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Days of Grace cover

Days of Grace Book and CD Set

$25.00

In this two item set of the book and audio book of “Days of Grace”, embark with author Mary Earle on a pilgrimage through the psalms, where God invites you to grow into a deeper understanding, compassion and generosity when it comes to living with illness.

 

“If you’re living with illness,” writes author Mary Earle, “you’re entering a school of experience for which our culture offers little wisdom, seeking a way to live with the discomforts and within new limitations that bring you face to face with the fact of your own mortality and prompt you to ask deeper questions about meaning and life, about death and eternity.”

 

With thirty brief meditations — each offering a line from a psalm, a reflection, a short prayer, and a suggested spiritual practice — this book will offer comfort and grace, and the beginning steps into a new way of life.

 

Mary C. Earle is an Episcopal priest, poet, author, spiritual director and retreat leader. Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored nine books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society and hospice organizations. She has written articles for a variety of journals, including Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International, Radical Grace, Reflections, and The Lutheran. She was included in the Living Spiritual Teachers project of Spirituality and Practice.

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Desert Mothers – Book

$14.95

At the dawn of Christianity, holy women went into the wilderness of the deserts of northern Egypt to give themselves totally to lives of prayer. Explore the unique spirituality of the desert mothers, and learn ways to apply their wisdom today.

 

 

“Mary Earle is a modern-day Desert Mother, and we are fortunate, indeed, for her introduction to the Desert Amma’s ancient wisdom, and for her gentle guidance on ways to incorporate that wisdom into contemporary spiritual practices.”

–Debra K. Farrington, author of Hearing with the Heart: A gentle Guide to Descerning God’s Will for Your Life.

 

 

Mary C. Earle is an Episcopal priest, poet, author, spiritual director and retreat leader. Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored nine books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society and hospice organizations. She has written articles for a variety of journals, including Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International, Radical Grace, Reflections, and The Lutheran. She was included in the Living Spiritual Teachers project of Spirituality and Practice.

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Did You Sing Your Song?

$17.95

A lifetime of poetry about the land, memories of West Texas, family, and sacredness of life.

 

When she was a little girl, Mary Earle’s maternal grandmother taught her to listen to the garden in her yard, the creek on the Texas hill country land, the wind in the trees and the stars. Her mother, Mary Colbert, started reading to her as soon as she could sit up, and her mother loved to read poetry out loud. The poems in this book are an offering that comes from years of listening to what the Irish call “the music of what happens.” Mary says, “My hope is that the poems will invite the reader to listen along with me to that music.”

 

If you would like your copy to be signed and/or personalized, please write in the “note” field when checking out how you would like your book signed.

 

Advance praise for Did You Sing Your Song? by Mary Earle

 

“With bold serenity and unapologetic sass, Mary C. Earle blesses us with the music of her word-gifts. She simply takes us by the hand and leads us from ordinary to extraordinary, offering new sight, new light, new understanding.”

Olga Samples-Davis, poet and author of Things My Mama Told Me: The Wisdom That Shapes Our Lives

 

 

“Mary’s poems are full of images of inhabiting spaces, of allowing the land to hold her and reclaim her, bone meeting bone, and inviting the reader to do the same. There are songs here too, the music of language relishing the world’s gifts. These are the poems of someone who is asking important questions about what it means to know how precious our limited days here are and offering the wisdom she discovers so generously to others.”

Christine Valters-Paintner, PhD, author of Dreaming of Stones: Poems

 

 

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Dreaming of Stones: Poems

$18.00

The poems in Dreaming of Stones are about what endures: hope and desire, changing seasons, wild places, love, and the wisdom of mystics. Inspired by the poet’s time living in Ireland these readings invite you into deeper ways of seeing the world. They have an incantational quality. Drawing on her commitment as a Benedictine oblate, the poems arise out of a practice of sitting in silence and lectio divina, in which life becomes the holy text.

No stranger to poetry, Paintner’s bestselling spirituality titles have often included poems. In this first exclusively poetic collection, she writes with a contemplative heart about kinship with nature, ancestral connections, intimacy, the landscape, the unfolding nature of time, and Christian mystics. It can be read for reflection to spark the heart and to offer solace and inspiration in difficult times.

