatigue. Since 2012, Paul has begun to offer a new ministry from this place of weakness. He has served as diocesan adviser on spirituality, offers spiritual direction and leads retreats. The insights of this book are drawn from these experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview of Sustaining Leadership - Evangelicals Now, April 2019. Review by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Underwood\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann served in two Anglican parishes in the Diocese of Worcester. In 2008, he retired early and spent two years existing on what he describes as 'Planet Fragile'.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSustaining Leadership\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis his story, but much more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Part I, Swann describes the process of his own disintegration as he slipped into that slough of physical, mental and emotional despond we call ME.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Part II, he offers us first his personal and theological reflection on reintegration and then, in Part III, a host of practical and life-enhancing measures towards beginning and nurturing that process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWriting for a broader constituency than mine and drawing on an impressive range of sources and resources, the basic thesis of this short book is that 'broken is best' ... that our human capabilities are often expressions of weakness rather than strength ... that Father-God is more concerned about we are in him than what we do for him. As Paul Swann rightly observes, we are 'human beings' rather than 'human doings'. What we do should flow from who we are, rather than the other way round.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe remedy for our pervasive passion for proving ourselves is to take a long hard look at the three dials on the dashboard of our humanity - our God-given physical, spiritual and emotional needs. It's time for those of us who are pastors to take control of our self care and our soul care. If we can't care for ourselves, how can we hope to care for those the Lord Jesus has entrusted to us?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe don't have to do this on our own; we need both personal friends and the body of the local church to help and encourage us. Taking\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSustaining Leadership\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eto heart will fill us not with optimism, but with hope. As Paul Swann rightly observes: 'What we hope for is secondary to who we hope in'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho should read this book? Every pastor on sabbatical who has time to think and pray. Every member of a leadership team that has responsibility for caring for its pastoral staff. And every church member who is concerned to encourage their pastors and help them thrive in serving the Lord Jesus for the long haul. Humanly, the health of our churches and the spread of the Lord Jesus' mission depends on the well-being of our pastors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Richard Underwood, Elder, Christchurch, Market Harborough\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e_______________________________________________\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Spring 2019. Review by John Knowles\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Jesus' disciples learnt what it meant to follow him through failed fishing trips, under-catered picnics and abortive exorcisms' sets the context for a very frank description of what happened after Paul Swann woke one morning with chronic ME. In his own words: 'I had been smashed to pieces through overwork, stress, damage to health and lack of self-care.' Out of his own experience come very practical and specific self-care strategies that recognise the specific stresses, positive and negative, that often accompany church leadership. Central to the book's thrust is its subtitle - 'You are more important that your ministry' - with the need to keep life and ministry in balance, where being is more important than doing and the rediscovery of Sabbath can be the antidote to 'hurry sickness'. Ministry can be very challenging and my experience as a diocesan Warden of Readers would suggest that it is not just stipendiary clergy who need to take care of themselves, making the advice enormously valuable to all in church leadership long before any warning lights begin to flash. Buy a copy for yourself and one for your incumbent!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by John Knowles\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Kate Wharton. 12.01.19 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/katewharton.blogspot.com\/2019\/01\/book-review-sustaining-leadership.html\"\u003ehttps:\/\/katewharton.blogspot.com\/2019\/01\/book-review-sustaining-leadership.html\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a wildly and hopelessly overdue blog! I read this wonderful book ages ago, and promised to review it here, but never got round to it. And be assured that the irony of not being able to find time to review a book about developing and maintaining healthy patterns of life and work is in no way lost on me...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is written by Paul Swann, and its subtitle is 'You are more important than your ministry'. A reasonable enough statement, you'd think, except that so many of us seem to forget this at one time or another, as we fall into the trap of believing ourselves to be indispensable, and allow our diaries, our ministries and our pressures define us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann speaks from very personal, and very difficult, experience. In 2005 he experienced a period of illness and fatigue which resulted in 4 years of trying to manage his health and ministry, before he decided completely to step back from his full time role. Out of that experience, and the ways in which he has since sought to rebuild and rebalance his life, he shares much insight and wisdom which every one of us in any sort of 'ministry' role would do well to heed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is really superb, and an absolute must read. It's easy to read in the sense of being clear and well written, with short chapters, but certainly not in the sense of being without substance. I sense that it's a book I will return to time and time again throughout the course of my ministry, when I need to be reminded of the nuggets it contains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the first page of the Introduction comes a quote that I know I need to keep front and centre of my mind (from Parker Palmer): 'Self-care is never a selfish act - it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know I have found a book enormously helpful when I highlight something on almost every page - and my copy of Sustaining Leadership is already well thumbed and with many yellow highlights! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Part 1, entitled 'Disintegration' Paul outlines his own story in 'Arriving on Planet Fragile'. I read it knowing it could easily have been me or any one of us. He is honest about his own personal and painful experiences, and the devastating impact they had upon him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Part 2, 'Reintegration', Paul describes how he began to recover, and gives a wealth of invaluable advice about self care, what healthy and unhealthy patterns of ministry might look like, and how we can find the right balance of all the competing demands and priorities within our lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI often say that the thing I find most frustrating about my job as a vicar (which I love almost all of the time), is that it is simply never finished. There is always something more which could or should be done. Paul speaks to this when he writes, 'From where will you get your permission to stop? It will not come from completing a job that has no ending, from receiving affirmation that seldom comes or from a hierarchical permission that rarely exists. Instead, it will have to come from the self-love and self-care of which we have spoken, augmented by obedience to the fourth commandment, which is our permission to rest.' I'm seriously considering getting that tattooed on my person, or at the very least stuck on the door of my study!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart 3 is called 'Holding on to Hope'. This reminds us of why we ultimately do what we do, and in whose strength we do it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really enjoyed the way this book is written. It is very practical, and actively encourages the reader to engage with the content rather than just to read the words. Throughout the book there are grey boxes where questions are asked which invite us to pause and reflect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is immensely real and honest, with just the right level of challenge - having gone through such a difficult period in his own life, Paul very much wants to make sure that others don't have to go through the same thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is wonderful and important - a definite must read for anyone involved in any kind of leadership or ministry. The future you will be glad you read this book now!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Paul says in the Introduction: 'Sustaining Leadership is not a book about what to do as a leader. It is a book about how to be as a leader.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Kate Wharton\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLead On - CPAS e-newsletter, January 2019 Review by James Lawrence\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the start of the year it is good to take stock, to think and pray about the pressure and pace of life and leadership and any adjustments that it might be good to make for the year ahead. If you are planning to do that in any way, may I encourage you to get hold of Sustaining Leadership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann writes from personal experience of having 'four years in the wilderness of total fatigue'. This is an honest book. It recounts his descent into a place of fragility, and the stripping away of many of the things he relied on to bolster his own sense of identity. He reflects that there are 'no words to describe the density of the darkness and the intensity of the isolation.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen follow chapters that helpfully explore the relationship between self-care and self-sacrifice, ways of identifying 'hurry sickness', symptoms of burn out and stress, the place of boundary keeping and Sabbath disciplines. The insights are well illustrated from a wide variety of sources, and contain short perceptive comments that make you think: for example 'margin is the vital space between your load and your limits.' The final chapters on soul food and holding onto hope introduce practical ways to self-compassion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining Leadership will make a good companion for a Quiet Day or a month of reflecting on yourself through January. Heed its wise insights, and we may find ourselves in a more sustainable place as leaders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by James Lawrence, Director CPAS\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times, 12 October 2018. Review by Peter Selby, former Bishop of Worcester\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee beyond the small size of this book to an offering of generosity and wide-ranging wisdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts generosity lies in Paul Swann's writing about his experience of illness without holding much back: he invites us into his experience of chronic fatigue. We are given a graphic, though not over-dramatised, account of the terrible toll that ME took on the author.