IVP publication 2009  
isbn: 9781844744176   £12.99

Is there no heaven or hell, no God, no spiritual realm- just science?

That's the message a new generation of dynamic atheist thinkers are saying.

Here is a book that answers this challenge with some of the finest thinkers in cosmology, biology, theology and philosophy.

Contributors include: John Polkinghorne, Alister McGrath, Scot McKnight & Mark Mittleberg.

Incomparable: Explorations in the Character of God by Andrew Wilson

published by David C Cook  2007
isbn 9781434767561  £8.99

There is no greater persuit, no greater journey, and no greater joy than being changed by the extraordinary character of God.

Incomparable explores sixty names and descriptions of our Creator. Each short reflection is filled with profound biblical insights and revelations that will inspire and enrich your faith.

God Stories: Explorations in the Gospel of God by Andrew Wilson

published by David C Cook 2009
isbn 9781434765390  £8.99

Sometimes our gospel is just too small.  If we're not careful we can take a story about Jesus rescuing creation and reduce it into a story about ourselves.  We can turn stories into statements, poems into punchlines. We can miss the sweeping, triumphant, heartbreaking, and glorious stories that make up the gospel of God.

But the biblical gospel, the real one, is a stunning mosaic of GodStories.  It's about sins forgiven, shame removed, beauty restored, and mean reinstated. It's about God's kingdom, his mission, his temple and his victory.
Welcome to the gospel of God.

Joyful Christianity   explores the events before, during and soon after Jesus' birth, as experienced by those caught up in these world-changing events, and relates them to life and faith today.
 

In this engaging book, Peter Rollins has crafted a series of compelling stories that shatter the popular perception of Christianity as a drug that would keep people passive, infantile and incapable of confronting injustice.   In this work we are faced with a radical faith that is not concerned with escaping the world we inhabit, but rather engaging in it more fully, a Christianity that is expressed in nothing less than a life consumed by passion and love.
Instead of offering us a theological discourse that would educate us we find here engaging stories that seek to inspire and transform us.   These tales do not aim to change our minds but rather transform our hearts.
 

The cross and resurrection provide the pattern for discipleship today, calling Christians to a radical new way of living.

The Ordinary Hero invites us to:    live out the radical implications of grace, apply the way of the cross: sacrificial love and service, to every area of life. pursue spiritual power, not for its own sake, but in order to live the weakness of the cross, embark on risk-taking because we're focused on the world to come.

The book concludes with a powerful story of an ordinary hero.


 

Whether you are a new Christian just setting out on the journey of faith, or a weary traveller in need of some refreshment, Travelling Well will inspire you to keep on going.

With clarity, wisdom and humour it tackles the major areas of the Christian life.

This makes an idea gift for an adult being confirmed.

 

When was the last time you had a real day off? Ditched the 'to do' lists. Switched off the phone.  Had a lie-in. Sat in the bath until the water went cold?
Most of us live at break-neck speed.  Busy lives - work, family, friends, endless tasks -leave us with little time to sleep, never mind stopping and reflecting.      We need to learn to nurture our inner slob.
In this generous, life-affirming book, full of practical wisdom, Stephen Cottrell invites us to slow down and stop...   and breathe.


 

The Christian journey is never one we embark on alone.  We step into a family of faith that extends around the world and across the centuries, and while the steps we take and the progress we make may be unique to us, we are surrounded by the wisdom and experience of others.
Signs and Seasons  introduces us to some of the amazing resources at our disposal, drawing on the shape of the Christian year with its times of celebration and quiet reflection, the Bible, art, poetry and prayer, stories and humour to lay the foundation for a mature, thinking faith that is unafraid to engage with life's most difficult questions and challenges.


 

isbn 9781425190200 (Trafford Publishing 2009)  £11.99

One Foundation is a challenge to review our faith, and the way we express it in our daily lives.  From a series of personal reflections, Ian asks us to think about what really is important.
Is it the Church building? Is it money? Is it being comfortable in our worship and faith? OR is it recognising and trying to be more like Jesus.....
Rationally we all know that's the answer, but how well do we achieve it?

