Happy New Year! It's the start of a new year and a new decade and many of us will looking at the year ahead with the motivation to become better versions of ourselves. Whether you want to make sure that this year you take more time out to reflect and meditate, or you want to grow your faith in 2020, let us help you on this journey with these selected books, devotionals and resources, all with 20% off.

With the clocks going back an hour and the weather getting a lot colder there's no matter time to treat yourself to a new book or two to see you through the Winter months. November sees the publication of a great selection of books. New books include the biography on cricketer and bishop David Sheppard and Rupert Shortt's rebuttal on Richard Dawkins's latest book.

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. Keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts throughout July and August to ensure you don't miss out!

6 September is National Read A Book Day.

Richard Harries, author of Haunted by Christ, blogs for us about the importance of reading and the effect that literature can have on our perspective, how we see ourselves and the world.

On 31st August we will be holding A Day of Hope: Empowering Teenage Girls and Youth Leaders. This event will empower and equip teenage girls to face all the challenges of life with faith in themselves and faith in God. With speakers including Meg Cannon, Jessie Faeber, Rachael Newham and more, this is an event not to be missed! Find out more in this blog post.

Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, blogs for us about the Chinese New Year.

Did you know that today, Tuesday the 8th of March 2022, is International Women's Day?

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.

Alexandra is a publishing trade die-hard who oversees sales, marketing, publicity, licensing, audio, ebooks, direct to consumer activity, export, distribution logistics, the Diffusion Prison Literacy programme and a couple of other things for SPCK. If she had spare time, she would like to spend it reading, yoga-ing and golfing but usually ends up spending most of it at the wheel of Mum's Taxi. You can follow her on Twitter at @alexmack2004.

'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 'Miss'. 

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 responsibly.

Today is the International Day of Charity.

Charities have received a bad press in recent years: the safeguarding scandal at Oxfam, the collapse of Kids Company and the hassling of the poppy seller Olive Cooke are but three examples. Sadly, the UK’s 165,000 small charities are suffering because of the cynicism created by the actions of a few of the big players in the sector.

SPCK Assemblies are a great resource for teachers to use with their students.

We chatted with Rebecca Parkinson about the assemblies she's been working on.

Happy #WorldTeachersDay.

In the lead up to National Poetry Day we speak to Janet Morley about her latest anthology Love Set You Going: Poems of the Heart.

With international book giving day taking place today, this entirely volunteer-based initiative is aimed at giving awareness and sharing the love of books. Originating in the UK, volunteers and book lovers alike join in on the yearly celebration worldwide by giving the gift of books to others with the hope of instilling in them an affinity and enthusiasm for books.

Increasingly becoming popular each year, people can join in and take part in the celebration in a variety of ways. Some volunteers go to their local libraries and make donations, as well as school libraries for younger readers and other public community centres.

With this in mind, SPCK has picked five books from their non-fiction list as an opportunity to gift to others on this day.

On National Doodle Day, we chat with Thea Baker, who illustrated The Shepherd Who Couldn’t Sing by Alan Barker, about her work as an artist. 

Results day. Whether you or someone you love is recieving good or bad news, there are certain to be lots of different feelings going round. Our Digital Marketing Editor, Tom Creedy, takes look at five of them, and suggest some ways to process them, with the help of a good book!

The 22nd of April is Earth Day. Should we care? 

Consider a biblical perspective, and save on some key ebooks.

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

Mini-resolutions and Moral Support for the Mentally Ill - a blog by Sharon Hastings, author of Wrestling with My Thoughts

For World Mental Health Awareness Day 2020, we are sharing a range of resources to encourage, equip, and inspire.

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. Keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts throughout July and August to ensure you don't miss out!

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. Keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts throughout July and August to ensure you don't miss out!

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. In this blog post you will find an extract from Revelation. 

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. Keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts throughout July and August to ensure you don't miss out!

We're celebrating the release of Food for the Journey with inspiring quotes, Scripture passages and extracts. Keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts throughout July and August to ensure you don't miss out!

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!, and for the film, My Month With Mrs Potter (MonkeyDribble Films), which won a Driver Award for Best Feature at the Coventry International Film Festival in 2016. Here, she chats with us about writing, the importance of friendship, and what she looks forward to as an author.