 

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE is the online Abbess of Abbey of the Arts, a virtual monastery and global, ecumenical community integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. She is a Benedictine oblate living on the west coast of Ireland with her husband John. Together they lead pilgrimages and retreats in Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Austria. Christine is the author of twelve books on spirituality, monastic wisdom, creativity, and the arts including The Artist’s Rule and The Soul’s Slow Ripening.  Her poems have been published in journals in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and the UK.

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Earth, Our Original Monastery

$15.95

How can we meet God in our everyday lives? In Earth, Our Original Monastery, Christine Valters Paintner, bestselling author and online abbess for Abbey of the Arts, shares how living contemplatively with an appreciation for the natural world can make you more aware of the presence of God in every aspect of your life. She explores monks, mystics, and saints who have experienced the goodness of the Divine in nature and invites you to find solace and spiritual revelation in the wonder of God’s creation.

The purpose of contemplative living, Christine Valters Paintner suggests, is to allow you to integrate the pieces of your life within yourself, in your community, and in the world around you. When you pay attention to each moment, you nurture your ability to see God’s actions in those moments. In Earth, Our Original Monastery, Paintner invites you to begin the journey of contemplative living by focusing on the image of the earth as your original monastery—the place where you learn your most fundamental prayers, participate in each day’s liturgy of praise, and experience the wisdom of the seasons.

Paintner provides seven ways of seeing the earth in light of faith and pairs each one with a practical invitation to a practice. These include:

  • the earth as original cathedral—where you first learn to worship and feel God’s presence around us, paired with the practice of stability
  • the earth as original saints—plants and animals live their calling without trying to be something they’re not and inspire you to do the same, paired with the practice of gratitude
  • the earth as original icon—nature can serve as a window to the holy in the same way that icons do, paired with the practice of lament

As you explore what these connections between the earth and faith mean for how to see God in the world around you, you can also look at saints and mystics who experienced nature and the flow of the divine in similar ways.

 

Christine Valters Paintner is the online abbess for Abbey of the Arts, a virtual monastery offering classes and resources on contemplative practice and creative expression. She earned a doctorate in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and achieved professional status as a registered expressive arts consultant and educator from the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association.

Paintner is the author of thirteen books on monasticism and creativity, including The Soul’s Slow Ripening; Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire; The Artist’s Rule; The Soul of a Pilgrim; Illuminating the Way; The Wisdom of the Body; and a collection of poems called Dreaming of Stones. She leads writing retreats and pilgrimages in Ireland, Scotland, Austria, and Germany and online retreats at her website AbbeyoftheArts.com, living out her commitment as a Benedictine Oblate in Galway, Ireland, with her husband, John.

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Echo of the Soul

$16.95

John Philip has taken the essence expressed in prayer form that is in Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter and put it in thought form for Echo of the Soul. Drawing on the two great traditions of Celtic Spirituality and Jewish Spirituality, Newell gives radical affirmation of the goodness of creation and of the human body.

 

What does it mean to be made in the “image and likeness” of God? That’s the first – and defining – characteristic of our humanity, celebrated in the opening pages of the Bible. Western Christian tradition, however, has often led us to think of the body and soul as separate elements, with the soul good and body evil. This profound and challenging book clears away centuries of misunderstanding and shame that have damaged the way we see ourselves – and the way we see God. Author John Philip Newell, acclaimed for his work on Celtic spirituality, goes back to our spiritual roots in the Bible, and in the mystical Celtic and Jewish writings, to weave together a deeper, more complete understanding of our bodies as an outward expression of our spiritual selves.

“Echo of the Soul is rather a minor miracle.” –Booklist

 

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Foy: On the Road to Lost

$15.95

Available Now

Written as a series of connected stories, Foy: A Novel by Gordon Atkinson is where we meet Baptist minister Foy Davis. From boyhood adventures in Fort Davis and Houston, Texas, to his unorthodox ministry in San Antonio, to his subsequent bolt from church life to New Orleans, we follow the thread of one man’s struggle with the place of religion in his life.

With clarity and spare dialogue, Gordon Atkinson portrays a good, caring man who is escaping his history to step into a more authentic life, even if it is a strange and frightening thing. As Foy attempts to salvage what he can of the religion he once knew, the reader is invited to walk along with him on this journey.

