Spirituality

Spiritual gifts from the Mathetes Trust

The Mathetes Trust Christmas, Ministry to children, Spirituality
Over the last few weeks we have continued to pursue a fairly full programme, with Rooted in Jesus teams recently back from DR Congo, Madagascar and South Sudan, prayer weekends successfully completed in Sudbury and Minchinhampton, and another three regional EQUIP meetings this month, with more to come.
As we look forwards now to the coming celebration of Christmas, we would like to suggest a couple of our recent publications which, if you are not already familiar with them, might make suitable gifts:

Born Again – a simple retelling of the gospel for children

Born Again is a colour-illustrated, palm-size booklet which offers a conversational retelling of the gospel story for children aged 6-12. At only £1.50 it makes a great stocking filler, and it’s also available in inexpensive packs so that it can be given to Sunday School classes and families attending carol services. Christmas is probably the easiest time of the year of all to encourage people to think afresh about who Jesus was and what he has to offer, and our hope and prayer is that this little booklet will help you to do that.

Light in a darkened world

World Turned Upside Down, Alison’s book on the Psalms, has continued to meet with a positive response. James Newcome, the outgoing bishop of Carlisle, says ‘its message could hardly be more apt in today’s culture: namely that, however hard it may sometimes be to believe, ‘God is sovereign, and God is with us’. It seems a good time of year, as we reflect on the coming of Jesus into a complicated and painful world, to be thinking about that. World Turned Upside Down is reflective, personal and readable, with lots of real life stories and a consistent thread of thanksgiving.

To find out more, and to browse our other books and resource materials, visit our publications page. World Turned Upside Down is also available direct from the Bible Reading Fellowship, here.

Talking about the weather

The Mathetes Trust Creation, Spirituality
As we sweat our way through a tropical September, the weather has become something of a hot topic. But September is also the time which as a church we have come to know as Creationtide. It runs from 1st September to the feast day of St Francis of Assisi on 4th October. It’s a time when as a church we focus on our Christian responsibility to care for creation.
Alison Morgan was delighted to be invited by the Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) to contribute an article to help us think about creation and our place within it. It’s just been published – if you’d like to read it, it’s here.
If you would like to reflect more on the created world, what it tells us about God and how it can serve as a language to help us engage with him, you may also like to look at:
World Turned Upside Down – Alison’s book on the Psalms, published by BRF earlier this year. It has two chapters which look at the created world through the eyes of the Psalmists: ‘Who is God?’ and ‘Connecting with God.’ It’s available from our publications page, or from BRF (where you will also find the latest reviews). Alison’s other writings on creation can be accessed via her website, where she also explains how she expresses her own care for creation in practical ways on the Somerset Levels and Moors.
Season of Renewal – our long-running and popular Lent course by Bill Goodman & Alison Morgan. Taking its starting point from the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing renewal to the created world, and looking to find that same refreshment in our own lives, Season of Renewal is a six week course, of which five are before Easter and one, pointing forward to Pentecost, after Easter. It’s available from our publications page – and we are currently working on a digital edition for next year. If you’d like to know more, do drop us a line.
Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. Romans 1.20

Two new books!

The Mathetes Trust Christian discipleship, Ministry to children, Spirituality

World Turned Upside Down – The psalms and the spirituality of pain : finding a way through

with a Foreword by Bishop John Inge
We are delighted to announce that Alison Morgan’s new book on the Psalms has just been published by BRF:
‘There are no simple answers to life’s challenges, so how do we integrate our most testing experiences into our faith in a way which strengthens rather than undermines it? When we are at our weakest, when we feel we most need God and yet have no idea how to talk to him, it is the Psalms which leap to our rescue. With the psalmists as our guides, we learn to draw closer to God, to hear his voice in fresh ways, and to identify what it is that troubles us. Borrowing their words, we find that we are able to articulate our most painful feelings and walk through suffering with honesty, hope, and confidence in the God who travels beside us. Here is an opportunity to read the Psalms differently: an invitation to embark on a new journey.’
The book has been highly commended – to find out more or to order your copy visit our Publications page.

The Songs of a Warrior: Saul and David – a retelling, by Katy Morgan

We are also delighted to commend a new book by Katy Morgan. Katy is a highly regarded writer for children aged 8-13, and this is her second book. It’s published by the Good Book Company, who explain: ‘This dramatic retelling of the accounts of the first two kings of Israel follows the intertwining stories of Jonathan, Saul, David and Michal. In this imaginative yet biblically faithful book, readers will find themselves immersed in the hearts and minds of the key players as they experience battles, intrigue, plots, betrayal, love and friendship. This resource is a great way to help kids aged 8-13 engage with God’s word.’
People have posted some lovely reviews:
“The Songs of a Warrior” is a great selection for kids who like historical fiction. The author fleshed out the characters in an engaging way, rotating through different viewpoints and exploring the human side of war and political tensions – Bethany Davidson
This book brought narrative to years of Bible study. Sometimes it’s difficult for children to follow all the details in Bible narratives (in Scripture) and this book does a wonderful job connecting the history so the reader can walk away with big picture understanding of God and His purposes. We used this as a bedtime read aloud for our kids (ages 9 and 7). Our kids really enjoyed it. – Lauren
Katy is a clear and skilled storyteller whose love and knowledge of God’s Word is evident through the accuracy in this book. I greatly appreciated the cast of characters at the front of the book, the map of Israel, and the overall layout of the book. Personally, the best part of this book was the delight it gave me to read it. This book is easy to read (I read it in a few hours) and it pulls you in immediately. I think this is an excellent book for older elementary/middle schoolers, but anyone would enjoy this book! Faith Cote
The Songs of a Warrior can be previewed and ordered from The Good Book Company here. It’s available both as a paperback and as an ebook.