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven more significant is the particular distress that burnout brings to a person of great talent and deep commitment, when he reaches the point when he has to say, 'I can't do this any more.' Fragility - to put it mildly - was what he encountered as he 'hit the buffers'; then fragility was what had gradually to be emerged from, and then, as its meaning became clear, to be embraced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, the first third of the book is about that experience, although even as we read it we have the sense that faith, though tested, never totally lost its ability to provide perspective and meaning in his suffering. That perspective is the foundation for the wisdom in the next hundred pages: the practical necessity as well as the spiritual importance of self-care, particularly for the most energetic, creative, and committed, who find self-care hardest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn many sermons, the Pauline image of the clay pot - to which Swann refers a great deal - can remain a general comment about ministerial humility rather than pointing to specific vulnerabilities that need specific remedies and responses. It is because this author gets specific that this book is lifted above well-meaning exhortation to be both challenging and of practical use to those who find it hard in practice to accept the subtitle's message that 'You are more important than your ministry.' The many examples of vulnerability and practical self-care are supported by a wide selection of biblical citation and the wider reading that was, no doubt, part of the author's self-care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlongside all that is worth while in the book, there remain some questions. Surely, a more artistic and nourishing front-cover design would have portrayed the book more accurately. And isn't the subtitle rather than the title the real message of this book? It is for everyone, not just, or even mainly, 'leaders'? The book is at least partly a critique of what the designation 'leader' engenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet, if this is a book for everyone, it especially challenges those who have oversight of others' ministry. I happen to have been the bishop involved in the author's call to undertake the special challenge of growing and enlivening a church in the centre of Worcester. It is hardly a decision that I can regret, given all the good that has flowed from it. But, since the disintegration and the reintegration that this book describes are also what (in part) flowed from that decision, I found the book a particular challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking at my former ministry, I ask myself, in gladly appointing some of our strongest people to the hardest tasks, are we as aware as we need to be of the particular support and resourcing needs that such colleagues have? Or do we just hope that the talented and the committed will find their own way of avoiding burnout? That goes along with a more searching question: how well are we ourselves modelling self-care?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut this gentle author also knows how to use examples that challenge lightly; so if you ever catch yourself not completing the two minutes that your electric toothbrush allows, remember it's not just your teeth that you're not caring for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by t\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ehe Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby, a former Bishop of Worcester\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Canon Steve Coneys, Mission and Growth Advisor, Canterbury Diocese\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when you realise that the work you love is making you sick?\u003cbr\u003eThis gem of a book traces the story of how a capable Christian leader experiences such physical and emotional disintegration that he hears himself saying to his bishop, 'I can't do this any more'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucid and concise, Paul Swann's book is an essay in practical spirituality, one that is based on grace rather than our own attempts at self-justifying significance. The central argument is that, with a proper understanding of our belovedness as God's children, and a clear view of God's loving character, we can be freed to care for ourselves and live healthy, grateful lives. How many of us, not just Christian leaders, need to learn this lesson?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is the way the writer communicates the reality of grace in the midst his own sense of failure and weakness which distinguishes this book: 'One day, as I was struggling with low self-esteem and the battle to recover... I complained to God, 'This is too hard for me to do!' Swiftly and firmly, but with extreme gentleness, came the response: 'Is it too hard to be my son?'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInsights from films like Wonder Woman, spiritual writers like Margery Kempe, storytellers such as Lewis Carroll and theologians like Walter Breuggemann, combine with Paul Swann's own experience of reintegration to make the book a compelling read. The lesson that every Christian minister - every human being - needs to hear is brought home with elegance and power: you are more important than what you do. Get hold of this book and read it slowly. If I could, I would buy a copy for every church leader I know.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRevd Canon Steve Coneys, Mission and Growth Advisor, Canterbury Diocese\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by John Pellowe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a real challenge to church leaders to take better care of themselves and to more intentionally build up the local church they serve. Paul Swann's story of his descent into illness, burnout, and depression is mercifully short (one chapter) but it is sufficient to help people who have not had a similar experience to understand what it is really like, and how much they are suffering something real. He gave me a real empathy for those who suffered as he did.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really thought it helpful how he framed his situation - 'fragility' is such a good word! We are all fragile people and need to accept that fragility is part of our human condition. No one is impervious to what this writer experienced. The two chapters on emerging from fragility and embracing fragility are very practical and inspirational. Paul has redeemed his story of recovery in sharing it with others, and much good will come of it, I'm sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the book is full of great ideas to build strength into the people of the Church so that we can better serve those in the world around us who are suffering, as well as protecting ourselves from suffering as Paul did.