Search results for: 'decis p'

10 Sept 2018

What Not To Say To People Who Have Depression

We all wish we could help our friends and family who are hurting. Sometimes, the things we say to try to comfort them can actually do more harm than good. Rachael Newham, author of Learning To Breathe, considers what we should and shouldn’t say when speaking to someone who has ...

17 Sept 2018

God values who we are

Liz Carter, author of the forthcoming Catching Contentment, shares her thoughts on our book club pick I Thought There Would Be Cake by Katharine ...

21 Sept 2018

International Day of Peace - Sean Stillman finds peace on the road

For International Day of Peace, Sean Stillman ...

15 Oct 2018

Work that we're called to do

Barbara Fox chats with us about the genesis of her new book Midwife of Borneo, in which she tells the story of the life and work of Wendy Grey ...

26 Sept 2018

Diffusion: using books to make a difference in the lives of prisoners

We caught up with our Commercial Director Alexandra McDonald about the work she does with our Diffusion programme. Diffusion works with prisoners to improve their literacy skills. This helps with self confidence and independence, which are essential when re-integrating into the community upon release from ...

8 Oct 2018

A Chat with Alan Mordue for Libraries Week

It’s Libraries Week – our Sales Director Alan Mordue is the perfect person to chat to! He’s always in the know about books and how to sell them. We wanted to know how libraries influenced his decision to work in ...

12 Oct 2018

6 Questions for John Bowker

We chatted with John Bowker recently about his new book Religion Hurts, which publishes 18 ...

12 Nov 2018

Prayer as a form of self-care

Gemma Simmonds, author of The Way of Ignatius, is on our blog for self care week, discussing how prayer is as essential to self-care as healthy eating, good sleep, regular exercise, and time with friends and ...

20 Nov 2018

Alexa Tewkesbury's 3 wishes for all children

Alexa Tewkesbury has written several children’s books for us. It seems only fitting that she’d be on our blog for World Children’s Day, sharing her wishes for today’s ...

21 Nov 2018

The expression of faith through art

‘Pictures can reach parts of the theological imagination that words cannot.’ Jane Williams considers the representation of faith through ...

14 Dec 2018

#FridayReads - Unpopular Culture by Guvna B

Our E-Commerce Executive Vita shares her thoughts on Unpopular Culture by Guvna ...

12 Feb 2019

What is freedom?

What is freedom? Diffusion workshop at HMP North Sea Camp Did you know that SPCK provides free easy-to-read books to prison reading groups? Our Diffusion books are specially written to help prisoners who need to improve their reading confidence so that they are better able to find employment on release. We also work to change, attitudes, thinking ...

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20 Mar 2019

Give the gift of story this Mother's Day

As Mothering Sunday approaches, give Mum a story that will touch her heart in a way no other gift ...

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24 May 2019

Inspiring hope: SPCK’s ministry to prisoners

Did you know that SPCK uses its skills as a publisher to help prisoners improve their reading skills? As a Christian charity we consider our work with prisoners to be a direct response to Jesus’ commandment to minister to those in prison (Matthew 25:36). SPCK’s Diffusion books are specially written to help adults who need to improve ...

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20 Jul 2019

Why would a young man choose to follow Jesus in 2019?

With a million demands on their time and a million suitors for their attention, why would a young man follow Jesus? Martin Saunders, author of The Man You're Made To Be reflects on present-day masculinity, the challenges that young men are facing, and why young men need strong role models to ...

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5 Aug 2019

The Man I'll Pray You'll Be

Author and mum Rachael Newham hopes for many things for her little boy, many of which are reflected in Martin Saunders' new book The Man You're Made to ...

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30 Aug 2019

Measuring success in the Church - do the numbers count?

How do we measure success in the Church? Should we even be using the word 'success'? Are churches failing if they're not growing? And do numbers really count? Vicars are often faced with questions such as these and long-standing minister Alan Bartlett knows all about these challenges. Alan has been an Anglican priest for 25 years and is now working ...

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5 Sept 2019

Church Communications and the 'four Ms'

What are church communications? and why is it important that churches adapt their communications to their own culture and context? In this extract from Mark Crosby's So Everyone Can Hear he explains the importance of the communication process and why the 'four Ms' provide the basis for the 'what' and 'why' of church ...

