LITMIR.BIZ

Westerhoff challenges Christians to move beyond the quest for material possessions by embarking on a life of simplicity that begins with an inward journey. An exploration of how to fulfill the baptismal covenant by giving generously from the heart to achieve a deeper relationship with God.

Подробнее

Glimpses of Glory is the second in a three-volume collection of prayers and other resources based on the new Common Worship Lectionary used widely around the world. Written in the Celtic style for which the author is well-known, and linked to the Sunday readings, these prayers and intercessions may be used by congregations for the Prayers of the People, as well as by individuals seeking to supplement their personal devotions.
“Holy God open our ears to your call our eyes to your presence, our hearts to your love. Give us the courage to say, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.’ Strengthen our faith that we may be willing at all times to heed your call. We pray for all who are called to proclaim your glory, all who seek out the lost, uplift the fallen and comfort the wounded. We pray for the outreach of the church to which we belong. Lord as you have called us Make us worthy of our calling.”

Подробнее

“Perhaps the greatest need in the human heart is the need for life to have meaning….Meaning flows from relationships and the vocation of the Christian parent is to develop first one’s relationship to God, and then the loving relationships within the family. In the face of extraordinary pressures, nurturing the vocation of parenthood requires energy and discipline….” –From the introduction
For centuries The Rule of St. Benedict has provided guidance for many monastic communities. In recent years, individuals outside the monastery also have discovered the merit in living according the Benedict’s ideals. Now, Dwight Longenecker takes Benedict one step further, and uses the Rule to help men become better parents. Just as the abbot of a monastic community reads Benedict’s Rule for guidance, Longenecker says, so, too, can men read the Rule to help them guide the family.
Listen, My Son (the opening words of Benedict’s Rule) breaks the Rule into small daily portions and provides commentary specifically geared to help men be better husbands and parents. Without underestimating the emotional, spiritual, and physical demands of fatherhood, Longenecker also holds up the joys of developing a strong bond with God—one that nurtures the individual man, and that provides him with the ability to grow himself and his family in faithfulness, service, and love.

Подробнее

This classic book on sewing linens for the church explains the materials and equipment needed, a variety of hemming options, special instructions on the small linens such as purificators and palls, working with fair linens, white work embroidery, and caring for church linens. New to this edition are directions for rolled hems, chalice veils, more specific directions and an improved worksheet for planning shrinkage, special advice specifically for beginners, an updated “Sources and Resources” section, and new patterns.
Elizabeth Morgan has been an altar guild member since 1972. She was the diocesan altar guild directress for the Episcopal Diocese of Albany from 1987 to 1997. She lives in Queensbury, New York, and continues to consult with churches of various denominations around the country.

Подробнее

This powerful, prayerful, and practical guide teaches groups a whole new way of conducting meetings and reaching consensus. Whether your group, committee or board is secular or religious, its members can now move beyond parliamentary procedure to a higher level using the model described here. Rooted in scripture, Grounded in God energizes and inspires.
Learn how to incorporate creative silence, imagination, intuition, attentive listening, scripture, and prayer into routine meetings, decision making, or working retreats. By opening up to new perspectives, discover that the first order of business is to become attuned to God’s presence within those assembled.
As members of the group become receptive to alternative viewpoints, they are opened to tap into the flow of divine wisdom and align with the will and mind of God. The results can be both spiritual and practical as they are put into action.

Подробнее

This devotional guide for the days from Advent to Candlemas builds on the popularity of the ancient Christian tradition of walking the Stations of the Cross. Readings and prayers will help individuals and groups walk the Stations of the Nativity, from the vision of Zecharias in the temple to the return of the Holy family to Galilee. Along the way readers can pray and meditate on the Annunciation, the Visitation, the birth of John the Baptist, Joseph’s dream, the Nativity, the appearance of the angels, the shepherds and Magi at the manger, the Presentation, the flight into Egypt, and the massacre of the innocents.
Each station includes an opening sentence and a response, a Bible reading, a reflection, prayers, a longer meditation, and a short closing prayer. Striking engravings or woodcuts provide a visual meditation on each station.

