Lent
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Pause : Spending Lent With The Psalms
$17.00Add to cartLent is an ideal time to step back and reflect on the deeper movements of the spirit, and Elizabeth Caldwell helps readers do this through a simple but profound approach. Pause: Spending Lent with the Psalms invites us to take up the spiritual practice of encountering, sinking into, and deeply engaging with one psalm each week during Lent and Holy Week.
Lent is an ideal time to step back and reflect on the deeper movements of the spirit, and Elizabeth Caldwell helps readers do this through a simple but profound approach. Pause: Spending Lent with the Psalms invites us to take up the spiritual practice of encountering, sinking into, and deeply engaging with one psalm each week during Lent and Holy Week.
The season of Lent encourages Christians to consider a different pace-one of slowing down, noticing, pausing-than what our dominant culture values. The invitation to pause with the Psalms begins on Ash Wednesday, starting with a mark of ashes on our foreheads that reminds us that in spite of our failures-things we have done or failed to do-we belong to God. Readers are then guided into an exploration of Psalm 51 and the theme of a clean heart. Each chapter helps readers to connect an image drawn from that psalm, such as paths, faces, blessing, tables, waiting, thanksgiving, listening, being alone or abandoned, and hands, with their own lives. At the close of each chapter, readers are invited to try a different prayer practice to help them continue to reflect on the theme and psalm each day. This intentional engagement-without feeling burdensome-opens just enough space and time for a creative spiritual practice to flourish, sustaining the life of faith during the Lenten season in ways that can make a difference in God’s world.
Reflection and discussion questions are included with each chapter The book includes a leader’s guide at the end for study groups.
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Hard And Holy Work
$17.00Add to cartMary Alice Birdwhistell and Tyler Mayfield reflect on the brave action of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah and other faithful women in Exodus, Moses’ awakening to the plight of the Hebrew people, Moses’ life-changing encounter with the burning bush, the Israelites taking the risk of crossing the Red Sea, and more-alongside numerous contemporary stories-to help readers to see anew and contemplate how God is calling them to respond to what is not right in the world: racial injustice, especially borne by women of color, houselessness, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities.
Are we paying attention to the holy ground beneath our feet? Where do we see burning bushes in our world today, and what are they calling us to do? Do spiritual encounters in our lives have holy consequences in the world around us? Many of us want to understand how to integrate our personal spiritual lives more actively with our engagement in working for justice and the liberation of the oppressed and marginalized. Hard and Holy Work provides a space for just that, helping readers participate in Lent in a new way by becoming attuned to God’s boundless presence in our world and waking up to and taking action for God’s justice through exploring stories from the book of Exodus that have inspired the work of liberation for centuries.
Pastor Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Hebrew Bible scholar Tyler Mayfield reflect on the brave action of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah and other faithful women in Exodus, Moses’ awakening to the plight of the Hebrew people, Moses’ life-changing encounter with the burning bush, the Israelites taking the risk of crossing the Red Sea, and more-alongside numerous contemporary stories-to help readers to see anew and contemplate how God is calling them to respond to what is not right in the world: racial injustice, especially borne by women of color, houselessness, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities.
Lent is traditionally a time of self-reflection and action that prepares followers of Christ to walk more intentionally in the way of God. Hard and Holy Work takes readers through a unique Lenten journey, encouraging us to see those who are marginalized or suffering as God sees them; contemplate how privilege, fear, risk, and feelings of uncertainty can cloud our attention; and practice endurance for the messy middle of justice work, leaning on God’s provision and rest when the way forward is
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Where We Meet
$16.99Add to cartJesus devoted himself to uplifting the poor, reaching out to the marginalized, and fearlessly challenging systems of oppression. His message resounded with the promise of liberation, equality, and inclusion for all, and he implored his followers to pursue the same. However, the church has often struggled to reflect this good news in its own actions.
In Where We Meet, four members of the Intersect network invite you to immerse yourself in the stories of Jesus and the early church. Together, they also explore their own stories, examine past shortcomings of the church, address difficult questions, and envision a brighter future that better reflects the good news of Jesus.
Throughout the Lenten season, Rachel Gilmore, Tyler Sit, Matt Temple, and Candace Lewis guide you through a series of daily reflections, exploring a spectrum of critical themes-from diversity and equity to the challenges of the post-colonial church. They will also delve into the vital need for innovation and contextualization in doing the work Jesus had called us to do.
Prepare to tackle challenging questions and be emboldened to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, pursuing justice and love for all.
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Tarry Awhile : Wisdom From Black Spirituality For People Of Faith – The Arc
$15.99Add to cartTarry here and watch with me . . . (Matt 26.38, KJV)
Tarrying is a Black Christian spiritual practice in which believers actively wait to experience the manifestation of God’s presence. It answers yes to the question Jesus once asked his disciples: will you tarry here and watch with me? Whether in the vibrancy of music and singing, or in the hushed silence of the congregation, people of all ages anticipate an encounter with God that will transform what they know, feel and experience day to day.
This book makes the wisdom of Black spiritualities and faith available for all people. It focuses on seven themes: darkness as a place of encounter with the divine; the unity of all things; movement, belonging and migration; the Spirit as one who moves in unexpected ways; quiet contemplation as essential to spiritual growth; healing in community; and weeping that turns to joy.
Tarry Awhile centres the stories of often overlooked people and communities, offering wisdom for all people who hope to encounter God in the midst of wearying times. It provides fresh reflections on familiar biblical passages, and draws on personal stories, theology and the spiritual wisdom of ancestors who have gone before us.
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Journeying With God In The Wilderness
$15.99Add to cartIs there hope to be found in the wilderness?
Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, which many Christians remember during Lent, echoes the story of God’s people wandering for forty years in the wilderness. We often struggle to get to grips with the book of Numbers that tells of these wanderings. But this daily Lent devotional opens up how the Israelites’ wilderness journey can speak to us in our daily struggles and challenges today, by reading the Book of Numbers alongside the New Testament and reflecting with daily prayers and questions.
Through all the ups-and-downs of their wilderness adventure, we join with God’s people as they learn to see the sure and certain fulfilment of God’s future promises. We discover God’s abiding presence through, as well as in, the wilderness. We see how the wilderness points us forward to the Promised Land, and to Jesus as the one who brings us into the fulness of God’s promises.
With readings from Numbers and from the New Testament each day, Journeying with God in the Wilderness guides us through an often-neglected book of the Bible, helping us to make sense of the Old Testament through the lens of the New, giving us Christ-centred hope.
Journeying with God in the Wilderness is written as an aide to the spiritual journey of faith, and can be read either individually or in small groups. It will encourage and inspire anyone feeling lost or bewildered on life’s journey, or who wants to join in with the long Christian tradition of Lent as a wilderness experience, by showing them the fulfilment of the promises of God to his people in the wilderness.
Join Mark Broadway this Lent and find hope for your wilderness journey.
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Meeting Jesus At The Table
$17.00Add to cartThe Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples, friends, even tax collectors and Pharisees. Whether multiplying bread to feed a whole crowd, relaxing with his inner circle, or telling curious elites stories about even greater banquets, Jesus imparts wisdom as he shares the wine and grants forgiveness as he distributes the fish. This eight-chapter resource provides biblical insights along with thought-provoking queries regarding our own time, such as whom should we invite to Sunday dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture today.
Illustrations by artist Kevin Burns complement each chapter and invite further meditation on the Gospel story and its meaning for our lives.
Each chapter includes questions for small group discussion or personal reflection. A guide for church leaders offers suggestions for preaching this book as a sermon series and incorporating food-related outreach and hospitality efforts.
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Desert Of Compassion
$17.00Add to cartThe desert, a landscape both severe and beautiful, embodies spiritual struggle and divine support.
Jesus experienced forty days of testing and transformation in the rugged Judean desert. Whether disease, social injustice, personal loss, or other challenges have led you to the spiritual desert, it may seem doubtful that any good can come from hardship. Yet it was the arid wilderness of physical deprivation and soul-deep testing that prepared Jesus to live a life of devotion, courage, and merciful service to others. Deserts have much to teach about vulnerability, tenacity, and the interdependence of living beings.
The season of Lent, based on Jesus’ forty days in the desert, calls you to navigate your own trials with trust in God and compassion for yourself. By doing so, you can learn to treat your dear ones, your neighbors, and all creatures with care contoured by wisdom.
In these daily devotions for the Lenten journey, author Rachel M. Srubas draws on her life and learnings as a contemplative pastor, spiritual director, and desert dweller. Written in language both relatable and reverent, The Desert of Compassion provides daily Lenten sustenance inspired by sacred Scripture, present-day teachings, and personal experience. It is equally suitable for individual readers and spiritual formation groups.
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Finding Jesus In The Psalms Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartA meaningful encounter with Jesus and the Psalms through the season of Lent with Barb Roose.
In this six-session study, Bible study author Barb Roose guides the reader through a meaningful encounter with the Psalms through the season of Lent. Combining an interpretation of the psalms with prayerful engagement, the study moves through the familiar words of Psalm 23 toward the painful cries of Psalm 22 uttered by Jesus on the cross. The study includes invitations to pray the Psalms and develop new prayer practices in the context of Lent. Additional components for this six-week study include a book and DVD/Video Sessions featuring Barb Roose.
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Way Of Thomas Merton
$13.99Add to cartCelebrated by Pope Francis as one of the three greatest Americans of the modern era, Thomas Merton lived a life that reflects the complexities of our age. Thomas is the perfect companion for a Lenten journey, and in The Way of Thomas Merton: A Prayer Journey Through Lent, Professor Robert Inchausti explores and explains his writings for Christians today. Inchausti is the editor of the Thomas Merton books Echoing Silence, Seeds, and The Pocket Thomas Merton and his passion and expertise on Thomas Merton shines through.
