Explore your spiritual life to encounter the mystic in you.
The Mystic in You Discovering a God-Filled World Bruce G. Epperly What is a mystic? Bruce Epperly defines mystics as people who see holiness in everyday life. God comes to us in the moment-by-moment adventures of daily living, he says. We can be mystics without leaving our families, disengaging from daily responsibilities, becoming a priest, or joining a monastic order. Epperly shows how we can experience the living God in the midst of daily life and never again take everyday events for granted. Bruce Epperly introduces readers to 12 individuals or groups of mystics through the ages: • St. Francis of Assisi • The desert mothers and fathers • Benedict of Nursia • The Celtic mystics • Hildegard of Bingen • Mechtild of Magdeburg
• Brother Lawrence • The Baal Shem Tov • Howard Thurman • Etty Hillesum • Rumi • Julian of Norwich
Each chapter describes each mystic’s life, spiritual experiences, and worldview, and provides spiritual exercises to help us experience the mystic firsthand. Through his conversational, down-to-earth approach, Epperly inspires us to realize that we can encounter God wherever we are, whatever we are doing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bruce G. Epperly is a theologian, pastor, spiritual guide, author, and recognized leader in lay and pastoral faith formation. He serves as pastor at South Congregational Church, Centerville, Massachusetts. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Dr. Epperly has authored or coauthored more than 30 books on theology, spirituality, ministerial excellence and spiritual formation, scripture, and healing and wholeness.
PUB DATE: JANUARY 2018 PAPERBACK $13.99 978-0-8358-1760-8 PAGES: 144
TRIM SIZE: 6 x 9
RELIGION / Christian Life / Spiritual Growth TARGET AUDIENCE
• People affiliated with churches who are interested in spiritual growth • Those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious • People interested in mysticism • Prayer groups, spiritual growth groups, adult formation classes KEY FEATURES • Explores mystics from a variety of Christian traditions
• Includes Jewish and Muslim mystics • Offers spiritual exercises
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The Mystic in You Discovering a God-Filled World Bruce G. Epperly
Excerpt from Chapter One In a time of national uncertainty, following the death of the great king Uzziah, Isaiah goes into the temple hoping to experience some peace of mind and encounters God amid the hubbub of a changing congregation. He didn’t expect a transcendental experience but encounters angels singing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Not expecting anything dramatic, Isaiah discovers his vocation as God’s prophet to a wayward people. As Abraham Joshua Heschel asserts, radical amazement is at the heart of the spiritual journey. While we might not describe ourselves as mystics, or even very spiritual, we can in the midst of domestic life experience the living God and never again take everyday events for granted. The omnipresent God can become truly present any moment of the day, for the whole earth is full of God’s glory and ladders reaching to heaven every step of the way. We can experience divine illumination even at church! At the first session of our congregation’s seminar, one of the attendees blurted out, “Who, me—a mystic? I’m so busy these days that it’s enough to pay the bills, take care of the grandkids, and volunteer at church. I’m not even sure I have time to pray.” Another chimed in, “I thought mystics could only be monks and priests. I thought they were people who abandon the world for a life of prayer. I struggle to sit still for meditation for five minutes!” A third participant remarked, “Some days my life is flat and I drift through the day, and then I stop a moment, and remember God is with me. Everything changes.” One finally broke the ice with the comment, “I thought mystics were all celibate, and that’s not my goal!” After hearing these comments, a fifth member questioned, “What is a mystic, anyway?” I believe that ordinary people can become mystics and spirit persons. I believe that at any moment everyday people can experience holiness. We can experience the doors of perception opening and everyday life, chores and all, transformed into the gateway to heaven. We may not be able to sit and meditate, but we can breathe our prayers or sing praise to the beauty of the earth, invoking God’s name throughout the day, and asking for divine guidance in every encounter.
CONTENTS Chapter 1: A Month with a Mystic Chapter 2: St. Francis of Assisi: Loving God in Creation Chapter 3: The Desert Mothers and Fathers: Finding God in the Wilderness Chapter 4: Benedict of Nursia: Everyday Mysticism Chapter 5: The Celtic Mystics: Daily Life as a Spiritual Pilgrimage Chapter 6: Hildegard of Bingen: Prophetic Mysticism Chapter 7: Mechtild of Magdeburg: A Mysticism of Love Chapter 8: Brother Lawrence: Practicing the Presence of God Chapter 9: The Baal Shem Tov: Liberating the Light of God Chapter 10: Howard Thurman: Contemplation and Action Chapter 11: Etty Hillesum: Mysticism in a Time of War Chapter 12: Rumi: The Dance of Love Chapter 13: Julian of Norwich: Healing the Universe
PREMISE OF BOOK You can be a mystic; in fact, you already are one. You are already inspired by God but are probably unaware of it. The mystic journey, in its many nuances and practices, is simply to move from “God was in this place and I did not know it” to “God is in this place and now I know it.” This book takes 12 mystics and addresses one person or group in each chapter.
