Book of the Month

Emerging Church: A Model for Change & a Map for Renewal. Bruce Sanguin. 205pp. Wood Lake, Can. $42.99.

Canadian minister Sanguin gives no-nonsense, realistic advice for ministers and congregations who want to adopt a progressive form of Christianity. He models what it means to be an emerging congregation, and provides a map for how to get there.

“Sanguin dares to walk his talk and to resurrect church life using models from the new cosmology, creation spirituality, and his own 20 years of ministry in the trenches and pews. Recommended for all who are eager to see church renewed!”  Matthew Fox. 

Also from Wood Lake by Sanguin (allow 6-8 weeks for delivery):

·         Darwin, Divinity, and the Dance of the Cosmos: An Ecological Christianity.$39.99

·         Summoning the Whirlwind: Unconventional Sermons for a Relevant Christian Faith. $65.00

Other featured titles

Art Of Parables: Reinterpreting the Teaching Stories of Jesus in Word & Scripture. Charles McCollough. 252pp + CD Rom. Wood Lake, Can. $57.00.

A sculptor and theologian challenges us with new insights into 33 story parables. There are questions for discussion for each parable. Includes PowerPoint CD of artwork for projection in worship or study groups. A valuable resource for students, scholars and church leaders.

 Parables of Dr. Seuss. Robert Short. 95pp. Westminster John Knox, US. $29.99.

In this breezy and engaging book, Short looks at spirituality in the stories of children’s book author and illustrator, Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Giesel, arguing that Giesel was a first-class Christian thinker. Members of small groups, looking for intriguing books to study, will thoroughly enjoy this journey with Short and Seuss.  

Also by Short: (Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery)

·         The Gospel According to Dogs: What Our Four-Legged Saints Can Teach Us. Harper Collins, US (2007). $26.99.

·         Parables of Peanuts. HarperCollins, US (2002). $29.99.

·         The Gospel According to Peanuts. Westminster John Knox, US (1979). $29.99.

Barclay's Guide to the New Testament. William Barclay. 351pp. Westminster John Knox, US. $39.99.

This book-by-book guide ably and engagingly introduces beginners to the essential purpose and message of each New Testament writing. From the Gospels through Revelation, Barclay paints a vivid picture of the circumstances that gave rise to each book, offering numerous illuminating insights into the meanings of key words and enabling his readers to discern and follow the central concerns of each text. An invaluable beginning to an in-depth study of the New Testament.

Ask us about the New Daily Study Bible 17 volume series of Barclay’s commentaries on books of the New Testament. Individual volumes are priced from $37.00 to $43.00. The Complete Set is available for $400.00.

Net Gains: A Guide For Ministry. Andrew Pratt. 131pp. Methodist Publishing, UK. $45.00.

A hands-on, honest-to-God handbook for people who are training for the ordained ministry, or those who have already embarked on it, and who are looking for good advice. Also useful for those who support them or work with them. Designed for people who work in the local church, and offers practical real suggestions on how to deal with the day-to-day challenges of real situations in real places. It acknowledges that ministry is first and foremost about people and relationships.

Also by Pratt from Methodist Publishing: (Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery)

·         Nothing Too Religious: Worship resources. (2008) $49.99

·         O For a Thousand Tongues: The 1933 Methodist Hymn Book in Context. $80.00

·         Poppies and Snowdrops: Resources for Times of Grief and Bereavement. $49.99

·         Inextinguishable Blaze: Meditations on Charles Wesley's Hymns. $49.99

Reaching People Under 40 while Keeping People Over 60. Edward Hammett. 180pp. Chalice, US. $43.00.

How do you keep people over 60 years of age, who often hold church culture values, while still reaching people under 40, who often hold postmodern values? Hammett, takes a church step by step through the transformation needed to reach younger people while honouring the elders.

“Those who read this book and follow Hammett’s coaching will find a win-win approach to reaching both of the cultures present in today’s world. This book should be on the desk of every pastor of an established church for the next two decades.” Bill Easum.

Also by Hammett: (Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery)

·         Gathered And Scattered Church: Equipping Believers for the 21st Century 2nd ed. Smyth & Helwys, US. $22.99

·         Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Age: Building Bridges Instead Of Barriers. Lake Hickory Resources, (2005) $36.99.

·         Reframing Spiritual Formation: Discipleship in an Unchurched Culture. Smyth & Helwys, US. (2002). $25.99

·         Making the Church Work: Converting the Church for the 21st Century 2^nd ed. Smyth & Helwys, US. (2000) $24.99

Growing Great Girls. Ian & Mary Grant. 219pp. Random House, NZ. $36.99.

Parenting gurus Ian & Mary Grant show you how to raise self-assured, optimistic, adventurous, generous, strong and loving young women. Hot tips, quotes and action labs encourage parents to take a hand-on approach, helping their daughters to succeed in life. Excellent, practical advice.

Also by Ian Grant:

·         Communicate: How to Speak Well in Public and in Private. Vintage, NZ. $35.00

·         Fathers Who Dare Win: Strategies for Effective Fatherhood. Lime Grove, NZ. $29.99.

