December/January Highlights:

·    DVD of the Month: Celtic Pilgrimage with John O’Donohue - DVD. “Visually stunning and spiritually uplifting, this   beautiful film is a treat for the eye, for the heart and above all, for the soul.” The Irish Times.

·    Other Featured Titles

·    Advent & 2012 Calendars

·    New CD for Christmas: Praise Be

·    Bible Society Christmas Cards

·    Children’s Books for Christmas

·   Advent/Christmas Worship and other resources

·    2012 / Year B: Annual Devotionals and Resources
Order your 2012 Year B: Preaching, Worship & Devotional resources: http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2012_Year_B_resources.htm

·    Summer Specials. 33 more titles specialled this month. All 50% to 70% off, mostly $20.00 or less. Click here: http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/stock/sale.htm

To order please email sales@epworthbooks.org.nz or phone free 0800 755 355.

DVD of the Month

Celtic Pilgrimage with John O’Donohue. DVD Zone 1, 54 mins. Sounds True. $29.99.

Irish poet and philosopher O’Donohue invites you to  walk through the sacred  landscape of western Ireland.

“Visually stunning and spiritually uplifting, this beautiful film is a treat for the eye, for the heart and above all, for the soul.” The Irish Times.

 Also new by O’Donohue

The Four Elements: Reflections on Nature. John O’Donohue. 178pp Hbk. Transworld. $49.99.

Focusing on Air, Water, Stone & Fire, O’Donohue explores a range of themes relating to the way we live our lives today, revealing how the energy and rhythm of the natural world – its innocence and creativity, its power and splendour – hold profound lessons for us all.

Other Featured Titles
 

Kitchen Theology: The Food and Faith Connection. Diana Roberts. 123pp.Methodist Publishing. $20.00.   

In this eagerly awaited compilation of Aucklander Diana Roberts’ Touchstone columns she reflects on hospitality, relationships, feminism, culture, food faith & many other themes. Roberts injects each short passage with enthusiasm, wisdom and faith, and reminds us of the Biblical traditions around food and hospitality and the importance of food in our lives today.

Wings of the Morning: Messages of hope from Aotearoa in a new millennium. David Moxon. 218pp colour photos. Green Pagoda Press. $20.00.

“David has enormous ability to relate spiritual values to human experience. Love prevails in the midst of hate and prejudice... Each of these sermons is a gem... People have been influenced by them to look at their faith in a new light. My advice is for you to read each sermon, one at a time, digest each carefully and then read it again.” Bishop Sir Paul Reeves.

30 Things to Cook and Eat for Christmas. Rebecca Gilpin & Catherine Atkinson. 64pp Spiral bound colour. Usborne. $15.99.

Bursting with delicious, festive recipes to make and eat, or give as gifts for Christmas. Includes Shining star biscuits, Iced Christmas crowns and Little Christmas trees. For each recipe, there is a photograph of the finished result, an ingredients list and clear step-by-step instructions. Lots of great ideas for children of all ages to make in the kitchen.

Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World. John Shelby Spong. 414pp Hbk. HarperOne. $54.00.

Spong explores the origin and essential meaning of each of the individual books in the Bible, examining the background, the context, the level of authenticity and even the trustworthiness of the messages found there.

“Pulsing beneath his brilliant, thought-provoking, passionate book is this question: Can Christianity survive the education of its believers?... A question Bishop Spong answers with a resounding yes.” Sarah Sentilles, author.

Also by Spong:

·         Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate. HarperCollins (2005). $36.99 [Allow 7-10 days]

·         Jesus for the Non-Religious: Recovering the Divine. HarperCollins (2007). $40.99 [Allow 7-10 days]

·         Eternal Life: A New Vision HarperOne (2010). $39.99. [Allow 7-10 days]

Tutu: Authorized. Allister Sparks, Mpho Tutu. 354pp. Hbk. HarperOne. $51.00.

This extraordinary book includes interviews with historical figures who witnessed Tutu’s life and worked alongside him, as well as intimate and poignant interviews with his wife, family, and closest friends. Featuring many images and unpublished artefacts drawn from Tutu’s private files, this story of one man’s extraordinary life and work will be treasured for years to come.