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How do you respond to pain and despair and still recognize God’s presence in these struggles?
BLESSED ENDURANCE Moving Beyond Despair to Hope John R. Wimmer Where is God when we are hurting or in despair? How can we respond faithfully to situations that cause us pain? Where can we find hope even when we feel hopeless? Pain, despair, and struggle are part of life, and they test our character as God’s people. John Wimmer approaches these challenges to our faith realistically and thoughtfully. Those looking for an easy answer to why despair, pain, and suffering exist will not find it in this book. Wimmer does not dispense platitudes like “Everything happens for a reason.” Although we can’t always understand or control many things that happen to us, we can choose how we will respond to them. Wimmer encourages us to choose to regard times of difficulty as opportunities for spiritual and personal growth. We are not alone in our suffering, he reminds us—the writers of Psalms and even Jesus felt abandoned by God at times. “God loves and respects us enough to allow us to doubt and question,” Wimmer writes. So rather than diminishing faith, pain and despair can lead to greater trust in God. To endure through such times is a blessing.
PUB DATE: JANUARY 2018 PAPERBACK $9.99 978-0-8358-1777-6 PAGES: 112
TRIM SIZE: 5 x 7
RELIGION / Christian Life / Personal Growth TARGET AUDIENCE
This inspiring book offers practical help for moving from pain and despair to the blessing of hope. Wimmer reminds readers that with hope we also have faith—not the false belief that our lives will be pain-free, but true faith that God will lead us through our struggles to more profound depths of spiritual growth and wisdom.
• People seeking hope and spiritual help while dealing with pain, grief, or despair • Pastors, chaplains, and other ministers who seek a deeper understanding of these issues to provide meaningful pastoral care
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEY FEATURES
John R. Wimmer is a United Methodist minister who served as a local • Reflection questions after each church pastor for 18 years and founded the Center for Congregations, chapter, useful for individuals or now a network with 5 regional offices in Indiana whose model of working small-group study with churches has been adopted by many organizations nationwide. • Accessible and relatable examples Since 2002 he has been program director at Lilly Endowment, where he to help readers understand and has sought to enhance pastoral leadership and congregational vitality cope with their struggles through more than $700 million in grants to denominations, seminaries, • References illustrating how these principles permeate scripture and a wide variety of other church agencies.
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BLESSED ENDURANCE Moving Beyond Despair to Hope John R. Wimmer
Excerpt from Chapter One Alone with Pain and Despair It is during the early stages of our honest recognition of our pain and despair (in which we may identify other clusters in the sources of our struggles) that we may feel the most alone, hurt, misunderstood, and tempted with giving up. It seems that no one really cares or understands. Sometimes even God seems distant! At stressful times like these it is helpful to know that other persons who have possessed great faith have felt the same way. Many of the Psalms give us insight into what it feels like to be in this lonely and bitter place where we embrace and wrestle with despair. In fact, an entire group of Psalms, called the laments, reveals the struggles of the psalmists in understanding their own suffering as they too asked, “Where are you, God?” Just a few of their words, one’s that resonate our feelings: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13:1-2 My wounds grow foul and fester because of my foolishness; I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all day long I go around mourning. I am utterly spent and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. Psalm 38:5-6,8 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?” As with a deadly wound in my body,my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?” Psalm 42:9-10 Although there are many times when the words of the Bible offer us inspiration and comfort, at other times they do not immediately soothe our feelings of loneliness and suffering. There are many other examples in the Bible when great figures of faith expressed their feelings of dissatisfaction with pain and suffering, and when they felt alone in their despair. None of these examples is more powerful than the expressions of Jesus on the cross.…
CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Pain and Despair Our “Painless” Society Embracing Pain and Despair Alone with Pain and Despair Despair and the Cross A “Curious Paradox” Questions for Reflection/Discussion Chapter 2: Moving Toward Spiritual Growth Despair, Discipline, and Spiritual Growth Fire-Refined Faith Maturing, Enduring Faith God Works for Good in Everything Beginnings of Hope Questions for Reflection/Discussion Chapter 3: Endurance and Hope Hope and the Human Spirit Grief and Hope The Emmaus Road Less Traveled: God’s Hope Displayed The Hope of God’s People Endless Hope? Questions for Reflection/Discussion Chapter 4: Enduring Hope and Help
Helpful Prayer Helpful People Help and Healing The Wounded Healer Mance Questions for Reflection/Discussion [Unexpected] Epilogue “Painful experiences, and the despair that results, are inevitable. It seems silly to say something so obvious. Yet this simple statement is one of the hardest lessons we must learn in life. Many of us try desperately, some of us all our lives, to deny that pain and despair are facts of life.”