·         White Water Rafting Years: Common-sense Parenting Teenagers. Pa’s Publishing, NZ. $29.99.

Kids Behaving Bravely: Raising a Resilient Child. Tania Roxborogh & Kim Stephenson. 216pp Penguin, NZ. $30.00

A resilient child is an emotionally healthy child, equipped to successfully confront challenges and bounce back from setbacks. Teaches kids how to deal with changes like: moving to a new school; loss of a friendship or death of a pet; death of a family member or loved one and conflict.

Before Your Teenagers Drive You Crazy, Read This! Nigel Latta. 301pp. HarperCollins, NZ. $26.99.

Has your teenage son lost the gift of speech? Does your teenage daughter blame you for everything, including global warming? This book shows you what to do when you don’t know what to do, using the same bombproof frameworks, basic principles, and simple plans clinical psychologist Latta would use if he saw your family. Entertaining and practical.

Follow Yourself Home: Word Remedies to Heal and Inspire. Jane Pujji. 272pp/ Living Well, NZ. $39.99.

In this beautifully designed book, NZ poet and healer Pujji draws on the power of words to create a volume of remedies for those seeking inspiration or solace. The poems and reflections offer a voice to and relief from afflictions such as stress, grief, self-doubt, anger and blame. They also give expression to love, friendship, faith and celebration. An ideal gift.

Here If You Need Me: A True Story. Kate Braestrup. 216pp. Back Bay Books, US. $27.99.

A remarkable journey from grief to faith to happiness, as Braestrup held her family together in the wake of her husband’s death. She pursued his dream to become a minister and found her own calling as a chaplain to search and rescue workers in Maine. An uplifting account about finding God through helping others, and the tale of the small miracles that occur every day when life and love are restored. Funny, dramatic, moving.

Living On: A Guide To Living On In The Thoughts And Memories Of Those You Love. Jill & Emily Margo. 124pp. Brandl & Schlesinger, Aust. $29.99

Many people want to leave a legacy of their personal experiences, beliefs and values. The authors suggest content for and describe how to write a letter or short book, make an audio recording or video, and how to contribute to special family occasions in future. Ideal for those whose time is short, and for the people who support and care for them.

The Shack. (Fiction) William P Young. 256pp. Windblown, US. $28.99

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.  Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality. Thomas Reynolds. 256pp. Brazos, US. $49.99.

As parents of a son with disabilities, Thomas Reynolds and his wife know what it's like to be misunderstood by a church community. Reynolds draws upon that personal experience and a diverse body of literature to empower churches and individuals to foster deeper hospitality toward persons with disabilities.

Reynolds offers valuable biblical, theological, and pastoral tools to understand and welcome those with disabilities. The book will be useful to academics, students, and pastors, as well as anyone touched by disability in some way. Readers will find penetrating examinations of the difficult questions of why God allows disability and what the church can learn from people with disabilities.

"A remarkable book that reveals in a compelling way that being truly human and Christian is not just accepting people with disabilities but accepting our own vulnerability by entering with them into a relationship of mutuality where each one gives and each one receives. Their place is not at the margins of society and of the church, but at the center, urging and calling us all to open up to the fundamental truth of our being; they can then become our healers. This book is essential reading for all Christians who desire to enter more fully into the vision of our loving God for our world and to become men and women of peace." Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche.

Receiving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology, and Ethics. Hans Reinders. 414pp. Eerdmans, US. $57.00

Does what we are capable of doing define us as human beings? If this basic anthropological assumption is true, where can that leave those with intellectual disabilities, unable to accomplish the things that we propose give us our very humanity? Hans Reinders here makes an unusual claim about unusual people: those who are profoundly disabled are people just like the rest of us.

He acknowledges that, at first glance, this is not an unusual claim given the steps taken within the last few decades to bring the rights of those with disabilities into line with the rights of the mainstream. But, he argues, that cannot be the end of the matter, because the disabled are human beings before they are citizens. “To live a human life properly,” he says, “they must not only be included in our institutions and have access to our public spaces; they must also be included in other people’s lives, not just by natural necessity but by choice.”

Receiving the Gift of Friendship consists of three parts: (1) Profound Disability, (2) Theology, and (3) Ethics. Overturning the “commonsense” view of human beings, Reinders’ argument for a paradigm shift in our relation to people with disabilities is founded on a groundbreaking philosophical-theological consideration of humanity and of our basic human commonality. Moreover, Reinders gives his study human vividness and warmth with stories of the profoundly disabled from his own life and from the work of Jean Vanier and Henri Nouwen in L’Arche communities.

  Gathering: 2008 Summer/Autumn (After Pentecost). A4 copied sheets, 92pp. United Church of Canada $20 + $1.60 p&p single issue. $55 annual subscription for 3 issues.

Resources for worship planners. Includes service outlines, prayers, plays, music and seasonal ideas. This issue covers 18 May to 23 Nov 2008.

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