Also by Desmond Tutu:

·         Made For Goodness: And Why this Makes All the Difference. Rider (2011). $27.99 [Allow 7-10 days]

·         God Is Not a Christian. Rider (2011) $37.99. [Allow 4 weeks]

·         Children of God Storybook Bible. HarperCollins (2010).$32.00. [Allow 7-10 days]

·         God's Dream [pbk]. Walker Books (2009). $26.00. [Allow 4 weeks]

25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics. Renovare. 388pp. HarperOne. $29.99.

Discover the very core of the Christian experience through remarkable books ancient and modern that should be shaping the church, our faith, and our engagement in the world. Provides historical background for each work and explains its importance for modern Christians, while including selected readings from every book to get you started. Includes questions about each book for use in small groups or for personal reflection.

The Hungry Heart: Journeys with William Colenso. Peter Wells. 468pp. Hbk Colour. Vintage. $49.99.

Printer, botanist and missionary, William Colenso was a 19th-century maverick who protested at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, arguing that Maori did not fully understand its implications. He lost his family after the church expelled him for fathering a child by a Maori woman. Rejected by church, family and friends, Colenso made botany his home and lovingly described the plants of New Zealand. At the same time he wrote a series of remarkable pamphlets that open up our past. Extensive illustrations and photographs.

Mark: (Belief Theological Commentary on the Bible series.) William Placher. 272pp Hbk. Westminster John Knox. $49.99.

Placher offers an insightful theological perspective on what most scholars believe to be the earliest Gospel. The result is an accessibly written and theologically articulate commentary focusing on the questions Mark’s Gospel raises for us today. This is sure to be of immense value for all who want to hear the astonishing story Mark tells about “the good news of Jesus Christ” (Mark 1:1).

Other new Mark Commentaries:

Mark: (Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament series.) Mary Anne Beavis. 302pp Baker. $48.00 (3 in stock).

“Beavis focuses on the story told by the evangelist and what it would have meant for its earliest hearers. She concentrates on the 'narrative flow' as she traces the way in which Mark's story develops as a story in five acts. Every reader is certain to find in it something new and illuminating.” Morna D. Hooker, University of Cambridge.

Marking the Gospel: A Devotional Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Jody Seymour. 170pp Wipf and Stock. $34.00. (8 in stock)

Join Jody Seymour as he leads us on a journey through the Gospel of Mark. Let the words of this first and oldest Gospel make a mark on you, as you discover in a fresh way its power to transform. Includes a guide for personal reflection or group discussion.

  Mark: (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries series). Clifton Black. 406pp. Abingdon. $46.00. (1 in stock)

“Black’s commentary is an excellent tool for students and preachers. The scholarship is evident on every page, in use of original sources and interaction with contemporary studies; and the judgement on disputed issues, of introduction and interpretation, is mature and refined.” James Dunn, Durham University.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul: The Influence of the Epistles on the Synoptic Gospels. David Oliver Smith. 332pp. Wipf & Stock. $64.00. (1 in stock)

When the Synoptic evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke sat down to write their gospels did they have copies of some of the epistles? Smith found that a large portion of what many New Testament scholars consider to be contained in Q may have its inspiration in the Epistles.

Advent & 2012 Calendars
 

2012 Iona Wall Calendar. 210 x 300mm. Island Blue. $9.99.  

Stunning photos of Scotland's Iona Island. Easy size gift for posting.

Taize 2012 Bookmark Calendar. $9.00.

A Proverb for every day in 2012.

Advent Calendars. Published by Caltime. $14.00 + $2.00 p&p

We have 7 styles of traditional nativity Advent calendars in stock. These popular calendars are free standing. Enquire now.

Advent Calendar: Baby Jesus (Squirrel) S735

Advent Calendar: Childrens Nativity S5100

Advent Calendar: Manger Scene S756

Advent Calendar: Nativity S731

   Advent Calendar: The Manger, Glitter S705

Advent Calendar: Shepherds at the Manger S819

 Also 3D Nativity scene set with 12 movable characters. $29.99

NEW  Praise Be - CD. 30 tracks. 2 CD set. 80 mins. With words booklet. Frequency Media Group. $24.99.