Emma Collins
12 Dec 2019

Top 10 Gifts for Him

Whether he's a fan of sport or an avid reader of suspense novels our ‘Top 10 Gifts for Him’ will inspire you to find that perfect book to gift this Christmas. Make sure you place your order before 19 December 2019 for pre-Christmas ...

Emma Collins
19 Feb 2020

An Irrepressible Journey

‘I sometimes feel we are sold a myth that we somehow download our purpose in our twenties and then work on that until we “achieve our dreams”,’ speaker, writer and coach Cathy Madavan shares with SPCK ahead of the launch of her new book, Irrepressible: 12 principles for a courageous, resilient and fulfilling ...

Emma Collins
22 Apr 2020

Breaking the Patriarchal Mould | The Story of Joanna

In her book Women in a Patriarchal World Elaine Storkey focuses on the stories of women who faced a range of challenges and life-changing decisions. In this extract from the book we learn about Joanna, a woman who broke tradition by spending little time at home on the duties prescribed for wives at the ...

Emma Collins
5 May 2020

You are not alone, an extract from Baby Change

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy. In the introduction to Baby Change, Anne Calver writes that she '...did not find anything to help parents emotionally, mentally or spiritually as they prepared for and transitioned into life as mums and dads'. In ...

Emma Collins
4 Aug 2020

Black theology as a resource for transformative ministry

Is God Colour-Blind? by Anthony G. Reddie has been recently revised and updated for 2020. This new edition contains a new afterword on why Black Lives Matter. In this blog post you will find a extract taken from the introduction of the book. It is here that Anthony explains how this book can be used by Christian ministers and those in lay ...

Emma Collins
25 Jun 2021

The Case for Christianity, as told by a lawyer

'Lawyers are meant to be interested in proof. What’s the proof for Christianity?'. A question often presented to Simon Edwards, the subject of ‘proof’ brings with it much debate. Christianity cannot be demonstrated as true in the same way that a mathematical equation can be, so how can it be ...

Emma Collins
14 Dec 2022

Book reading by the Archbishop of York

Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, will be in York Minster’s Lady Chapel from 10.30am on Saturday 17 December to give a reading from his children’s book, The Sleepy Shepherd. ...

Laura Barry
6 Apr 2023

Amy Scott Robinson Discusses her Adventuring Girls series

Amy Scott Robinson, author of the Adventuring Girls series, discusses traditional fairytales, fierce heroines, and what she hoped to achieve with her Adventuring Girls series. ...

Laura Barry
24 Apr 2023

Cathy Madavan and Why Less Means More

Cathy Madavan, author of Irrepressible, has a new book out this month - Why Less Means More. Learn how you can leave fear and franticness behind and discover that less can really lead to more. Save £2 OFF this month with our coupon code. ...

Laura Barry
25 Nov 2024

Guest Post: SPCK Author Natalie Collins

SPCK Author Natalie Collins writes about the importance of ending men's violence against women on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against ...

Laura Barry
11 Oct 2023

Arun Arora speaking at Living Well Conference on the 4th November

Arun Arora, author of Stick With Love, will be speaking at Living Well Conference on Sat, 4 ...

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16 Jun 2018

My Day on the Shop Floor

16 – 23 June is Independent Bookshop Week – and we’re participating! Over the course of this week, we’ll be sharing content about our favourite independent bookshops. To start off the week, our Commercial Director Alexandra McDonald blogs about the one – one! – shift she worked in a bookshop. ...

13 Jun 2018

5 Minutes With Gaby Doherty

We will publish Grenfell Hope by Gaby Doherty on 14 June. Ahead of the book’s release, she chatted with us about ...

11 Jul 2018

There’s a heatwave. Is it Christmas yet?

We’ll be promoting children’s titles over the months of July and August. Summer holidays are always a fun time to go to the library or bookshop and pick favourite books to read. We all have fond memories of reading on holiday, by the pool, on the beach, at the cabin, and even at summer camp. Summer is the time when we get to read the ...

16 Jul 2018

Why do books resonate with us?

