Book of the Month

 What Good is God? On the Road With Stories of Grace. Philip Yancey. 272pp Hodder & Stoughton. $34.99

Would you still hold to your faith in the face of tragedy? Inspiring stories behind 10 of Yancey's speaking engagements around the world. Whether he’s addressing alcoholics or Bible College students, sex workers or C.S. Lewis enthusiasts, Yancey’s experiences of redemption, hope and grace provide evidence that when we are severely tested, faith really does matter.

Also by Yancey:

•   Jesus I Never Knew. Zondervan. $29.99.

•   Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? (2008 edition). Hodder & Stoughton. $29.99.

•   Where is God When it Hurts? Zondervan. $12.00.

•   Grace Notes: Daily Readings With a Fellow Pilgrim. Zondervan. $29.99.

•   What’s So Amazing About Grace. Zondervan Publishing. $29.99

Other featured titles

  Creative Retreat Ideas: Resources for Short, Day and Weekend Retreats.  Sue Pickering. With CD-ROM.  262pp. Canterbury. $57.99.

NZ spiritual director Pickering offers imaginative new programmes for those planning & leading short breaks of a few hours, a day, overnight or a weekend. This book is about helping you and others to rest and grow in God.

Also on this topic:

•     Creative Ideas for Quiet Days: With CD-ROM. Sue Pickering. Canterbury (2006). $49.99.

•     At Home with God: How to Go on Retreat Without Going Away. Penny Roker. Canterbury. $28.99

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

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.

Also in this series from Abingdon:

·         Advent Services. David Rogne. (2007) $22.99

Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition. Alan Roxburgh. Hbk. 224pp. Jossey-Bass. $49.00.

Many churches are seeking to become less focused on programmes for members and reach out to the larger community. Using the metaphor of map-making, the book explains the perspective and skills needed to lead congregations and denominations in a time of radical change over the often unfamiliar terrain of becoming missional.

Also on this topic:

•     Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It Matters. Alan Roxburgh & M. Scott Boren. Baker (2009). $32.99

•     The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church For the Community. Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw. Jossey-Bass (2010). $49.00.

•     Missional Small Groups: Becoming a Community that Makes a Difference in the World. M. Scott Boren. Baker (2010). $34.99.

•     Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. Alan Roxburgh. Jossey-Bass (2006). $49.00.

Abingdon Preaching Annual 2011. With CD-ROM. David Mosser ed. 423pp.  Abingdon. $48.00.

An excellent resource for sermon preparation. Includes Lectionary-based sermons for each Sunday and special liturgical event of the year, and commentaries on the lectionary passages not used in the weekly sermon. The CD-ROM features searchable full text of the book, plus extra prayers, affirmations of faith and classic sermons.

Also available:

•     Abingdon Worship Annual 2011. (With searchable CD-ROM of full text.) Brian Beu & Mary Scifres eds. 311pp. Abingdon. $48.00

Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer. John Dominic Crossan. Hbk. 192pp. HarperOne. $49.00.

Crossan reveals the enduring meaning and universal significance of the only prayer Jesus ever taught. He addresses issues of God’s will for us and our response, our responsibilities to one another and to the earth, the theology of our daily bread, the moral responsibilities that come with money, our nation-states, and God’s kingdom.

Also by Crossan:

•     God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now. HarperSanFrancisco. $37.99.

•     In Search Of Paul: How Jesus’ Apostle Opposed Rome’s Empire. HarperCollins. $41.00.

•     Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. HarperSanFrancisco. $45.99.

Preaching the Gospel of Matthew: Proclaiming God’s Presence. Stanley Saunders. 325p Westminster John Knox $49.00.

This commentary works through every passage of the gospel with exegetical insight. After each passage, a number of possibilities are presented for how to preach that text. Includes a wealth of creative and pertinent tips to help preachers apply Matthew’s narrative to the lives of today’s churchgoers.

Meeting St. Matthew Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission, and His Message. Daniel J. Harrington. 133pp. Loyola. $29.99

An insightful, thoughtful introduction to the Evangelist and his Gospel, with special attention given to a narrative analysis of Matthew, including key concepts and themes that develop as the story unfolds.

Light for Our Path 2011. Kate Hughes ed. 384pp. IBRA. $27.00.

Living in Australia? Ask us to airmail your copy now. Pay by secure Visa/Mastercard. Email: sales@epworthbooks.org.nz

Light for Our Path is aimed at younger people and those getting started with daily Bible reading.

The straightforward language and style of this book is also appreciated by people with English as a second language.

The daily notes introduce readers to some of the biblical books as a whole. They also cover a variety of themes, showing how the Old and New Testaments read together can reveal the depth, richness and relevance of the Bible for today’s world.

The books studied this year are: Matthew’s Gospel,  1 Kings, Jeremiah & Galatians. Themes cover such diverse topics as: Attitudes to Suffering, Mercy for Sinners, Questions Jesus Asked, Marriage, Angels, Salvation History.

Words for Today 2011. Nicola Slee ed. 384pp. IBRA. $27.00.

SOLD OUT

This book provides thoughtful, mature Christians with a year’s Bible reading notes in one volume. Writers are drawn from around the world and from different traditions, including Jewish as well as Christian biblical scholars, artists and poets, clergy and lay people, and members of religious orders. Their different perspectives will challenge readers not only to reflect but also to act in the light of the readings. A lively, fresh and often adventurous approach to the text, with a daily reading, comment and prayer.

Topics include: Conversion and Change; Imagination and Creativity; Trade between the Nations; Readings in Galatians; The Prophecy of Jeremiah.

Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity. Cynthia Bourgeault. 289pp. Shambhala. $40.00.