“I’m known as an essayist, but writing fiction, and in particular dialog, have always been my first love. I’m a passionate reader of fiction and consider the writing of it to be a sacred calling.”  – Gordon Atkinson

Gordon Atkinson, BA, Mdiv, is the author of blog RealLivePreacher.Com (Offline with selected archives here) and Tertium Squid, where he writes about current events and comments on important things like biking, whiskey, heavenly bodies, stars, depression, tea, theology and people he finds amusing.  He is the author of the books, RealLivePreacher.Com, Turtles all the Way Down and The Christmas Story You Have Never Heard.  He is a contributor to the magazine Christian Century and was the founding editor for the High Calling website, which brought together hundreds of independent writers and featured their work. His writing was chosen to be included in The Best Christian Writing 2004 and his book RealLivePreacher.com (Wm. B. Eerdmans) won the Independent Publisher award for best creative, non-fiction when it was published. This is his first novel.

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Celtic Mass Liturgy

Great Creating Spirit – Congregational Booklets

$20.00

Sold as a package of 10 booklets

A celebration of communion and spirit, this congregational booklet and leader’s guide finds language for today that expresses the desire to move back into relationship with the earth. The leader’s book is suitable for the celebration of communion in large or small congregational settings, and contains three distinct versions of the Celtic Earth Mass, as well as musical resources to be used in accompaniment with the words. It is also ideal for personal prayer and devotion. John Philip Newell acknowledges the three influences behind his latest release: Teilhard’s daily practice of celebrating communion in the great cathedral of nature first inspired him to put pen to paper; the Celtic practice of praying in relation to earth, sea, and sky that offered him a new-ancient language of prayer; and his respect for the earth-honouring wisdom of Native American spirituality that inspired him to clothe this book in imagery that emulates that wisdom. This book is an offering to individuals and communities within the Christian household who are longing for a new language to celebrate their love of the earth. “These twin loves are primary features in the rebirthing of Christianity for today,” says John Philip Newell.

Harmoniously accompanying the prose of John Philip Newell is artwork by Brenda Kingery. Her paintings are illuminated by alchemies of her own: earthen colors brightened by bright yellows, tints of greens, touches of mica, rays of light. Her work vibrates with magic vitality, astonishes by its affinity with dance, music, and its spiritual intensity. As an artist, Brenda sees life as textural patterns that can be described as narrative symbolism. Having as many as 25 layers of paint, her goal is to create paintings full of life’s breath. Just as with her Chickasaw grandmother’s stories, every culture captured in her paintings gathers to sing and dance. Born in Oklahoma City, Brenda is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, is the founding member of the Threads of Blessing International and travels to Honduras, Mexico and Uganda to teach textile and design in workshops that encourage women in developing countries to use their indigenous artistic skills. In 2007, Kingery was appointed by the President of the United States to the Board of Trusteees of the Institute of American Indians and Native Alaskans in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is mostly inspired by her native culture, but also by Asia, where she lived for several years, as well as Africa, where she has travelled extensively. As Brenda rediscovered her Scottish roots, she felt a close connection to the work of Ali and John Philip Newell and was generous in her participation in donating her work to be part of this project.

Brenda Kingery’s beautiful painting used in this book, Waiting, is available as a signed, numbered, and limited edition print. Only 100 in total will be available; two thirds of the purchase price will go to the work of Heartbeat: A Journey Towards Earth’s Wellbeing, the 501(c)3 foundation that was formed to come alongside the ministry and vision of Ali and John Philip Newell. Each print on fine art paper is 17×16, unframed. To purchase, please email contactinfo@HeartbeatJourney.org.

 

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Great Creating Spirit – Leader’s Guide

$25.00

A celebration of communion and spirit, this congregational booklet and leader’s guide finds language for today that expresses the desire to move back into relationship with the earth. The leader’s book is suitable for the celebration of communion in large or small congregational settings, and contains three distinct versions of the Celtic Earth Mass, as well as musical resources to be used in accompaniment with the words. It is also ideal for personal prayer and devotion. John Philip Newell acknowledges the three influences behind his latest release: Teilhard’s daily practice of celebrating communion in the great cathedral of nature first inspired him to put pen to paper; the Celtic practice of praying in relation to earth, sea, and sky that offered him a new-ancient language of prayer; and his respect for the earth-honouring wisdom of Native American spirituality that inspired him to clothe this book in imagery that emulates that wisdom. This book is an offering to individuals and communities within the Christian household who are longing for a new language to celebrate their love of the earth. “These twin loves are primary features in the rebirthing of Christianity for today,” says John Philip Newell.