This practical and thought-provoking Lent book guides you through the major themes of Merton’s work and shows how his words can help you overcome the difficulties that modern life presents for spiritual development. For Merton, the spiritual life is a journey from the false to the true self – a journey that all followers of Jesus must make. This book will help you to find and develop your true self as you journey through Lent and beyond.
The Way of Thomas Merton is an illuminating prayer journey that will leave you with a deeper understanding of Merton’s writings, and help you to cultivate a greater spiritual awareness and sensitivity amid the busyness of modern day life.
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Just Passion : A Six-Week Lenten Journey
$12.99Add to cartA Collection of Lenten Devotions from IVP Authors
Injustice is rampant around us. It is also present within us. To better confront oppression in the world, we must own that reality and look to Christ our liberator. Lent is the opportune time for this as we contemplate his suffering together.
With selections from a diverse range of IVP books, A Just Passion has been curated to hold in tension the immense weight and hope of the Lenten season. This collection of short readings, breath prayers, and Scripture passages from the First Nations Version guides readers through a six-week journey of repentance, lament, worship, and healing.
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Water For The Way
$12.99Add to cartThe journey that God’s people are called to make to the cross with Christ is not an easy one. Each year we spend forty days in reflection upon all the seasons of wilderness we know we will experience in our lives, or have already experienced. The wilderness makes us thirsty and weary, but we know we do not journey alone. Christ carries and sustains us on our way. Experience the thirst-quenching, soul-refreshing sufficiency of Jesus in a new way this Lenten season as you walk in community toward the cross with Water for the Way.
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Gift Of The Cross
$17.99Add to cartHave you ever dived deeper into the Easter story? Is there a more meaningful way to experience Lent? How does Christ’s death on the cross pave the way for your relationship with God the Father and transform every day of your life? In The Gift of the Cross, beloved and trusted pastor Dr. Charles Stanley walks us through the Lenten and Easter seasons with biblical teaching on Christ’s journey to the cross, the wonder of His divine resurrection, and what all of this means for believers today.
Discover how this one event forms the absolute foundation for everything Christians believe and will impact not just how you celebrate Lent and Easter but how you can experience joy and hope all year long.
Both men and women will be encouraged in their faith walk as they focus on these truths that:
*you can find rest in the final work of the Cross
*Jesus lives and reigns and is intimately involved in your life
*you can experience God’s love and the promises of the resurrection in both this life and the nextReaders will find:
*a renewed sense of joy as they observe and celebrate the Lenten and Easter seasons
*gorgeous photography alongside powerful scriptures and Dr. Stanley’s insights
*decades of biblical study and teachings on Jesus’s life, death, and resurrectionDevelop a deeper understanding of the Lenten and Easter seasons through The Gift of the Cross. Followers of Dr. Charles Stanley will also enjoy The Gift of Prayer and The Gift of Heaven.
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Art Of Lent
$17.99Add to cartJoin Sister Wendy on a journey through Lent, and discover the timeless wisdom to be found in some of the world’s greatest paintings.
Illustrated in full colour with over forty famous and lesser-known masterpieces of Western art, this beautiful book will lead you into a deeply prayerful response to all that these paintings convey to the discerning eye.
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Time To Grow
$17.00Add to cartThis Lenten study explores the thematic elements of gardening and eating (such as soil, water, light, time, fasting, and feasting) to connect faith to food as we slow down, grow, and celebrate with feasting on Easter Sunday. Additional elements include sermon prompts, liturgies, altar art ideas, and prompts for children’s time during worship.
From Eden to Gethsemane to the garden in which Jesus was buried and raised, our story of faith wanders through much fertile soil. But in our current world of fast food and to-go meals, we often do not make time to explore where our food comes from and how we break bread together. Journeying through the season of Lent with this in mind, A Time to Grow encourages readers to slow down, move through the painstaking process of growth, and end together with great feasting and celebration of the resurrection. Themes of soil, water, light, time, fasting, feasting, and more guide the way from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Readers will explore the intricacies of how faith is required to produce food and how that faith can lead us all to feast at the table on Easter morning.
Additional elements are included to enhance communal spiritual practice for small groups or the entire congregation during Lent. These elements include sermon prompts, liturgies with communal responses, altar art ideas for decorating worship spaces, and prompts for children’s time in worship.
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Witness At The Cross
$17.99Add to cartExperience Holy Friday from the perspective of those who watched Jesus die: Mary his mother; the Beloved Disciple from the Gospel of John; Mary Magdalene and the other women from Galilee; the two men, usually identified as thieves, crucified with Jesus; the centurion and the soldiers; Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Jews and Romans, friends and strangers, the powerful and the powerless, the hopeful and the despairing.
In Witness at the Cross, Amy-Jill Levine shows how the people at the cross each have distinct roles to play in the Gospels. For each, Jesus has a particular meaning and message, and from each, we learn how those meanings and messages cross the centuries to any who would come to the cross today.
Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring Dr. Levine and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
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Unrevealed Until Its Season
$14.99Add to cartAuthor James Howell believes in the power of song to teach spiritual truths. “Hymns embed faith into the marrow of the soul,” he writes. In Unrevealed Until Its Season, Howell takes readers on a 40-day journey through popular songs of the church.
Reflecting on well-loved hymn phrases, Howell helps readers discover who God is and what following Jesus means. A great Lenten devotional guide for individuals, small groups, and church choirs, this book is an invaluable resource-and perfect gift-for musicians as they prepare for worship, and for ministers as they preach and lead worship.
The weekly themes include Praising God, Hymns About Jesus, Hymns of Forgiveness, Hymns of Vision, Hymns of Beauty, Hymns of Holy Week, and Hymns of Easter. Howell ponders phrases from hymns old and new, such as “Be Thou My Vision,” “Hymn of Promise,” “All Creatures of Our God and King,” “For Everyone Born,” “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “Lift High the Cross,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
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Lent Of Liberation
$17.00Add to cartEach of these forty devotions for Lent includes the testimony of a person who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad, a Scripture passage, and a reflection connecting biblical and historical themes to challenge modern readers to work for liberation.
This Lenten devotional invites readers to learn more about the brutal institution of slavery and its impact on Black people in America and discover how its evolution and legacy continue to harm their descendants in the United States today. Each of the forty devotions includes the testimony of a person who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad, a Scripture passage, and a reflection connecting biblical and historical themes to challenge modern readers to work for liberation. Reflecting on Lenten themes of exodus, redemption, discipline, and repentance, readers, both Black and white, will be empowered for the work of racial justice.
This Lenten devotional invites readers to learn more about the brutal institution of slavery and its impact on Black people in America and discover how its evolution and legacy continue to harm their descendants in the United States today. Each of the forty devotions includes the testimony of a person who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad, a Scripture passage, and a reflection connecting biblical and historical themes to challenge modern readers to work for liberation. Reflecting on Lenten themes of exodus, redemption, discipline, and repentance, readers, both Black and white, will be empowered for the work of racial justice.
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Rooted In Love
$18.99Add to cartDrawing on the collective wisdom of all the area bishops in the Diocese of London. each reflection includes a Bible reading, a prayer and a suggestion for action based on the reading.
Who is the Christ we serve? What does it mean to be part of the body of Christ? How can we live more Christ-centred lives? Introduced and edited by Bishop Sarah Mullally, here are forty reflections that lead us deeper into the meaning and practice of life in Christ today. Drawing on the collective wisdom of all the area bishops in the Diocese of London. each reflection includes a Bible reading, a prayer and a suggestion for action based on the reading. The result is an exceptionally helpful Lent book, offering a rich array of biblical insight and spiritual guidance that Christians of all traditions will warmly welcome and appreciate.
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Worship At Home Lent 2021
$9.99Add to cartWorship at Home: Lent 2021 is packed with weekly worship services you can do on your own or with others and includes services for each week in Lent, including Ash Wednesday and services for Holy Week. This book is for congregations and individuals who want to stay spiritually connected and growing, even when they’re not worshiping together in the same space. It provides everything you need to conduct meaningful, spiritually fulfilling, traditionally rooted worship services at home or in other intimate environments.
Each service includes essential worship elements, from gathering to benediction, with words and actions you can say and do yourself, links for online musical selections plus traditional hymn suggestions from a variety of hymnals.
Here’s how individuals and families can use Worship at Home:
– Individuals can use the resource for personal devotion and worship at any time, wherever they like. Use the entire service, or simply choose whatever portions are helpful.– Families can use Worship at Home in the same ways, any time and any place.
– Suggestions are included for creating worship spaces at home, and for involving children in the services.
Here’s how congregations or groups can use Worship at Home:
– Pastors or group leaders can use this resource as complete worship plans for weekly church services. The pastor might prepare a sermon or homily, but everything else is ready to go.– People can use the resource for worship in any space-at a senior care center, in a park, on the lawn, at the church, and so forth. No bulletins or hymnals are needed.
– People gathered to worship via Zoom, FaceTime, Instagram Live, or livestream will all be reading aloud the same prayers from these books, singing the same songs or singing along with a video.
This provides real participation and a sense of community, even when people are worshiping remotely.
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Sacred Invitation : Lenten Devotions Inspired By The Book Of Common Prayer
$11.99Add to cartThe purpose of the season of Lent in the Christian calendar is to help us orient our lives toward the central celebration of the Christian faith: the resurrection from the dead of Jesus the Messiah. Easter is so much more than just another religious observance. It is the recognition that the resurrection of Jesus changed everything. God has issued us the Sacred Invitation to join Jesus on the journey toward the cross. Dr. Jesse C Middendorf and Rev. Stephanie Dyrness Lobdell have co-authored this daily devotional, using scriptures from the Book of Common Prayer, to prepare the church to grasp the life-changing reality of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As we journey through Lent, may we find our place in that grand story.