Rebecca Mulhearn is the project manager for Diffusion. She previously worked as a commissioning editor for SPCK and lives in Bedfordshire with her husband, two daughters and cat. In honour of International Literacy Day, she blogs about her work with Diffusion, a programme designed to help prisoners improve their literacy skills.

Our Global Advocacy Manager Dr Angus Crichton reflects on the continuing expansion of humanity and the shift of worldwide Christianity.  

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 disabilities.

Ahead of announcing that Dr. Benjamin L. Gladd was joining D. A. Carson as co-editor of the New Studies in Biblical Theology series, we asked Ben a few questions...

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we’ve been reflecting on some of our favourite memories here at SPCK.

SPCK’s Publishing Director, Philip Law, tells us about what it was like working with the late Sr Wendy Beckett. Not long before she died she agreed to compile a list of her all-time favourite paintings, the result is recently published Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings. Sample pages from this exciting new art book are available to view in this blog post!

Need some inspiration for Mother's Day? We have some last minute gift ideas for book-loving mums everywhere.

We recently ran a poll on Twitter asking you what you’d like to see on our blog in the New Year. We asked you to pick either content about daily devotionals or overcoming adversity. The majority of participants chose overcoming adversity, which is a great way to reframe our thinking for the New Year.

Daily devotionals is also a worthy topic, so watch the blog for content on that as well! 

We chatted with Emma Scrivener, author of A New Name and a new day, about rethinking our negative feelings and focusing instead on both positive affirmations and the healing power we find in Christ.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, we are throwing it back to when a new day author Emma Scrivener wrote on mental health, positive thinking, overcoming adversity through faith, especially in the digital era of social media. 

Mark Meynell is Europe & Caribbean Director for Langham Preaching (a programme of Langham Partnership), and part-time Chaplain to HM Treasury, HMRC & the Cabinet Office, in Whitehall, London. He is married to Rachel and they have two children (Joshua, 20 and Zanna, 17). He is passionate about connecting Sundays to Mondays in worldview and cultural terms, and has written a range of books that seek to do just that.

Here, we chat with him about he manages depression during the holidays and how he helps others to do the same. 

Emma Drew, author of The Whole Person Recovery Handbook, is on our blog for World Cerebral Palsy Day.

The language we use to talk about diagnoses and conditions has a profound effect on the treatment of it. 

How can social prescribing help result in better outcomes, ones that look at health in a way that’s more holistic?

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 Be. 

Today is #EuropeanDayofLanguages. In the lead up to Frankfurt Book Fair, we chatted with our Rights Executive Stephen Tyres about his work handling rights with our partner publishers in other countries. SPCK has international partners in Turkey, Spain, France, Finland, Poland, Hungary, and Germany, among many others. 

Celebrating Mother’s Day can evoke wonderful memories and feelings from the past, as well as encourage us to take time to reflect on our relationships with our own children in the present.

Sneaking in just before Christmas are three brilliant books that would make great gifts for Christians, at different stages of life.

Did you know 1 in 6 adults in England have very poor literacy skills? Rebecca Law, Project Manager of SPCK's Diffusion Books tells us about the work that the project does to help prisoners, ex-offenders and homeless people improve their reading skills so they can find work and build a more hopeful future for themselves. 

October 2020 sees some exciting releases from IVP - with Amy Orr-Ewing, John Stott and Antony Billington offering some cracking books in a bumper crop!

For Random Acts of Kindness Day, I thought I’d share some tips from the new edition of my book L is for Lifestyle (out in June) on how we can make choices, big and small, to show KINDNESS to the earth, each other and ourselves...

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 depression.

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 Saint-to-be. Find out in this extract, taken from the book, how Newman considered himself a 'literary man' and had no tendency to be a Saint. 

Making time for devotions each day can bring some peace and calm to our busy lives. We’ve chosen three devotional books designed to keep us connected to God and our faith, even when we’re stressed and busy. Building in time every day for devotional reading can remind us of what is most important to us. 

If you're looking for a new devotional or looking to start your devotional journey we've chosen three devotional books to help you to pause and reflect throughout the year ahead. 