Подробнее

"The Advent walkabout is not an easy journey, nor was meant to be. This journey leads into the deeps of our own being. It is an opening of portals we have taken care to keep closed, a letting in of the knowledge and doubt and pain without which there can be no letting in of Christ, the child whose touch blesses, burns, heals and transfigures. The Advent walkabout cannot be for the faint-hearted for it demands extravagant courage and uncompromising honesty. It begins today. It ends at the manger that is not merely a pretty story but the transforming reality of God." – from the First Sunday in Advent
What does it mean to be human in this season of waiting, asks Anne McConney in Our December Hearts. And what does it mean to believe that God became human? This collection of meditations for the season of Advent examines–in sometimes serious and sometimes humorous fashion—the various emotions that the Advent and Christmas stories stir in us: hope, trust, compassion, as well as fear, doubt, and grief. In language drenched in poetry, Anne McConney explores what it means to gaze into the mystery that is the Incarnation.
Anne McConney is an Episcopal priest and has also worked as a journalist, writer, and public relations director. She is a regular columnist for Episcopal Life, and lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Подробнее

This newly revised edition of Betty Wolfe's classic manual covers all the essential steps and information needed for quick-and-easy church banner construction, including 49 patterns, complete instructions, and tips for designing your own patterns.
Worship spaces can be enlivened by the use of colorful banners that anyone can construct. This colorful and clear introduction to making banners provides advice on fabrics, design, colors, and construction for banners of all types and sizes. Determining banner size and shape, creating and placing letters and symbols, using color and contrast effectively, and picking fabrics and stitching options, and more are all included in this comprehensive volume.
Regardless of their skill level, readers can learn how and where to place words and use symbols, choose colors, and make basic arrangements. The book includes idea starters, helpful design solutions, and easy reference sections on appliqués, stitchery and gluing, fabrics, tassels, tabs, bells, finishings, and mountings. It also lists information on tools and materials, and how to enlarge or adapt patterns.
Patterns for seasonal, special event, and regular use can keep the church freshly decorated all year round.

Подробнее

As the Church continues to try to clarify the meaning of baptism, well-known liturgical scholar Kenneth Stevenson provides important insights into the historical issues with which we still wrestle. Is baptism a private or a public act? Is the symbolism of the rite still appropriate? Does the language of the baptismal service remain meaningful in a secular age?
In order to answer these and other pressing questions, we must understand the thinking of those who have come before us. Stevenson does just that by looking at the writings of the 17th century Anglican divines such as Lancelot Andrewes, George Herbert, Richard Hooker, Richard Baxter, Jeremy Taylor and others, all of whom have a vital and prophetic significance for our understanding and practice of baptism today.
Dr. Kenneth Stevenson is the Bishop of Portsmouth and a leading Anglican scholar. A member of the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England, he is the author of numerous books, including Covenant of Grace Renewed and The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Anglican Tradition, which is available from Morehouse Publishing, and Abba, Father.

Подробнее

"The first thing to say in our exploration of priesthood is this: priesthood is a fundamental and inescapable part of being human. All human beings, knowingly or not, minister as priests to one another. All of us, knowingly or not, receive priestly ministrations from one another. Unless we begin here, we are not likely to understand the confusions and uncertainties and opportunities we have been encountering in the life of the church itself in recent years. We shall be in danger, in fact, of creating makeshift solutions to half-understood problems, easy answers to misleading questions, temporary bandages for institutions that need to be healed from the ground up." – L. William Countryman


There is a lot of tension in churches today about whose ministry is primary-that of the laity or of the clergy. L. William Countryman argues that we can only resolve that problem by seeing that we are all priests simply by virtue of being human and living, as we all do, on the mysterious and uncertain border with the Holy. Living on the Border of the Holy offers a way of understanding the priesthood of the whole people of God and the priesthood of the ordained in complementary ways by showing how both are rooted in the fundamental priestly nature of human life. After an exploration of the ministry of both laity and ordained, Countryman concludes by examining the implications of this view of priesthood for churches and for educating those studying for ordination.


"What a blessing to have at hand William Countryman's book, which, by disentangling ordination from real ministry, does an extraordinary job of clarifying what we mean when we speak of the church, of religion, and of God. I wish every self-identified 'person of faith' could read this remarkable, thought-provoking book." -Bruce Bawer, author of Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity


L. William Countryman is an Episcopal priest, professor of New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, and author of Forgiven and Forgiving, The Language of Ordination, Biblical Authority or Biblical Tyranny? and other titles.

Подробнее