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Ambassadors For Christ Cycle B
$15.95Add to cartWhat does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ? This is the question that John Jamison asks throughout this Lenten season. During this time where we remember Jesus’ final weeks and actions before his death and resurrection, we must ask ourselves how we can live more like Jesus did, and how we are showing God’s presence to the world? Jamison uses a unique mix of historical fact and modern examples throughout his sermons to show his congregation the many ways that the disciples had lived in Jesus’ example, and how we can do the same. Although we all have those days where we may not act in a way that is befitting of Jesus, Jamison reminds us that there are no requirements for who can be saved by God’s love, for he sent his son to die for all people. So, do what you can today, and do your best to help others using the gifts that God has given you. Remember that nobody is without God’s grace, and that you should love others as you are loved by your Father in heaven.
“The pastor lay awake with the feeling that tonight, he had seen the church as it was meant to be. He had seen those people doing what he believed Jesus would have done. He had been a pastor for many years, but what he saw tonight amazed him. As he walked into his office and joined that nine o’ clock meeting, he was exhausted, but he felt like the church, and he, had been reborn.”
Sermon titles include:
Seventeen sermons based on the Second lessons from the Revised Common Lectionary (Cycle B) for the seasons of Lent and Easter are included in this single volume. The reader will find these messages inspiring, thought-provoking and comforting. The content of this book will be useful for sermon preparation, study groups and for personal devotions.
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Living Into Lent
$18.00Add to cartThe Lenten journey is a shared journey–Christians join with others along the way of faith, following Jesus and seeking to live out the will and purpose of God. Living into Lent, written by noted theologian, educator, and author Donald K. McKim, sets aside time during the Lenten season for readers to reflect on their Christian identities, listen to God’s Word and will, and engage in practices that deepen the Christian experience through discipleship.
Whether used for congregational study or personal reflection, each reading features Scripture, devotion, theological quote, response, and prayer. Theological quotes, drawn from the history of the Reformed church, will help readers better understand God’s Word and its implications for the Lenten journey. Readings are enhanced by a seven-session study guide and questions for conversation.
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My Sour Sweet Days
$14.99Add to cartGeorge Herbert is one of the great 17th century poet-priests. His poems embrace every shade of the spiritual life, from love and closeness, to anger and despair, to reconciliation and hope. And his work is always rich with audacious playfulness: he seems to take God on, knowing God will win, as if he’s having an argument with a faithful friend he knows is not going to leave. In much of theology and spirituality, God is a critical spectator to human lives, but for Herbert, his sense of relationship with God is primarily of a friendship that can never be broken. These are some of the themes Mark Oakley explores in this outstanding book. He offers a poem for every day in Lent, with a two-page commentary on each of the forty included.
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Saying Yes To Life
$14.99Add to cartSaying Yes to Life lifts our focus from every day (and perfectly natural) concerns to issues that are impacting millions of lives around the world. As people made in the image of God, we are entrusted to look after what God has made – to share in the joy and creativity of God in making a difference for good. Ruth Valerio imaginatively draws on the Days of Creation (Genesis 1 – 2.2) in relating themes of light, water, land, the seasons, other creatures, humankind, Sabbath rest and resurrection hope to matters of environmental, ethical and social concern. Foundational to the book are what it means to be human and, in particular, to be a follower of Jesus during Lent. Voices from other continents are heard throughout, and each chapter ends with discussion questions, a prayer, and specially commissioned art to aid action and contemplation.
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Way Of Benedict
$14.99Add to cartThe Rule of St Benedict, written for monks in the sixth century, continues to hold an extraordinary appeal to people in our day. It offers a balanced approach to seeking God and integrating prayer, work and relationships in a way that is more essential than ever in our stress-riven society. For St Benedict, the whole of life has a Lenten character, that is, it should be driven by the power of Easter which permeates every aspect of the day with the transforming power of Christ’s resurrection. The book aims to help readers to engage directly with The Rule of St Benedict. The essential argument is that the Rule offers a way of accessing the transforming power of grace by following the gospel in everyday life, and so is potentially a blessing for every Christian. While the centrality of Easter in the Rule makes the book ideal as a Lent book, it also means that The Way of Benedict can serve as a guide to the wisdom of the Rule throughout the year. While not a commentary on the Rule, the book follows the shape of the Rule in the belief that this is integral to St Benedict’s vision of holistic living.
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We Are Beloved
$14.99Add to cartChristians often have the head knowledge that we are beloved, but deep in our hearts do we truly believe it? When we encounter Jesus in scripture, we tend to hear Jesus’ words with judgment, thinking we cannot be beloved because we will never measure up to God’s standards. Author Kristen Vincent takes us on a journey alongside Jesus that helps break this false understanding and allows us to discover how deeply beloved we are.
This 6-week Lenten journey follows stories of Jesus’ experience of God’s love. The incarnate Son of God was made fully human, which means that Jesus had to fully mature in strength and wisdom to learn that he was beloved. Just as Jesus learned of his belovedness, we, too, can cultivate the wisdom and knowledge that we are deeply loved.
Each week begins with a scripture passage, a weekly devotion, reflection questions, an optional prayer bead experience, and a listening meditation. A Leader’s Guide for small-group study is also included. Be transformed by God’s love this Lenten season. -
Were You There
$17.00Add to cartValuable not only for their sublime musical expression, the African American spirituals provide profound insights into the human condition and Christian life. Many spirituals focus on the climax of the Christian drama, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the ways in which those events bring about the liberation of God’s people.
In these devotions for the season of Lent, Luke A. Powery leads the reader through the spirituals as they confront the mystery of Christ’s atoning death and victory over the grave. Each selection includes the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection by the author on the spiritual’s meaning, a Scripture verse related to that meaning, and a brief prayer.
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Things He Did
$13.99Add to cartOne extraordinary week. Jesus rides a colt into Jerusalem. He shows righteous rage in the temple. He eats with the wrong sort of people. He lets a woman anoint him with oil. He washes his disciples’ feet. He breaks bread and shares wine. He prays passionately in the garden. He allows himself to be arrested. Jesus stands in the prophetic tradition of those who embody what they teach. The things he did were carefully planned. And in this riveting book, Stephen Cottrell draws out their political and religious significance as Jesus moves towards his greatest and final act – his death and resurrection.
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For God So Loved
$12.99Add to cartFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 is a Bible verse that many of us are so familiar with it has almost become rote. Sometimes our Christian practices and observances can become a matter of routine too.
Written by Dan Boone, Samantha Chambo, Tara Beth Leach, and Jeren Rowell, this Lenten devotional aims to help you establish an intentional time of spiritual reflection. For God So Loved invites you to join Christ on his final earthly journey as you rediscover the very reason we remember and undertake this same pilgrimage year after year.
For God So Loved contains Lectionary-based reflections and prayers for each day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Easter, so that you remain connected and engaged with Christ from his very first step toward the cross.
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Resilient Disciple : A Lenten Journey Through Adversity To Maturity
$14.99Add to cartAlone on an 8-day retreat in the Egyptian desert, Justine Allain Chapman experienced first-hand the physical, spiritual and mental struggle many have endured before her. Our own desert experience may involve attending to challenges that come upon us suddenly–such as an illness or bereavement–or a difficult relationships or patterns of thinking that have long been draining us of life and joy. A Lenten pilgrimage is testing. We have to search within ourselves for answers which lie hidden, to draw on each other’s strengths, to reflect deeply and to trust that we will be enabled to integrate our many experiences. But there is a “bright flame before us, a guiding star above.” And the God, who always calls us to love beyond ourselves, offers tender healing for our brokenness, longing that we may be consoled and renewed. This vividly written book includes wide ranging prayers and scripture readings, along with guides to using the material with groups and in preaching and worship.
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Because Of This I Rejoice (Student/Study Guide)
$13.99Add to cartFor too long Lent has been thought of as a season of self-sacrifice and discipline that sounds to many Christians like a list of spiritual chores. Lenten disciplines become the spiritual equivalent of New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, be healthier, or practice better money management. These promises are easily made and often quickly broken, leaving us feeling like we do not measure up to what we should be. In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul joyfully turns to spiritual practices that draw him closer to God amid persecution and imprisonment. These practices keep Paul connected to a sense of God’s power and presence. Joy flows from Paul and becomes a vital part of his relationship with the Philippians. Because of This I Rejoice is a 6-week study of Philippians that explores what Paul teaches about joyfully practicing spiritual disciplines. The intent of these disciplines is to help us focus less on ourselves and more on God. This Lenten study invites us to engage in the same spiritual practices as a way to grow closer to God and allow joy to flow through our lives.
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Shouting Joy To The Storm Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartHow are we to respond when the violent storm of change rolls into our lives?
Should we hide from the storm? Hide in the status quo?
As this volume of sermons reminds us, that is not the way of the Christ.Followers of Jesus are called to believe that our greatest treasure ought not be found in the comfort of worldly life as we make it. The Lord calls us instead to step outside and face the coming storm, as he did.
When we do, we face all manner of fears in a world that does not like its order challenged. Mockery when we follow God; poverty when we stop worshipping money; grief when we are vulnerable enough to love the oppressed.
Shouting Joy to the Storm reminds us that, just as the Father partnered with the Son to bring him through the storm of Calvary, so he will bring us through our storms. We are not in this for a mere lifetime. We are in it for the long haul.
“They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid (Ezekiel 34:28, ESV).”