Ahead of the publication this month of the new TOTC on Joel and Amos, here are some of the key themes of the book of Joel.

What is unconditional love? Why don't we see much of it around? Is unconditional love fair? Liz Carter, author of Catching Contentment, asks what we can do to understand a kind of world-changing love, even in difficult times.

In this post for our #SeasonofStott, Mark Greene from LICC ponders how John Stott's Devotion was to Christ above and in all.

Catherine Campbell recently presented at Christian Resources Together. Here, we catch up with her about her time at the event and her hopes for the future.  

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 others? 

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.

Sarah Meyrick recently published her second novel, The Restless Wave. Set across three generations, the book emcompasses themes such as love, family, faith and history, with some of her inspiration coming from her own family history. We managed to find a quiet few minutes to catch up with Sarah and talk about all things book-related.

Terry Waite’s new book Travels with a Primate will publish in February 2019. He’s on our blog to discuss Out of the Silence, his deeply moving and personal collection of poetry and narrative.

Jon Brown unpacks why he wore pink last night, and how a cultural phenomenon reveals the need for us to be 'More Real' (Among other things!)

David Firth, prolific IVP/Apollos author and Tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, discusses how his personal experience has shaped the way he has read scripture. This blog post is an edited extract from his new book, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets

The Keswick Convention has been enjoying God and digging in to His Word for years - the latest Food for the Journey mines some recent talks to inspire us to confident faith!

We asked the new Apollos Old Testament Commentary (AOTC) editor, Beth M. Stovell, a few questions about her, and her hopes for the ministry of the AOTC series.

Jeremy Peckham, author of Masters or Slaves, introduces his new small group study.

As part of our blog series on the IVP Publishing Board, Mark Finnie introduces himself.

IVP's Publishing Director, Caleb Woodbridge, ponders the hope that he and his late grandmother have, even in this time of Coronavirus.

As the strange year of 2020 rumbles on, we think the IVP May 2020 releases are both timely and timeless. Read on to find out more...

It’s 2019 and a brand new year. With all of the expectation that we place on getting off to a good start with resolutions, hopes and aspirations, where does that same enthusiasm go as the days carry on? It can feel like fireworks. We shoot our hopes to the heavens and watch them illuminate in our hearts. Yet somehow the firework disperses and disappears before us and then what? What happens to that same celebratory and hopeful spirit on January 1st as the year progresses?

We need a light that is brighter than a firework and that lasts throughout the year, not just a quick, exuberant display before it dissipates into the night. That light is found in Jesus who came as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in him would not remain in darkness (John 12:46). In Psalm 119:105 it says ‘your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ and this is the truth that we need to hold onto every day of the year. Daily readings that point to Christ are a great resource to celebrate and walk in that light.

Has your therapist or acupuncturist ever encouraged you to develop a mindfulness practice? Do you sit in front of YouTube tutorials and wonder if you’re doing it right? Do you feel frustrated because you’re afraid that you’ve done it wrong?

You’re not alone.

Christopher Dines talks us through mindfulness. There is no right or wrong way to build and sustain a conscious commitment to mindfulness. It’s as essential to self-care as eating well, sleeping, and exercising.

The holidays can be particularly hard for people who are in recovery from addiction. Christopher Dines considers ways that we can help ourselves and others during the holiday season, especially when we look to prevent relapse. 

Join Church House Bookshop on Wednesday 23 November at 7pm to hear Nicholas Holtam talk about his Advent book Sleepers Wake: Getting serious about climate change. 

Our Publishing Director, Caleb Woodbridge, ponders the ending of the popular and thought provoking Netflix Series 'The Good Place', in this 'long read'

Mark Broadways ponders the relationship between his ministry in the church, and his volunteering with the RNLI.

Mark Brickman is Associate Minister at St Aldates, Oxford. He is the author of ‘Borderlands: Navigating The Adventure Of Faith. Here, he discusses navigating periods of change and transition in our lives.

In this extract from the preface to the second edition of Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, editors Scot McKnight, Lynn Cohick and Nijay Gupta share what's changed, and what hasn't, in this thoroughly revised and updated edition of a classic reference work.

February 2022 sees four exciting new titles from IVP. Read on to find out more.

If you're facing Christmas alone, or need some inspiration for keeping busy this Christmas we hope that this list of activities will help to put your mind at ease.

