'Waiting can be beautiful and, at least sometimes, it takes us to the heart of the Holy.'

As much at home with Strictly Come Dancing as the mystical writings of Julian of Norwich, Rachel Mann writes with disarming verve of something we all experience - waiting.

It may seem unlikely when you're stuck on a train, or nervously anticipating hospital treatment, or simply fearful of an uncertain future, that there is treasure to be found in the waiting. Yet the Psalmist says, 'I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.'

These luminous meditations tell stories of God waiting with us when we're in fear or distress; of coming - bidden or unbidden - to relieve our loneliness; of disconcerting us, desiring us and surprising us with joy... Most of all they remind us that Jesus Christ comes into the world as one long waited for; as the servant who waits on others; as the one on whom we are, adoringly, called to wait.

Covering 4 weeks, each meditation ends with a prayer and questions for reflection, which may be used by individuals or groups.

In the Bleak Midwinter explores the power of Advent and the joy of Christmas through the poetry of Christina Rossetti. Best known for her poems-turned-carols In the Bleak Midwinter and Love Came Down at Christmas, Rossetti's rich and wondrous faith provides an inspiring seasonal companion.

For each day from Advent Sunday to the Epiphany, Rachel Mann selects a poem and reflects on it, drawing on Rossetti's many other writings including her devotional journals and commentary on biblical narratives.

At a time when commercial pressures are at their most intense, this volume aims to lead readers to an encounter with God's time and space, to find our true identity beyond all that would limit and diminish our humanity.

Love's Mysteries reflects powerfully on our fundamental limitations as creatures of flesh and bone, and what our experiences of grief, loss and fragility tell us about God and his astonishing choice to inhabit human flesh.

Rachel Mann explores what happens when our bodies are under pressure, living under conditions of trauma, violence, pain or distress, suggesting that the precariousness of life might be where we most authentically encounter God.

Her argument combines theological reflection with stories of communal and personal loss, from large-scale events such as terrorist attacks and the coronavirus pandemic to personal accounts of accompanying a dying person.

Throughout, she explores how the universal experience of fragility and grief can help us understand our own lives and our relationships with God and with others.

Jane Austen - novelist, forthright letter writer, daughter and sister of Anglican clergy - had a rarely-matched insight into human character. Like Lent itself, she exposes frailty, caprice and pomposity without losing a profound and compassionate understanding of human nature. Her life was profoundly shaped by the church and Christian spirituality, making her writings an ideal accompaniment for the 40 days of Lent.

Rachel Mann introduces Jane Austen, her world and her ideas, and, for each day of Lent, offers commentary on a short excerpt from her writing to explore how her faith can illuminate ours. She brings Jane's novels into conversation with biblical and spiritual ideas and also with today's questions about class, sexuality and race.

Themes explored include: The Triumph of Love, Learning Wisdom, Seeing Beyond the Surface to the Truth, Knowing Where Your Treasure Lies, The Temptation to be Prideful and Prejudiced, The Pomposity of Religion, Privilege and its Limitations, Duty and Good Manners, and much more.

'Jewish summer camp is the perfect setting for a multi-generational novel: a daughter connects with her late mother through names etched in the bleachers, murals in the dining hall, and a mysterious stranger. Mann's compelling story and artful writing make this an excellent read for teens and adults.' Sarah Bunin Benor, winner, Sami Rohr Choice Award for Jewish Literature, author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism

'Whether on the streets of New York or deep in the summer camp woods, Mann ensures the reader is as alive to every sight and sound as her central characters. Not only is the writing exquisite, but it had me in floods of tears by the end. I loved this book and so will you!' Justine Solomons, Byte the Book

'Mann weaves a poignant tale of loss and discovery that carefully builds to a hopeful, satisfying ending.' Wiley Blevins, author

One daughter. One mother. One summer camp. Twenty years apart.

If only Reena could stay in the city, instead of spending the last summer before high school at her cousin's Jewish sleepaway camp. From morning prayer to Color War to the social pecking order, she is lost from the start, and her cousin Lila is no ally. While working on her survival skills, Reena begins to find clues of the mother she never knew.

Twenty years earlier, Naomi stands on a dock in the middle of the lake. Just finished with her first year of college, camp feels too small to contain her giant dreams. Her sister Mara is all about finding a man, but Naomi believes something more awaits.

A mysterious, barefoot stranger appears on a hill, offering blessings and songs. Can he guide Naomi to her future? Can he help Reena untangle her past?

Priest, poet, and broadcaster Rachel Mann believes the world is charged with a divine spark. She explains how in our encounters with what she terms the spectres of God, one can become at peace with limitation, precariousness, lack of certainty, and one's fractures--and at the same time find in divine fragility the hope of the world. Drawing on her own experiences, in three short chapters (on the body, on love, and on time) Mann explores how God invites us, repeatedly, to live in a rich, three-dimensional mystery that subverts the depressing flat-earth of modern life.

In the My Theology series, the world's leading Christian thinkers explain some of the principal tenets of their theological beliefs in concise, pocket-sized books.

A brilliant new Lent Course for 2019, based on the hugely popular film The Greatest Showman. The 2018 Golden Globe-nominated movie starring Hugh Jackman, about the founder and stars of the Barnum & Bailey Circus is ideal for Lenten study of Christian themes of hope, redemption and new life.

The five-week course offers discussion points, biblical reflections and prayers based on short excerpts from the film. The themes are: (1) 'A Million Dreams', exploring what liberation and hope might look like for an 'outsider' in the world; (2) 'Come Alive', exploring how the family of faith can bring hope and purpose; (3) 'Rewrite the stars', asks what forms of resistance can be placed in the way of salvation; (4) 'Never Enough', questions the temptations of false fulfilment that can lead us to betrayal; (5) 'The Greatest Show', shows how redemption is found when we discover 'the circus is our home'.

Twisted Pearl of the Prairies is a heartfelt exploration of resilience, betrayal, and the search for identity. Set against the vast and unyielding Canadian prairies, it follows the journey of Elena, a woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she inherits a crumbling farmhouse tied to her family's buried secrets. With each discovery, she confronts not only the truth about her past but also the complexities of forgiveness, love, and self-reinvention.

This is a story about finding strength in vulnerability and clarity in chaos-a tale that speaks to anyone who has ever sought to redefine their story.

Excerpt

Elena stood at the edge of the prairie, the wind pulling at her hair like unseen hands trying to guide her back. The farmhouse loomed behind her, its peeling paint and sagging porch a testament to years of neglect-and the secrets it held. In her hands, she clutched a faded letter, its creases worn thin by time and trembling fingers.The words it carried had shattered her carefully constructed world, yet somewhere in the pain was a strange, unrelenting hope. If she could unearth the truth, maybe, just maybe, she could piece herself back together.