Sermons include:
*Long View – The Long Haul(Luke 13:31-35)
*What Is Truth? (John 18:1-19, 42)
*Death Shall Be No More (John 13:31-35, Revelation 21:1-6) -
Passion Of The King Of Glory
$20.99Add to cartPart I: Jesus’ Life And Ministry
1. Life For The Dying
2. Wild With The Hope
3. Behold The Lamb Of God
4. One Hundred And Fifty Gallons
5. Destroy This Temple
6. Zeus And The Pharisees
7. Herod’s Half Brother’s Wife
8. Famous
9. Lord Of The Sabbath
10. Only Say The Word
11. The Death Of John
12. The Storm Treader
13. Bread Of Life
14. You Are The Christ
15. Before Abraham Was Born
16. Born Blind
17. The Good Samaritan
18. The Leaven Of The Pharisees
19. Lost Things Found
20. Lazarus Of Bethany
21. A World Upside Down
22. The Living LegendPart II: Holy Week, Death, Resurrection
23. The King’s Coronation
24. Hosanna
25. The Vinedresser’s Tree
26. Indignation
27. John’s Baptism
28. The Scent Of Opulence
29. Thirteen Men
30. The Last Cup
31. Trial At Night
32. The Reckoning
33. What Is Truth?
34. Crucifixion
35. The Forgotten Day
36. He Is Not Here
37. Flesh And Bone
38. Do You Love Me?
39. Behold The Man Of Sorrows
40. Behold The King Of Glory
Acknowledgments
NotesAdditional Info
“His was a ministry of incarnation-touching the infected, dining with sinners, defending the defenseless. The sick needed a physician, and the Physician had come.”Enter into the greatest story ever told. In this carefully researched retelling of the story of Jesus, pastor Russ Ramsey invites us to rediscover our wonder at Jesus’ sinless life, brutal death, and glorious resurrection. Featuring forty short chapters recounting key episodes from Jesus’ time on earth, this book expands on the biblical narrative in a fresh and creative way-giving us a taste of what it would have been like to walk next to Jesus and experience his earthly ministry firsthand.Also including The Advent of the Lamb of God and The Mission of the Body of Christ, the Retelling the Story series explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in compelling language that is faithful to the text of Scripture. The stories are told afresh to help readers hide God’s word in their hearts by way of their imaginations. -
Lent Talks : Seasonal Selections From Radio 4
$13.99Add to cartA selection of the best from BBC Radio 4’s Lent Talks over the last ten years. With a dynamic introduction from BBC Head of Radio for Religion and Ethics, Christine Morgan, six well-known personalities invite readers to reflect on a range of thoughts and themes from a number of different perspectives. From writer James Runcie’s reflection on the passion through the prism of mystery drama to Ann Widdecombe MP’s exploration of the “greater good’, this blissfully brief and entertaining book will provide something for everyone in the busy lead up to Easter. WEEK ONE – JAMES RUNCIE – MYSTERY First broadcast as part of the BBC Lent Talks 2015, director, literary curator and writer of The Grantchester Mysteries, James Runcie looks at the passion through the prism of mystery drama. WEEK TWO – BONNIE GREER – NAMES A gem of BBC Lent Talks 2014 archive, this talk sees playwright, novelist and critic Bonnie Greer reflect on the power of names. WEEK THREE – ANN WIDDECOMBE – GOODNESS Taken from the 2008 Lent Talks series, former MP, TV personality and author Ann Widdecombe reflects on the examples set by Jesus in his decision to go to the cross. WEEK FOUR – GILES FRASER – SACRIFICE First broadcast as part of the BBC Lent Talks 2010, Rev Dr Giles Fraser, Church of England priest, journalist and broadcaster, invites readers to reflect on the nature of sacrifice. WEEK FIVE – ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH – ABANDONMENT Taken from the Lent Talks 2013, author Alexander McCall Smith explores the sense of being abandoned as you grow older. WEEK SIX – NICK BAINES – VISION Marking the beginning of the Lent Talks 2012, author, broadcaster and Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines reflects on the challenges of finding a new narrative for the individual and community.
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Surrounded By Grace (Student/Study Guide)
$14.95Add to cartPastors love to preach about grace. The essence of the Good News, grace is unmerited favor from the all-powerful Creator of the world. There is perhaps no more satisfying message to deliver.
But does the average churchgoer really understand what grace means for them? Is it just another “Christianese” term that fails to resonate?
Bill Thomas’ Surrounded by Grace: A Bible Study for Lent is a tool based on the Gospel of John to help pastors, small groups and congregations answer the question of what grace is in a modern context. From the story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana to his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, Thomas uses John’s words to affirm that the Lord’s favor extends to all no matter how insignificant we see ourselves or our problems.
Written to be utilized for individual or group study, or for worship services during the Lenten season, Surrounded by Grace encourages the imagination to ponder that there is no storm so great the Lord cannot overcome it; no pain so deep he will not sustain us through it; no death so final he will fail to resurrect us from it.
Lessons Include:
“Grace for Those Awkward Moments” (John 2:1-11)
“Grace for the Broken Heart” (John 11:17-44)
“Grace When Things Are Chaotic” (John 16:17-33) -
Journey To Jerusalem (Student/Study Guide)
$18.00Add to cartIn this imaginative retelling, John Pritchard explores the Gospel of Luke by looking through the eyes of the disciple John. The Journey to Jerusalem follows Luke’s account from Luke 9:51, as Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Perfect for individual or group study, The Journey to Jerusalem provides weekday readings for Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, along with a poem for each Saturday. Questions for reflection and discussion are also included.
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Embracing The Uncertain (Large Type)
$13.99Add to cartJust turning on the news lets us know we are living in uncertain times. Economic instabilities, eruption of violence, and natural catastrophes can alter the lives and landscapes of entire communities. Our individual lives are often just as unsteady: relationships can break, plans can falter, and confidence can fail. Uncertainty can definitely be uncomfortable. Many of us prefer stability and a predictable future to an unknown fate. We are wired to want to control our destiny. The reality is that in our fast-changing, unpredictable world there are few guarantees in life. It’s those who are willing to embrace uncertainty and make the risky decision to follow Jesus despite the many “unknowns” who will reap the greatest rewards. Embracing the Uncertain invites readers this Lent to engage and wrestle with life’s uncertainties, not ignore them. The first six chapters focus on six post-Transfiguration, pre-Passion stories in the Gospels. Each of these stories are signposts in the gospel narrative, pointing down at a world filled with uncertainty, but pointing us forward to a cross that can show us how to follow Jesus with courage, hope, and obedience. Includes discussion questions that can be used in small-group Bible study session or for personal growth. A seventh chapter focuses on the resurrection of Jesus, affirming the certainty of our hope in Christ.
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Way Of The Carmelites
$13.99Add to cartCarmelite spirituality is based on a deep relationship with God in prayer, focusing on the presence of God within us, and leading to a life permeated by closeness with God and concern for our neighbour. This book, rich in reflection on the Bible, is a spiritual companion and guide for Lent, and indeed the rest of the year, that will introduce readers to the riches of Carmel. Prayer, in the Carmelite tradition, is friendship with God. It is being alone with God in a silent communion of love open to the Spirit. With our eyes fixed on the vulnerability of Jesus and on his unrequited love for us, we are transformed, and strengthened to give ourselves as he did. Our contemplation is the source of our practical action. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter facilitate this practical approach. ‘To take up the treasures of Carmelite spirituality, and embark with Jesus on the Lenten experience of forty days in the desert, is a journey that can be enormously enriching and even life-changing.’ From the Prologue
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Walking The Journey Of Lent Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartWhat does the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial have to do with Lent?
Richard Gribble, CSC offers the image of this loveable alien stranded on a world that does not accept him to remind us that we, too, are separated from our true home. E.T.’s urge to “phone home” is one to which we can all relate.
The Lenten season is a time to “retune our communication system” in an earnest effort to seek God, holding on to hope no matter the trials that come our way. Though we face struggle and even death, the promise of the Lenten season is new life and a return to the home where we truly belong.
Each lesson in Walking the Journey of Lent: Reflections on the Scriptures for Cycle B is bolstered by opening and closing prayers, contextual scripture and discussion questions.
Lessons Include:
“Coming Home” for Ash Wednesday
“The Paradox of Death” for Palm Sunday
“Filling Ourselves with Christ” for Easter“What I find most valuable is Fr. Gribble’s ability to find contemporary books or figures or situations that make his reflections quite concrete and easy to understand. It is an enviable gift for a homilist.” – Fr. Bill Williams, Pastor of St. Peter Parish, Plymouth, MA
“Through his use of real-life stories, engaging reflections, thought-provoking discussion questions, and opening and concluding prayers for each week, Fr. Gribble leads us to the conclusion of Lent where Jesus unchains us from the bondage of sin and we find theglory to which suffering leads us. Fr. Gribble’s booklet will enhance the Lenten spiritual journeyof anyone seeking healing and new life in the risen Christ.” – Fr. Jim Fenstermaker, C.S.C., Pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Easton, MA
“If you are looking to deepen your relationship with the Lord this Lent, look no further. Walking the Journey of Lent is a perfect tool to use. Fr. Rick’s questions will helpyou to move towards action, change of self, or ministry to others. You cannot help but grow spiritually by reading thisbook. I can’t wait for Lent!” – Fr. Joseph K. Raeke, Pastor of Christ the King, Our Lady of Lourdes &Saint Edith Stein Parishes, Brockton, MA
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Easter Earthquake : How Resurrection Shakes Our World
$14.99Add to cartLike a news reporter announcing breaking news, Matthew reports that on the first Easter morning, a great earthquake shook the earth. An angel descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb, and sat on the stone. This is the second earthquake recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. The first one took place on Friday, when the noonday sky turned black and Jesus died. Matthew says, “The earth shook, and the rocks were split.” In Easter Earthquake, James Harnish invites us to place Easter at the center of our Lenten journey. This study explores how Christ’s resurrection shakes some of our most basic assumptions about ourselves and God. Harnish reverses the usual focus of Lenten studies by starting at the empty tomb and seeing the entire journey in light of the resurrection. This different perspective on the passion can bring fresh energy into our lives as followers of Christ.