Tracy Cotterell, editor of the Gateway Seven series tells us about writing Mark - Living the Way of Jesus in the World, the final title in the series.

Guest writer James Lee shares why he's planning on dying in Bristol, the city he lives in. And why that's a good thing!

Looking to engage your family in new creative ways of prayer?

With our partner publisher Baker Books, we've paired these two titles to help you find creative ways to pray for your whole family! Like this Minecraft Church activity from Miranda Threlfall-Holmes' The Prayer Experiment Notebook. 

To mark the publication of Osvaldo Padilla's new Tyndale New Testament Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, we are considering the key theme of 2 Timothy in this blog post.

Elizabeth Neep works as a Commissioning Editor for IVP and SPCK as well as a Publicist for all SPCK imprints – a dual role that means she’s rarely at the end of her to-do list! Outside of work she is a writer and painter and can often be found having a glass of wine in the garden with her housemates in London Bridge. Here, she chats about her decision to commission our new MORE> series. 

Philip Law is Publishing Director at SPCK. His previous books include A Time to Pray (Lion, 2002), The Story of the Christ (Continuum, 2006) and The SPCK Book of Christian Prayer (SPCK, 2009). Here, he discusses The One Hour Bible, our new book that he compiled and edited himself.

The pandemic has doubled if not tripled the workload and the angst for teachers. Some colleagues I know are physically in the classroom, teaching surprisingly-large numbers of pupils while streaming those lessons live to pupils at home. Fran Hill, author of Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean? tells us what teaching in a pandemic is like, and how you can help support a teacher during these unprecedented times.

It's a bumper crop of titles from us this month - with devotional, theological and academic books we are publishing something for everyone to dig deeper into the BIble.

IVP Commissioning Editor Elizabeth Neep spoke at the London School of Theology last week. Here, she blogs about the event and the launch of MORE > Distinct by Calvin Samuel.

Sarah Meyrick's third installment of Spanning the Decades features the research that went into The Restless Wave and her own personal history with Church Stowe, available for pre-order now!

Has anyone ever said to you, ‘Maybe acupuncture is your calling?’

Perhaps you’ve you thought to yourself, ‘Medicine is my calling.’

What difference does work take on when we feel it’s something we’ve been called to do?

April Holden explores this theme in her new book They Called Us Love, which publishes 18 October.

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 4DA
Tel: 0151 647 8743
www.christian-bookshop.org
Hours: 9.30 -5 Monday to Friday. 9-5 Saturday.
Facebook: @cbsbirkenhead
Twitter: @ChristianBkShop
Email: sales@christian-bookshop.org

This is part 2/2 of this blog post. Part 1 can be found here.

To tie in with the publication of The Comparison Trap, author Helen Roberts suggests 10 ways that we can combat jealousy.

With the news that Melvin Tinker has gone home, we share a few tributes and memories of this 'thoughtful, faithful voice'.

Catherine Campbell has enjoyed incredible success with Journey With Me, her new devotional. It makes a perfect Christmas gift. 

What does she look forward to most in 2019? 

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 this extract from the book you will find Anne's personal account of the emotions she experienced after taking her tiny human home. Would she do it all over again? Yes, but with the right tools to navigate pregnancy, which is why she has taken pen to paper. 

Here at SPCK we are encouraging supporters, authors and partners to nominate us for a chance to win £1,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical's “Movement for Good” awards.

It’s quick and easy to nominate SPCK online. Nominations are open from Wednesday 6 May to Sunday 24 May and you can vote for SPCK online at movementforgood.com

Winners will be drawn at random and the more times SPCK is nominated the more chance we have of being selected.

Find out more in this blog post.

In this special guest post, author Sharon Hastings shares some of her journey in writing her book, and how she ended up publishing with us here at IVP.

 As a charity who has spent the last 300 years promoting Christianity, we see in the rejection of nominal Christianity (people identifying themselves as Christian out of routine or family tradition, rather than necessarily practicing the faith), an opportunity born out of loss.

Whether it's a book that celebrates the tradition of ordained pastoral ministry or a resource to help them communicate church in our ever-changing digital culture, there's sure to be a thoughtful and meaningful gift in our hand-picked selection of Christmas gifts for those training in ministry. Make sure you place your order before 19th December for pre-Christmas delivery!