“It is with much pleasure that I endorse the release of this first ever Praise Be CD, celebrating the programme's 25th birthday. It contains 30 tracks carefully chosen to best represent the outstanding choral standards in New Zealand and the broad styles of Christian music that Praise Be has recorded over the years, for all seasons of the liturgical year.

In the 25 years, 47,000 people have sung on the programme. Enjoy this CD which begins with a locally written piece incorporating ‘God Defend New Zealand’ in counterpoint, a selection of Christmas Carols, a mixture of top adult choirs, youth choirs and congregations, some Lenten and Easter hymns ending with an uplifting Salvation Army farewell song.” Ron Pledger, Producer, Praise Be.

This recording combines many elements, all with a Christmas theme:

·         choral showcases for Musica Sacra

·         an organ solo by the City Organist and Musica Sacra Organist, John Wells

·         the splendour of the brass both by itself and in combination with the choir and organ

·         a blend of familiar and new pieces from New Zealand and around the world.

 

There is some ‘serious’ classical music as well as lighter, more popular fare: we think that there is something for everybody in this programme, and we hope that you enjoy it.

Features:

·         Gloria, by John Rutter

·         What sweeter music

·         Noe! Noe!

·         Fanfare and O come, all ye faithful

·         Metamorphoses on a Noël

·         Mary’s lullaby

·         Feierlicher Einzug

·         Welcome, Yule!

·         little town of Bethlehem

·         Ding, dong! Merrily on high

·         Christmas Medley

·         The holly and the ivy

·         Unto us is born a Son

·         Deck the hall

·         Fanfare and Hark! the herald-angels sing

 Christmas Messiah CD. Oregon Bach Festival Choir & Orchestra. Classic Fox Records (2007). $15.00. (1 only left)

18 tracks from the Christmas section of Messiah.

There are 2 packs available, a New Zealand themed pack and a traditional pack, each with 4 different designs and a Christmas Bible verse in each card. Each pack has 12 cards (3 each of 4 different designs) and envelopes.

The Third Gift. Linda Sue Park, Bargram Ibatoulline illust. 23pp large format colour. Hbk. Clarion. $30.00.

A boy learns from his father how to gather teardrops of myrrh resin. They find an unusually large tear and met three foreigners with a surprising reason to buy it. A window into an unforgettable time 2000 years ago.

The Lion, The Unicorn and Me: The Donkey’s Christmas Story. Jeanette Winterson  45pp. Scholastic.  $21.00.

In this beautifully evocative retelling of the story of the very first Christmas, the humble donkey is chosen amongst all the other animals, including the kingly lion and the proud unicorn. As his journey unfolds, he is touched by the magic and mystery of the Nativity. Stunning illustrations by Rosalind Macurrach make this the perfect Christmas book.

Animals’ Christmas. Elena Pasquali, Giuliano Ferri illust. 32pp. colour. Lion. $17.99.

Long before Jesus was born, it was foretold that he would rule a peaceable kingdom. This retelling of the Nativity story is interwoven with the ancient Bible prophecy of a time when the lion and lamb would lie down together, and reflects the message of peace at the heart of the season. An original slant on the nativity story, told with winsome illustrations and biblical spirit.

The First Christmas - Pop Up. Karen Williamson. 10pp. Hbk. Candle. $19.99.

An inspirational gift book for toddlers and early readers to bring the story of the very first Christmas to life. Richly illustrated throughout in lifelike detail, the final turn of the page reveals an amazing 3D pop up of the Nativity scene, complete with Baby Jesus in the manger, visited by shepherds and wise men. The storybook you'll want to leave open throughout the Christmas season!

The Shepherd Girl of Bethlehem. Carey Morning. 32pp. Lion. $17.99.

Weaving the Nativity story into an original tale, this evocative Christmas book exudes a heart-warming message about love and peace. A little shepherd girl loves her father greatly, and adores spending time with him on the hillside, tending his flocks. But one night, he is called away and she can't find him. She anxiously searches high and low, eventually finding him at a stable in Bethlehem, where her journey ends with a most glorious discovery. Alan Marks' illustrations - crafted in detailed ink and deep watercolour washes - flow through the pages, taking the story towards its colourful and evocative end.

