December 13, 2019

 

“The Church, if it is to be the Church, must be the revelation
of that divine Love which God  'poured out into our hearts.' 
Without this love nothing is 'valid' in the Church
because nothing is possible. The content of Christ’s Eucharist is love,
 and only through love can we enter into it and be made its partakers.”

― Alexander Schmemann, theologian,

TODAY marks the anniversary of Schmemann's death in 1983.



*** Our Introductory Guide
to Alexander Schmemann's work... 



*** Kindle Ebook
Deal of the Day!
A Thousand Mornings: Poems
By Mary Oliver
Only $4.99!!!
 

***Advent Calendar 2019 –
Best Books of the Year
for Christian Readers!

Featuring our picks for the best books of 2019
for Christian readers, to be revealed one per day through Advent!
UPDATED THROUGH TODAY!
TODAY's book is our Book of the Year!!!

 

Lectionary Poetry...

Our next lectionary poetry post will go live on Monday!
(with poems for the following Sunday, Advent 4A)
If you have found this week's poems helpful in preparing for 
preaching or worship, we'd love to hear from you. 
(replying to this email is an easy way to drop us a quick note)

New on our website... 


*** 5 Essential Ebook Deals
for Church Leaders [12 Dec. 2019]

Here are 5 essential ebook deals that are worth checking out:
(Thomas Merton, Lauren Winner, Mary Oliver, MORE)

Thomas Merton – A Course in 
Desert Spirituality – Feature Review

An Organism, Not Just an Organization
A Feature Review of 
A Course in Desert Spirituality
by Thomas Merton  (Paperback: Liturgical Press, 2019)
Reviewed by Mark A. Jenkins

 

*** Advent Music – A Playlist for the Season

Too often in our consumer culture, we jump over the season Advent and straight into Christmas.
It is especially easy for us to do so with the holiday music to which we listen.
As we move through the Advent season, we offer this playlist of Advent-themed songs.
Some of these are were not necessarily written as Advent songs,
but they wrestle with vital themes of the season nonetheless. 




Chris Marchand – Celebrating the
Twelve Days of Christmas – Brief Review

Toward a Richer and More Meaningful Experience of the Christmas Season.
A Brief Review of Celebrating The 12 Days of Christmas:
A Guide for Churches and Families
by Chris Marchand  (Paperback: Wipf and Stock, 2019)
Reviewed by C. Christopher Smith

 

In Case You Missed It... 
 

*** Twelve Beautiful Books
of 2019 to Give as Gifts!

As the end of the year draws near, we highlight some of the most beautiful books of 2019,
which would make great gifts for the book-lover on your Christmas list…
This list includes picture books, graphic novels, and art / coffee-table books.
Some of these  books will appear on our Advent calendar of 2019’s Best Books
(and no, we won’t reveal here which ones will be on that list)… 
 

 

*** Book Giveaway! Mark Charles /
Soong-Chan Rah – Unsettled Truths [5 copies]

We’re excited to run this giveaway of FIVE copies of this
superb new book by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah!
Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery
by Mark Charles / Soong-Chan Rah (Paperback: IVP Books, 2019.)
Enter now to win a copy of this new book!!!