Tessa Buckley grew up near Epsom race course in Surrey. As a child, she spent a lot of time writing and illustrating stories. After leaving school, she studied interior design at Chelsea College of Art and worked in architecture and design in London until 1989, when she was forced to give up her career after developing multiple sclerosis. That was when she decided to fulfil her long- held ambition to become a writer. She has written extensively about health and nutrition and family history, and a new edition of her self-help book, The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book, was published in 2017. She is also the author of two children’s novels. She now lives by the sea in Essex with her husband, where she is a regular contributor to the Essex Book Festival.

Social media has so much potential to be a force for good. We can re-connect with old friends easier than ever before, share important news articles and keep distant family up to date with changes in our lives. Social media has also been central to campaigns and protests, as demonstrated by the viral #metoo campaign.

But it is impossible to deny that there is a dark side to social media that isn’t going to disappear any time soon. Fake news, trolling and catfishing (a form of identity theft) are serious problems that social media firms need to do more to tackle.

In his decades as a globally recognized teacher and Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr has helped millions understand and engage with matters of faith and spirituality. Alison Barr, Commissioning Editor and Publisher at SPCK tells us what it's like working with such an internationally renowned author. 

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 pregnancy.

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 Diffusion project, which aims to help readers improve their reading skills.

Here, he offers some insights into the prison system and into what it takes to effectively rehabilitate prisoners.

In this guest post, Sharon Hastings shares six proven strategies to engage with some of the perennial challenges to our mental health that can arise around Christmas.

Stephen Cherry chatted with us about his book Barefoot Ways and his plans for 2019. 

Leaders in the church are an instrumental part of delivering the Word of God. SPCK has compiled a list of books with these church leaders in mind.We hope the books we’ve chosen are beneficial for their professional endeavours as well as their own personal use. 

'If one had to be confined anywhere, Bonnevaux is a beautiful prison and the community I was incarcerated with did not riot or make unreasonable demands'. Fr Laurence Freeman reflects on his time in lockdown. This reflection was originally published in the WCCM newsletter and has been re-shared with permission. 

In this edited extract from his new evangelistic book, Martin Salter shares what he believes eternal life will be like...

With our partner publisher Baker Books, we've paired these two titles to help you find creative ways to pray for your whole family! Like this Thank You Jar activity from Miranda Threlfall-Holmes' The Prayer Experiment Notebook. 

Wondering how to think biblically about creation care, climate change, and environmentaL stewardship? Start here.

Ruth Clemence is back on our blog with useful ways we can keep Christ at the centre of our Christmas celebrations. 

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 publisher.

Stephen Cottrell, author of The Sleepy Shepherd, chats with us about books, writing, and his plans for 2019.  

Cole Moreton is on our blog for Libraries Week.

His new book The Light Keeper publishes in May of next year.

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 sites. 

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 family.

Traveling takes on a different meaning when we put God at the centre of our journey. Peter Grier blogs about travel experience. 

Alexa Tewkesbury chats with us for #WorldAnimalDay about children’s books, her love of animals, and the things we can do to protect them.

'The idea of talking to someone for eight hours might have been daunting for some people, but this is what Rowan and I have been doing for more than a decade'. Greg Garrett tells us about the many conversations he had with Rowan Williams, and how these conversations became a book, giving readers the chance to be a 'fly on the wall'. 

Youth workers have a lot demanded of them – socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-care is essential as a youth worker. Tim Gough takes us through some practical advice that will help you take care of yourself while you take care of others.

In this edited extract from A Better Hope, Sam Allberry considers the practical meaning of Christ's resurrection body for us both now and in the future.

In this guest post, All Souls Langham Place Student worker Ollie Lansdowne explores how Isaiah's view of God has helped him think through issues of evangelical identity and abuse.

SPCK’s Partnerships Director, Primavera Quantrill, spoke to Olympic Rower Debbie Flood. 

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 communities. 

In this blog post, Ed Shaw explains why when we talk about sexuality, it is so important to be asking the right questions.

With the publication in April 2021 of the new Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, we're sharing the key themes from each book, as a sneak peek into the new commentary by Daniel Timmer.