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I finished the book, my thought was, 'How much more effective the Church would be if we all caught on to the principles and practices outlined in the book!'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by John Pellowe, CEO Canadian Council of Christian Charities\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Timothy Marlow, Business Consultant and IT Director\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the world in which we live, everyone wants to be seen as perfect. We gloss over the failures, claim insight after the event which wasn't there at the time, even post our best selfies on social media. We long to be seen as successful, and to be liked by all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what happens when it all goes wrong? When you're made redundant? Or you're broken by the expectations placed on you? Especially if you're supposed to be in Christian ministry?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann has helpfully broken this book into small digestible chunks, with loads of practical advice. If you're in pain, or struggling in any way. Even if you're just feeling a little weary or burdened, then you can flick through it and find something which resonates before working out from there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul observes that burnout doesn't suddenly happen. Rather it creeps up on us over time. We all need the advice he gives for maintaining ourselves. Buy this book, read it carefully, then keep it handy so that you can dip into it regularly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTimothy Marlow, Business Consultant and IT Director\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Steve Chase\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining Leadership is written from the reality of Paul Swann's own personal journey through the difficult challenges of leadership and life. He writes with honesty, great vulnerability and deep self-awareness. Sharing lessons hard learnt in the weakness of his humanity, Paul takes the reader gently into some of the places we so often avoid. He offers proven examples from his own faith journey, along with insights from the lives of those who gone before, that our most authentic identity is found in being loved by God. Paul encourages the discovery of that authentic place of 'being', from which all can learn to love well, live well and lead well! I have already brought 3 copies and passed them on!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSteve Chase\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:42+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:24:43+00:00","vendor":"Paul Swann","type":"Paperback","tags":["Jul-18","Kindle","Leadership"],"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":21769971662948,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857466518","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Sustaining Leadership: You are more important than your ministry - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":186,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857466518"}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466518-l.jpg?v=1549043126"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466518-l.jpg?v=1549043126","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238880805003,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"width":427,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466518-l.jpg?v=1570098004"},"aspect_ratio":0.657,"height":650,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/6107\/4532\/products\/9780857466518-l.jpg?v=1570098004","width":427}],"content":"\u003cp\u003eMany books on leadership and ministry are written from the point of view of success and strength. In Sustaining Leadership Paul Swann writes out of the raw experience of failure, getting to the heart of who we are as leaders rather than what we do. From this, he offers both hope and practical resources for sustaining effective long-term ministry, looking at self-care, balance and healthy ministry, feasting on divine love, and more. As he says, this is the best gift we can offer those we serve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a story of a successfully growing ministry plunged suddenly into soul searching physical, mental and emotional depths. At times shockingly raw, these personal experiences, reflected on so honestly, drive home such hard learned spiritual insights, that I needed to re-read some sections to allow the message to sink in. And it's a profound message: learning simply to be still before God; clinging to personal worth even at the expense of ministry; loving self as well as neighbour; enjoying real Sabbath rest. This is not a book for the casual believer or religiously comfortable. Neither is it just for 'leaders'. Rather, it is essential reading for those courageous enough to accept a God given call to active and costly service. Spoiler alert! It does all work out well in the end. But that, after all, is rather down to God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClive Langmead, Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis courageous, raw and inspiring book is a 'must read' for any who long to live in the fullness God intends for us, amidst the realities and challenges of everyday life. A 'how to' walk the Truth of God's strength in our weakness. I wish I had had this treasure twenty years ago!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlina Clarke\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is both wonderfully easy to read yet at the same time deeply challenging. Paul Swann's gutsy and honest story made me realise the true importance of self-care in ministry (which is ideal as I prepare for ordination). The 'Pause to Reflect' moments scattered throughout the book really help with not just reading it as someone else's story but as a guide through your own story too. This will be re-read many times in the years to come!