Nativity Sticker Book. 16pp large format. Usborne. $15.99.

This beautiful art sticker book guides children through the Christmas story, from the Annunciation to the arrival of the Three Kings. It features famous paintings from the Renaissance to modern times, accompanied by facts about the artwork and artists.

Children can have fun matching the stickers of the paintings to their labelled frames.

Includes a sticker advent calendar for the countdown to Christmas. Published in association with the National Gallery, London.

Story of Baby Jesus. Mary Kelly. 48pp Colour. Usborne. $10.99.

The story of the Nativity retold using simple language to help beginner readers develop reading stamina. Follow Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem in this retelling of the Christmas story.

Creative Ideas for Advent and Christmas: 80 Seasonal Activities for Use with Children. Jane Tibbs. 126pp. BRF. $24.99.

Practical and innovative ideas, grouped in four key contexts: in church; midweek and children's groups; at home; and, for community events (20 ideas for each category). Ideal for shared engagement, especially for those working with 4-11s. Author has many years of experience resourcing clergy, families and children's workers with materials, ideas and events. It includes inspirational ideas for the weeks before Christmas.

Gathering: Advent Christmas & Epiphany 2011-2012. A4 copied sheets, 92pp. United Church of Canada. Single issue $21 + $2.00 p&p. Or Annual Subscription - 3 issues $58 including p&p.

Resources for worship planners. Includes service outlines, prayers, plays, music and seasonal ideas, and section on Introverts and Extroverts in Worship. Covers 27 Nov. 2011 to 19 Feb. 2012.

Gathering is a periodical by and for worship planners and leaders. It is a gathering of gifts from the church for the church; gifts that come out of lived experience. Gathering is the pulse of United Church of Canada worship practice and theology. It is grassroots: a variety of voices, a connection with colleagues, a reflection of the changes and evolution in worship, and an opportunity for sharing wisdom and teaching about worship practice.

Candles and Conifers: Resources for All Saints' and Advent. Ruth Burgess. 263pp. Wild Goose Publications (2005). $47.50

Prayers, liturgies, poems, reflections, sermons, meditations, stories and responses, written by Iona Community members and associates. It offers resources for groups and individuals covering the weeks from All Saints’ Day to Christmas Eve, including saints’ days, Remembrance Day, World AIDS Day and Advent. There are liturgies for an outdoor celebration with fireworks, a Christingle service and a longest night service, as well as Advent candle ceremonies, personal prayer practices, a series of responses and blessings and a cats’ Advent calendar.

Hay and Stardust: Resources for Christmas to Candlemas. Ruth Burgess. 270pp. Wild Goose Publications (2005). $49.99.

Worship and meditation resources for the season of Christmastide – including Christmas Day, Holy Innocents’ Day, Winter and New Year, Epiphany, Homelessness Sunday and Candlemas. It also contains eight Christmas plays; props include puppets, knuckle-dusters, big flashes, sticking plasters, sacks and stars! You have been warned.

Material in this book has been contributed by Iona Community members, associates, friends and others and reflects their diverse experiences of life.

Advent and Christmas (Bridges to Contemplative Living series). Jonathan Montaldo, Robert Toth. 62pp booklet. Ave Maria Press (2010). $12.50. (1 in stock, then allow 7 days)

In this accessible introduction to the writings of Thomas Merton, small-group participants are led on a path of spiritual growth from the first week of Advent through Christmas. Each of the book's five sessions focuses on a distinct theme: hope, salvation, compassion, tenderness, or incarnation.

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Services (Just in Time series). F. Belton Joyner Jr. 97pp. Abingdon (2010). $29.00. (1 in stock)

Joyner includes biblically-based sermons, suggested scriptures, children’s time, hymns and prayers, as well as litanies for lighting the Advent wreath. Also included are suggestions for seasonal funerals. These services offer a completing message of hope during this important church season, when people often visit a church for the first time. Each service focuses on and celebrates a different aspect of the theme: Jesus: God’s Unlikely Revelation.

2012 / Year B: Annual Devotionals and Resources

Words for Today 2012. Nicola Slee ed. 384pp. International Bible Reading Assn. $25.00.
Now in Stock!