In this guest blog post, by a church leader for church leaders, Esther Prior shares some thoughts about the creativity that this strange season could spark...

More than a decade ago, back in 2008, Amy wrote the first edition of Why Trust the Bible? Now, several years, a PhD, and a new edition on, she shares about why she still trusts the Bible, in this blog post drawn from her preface.

Al Hsu's book Grieving a Suicide helps survivors to think through and live the aftermath of the event. Here, he invites us to consider what suicide means for those left behind after the death of a loved one. Grief can be an overwhelming emotion - and we think that Al's words here may be helpful to those reeling from other news.

To celebrate the launch of our new Apollos title, British Evangelical Theologians of the Twentieth Century, we are sharing brief biographical sketches drawn from classic IVP resources.

With the May 2021 publication of the new Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Isaiah, by Paul D. Wegner, we thought it would be worth recapping the outline, themes and background of this magnificent prophetic book.

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

Jonny and Joanna Ivey have written a profound and moving book about baby loss. In this post, they share the pain of their initial grief, and point to an unexpected source of hope.

How can families volunteer together to help others who are less fortunate than themselves?

Sylvia Green names some great suggestions on International Volunteers Day. 

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 book The Mayflower Pilgrims: Sifting Fact from Fable. Learn more in this extract from the book's introduction.

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 the book we learn how friendship can help break down the stigma of mental illness. 

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 place biennially in north Oxfordshire. She lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and has two grown up children.

On #ReadABookDay, we chat with her about writing, reading, and what’s next for her as an author.

All Saints' Day is celebrated in honour of all saints, known and unknown. In Every Tribe we learn about saints from a wide range of backgrounds. Pauli Murray is one of them. She was canonized by the Episcopal Church in 2012. In this extract poet and teacher Rachel Laurence reflects on the legacy of this saint.

For Father's Day, Tom Camacho, author of the upcoming book Mining for Gold, reflects on his his father, the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, and the lessons we can learn from those who dedicate their lives for us. 

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 story. 

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 Janet.

We catch up with Mark Oakley to find out more about his appearance at Greenbelt Festival. We also hear about his admiration for two great poets, one of which he reflects upon in his upcoming book, My Sour-Sweet Days . 

Water is a key theme throughout Saying Yes to Life: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2020. Whilst Ruth Valerio reflects on light and water in relation to the Days of Creation (Genesis 1), she also relates this back to the environmental, ethical and social concern that we face today with Climate Change. In this extract from the book Ruth explores three ways that we as individuals and as churches can take action to save water. 

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 addiction.

Book blogger Ruth Clemence reflects on the work of Christian publishers.

In this short blog post Paul Mallard, author of 'An Identity to Die For', invites us to consider how we can deliberately live for Jesus every day.

Looking for a Lent book for your self or your church to read weekly this year? We've got a plan...

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 now!

Alzheimer's Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness, provide support and demystify dementia. The impact of Alzheimer's Day is increasing but there is still lack of information surrounding dementia. Louise Morse, co-author of Dementia from the Inside writes about the common myths of dementia and explains how the biggest hope is to have accurate information and acting on it.  

Theological educator Richard Higginson and former retail entrepreneur Kina Robertshaw have worked together to showcase fifty Christian entrepreneurs in their book A Voice to Be Heard. 

Enjoy this extract all about food and it's impact on us and our plant from Ruth Valerio's revised and updated L is for Lifestyle. Order your copy now! And check out more writing by Ruth on her website!

Our author Peter Graystone is on our blog today as part of our month-long exploration of More Ways To Read The Bible. We’ll be looking at books that consider different ways you can engage with scripture.

To celebrate the launch of our new Apollos title, British Evangelical Theologians of the Twentieth Century, we are sharing brief biographical sketches drawn from classic IVP resources.

The final IVP releases for 2023 are a pair of books - one an invitation into the biblical book of Numbers, for Lent 2024, and the other a profound exploration of friendship.

On 19th November 2020, our AGM took place via Zoom. Find out more about the event in this blog post.

As part of our blog series on the IVP Publishing Board, Seidel Abel Boanerges introduces himself.

