Get a cross-section of modern Episcopal/Anglican life that includes African-American voices, women’s prayers and meditations, and a guide for those experiencing extended illness. The authors of these exciting tools are well versed in the Anglican tradition and provide traditional beliefs from the Church contextualized for a modern setting.
Take an inner journey with C.W. McPherson as he teaches the difficult practice of silence, meditating using icons or candles, and more, in Keeping Silence: Christian Practices for Entering Stillness. Learn from a vibrant urban youth culture from Brooklyn, New York with The Hip Hop Prayer Book: The Remix. Simplify your faith walk with Jennifer Phillips’ Simple Prayers for Complicated Lives.
These practical guides are written by authors with a wealth of experience ministering within the Anglican/Episcopalian tradition. Their contents point to the future of the denomination: its traditional faith expression and diverse population. Grow in wisdom through application of these timeless principles, carefully explained by experienced ministers.
In the Logos editions, these volumes are enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
For more Anglican resources on prayer, check out the SPCK Prayer Collection (4 vols.).
When C.W. McPherson asked the members of his congregation to practice just 10 minutes of silence each day during Advent, it seemed like a simple task. “It sounded easy,” said one of his parishioners, “but then I actually tried to do it.”
This concise, conversational, and engaging book is for those who find it difficult or even impossible to slow down and be quiet. But if we can’t learn how to be still in the midst of a noisy world, we will have a hard time listening for God’s voice and guidance in our lives. McPherson explores the positive effects that practicing silence has on body, soul, and mind. He provides historical background and easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of Christian practices.
Among the practices included are Benedictine rumination, Psalm repetition, the Jesus Prayer, Ignatian meditation, meditation on icons or candles, walking the labyrinth or the Stations of the Cross, and more. This valuable book is written to be used by individuals or groups.
This is a splendid manual for any wanting to be helped to enter and enjoy the riches of silence. How I wish I had had something like this when I started out on my spiritual pilgrimage. Absolutely invaluable.
—Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus, Cape Town
McPherson’s contribution to the growing literature on Christian spiritual practice is invaluable. He casts a keen eye on the history and background of meditations that lead to silence, but also takes readers by the hand to guide them past barriers and pitfalls to fulfilling experience.
—Elizabeth Koenig, professor of ascetical theology, General Theological Seminary, New York
McPherson offers concrete practices to activate this spiritual discipline such as visual meditations, mental prayer and kinetic meditations. He closes the book with suggestions for extending this practice by visiting a monastery, taking a silent retreat or forming a community of friends who keep silence with you . . . McPherson makes it clear that silence is a gift of the Spirit that adds meaning and depth to Christian life.
—The Lutheran
C.W. McPherson has spent 20 years in parish ministry and is also a spiritual director, retreat leader, and a mentor for deacons and priests in formation. He teaches theology and church history. He is a published poet and the author of Understanding Faith: An Exploration of Christian Theology.
Using the collects (opening prayers) for each Sunday and major feast day of the church year (including Christmas, Epiphany, and the days of Holy Week and Easter Week), the author offers a brief anecdotal meditation on the relationship of the prayer’s and season’s theme to the realities of life. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, he takes the reader on a journey through the church year as he reflects on the mystery and challenge of our human pilgrimage.
In this pastoral and intimate volume, Father Schmidt harvests for us the fruits of a lifetime of prayer. As he himself observes, it is how we Anglicans pray that defines us; and these small meditations are warm, cordial proofs of the grace that rests in that truism.
—Phyllis Tickle compiler, The Divine Hours
Richard H. Schmidt is an Episcopal priest and executive director of Forward Movement Publications. He is the author of several books, including Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality and Life Lessons from Alpha to Omega. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Designed with the enlivening power of hip hop in mind, the Hip Hop Prayer Book draws upon the Book of Common Prayer to offer a means of worship that draws in the young, and speaks to those not generally spoken to by the church. Drawing on a powerful evangelism tool developed at Trinity Church of Morrisania in the South Bronx—the birthplace of hip hop—this volume offers Bible stories, psalms, daily prayers, a variety of services (including a Eucharist, a marriage service, and burial rites), and a selection of powerful prayers from rappers and urban youth. The Hip Hop Prayer Book is ideal both for personal worship and for use by church leaders looking for ways to broaden the reach of their congregations. It includes a wealth of contextualizing and instructive materials. Currently used in worship by a growing number of churches, it is accessible for those just learning about liturgy or about hip hop.
Holder is among the new leaders to emerge in the fast-growing, underground movement of holy hip-hop, a melding of religion, primarily Christianity, with the energy, lingo, dress and dance moves of the culture.
—Newsday
Popular Christian music styles have always paralleled the sound of secular hits, from grunge to techno. Now hip-hop is finding its way into the liturgies of traditional churches. [Reverend] Holder developed The Hip Hop Prayer Book, inspired by the Book of Common Prayer, which he wrote with help from dozens of rappers, musicians and poets.