‘Books aren’t luxuries. They’re lifelines.’ – Matt Haig When we read a book, we want to relate it to ourselves. We’d like it to resonate with us. When we’re shy, it’s nice to see a shy character in a story. If we like to make people laugh, we might enjoy characters who are more boisterous and ...

23 Jul 2018

Our Evening With Terry Waite

Terry Waite stands six foot seven inches tall. He has white hair, a white beard, and kind brown eyes. His handshake is gentle and he is deeply humble and considerate. The SPCK team hosted Terry Waite at Westminster Abbey’s Cloisters on 19 July. He read from Out of the Silence, his collection of poetry and reflections, and Solitude, his ...

15 Aug 2018

Why does God allow suffering?

Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology at the University of Kent and Acting Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gibraltar. Among his many books are A Textbook of Christian Ethics (4th edition 2014) and Moral Passion and Christian Ethics (2018). Here, he chats with us about his book Why Does God Allow Suffering? and his personal ...

1 Aug 2018

A Chat with Stephen Cottrell

1 August is Play Day, which encourages the value of play and imagination. Our author Stephen Cottrell has always told stories to his children. Now, he has written a children’s story too. Read about the origins of his new book The Sleepy ...

24 Sept 2018

A Chat with Anthony Kenny

Anthony Kenny is on our blog today discussing his new book Brief Encounters. He will be at Church House Bookshop on 17 October with Richard Harries. Details ...

31 Aug 2018

A Chat with Cole Moreton

Today is National Maritime Day. Cole Moreton’s forthcoming book The Light Keeper is set in London and The South Downs. Here, he chats with us about his writing and the setting of his new ...

11 Sept 2018

How would you like to be remembered?

It’s Remember a Charity in Your Will Week. Leaving a legacy, however large or small, is a generous and effective way of making sure your loved ones, and the causes you care about, receive the financial support you intend when you are ...

7 Sept 2018

A Chat with Jessie Faerber

We’ve picked I Thought There Would Be Cake as our book club read this month. Jessie Faerber, author of More Than Just Pretty, had lots of thoughts to share about this powerful ...

24 Sept 2018

I thought there would be cake too!

Tim Gough is the author of Rebooted, which looks to the Bible to reframe how youth ministry works for our generation. We gave him a copy of I Thought There Would Be Cake, our book club read for this month, and he had lots to ...

26 Sept 2018

The Wisdom of Dr Dawn Harper on Fitness Day

Dr Dawn Harper is on our blog for Fitness Day, sharing her wisdom about the benefits of regular exercise. We all have to find the fitness that works well with us and makes us feel motivated. When we find what we enjoy, we look forward to our ...

16 Oct 2018

Sylvia Green's Tips for Reducing Food Waste

Sylvia Green has been a children’s author for many years. Her books include several ‘Christmas animal’ books published by Scholastic. We’re Hungry Too is her first picture book for SPCK. It is a full colour picture book with a fun story that encourages children to learn about caring for the natural world and ...

22 Oct 2018

What can compel us to write nonfiction?

What makes a good biography? Barbara Fox reflects on her work in journalism and how it led to the writing of Midwife of Borneo. Though she’d planned to write fiction if she ever wrote a book, her editing and journalistic skills helped her to write nonfiction. While we can often plan to write one book initially, we can sometimes end up ...

7 Dec 2018

Is my gift enough?

SPCK’s Fundraising Assistant Catriona Brickel blogs about generosity. It benefits everyone ...

4 Jan 2019

Jonathan Sandys: The Man Who Could Call Churchill ‘Great-Grandpapa’

Jonathan Sandys, co-author of God and Churchill, passed away of chronic lung disease on 29 December 2018. His co-author Wallace Henley had some very kind words to ...

17 Jan 2019

Believe in the power of prayer

Debra Green OBE is the National Director and Founder of Redeeming Our Communities (ROC), founded in 2004; a registered charity and Limited company. She is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences. She also speaks at conferences organised by statutory authorities and public services. Debra has 25 years of experience in bringing ...

23 Jan 2019

Gemma Simmonds on things she'd tell her younger self

Gemma Simmonds is a religious sister of the Congregation of Jesus. She began her ministry teaching at secondary level in the UK and went on from there to missionary work among women and street children in Brazil. She trained in Christian spirituality at the Ignatian spirituality centre in Wernersville, USA and this led to work as a retreat giver ...

