The Divine Hours (Volume Two): Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime


Book Description

The second volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices. The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity. The second book in the set, Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for these two festive seasons. Compact, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first volume the continuity they are seeking. The series will culminate in a third volume for springtime, completing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.




The Divine HoursTM, Pocket Edition


Book Description

Presents a week's worth of fixed-hour prayers that one can use while traveling or out of the home.




Christmastide


Book Description

The third and final volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices. The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity. The third and final book in the set, Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth. Compact, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and gives those already using the first two volumes the completion they are seeking. With this volume, the series culminates with three prayer manuals encompassing the liturgical and calendar year with the offices for every day.




Celtic Daily Prayer


Book Description

Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer and Complies with Meditations for the day and four years of Daily Readings from Books 1 and 2.




The Night Offices


Book Description

Phyllis Tickle's inspirational trilogy The Divine Hours™ was the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer--an age-old discipline of saying prayers at certain times of the day. This highly regarded trilogy has become one of America's best-loved and most frequently consulted manuals for observing this ancient form of Christian worship. Now, in The Night Offices, Tickle offers the perfect complement to The Divine Hours™, bringing together prayers, psalms, hymn texts, religious poetry and other readings not included in the original trilogy, covering the offices for the hours from late evening (Compline) to early morning (Prime). Fans of the Divine Hours™ will recognize Tickle's simple, elegant format, her use of a modern calendar rather than a liturgical one, and the single ribbon in the binding, to track one's progress through the year. As in the trilogy, Tickle makes primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, and she draws all the scriptural readings from the Revised Standard Version. The book includes a set of Matins, Lauds, and Prime specific to each day of the week and varied only by month. Thus, the Monday reading for January would be used every Monday in January, but Monday in February would have new offices for it. The cumulative total, being 84 Matins, 84 Lauds, and 84 Prime (252 offices), fits neatly into a single, nightstand edition, a small, compact book that can be comfortably held in the hand. Easy to use, poetically rich, with a superb sampling of devotional works, The Night Offices will be welcomed by a broad readership, Christian and non-Christian alike.




Eastertide


Book Description

In her acclaimed trilogy, The Divine Hours, Phyllis Tickle introduced modern Christians to the time-honored practice of "praying the hours." In this exquisite new volume, she provides a vibrant program of prayer dedicated to the anticipation of Christ’s resurrection. Beginning with Ash Wednesday and moving through Lent and on to Easter Sunday, Eastertide provides the daily prayers that bring practitioners into the full spirit of this season. Each day is filled with psalms, readings from the Bible, and hymns of praise and worship, just as they appear in the larger volume, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime. Newcomers to this beloved tradition will find that Eastertide is the perfect introduction to joining the ancients in the tradition of fixed-hour prayer. "A wise rabbi once told me that it is not how many prayers we don’t say that matters to God, but rather how many we do. That is important to all of us, but especially for beginners. If this is your first attempt to return to this most ancient of Christian practices, it is wise to remember that you are entering into a discipline and, like all disciplines, this one sits hard and heavy upon one at times. There are hours you will miss and/or some that you can’t even begin to figure out how to observe. That is all right, for either the joy will carry you into greater joy and transmute the discipline into privilege, or you will find yourself simply the wiser and the richer for such experience as you have had. As the rabbi said, that is what matters ultimately."




Ancient Christian Devotional


Book Description

A follow-up to the previous Ancient Christian Devotional, which follows lectionary cycle A, this devotional guide follows lectionary cycle C, which begins in Advent 2009. This guide to prayer and reflection combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer.




Almost Heaven


Book Description

Billy, a gifted mandolin player in Dogwood, West Virginia, lives his life as an offering to his divine creator, and when Malachi, an angel sent to observe Billy, begins to see the bigger picture of how each painful step Billy takes is a note added to a beautiful symphony, it will forever change the lives of those who hear it.