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Great Lent For Teens Large Print (Large Type)
$14.00Add to cartThe Great Lent is divided into seven weeks, each commencing with a significant event on Sunday. Each week holds a significant event in the life of Christ from which we can extract meaning and apply a practical message to our own lives.
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Coloring Lent
$12.99Add to cartExperience the stories of Lent in a vibrant, new way this spring as you Color Lent!
The journey of Lent-from Ash Wednesday to Easter-is traditionally one of prayer, repentance, spiritual discipline, and meditation. But coloring?
Now you’re invited to add the spiritual practice of “coloring the Bible” on your Lenten journey. Engage both sides of your brain as you read the scripture and color your way through each day of Lent with evocative illustrations of God’s Resurrection story, from the Old Testament prophecies of Emmanuel to Jesus’ victorious appearances after his crucifixion to the loyal Disciples. Dozens of drawings will draw you deeper into the story and your own place in it.
From the Introduction: “This moment of Easter is Good News for this Jesus, who is fully human and fully God, yet it is even better news for the world: God has not only moved into the world with humans but the fullness of God has taken on flesh. As you color these pages, then, consider how your fingertips, your palms, your body have now become the house of God, and following the stories of the Hebrew and New Testaments, consider how we might also walk the same journey of Jesus.”
Grab your crayons, colored pencils and pens, and prepare to deepen your journey to Easter this year with Coloring Lent.
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Walking The Journey Of Lent Cycle A
$15.95Add to cartYet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning; mend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
-Joel 2:12-13
This famous passage of scripture proclaimed each Ash Wednesday provides the themes and sets the environment for the holy season of Lent. In its wisdom the Christian church provides its members a forty day period of preparation, emphasizing prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, for the great celebration of the Paschal Mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We who are privileged to bear the name Christian must use this annual time of renewal to reconnect ourselves to our God, the source of all that is good. Through a process of study, reflection, and discussion on the scripture passages that the church uses in its Sunday celebrations during this special time, an environment can be provided for us to discover and foster the renewal we all need. It is hoped that Walking the Journey of Lent: Reflections on the Scriptures for Cycle A provides this specific opportunity.
This Lenten Bible study can be a helpful and effective way for groups and individuals to reflect upon the scriptures and through this process prepare ourselves better for the greatest of all celebrations, Easter, when Jesus rises from the dead and brings all Christians the possibility of salvation. Like any effort in life that is meritorious, this Bible study will require some effort, but it need not and should not be a burden. Rather, in sharing with others, and allowing the Spirit of God to flow through us, we can come to greater insights as to what the scriptures might mean for us and how, most importantly, we can apply them to our lives.
Chapters Included:
Negotiating The Hurdles Of Life
Allowing God To Change Us
Christ Gives Us Hope
Seeking The Light Of Christ
Jesus Unchains Us
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Restored Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$12.99Add to cartOften we make a mess of our lives and wonder if there is any redemption. In this six-week study, pastor and author Tom Berlin helps us see our mess through the eyes of Christ to find redemption and restoration. Using Scripture, devotional tools, and the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, St. Augustine, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, and others, Berlin encourages reflection and meditation through our own brokenness. Only then can we focus on the cross as the place where we truly surrender control, leave our mess, and find redemption. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 6-week study for Lent, including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
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Restored : Finding Redemption In Our Mess
$15.99Add to cartOften we make a mess of our lives and wonder if there is any redemption. In this book, pastor and author Tom Berlin helps us see our mess through the eyes of Christ to find redemption and restoration. Using Scripture, devotional tools, and the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, St. Augustine, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, and others, Berlin encourages reflection and meditation through our own brokenness. Only then can we focus on the cross as the place where we truly surrender control, leave our mess, and find redemption.
Chapters include:
This Is a Real Mess
Who Left This Mess?
Bless This Mess
No Messing Around
Address This Mess
The Message in the Mess -
Way Other Than Our Own
$16.00Add to cartLent recalls times of wilderness and wandering, from newly freed Hebrew slaves in exile to Jesus’ temptation in the desert. God has always called people out of their safe, walled cities into uncomfortable places, revealing paths they would never have chosen. Despite our culture of self-indulgence, we too are called to walk an alternative path-one of humility, justice, and peace. Walter Brueggemann’s thought-provoking reflections for the season of Lent invite us to consider the challenging, beautiful life that comes with walking the way of grace.
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Surprise Surprise Surprise Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartBut What Of Lazarus? (John 11:1-45)
For The Glow Of It (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
Friday (John 18:1-19:42)
Learning To Walk In The Dark And Remembering The Dark Is As Day To God (Matthew 26:14– 27:66)
Nicodemus Came By Night (John 3:1-17)Additional Info
Two voices, fourteen sermons…The lives of David and Marian Plant have been intertwined for 46 years, their mutual ministries, for even longer. Their voices were shaped by their ministry experiences that began together in shared, co-pastorate positions, and then matured into individual settled ministry positions and then again, moved into their own specialties of the last 20 years: Marian, in the teaching ministry and David in the interim and church revitalization ministry. Marian’s voice is one practiced well from a traditional setting of pulpit with written text in hand. David’s voice is one practiced in a relational style of informal conversation, often done without notes, and in back and forth dialogue with the gathered worshipers.
Their latest work, Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! provides fourteen cycle A gospel sermons for Lent/Easter. In these sermons you will see the mix of the lives of the Plants, committed to social justice, the important context of the role of the church as that which speaks for Christ, and the importance of the need for individuals to take up the challenge of living their faith more fully. There is no doubt that their mutual passions for addressing the ills befalling our culture and our world were foremost on their minds, and they could not but help influence one another’s work by virtue of their lives lived in the practice of ministry and marriage. They offer these words to you, as colleagues in ministry, even if only a sentence is valuable to you.
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Worship In Light Of The Cross
$14.99Add to cartJohn Indermark urges us to focus on the cross, its imprint on how we worship as a community, and how it transforms our discipleship. This 6-week study inspires us to connect corporate worship with our daily lives. He organizes the daily readings according to the components of corporate worship: gathering, invocation, confession, proclamation, creed, response, and sacrament.
Key Features:
Leaders’ Guide helps you share this worship experience with your community of faith
Daily readings are key in preparing you for worship experiences
Each daily reading includes a reflection question or action
Includes ideas for creating a weekly worship center to emphasize each week’s theme -
Grace And Hope
$17.99Add to cartPrepare yourself to remember the meaning of Lent and celebrate Easter this season: grace for our past and present, hope for our future!
Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Grace & Hope: A 40-Day Devotional for Lent and Easter will guide you through this holy season of self-reflection, prayer, fasting, and remembrance-all to prepare you for the hopeful words “It is finished!” and even more wondrous words, “He is risen!”
Each short, engaging devotional will focus your heart and prepare your soul to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, using a faithful and relevant new translation of the Bible, The Passion Translation. It is an ideal devotional for your own personal, family, or small-group use. And daily Bible readings from The Passion Translation will deepen your understanding of God’s Word as you journey toward the cross.
We trust this devotional and version of Scripture will kindle in you a burning, passionate desire for the One who bore our pain and shame, and give you a greater measure of grace and hope!
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Make Room : A Child’s Guide To Lent And Easter
$16.99Add to cartEncourage your children to learn the importance of Lent and Easter with Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter by Laura Alary, and illustrated by Ann Boyajian. Make Room presents Lent as a special time for creating a welcoming space for God. Episodes from the life of Jesus are woven together with a child’s wondering and reflections on how these stories might shape our own choices and actions throughout the season. Lent can be a difficult for season for children, unlike advent, which is filled with delightful anticipation and growing light, Lent is a journey through dark and frightening places. This book offers suggestions on simple and practical activities like cleaning a room, making bread and soup, turning off the television, clearing clutter, or inviting a neighbor for supper, that encourage kids to learn how to live like Jesus.
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40 Days Of Decrease
$18.99Add to cart“What are you giving up for Lent?” we are asked. Our minds begin to whirl: Chocolate? Designer coffee? Social media? Forty days later, some feel disappointed in their efforts (it was a limited-time blend . . . ), some feel surprised by their success (didn’t even miss it . . . ), but perhaps precious few feel spiritually renewed.
Can such fasts alone truly prepare us to celebrate Easter? Or any other chosen time of reflection during the year?
Or could it be that before we can be duly awed by resurrection, we need to daily honor crucifixion?
40 Days of Decrease emphasizes a different type of fast. What if you or your church fasted comparison? What if your family fasted accumulation? What if your office fasted gossip?
40 Days of Decrease guides readers through a study of Jesus’ uncommon and uncomfortable call to abandon the world’s illusions, embrace His kingdom’s reality, and journey cross-ward and beyond.
Each daily, 1000-word entry will include:
*a devotional based on Jesus’ cross-ward life;
*a reflection question to guide journaling or group discussion;
*a fast to inspire a tangible response;
*a thought-provoking Lenten quote;
*a sidebar into the historical development of Lent. -
John Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Gospel of John is the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels. It includes some of the loftiest and most loved verses in all the Bible: “And the Word became flesh…,” “For God so loved the world…,” “You who are without sin cast the first stone…,” “I am the resurrection and the life…,” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” The writing is filled with rich images and profound truths, but John notes that his aim in writing the gospel is that his readers will not only believe in Jesus Christ, but that they “may have life in his name.” This Lent, join Adam Hamilton and experience a season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal while exploring the major themes of John while reading the entire Gospel of John. Everything needed to conduct a six-session study of the Gospel of John including current examples that have meaning to young people ages 13-18. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.
