Books

MOVING ON

Grief in Ministry Transitions

Silvia Purdie, editor

The Rev. Silvia Purdie brings extensive leadership experience to this work of pastoral theology.  An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand with a background in youth and family ministry, she is also a counsellor, professional supervisor and
consultant.
“I commend this book as a ministry in its own right – a service for God’s servants so that we may transition better. A treasury of wisdom and a toolbox of liturgical resources.”
+  Peter Carrell ,
Anglican Bishop of Christchurch.

STRUGGLING WITH FORGIVENESS

Stories from People & Communities

David Self

Can forgiveness be a way of breaking the cycle of bitterness, revenge, and violence?
How do Christ’s life, death, and resurrection help us know that we are forgiven?

These powerful firsthand stories reflect the tremendous range of our experience of conflict and forgiveness: in families, at work, between individuals, within whole societies, from Canada to Ireland to Africa. We read of struggles to be forgiven, to forgive another, to forgive oneself; struggles of faith and courage to carry on.  There is such pain, such richness, such possibility for release and healing.
– The Rt Rev. Barry Rogerson,  former Bishop of Bristol

FAITH AND HOPE IN MIDLIFE

Reflecting on Churchgoers’ Experiences

Anne Shave

“How can the church attend to the needs of people in midlife? This is such a vital question both in terms of how we care for people but also
how the church maintains meaningful connection with this group in an age when many people are disconnecting.
… Anne Shave’s work is based on significant research and well-chosen interviews and provides an invaluable insight into the spiritual journeys and needs of this age group. Anne not only records her findings, but also draws helpful conclusions….
This is a good read, challenging and inspirational for church life.”
– Rt Rev Hamish Galloway, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa NZ

THE BIBLE IN WORLD HISTORY

Putting Scripture Into a Global Context

Dr Stephen Leston

What was happening outside Bible Lands during the Events of Scripture?

Find out with The Bible in World History, a fully illustrated reference that puts God’s Word into a global historical context.
This fascinating book breaks biblical and early church history into several major time periods, including : – Creation to the Tower of Babel – The Age of the Patriarchs – The Establishment of Israel -The Jewish Captivity – “Anno Domini.” The “Year of Our Lord” – and covers the  origins of earth and humanity through approximately AD 330.  For each period of biblical history, you’ll read – in text and helpful timelines – what was happening in other parts of the world, such as: the Middle East – China – India – Africa – South America.
The Bible in World History will help you see how God has worked through the entirety of human experience.

CENTERING PRAYER AND INNER AWAKENING

Cynthia Bourgeault

“The focus in this book is the contribution she perceives that Centering Prayer can make to the renewal and appropriate adaptation of the Christian  contemplative  heritage  to  the circumstances of our time.
…My special and heartfelt thanks to Cynthia for her monumental contribution to the better understanding of the Centering Prayer practice…” – from the foreword by Thomas Keating.

“Cynthia Bourgeault’s book is a must read, not just for those whose practice is Centering Prayer but for anyone who is interested in living a truly contemplative life.  She speaks to the mind, but more importantly to the heart.  Her simple and clear explanations of the contemplative process so apparently based in her own experience re-ignited my own yearning to live a deeply God-centered life and renewed my commitment to the practice.
This book is destined to be  classic.”
– Anne Simpkinson, co-author, Soul Work: A  Field Guide for Spiritual Seekers.

THE GIFT OF YEARS

Growing Older Gracefully

Joan Chittister

Joan Chittister, one of our most cele-brated spiritual writers, invites us to embrace older age as a natural part of life that is both active and contemplative, productive and reflective, and deeply rewarding. She encourages us to cherish the blessings of ageing and to overcome its challenges, and shows us that this is a special period of life – maybe the most special of them all. Older age gives us wisdom, freedom, and  prosperity of another kind. Older age enlightens – not simply ourselves, but also those around us. To live these years well, we need to look at every one of them head up and alive. Life is not about the length of years we manage to eke out of it. It is about living into the values offered every day, about growing older with grace. Perhaps the most important dimension of older age, Joan Chittister illuminates, is to become aware of its profound purpose. The gift of these years is not merely being alive, it is the gift of becoming more fully alive than ever.

“It’s the best book I have read on the subject of ageing, a dazzling work radiant with gems of insight on every page.”
–  Andrew Greeley,
author of The Great Mysteries