In the forward by Most Revd. Dr. Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales he comments, "Ian rightly sees that we must get back to the basics of our faith, the core values of our common life as a community of Christians, to offer something unique and joyful, to those who struggle to find meaning and hope in our world"
 

Where is the path you're on leading?
Ancient rabbis taught on the move.  So life, for every rabbi's student or apprentices was literally a journey of learning.  With a rabbi, the whole of life became a risk taking, active experience.  A rabbi's apprentice had one simple goal: to imitate him.
In this book filled with honesty, heart and creativity, Chalke explores what it means to be a 21st century apprentice of the master rabbi, Jesus.
It encourages us to ask our most probing questions, to embrace our greatest doubts and live courageously. Through a mix of captivating parables and thoughtful commentary, Steve Chalke call us into a deep experience of learning and relationship with Christ.


 

"This is the most heart-warming, inspirational story I have read in decades.   If you only one book in the next year... read The Shack."
(J.John)

Mackenzie Allen Philip's 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 judgement 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.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"

Unabridged version (7cd's) of the book The Shack.

What is the point of being a Christian? One is pointed to God, who is the point of everything. If one thinks of religion as just 'useful' then one has reduced it to another consumer product.  But if we are pointed to God, then this should make a difference to how we live.  This is not a moral superiority.   Christians are usually no better than anyone else. But the lives of Christians should be marked by some form of hope, freedom, happiness and courage.   If they are not then why should anyone believe a word we say?




 

Chosen by Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, as his Lent Book for 2009, this book is not just for 40days of the year!

Many people find going to church to be boring and pointless.  Why bother?  Timothy Radcliffe suggests that the Eucharist works at a deep level, transforming our humanity, so that we share God's life. Listening to the readings, the homily and the creed all take us through the crises and challenges of faith.  From the offertory through to the end of the Eucharistic prayer we are caught up in the hope that was Christ's, faced with Good Friday.   From the 'Our Father' until we are sent on our way, especially in receiving communion, we are formed as people who are capable of love.

 

The Church today faces many challenges, and it is easy for Christians to become disheartened.  Reflecting on his years of experience as a priest and a member of the Redemptorist Congregation, in this book Father Buckely takes on the apostolic call to put "fresh heart into the disciples".  By sharing his own story and meditation on the scriptures, he shows that it is by living through times of disappointment and difficulty that we can often find that the love of God is revealed. The heart of the Gospel he proclaims is compassion and forgiveness, and the reconciliation of the whole of creation with God.

The Jesus I Know ed. Adam Harbinson, Columba Press, 2009
The Jesus I know is much more than a collection of opinions of the historical Christ written by a disparate group of people. It is a platform from which forty men and women from many walks of life – some well known and others who might never have their fifteen minutes of fame – share with their world a simple and honest account of how their daily lives are enriched and impacted by their relationship with the living Christ.

Some of the stories will intrigue, others will challenge. Some will make us laugh, and some will make you cry, but each one contributes its own unique portrait of the multi-faced Jesus.

Lucas Unleashed: Wisdom for life on the high wire, Jeff Lucas, Authentic, 2009
The aim of this book, says the author, is 'to make you laugh, cry and think, although not necessarily in that order. Perhaps there will be times when I'll say openly in this book what you've been thinking privately. Maybe you'll be provoked to think about something afresh, or embarrass yourself with tears in a public place when you read some of the words that follow. And maybe you'll be laughing aloud....'

The Three Faces of Christ  Trevor Dennis, SPCK, reissued 2009
Through this imaginative collection of stories we encounter the infant Christ, both vulnerable and divine, the laughing, loving Christ, who delights in us and cares for us; the sorrowful Christ, who suffers on our behalf and draws comfort from our love.

Weaving through the book is the theme of Eden – once lost but now restored to us by Christ's saving work on the cross. And our eyes are opened to the possibilty of rediscovering Eden for ourselves, as we explore who we truly are in God.

Are you missing one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling dimensions of the Christian life?  Here's an energetic and engaging guide to everyday steps you can take to influence others for Christ. 
The authors tell dramatic and often humorous stories from their own lives that will inspire you with fresh compassion for your spiritually confused friends.  Then they draw out creative and practical application steps that anyone can readily take, capping each reading with a relevant Scripture selection .