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John Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Gospel of John is the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels. It includes some of the loftiest and most loved verses in all the Bible: “And the Word became flesh…,” “For God so loved the world…,” “You who are without sin cast the first stone…,” “I am the resurrection and the life…,” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” The writing is filled with rich images and profound truths, but John notes that his aim in writing the gospel is that his readers will not only believe in Jesus Christ, but that they “may have life in his name.” This Lent, join Adam Hamilton and experience a season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal while exploring the major themes of John while reading the entire Gospel of John. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the bible study program including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options. This guide centers around the book, the videos, and Scripture.
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Pauses For Lent
$12.99Add to cartIn this beautifully minimalist book, Trevor Hudson focuses on 40 single words – one for each day of the season of Lent. Each brief meditation pairs the word for the day with a scripture verse, brief insight, and a thought or action for the day. Each paus for Lent will refresh and challenge readers.
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These 40 Days
$9.99Add to cartAccording to the Scriptures the devil tempted Jesus during a period of fasting and prayer that was preparation for Jesus’ public ministry and passion. Throughout the Bible, times of desert preparation often preceded significant ministry. This is why we observe the season preceding Easter as a time for spiritual focus. The rhythms of fasting and feasting, desert and oasis, discipline and joy are not only well known to God’s people but also essential components of spiritual growth.These Forty Days is a simple guide for the reading of Scripture, reflection, prayer, and response. By beginning each day with intention, these devotionals will shape each of your hours with a heightened sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s teaching and guidance.
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40 Days 40 Ways
$16.99Add to cartIf you’re looking for a new Lenten experience, here are forty fresh ideas. Some will challenge you to deepen your prayer life; others will open your mind to new ways to serve others. Each of the forty ways includes a reflection to help you understand more about Lent and why it matters. You’ll learn how to have a more creative experience of Lent. You’ll discover positive, proactive ways to take action instead of the same old routine of giving something up. The result will be spiritual transformation and a closer walk with Christ-not only during Lent but throughout the year.
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Pilgrim Road : A Benedictine Journey Through Lent (Revised)
$23.95Add to cartRevised edition of a classic Lenten devotional guide from Morehouse
* Includes a revised introduction and questions for reflection
In the view of St. Benedict of Nursia, the Lenten journey is an inner pilgrimage with Christ
into the deepest parts of ourselves, to be marked not so much by external observances,
such as fasting and self-denial, as by a deepening of our relationship with God.Benedictine monk Albert Holtz develops that journey theme through meditations written
during a fifteen-country pilgrimage while on sabbatical. At the heart of each reflection is
the lesson it teaches about our inner spiritual journey. By applying Benedict’s monastic
wisdom to the everyday concerns and aspirations of modern Christians, Pilgrim Road
helps contemporary spiritual seekers travel along and experience the journey of Lent in
the most positive, meaningful, and fruitful manner.For use as a Lenten devotional by individuals and groups.
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Navigating The Sermon Cycle A
$17.95Add to cartIn this special edition for the Sundays in Lent and Easter of Cycle A, the writers and editors of “Charting the Course,” an integral part of Emphasis: A Lectionary Preaching Journal from CSS Publishing Company, delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you, the pastor with in-depth lectionary-based commentary; relating several fresh, solid ideas — based squarely on the lectionary texts — for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. The team of writers looks for overall topics for the seasons of Lent and Easter in the Cycle A church year that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the theme and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single application for each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, Navigating the Sermon in most cases suggests several ideas, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
This book is like having a dedicated, thoroughly versed sermon research and sermon resource team right in your own study to help you create riveting sermons that are truly yours and that speak powerfully to your audience.
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Forgiveness : A Lenten Study
$16.00Add to cartForgiving others and humbly asking for forgiveness are central disciplines for all Christian believers. Lent, a time to reflect on our Christian journey, is an appropriate time to deepen our understanding and practice of forgiveness. Marjorie J. Thompson, author of the best-selling book Soul Feast, takes a close look at our understanding of forgiveness in this encouraging study. In six brief chapters, Thompson addresses such questions as the following:
Is forgiveness a Christian duty under all circumstances? Or are there situations when Christians do not need to forgive?
Is forgiveness a matter between individuals, or is it meaningful only in the context of communities?
Is forgiving the best route to healing for the injured?
How do we get past emotional barriers to real forgiveness?Using biblical examples and real-life situations, Thompson illustrates each chapter’s theme in an informative and engaging way. A study guide is also included at the back of the book that is appropriate for either individual reflection or group discussion. With clarity, insight, and sensitivity, this book is the perfect resource for examining both our ability to forgive and our own need for forgiveness.
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People Of The Passion (Student/Study Guide)
$12.95Add to cartIt is a simple theological truth: We become more like Jesus when we draw close to him. People of the Passion unpacks this tenet in a powerful examination of some of the main characters of Jesus’ final days: Mary, Mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Pilate; Nicodemus; Peter; and Judas. Throughout each chapter, Dr. Randall explores our perceptions and our knowledge of these individuals, pointing out how each played significant roles in exposing themes of faithfulness, gratitude, conflict, power, and betrayal.
People of the Passion calls us to embrace the “grace and opportunity of Lent,” for when we pause to examine our hearts and spirits within our collective narrative of fallen humanity, we are reminded that “we are an Easter people.” And in this, we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, understanding that everything about our redemption hinges upon the most significant event in human history: Easter morning.
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Lent For Everyone Year A Matthew
$20.00Add to cartLent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A provides readers with an inspirational guide through the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through the week after Easter. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, brief reflection, and a prayer for each day of the season, helping readers ponder how the text is relevant to their own lives. By the end of the book, readers will have been through the entirety of Matthew, along with Psalm readings for each Sunday. Suitable for both individual and group study and reflection, Wright’s Lenten devotional will help make Matthew’s gospel your own, thoughtfully and prayerfully, and your journey through Lent a period of discovery and growth.
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Give Up Something Bad For Lent (Student/Study Guide)
$15.99Add to cartInvites readers to focus on, with God’s help, eliminating habits or attitudes that may be destructive in their lives, such as envy, self-pity, procrastination, gossip, resentment, or negative thinking.
Seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday
Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer -
Lent For Everyone Year C Luke
$20.00Add to cartFrom one of the world’s leading scholars and Christian writers, stirring reflections for Lent.
“Lent for Everyone may be a profitable way for readers to follow Jesus in their Lenten study.” Lois Sibley, Episcopal Journal
Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C provides readers with an inspirational guide through the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through the week after Easter. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, brief reflection, and a prayer for each of the days of the season, helping readers ponder how the text is relevant to their own lives today. By the end of the book readers will have been through the entirety of Luke, along with Psalm readings for each Sunday. Suitable for both individual and group study and reflection, Wright’s Lenten devotional will help you make Luke’s gospel your own, thoughtfully and prayerfully, and your journey through Lent a period of rich discovery and growth. -
Lent For Everyone Year B Mark
$20.00Add to cartLent for Everyone: Mark, Year B provides readers with a gentle guide through the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through the week after Easter. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, brief reflection, and a prayer for each of the days of the season, helping the reader ponder how the text is relevant to their own life today.
Suitable for both personal and group reflection, Wright’s guide through Lent will make the Bible–and the season–come alive in inspiring new ways. -
Mosaic : When God Uses All The Pieces A Lenten Study For Adults
$13.99Add to cartFocuses on how God uses the brokenness in people’s lives to make them better
Seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday
Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer
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Word Has Come Down
$12.95Add to cartLent holds a central place in the worship of many Christians. After the joyful celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany, it is vital for Christians to set aside time to repent, meditate, and reflect on the fact that Jesus’ life was a buildup to the ultimate sacrifice of himself on the Cross for our sins. In The Word Has Come Down, Huener guides participants through the ashes of repentance of Ash Wednesday, journeying through the Last Supper of Maundy Thursday and the crucifixion of Good Friday, culminating in the revelation of the risen Jesus at Easter. Along the way, Huener stops to look at each of the main characters in these events, people like Caiaphas, Peter, Judas, Pontius Pilate, and the women at the tomb, allowing each one to tell their side of the story. Huener explores each character in detail, allowing each one to flesh out this central event in Christian history. Whether used for congregational worship, small group study, or personal Lenten devotions, The Word Has Come Down will draw its readers into the beauty, agony, and triumph of Lent and Easter. Beth Huener is the pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Oregon, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. She has also served at other Lutheran parishes in Ohio and West Virginia.
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Hard To Dance With The Devil On Your Back (Student/Study Guide)
$13.99Add to cartLooks at transcendent struggle in the lives of believers while helping readers enter the continually crumbling world surrounding Jesus and the disciples in the days preceding Easter.
Seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday
Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, a closing prayer, and a focus for the coming week. -
To The Cross And Beyond
$14.95Add to cartIn each of Sunday’s assigned lectionary readings — the First, Second, and Gospel lessons — we are invited to view the glorious narrative of scripture through three different, yet harmonious, perspectives. In the gospel lesson, we return to the fountainhead, bringing the congregation back to where Christianity began. Like the first disciples, we walk with Jesus, hearing his words and witnessing his miracles as we journey to the Cross.
To the Cross and Beyond takes us through Jesus’ final days on earth as recounted in the Sundays of Lent and Easter. David O. Bales explores some of the gospel’s best-known moments as Jesus journeys to Jerusalem and, ultimately, to the Cross and then the empty tomb.
