Search results for: 'ten and a'
- Laura Barry
- 29 Jul 2025
A New Editor for Theology Journal
SPCK announces the appointment of George Pattison as the new editor of Theology journal, ushering in a new chapter for one of the world's leading platforms for accessible, peer-reviewed Christian ...
Independent Bookshop Week - a chat with The Christian Bookshop in Birkenhead
As part of Independent Bookshop Week, we are featuring interviews with, well, independent bookshops!
We chatted with The Christian Bookshop in Birkenhead about reviews, social media, comfy shoes, and – of course – books!
The Christian Bookshop, 14 Grange Road West, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 4DATel: 0151 647 ...
Independent Bookshops: more than just tea and cake
We spoke with Ali, Team Leader at Quench Christian Bookshop Wokingham, and Head of Retail for both the Wokingham and Maidenhead shops, about her experience with running a ...
A Hero in God’s Eyes
We're into the #SPCKBookClub!
Mankind has reinvented its heroes of old slaying dragons into superheroes facing alien invasions. We often have our own versions of a hero we look up to. Maybe it’s your favourite celebrity or social activist. Maybe even your mum or dad. And as Christians, we often have Biblical heroes we admire like Queen ...
What Not To Say When Someone Has Experienced A Miscarriage
It's World Mental Health Day today.
The loss of a baby can cause unimaginable pain and grief.
We might think we can understand what someone else is going through, but we don’t know.
Jane Clamp considers what to say and what not to say when someone has lost a baby in early ...
Joseph and the Bully Boys
Fiona Veitch Smith is on our blog for Anti Bullying Week. Why do people bully and what can be done to address it? ...
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 ...
#IDPWD2018: how can we make life and church more inclusive for people with disabilities?
3 December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Roy McCloughry, author of The Enabled Life, blogs for us about how we can be inclusive of people with ...
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- 21 Feb 2019
Michael Cassidy - My Life and Times: Part 1
Alongside the African Enterprise, I (like SPCK) am committed to reaching people and discipling them by books and Christian literature - Michael Cassidy's book publishes ...
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- 19 Mar 2019
Terry Waite on prison reform and rehabilitation - part 1
Terry Waite is an Anglican humanitarian and author. In the 1980s, he worked as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy, travelling to the Middle East and negotiating the release of hostages, when he himself was taken as a hostage. Since his release from captivity he has worked extensively with prisoners and is a supporter of SPCK’s ...
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- 22 Jul 2019
16 and a Half Ways to Upgrade Your Faith
We’ve all been there. One minute we’re sky-high in our relationship with God, and the next we’re questioning whether he’s listening to us at all. But what if there was a way to get past the ups and downs? Youth Pastor Bob Wallington suggests ways to help us maintain a relationship with God in his book 16 and a Half ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Oct 2019
"I have no tendency to be a saint" (John Henry Newman)
On 13th October 2019 Blessed John Henry Newman will be canonised a Saint by Pope Francis. Historian Eamon Duffy describes Newman's intellectual journey as one of the most remarkable of the nineteenth century. In John Henry Newman: A Very Brief History Eamon provides an engaging and judicious introduction on the life and legacy of this ...
- Emma Collins
- 9 Oct 2019
Black History Month and Extraordinary Saints
Black History Month allows us to take time to consider the individuals who have been relegated not just to the side-lines of history but forgotten through the ages. Sharon Prentis, Intercultural Mission Enabler and Dean of BAME Affairs for the Church of England in Birmingham tells us that whilst there has been a marked improvement in acknowledging ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Oct 2019
Why you should read this book... Q&A with Tricia Goyer, author of Twice Rescued Child
We catch up with Tricia Goyer, author of Twice Rescued Child. She tells us what inspired her to write the book and what we as readers can take away from the ...