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Bardell (Ordinand)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthenticity is perhaps the most important value for any religion in the 21st Century Western world. Paul Swann demonstrates in this vital book how the Christian religion and its leaders can be authentic and life-giving even in the most desperate, dark and dismal of experiences that arise from becoming 'addicted' to ministry. Combining insights from the bible, contemporary film and popular culture with his own deeply vulnerable experience here is a plea for leadership which is rooted way down in the God who simply is and therefore is not trying to be anything it can't be, other than the sharing of our beautiful and flawed humanity. I hope it becomes widely used in our highly anxious and often success oriented church systems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Canon Dr Nigel Rooms, Leader, Partnership for Missional Church UK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul, I wish you had written your book 50 years ago! But at least it was published at the end of a long hot summer, when I'm wondering if I shall ever walk the hills again... but the last chapter (as you say) belongs to hope! Your humbling honesty, coupled with wonderful biblical expositions, have brought both inspiration and clarification. I now know what I want to be when I grow up!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Michael Dunn (Spiritual Director and Retired Priest)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSO refreshing to have this deep wisdom - on being\/doing, self-care\/giving, nature of success etc - served up from the point of view of someone who has got there the hard way. This is not a happy, shiny, just-copy-me sort of read, it's more in the painful\/raw\/honest category, which adds to its value. And although this is a Christian book written out of his experience of being a vicar I'd say it's pretty clearly going to be profoundly helpful to a whole range of people. I've already bought four more to pass on!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevd Owen Gallacher (Vicar)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving known Paul for many years, we initially bought this book to support him. I'm not a great reader but it was such a delight that I soon finished it. Paul speaks openly of his struggles and sets out the challenges we all face in our lives and how to balance things before it gets too much. I would highly recommend this resource to people in any form of leadership.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndy Davenport (Computer Programmer)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann trained for ordination in the Anglican Church and served in two growing parishes in the Diocese of Worcester. In 2008, Paul was forced to retire early and spent four years in the wilderness of total fatigue. Since 2012, Paul has begun to offer a new ministry from this place of weakness. He has served as diocesan adviser on spirituality, offers spiritual direction and leads retreats. The insights of this book are drawn from these experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview of Sustaining Leadership - Evangelicals Now, April 2019. Review by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Underwood\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann served in two Anglican parishes in the Diocese of Worcester. In 2008, he retired early and spent two years existing on what he describes as 'Planet Fragile'.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSustaining Leadership\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis his story, but much more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Part I, Swann describes the process of his own disintegration as he slipped into that slough of physical, mental and emotional despond we call ME.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Part II, he offers us first his personal and theological reflection on reintegration and then, in Part III, a host of practical and life-enhancing measures towards beginning and nurturing that process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWriting for a broader constituency than mine and drawing on an impressive range of sources and resources, the basic thesis of this short book is that 'broken is best' ... that our human capabilities are often expressions of weakness rather than strength ... that Father-God is more concerned about we are in him than what we do for him. As Paul Swann rightly observes, we are 'human beings' rather than 'human doings'. What we do should flow from who we are, rather than the other way round.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe remedy for our pervasive passion for proving ourselves is to take a long hard look at the three dials on the dashboard of our humanity - our God-given physical, spiritual and emotional needs. It's time for those of us who are pastors to take control of our self care and our soul care. If we can't care for ourselves, how can we hope to care for those the Lord Jesus has entrusted to us?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe don't have to do this on our own; we need both personal friends and the body of the local church to help and encourage us. Taking\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSustaining Leadership\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eto heart will fill us not with optimism, but with hope. As Paul Swann rightly observes: 'What we hope for is secondary to who we hope in'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho should read this book? Every pastor on sabbatical who has time to think and pray. Every member of a leadership team that has responsibility for caring for its pastoral staff. And every church member who is concerned to encourage their pastors and help them thrive in serving the Lord Jesus for the long haul. Humanly, the health of our churches and the spread of the Lord Jesus' mission depends on the well-being of our pastors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Richard Underwood, Elder, Christchurch, Market