This collection of sermons is a valuable resource for:
Sermon starters and illuminating illustrations
Gaining a new homiletical perspective to the lectionary
Offering a newer, deeper understanding and appreciation of scripture
Using as a starter for adult Bible study groups or personal devotionsThis insightful collection of sermons includes:
Looking Down on God
Putting the World Back Together
Jesus’ Prayer: The Pause in the Battle
… and many more! -
Show And Tell Cycle A
$14.95Add to cartIn each of Sunday’s assigned lectionary readings — The First, Second, and Gospel lessons — we are invited to view the glorious narrative of scripture through three different, yet harmonious, perspectives. In the first reading, the congregation returns to the heritage of our faith as described in the Old Testament, as well as in the New Testament book of Acts. We travel with the children of Israel as they take their first steps in faith, reliving the highs and lows of that journey with them. Through studying this part of scripture, we can see our own journey of faith played out by an entire nation.
Show-and-Tell guides us through some of the earliest accounts in the Bible in Genesis and Exodus, as well as the prophetic words of Isaiah and Ezekiel. During the Easter season, the first readings also explore the beginnings of Christianity as recounted in Acts. By taking us back to the beginning, Dr. Everett offers insight and encouragement into how we can live out our faith today.
This collection of sermons is a valuable resource for:
Sermon starters and illuminating illustrations
Gaining a new homiletical perspective to the lectionary
Offering a newer, deeper understanding and appreciation of scripture
Using as a starter for adult Bible study groups or personal devotionsSermons in this volume include:
Will This Be on the Test?
A Breath of Fresh Air
Stuck in Park
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From Preparation To Passion
$15.49Add to cartFrom Preparation to Passion Devotional and Reflective Meditations Celebrating the Lenten Season Based On the Lectionary and Celebrated African-American Sacred Songs and Hymnody There are many devotional books written to help communities of faith and individuals to observe the season of Lent in a devout manner. Here within is another resource that is intended to allow you to truly engage yourself in the preparation and propel you into a Holy passion for Christ by the time you reach Easter. This push to a deeper passion may be enhanced through the connection of the celebrated African-American sacred songs and church hymns. From Preparation to Passion will be a resource you will want to use in subsequent years, as it offers insights through the meditative readings on the message that the music and the Word of God brings! From Preparation to Passion includes meditations highlighting sacred songs such as: “My Tribute,” “God Is,” “O Didn’t It Rain,” “I love Thy Kingdom Lord,” and more! Excerpt: Jesus’ avowal that the church is a “House of Prayer” rather than a den of thieves still applies. As present day pilgrims, prayer should stand as the “sweet communion” that draws us into a deeper love for the church and “her heavenly ways.”
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Week That Changed The World
$17.95Add to cartThis devotional for Lenten and Easter meditations is a synthesis of the four gospel accounts of the eight days of Jesus’ passion and resurrection.
Uses the popular and contemporary TNIV translation
Includes maps, notes, and user guide
Preface by Robert Webber, noted evangelical scholarBeginning with Palm Sunday, the gospels record every day of Jesus’ life up to the time of his death and resurrection. These eight days are unparalleled in the canon of Scripture for their narrative power, their detail, and their focus. A unique synthesis of the four gospel accounts of the passion and resurrection of Christ is provided in this seamless and elegant narrative account of the Easter events, including every detail mentioned in all four Gospels, but without any unnecessary repetition or distracting references.
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Things He Carried
$10.99Add to cartThe narrative of Holy Week is powerful and painful, and because we know how the story ends it’s easy to gloss over the difficult details, and stay in the comfort zone of our understanding. Stephen Cottrell brings home, vividly and poignantly, the physical reality of the passion story. This is a book to stimulate thought, provoke discussion and create space for contemplation.
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Gospeled Lives : Encounters With Jesus A Lenten Study
$16.99Add to cartWhat does it mean to be gospeled? John Indermark suggests that an encounter with the living Christ demands a response. Gospeled Lives presents biblical characters who had such an encounter. Some of these persons responded with joy and gratitude. Some ignored or rejected Christ’s offer of good news. These stories, along with daily readings of scripture, written prayers, and suggested exercise, make an ideal study for either individual or group use over the six-week Lenten period. The offer and the experience of grace are found in these pages, as they are in the Lenten season itself. Each chapter has five daily readings and an introductory overview of the week’s theme. The appendix includes session guides for group study.
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Courage To Carry On
$8.95Add to cartUsing the Hebrew scriptures and the book of Acts as a guide, David Webb journeys through the First Readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Lent and Easter seasons. The Courage to Carry On not only draws people into a deeper appreciation and understanding of the meaning of Lent and Easter, it also offers insight into living the Christian life in today’s world. Ideal for sermon inspiration and preparation as well as small group Bible study and personal reflection and meditation, The Courage to Carry On is a valuable addition to any library.
Some of the sermons included in this collection are:
* Relentless Grace
* A Precious Gift
* Salvation Is Coming
* The Church’s DNA
* Confident Faith -
Who Is This Man This Jesus
$10.95Add to cartTake your congregation back in time and put worshipers right in the midst of the events surrounding humanity’s salvation with this collection of three sets of five monologues, each centered around a different perspective on the life and death of Jesus.
Who Is This Man? looks at the death of Jesus through the eyes of ordinary people who through various circumstances find themselves caught up in the passion story, including a soldier of King Herod, Roman centurions, and Malchus, a servant of the high priest.
In Women of the Promise, audiences will journey through the Old Testament as five women look with faithful anticipation to the future coming of the Savior.
Come, Follow Me tells the story of Jesus’ life and death as seen by his followers, including Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, and even Judas Iscariot.
Each series of monologues will be sure to enrich the Lenten observances of any congregation, as well as any small group study throughout the year.
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Give Us This Day
$17.95Add to cart* Easy-to-make recipes are ideal for families with younger children,church school classes, and pot lucks
* Connecting of baking, food, and social justice make it good Lenten reading for middle and high school youth groups.
* Substantial reflections for prayer groups and Lenten study groups.
* Ecumenical in focusIdeal for altar guilds and women who bake communion bread who want to make prayer and reflection part of their ministry. Bread speaks to us of our daily reliance upon a Maker, writes Christopher Levan. Perhaps more than any other food it brings us close to our roots as fellow creatures of God’s creation. Bread is an apt metaphor for the spiritual journey.
Give Us This Day offers meditations for every day in Lent, inviting us to connect faith “our daily bread” and the world in which we live, along with recipes that range from Shrove Tuesday “No-Fret Pancakes” to Easter Challah bread. Each of the 40 meditations begins with a scripture verse and a prayer.
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Experiencing Easter
$9.95Add to cartGregory Tolle knows that to fully understand and appreciate the miracle of new life at Easter, one has to first fully understand and experience death. In Experiencing Easter, the reader is taken on a journey through Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and culminating on Easter, this book invites readers to experience:
Clean Hearts
Extravagant Worship
Wilderness
Forgiveness
Fearlessness
Hope
Second Chances
Death and Everlasting LifeAn extraordinary storyteller, Gregory Tolle shares truths that would enhance any pastor’s sermons during the Lenten season — and what pastor has not struggled with finding a fresh, unique way to present these age-old fundamentals of Christianity! Whether the book is used as a preaching aid or simply read for enjoyment, Experiencing Easter is destined to become a classic that will be used for years to come by all who wish to experience this holy day anew every year.
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Organic God : Lenten Meditations On The Words Of Jesus
$12.95Add to cartIn these Lenten meditations, Kate Moorehead devotes each of the seven weeks to a theme that Jesus addressed frequently, particularly through Earth-centered parables of planting. Each day of the week she explores an aspect of the particular theme. Seeking meaning in the details, the secrets of God’s life with us are revealed to us every day in nature – the icons of God’s presence.
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Holy Moses
$12.95Add to cartIn Holy Moses, Arley Fadness takes the reader on a trip with Moses and the Hebrew people. This collection of six family-oriented Lenten services creates excitement and anticipation in children and adults alike as they retell and relive the greatest salvation event in the Old Testament. The Exodus experience is relived and remembered while being applied to the lives of modern Christians.
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40 Days To A Closer Walk With God
$14.99Add to cartAre you trying to do it all yourself? Muyskens reminds us that what God seeks is relationship with us, a two-way communication. What relationship with God requires is very similar to what our earthly relationships require: openness, listening, focused time. One way to practice the skills needed for this relationship is centering prayer, a simple but deeply powerful prayer practice. In beautiful and accessible language, Muyskens invites us to spend time daily focusing our hearts on God, to find the power to be still and be reoriented to “the One who is the Center of all.”
Exercises in prayer and scripture reading are provided for the 40 days. -
Blessed Is She
$16.95Add to cartEveryone is happy to see Mary in the creche at Christmastime, but by the time the Magi head back East after the Feast of the Epiphany, Christians of many traditions are often ready to place Mary to the side too. But Timothy Perry presents a Mary who belongs in Lent as much as in Advent, showing what it means to die and live with the crucified and risen Jesus.
Drawing primarily from the Gospel of Luke, this lovely book of spiritual reflections reveals a Lenten Mary who teaches us about being disciples. The result is a complex, inviting, strong character – a disciple to be emulated by all Christians, especially during this holy season. With a study for each week of Lent, along with questions to ponder, this is a thought-provoking volume for private use or parish study.
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Women Of Calvary
$12.95Add to cartThis five-scene chancel drama tells the story of Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection through the eyes of the women who knew Jesus and were influenced by his life and death. From the Upper Room through Golgotha and the Empty Tomb, we hear the passionate feelings the Master stirred in these women who are much like us. The scenes can be presented separately for midweek services or in a single 90-minute performance. (Performance time for each individual scene is approximately15-20 minutes.) Since no setting is necessary and costumes and props are simple, this play is easy to stage for congregations of all sizes. There are roles for nine women, but for smaller groups, some performers could portray more than one role. There are also small roles for four men.