- authise authise
- 30 Mar 2020
Vincent van Gogh The Bedroom - A Reflection from Sister Wendy Beckett
Today is the birthday of Vincent van Gogh, a post-impressionist painter who is one of the most influential figures in the history of Western art. A few of SPCK's books reference van Gogh. One of which is Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings. In this blog post you will find an extract from the book where Sister Wendy reflects upon van Gogh's ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Apr 2020
A Significant Milestone for the African Theological Network Press
Dr Angus Crichton, SPCK's Global Advocacy Manager gives us an update on ATNP, the African Theological Network Press. ATNP is one of SPCK's charitable programmes, an ecumenical venture, committed to serving the church in Africa and the ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Jun 2020
What is Resilience? And Why Now is the Time to Practise It
Several years ago when Meg Warner began writing the drafts for Joseph: A Story of Resilience Brexit was only a 'pipe dream'. Later, in the editing stages Brexit had become the greatest challenge to have struck the UK for many decades. In March 2020, the book entered the final stages of publishing and the coronavirus pandemic had threatened to ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Jan 2021
A Reminder by Sarah Bessey
You don’t have to be productive and you don’t have to change the world. You’re already so loved. You don’t have to be smart. You don’t have to be simple. You don’t have to read all the right books by the right people. You’re already so loved. An extract from A Rhythm of Prayer edited by Sarah ...
- Emma Collins
- 12 May 2021
What would the Ascension look like in a sitcom?
It’s a strange thing to consider, but what would the Ascension look like if it was portrayed in a ...
- 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 ...
International Friendship Day - A Chat with Alexa Tewkesbury
Alexa is an author, editor and proofreader who has been writing extensively for children since 2002. Three picture books for SPCK Publishing, Noah and his Ark, Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Jonah and the Whale, were released in 2017. As well as children’s books, Alexa has also written the screenplays for the animation, It’s A Boy!, ...
Q&A with Janet Morley
Janet Morley, author of Haphazard by Starlight, is on our blog today chatting writing and Christmas ...
- Emma Collins
- 5 Nov 2020
Who doesn’t like making top-ten lists?
In this extract from We are Satellites by Martin Saunders, we learn how lists of favourite films, books, music or games all have one thing in common, and that is: the creative arts. With creative arts having the same common root of human creativity, where does that creativity come ...
- Emma Collins
- 3 Nov 2021
Jesus, the Earth, and Environmental Justice (an extract from Justice for Christ's Sake)
Twenty years before Greta Thunberg arrived on the scene, Bishop James Jones asked young people how worried they were about the future of the world. In an assembly of 250 young people, all of them raised their hand to show concern. In this extract from his memoir, Justice for Christ's Sake, James reflects on this time and how it led him explore what ...
- Laura Barry
- 11 May 2023
SPCK Authors at Big Church Festival: Storytelling and Crafting Tent!
Join us and our amazing authors at our Storytelling Tent at Big Church Day Out on the 27th & 28th of May! Crafting space, chill out library and live readings from all your favourite children's authors, and ...
- Laura Barry
- 2 Mar 2026
Why People Still Come to Church: Voices from Southern Africa
The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba shares reflections from Southern Africa on why people still come to church—highlighting worship, community, resilience and faith in the midst of ...
- Laura Barry
- 6 Mar 2026
What Is the True Mark of Christian Discipleship?
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, reflects on the Emmaus story and why sharing the good news of Jesus lies at the heart of authentic Christian ...
5 Questions for Sarah Meyrick
Sarah Meyrick studied Classics at Cambridge and Social Anthropology at Oxford, which gave her a fascination for the stories people tell and the worlds they inhabit. She has worked variously as a journalist, editor and PR professional. She is the Director of the Bloxham Festival of Faith and Literature which is a small literary festival that takes ...
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 ...
Where do writers get their ideas?
In keeping with our #NaNoWriMo theme, we interviewed Sarah Meyrick, author of The Restless Wave, about her idea for her new novel.
How do you begin with an idea and turn it into a ...
- Laura Barry
- 24 Dec 2024
10 SPCK Books That Defined 2024
Let's celebrate ten SPCK Books of 2024! A Year of Faith and ...
- Laura Barry
- 23 Oct 2025
Join Us for the Book Trade Christmas Carol Service
Join SPCK Group and the Book Trade Charity for a joyful evening of carols, reflection, and community to celebrate the true spirit of ...
Five Questions about Paul with Tom Wright
Ahead of the release of Paul: The Biography, we sat down with Tom Wright and asked him some questions about his latest book - engaging with what he's really trying to do in this new study of the life of the Apostle ...
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- 18 Jun 2018
From bookseller to sales rep - Julian Gittings interview
Continuing on with our participation in Independent Bookshop Week, we chatted with Julian Gittings about how his work as a bookseller prepared him to work as a sales ...
