In his final accomplishment of an extraordinarily distinguished career, James W. McKinnon considers the musical practices of the early Church in this incisive examination of the history of Christian chant from the years a.d. 200 to 800. The result is an important book that is certain to have a long-lasting impact on musicology, religious studies, and history.

Gold medal Illumination Book Awards winner, finalist in the Best Book Awards, and 1st place winner of the Selah Awards for Inspirational/Gift books! Keep the Focus on Jesus this Christmas with 24 Family Devotions for Advent! The flurry of shopping, gift giving, recitals, and parties adds a certain amount of tension to a season meant to be infused instead with awe and wonder. Ask most families what the focus of Christmas really is and they will readily answer that it is the birth of Christ, yet so many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with activities, travel plans, hosting, and more. Trying to prepare our hearts and our families to celebrate His birth becomes secondary while we try to survive the busyness! Victoria Duerstock wants to support families in their desire to make Christ the focus of all their celebrations this Christmas. Each day of this family devotional includes not only a Scripture and short short reflection for the twenty-four days leading up to Christmas, but also inviting full-color images and simple Christmas crafts that can be done as you focus on the rich meaning of this season. Find easy-to-follow instructions for: Stained Glass Ornaments Cinnamon Oatmeal Soap Mason Jar Luminaries Homemade Marshmallows Scrap Ribbon Tree Ornaments And many more! Each devotional through the four weeks of Advent is focused on the themes of Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love and is meant to be read with the entire family, or by the older child who needs something just for them in this special season. Advent Devotions & Christmas Crafts for Families will be your new favorite holiday tradition. It makes a wonderful early Christmas gift for kids, parents, or grandparents!

Open a window each day of Advent onto the natural world.

A New York Times Bestseller, chosen as Oprah's "Books That Help Me Through" for Oprah's Book Club “No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love, from Oliver's exuberant dog poems to selections from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Primitive, and Dream Work, one of her exceptional collections. Perhaps more important, the luminous writing provides respite from our crazy world and demonstrates how mindfulness can define and transform a life, moment by moment, poem by poem.” —The Washington Post “It’s as if the poet herself has sidled beside the reader and pointed us to the poems she considers most worthy of deep consideration.” —Chicago Tribune Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver presents a personal selection of her best work in this definitive collection spanning more than five decades of her esteemed literary career. Throughout her celebrated career, Mary Oliver has touched countless readers with her brilliantly crafted verse, expounding on her love for the physical world and the powerful bonds between all living things. Identified as "far and away, this country's best selling poet" by Dwight Garner, she now returns with a stunning and definitive collection of her writing from the last fifty years. Carefully curated, these 200 plus poems feature Oliver's work from her very first book of poetry, No Voyage and Other Poems, published in 1963 at the age of 28, through her most recent collection, Felicity, published in 2015. This timeless volume, arranged by Oliver herself, showcases the beloved poet at her edifying best. Within these pages, she provides us with an extraordinary and invaluable collection of her passionate, perceptive, and much-treasured observations of the natural world.

This historic and authoritative volume contains the complete three-year listing of the Revised Common Lectionary (Years A, B, and C) to guide preaching and Scripture reading on the Lord’s Day. Abingdon Press. Also included are an introduction explaining the nature and uses of lectionaries and a brief history of the Consultation on Common Texts.

"Walking into Advent can be like walking through the wardrobe." With its enchanting themes of snow and cold, light and darkness, meals and gifts, temptation and sin, forgiveness and hope—and even an appearance by Father Christmas—C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe fits naturally into the Advent season. As the reader seeks a storied king and anticipates the glorious coming of Christmas, these twenty-eight devotions alternate between Scripture and passages from the novel to prompt meditation on Advent themes. Each devotion also includes questions for reflection. The book also provides several resources for churches, including four sessions for small group discussion and ideas for creating a "Narnia Night" for families. Readers will ultimately come to know God better while journeying through Narnia.

Add The Advent Storybook to your family holiday traditions and enjoy the rich images and thoughtful retellings of ancient stories that feature God's recurring, faithful promise to rescue us. A simple question at the end of each story helps readers engage in understanding the bigger story God wants us all to know--the good news of Jesus coming to save us. Parents and children alike will delight in the biblical messages of joy, hope, and peace every day as they look forward to celebrating Jesus' birth.