Showing results by publisher "Prospero Media" in Religion & Spirituality

What happens to us when we die? Where do people go? What do they see? What messages do they receive? Why are they allowed to come back? "The Day I Died" brings together ten profoundly moving testimonies from people who have passed through the limits of human endurance and beyond. Around the world, ordinary people go about their daily lives convinced they've had a glimpse into the afterlife.

The purpose of this book is to suggest ways of finding the treasure in what we may consider an unlikely field - ourselves. Through many practical suggestions for heightened prayer, including Ignatian exercises and Jungian exploration, God of Surprises guides readers along the inner journey that reveals to us a God we may not have expected to find.

We all need to make a retreat. To find a few moments in our busy lives to try to stop worrying and fretting about so many different things, and to sit in silence at God’s feet and just to listen. A retreat is simply an attempt to see beyond the 101 cares and occupations we normally have and to ask ourselves, ‘Where it is all leading? What’s the purpose of it all?’ Time to Change takes the basic format and principles of The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and allows us to make a retreat without interrupting too much your ordinary daily life and all the things you have to do.

From its gradual decline during the latter part of the twentieth century, religion has been catapulted back into public consciousness, not least by acts of violence, extremism and various forms of fundamentalism. In this lively and provocative contribution to the debate the leading British feminist theologian, Tina Beattie, argues that the threat of religious fanaticism is mirrored by a no less virulent and ignorant secular fanaticism which has taken hold of the intellectual classes in Britain and America.

A practical book that helps readers discover and deepen their own spiritual journeys.

Sheila Cassidy’s honest and wise books on suffering and healing have made her one of the UK’s best-loved and most popular writers on pastoral care and personal growth. She is widely known for her work in the hospice movement, and as a young doctor who survived torture for daring to give medical care to an opponent of the Pinochet regime in Chile. Her Catholic faith has led, comforted and sustained her for over 60 years. Now, in Confessions of a Lapsed Catholic, Cassidy writes: 'God is to be found outside the Church even more than in it....'

Ever since the publication of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, vampires have been a part of the popular consciousness. Now, with the release of the phenomenally popular Twilight novel and the subsequent films, it seems that we can't get enough of these bloodsucking creatures of the night. But we might not sleep quite so soundly if we knew that vampires aren't confirmed to the page and the screen. There is a thriving UK vampire scene that has its roots deep in our history.

Many in church leadership roles know the truth of Bonhoeffer’s words, but there seem to be obstacles and barriers that get in the way of that sort of quality of listening. We seem to live with the illusion that speaking and doing are more important than listening. In the face of all the many challenges for the church the temptation is for more strategies for success, more pressure to turn things around. Listening in whatever form easily gets marginalized. Here, Chris Edmonson outlines why listening is so essential to good leadership.

One of the world’s leading theologians and biblical scholars introduces the prayer that Jesus gave us. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven …’ When he saw Jesus praying, one of his followers asked him to teach them how to pray. Jesus instructed them in the right words to use. When we say the words of the ‘Our Father’ we pray not only as Jesus taught us but also (in part) we pray in the same way Jesus himself prayed. We are bonded to him in prayer.

Christian women. If images of the Women’s Institute, tweed, and coffee mornings spring to mind, then it’s time to think again. Parties, men, careers, friends - life can be pretty demanding for the modern woman. But what if you’re Christian, too - or at least a little bit curious about this "God" figure you hear so much about? Surely you can’t have a fun Saturday night and turn up to church the following morning as well? Religion just doesn’t fit into a modern girl’s life, right?

A moving and tender meditation on loving, living and dying by one of our greatest Anglican spiritual writers.

Hilary Brand looks at the power of the small choices we make on a daily basis and the role of faith in enabling or inhibiting choice. Many of us feel that our lives are very small. It is for others to make the big statements, the noble sacrifices, the grand gestures of faith. But within our humdrum lives lie a million small choices - any one of which could have huge consequences for ourselves, for those around us, and for the world. In this lively and thought-provoking course, Hilary Brand looks at the power of the small choices we make on a daily basis.

Join Ratty and Mole on a journey of faith. This beautiful book, which may be used as a daily devotional through Lent or any other period of the year, reopens Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel The Wind in the Willows. The much-loved characters of Mole, Rat and Toad become the perfect allegory for the grand adventure of faith, from our terrifying first steps into and beyond the riverbank, to the challenges, temptations and triumphs that await us as we journey into the world, with Jesus by our side.

In this lively and engaging follow-up to his much praised Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering, Trystan Owain Hughes encourages us to develop an approach to life that looks beyond our own concerns. Using illustrations from poetry, literature and film, and drawing on contemporary scientific thought, the author reveals that our natural state is an interconnected harmony with God, with each other and with the world around us.

A collection of original short stories based around particular themes such as slowing down, listening, forgiving. These stories explore aspects of our humanity, and encourage us into a better understanding of ourselves and of those around us. The stories have been inspired by Scripture, but are set in contemporary culture, and each illustrates some aspect of loving or failing to love.

Broken your New Year’s resolutions? Using our failures rather than ignoring them, Peter Shaw draws on Christian traditions and his experience as a life coach to create a spiritually sound strategy for moving forwards. Why are we so afraid of failure? Why has it become something that we ignore and distance ourselves from as quickly as possible, rather than accepting it as part of our life experience, and something that we can build on?

Western society places great emphasis on the pursuit of health, wealth and pleasure, with a general expectation that having these in abundance will lead directly to 'The Good Life'. But anxiety, depression and loneliness are rife in our communities, and it is common for people to struggle with relationships and to feel they have a low sense of meaning and lasting fulfilment. Is there a better way for us to try to live? Andrew Parnham believes that there is, but such a way may take us in unexpected directions.