Harborough\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e_______________________________________________\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Reader, Spring 2019. Review by John Knowles\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Jesus' disciples learnt what it meant to follow him through failed fishing trips, under-catered picnics and abortive exorcisms' sets the context for a very frank description of what happened after Paul Swann woke one morning with chronic ME. In his own words: 'I had been smashed to pieces through overwork, stress, damage to health and lack of self-care.' Out of his own experience come very practical and specific self-care strategies that recognise the specific stresses, positive and negative, that often accompany church leadership. Central to the book's thrust is its subtitle - 'You are more important that your ministry' - with the need to keep life and ministry in balance, where being is more important than doing and the rediscovery of Sabbath can be the antidote to 'hurry sickness'. Ministry can be very challenging and my experience as a diocesan Warden of Readers would suggest that it is not just stipendiary clergy who need to take care of themselves, making the advice enormously valuable to all in church leadership long before any warning lights begin to flash. Buy a copy for yourself and one for your incumbent!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by John Knowles\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Kate Wharton. 12.01.19 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/katewharton.blogspot.com\/2019\/01\/book-review-sustaining-leadership.html\"\u003ehttps:\/\/katewharton.blogspot.com\/2019\/01\/book-review-sustaining-leadership.html\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a wildly and hopelessly overdue blog! I read this wonderful book ages ago, and promised to review it here, but never got round to it. And be assured that the irony of not being able to find time to review a book about developing and maintaining healthy patterns of life and work is in no way lost on me...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is written by Paul Swann, and its subtitle is 'You are more important than your ministry'. A reasonable enough statement, you'd think, except that so many of us seem to forget this at one time or another, as we fall into the trap of believing ourselves to be indispensable, and allow our diaries, our ministries and our pressures define us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann speaks from very personal, and very difficult, experience. In 2005 he experienced a period of illness and fatigue which resulted in 4 years of trying to manage his health and ministry, before he decided completely to step back from his full time role. Out of that experience, and the ways in which he has since sought to rebuild and rebalance his life, he shares much insight and wisdom which every one of us in any sort of 'ministry' role would do well to heed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is really superb, and an absolute must read. It's easy to read in the sense of being clear and well written, with short chapters, but certainly not in the sense of being without substance. I sense that it's a book I will return to time and time again throughout the course of my ministry, when I need to be reminded of the nuggets it contains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the first page of the Introduction comes a quote that I know I need to keep front and centre of my mind (from Parker Palmer): 'Self-care is never a selfish act - it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know I have found a book enormously helpful when I highlight something on almost every page - and my copy of Sustaining Leadership is already well thumbed and with many yellow highlights! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Part 1, entitled 'Disintegration' Paul outlines his own story in 'Arriving on Planet Fragile'. I read it knowing it could easily have been me or any one of us. He is honest about his own personal and painful experiences, and the devastating impact they had upon him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Part 2, 'Reintegration', Paul describes how he began to recover, and gives a wealth of invaluable advice about self care, what healthy and unhealthy patterns of ministry might look like, and how we can find the right balance of all the competing demands and priorities within our lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI often say that the thing I find most frustrating about my job as a vicar (which I love almost all of the time), is that it is simply never finished. There is always something more which could or should be done. Paul speaks to this when he writes, 'From where will you get your permission to stop? It will not come from completing a job that has no ending, from receiving affirmation that seldom comes or from a hierarchical permission that rarely exists. Instead, it will have to come from the self-love and self-care of which we have spoken, augmented by obedience to the fourth commandment, which is our permission to rest.' I'm seriously considering getting that tattooed on my person, or at the very least stuck on the door of my study!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart 3 is called 'Holding on to Hope'. This reminds us of why we ultimately do what we do, and in whose strength we do it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really enjoyed the way this book is written. It is very practical, and actively encourages the reader to engage with the content rather than just to read the words. Throughout the book there are grey boxes where questions are asked which invite us to pause and reflect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is immensely real and honest, with just the right level of challenge - having gone through such a difficult period in his own life, Paul very much wants to make sure that others don't have to go through the same thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is wonderful and important - a definite must read for anyone involved in any kind of leadership or ministry. The future you will be glad you read this book now!