—Newsweek
[The HipHopEMass] artists and adherents find in hip-hop’s outlaw reputation a challenge to Christian orthodoxy and a prophetic call to embrace modern society’s version of the biblical outcasts whose company, they’ll tell you, Jesus preferred. Thugs and gangsters as well as gays and lesbians are specifically included. And if none of the artists in this camp are currently found on the Christian rap charts, they’re confident that, eventually, inclusion will not only sell but save.
—Los Angeles Times
Timothy Holder is the rector of Church of the Ascension in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the founding priest and pastor of the HipHopEmass. He lives in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
This stunning collection of prayers from women throughout the Anglican Communion is organized according to themes of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. It makes direct connections between women’s personal lives and global concerns of women everywhere, showing the interrelatedness, for example, between a woman’s prayer for her infant in America and the plight of child laborers in developing countries. The prayer selections are representative of women from of all parts of the Anglican world.
An impressive book of prayers by women committed to changing the world.
—Episcopal Life
Margaret Rose is an Episcopal priest and director of the Center for Mission Leadership at the Episcopal Church Center. Ordained in 1981, she has served parishes and community and advocacy organizations in Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia.
Jenny Te Paa is a theologian and a principal of St. John’s Theological College in Auckland, New Zealand. She has written extensively on Anglican Communion matters and advocates nationally and internationally for women’s interests to be recognized by the Church.
Jeanne Person is an Episcopal priest, writer, and spiritual director. Devoted to nurturing women’s prayer and ministry, she is coauthor of Where You Go, I Shall: Gleanings from the Stories of Biblical Widows, chaplain to the New York chapter of the Society of Companions of the Holy Cross, and a sister member of Anglican Women’s Empowerment.
Abagail Nelson is senior vice president of Episcopal Relief and Development, where she works with the worldwide church to respond to disasters, alleviate hunger, fight disease, and reduce exposure to risk.
Simple prayers often elude us as we try to pray in and through the joys, anxieties, and complications of our lives. While traditional prayers are available for waking, table graces, and preparing for sleep, this collection goes much further. From booting up the computer and driving the car, to pregnancy and childbirth, this collection offers simple prayers for living into and through the joys, anxieties, and complications of modern life. Traditional prayers–on waking, table graces, and preparing for sleep–are included, too.
Phillips has a keen eye for everyday spirituality and includes many prayers here that demonstrate the presence of God in chores, driving, and difficulties such as divorce, robbery, being assaulted, or having a stillborn child.
—Spirituality and Practice
Simple Prayers for Complicated Lives by Jennifer M. Phillips is a wonderful collection of short prayers written by a poet, liturgist and hospital chaplain.
—The Lutheran
Jennifer Phillips is an Episcopal priest, published poet, liturgist, and hospital chaplain. She is the vicar of St. Augustine’s Church on the University of Rhode Island campus in Kingston. She is the author of two books and a column for Episcopal Life. Her prayers appear in supplemental liturgical materials for the Episcopal Church.
In the past few years pilgrimages have become increasingly popular for people seeking to deepen their relationship with the holy. Sister Cintra Pemberton seeks to enrich the experiences of today’s pilgrims by helping them draw on the history of pilgrimage itself, as well as by suggesting particularly rich sites to visit. Part one of Soulfaring explores the history of pilgrimage, beginning in Celtic times, and moving through the early Christian period, the Middle Ages, and even the revival of pilgrimage today. Part two explores 15 sites in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Each of the descriptions of the various sites includes not only suggestions of what may be seen there, but Pemberton’s personal meditations on the experience of the holy in each place.
Sr. Cintra is a first class guide. She is a mine of information, but, much more, she allows us inside herself as she walks or kneels in sacred places. The result is that she is never alone in her visit, and we are never merely readers. She makes us her companions. She does not merely write about the tradition of Ainm Cara. She offers herself as a soul friend.
—Herbert O'Driscoll, author, A Doorway in Time: Memoir of a Celtic Spiritual Journey
Pilgrimage is a spiritual phenomenon with a long history in the Christian story. It is once again experiencing a revival in Europe, especially in Celtic countries. Cintra, in this delightful and insightful book, helps us to understand and appreciate this ritual of pilgrimage and shows it to be an experience that could help many of us today.
—Timothy Joyce, OSB, Glastonbury Abbey, author of Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, A Vision of Hope
The popularity of pilgrimages today speaks of an age-old longing to encounter holy places and experience what they can bring to heart, mind, and soul. Sister Cintra presents us with the Celtic world that she has made so much her own in recent years. She gives us not only the spirituality of the places that she has explored but also personal and informal reminiscences and practical hints—a guide that is thus both spiritual and down to earth!
—Esther de Waal, author, Every Earthly Blessing: Rediscovering the Celtic Tradition
Cintra Pemberton is a member of the Episcopal Order of St. Helena. She regularly leads retreats and workshops in Celtic spirituality and has been leading pilgrimage trips to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man for many years. She resides in New York City.
Much has been written about the practice of one-to-one spiritual direction, but much less about small group communities that offer in-depth mutual spiritual support and guidance to its members. But small groups are most likely the more usual setting for spiritual companionships and have a strong biblical, theological, and historical foundation in the Christian tradition.
