Posts Tagged ‘fear’

‘Give us a king to rule over us.’

Sermon preached at Derby Cathedral, Sunday 14th August, 2011, to mark the book launch of Fear and Trust – God-centred Leadership (SPCK, 2011)

‘The elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel saying,

“you are old …. set us a king to rule over us, like all the nations.”’ 1Sam 8.1-9

There is something very familiar …

Catch Mark Yaconelli and Nicola Slee at this year’s Greenbelt (27—30 Aug 2010).

Be among the first to purchase their newest SPCK titles – on special pre-release only at this event!

Wonder, Fear and Longing: A book of prayers
Mark Yaconelli
978 0 281 06376 5
£8.99

In our hectic lives, it’s easy to forget that prayer is more an encounter with God than a request line. Through stories, exercises, images and meditation we are invited to explore ten human experiences where prayer originates: love, desire, fear, suffering, compassion, brokeness, rest, reflection, wonder and gratitude.

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Godzone

by Mike Riddell

About the book

Godzone is a book of mystery and illumination, a guide-book to the travels of the heart. With humour, story-telling and captivating originality, it entices the reader to join its hitchhiking author on the most important journey of all.

Godzone is delightfully written, rich in metaphor and stories, and resonates with the reality of faith in everyday life. Its most extraordinary achievement is that the Christian spiritual journey is navigated without using religious language. I don’t know of any other book that does this as well. When I first came across Godzone I bought 50 copies to give away.
Jonny Baker

You can buy Godzone here.

About the author

Mike Riddell was for many years a regular columnist for Third Way magazine. He is the author of several books, including Godzone and Sacred Journey: Spiritual wisdom for times of transition (SPCK, 2010).

He was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Otago, New Zealand, before taking up his latest career as a screenwriter and establishing Holy Bucket Productions.

You can find a full listing of Mike Riddell’s SPCK titles, here.

Questions about Godzone

1. You are now entering the Godzone.

Which of the stories told in this chapter resonates with you most strongly:

• The Traveller and the shoes? Page 1
• The young Holy Man? Page 8
• Homeward Bound? Page 9
• The man who live in a tank? Page 11

Can you say why the story appeals to you?

Do you ever feel lost? What makes you feel this way?

2. Introductions.

Do some word association with the word ‘God’ – what does this much used word suggest to you?

‘… to open ourselves to this love is to be transformed once and for all.’  Page 17.
What do you make of this statement? Has it been your experience?

What do you make of the idea that ‘suffering is not an algebra problem to be solved’?  Page 21
What do you make oft the harrowing story on page 22?  Does the idea of God being on the gallows help?

What do you make of the idea on page 25 that God is still trying to decide where the road goes?

3. The lie of the land.

Do you recognise the distinction between Joy and Happiness? When and where have you known joy?

What would you find it hard to relinquish in order to continue your journey in the Godzone? Have you ever given something up and found joy in doing so?

How do you celebrate the important moments of life? What makes a good celebration?

What have been your valley experiences and how have you coped with them?

Do you pray? What form do your prayers take? When was the last time you tried a different way of praying?

How do the ideas of God’s love as sea in which we can bathe, and of the desert where darkness enters your heart, resonate with you? Have you experienced both? What metaphors would you choose to suggest these aspects of your journey in the Zone?

4. Customs.

What does it mean to ‘trust in God’? Have you any examples from your own life?

What is the most hurtful thing that has ever been said to you? What is the most positive and healing thing that has ever been said to you? Think back over the last few days, how have you used words to build up or tear down?

Whose lifestyle do you admire and why?

What are you most grateful for and why?

Do you have a sense of purpose in your life? How would you express it?

5. Dangers.

What does temptation mean to you?

How do you pursue good?

What do you understand by ‘Religion’? Do you meet as much hypocrisy as truth in religion?  Would you describe yourself as religious?

‘Perfect love drives out fear’. How pervasive is fear in your life?

What burdens of guilt do you carry?

How do you relate to the author’s views on hardness of heart, enemies and self deceit?

6. Travelling companions.

Who have been your travelling companions on your journey through the Zone?

Think about someone you value and ask yourself why you find this person so important.

What different qualities do your travelling companions possess? Do you value different people for different things at different times?

What, in practice, does it mean to love your neighbour… and your enemies?

7. The last frontier.

Do you have a ‘hunger for God in your heart and the itch of the road in your feet?’ Some people feel a ‘God shaped hole’ and others do not –what do you make of this?

What do you understand by ‘resurrection’?

‘The New Age is tearing the embryonic sac of history with its irrepressible surge of Life’ (Page 109) – this sounds impressive but what on earth might it actually mean?

How do you view death: as a mystery, with anger, something to be feared, a blessed relief or the gateway to entering fully into the Godzone?