Continuing his series of sermons for the Common Lectionary (Revised), Bruce Taylor offers theologically rich, sacramentally sensitive, and biblically centered proclamations for the Sundays and major feast days of Year B, from Pentecost through Christ the King (Reign of Christ), and a sample of preaching from the Daily Lectionary. As in his other sermon collections, readers will find here a strong testimony to Christian unity and a deep appreciation of the heritage and contemporary relevance of the church as well as the importance of individual discipleship. Taylor’s examples of story sermons are poignant and demonstrate how this style of preaching can be profound as well as engaging. Preachers and devotional readers alike will find Life Woven into God a welcome companion to their discovery of the treasures of the liturgical year and faithful exploration of Mark’s Gospel, along with the accompanying Scripture passages commended for use in Christian worship.

Designed with today's busy lifestyles in mind, this versatile collection will help you create a regular pattern of prayer, even if you have only a snatched moment. Popular spiritual writer Angela Ashwin provides an order of prayer for every day of the Christian year that can be used in a variety of ways depending on individual circumstances.

Most books are like visitors. They come and go. This book can be a long-term companion and assistant as you weave prayer into the tapestry of your life. Weaving Prayer Into the Tapestry of Life pictures each of us as a weaver at a loom, creating in every moment our life's tapestry. The transformative thread of prayer is always available to be woven into our life's design. In this weaving, we experience in wonder the creative presence of God. The chapters of this book gives an overview of Christian understanding and practice of prayer. The author combines Scripture, voices and sources from the tradition of the church, poetry, stories, and accounts of personal experience to explore ten of the most familiar ways Christians pray. These are: centering, praise, confession, meditative reading of Scripture, petition, intercession, dedication, silence, and benediction. Nine sets of Prayer Prompts, one with each chapter, invite you to move from thinking to doing. They provide a framework for personal devotion that includes all of the dimensions of Christian prayer discussed in the chapters. Resources from Scripture, prayers of the church, and contemporary materials offer structure and stimulus for expressing the prayers of your heart. These Prayer Prompts are adaptable for repeated use. Members of a prayer group or spiritual growth group may enjoy sharing experiences with this book. "Martha Rowlett deeply understands Christian thinking, Christian living, Christian prayer, and, dare I say it, God. She shares her wisdom with utmost simplicity. Those who use her book will find themselves becoming better Christians." -John Cobb, professor emeritus, Claremont School of Theology

Living God's Word is your pathway to read the Bible as it was meant to be read: as God's Great Story. Many Christians resolve to study the Bible more fervently, but often struggle to grasp the progression of Scripture as a whole. They encounter various passages each week through unrelated readings, studies, and sermons and it all feels disconnected. But once they see the Bible as God's Great Story, they begin to understand how it all fits together and they start see how their own lives fit into what God has done and is doing in the world. In Living God's Word, Second Edition, New Testament scholar J. Scott Duvall and Old Testament expert J. Daniel Hays help Christians consider how their lives can be integrated into the story of the Bible, thus enabling them to live faithfully in deep and important ways. Living God's Word explores the entire Bible through broad themes that trace the progression of God's redemptive plan. Each section deals with a certain portion of Scripture's story and includes: Reading/listening preparation Explanation Summary Observations about theological significance Connections to the Great Story Written assignments for further study These features--combined with the authors' engaging style--make Living God's Word an ideal book for those who want to understand the Bible better, for introductory college courses, Sunday school electives, or small group study. Readers can further enhance their learning experience with the Living God's Word WORKBOOK (sold separately) which contains additional questions and exercises to help them reflect on what they are reading in Living God's Word.

“Since the dawn of time man has searched the vast heavens for answers.” When we see the violence, the pain, around us, we wonder if there is more to this existence. First with our eyes, then with a telescope, and now with technology capable of going into space itself, we have tried to ascertain whether we are alone in this vast universe—if this is all that there is for us. The enemy wants us to believe that, but if we do, we are so very wrong. Our wonderful God and Savior wants us to someday be with Him in the heavens above. However, He doesn’t want us to have to wait until then to experience His kingdom in our hearts. He has given us the tools to sort through the onslaught of media lies around us to find the kernel of hope and truth that He desires for us to have—right now, TODAY. This book can help you do that. You will read about the great controversy between good and evil, and how that battle has played out in the author’s life. You will learn about the history of Christianity and the hope found in Jesus. And you will discover how it’s possible for each of us to live a prosperous, joy-filled life, here, NOW, on earth. We don’t have to wait until heaven to experience it. Just reach out and grasp it—take hold of it and don’t let go.

‘Saints are people of unearthly beauty who show us a deep understanding of the fluid nature of divine grace.’ This warm-hearted book is for those of us who enter Advent longing for spiritual sustenance to balance the worldly charms of the Christmas season. Jesus’ arrival in poverty and vulnerability provoked feelings of unease as well as expectation and hope . . . How will we keep the faith as Christians called to live distinctively in an age of anxiety? Magdalen Smith believes we can be inspired by people from the past – those whose names are familiar or less so – whom the Church calls ‘saints’. In these wide-ranging devotions, full of contemporary stories and enjoyable cultural allusions, she introduces 24 characters who manifest a mysterious dynamic . . . and enable us to glimpse holiness in a new way. ‘With heartfelt honesty, clarity and humanity, Magdalen Smith challenges the Church to see the journey ahead with new eyes. This book is a timely prophetic call to be refreshed by our inheritance in ways that renew integrity and hope.’ Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport ‘A treasure chest of gems.’ Jill Duff, Director of St Mellitus North West training course

"Wise Church is about rethinking church cultures so they become more of a wisdom culture. The topics vary as widely as church life itself: letter writing as pastoral care, the work life of congregants, evangelism, music, church economics, spiritual formation as the pursuit of wisdom, racial justice, marriage, learning how to teach like Jesus, gospeling like the apostles, and the wise use of social media. These studies are by pastors and scholars pondering wisdom, but more than that, they are pondering the life we all live in a wise way. We and our churches need wisdom, not simply because we live in an ever-changing world, but because the God we worship is himself wise. Wise church cultures reflect the wisdom of God back into the world, a world looking for wisdom." With contributions from: Jeff Bannman Jeremy Berg Brandon Evans Pete Goodman David Johnston Ernest F. Ledbetter III Julie Murdock Joshua Little John M. Phelps Ivan Ramirez Bill D. Shiell

Fairacres Publications 213 In increasingly busy and diverse lives what might it mean to live as priests, immersed in God and the world? This book explores a personal experience of ordained priesthood shaped by the Jesus Prayer in the context of the Catholic, charismatic and evangelical traditions. It explores the contemplative disciplines of Presence and Attentiveness to the overflowing life of God in all things. There is an invitation to all, ordained or not, to enter into a life stretched through the abundance of God. While realistic about the challenges we face, this book seeks to nurture hope in the God who is always at work in Christ by the Spirit.

We live in a world facing many crises, pandemics, climate and environmental challenges, human rights abuses, and threats of totalitarian regimes. Romano Guardini (1885-1968), a major influencer of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, worked through one of the most difficult periods of German history--the first half of the twentieth century. What does he have to say to these challenges, and how is his notion of providence relevant today? Jane Lee-Barker shows how Guardini's insight and deep thought on God's providence weave their way through his work, enabling the reader to fully appreciate "God's world." In relationship with God, the human person is invited to participate in responsible care for the world while responding to their own vocational call from the God who sustains him or her.