The pick of the books to help you

During Lent, many people choose not only to give something up, but also take something up in the form of daily readings or meditations to use over the 40 days, finding the space and time to dedicate to God. This special period enables Christians to prepar

By Amaris Cole and Amber Curtis FRIENDS, FOES AND FAMILIES by Judith Dimond SPCK Through stories of human relationships seen in the Bible – both good, bad, healthy and broken, Judith Dimond brings us to a place of exploration of our own relationships, thinking about what would happen if we left them to decay. Each daily meditation, complete with scripture, explanations and prayers, traces the patterns seen in the Bible of wilderness, death and resurrection, as the author introduces us to characters who share emotions common amongst us all. An ideal book for those looking for all their daily meditation in one place. LOVE LIFE LIVE LENT – BE THE CHANGE by Paula Gooder and Peter Babington Church House Publishing People associate Lent with “giving up”; however, a recent campaign encourages taking action. Love Life Live Lent - Be the Change is dedicated to encouraging Christians to perform kind gestures during Lent. The “life changing” booklets (in both child and adult versions) take readers through positive daily activities during the 40 days along with Bible verses to help deepen their faith. The project has attracted more than 400,000 followers since 2007. Saying hi to a neighbour, smiling all day, and praying for someone on the news are just a handful of the graceful tasks found within the booklet. The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, supports the change and shares a foreword in the booklet. He recently visited Parliament to promote the campaign, sending a copy to every MP and members of the House of Lords. UNCOVERING SIN by Rosy Fairhurst SPCK Sin is a fact of life, but this book helps us face up to this reality with imagination through combining Bible stories, human stories and learning, inviting readers to reflect on their own perceptions and experiences of sin. The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, praised this book for getting to grips with some of the more challenging things Scriptures holds for people today. This honest account of sin will lead you through Lent, bringing you to an Easter where you can stand tall through a new sense of forgiveness and acceptance. A great book for those looking to challenge themselves this Lent. MAKING ALL THINGS WELL by Isobel de Gruchy Canterbury Press Finding Spiritual strength with Julian of Norwich. This book shows that while she lived more than 600 years ago, Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love, written in the 14th century, holds more relevance to us now than could ever have been imagined. The author’s personal experiences with the wisdom of this ancient writing, through a difficult ministry in apartheid South Africa, and later the tragic death of her son, urged Isabel de Gruchy to turn the spiritual strength into 40 reflections, which include scripture, excerpts from the original text, meditation and prayer. Central themes include the mystery of suffering, the promise that evil will be overcome, the faithfulness and love of God, and relates them to experience you may be going through today. REFLECTIONS FOR LENT Authors: Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, Barbara Mosse and Mark Oakley Church House Publishing This book, which covers Mondays through Saturdays, acts as a reflection during Lent. The structure for the book is quick, yet meaningful. It shares Bible verses that can be cited by readers in the top corner of the book. The body reveals a long verse that should act as a reminder for that day. Below the verse is “a collect for the day” which summarizes the theme the reader should have uncovered from the selection. This book is for readers with limited time who are constantly on the go. It is also available as an app for the iPhone/iPad and as a Kindle eBook. THE SHAPE OF LIVING David F Ford The Canterbury Press Since becoming a “spiritual classic”, Ford’s book, which focuses on tackling changes, has been republished for readers. A preface was added to reflect on the original writings of the book, which was published in 1996. After being asked to write a ‘Lent’ book by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ford expressed personal ways to keep positive each day. The novel shares Bible verses, personal struggles, poems, biblical knowledge, world concerns, and solutions to remaining dedicated to this season. This book is for those who have time set aside each day to deepen their understanding of the importance of the 40 days. The Resurrection of Peace Mary C Grey SPCK This thoughtful book is the follow-up to the author’s earlier work, The Advent of Peace. In seven chapters she looks at the last weeks of the life of Christ from the perspective of those in need of hope. In the modern environment, this is the perspective of the Palestinian people. She begins with the quote ‘If Christ be not risen then our hope is in vain’.

There is a good deal of political commentary here, but it is augmented by striking insights from the environment of the time of Christ.

The book begins with ‘The sea of challenge’, before moving on to the desert experience, the Mount of Transfiguration, the experience of Christ at Jacob’s Well at Nablus, then resurrection as re-creation, walking the Via Dolorosa and ending on the open road to Galilee.

The key to this book is that the author firmly believes a modern pilgrim must engage with the ‘living stones’ of the Holy Land as well as the archaeological evidence. And that means talking to the Christians who live there now. The tensions facing them are illustrated by a quote from Mgr Fouad Twal, the ninth Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (the second to be an Arab): “The Israelis regard us as 100 per cent Palestinian Arabs and we are oppressed in the same way as the Muslims. But Muslim fundamentalists identify us with the Christian West – which is not always true – and want us to pay the price.”

This book will provide a very different perspective on the reader’s Lenten journey. The Lion’s World Rowan Williams SPCK Not a Tame Lion Hilary Brand DLT, pb Fans of CS Lewis will find rich treasure in this latest book from Rowan Williams. But it is not the usual range of Lewis’s apologetic works that are under investigation, just his Narnia series of books. Opening with a quote from Francis Spufford, “Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must write childrens’ books,” he admits that he came to these books late, but found they offered a doorway into the ‘astonishing achievements’ of Lewis. This doorway led to a simple intensity of feeling about God, and it is this that he hopes to open up in his study of the Narnia series.

The book has six chapters, firstly looking at the point of Narnia, then addressing the critics of the books. He admits that Tolkien would have dealt with this new, invented world in a very different way, for example, explaining how the residents were able to produce food in a land where it is always winter.

But then he goes on to the character of Aslan, ‘not a tame lion’ and then addressing questions of truth and other issues raised by the enduring stories.

This theme is also addressed in Hilary Brand’s Lent course, based on the writing of CS Lewis. “We would all like a religion that kept us within our comfort zone,” the author writes, “but just as CS Lewis’ Aslan is not a tame lion, neither is Christ of the gospels always a comfortable Saviour, saying and doing thing that are often unexpected and challenging.”

Brand says this Lent course is not comfortable, either, asking that whatever your Lenten attitude to alcohol or chocolate, for this Lent at least to submit your spirit to a lit-