Encouragement

About This Book Today is the Day! offers 180 devotionals for each day of the school year. Each devotional includes a Bible verse with an engaging life-application lesson, a "Read More About It" section that offers an opportunity to explore a related Bible passage.....

This book presents a search for answers to questions about Jesus, who he was and who he is for us today. It also looks at how faith in Jesus can help us to understand what really matters, what it means to be a follower of Jesus and how we can live happily and well as Christians. The book features the outstanding artwork of Jan Hynes, depicting the Christ story in remarkable urban scenes. Andrew Hamilton takes the reader on a journey to discover meaning, incorporating story and art, maps, charts, scripture guides and information boxes. This book is ideal for students and teachers and will be an invaluable resource to supplement the religious education program. Similarly, parish groups, RCIA teams and candidates or anyone wanting to improve their understanding of the life and mission of Jesus will find this text indispensable...

The Old Testament represents the Sacred Scriptures of two major world religions, but also a fascinating and engaging story of an ancient people that has had unparalleled influence over western culture as a whole. The version you have is probably in a modern English, and reasonably easy to read, if not always to follow; and therein can lie a danger... This Friendly Guide will unpick some of the knots that can arise from reading the Old Testament without knowing some of the background material, such as: who wrote it? When? And why? In accessible language, come to grips with this startling series of Books we call the Old Testament, taking into account all the cutting edge contemporary historical and cultural research. Written be renowned Australian Old Testament scholar, Marie Turner, this clear and concise Friendly Guide is ideally suited to an introductory level readership. For students and teachers it will be an invaluable resource to supplement their Religious Education program. Si..

"Listen with the ear of the heart." This simple yet profound phrase from St Benedict is central to the message of Michael Whelan's Friendly Guide to Prayer. His aim is to open our hearts to the Presence: "Here we are at the heart of prayer as it is understood within the Catholic Tradition. It is the way we will speak of prayer throughout this book - being present to the Presence. Our focus will therefore be primarily on attitudes and dispositions rather than specific acts and rituals. It is the prayerful person we are most interested in, rather than the person who says prayers, the prayerful life rather than the life that contains times of prayer." In this process A Friendly Guide to Prayer is gentle guide and challenging coach, encouraging the reader to broaden and deepen their prayer life, offering support and providing opportunities for experience as well as knowledge. Each chapter contains sections 'For reflection' and 'For practice' to inspire readers to make best use of the mat..

A Friendly Guide to Luke’s Gospel is an invitation to embark on a journey full of surprises. The author of Luke was an accomplished and sophisticated writer, with a keen sense of literary structure as well as a profound understanding of the universal nature of God’s love. For the reader who has perhaps become used to hearing gospels in Sunday fragments, Stuart Moran’s commentary encourages us to read Luke's Gospel as a whole book, seeing it as a story crafted by a master hand. For example, he shows the reader Luke’s elegant balancing of the stories about the births of both Jesus and John the Baptist: the parallels are compelling and illuminating. And Moran’s analysis of the story of the Lost Son (known of old as the Prodigal Son) shows us the heart of Luke’s insight into what Jesus was telling his disciples about God: that God loves us, even to a point that some would consider unwise. This book will be a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of not just ..

If you would like to deepen and enrich your understanding of Scripture and important Catholic beliefs, but don’t know where to start—then start right here! Journeying into Scripture does not have to be difficult, tedious or academic. This easy to comprehend series has been purposefully written at an introductory level. Written by some of Australia’s leading scholars, theologians and scripture experts, the Friendly Guide series, is vibrant, engaging and laden with maps, timelines, ‘did you knows’, colour charts, summary boxes, comparisons to modern day living and summations. The Friendly Guide series,is a great way to delve a little deeper, to understand a little more, to enrich your faith. Each volume is a sheer delight to read...

If you would like to deepen and enrich your understanding of Scripture and important Catholic beliefs, but don’t know where to start—then start right here! Journeying into Scripture does not have to be difficult, tedious or academic. This easy to comprehend series has been purposefully written at an introductory level. Written by some of Australia’s leading scholars, theologians and scripture experts, the Friendly Guide series, is vibrant, engaging and laden with maps, timelines, ‘did you knows’, colour charts, summary boxes, comparisons to modern day living and summations. The Friendly Guide series,is a great way to delve a little deeper, to understand a little more, to enrich your faith. Each volume is a sheer delight to read. In this Friendly Guide to Matthew’s Gospel, Dorothy A. Lee explores the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in Matthew’s Gospel. What emerges from this portrait is a Jesus whose birth is divine, whose ministry is acclaimed by God, and whose death a..