Harmoniously accompanying the prose of John Philip Newell is artwork by Brenda Kingery. Her paintings are illuminated by alchemies of her own: earthen colors brightened by bright yellows, tints of greens, touches of mica, rays of light. Her work vibrates with magic vitality, astonishes by its affinity with dance, music, and its spiritual intensity. As an artist, Brenda sees life as textural patterns that can be described as narrative symbolism. Having as many as 25 layers of paint, her goal is to create paintings full of life’s breath. Just as with her Chickasaw grandmother’s stories, every culture captured in her paintings gathers to sing and dance. Born in Oklahoma City, Brenda is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, is the founding member of the Threads of Blessing International and travels to Honduras, Mexico and Uganda to teach textile and design in workshops that encourage women in developing countries to use their indigenous artistic skills. In 2007, Kingery was appointed by the President of the United States to the Board of Trusteees of the Institute of American Indians and Native Alaskans in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is mostly inspired by her native culture, but also by Asia, where she lived for several years, as well as Africa, where she has travelled extensively. As Brenda rediscovered her Scottish roots, she felt a close connection to the work of Ali and John Philip Newell and was generous in her participation in donating her work to be part of this project.

Brenda Kingery’s beautiful painting used in this book, Waiting, is available as a signed, numbered, and limited edition print. Only 100 in total will be available; two thirds of the purchase price will go to the work of Heartbeat: A Journey Towards Earth’s Wellbeing, the 501(c)3 foundation that was formed to come alongside the ministry and vision of Ali and John Philip Newell. Each print on fine art paper is 17×16, unframed. To purchase, please contactinfo@HeartbeatJourney.org.

 

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Ground of All Being: The Prayer of Jesus in Color

$22.00

 

“Remind[ing] us of the Oneness from whom we have come and the one earth to which we belong.” – JP Newell

This small book is the collaboration of the Celtic scholar John Philip Newell and photographer Claudia Tammen. It brings a new vocabulary for today to the ancient prayer of Jesus and combines it with iconic photography from the high desert of New Mexico. Each page of this little gem has a full color image facing one line of the beautiful prayer allowing the reader to contemplate the profound mystery of God through words and images. Included in this gift edition are journal pages to record one’s reflections.

 

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Haunting the Graveyard

$38.00

 

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Inconspicuously tucked away north of Loop 410 and in the shadow of Wurzbach Parkway in San Antonio, the Coker Cemetery contains the graves of more than 600 people. Several Texas Ranger and Texas Historical Markers serve as obvious signs this turf is fertile with stories. Beginning with the arrival of Americans on the eve of the Texas Revolution, Haunting the Graveyard: Unearthing the Story of the Coker Settlement offers a regional perspective of a century of Texas history.

While a schoolhouse and Methodist church served as anchors for the Coker Settlement, men who went off to fight in bloody battles of the Civil War, spent months pursuing Indians and herded cattle and horses northward, found settling back into everyday farm chores difficult. Struggling to survive, families battled rattlesnakes, endured extended droughts and suffered through the Great Depression.

Many overcame these obstacles, only to find their rural lifestyle vanquished by San Antonio itself. As the city grew, increased demands for housing convinced some to sell. Roads to reach new homes chopped up dairy farms with wider and wider ribbons of asphalt, and airport runways buried fields.

The headstones in Coker Cemetery are almost the only evidence of the former farming community, but the tales of its residents are rich. Expect to encounter some heart-breaking tragedies, a bit of mayhem and even an unsolved murder as their lives unfold on these pages.

Kindle Version – Ebook Version

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Holy Companions

$16.95

“The Celtic saints lived in times that were uncertain,” Mary Earle and Sylvia Maddox write. Those same saints “offer us a glimpse of lives characterized by a gracious confidence in the living God and a down-to-earth awareness of human need.” So it is no wonder that voices that are centuries old speak to us so freshly today.

 

Journey along with eighteen Celtic saints in Holy Companions, and explore how the lives they lived long ago can shed light on twenty-first-century living. Discover how their spiritual practices, or practices inspired by their writings and teachings, help us become aware of human needs and God’s gracious presence in the face of those needs. These saints of long ago offer us much that is healing and strengthening as we walk with Christ into an unknown future.