Christianity: A guide for the perplexed, by Keith Ward
(SPCK 2007) isbn9780281058969   £7.99

In this stimulating guide to Christian belief, Keith Ward takes a broad sweep from the Big Bang through the Old Testament to the New Testament, and beyond, into the history of the faith, modern theological thinking and human destiny.

Divided into short sections that provide pithy and imaginative approaches to the big questions, this thought-provoking book offers clarity, awe and inspiration in equal measures.

 

'In this lucid and witty book, Professor Ward demonstrates most effectively the rational viability of belief in God.  Atheist assertions are countered by careful theistic argument , in a manner that should prove persuasive to many and illuminating to all.'   (John Polkinghorne)

If you've faced questions like these and felt tongue-tied, this is the book for you.  It will help you talk more confidently with your friends about the hope that keeps you going.   And during those times when you find that you are questioning your faith, the answers and ideas here may help you come to a deeper understanding of what you really believe.


 

What is Prayer?
What difference does it make?    Why and how should we pray?
What about unanswered prayer?
How should we understand prayer for physical healing?

Yancey's quest to unravel these mysteries reads as  the journal of a fellow traveller: observing, questioning, lamenting the unexplainable and rejoicing in the discovery of awesome insights. His journey is beautifully illustrated with moving true stories drawn from around the world.


I highly recommend reading this book  (Ruth - Churches Together Bookshop, Cardiff)
 

We speak of grace often.  But do we understand it?  More importantly, do we truly believe in it....  and do our lives proclaim it as powerfully as our words?

Best selling author, Philip Yancey, gives us a probing look at grace: what it looks like.... what is doesn't look like.... and why only Christians can and must reveal the grace the world is searching for.

What happens when a respected Christian journalist decides to put his preconceptions aside and take a long look at the Jesus described in the Gospels?  How does the Jesus of the New Testament compare to the "new, rediscovered" Jesus - or even the Jesus we think we know so well?
Philip Yancey offers a different perspective on the life of Christ and his work- his teachings, his miracles, his death and resurrection-and ultimately, who he was and why he came.  From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers; a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith.

 

Life with God doesn't always work like we thought.  High expectations slam against the reality of personal weakness and unwelcome surprises.  And the God who we've been told longs for our company may seem remote, emotionally unavailable.
This relationship with a God we can't see, hear or touch - how does it really work?

This book offers deep, satisfying insights that affirm and dignity the questions we're sometimes afraid to ask.  Honest and deeply personal, here is a straight talk on Christian living for the man or woman who wants more than pat answers to life's imponderables.  Ultimately, Yancey shifts the focus from our questions to the One who offers himself in answer. The God who invites us to reach for him- and find.

Is it possible to live a meaningful life of faith in a world where religion has caused so much harm?
Philip Yancey, whose own Christian belief was almost destroyed by the Church, has spent a lifetime searching for a faith that works. Soul Survivor tells his story, and the story of thirteen people whose remarkable lives have shaped his own spiritual journey.

From John Donne to Martin Luther King Jr, Dostoevsky to Gandhi, G K Chesterton to Henri Nouwen, he pays homage to some of the most inspiring, selfless, yet provocative individuals our world has known, and asks what we can do to find such beautiful faith in our own lives.

Many people set out to follow Jesus.  Some get lost.
This book teaches the basics of the Christian faith, looking first at what Jesus himself taught, and then at what his apostles had to say.  It is for anyone who wants to follow Jesus, but is not sure or would like to be reminded of the way.

In short, clear steps, Dr Peter Walker takes us through the basics of enjoying Jesus' forgiveness, welcoming his Spirit and feeding on his scriptures; then explores the principles of worshipping with his people, following his teaching and trusting him with our future.

 

'I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth...'

With passion and insight, Pete Briscoe addresses central matters of belief in his exploration of the Apostles' Creed.  This declaration which can be traced back to the second century AD, has withstood the scrutiny of time.   It condenses vast amounts of theological power into a single statement.