Böcker utgivna av Parson's Porch

I don''t think I have ever known anyone who experiences joy the way James McReynolds does.Jim is my friend. I have known him many years. He seems to breathe joy in the way most of us inhale the air around us, naturally and continually. And the best thing is that he writes about it.Jim lets us in on the sources and products of the joy in our lives all the time. He writes with a lightness and beauty we would not otherwise know. He permits us to experience some of the rarefied enjoyment that he himself actually lives with all the time.It is wonderful that Jim has written a book about the seasons of joy in our lives-how joys morph and reemerge in new forms throughout our lifetimes, and how paying attention to these joys can enrich and bless the human psyche at every stage.Jim has peppered his chapters with stories and illustrations that will charm, enrich, and truly enlighten his readers. This is the gift God has given him. The very concept he is working with, talking about the joys of life in the various seasons of our lives, has already caused me to think about the multiple joys in the seasons of my own life.I recall my general happiness in childhood, the springtime of my life, and how wonderful it was to grow up in a quiet, lovely neighborhood in a small town and have my early schooling under some wonderful, kindhearted teachers. In those early years, when the weather was good, I especially loved playing for hours at a time under a big, overarching bush outside our house and pretending a lot of things that I know helped to deepen and enrich my whole life.Then came the delights of going to college, making new friends, and finding my way into the work of the Christian ministry. I recall with pleasure the small country churches I served during my summer years, and the simple, warm-hearted goodness of the farmers and laborers who attended those churches. The joys of those little churches eventually gave way to a whole new set of joys as I pastored other, larger congregations, and as I do sometimes, left my ministerial job for a few years to teach in a college or a university. It was while I was teaching at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, in fact, that I first encountered young James McReynolds, then an employee of the Sunday School Board. I enjoyed his friendship both inside the classroom and in the halls and extracurricular life of the university.What were the special joys of my autumn years? At this point, I was being given incredible opportunities to travel abroad, offering seminars to Air Force chaplains in other parts of the world, and my growing family often enjoyed the benefits of journeying with me. I also had the pleasure of publishing a number of books about a lot of things that I hoped mattered to other people as much as they did to me.Now I am in the winter of my life, and, wonder of wonders, the joys still abound. My greatest joys are the active exchanges I continue to have with former students, parishioners, and professional acquaintances-people like Jim. I am grateful for the Internet, and the ease which I can communicate with all these wonderful folks. I approach my computer eagerly each morning, looking forward to seeing who has written since the day before. I am grateful to share in many friends'' lives not only all over the United States, but on foreign shores as well.I am sure, from what I have already read in Joy in the Seasons of Life: Walking Each Other Home to God, this beautifully written book will remind us of joys we haven''t thought about.Dr. John Killinger | Warrenton, Virginia 

In the quiet chill of a wintry dawn in medieval Germany, Hildegard, a seer, is troubled by ominous signs gathering in the dim and snowy light. A dire warning fastened to the limb of a pigeon comes to the monastery of Disibodenberg. It foretells of a plotting nobleman and his fanatical obsession with the ancient Book of Noah, a powerful relic guarded for countless generations by a mysterious Jewish sect, the Essenes. Volmar, Hildegard''s trusted scribe, and the librarian Cormac flee Mainz after finding the dead body of a stranger with irrefutable ties to the brotherhood of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem. As more fragmented clues unravel, Hildegard and Volmar are plunged into separate investigations unearthing a seething plot to stir up another brutal uprising against the beleaguered Jews of the region. From Leper''s Island to a haunted monastery, Volmar and Hildegard once again face the specter of Death. Wrestling with prophecy and forbidden love, the two sleuths forcefully challenge the powerful and the greedy with clear reason and stalwart faith.  "Dyrek draws readers into the world of medieval monastic life with a keen knowledge of the era and an eye for compelling characters. Opening the book will feel like stepping back into a long ago world of mystery, murder, and faith."~A. LaFaye, award-winning author of Worth.

Almond Tree combines his talents of writing, art, and love for scripture to provides us with this colorful, artful, and fresh look at family Bible stories and other episodes.You will enjoy the freshness of Almond Tree''s creativity.

Encouraging Angels is the fourth novella in a series that documents the sabbatical journey of Michael Lattimore, a middle school social science teacher who travels to the dairy farm regions of his home state - Wisconsin. He wants to see how the changes of the past three decades have affected the average family farmer. Whereas Entertaining Angels is a story of change, loss and healing; An Angel Among Us addresses change, brokenness and reconciliation; and Angels in Disguise deals with change, loss and new beginnings; Encouraging Angels explores change, fear and encouragement.

Every project is a team effort. No doubt the writing of Mark''s Gospel was the result of many storytellers and a few writers before the emergence of the final text attributed to an unknown "Mark." This is certainly true of this lectionary commentary. I give thanks for my parents, Everett and Loretta Epperly, from whom I learned to love scripture and One whose love gave birth to Jesus of Nazareth and the early Christian movement. I give thanks to my spiritual and theological teachers: John Akers, George (Shorty) Collins, John Cobb, David Ray Griffin, Bernard Loomer, Jack Verheyden, Richard Keady, and Ben White. I have learned much about scripture from courses I''ve taught at congregations: First Christian Church, Tucson, Arizona; Palisades Community Church, Washington D.C.; and Falls Church Christian Church, Falls Church, Virginia. I give great thanks to South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, whose generosity of spirit has allowed me to be not only pastor, teacher, and spiritual leader, but also a writer. The beauty of our Cape Cod village with its ponds, beaches, streams, and beaches has inspired my writing, preaching, and teaching. It is a daily joy to be part of a community that seeks to learn, love, and live the word of God.I am grateful to Deborah Arca of Patheos (patheos.com), who encouraged me to write a weekly lectionary commentary for this forward-thinking spiritual website. As always, I give thanks for my companion of over 35 years, Kate, whose partnership in ministry, parenting, grand parenting, and family life has been at heart of my spiritual journey. Finally, I give thanks for you and your quest for faithful excellence in preaching. May these words be an inspiration and creativity in responding to God''s word and wisdom in your life.