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Paul says in the Introduction: 'Sustaining Leadership is not a book about what to do as a leader. It is a book about how to be as a leader.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by Kate Wharton\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLead On - CPAS e-newsletter, January 2019 Review by James Lawrence\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the start of the year it is good to take stock, to think and pray about the pressure and pace of life and leadership and any adjustments that it might be good to make for the year ahead. If you are planning to do that in any way, may I encourage you to get hold of Sustaining Leadership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann writes from personal experience of having 'four years in the wilderness of total fatigue'. This is an honest book. It recounts his descent into a place of fragility, and the stripping away of many of the things he relied on to bolster his own sense of identity. He reflects that there are 'no words to describe the density of the darkness and the intensity of the isolation.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen follow chapters that helpfully explore the relationship between self-care and self-sacrifice, ways of identifying 'hurry sickness', symptoms of burn out and stress, the place of boundary keeping and Sabbath disciplines. The insights are well illustrated from a wide variety of sources, and contain short perceptive comments that make you think: for example 'margin is the vital space between your load and your limits.' The final chapters on soul food and holding onto hope introduce practical ways to self-compassion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining Leadership will make a good companion for a Quiet Day or a month of reflecting on yourself through January. Heed its wise insights, and we may find ourselves in a more sustainable place as leaders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by James Lawrence, Director CPAS\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Times, 12 October 2018. Review by Peter Selby, former Bishop of Worcester\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee beyond the small size of this book to an offering of generosity and wide-ranging wisdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts generosity lies in Paul Swann's writing about his experience of illness without holding much back: he invites us into his experience of chronic fatigue. We are given a graphic, though not over-dramatised, account of the terrible toll that ME took on the author.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven more significant is the particular distress that burnout brings to a person of great talent and deep commitment, when he reaches the point when he has to say, 'I can't do this any more.' Fragility - to put it mildly - was what he encountered as he 'hit the buffers'; then fragility was what had gradually to be emerged from, and then, as its meaning became clear, to be embraced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, the first third of the book is about that experience, although even as we read it we have the sense that faith, though tested, never totally lost its ability to provide perspective and meaning in his suffering. That perspective is the foundation for the wisdom in the next hundred pages: the practical necessity as well as the spiritual importance of self-care, particularly for the most energetic, creative, and committed, who find self-care hardest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn many sermons, the Pauline image of the clay pot - to which Swann refers a great deal - can remain a general comment about ministerial humility rather than pointing to specific vulnerabilities that need specific remedies and responses. It is because this author gets specific that this book is lifted above well-meaning exhortation to be both challenging and of practical use to those who find it hard in practice to accept the subtitle's message that 'You are more important than your ministry.' The many examples of vulnerability and practical self-care are supported by a wide selection of biblical citation and the wider reading that was, no doubt, part of the author's self-care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlongside all that is worth while in the book, there remain some questions. Surely, a more artistic and nourishing front-cover design would have portrayed the book more accurately. And isn't the subtitle rather than the title the real message of this book? It is for everyone, not just, or even mainly, 'leaders'? The book is at least partly a critique of what the designation 'leader' engenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet, if this is a book for everyone, it especially challenges those who have oversight of others' ministry. I happen to have been the bishop involved in the author's call to undertake the special challenge of growing and enlivening a church in the centre of Worcester. It is hardly a decision that I can regret, given all the good that has flowed from it. But, since the disintegration and the reintegration that this book describes are also what (in part) flowed from that decision, I found the book a particular challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking at my former ministry, I ask myself, in gladly appointing some of our strongest people to the hardest tasks, are we as aware as we need to be of the particular support and resourcing needs that such colleagues have? Or do we just hope that the talented and the committed will find their own way of avoiding burnout? That goes along with a more searching question: how well are we ourselves modelling self-care?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut this gentle author also knows how to use examples that challenge lightly; so if you ever catch yourself not completing the two minutes that your electric toothbrush allows, remember it's not just your teeth that you're not caring for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by t\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ehe Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby, a former Bishop of Worcester\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Canon Steve Coneys, Mission and Growth Advisor, Canterbury Diocese\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when you realise that the work you love is making you sick?