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

In this extract from Has Science Killed God? Professor John Bryant discusses GM technology and the religious attitudes towards this topic. 

Peter Grier, author of Travel: In Tandem with God's Heart offers some biblical perspective and intentional prayers for all those caught up in the news about Thomas Cook.

Tom Camacho, author of Mining for Gold tells us how God wants us to open our eyes and see things as they really are. With this clarity, we as leaders can slow down and listen to those who need help, helping them to find clarity and move forward. 

Richard Rohr’s highly anticipated book, Just This, will be available in June.

SPCK supporters ponder the mysteries of the Middle East with Terry Waite and Andrew White at SPCK’s inaugural Annual Event.

Join Cole Moreton aboard the Tamesis for the London launch of his book The Light Keeper. If you're situated on the South Coast there's a few other events to keep in your diary too. Find out more in this blog post taken from Cole's latest newsletter. 

Find out in this blog post which SPCK books have been shortlisted for the 2021 CRT Awards!

Jim Packer had many interests - but a particular passion was for Puritan theology. He contributed the entry on Richard Baxter to the New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic, reproduced here.

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 write. 

As an evangelical passionate about Scripture, the church and the Gospel, Packer was concerned for a right understanding of revival. We reproduce here his contribution on a Theology of Revival to The New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic.

Steve Mitchell is the Publishing Director for IVP. He spent many a happy year as a bookseller, but finally saw the light and moved into publishing. He lives in Cumbria with his wife Karen, three grown-up kids and a beloved bass guitar. Here, he gives us five reasons to go to the Keswick Convention this summer. 

In this special guest post for our #SeasonofStott, Sean Doherty, Principal of Trinity College Bristol, digs into Stott's teaching on identity. 

As the summer turns the corner into Autumn and winter, here at IVP we're gearing up for Christmas and the promise of a New Year.

With the publication in April 2021 of the new Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, we're sharing the key themes from each book, as a sneak peek into the new commentary by Daniel Timmer. Today, we take a look at Micah.

Find out which SPCK authors are taking part in United Breaks Out 2021.

Felicity Mackenzie closes her mini-series on trusting God at the start of the new academic year with a call to community, honesty, prayer, and perseverance.

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 calling.

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 Ways to Upgrade Your Faith. We've taken those 16 and a half ways and condensed them into a easy-to-read tip sheet that you can use to put your faith into action.

How do you meet and connect with your church in place of gathered environments, small groups and pastoral conversations? Mark Crosby, author of So Everyone Can Hear explains the many digital platforms that are available and when best to use them.

Today on the Feast Day of John, Apostle and Evangelist, we are sharing an extract from Anglican Evangelists: Identifying and Training a New Generation. In this extract editor Martyn Snow writes about his own experiences of his vocation to ministry and how to be a 'true evangelist' we must accompany people on their own journey rather than just being there for a crisis moment. 

Do you observe Lent, or is it something that you believe is a religious relic, that gets in the way of following Jesus and reading the Bible? We'd love to invite you to consider joining us on the Radical Road.

Part of IVP's mission is to share good books around the world - author Leonardo De Chirico is speaking on the topic of 'Same Words, Different Worlds' in both Brazil and the USA in the coming months.

Tom Camacho, author of Mining for Gold tells us how the book came to be, who it is for and what this journey of becoming a published author has been like for him.

SPCK Editor Tony Collins is on our blog discussing international publishing. 

It’s all too easy to assume that the twin focal points of Christian publishing, America and Britain, define what is happening worldwide in Christian books. Look a little closer, and you would be amazed at the diversity, energy, and enthusiasm of publishers and writers around the world.

Media Associates International (MAI) was set up in 1985 to foster indigenous Christian writing, publishing and bookselling. Since then it has provided training in all three sectors in 79 countries, with offices in Europe, Africa, Asia and the US. Courses are highly practical, focusing on developing local skills. Leadership is provided by an international group of professional publishers and writers, including SPCK’s chief executive Sam Richardson. (Sam is one of the speakers at MAI’s triennial LittWorld conference, which takes place in October/November 2018, this year in Singapore).

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 Diaspora. 