 

“Holy Companions stands out as an exceptionally well-written and balanced introduction to the saints of this richly personal and deeply corporate tradition. The book successfully guides us into a way of reflecting and praying with these saints as it introduces the stories and legends associated with them.” – John Philip Newell, author and speaker.

 

Mary C. Earle is an Episcopal priest, poet, author, spiritual director and retreat leader. Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored nine books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society and hospice organizations. She has written articles for a variety of journals, including Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International, Radical Grace, Reflections, and The Lutheran. She was included in the Living Spiritual Teachers project of Spirituality and Practice.

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Intersections of Grace 2nd EDITION

$17.95

Intersections of Grace grew out of a series of devotional talks delivered to Susan’s Bible Study group. After much encouragement from the women in the group , she turned these talks into a collection of written essays and prayers. God’s word, nature, pets, travel, and daily life inspired the writings. Over the years, as a student of the Bible, Susan has witnessed many manifestations of God’s Grace. These essays beautifully express Susan’s belief that if we are only attentive, we may see the intersections of God’s Grace at every step of our journey.

The second edition includes thought provoking study questions that can help facilitate your own awareness of intersections of God’s grace, or make a wonderful tool to be used in a study group.

Susan Kerr is a longtime leader of Women’s Bible Studies. A graduate of the University of Texas, she lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband. Susan is a proud mother of two grown children and two of the furry four-legged variety. Aside from being a dedicated writer, Susan is passionate about photography, particularly landscape and travel photography. For more information visit Susan at http://susanmoormankerr.com.

 

Reviews

“Thank you for sharing your heart and your story with us. The Lord has given you a special appreciation for His truth and has given you a powerful gift for communication.” Rev. Bob Fuller

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Intersections of Grace Study Guide

$16.00

Susan Kerr’s book Intersections of Grace was based on talks given to a Bible study group, the chapters and ideas nurtured and inspired by Scripture and personal experiences. This study guide has been designed to encourage a personal relationship to those insights and observations. Whether in a small group or on one’s own, the lessons aid in evaluating one’s faithfulness to the disciplines of prayer, service, and the study of God’s word. Spiral bound to be able to easily jot notes or observations, each section has Bible passages to take the material more to heart.

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Intersections of Grace Study Guide and Book BUNDLE

$30.00

*This listing is for a bundle of both the book and study guide. Please contact info@materialmedia.com to inquire about wholesale pricing for your Bible Study group.

 

Susan Kerr’s book Intersections of Grace was based on talks given to a Bible study group, the chapters and ideas nurtured and inspired by Scripture and personal experiences. This study guide has been designed to encourage a personal relationship to those insights and observations. Whether in a small group or on one’s own, the lessons aid in evaluating one’s faithfulness to the disciplines of prayer, service, and the study of God’s word. Spiral bound to be able to easily jot notes or observations, each section has Bible passages to take the material more to heart. Comes with the 2nd edition printing of the book, Intersections of Grace: Reflections on a Life of Faith.

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Julian of Norwich

$16.99

Many people are familiar with the phrase “All shall be well” but do not know much, if anything, about Julian of Norwich, the fourteenth-century English mystic who wrote those words. Thomas Merton declared her to be “without a doubt one of the most wonderful of all Christian voices,” and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says that her writings “may well be the most important work of Christian reflection in the English language.”

 

This accessible introduction to Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love, an extended reflection on a series of her mystical visions, includes an informative introduction that addresses the historical, cultural and sociological context of Julian’s life and writings. Mary Earle’s facing-page commentary focuses on Julian’s profoundly hopeful vision of humanity and God, her creative imagery and her rigorous honesty about the spiritual life. Drawing directly from Julian’s text, Earle addresses a variety of topics essential to understanding Julian’s mysticism, including the infinite nature of God, the life of prayer, God’s suffering with us, the eternal and undying life of the should, the motherhood of Jesus and the motherhood of God, “all shall be well” and more.

 

Mary C. Earle is an Episcopal priest, poet, author, spiritual director and retreat leader. Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored nine books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society and hospice organizations. She has written articles for a variety of journals, including Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International, Radical Grace, Reflections, and The Lutheran. She was included in the Living Spiritual Teachers project of Spirituality and Practice.

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