Behind the Scenes: Illustrating the Children’s New Living Translation Bible
Our Commissioning Editor Juliet Trickey and Editorial Intern Miriam Huggland are on the blog today discussing the illustrations in our new NLT Children’s Bible. How does an editor brief an ...
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 ...
5 Questions for Rebecca Parkinson
Rebecca Parkinson is the editor for SPCK’s Assemblies website. This site gives instant access to high-quality school assemblies for teachers and others leading collective worship. It is used by millions of people each year.
Rebecca lives in Lancashire with her husband and their two children. Since graduating from Nottingham and ...
How was your journey?
Sean Stillman's memoir God's Biker will be published on 20 September. Here, he chats with us about a different way to frame travel ...
Helping the Helper
10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day.
When one person intervenes and saves another from suicide, the support can go to the person who wanted to end their life. More care and attention must go to the helper. Here, Tim Cantopher blogs about helping someone who has prevented another person’s ...
International Day of Peace - Sean Stillman finds peace on the road
For International Day of Peace, Sean Stillman ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Importance of Good Mentorship
Christopher Dines is on our blog for Mentoring Day.
Recovery from addiction takes an incredible amount of personal strength and resilience, but it also requires tremendous support from friends, family, and professionals. Having a mentor can make all the difference when healing from an ...
Tim Stead on mindfulness
Tim Stead is on our blog today, chatting about mindfulness practices.
He’ll be in Oxford on 14 November in conversation with Michael Mosley.
Book your ticket ...
5 Questions for Catherine Fox
Continuing on with our #NaNoWriMo theme, we caught up with Catherine Fox and chatted about writing, books, and ...
Rev Dr Mark Davidson's reflections on Remembrance Sunday
Rev Dr Mark Davidson, author of War Cries, is on our blog today for Remembrance ...
Different Kinds of Kindness
Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, is on our blog today for World Kindness Day. Thomas Cochrane showed extraordinary kindness during his work has a doctor in China. How can we show similar kindness to ourselves and ...
How We Use Our Profits
SPCK has been publishing Christian books for over three hundred years – in fact, it’s the third oldest publishing house still operating in the UK! So it won’t be too surprising if you’ve come across our books before, or only know us as a ...
5 Questions for Stephen Cottrell
Stephen Cottrell, author of The Sleepy Shepherd, chats with us about books, writing, and his plans for ...
Books change the way we look at life
Sarah Meyrick shares her thoughts about writing her upcoming novel The Restless ...
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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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- 27 Mar 2019
Terry Waite at Southwark Cathedral
Ahead of his event on Friday, 29 March at Southwark Cathedral, find out an introduction to his extraordinary ...
- authise authise
- 12 Apr 2019
Very Brief Histories Event
The Very Brief History series is a collection of short, accessible introductions on histories, legacies, and movements that have shaped the world written by industry experts. Our event on Saturday features four speakers uncovering the lives of Thomas More, Immanuel Kant, Byzantine Christianity, and Julian of Norwich.
...
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- 26 Apr 2019
Leading - The Millennial Way
Enjoy an excerpt and photos of the book launch from Simon Barrington's and Rachel Luetchford's new book Leading - The Millennial Way! Get your copy ...
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- 1 May 2019
Natural Holy Places: Britain's Top 10
Nick Mayhew-Smith, author of The Naked Hermit, rounds up a five-year journey into the wild sacred spaces of Britain with a top 10 list of the most enchanting holy ...
- authise authise
- 10 May 2019
Spanning the Decades: 2010s
Sarah Meyrick's fifth Spanning the Decades post for her new book The Restless Wave, available for pre-order ...
- authise authise
- 16 May 2019
Spanning the Decades: The Restless Wave
Sarah Meyrick's final post for our Spanning the Decades series is all about families and how to survive them. Order her new book, The Restless Wave, available ...
- authise authise
- 21 May 2019
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Debra Green, author of Mountain Moving Prayer, is the National Director and founder of ROC which aims to work alongside the church in ways that demonstrate the Christian faith-in-action. She chats about how encouring faith to live out in ...
- authise authise
- 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 ...
- authise authise
- 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 ...
- authise authise
- 19 Aug 2019
The Challenges of Urbanization
From one end of Eurasia to the other, societies are now either already highly urbanized or in the process of becoming so. In The Human Odyssey Stephen Green explores the challenges that are posed by this change. In the following blog post Stephen introduces us to his chapter on 'The forces unleashed by ...