This book offers a detailed presentation of 10 small group models, plus guidance on group leadership dynamics. It also presents material related to group retreat work, spiritual guidance with organizations, and a peer supervision/consultation model for supporting leaders of spiritual companionship groups, and retreats. Church leaders, spiritual directors and educators will find a valuable resource for assisting them in understanding and leading groups and retreats.
This book is not for the person looking for an easy resource to plan a retreat or small group study. It is designed for church leaders, spiritual directors and educators who are looking for assistance in understanding and leading groups and retreats.
—Dorothy S. Linthicum, editor, Episcopal Teacher
Daniel Prechtel is a spiritual director and consultant with Lamb & Lion Spiritual Guidance Ministries, which provides personal, group, and church/organization spiritual direction, consulting, apprenticeship, and spiritual formation programs.
Looking for ways to be strong yet tender, and independent yet intimate, women today strive toward ever greater understanding of themselves, their relationships with family and friends, and their place in the world. This compilation of prayers and poems is the collective wisdom of contemporary women who base their search for such understanding on the belief that all of life must be seen against the backdrop of a vital faith. Offered in a spirit of sharing and encouragement, these prayers and poems are as rich, intricate, and complex as the women’s lives they represent.
This is a rich and diverse collection, not only of prayers in the classical sense, but reflections upon the experience of life from the perspective of believing women. There is much here that both women and men of faith will be able to make their own.
—Frank T. Griswold, former bishop and primate, Episcopal Church, USA
. . . Living history that dives deeply into fears, loves, motherhood and doubt and comes up with a cup of fresh, clear water for the soul.
—Timelines
It is a book to turn to again and again and serves as guide for reflection, insight, and the company of women . . .
—Arkansas Episcopalian
Elizabeth Geitz is an Episcopal priest and the author of Soul Satisfaction: Drawing Strength from Our Biblical Mothers and Sisters, Gender and the Nicene Creed and Entertaining Angels: Hospitality Programs for the Caring Church.
Marjorie A. Burke is a frequent contributor to the Journal of Women’s Ministries. She is a former national president of the Episcopal Church Women.
Ann Smith has served as the director of Women in Mission and Ministry of the Episcopal Church for the last 17 years, providing resources, leadership development, communication, events, and advocacy for women. She is the coauthor of Stories from the Circle and WomenPrints.
In the summer of 1995 Mary Earle returned from a vacation feeling refreshed and restored from her time away. A few days later, all that changed, when she was rushed to the emergency room with a case of acute and life-threatening pancreatitis. Being ill, she discovered, forces you to learn to live in whole new ways, ones often marked by limitation and fragility.
As a priest and spiritual director, Earle began to explore ways in which her own prayer life might help her build a different relationship with her illness. Using the Benedictine practice of lectio divina, or sacred reading, she began to “read” her own illness, and discovered a way of befriending and helping to heal, if not cure, her body and her life.
In Broken Body, Healing Spirit, Earle introduces this strategy to others who are hungry to find ways of living more fully despite chronic or serious illness or pain. Her practical, step-by-step approach to “reading the text of our illnesses,” and learning to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us will be of help to those who are currently suffering with disease or limitations, as well as to those who are.
Whether readers are facing long illness, dealing with past wounds or recovering from sudden trauma the book will provide gentle guidance that makes prayer possible in hospital, sick room, physician’s office or during diagnostic and remedial treatments. By paying attention to physical pain and emotional stress comes the discovery of holy Presence and even joy in the experience of illness. The authenticity of this book shines through its pages to support healing and hope.
—Elizabeth Canham, author, Heart Whispers: Benedictine Wisdom for Today
Writing with the authenticity of one who has ’been there,’ Mary Earle offers compassionate and practical guidance to those suffering from serious, chronic, and terminal illness. Her adaptation of the ancient Benedictine practice of lectio divina is creative and inviting: through carefully structured exercises the sufferer is led to ‘read’ not only Scripture but her body and her illness prayerfully.
—Margaret Guenther, author, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction
Mary Earle brings her fine qualities to this book - clarity of mind, depth of spirit and an integrated experience of brokenness. She does all of this with passion, imagination and rare sensitivity.
—Philip Newell, author, Echo of the Soul: The Sacredness of the Human Body
Mary Earle is a spiritual director, retreat leader, writer, and Episcopal priest. She is the author of Celtic Christian Spirituality: Essential Writings, Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living with Illness, Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness.
A rich collection of prayers for corporate worship and personal devotion including blessings, thanksgivings, intercessions, litanies, and various occasions appropriate for all Christian denominations.
Carl G. Carlozzi is author of Prayers for Pastor and People and The New Episcopal Way: A Course for the Classroom or Independent Study.
The purpose of this volume is to help readers pray and grow in their personal religious life. It is a book about the inner life and a believer’s relationship with God. Although this relationship is unique for each person, there is a general way in which God deals with Christians and through which response takes place.
John B. Coburn was the Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts and is the author of several books on spirituality, including Christ’s Life, Our Life.
Richard H. Schmidt is an Episcopal priest and executive director of Forward Movement Publications. He is the author of several books, including Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality and Life Lessons from Alpha to Omega. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.