Margaret Whipp

This wise and beautiful book draws on the experience of unchosen waiting – in sickness, in old age, and in the struggles and frustrations of everyday life – to explore the challenges of waiting and the skills it demands. A lifeline for anyone who finds themselves in a time of waiting, chosen or unchosen, or accompanying others through such times, it shows how the paradoxical gifts of patience point to the God who kindly waits for us. Beginning with an introduction exploring practices for spiritual formation as we wait, it explores four vivid metaphors for life’s waiting times: • Wilderness – the practices of surrender and struggle; the gift of sustenance • Winter – the practices of resilience and rootedness; the gift of renewal • Winepress – the practices of constancy and compassion; the gift of consolation • Womb – the practices of nurture and noticing; the gift of newness and naming A book of grace, depth and beauty, destined to become a modern spiritual classic.

Learning patience and embracing its gifts

The Grace of Waiting

Michael Byrne

The SCM Studyguide Pastoral Theology designed to support undergraduate courses for the training of clergy and lay pastoral workers at an accessible introductory level. The book aims to develop pastoral wisdom and integrity through a critical integration of theology and the human sciences. Introducing key themes in theological anthropology and pastoral practice, it shapes a creative pastoral vision which is deeply rooted in a Christian vision of what it means to be human and what it takes to care. Working with case studies, the book will introduce broad frameworks of understanding of issues such as growth, loss, and sexuality, together with critical perspectives on important aspects of practice such as language, power and boundaries. The book provides an accessible overview of key concepts in pastoral theology, offering key entry points for further discussion and study. Each chapter includes discussion questions and/or reflective exercises at the end of each chapter together with a short bibliography. Throughout the text, key summaries of learning will be indicated by boxed Practice Points.

SCM Studyguide Pastoral Theology

This wise and beautiful book draws on the experience of unchosen waiting – in sickness, in old age, and in the struggles and frustrations of everyday life – to explore the challenges of waiting and the skills it demands. A lifeline for anyone who finds themselves in a time of waiting, chosen or unchosen, or accompanying others through such times, it shows how the paradoxical gifts of patience point to the God who kindly waits for us. A book of grace, depth and beauty, destined to become a modern spiritual classic.

Margaret Whipp

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