\u003cbr\u003eThis gem of a book traces the story of how a capable Christian leader experiences such physical and emotional disintegration that he hears himself saying to his bishop, 'I can't do this any more'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucid and concise, Paul Swann's book is an essay in practical spirituality, one that is based on grace rather than our own attempts at self-justifying significance. The central argument is that, with a proper understanding of our belovedness as God's children, and a clear view of God's loving character, we can be freed to care for ourselves and live healthy, grateful lives. How many of us, not just Christian leaders, need to learn this lesson?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is the way the writer communicates the reality of grace in the midst his own sense of failure and weakness which distinguishes this book: 'One day, as I was struggling with low self-esteem and the battle to recover... I complained to God, 'This is too hard for me to do!' Swiftly and firmly, but with extreme gentleness, came the response: 'Is it too hard to be my son?'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInsights from films like Wonder Woman, spiritual writers like Margery Kempe, storytellers such as Lewis Carroll and theologians like Walter Breuggemann, combine with Paul Swann's own experience of reintegration to make the book a compelling read. The lesson that every Christian minister - every human being - needs to hear is brought home with elegance and power: you are more important than what you do. Get hold of this book and read it slowly. If I could, I would buy a copy for every church leader I know.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRevd Canon Steve Coneys, Mission and Growth Advisor, Canterbury Diocese\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by John Pellowe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a real challenge to church leaders to take better care of themselves and to more intentionally build up the local church they serve. Paul Swann's story of his descent into illness, burnout, and depression is mercifully short (one chapter) but it is sufficient to help people who have not had a similar experience to understand what it is really like, and how much they are suffering something real. He gave me a real empathy for those who suffered as he did.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really thought it helpful how he framed his situation - 'fragility' is such a good word! We are all fragile people and need to accept that fragility is part of our human condition. No one is impervious to what this writer experienced. The two chapters on emerging from fragility and embracing fragility are very practical and inspirational. Paul has redeemed his story of recovery in sharing it with others, and much good will come of it, I'm sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the book is full of great ideas to build strength into the people of the Church so that we can better serve those in the world around us who are suffering, as well as protecting ourselves from suffering as Paul did.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I finished the book, my thought was, 'How much more effective the Church would be if we all caught on to the principles and practices outlined in the book!'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReview by John Pellowe, CEO Canadian Council of Christian Charities\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Timothy Marlow, Business Consultant and IT Director\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the world in which we live, everyone wants to be seen as perfect. We gloss over the failures, claim insight after the event which wasn't there at the time, even post our best selfies on social media. We long to be seen as successful, and to be liked by all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what happens when it all goes wrong? When you're made redundant? Or you're broken by the expectations placed on you? Especially if you're supposed to be in Christian ministry?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Swann has helpfully broken this book into small digestible chunks, with loads of practical advice. If you're in pain, or struggling in any way. Even if you're just feeling a little weary or burdened, then you can flick through it and find something which resonates before working out from there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul observes that burnout doesn't suddenly happen. Rather it creeps up on us over time. We all need the advice he gives for maintaining ourselves. Buy this book, read it carefully, then keep it handy so that you can dip into it regularly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTimothy Marlow, Business Consultant and IT Director\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Steve Chase\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining Leadership is written from the reality of Paul Swann's own personal journey through the difficult challenges of leadership and life. He writes with honesty, great vulnerability and deep self-awareness. Sharing lessons hard learnt in the weakness of his humanity, Paul takes the reader gently into some of the places we so often avoid. He offers proven examples from his own faith journey, along with insights from the lives of those who gone before, that our most authentic identity is found in being loved by God. Paul encourages the discovery of that authentic place of 'being', from which all can learn to love well, live well and lead well! I have already brought 3 copies and passed them on!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSteve Chase\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Sustaining Leadership: You are more important than your ministry
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Many books on leadership and ministry are written from the point of view of success and strength. In Sustaining Leadership...