Mystically Wired


Book Description

We are designed to make connections to God through prayer in more ways than we can imagine. Prayer can be so much more than a simple conversation. It can be a wordless connection with God, a step beyond the boundary of the separated self. It can be a way to listen to the silence. And it can be learned. We can learn how to pray in ways we never thought possible. It doesn't take more effort; it takes more understanding. Wilson's book shows how the brain is designed by God: To calm itself To relax into love To become increasingly aware of how connected everything is in God To experience a deeper intimacy with our Creator Prayer is something that our brains want to do with a little help. Ken Wilson tells us how. Praise for Mystically Wired: “Smart, savvy, candid, credible, unafraid, self-effacing, and shot through with passionate love of Jesus . . . yes, hands down, this is the best book on prayer that I have ever read. — Phyllis Tickle, Compiler, The Words of Jesus: A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord “I confess, I don’t normally like books on prayer, but Mystically Wired is a big exception. While this book is incredibly practical, I was routinely blown away by the intuitive genius of Ken’s view and application of prayer. Page after page, thinking I knew what was next, I was surprised with fresh insight and unique perspectives on connecting with God. Being an evangelist, I was excited to realize I could also send this to spiritual friends who don’t follow Jesus as a way to introduce him.” — R. York Moore, National Evangelist InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA “It began the day Jesus’ disciples came to him and asked, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ Ever since, Christ-followers have been wanting to learn the ways of prayer. Ken Wilson’s Mystically Wired is an extraordinary contribution to that learning tradition. It’s a wonderful read that leaves you feeling, ‘Yes, this is for me. Yes, I can do this. Yes, it’s within reach.’” — Brian McLaren, Author/Speaker/Activist “I wandered away from religion because religion thought it had all the answers. Pastor Ken Wilson, though, understands that life and faith are really about having the right questions. If you want to pray for favors, put this book down now. If you want the answers, the help here is only partial. But if you’re looking for a wide-ranging inquiry, and a path that can bring you closer to the mystery—without the mumbo-jumbo—delve within.” — Carl Safina, Author, Song for the Blue Ocean and The View From Lazy Point “Mystically Wired was a breath of fresh apologetic air for me. I pray and I experience God, and I find fixed hour prayer deeply meaningful, but this book shows that God made us to do such things and our brain is wired to communicate with God.” — Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University “In my library there are scores of books on prayer—by legends and modern guides as well. It is not easy to make a genuine contribution to this body of literature. But Ken Wilson has done so. Mystically Wired manages to bring together the best of the sciences and philosophies of mind, brain, and consciousness with deep spirituality and candid personal reflection. While it will happily fit my on my shelf, it fits best in a heart yearning to pray.” — Todd Hunter, Anglican Bishop




Things Seen and Unseen


Book Description

"Gracefully written and moving ... Things Seen and Unseen starts with Nora Gallagher entering the labyrinth of her life ... and ultimately it leads to the center of her being."--The Boston Globe It started with an occasional Sunday, a "tourist's" visit to a local church. Eventually Nora Gallagher entered into a yearlong journey to discover her faith and a relationship with God, using the Christian calendar as her compass. Whether writing about her brother's battle against cancer, talking to homeless men about the World Series, or questioning the afterlife ("One world at a time"), Gallagher draws us into a world of journeys and mysteries, yet grounded in a gritty reality. She braids together the symbols of the Christian calendar, the events of a year in one church, and her own spiritual journey, each strand combed out with harrowing intimacy. Thought provoking and profoundly perceptive, Things Seen and Unseen is a remarkable demonstration that "the road to the sacred is paved with the ordinary." "Like Kathleen Norris in Amazing Grace, Gallagher is renewing the language of ultimate concerns."--San Francisco Chronicle "The deep serenity that suffuses Gallagher's work, the lyrical cadences in which she writes, do not blunt the sharp edges of what she discovered in her quest for meaning."--Los Angeles Times