Book of the Month

RealLivePreacher.com Gordon Atkinson.165pp $34.95 Eerdmans, US

Atkinson is the pastor of a small church in Texas, but is better known to a wide online readership as The Preacher, having posted many witty, honest and probing reflections on his weblog RealLivePreacher.com

He aims to find God in the seams and transitions of life, especially where the sacred meets the secular. He’s not afraid to explore the full spectrum of life, including the disturbing. Moving, thoughtful, bite-sized essays.

Lent/Easter titles

From fire to new life: 40 day journey. Paul Monash ed. $14.95 Maygen Press, NZ.

Reflections from bishops and archbishops of the Anglican Communion in several countries.These 47 reflections are suitable for personal, small group or parish-wide use.

Show me the way: readings for each day of Lent.  Henri Nouwen. $35.95 Darton, Longman & Todd, UK.

Henri Nouwen invites us to dare once more to choose the narrow but joyful path of Jesus.

Sense of grace: meditations for Lent on the theme of grace. Robin Gill $29.95 SPCK, UK

Gill finds God’s grace breaking through into all kinds of everyday experience — into family life and into being a grandparent; into the gap between what we are and what we could be.

Challenges of the narrow way. Bridget Plass. $24.95 BRF, UK

A Lenten journey of self-examination, with the assurance that God gives the strength to carry on every step of the way. Daily readings and prayers. (Due mid-February)

New Proclamation: Year A 2005 Easter through Pentecost Rossing, Pilch, Good & Kysar 295pp $54.95 Fortress, US (2 copies in stock)

The essential pastoral companion for preaching. Helps preachers prepare solid, forceful sermons. Includes first-class exegesis and homelitical advice, important observations about the liturgical seaon and setting, and an array of features to help spark the homelitical imagination and connect the readings to contemporary life and culture.

Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A Lent/Easter Sorads, Dozeman & McCabe. 202pp $38.95 Abingdon, US. (1 copy left)

Preach and prepare powerful, effective sermons based on the RCL. Shows how the focus on the church year can be integrated through worship, music, colour and proclamation of the word.

Gathering: Lent, Easter, Pentecost 2005. 88 copied A4 pages. $20 United Church, Canada.

Excellent resources for worship planners. Annual subscription for 3 issues is just $55

Children’s picture books from Lion, UK

Easter: the everlasting story. Lois Rock. Illustrated by Christina Balit. Paperback 32pp $16.95.

Here is the story at the heart of Easter - the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the joyful message that his disciples began to spread to all the world.

Story of the Cross Mary Joslin  Paperback 48pp $19.95

The stations of the cross is a traditional way of exploring the Easter story, telling of the last walk Jesus took to the cross and the people he encountered on the way. The walk is re-enacted each Friday in Jerusalem, and in churches worldwide, especially on Good Friday.

The Easter Story Lois Rock hardback 32pp $12.95

The story of Easter is at the heart of the Christian faith. Starting with the palm-waving procession that accompanies Jesus on his arrival at Jerusalem, this book follows the events through the last supper, the betrayal, arrest and trial, the crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

Other featured titles

Looking in the distance: the human search for meaning. Richard Holloway. hbk 227pp $39.95 Canongate, UK.

Holloway helps us to better understand the different ways in which the human search for wholeness and healing can be approached. He celebrates the possibilities that life affords. Lively prose peppered with pithy writings from poets, philosophers and novelists.

Also available: Godless Morality $29.95, Doubts and Loves $29.95

Mark of a non-realist: a contemporary reading of the second gospel. Ian Cairns. 308pp $39.95 Fraser Books, NZ

This detailed commentary provides essential insights for anyone wanting a con­temporary understanding of Mark’s gospel. Cairns, a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, was in his later years influenced by the Sea of Faith movement and  courageously rethought his whole theological outlook.

Wild Figments. Michael Leunig. 152pp $35.00 Penguin, Aust.

Leunig is part philosopher, part cynical commentator and  always provokes a response. Advocate of the innocent, defender of the meek, Leunig’s latest offering will delight those who revel in his insight, intelligence and wickedness. Beautifully produced and illustrated and containing many pieces not previously collected.

Trailing clouds of glory: anchoring the soul. Craufurd Murray. 112pp $19.95 Murray, NZ.

The church calendar provides a framework for Murray’s second collection of reflections. He says, “The calendar has the capacity to create spiritual momentum in our lives as we move through the rhythm of the seasons.” Murray’s writing is deep and warm but always with a light touch that makes each piece easy to read. Also available: Cherishing Christ $19.95

Fractals: Alternative resources for worship in the emerging culture CD Rom for PC and Mac. Mark Pierson and Cityside Baptist Church, Auck. $25.00

Cityside is a leader of alternative worship. The whole congregagation is creatively involved. The CD sets out their approach and also contains resources: prayers, rituals, responses, songs, ideas for use of art, installations, stations and more. Content is listed both by theme and according to the church year.

Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou: Struggle without end (revised 2004). Ranginui Walker 462pp, $39.95 Penguin, NZ

Since the mid-19th century, Maori have been involved in an endless struggle for justice, equality and self-determination. In this book Dr Walker provides a uniquely Maori view, not only of the events of the past 200 years, but beyond to the very origins of Maori people.

Walker now covers the years since 1990, the flowering of Maori culture and growth of Maori political and economic power.

Odyssey on the Sea of Faith: the life and writings of Don Cupitt. Nigel Leaves. 140pp $34.95 Polebridge, US

“Leaves’ in-depth study of Don Cupitt’s theology is of such quality it may be regarded as definitive.” Lloyd Geering.

Leaves maps the ways in which the ideas of Don Cupitt have developed, evolved and changed; from mildly evangelical, to liberal, to leading exponent of the view that there is no God out there and that we must create new religious ways of being. This book makes sense of Cupitt. For those interested in the ideas of Cupitt it will be the authoritative resource for years to come.

Exploring Matthew’s Gospel: A guide to the gospel readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. Leslie Francis and Peter Atkins. 224pp $44.95. Continuum, UK

“Psychological type” theory distinguishes between the functions of sensing, intuition, thinking and feeling. This book uses “type” theory to explore 46 passages from Matthew. The theory has implications for Christian leaders who need to nurture all four psychological types in their congregations. An invaluable resource for teachers and leaders and key tool for personal meditation.

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