- authise authise
- 16 Aug 2019
Why do jokes go wrong?
It may have been an established tried-and-tested joke but for one reason or another it wasn't well received, and it's now obvious that people haven't found it funny. Why does this happen? In this extract from The Sacred Art of Joking James Cary talks us through the many reasons why jokes can sometimes ...
- authise authise
- 19 Aug 2019
Storytelling at Greenbelt by Murray Watts
Storytelling has always been a big part of Murray Watts' life. It started with his mother reading him the works of Hans Andersen and Grimms' Fairy Tales, which later led to his live broadcasts of monologues and parables on Radio Merseyside in 1971. It's now come full circle to the publication of 'Yours Truly', a collection of 18 brilliant and ...
- authise authise
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Feb 2020
Your Own Call Less Ordinary
What next after university? In this extract from Rich Wilson's A Call Less Ordinary he shares his experience of coming to the end of his time at university and how it was around this time that he became aware of God's ...
- Emma Collins
- 8 Mar 2020
‘Don’t just pretend to love others – really love them’
Today is International Women's Day, a global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. To tie in with this awareness day we're sharing an extract from Helen Roberts' new book The Comparison Trap. In this extract Helen reflects on a passage from Romans 12:9-15 (NLT) and explores Paul's letter ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Mar 2020
Our Lady of Vladimir
Ahead of Mothering Sunday we're sharing an extract from Love Set You Going by Janet Morley. In this extract the poem Our Lady of Vladimir by Rowan Williams is featured alongside a reflection by ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Aug 2020
The Medical Clergyman
Who do you go to when you’ve got a fever or broken limb? Your local vicar probably wouldn’t be the first person you would think of. Before the year 1858, medicine could be practised by a wide variety of people. A scientifically minded clergyman was one of them. In this extract from Caves, Coprolites, and Catastrophes, historian Allan ...
- Emma Collins
- 1 Sept 2020
First day back, so teacher training.
'First day back, so teacher training. Classes arrive tomorrow. A tedious day, but we could wear jeans, drink our coffee hot and go to the toilet when we chose'.
A familiar scene for many who work in education. In this extract from Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean? We learn what the first two days of term are like for ...
- authise authise
- 12 Oct 2020
Lessons from Loss
Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place 9th - 15th October and is an opportunity for the bereaved to unite with others across the world to commemorate their babies’ lives. In this extract from Still Standing, Tola Doll Fisher reflects on the feelings she experienced after losing her daughter ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Nov 2020
5 Beautiful Books for Children
With the festive season fast approaching we are delighted to share with you these 5 beautiful books for children. With wonderfully illustrated covers and pages, each one these books will delight young readers as they open them on Christmas day and treasure them ...
- Emma Collins
- 6 Aug 2021
The New Rules of Social Media
When used correctly, social media can be a helpful tool for youth leaders. There is of course a dark side to social media. In this extract from Leadership 101, Tim Alford, National Director of Limitless provides 5 top tips for using social media ...
- Laura Barry
- 4 Oct 2021
SPCK Group Press Release 4 October 2021
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and the Catholic Bible School today announces the merger of the Catholic Bible School into SPCK’s range of publishing and ministry activities, strengthening further SPCK’s offering to the Roman Catholic ...
- Laura Barry
- 1 Nov 2022
Join SPCK author John-Paul Flintoff on an Online Pilgrimage
Join John-Paul Flintoff, author of Psalms for the City, on an online pilgrimage as he etches exquisite and quirky illustrations on to the streets of ...
- Laura Barry
- 2 May 2023
Coronation Sale: Enjoy 20% OFF the entire website!
Celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King Charles III this Saturday, the 6th of May, with 20% OFF our entire website until May ...
- Laura Barry
- 29 Jan 2024
The Best Self-Help Books to Brighten Your January
Looking for best self-care books to support your mental health? Here, we round up our top ten books about mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, and personal growth. ...
- Laura Barry
- 7 Mar 2024
Share Your Love of Reading this World Book Day!
Share your love of reading this World Book Day! With over half of children saying they don't enjoying reading, it's more important than ever to support children in learning how to love reading. We've compiled some of our bestselling children's books we know children and young readers will ...








