This is the very personal account of a time of difficulty and struggle in Nouwen’s life. Each short passage is thought provoking and suggests to the reader a way of relating to God in times of pain and sorrow. I found it worth reading because of the way Nouwen describes his feelings and his longings…

David suggested last Sunday that we might enjoy reading C.S.Lewis’s ‘Screwtape Letters’ (which are in the Church library). I first heard this read aloud at a Fellowship Group in Bristol England, and I was so delighted that I bought a copy. But that was over 65 years ago and I wondered how it would stand up today. Our…

 This book is sub-titled “Journey into meditative prayer”. Foster writes of his own experiences and of some possible techniques for praying using Christian mediation – silence, solitude and a desire for closer intimacy with God.

Review: “Finding your own theological voice”  Posted by:  Bruce Mullan  in  Culture Journey, 11/06/2015 Used by permission  Testing Tradition and Liberating Theology is a little Aussie gem from our own pre-eminent lay theologian Dr Val Webb.  Webb’s goal in this book is to unlock theological process from the rarefied academic world of the seminary and encourage everyone to do their…

“Post God Nation? How religion fell off the radar in Australia – and what might be done to get it back on.” – Roy Williams, ABCBooks, 2015. Reviewed by Neil Wilkinson Very dramatic changes have come in Australian society and the church during the lifetimes of most of us.  The census of 1901 had 96% of…

  This is the  kind of book to come back to. The author leads the reader though the four stages of the practice of Lectio Divina, attending, pondering, responding and being and explores these as prayer and communion with God. Along the way he gently suggests ways in which we might discover and practice a…

  Nouwen, Henri J.M. The return of the prodigal son : the story of a homecoming. 1992   I usually find the work of Nouwen both challenging and rewarding and this book is no exception. He writes of a journey, begun in contemplation of Rembrandt’s painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” and steps the…

Do have a look at the books relating to Easter. Latest arrival: Val Webb’s new book called “Testing Tradition and Liberating Theology.” The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Byrnes, Executive Director of the Centre for Theology and Ministry in the UC Centre for Theology writes: “Val Webb invites us into a broad yet comprehensive sweep of much that has influenced…

What do these words or phrases mean?: Born again, Righteousness, The Ascension, The Rapture and Second Coming, Heaven. If you would like to know, Marcus Borg will explain each one, along with other important words, in a few pages of accessible language. “Speaking Christian” by Marcus Borg is available in the Resource Centre.

by Timothy Keller.  [2013] This book grapples with the age-old question: how do we deal with pain and suffering, both in our own lives and in the world around us? The problem of suffering is for many the greatest obstacle to trusting in a good and loving God, raising the most difficult and important questions of…