This Sunday we will be selling a few books that all come highly recommended.
Our focus as a church this year is to seek to grow in prayerfulness, so we will be selling books to help us with this:
‘The Valley of Vision’ – a collection of Puritan Prayers edited by Arthur Bennett
The Valley of Vision is a book of rich, beautiful and deep prayers taken from our Puritan forefathers. The language is old, but I think that is one of the reasons I find it spiritually helpful, as it forces me to slow down and really understand the words I’m praying. This book has been immensely valuable to me in my own prayer life, and I highly recommend it. (Adam Curtis)
‘Enjoy your Prayer Life’ by Michael Reeves
Prayer doesn’t have to be a duty to be performed, but is a gift to enjoy. This short book helps us to understand that prayer is a natural expression of our faith.
‘5 Things to Pray’ for your Heart / for our World / for your Kids / for your Spouse.
These books by various authors offer fresh ideas, drawn from Scripture, to help us to pray more specifically for different areas of our lives.
‘A Praying Life’ by Paul Miller
A prayer guide that has encouraged thousands of Christians to pursue a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power and has helped them learn how to pray faithfully and courageously. When Jesus describes the intimacy that he seeks with us, he talks about joining us for dinner (Revelation 3:20). This book reminds readers that prayer is simply making conversation with God a rhythm of daily Christian life.
‘Generous Justice’ by Timothy Keller
This book makes a great companion for our sermon series in Micah. Keller shows us how God’s grace transforms us to care about the poor and oppressed in all of their needs both spiritual and physical. He brings practical guidance from God’s word to help us think through what it means for us to care about social justice in our world today. (Jon Drake)
‘The Language of Rivers and Stars’ by Seth Lewis
Awe and wonder it seems have been removed from curriculum of many schools, and the majority of Western minds, and even Christian minds have been blinded to the fact that the whole of creation has a voice that “goes out into all the earth”(Psalm 19:4).
This book gives us time to slow down and interpret the gift of God’s world through the gift of God’s word. Reading it, I was shown afresh the glory of what God has made, and above all the glory of the Lord Jesus. (John Cook)
‘The Lord of Psalm 23’ by David Gibson
A wonderfully pastoral, gentle and yet still mind-blowing walk through this most well-known of Psalms. Something for everyone, whether you are in the green pastures or the darkest valley. I read it and immediately bought five more copies to give away. (Tamsin Miller)
‘The Life you Never Expected’ by Andrew and Rachel Wilson
Andrew and Rachel Wilson have written a raw, humorous, practical and inspirational account of not just surviving, but trying to thrive while parenting two young children, both with severe autism. They grieve, they lament, they worship and they hope in the Lord, trusting in God’s way even when they can’t understand his purposes. This book is for us all, for any experiencing hardship and difficulty, whether great or small, with lives that are not as we expected. (Probably most of us at some stage of our lives – as Andrew Wilson points out “God is the storyteller, not me.”) This is an excellent book, universally praised by readers from St Mary’s Book Group. (Sara Hewins)
‘A Short Guide to the Bible’ by Katy Morgan (age 8+)
Reading the Bible on your own can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be! This short, simple guide will equip and inspire kids aged 8+ to explore God’s word for themselves. Including: explanations of how the Bible fits together, brief introductions to the various books and genres, a timeline of the whole Bible story, maps.
‘Betsey Stockton’ by Laura Caputo-Wickham (ages 4-7) Inspiring children’s biography of Betsey Stockton, who, despite being born enslaved, followed her dream of being a missionary.
‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis (age 8+) Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia – a world enslaved by the power of the White Witch. When almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
‘How can I Pray?’ by Steph William (ages 2-4)
A retelling of Jesus teaching his followers how to pray including a simple version of The Lord’s Prayer.