St. Philip's Church: Bookshelf

Interesting reading

		Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality Anthony De Mello ISBN 0-385-24937-3 Using humor, compassion, and insight, the beloved and best-selling Anthony de Mello teaches us to welcome the challenge of knowing ourselves and living the "aware" life.

		Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's R.A. Scotti ISBN-13: 978-0452288607 In this absorbing story of the construction of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome—the grandest architectural undertaking of the High Renaissance—Scotti shows how the construction fed the ambitions of 30 popes. In 1506, the great architect Donato Bramante envisioned a gigantic central crossing topped by a dome of such daring design that many believed it could not be built. Throughout the 100 years of construction, numerous architects, most of them consumed with pride, lofty ambition and professional jealousy, followed. All are brought to life in this fascinating tale of genius, power and money.

		A Brush With God An Icon Workbook Peter Pearson ISBN-13: 978-0819222039 For more than a thousand years, Eastern Christians have used their hands and hearts to create icons, proclaiming God's reality in a visible—and breathtakingly beautiful—way. This ancient art is enjoying a renewed interest in the West, as people of faith create icons and use them to meditate on mysteries for which there are no words. A Brush With God is a guide to painting icons and using them in prayer. Written from a uniquely Western perspective, the book guides artists-from novices to professionals-through the process of icon painting, using traditional techniques but employing contemporary materials.

		Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith (Paperback) Diana Butler Bass ISBN 0060859490 For decades the accepted wisdom has been that America's mainline Protestant churches are in decline. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study. Butler Bass found that certain consistent practices—such as hospitality, contemplation, diversity, justice, discernment, and worship—were core expressions of congregations seeking to rediscover authentic Christian faith and witness today.

		Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice Meredith Gould ISBN 0385502435 According to the publisher, Deliberate Acts of Kindness by Meredith Gould is for people who are ready to supplement "random acts of kindness" with intentional acts of generosity, decency, and integrity. More than simply a handbook for volunteers, it explores the significance of service as an expression of spirituality and the commitment to something greater than oneself.

		Healing a Broken WOrld: Globalization and God Cynthai D. Moe-Lobeda ISBN 978-0800632502 This book addresses "two vexing theo-ethical questions": How is our moral agency so disabled that we acquiesce to global economic arrangements requiring us to exploit rather than to love both Earth and neighbor, and how might faith in Jesus Christ enable moral agency to resist those arrangements and to forge alternatives?

		The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith Marcus J. Borg ISBN 0060730684 An engaging and inspiring guide to Christian living, this shows that the essential ingredients of a Christian life—faith, being born again, the kingdom of God, the gospel of love—make vital sense today. Marcus Borg presents a renewed way of being Christian for the twenty-first century. Borg reveals that, when properly understood, the vital elements of Christian faith are more compelling than ever. Borg offers a practical guide to thinking about God, Jesus, the Bible, faith, and Christian practice. He shows how faith in God and Jesus has never really been about believing certain propositions but rather about a dynamic relationship.

		Into Great Silence Two-disk set (2005) Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning lived in the monks' quarters for six months filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions without crew or artificial lighting. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it s a rare, transformative experience for all.

		The Message Remix (Bible in Contemporary Language) Eugene H. Peterson ISBN 1576834344 God’s Word was meant to be read. But more than that, it was meant to be understood. It was first written in the language of the people––of fishermen, shopkeepers, and carpenters. The Message Remix gets back to that: You can read it and understand it. In The Message Remix, there are new verse-numbered paragraphs that will help you study and find favorite passages. Or, you can just read it like a book and let the narrative speak to you. (This is the contemporary language Bible Father Peter sometimes mentions.)

		On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom Saint John Chrysostom (Author), Robert Van De Weyer (Compiler) ISBN 978-0764800566 This outstanding little book contains extracts from the sermons of John Chrysostom, especially on political and social themes. One could hardly imagine how relevant these 1600 year old teachings could be. And at the same time profoundly full of the spirit and teachings of Jesus Christ.

		Opening the Prayer Book Jeffrey Lee ISBN 1561011665 Opening the Prayer Book introduces us to the history and liturgies of the Book of Common Prayer, and helps us understand why the prayer book is such an important aspect of Anglican self-understanding. We'll be talking about the Book of Common Prayer during Lent at St. Philip's.

		Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way Of Love Daniel O. S. B. Homan and Lonni Collins Pratt ISBN 1557254419 In an age of terror, it is difficult to look into the eyes of a stranger without cringing. We carefully peruse our fellow passengers before we board a plane. We bolt our doors and feel safest when we are with our close friends and family. It may seem natural, given the devastating recent attacks on our country, but isn't there a better way to live? From the authors who delighted thousands of readers with Benedict's Way: An Ancient Monk's Insights for a Balanced Life comes a new book with a bold challenge: Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love.

		A Retreat with Desert Mystics: Thirsting for the Reign of God Linus Mundy ISBN 0-86716-371-2 In this seven-day retreat, Thirsting for the Reign of God, your directors are the mothers and fathers of the desert, whose wisdom has come down to us through the ages. Jesus tells us that to find our lives we must lose them; the Desert Mystics took up this exhortation and lived it out radically. What desert mystics like Antony the Great, Abba Moses and Evagrius can teach us, if we are ready, is to confront our God on a most intimate level—by confronting ourselves fiercely and fully.

		Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion Sara Miles ISBN 978-0345495792 Sara Miles was hardly a candidate for Christian conversion. Yet convert she did, wholeheartedly at age 46. For upon her first Communion (in an Episcopal church), everything changed (she still can't fully explain the feelings that arose during her first Communion). The journey from skeptical secularist to devout Christian was long, complicated, and often convoluted (her parents were avid atheists), but the story she makes of it is engaging, funny, and highly entertaining, including many surprises as well as the occasional wrong turn.

		Simply Christian N.T. Wright ISBN 978-0060507152 Why do we expect justice? Why do we crave spirituality? Why are we attracted to beauty? Why are relationships often so painful? And how will the world be made right? These are not simply perennial questions all generations must struggle with, but, according to N.T. Wright, are the very echoes of a voice we dimly perceive but deeply long to hear. In fact, these questions take us to the heart of who God is and what He wants from us.

		10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) Oliver Thomas ISBN 0312363796 "How did it all begin?" "What happens when we die?" These are just two of the questions Reverend Oliver "Buzz" Thomas hears centrist Christians asking as he travels across the U.S. and he knows that their voices are not being heard. In 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: But Can't Because He Needs the Job, Rev. Thomas has written a book that will become the liberal Christian answer to The Purpose Driven Life. He writes sensitively about the reason we were put on this earth, the significance of the Bible and how one pleases God.

		To Pray and to Love: Conversations on Prayer With the Early Church Roberta Bondi ISBN 978-0800625115 Bondi offers a beautifully simple and profound account of prayer as the desert fathers saw it: integrally connected to love of God and neighbor, but also leading to introspection which facilitates spiritual growth. She discusses how prayer can help develop the image of God within the individual, and addresses current concerns about prayer. She concludes by discussing the desire for God as fostered and fulfilled through prayer by God's grace.

		What Paul Meant Garry Wills ISBN-13: 978-0670037933 Wills defends Paul from detractors who insist that the apostle corrupted Jesus' radical message. Beginning with a reminder that Paul's letters are older than the gospels and therefore may represent the most authentic approximation of Jesus' teachings, Wills argues that Paul was right in line with Jesus. Both men stressed love of God and love of one's neighbor as the two principal commandments. ... Through a reading of Romans, Wills attempts to acquit Paul of the charges of anti-Semitism. And though Paul is often tarred as a misogynist, Wills shows that he "believed in women's basic equality with men."

		A Wing and a Prayer: A Message of Faith and Hope Katharine Jefferts Schori ISBN-13: 978-0819222718 Jefferts Schori, the oceanographer-turned-priest who was elected in 2006 as the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA—the first woman in history to be so honored anywhere in the Anglican Communion—offers musings on faith, diversity, and the church's fight for justice in the world in this collection of micro-sermons grouped thematically around issues like social justice, the deep love of God, and the need for interfaith understanding, and the responsibility of all baptized persons to participate in lay ministry (Publishers Weekly)

		The Zen Commandments: Ten Suggestions for a Life of Inner Freedom Dean Sluyter ISBN 1-58542-084-0 Meditation teacher Sluyter draws 10 life "suggestions" from the world's religions, scriptures, philosophers, literature and popular culture. Sluyter's suggestions involve acting with kindness, noticing the moment, keeping things simple, blessing others and remaining devoted. His sources include Jesus and the Dalai Lama, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bob Dylan, Monty Python and Ramana Maharshi, the Wizard of Oz and the Prajnaparamita Sutra.

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