Biblical women featured are:
* Mary (mother of Jesus)
* Mary Magdalene
* Mary (mother of James and Joseph)
* Salome (mother of James and John)
* Mary (mother of Mark)
* Mary (sister of Martha)
* Martha
* Claudia (Pilate’s wife)
* Julia (Claudia’s maid) -
Voices Of Repentance
$12.95Add to cartThis book offers busy pastors a complete package of thematically related resources for Lenten preaching and worship. With services for each week in Lent plus Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, as well as a Good Friday tenebrae service, Voices Of Repentance provides everything needed to create compelling worship throughout the Lenten season, either for a midweek series or for regular Sunday services. Each week’s resources feature a monologue sermon that tells the story of someone who sought redemption in the baptismal waters of the Jordan. These spiritual contemplations view the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion from a unique perspective — that of everyday people who lived through them. Each service also includes a children’s object lesson and a convenient order of worship.
Monologues feature these characters:
* John the Baptist
* a Pharisee
* a Sadducee
* a well-dressed man
* a well-fed woman
* a tax collector
* a Roman soldier -
Wounded For Us
$10.95Add to cartBy focusing on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf — and powerfully linking it to our lives today — this comprehensive resource offers a compelling approach to observing Lent that truly prepares worshipers to experience Easter’s new hope, new possibilities, and new life. Based on the ancient tradition of the five wounds of Christ, Wounded For Us identifies places where we find ourselves hurting, then connects them to one of the wounds Jesus suffered and explores how Christ’s resurrection offers reconciliation and healing.
Wounded For Us draws an imaginative analogy between Jesus’ wounds and these areas in our lives where we are wounded:
* Head (crown of thorns) — our thoughts
* Side (piercing) — our spirit and emotions
* Back (scourging) — our hopes and dreams
* Hands (nails) — our relationships
* Feet (nails) — our actionsWith sermon and worship material for Ash Wednesday, the Sundays in Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, Wounded For Us provides a complete package with everything needed for developing meaningful, thematically unified services throughout the Lenten season. Each sermon suggests an action plan that applies the “cure” of the gospel to our wounds, and reproducible outlines that help the congregation focus on the main themes are also included.
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Lent Holy Week Easter And The Great 50 Days
$19.95Add to cartThis long-awaited companion volume to Howard E. Galley’s classic The Ceremonies of the Eucharist provides clergy, liturgical assistants, and altar guild members with clear, step-by-step guidance for the liturgies of Lent and Easter. In addition to background material for the traditions and theology of each season, Mitchell includes specific preparations and instructions for each liturgy of the paschal cycle-Ash Wednesday through Pentecost-as well as Tenebrae, the Way of the Cross, the Vigil of Pentecost, the liturgies of the catechumenate, and the chrism mass. He also provides helpful ideas for how the often complex liturgies of these seasons can be done simply and well by small congregations.
Based on the liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer and the latest edition of The Book of Occasional Services, this ceremonial guide also draws on the paschal liturgies of other Anglican traditions, including those in Canada’s Book of Alternative Services.
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Clearing Season : Reflections For Lent
$14.99Add to cartCities across the world celebrate the day-before with colorful parades and over-the-top parties. Then Wednesday arrives … Sigh. Lent. has. begun.
You hear about devout friends giving up seemingly innocent things in life (like chocolate) or stressing out to live a more perfect life during six grueling weeks – for reasons you don’t completely understand. Sermons about penitence are preached, and guilt soaks the congregation.
Sound like a good time?! It’s time to rethink Lent.
Or at least see it for the positive opportunity it offers. It’s spring-cleaning for the soul! Lent offers you time to pause, consider, and renew your relationship with God – an altogether hopeful (not dreary) experience.
“To arrive at newness of life, we first name parts of our lives that are shrouded in darkness,” writes Parsons. “To put it very dramatically,… your first order of business is to break your heart for God. We walk through some muck so that we can leave it behind and find Easter joy beyond…. With God’s help we will clear the darkness away and begin to experience greater joy and newness of life.”
Sure, there’s work to be done during Lent, but it’s the gentle, gradual work of opening one’s heart and mind to grace. A Clearing Space will move you week by week from “wilderness to holy ground,” using a personal tone that will stir and challenge personal reflection.
Parsons includes exercises for small groups, as well as questions at the end of each chapter for individual reflection. Also included is an appendix of spiritual practices for Lent you may not have considered before.
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We Preach Christ Crucified (Anniversary)
$17.95Add to cartIn this tenth anniversary edition of Kenneth Leech’s classic Lenten book, he draws from his own prayer, study of the Bible, and encounters with others to offer a rich account of the resurrection for today. The themes of suffering and healing, justice and compassion, and Christ’s dying and rising all come together in a compelling theology of discipleship and ministry.
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Life Balance : A Five Session Course On Rest Work And Play For Lent (Student/Stu
$9.99Add to cartChurch House Publishing
21st century living is hectic. Getting the right ‘life balance’ between rest, work and play seems almost impossible. In five interactive sessions, Life Balance aims to help groups explores:”How to build Sabbath time into the crazy pressures of everyday life. ‘How ‘Sabbath attitudes’ can transform the way we spend our time.”Each session contains enough material for a 90-minute session and includes guidelines for group study, with full background notes for leaders, interactive activities, questions for discussion and multimedia ideas, and ideas for practical action.
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Roll Back The Stone
$20.95Add to cartCreate memorable services that help worshipers experience the profound sadness of the crucifixion as well as the marvelous joy of the risen Christ with this diverse collection of ready-to-use dramatic material. With ample selections for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, there’s something special here for congregations of any size or worship style. Copying privileges are included for all segments. Included are:
* A Travesty Of Justice: In The Shadow Of The Cross (Kathy Martz), a series of six meditations in which an unusual assortment of “eyewitnesses” – the thorn, robe, nail, spear, shroud, and stone – tell about their extraordinary encounters with Jesus. Designed for use in Lenten vesper services, these spiritual contemplations examine the events leading up to the crucifixion from a unique perspective. Each user-friendly monologue comes with a brief scripture reading and a prayer.
* Live From Jerusalem (John O. Eby), a short Palm Sunday play that helps audiences envision what it would have been like to be on the scene of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Tying biblical prophecy together with a contemporary view, television-style news anchors and correspondents vividly portray the chaos and uncertainty of the first day of Passover while speculating on how simmering conflicts will be resolved – leaving audiences to ponder the question “What comes next?”
* Maundy Thursday Testimonies (David H. Covington), a brief set of dramatic readings depicting the Passion events and their meaning from the viewpoint of four characters: Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Judas, and Peter. An excellent vehicle for members to participate in worship, these moving monologues provide an especially powerful contribution to the Maundy Thursday service.
* God On Trial, Or…? (John O. Eby), a courtroom drama for Good Friday which portrays Jesus’ trial before Pilate ? with the novel twist of Beelzebub as the prosecutor, questioning several witnesses who level accusations against Jesus. While it is ostensibly Jesus who is on trial, it gradually becomes clear that everyone else (including all of us) is actually on trial before him ? giving new and deeper meaning to Christ’s plea, “Father, forgive them, for they do not understand what they are doing!”
* Sons Of Thunder (Carol Secord), a brief Good Friday sketch in which James and John struggle to come to grips with the stark reality of the crucifixion. As they bitterly lash out in anger and frustration at those who abandoned Jesu
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Hey Joseph
$12.95Add to cartCreate stimulating, family-oriented Lenten worship that captivates the imagination with this engaging “dramily” series. Six humorous sketches, interwoven with brief homilies highlighting key points, update the familiar Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers for contemporary audiences ? providing an instructive and entertaining resource for midweek programs. Additional messages and dramas for Holy Week and Easter Sunday shift the focus to Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.
By touching on such universal experiences as family squabbles, sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, jealousy, hatred, false accusations, reconciliation, trust, and healing, Hey Joseph! is certain to resonate with the people in the pews. It offers pastors, worship leaders, and drama groups a thematically unified total package that’s flexible and easy to adapt for any size church. A complete list of simple props is included, along with helpful illustrations for constructing “Joseph’s Granary,” which may be stocked with food donations for local pantries. -
Season For The Spirit
$27.95Add to cartExperience forty days of self-discovery through theological reflections and prayers. While it aims to assist a daily practice of personal prayer, it is also widely used by groups who pledge to meet regularly so that members can share their thoughts, reactions, and spiritual experiences.
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Paradise Restored
$12.95Add to cart“Children’s time” — a brief lesson specifically targeted for preschool and elementary age youngsters — is an important part of the Sunday morning worship service in many churches today. But many of those who are called upon to provide these lessons feel too intimidated to write their own material. Pastors, children’s ministry leaders, and Sunday school teachers who need fresh, exciting messages that captivate their young people will find that this collection of easy-to-prepare lessons is just what the doctor ordered.
Geared toward the typical age range of the “children’s time” audience — toddlerhood to age 13 — Ping-Pong Words is a valuable resource for anyone who presents children’s sermons or devotionals. Each of the 31 lessons is scripture-based and runs 3-5 minutes in length, and many include demonstrations using simple visual aids such as ping-pong balls, family pictures, a flashlight, and clothespins to illustrate common precepts in ways that clearly communicate God’s Word to young ears, eyes, and hearts. The lessons are flexible, and can be incorporated into a variety of churches and ecumenical settings. Appropriate for Sunday school, worship services, religious schools and day care programs, Bible clubs, and anywhere else where young people gather to learn about God, this volume is certain to earn a trusted place on the bookshelf.