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A simple daily practice to help you understand the meaning of Pentecost.
PAUSES FOR PENTECOST 50 Words for Easter People Trevor Hudson Pentecost is a holy day when Christians commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus Christ. Originating from a Greek word meaning “50th day,” Pentecost occurred 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. Before the events of Pentecost, Jesus had followers, but there was no movement that could really be called the church. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. In Pauses for Pentecost, Trevor Hudson leads readers to focus on one word and scripture verse each day. He invites us to pause for just a few minutes to read the brief daily reflection and do a simple practice. The beauty of this book is its simplicity, and the thoughtful meditations guide us to a deeper understanding of the meaning of Pentecost.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Trevor Hudson is a Methodist minister who has served in pastoral roles in southern Africa for more than 35 years. The author of multiple books, Hudson travels widely, teaching and lecturing in the areas of spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and pastoral therapy. ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR
PAUSES FOR ADVENT Words of Wonder
978-0-8358-1519-2
PAUSES FOR LENT 40 Words for 40 Days
978-0-8358-1504-8
INVITATIONS OF JESUS
978-0-8358-1312-9
HOLY SPIRIT HERE AND NOW
PAPERBACK $9.99 978-0-8358-1763-9 PAGES: 112 TRIM SIZE: 5 x 7 RELIGION / Christian Life / Spiritual Growth TARGET AUDIENCE • Individuals interested in Pentecost
• Those who want a daily practice that helps them sustain the season of Easter and have a more meaningful celebration of Pentecost • Buyers of Hudson’s Pauses for Lent and other books
978-0-8358-1710-3
BEYOND LONELINESS The Gift of God’s Friendship
PUB DATE: JANUARY 2018
KEY FEATURES • Focuses on a word, a scripture verse, and action for each day
• Offers readers a simple daily practice to help them understand the meaning of Pentecost
978-0-8358-1220-7
THE CYCLE OF GRACE Living in Sacred Balance
978-0-8358-1198-9
THE SERENITY PRAYER 978-0-8358-1094-4 A Simple Prayer to Enrich Your Life
QUESTIONS GOD ASKS US
978-0-8358-9990-1
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PAUSES FOR PENTECOST 50 Words for Easter People Trevor Hudson
Sample Devotion from Pauses for Advent First Week of Advent: Day 6
KEY
PREMISE OF BOOK How many people understand what Pentecost is and why the church celebrates this season? The beauty of this book is its simplicity, and the thoughtful meditations guide us to a deeper understanding of the meaning of Pentecost. Use this as an introduction of Pentecost or a guide to understanding and practicing Pentecost.
Read Isaiah 22:20-22. I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. Isaiah 22:22
. A key is a powerful symbol. Think for a moment about what it means to possess the key to a house. We can lock or open the door; we can come and go whenever we please; we have the power to grant or refuse someone’s entrance. In today’s reading, God promises the key to Eliakim. In Jewish history, Eliakim was known as a caring father to the people of Israel. Intriguingly, within the Advent worship liturgy of the ancient church, Eliakim came to be seen as an image of the coming Messiah. In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus is the key of David who opens all our closed doors. (See Revelation 3:7.) Not only does he have the key to open the door for us into the heart and life of God, but also he has the key to open our hearts for the Spirit to come and live in us. This new two-way access is what Jesus comes to make possible. Sometimes we feel as though we no longer have the key that lets us experience God and the Holy Spirit. This can be a painful, desolate, and frightening experience. Or perhaps we have been trying to use other keys to make sense of God and our lives, but they haven’t worked. We long to experience God in a firsthand way, but we do not know where to turn. We yearn to know the warm companionship of the Spirit in our hearts but somehow feel orphaned and alone. In these moments, we need to discover again (or perhaps for the first time) that Jesus is the key we most deeply need. He is the key who grants us access to God and the Holy Spirit in deep, personal ways.