Words For Today is different from other daily Bible reading notes. It offers a whole year's readings in one volume. Writers are drawn from around the globe and from many different traditions. Includes Jewish as well as Christian biblical scholars.

Presents a lively, fresh and often radical approach to the text. Words for Today challenges readers to act in the light of the readings. Combines systematic reading of texts with wide-ranging themes.

Edited by poet and theologian Nicola Slee, a well-known writer, speaker and leader of retreats who is based at the Queen's Foundation. Birmingham.

·         Living in Australia? Ask us to airmail your copy in November. You can pay by secure Visa/Mastercard. Email: sales@epworthbooks.org.nz

Preaching, Worship & Devotional resources – click here:

http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2012_Year_B_resources.htm

 A PDF order form to print then post or fax is also available here:
http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2012_Year_B_Annuals_for_order_form.pdf

Devotional resources  - click here:

http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2012_Year_B_devotionals.htm

 A PDF order form to print then post or fax is also available here:
http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2012_Year_B_Devotionals_order_form.pdf

Recent Titles

We have one copy of each of these new books in stock. Time to supply additional copies is shown below.

Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom. Jenny Duckworth, Justin Duckworth. 111pp. Cascade. $25.00. [2-3 weeks]

The story of the Urban Vision community in New Zealand. This book recounts the story of a group of young Christian adults who over the last 15 years have relocated to the colourful ends of their city to share life with those who are struggling, homeless, sick, poor, neglected, or otherwise marginalised. They live the gospel, this good news of Jesus.

Spirit of the Past: Essays on Christianity in New Zealand History. Hugh Morrison, Geoff Troughton eds. 254pp. Victoria Univ. Press. $50.00. [7-10 days]

Has religion shaped, or been shaped by, New Zealand culture and society? How much and in what ways? This important collection of essays offers fresh and makes available new research into the history of Christian ideas, practices and institutions in New Zealand.

Jung, The Unconscious and Us - 2 DVD set of lectures by Lloyd Geering. 200 mins. St Andrew’s Trust. $35.00. [7-10 days]

 A series of four 2011 lectures by Professor Lloyd Geering focusing on how the ideas of Carl Jung, the pioneering psychologist, have helped us to understand ourselves, our culture, and even our future:

·         Jung and self-understanding

·         Jung and religious experience

·         Jung and the archetype of God

·         Jung and global unity.

Fictional Religion: Keeping the New Testament New. Jamie Spencer. 154pp. Polebridge. $32.00. [6-8 weeks]

The books of the New Testament are not the infallible words of God, contends Spencer. He examines twelve writers and allows us to see how thoughtful artists over the last 600 years have taken the Christian doctrine they inherited, and applied both its formal tenets and its spirit to the intellectual needs, social contexts and cultural biases of their age.

Sacraments in Biblical Perspective. (Interpretation: Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church series). Ronald Byars. 350pp Hbk. Westminster John Knox. $66.00. [2-3 weeks]

Can we worship without the use of "symbols" such as water, bread, or wine? Has the church outgrown the need for ritual? Offering a biblical, historical, and theological look at the sacraments, Byars presents a perspective on baptism and the Eucharist where actions, postures, sounds, sights, and tastes lead to the heart of the gospel.

A Silent Action: Engagements with Thomas Merton. Rowan Williams. 96pp Hbk. Fons Vitae. $48.00. [2-3 weeks]

Through his essays, Williams shows that he and Merton share the regard that Christian life without a contemplative dimension is incomplete and, furthermore, that a contemplative life is accessible not only to those living in monasteries but to anyone who seeks an “interiorised” monasticism.

Home by Another Way: Biblical meditations through the Christian year. Barbara Brown Taylor. 214pp SPCK (1999, Reprinted 2011). $39.99. [4-6 weeks]

Written by one of the world’s greatest preachers, these insightful meditations began their life as beautifully crafted sermons that explore the meanings of the major seasons and holy days of the Christian year. They explore perennial questions of faith, doubt, grace, anger, hope, fear, love, prayer and discipleship.

33 more titles specialled this month.

Priced to clear at 50-70% off.