“A remarkable invitation into the origins and wisdom of Christianity, through the apostolic witness of Mary Magdalene. Expect a challenge, perhaps more than you're ready for...” Katharine Jefferts Schiori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. 

Also by Bourgeault:

•               Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind - A New Perspective. Shambhala. $36.99

•               Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening. Cowley. (2004). $36.00

1 2 3 Christmas: Quick and Simple Crafts in 1 2 3 Steps. Jocelyn Miller. Large format, colour. 32pp. Lion. $19.99.

Decorations, gifts, greeting cards, thank you notes... Whether you snip or stick, stitch or stir, each of these 16 crafts can be achieved in just 1 2 3 steps. Each step is explained in easy-to-follow diagrams.

Other Christmas craft books from Lion:

·         I Can Make Angel Things for Christmas, Jocelyn Miller  $12.99

·         I Can Make Things for Christmas. Christina Goodings. $12.99

·         Good Green Christmas. Christina Goodings. $16.99

Tale of Baboushka: A Traditional Christmas Story. Elena Pasquali. 32pp colour. Lion. $19.99.

Christmas is such a busy time! Cleaning, cooking, making and mending kept Baboushka busy. So she missed her chance to travel with the wise men. Then she found a way to bring Christmas love to everyone. A traditional Russian tale of warmth and wisdom.

Child of Bethlehem. Elena Pasquali. 32pp colour. Lion. $19.99.

Who finds out that Mary is expecting a baby? Who knows the way to a stable in Bethlehem? The children, of course! As the miraculous events of Jesus’ birth unfold, the children are eager to come and see. A delightful retelling of the Nativity.

2011 Iona Calendar. $14.50

Wall calendar, 30 x 21xcm. Includes envelope to post as a gift. Stunning colour photos from Iona Abbey and surrounds in Scotland.

Also available:

·         Taize Calendar 2011 [Bookmark sized 60mm x 215mm] Taize Community. Pauline Books & Media. $9.00. Each month features a colour photo from the Taize community and a prayer by Brother Roger.

The Complete Gospels 4th Edition. Robert J Miller. Paperback. Polebridge. $69.00 (Allow 8 weeks)

 The first publication to collect the canonical gospels and their extracanonical counterpoints under one cover. The selected extracanonical gospels date from the first and second centuries, are independent of the canonical gospels, and significantly contribute to our understanding of the developments in the Jesus tradition leading up to and surrounding the New Testament gospels. Two additional texts, the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of the Saviour, and a new text of Q are found in this fourth edition.

A Place of Springs: Working as a Hospital Chaplain. Bernadette Rodgers, RSM. 115pp. Dunmore. $25.00

Rodgers relates her early experiences in NZ hospital chaplaincy. Her story reveals her love of chaplaincy work, her deep concern for others and her willingness to walk with them in the joys and sorrows of their illness and recovery.

50 Great Prayers from the Iona Community. Neil Paynter. 86pp compact. Wild Goose (2009). $29.99.

Fifty of the best-loved prayers of the Iona Community in a portable edition. Prayers by Kathy Galloway, Ruth Burgess, the Wild Goose Resource Group, George MacLeod, Kate Mcllhagga, Peter Millar, Jan Sutch Pickard, Joy Mead, Ali Newell, Chris Polhill, Ian M Fraser and others.

A book that is sure to become dog-eared through use in worship, or from being carried around on the often bumpy, sometimes tranquil ride of life.

Adult Faith: Growing in Wisdom and Understanding. Diarmuid O'Murchu. Oribis. $39.99.

O'Murchu demonstrates that today's adults are interested in mature and enlightened ways to live out their faith in the world. He boldly points out dimensions of conventional religion, which no longer inspire or offer hope, and he is visionary in offering a multitude of approaches that nurture a mature faith, that is a faith for adults. The result is Adult Faith that empowers adult faith-seekers to grow in wisdom and in grace, and that enables churches to use their resources to strengthen the faith of their people at a time of great change in how people think about institutional religion.

Gathering: 2010-11 Advent – Christmas - Epiphany. 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 Transformational Intercultural Worship. Covers 28 Nov. 2010 to 6 March 2011.

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.

Canterbury Preacher's Companion 2011. Michael Counsell. 384pp. Canterbury. $49.50.

150 complete sermons for the coming year, with hymn suggestions.  For each Sunday of the year there are two sermons based on the Principal and Second Service lectionaries, plus a section of sermons for special occasions – Mothering Sunday, Harvest, baptism, marriage, funerals – and for all major saints’ days.

Also offers at-a-glance summaries of the Bible readings. The sermons are complete and can be used as they are or as a base for adaptation.  A book for hard-pressed clergy, readers and local preachers everywhere.

With Love to the World – magazine: Advent and Christmas issue - 15 Nov. 2010 to 13 Feb. 2011. Uniting Church in Aust. Single issue $9.50 + $1.30 p&p. Or Annual Subscription - 4 issues $36 including p&p.

Gaining in popularity, this Daily Bible Reading Guide based on the RCL, features Australian and NZ contributors.  For each day there is a short reflection and a sentence of prayer. For each Sunday there is a series of questions for discussion and personal reflection.

2011 - Year A: Preaching, Worship and Devotional Resources

Visit our 2011 Year A Annuals webpage http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2011_Year_A_resources.htm

for a comprehensive list of Preaching, Worship & Devotional resources for year A.

Visit our 2011 Devotional webpage

http://www.epworthbooks.org.nz/featured_books/2011_Year_A_devotionals.htm

for a list of Devotional resources for 2011.

Words for Today 2011 and Light for Our Path 2011 will arrive in October. Other books are either in stock or arriving soon.

To order your books, please email us with your requirements.

 

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Spring  Specials

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