ONE-WORD STRATEGIES:
• WRITING One-Word Prompts One-Word Summaries • TEACHING/LEARNING One-Word Memory – aka Acronym One Word for the Day One-Word Concept – aka Sight Words • MARKETING One-Word Quotes One-Word Campaigns • COUNSELING One-Word Affirmations One-Word Images • TEAM BUILDING One-Word Goals One-Word Projects
Daily Practice Each time you use a key today—to open the door of your home, to start your car, or to enter your office—remind yourself of what Jesus makes possible.
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Examine how the female body and experience can reveal new ways of understanding scripture.
THIS IS MY BODY Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood Hannah Shanks Kneeling at the communion rail, Hannah Shanks heard the familiar words “The body of Christ, broken for you” as she tore off a piece of bread. And then “The blood of Christ, shed for you” as she dipped her bread into the cup. Just hours before she had found out she was pregnant. Now she noticed the words “This is my body” in a totally new way. It occurred to her that the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper— “This is my body, broken; This is my blood poured out”—were as fitting a description of birth as they are of death. Not only do the words describe Jesus’ death, but they also apply to every birth that has ever taken place. Making this connection shifted Shanks’s thinking about the familiar ritual of communion.
This Is My Body is a journey of discovery and reclamation, of finding familiar paths in unfamiliar territory and new facets to ancient rituals. Part personal narrative and part unearthing of scripture passages from a woman’s point of view, it draws women and men closer to the God we profess, a God who is in all things, a God who is present in all genders and beyond them. Readers discover that God can be seen through the eyes, bodies, and experiences of women just as God has long been viewed from a male perspective. Using the communion liturgy and elements of the common table (where all are welcome) as a framework, the book offers much material for reflection on this central act of Christianity. This Is My Body is about getting surprised by positivity toward one’s body in a time of life when negativity is expected. It is about finding a new relationship to the acts of Christian community through the experience of a woman’s body, including pregnancy and birth. The author approaches motherhood with one foot in the sacred and the other in the often-difficult space of the stereotypes the church attaches to mothering. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hannah Shanks is assistant professor of social work and director of the social work program at Greenville University, Greenville, Illinois. She is a storyteller and has participated in the St. Louis chapter of Listen to Your Mother, a live reading series and video sharing company. Hannah describes herself as an accidental clergy spouse. Hannah is a member of Anam Cara St. Louis.
FRESH AIR BOOKS PUB DATE: MAY 2018 PAPERBACK $13.99 978-1-935205-28-9 PAGES: 144
TRIM SIZE: 5 x 8
RELIGION / Christian Life/ Spiritual Growth TARGET AUDIENCE • Progressive Christian women and mothers • Mainline Protestants • Clergy and laypersons interested in exploring how women’s voices and stories can reveal new ways of understanding scripture • People wanting to learn about Christian feminism
KEY FEATURES • Personal stories
• Discussion questions • Uses the liturgy of communion to relate to motherhood
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THIS IS MY BODY Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood Hannah Shanks
Excerpt from Introduction I approached the communion rail with trembling knees. I ripped —"The body of Christ, broken for you"— and dipped—"The blood of Christ, shed for you" with trembling hands. Part way through the service, after the special Mother’s Day portion of the liturgy, I'd exited the sanctuary to splash water on my face, take some deep breaths, and check to make sure I hadn't broken out in hives yet. The test was still on the bathroom counter at home, urine barely dry. Three hours before, I'd seen two lines for the first time. Two lines. Two lives. A plus one. A baby. I had taken the test because I didn't want to spend Mother's Day in a funk. I wanted to know, rather than wonder and later have hopes dashed. I foolishly thought, if it were positive, it would be a fun way to celebrate. And I suppose it would've been, if you are not the sort of person to break out in hives over major life transitions. So I spent my first Mother's Day growing increasingly panicked and disconnected from my body. With every word extolling the virtues of mothers, every memory of flowers and brooches handed out on Mother’s Days past, the stakes seemed to ratchet ever higher until I found myself repeating my own Litany for Mother’s Day in my head: Holy and Merciful God, I cannot rise to this occasion. I cannot mimic Mary and say, "Let it be unto me as you have said." I'm not big enough to be a mom And I don't know how to do this, so Help me, help me, help me Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Amen. Amen. Amen. And then we got to communion. I heard the liturgy as though I'd had cotton pulled from my ears—"This is my body." This is my body. . . .
CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Incarnation Chapter 2: Prayer Chapter 3: Breaking, Giving, Sacrifice Chapter 4: Blood Chapter 5: Being Consumed Chapter 6: Promises and Forgiveness Chapter 7: Sharing Chapter 8: Acceptance Chapter 9: Being Made One Discussion Guide
PREMISE OF BOOK
I think we can own our bodies and our experiences and the joys and difficulties of motherhood without sugarcoating them. And I think our boldness in proclaiming what we know—of grief, of sacrifice, of pain, of confusion and joy and laughter and nonsense—are worth more to the church than our shrinking could ever offer. When we, like Christ, can proclaim “This is my body” without qualification, caveat, or complaint, we demonstrate what a redemptive life can look like. Whether that body is healthy or ill; upright or stooped; male or female; light-skinned or dark; scarred, freckled, or wrinkled. The truth of our bodies reveals the glory of God. Because God had a body, just the one, but it has been enough for millennia. Made perfect in our imperfection, our bodies are enough as well. Enough to live in, and enough to show forth God’s awesomeness. Not in spite of our parts or gender, but because of them.
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Don’t let a little fear of failure stand in your way.
FAILING BOLDLY How Falling Down in Ministry Can Be the Start of Rising Up Christian Coon
This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever tried to energize or grow a ministry. Christian Coon takes us through his own missteps and mistakes as the cofounder of the Urban Village Church—as well as those of others working to do the same—and shows how failure can serve as a springboard to new possibilities, and even a closer connection to God and what leadership means. Woven together with honesty, humility, and humor, we learn to look on failure as an actual gift that can be the gateway to a deeper journey.
“Failing Boldly describes what all of us in active ministry today experience in the constant trial- and- error process that is needed in order to be adaptive in our contexts.
PUB DATE: JUNE 2017 PAPERBACK 978-0-88177-878-6
$17.00
This book is helpful for all clergy and laity to recalibrate
PAGES: 202 TRIM SIZE: 5.5 x 8.5
the soul, mind, and goals of ministry to stay true to the
RELIGION/ Christian Church/ Pastoral Resources
course through the discouragements that inevitably occur as we stumble and fail.” —Bishop Sally Dyck, Northern Illinois Conference, The United Methodist Church
TARGET AUDIENCE
• Church planters
• Congregational development leaders KEY FEATURES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Relatable personal stories
Christian Coon is a co-founder and current lead pastor of Urban Village Church, a multisite United Methodist Church in Chicago. He and his wife, their two children, and their dog live in the South Loop neighborhood. You can read his blog and hear his podcasts at www.christiancoon.com.
• Easy-to-follow how-to steps
FOREWORD BY REVEREND ROBERT SCHNASE Bishop, United Methodist Church
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FAILING BOLDLY How Falling Down in Ministry Can Be the Start of Rising Up Christian Coon
CONTENTS Series Preface Author’s Preface
Foreword
Sample Excerpt from Introduction So this book is not really about success. I will not give you Five Reasons Why You Must Start a Multi-Site Church or Ten Steps to Reach Millennials. This book is about failure, or, rather, this book highlights ways that churches (including ours) have failed. It also takes a look at how failure is a part of our faith; how there are numerous examples of biblical characters who are now forever memorialized in stained glass but didn’t get things right at first. Later in their lives, however, they realized God was able to further God’s movement of grace and love through their failures. But before you think, “Why would I read something that may be full of discouragement and despair?” I want to assure you I offer hope and encouragement, too. I’ll talk about failure, yes, but also how failure is a springboard to new experiences and, hopefully, a deeper connection to God and what it means to be a leader in the church. I do not want you, church leader, to read this book and try to be Urban Village Church or Christian Coon. I do hope that if a fear of failure is one of the reasons you’re not attempting something different in your context (regardless of whether it’s cutting edge or not), maybe reading how others have failed and survived gives you the nudge to experiment and, if you’re lucky, fall flat on your face. My hope as you read this book is that at some point, God gives you the courage to try something new and risky in your context. I won’t give you too many examples of what those might be because it is important that you are the one who come up with the idea and execute it; hopefully, with some other friends or colleagues in your community of faith. Failure is a lot more fun when done with others.
Chapter 1: Taking a Fresh Look at Failure Chapter 2: Belovedness Is Our Home Station Chapter 3: The Bible Tells Me So: Scriptural Stories of Failure Chapter 4: How to Succeed While Failing Chapter 5: Living with the Pain of Failure Chapter 6: The Gifts That Failure Provides Notes
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