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8 Mar 2019

I'm a bit like a mosquito

On International Women's Day, Hope Rising 365 author Meg Cannon is on the blog to talk about the women whose wisdom and wonder inspire Meg ...

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13 Mar 2019

How to recognise abuse

Our author and Gender Justice Specialist Natalie Collins explores ways to recognise signs of abuse, and what we can do to better understand the ...

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5 Apr 2019

Prayer Experiment Activity

What do you think of when you think of prayer? For a lot of people, it brings up images of being told to sit still and close their eyes while someone else ‘says a prayer’; or of reciting words from a page. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, author of The Prayer Experiment series, teaches a fun prayer experiment to try with your ...

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15 Apr 2019

Spanning the Decades

Sarah Meyrick introduces our new blog series where she takes you through the decades of her new novel, The Restless Wave, as well as inspiring stories from her own family ...

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16 May 2019

The Road to 'The Meaning of Life'

Alister McGrath chats with us about his new book Richard Dawkins, C.S. Lewis and the Meaning of ...

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1 Jul 2019

Converting to Orthodoxy

Martin Dudley was a prominent Anglican priest at St Bartholomew's in the heart of the City of London. In March 2018 he was received into the Orthodox Church. Martin's upcoming book Being Orthodox is an accessible guide for those who seek to become or live as Orthodox Christians. In this blog post you will find out when and why he made the move to ...

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6 Aug 2019

Who was Miao Zizhong, Cedar of Lebanon?

The Communists earmarked Zhejiang as a 'religion-free zone' in the 1950s and 1960s, yet to the glory of God, Jesus Christ is worshipped today by more than 13 million people throughout the province. The story of Miao Zizhong is one of many personal stories in Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China that depict the harsh realities of trying to ...

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16 Sept 2019

Who were the Mayflower Pilgrims?

16th September is Mayflower Day. Mayflower Day commemorates the day the ship set sail from Plymouth, England in 1620. The story of the first New England settlers has been told many times but not much has been told about what motivated these pilgrims to face the hazards of the transatlantic crossing. Historian Derek Wilson addresses this in his new ...

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4 Oct 2019

What can we learn from our animal friends? Meet Danny, the Irish Setter

All over the world, everywhere, humans and animals form great bonds that give them both another kind of gift of life. This is one of the reasons why Joan Chittister wrote the book, Two Dogs and a Parrot. For World Animal Day we're sharing an extract from the book where we meet Danny, the unruly Irish ...

Emma Collins
10 Oct 2019

How true friendship breaks down the stigma of mental illness

Thursday 10th October is World Mental Health Day, a day to help raise awareness and encourage open conversation. This year's theme is suicide prevention. Rachael Newman was aged just six when she had her first suicidal thought. In her book Learning to Breathe she shares her journey into and out of the darkness of depression. In this extract from ...

Emma Collins
15 Nov 2019

How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen?

How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen in real life? Many paintings from the recently published Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings are hanging up inside the National Gallery. We decided to visit the gallery to see how many we could ...

Emma Collins
27 Jan 2020

10 individuals who risked their lives in the Holocaust

'When the Nazis started to destroy the European Jews, the millions of non-Jews in Europe had to decide their stance: would they help the Nazis, help the Jews, or do nothing. A very small percentage resisted or helped. The great majority did nothing. More than 16,000 rescuers have been recognized officially by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, yet no one ...

24 Feb 2020

A Statement Regarding Jean Vanier

Like many around the world, we were deeply shocked and distressed to learn on Saturday 22 February of the results of an inquiry, initiated by L’Arche International, into allegations of abuse perpetrated by its founder, Jean ...

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26 Nov 2020

Judge Deb and the Battle of the Bands: A Bedtime Story with Paul Kerensa

Join in the fun with Paul Kerensa as he does a live bedtime reading of his delightful retelling of the story of Judge Deborah. This reading is taking place on Wednesday 2nd December 2020 via Zoom Webinar, and is also being broadcast LIVE to ...

Emma Collins
12 Feb 2021

Celebrating the launch of homegroups.org.uk

Today we're launching Home Groups! The largest source of free, high quality, curated small group material on the Internet. Find out more about this exciting new website in this blog ...