Paul Beasley-Murray pastored Baptist churches in Altrincham and Chelmsford, and was Principal of Spurgeon’s College. A prolific author, his three books published by IVP are Transform Your Church, The Message of the Resurrection, and Joy to the World. His most recent book is This is my Story: A Story of Life, Faith and Ministry (Wipf & Stock) – a book for pastors – and any Christian – who want the ‘inside story’ of the pains and triumphs of a Christian leader. He also posts a weekly blog on Church Matters.

Liz Carter shares her thoughts on books, writing, journaling, and the willingness to tell her story.

One of the most comforting aspects of reading is realising that other people have similar feelings and experiences.

It’s one of the best ways to feel more at peace with yourself and whatever it is you’re going through.

In his latest book Outgrowing God, Richard Dawkins tries to show that all religious belief is intellectually nonsensical and thus highly damaging in practice. In this extract from Rupert Shortt's rebuttal, Outgrowing Dawkins, Rupert presents his argument for why he thinks Dawkins's focus has not always been on religion.  

Terry Waite’s Out of the Silence was illustrated by his friend Jenny Coles. One simple drawing led to her drawing all of the pictures in his book. Here, she discusses how that evolved and what the process was like.

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

In this edited extract from his Gateway Seven study on 1 Peter, Joe Warton invites us to think about what it means to live as 'resident aliens'.

We sat down with Helen Thorne, author of Walking with Domestic Abuse Sufferers, and asked her some questions about herself and the new book.

What does economic justice have to do with Scripture? Economist, theologian, and church minister Andrew Hartropp is convinced that from Scripture, God loves justice. He believes that the roots of economic justice are found in God and in his character and it is vital then that we explore Scripture and let it re-shape the way we live. In the following blog post Andrew tells us about his upcoming book God's Good Economy: Doing Economic Justice in Today's World.

‘We’ve been so busy feeding everybody else that we’ve forgotten about ourselves!’ said Aunt Miranda. ‘I didn’t think of that,’ said Ellie.

 Sylvia Green’s delightful and heart-warming picture book, We’re Hungry Too, helps adults and children alike to think about caring for creation, while sharing what we have with others. Aimed at 3-5 year olds, We’re All Hungry Too makes an inspiring read for the whole family with beautiful illustrations by David Lorenzo.

In this extract from the preface to the second edition of his well known 'Systematic Theology', Wayne Grudem shares what's changed, and what hasn't, in this modern classic.

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 bookshop.

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 rep.

Dr Trevor Adams is Director of Passionate Dementia Care, which offers training and consultancy to churches and Christian organisations in supporting people living with dementia. Trevor is a nurse and specialises in dementia care. He holds a doctorate in dementia care, has written widely and spoken at dementia conferences and universities in the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan. Trevor is a Trustee of Dementia Friendly Pentlands, Edinburgh.

Dementia-friendly churches welcome people living with dementia and their family carers and offer them a sense of belonging. Many dementia-friendly churches work alongside other organisations that also look to make the community dementia-friendly, such as shops, gyms, and banks. Dementia-friendly churches clearly displays God’s presence with people living with dementia. God remembers them and that they are not forgotten.

"These twelve principles mean a lot to me and have formed so much of my thinking over recent years. I hope they will give other people some practical handholds and a good dollop of hope". Cathy Madavan, speaker and author of Irrepressible: 12 principles for a courageous, resilient and fulfilling life tells us why she wrote the book, why the title 'Irrepressible' and how we should use this tool-kit.

In a world that is hugely critical about how women look, can we really blame the celebrities for giving in to a little nip and tuck to keep themselves in the public eye? Women at war over their image is nothing new but Rachel Gardner tells us not to settle for being defined by glamour or social media status. Below is an extract from her book Beloved: Be Free. Be Full. Be Fierce. 

What do you think of when you hear the word 'vocation'? Many think of routes into ordination or authorized lay ministry. Vocation is much more than that as John Pritchard explains here in this adapted extract from his new book Handbook of Christian Ministry.

In this post for Valentines Day our Digital Marketing Editor Tom ponders a slogan dogmatically repeated in our culture today, interrogating some of ideas that float around in our culture. What on earth is being said by Love Means Love?

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 overshadow Brexit dramatically. Meg writes that although she does not know what context we will be in when we pick up this book, '...the pressure on every single one of us – individuals and communities alike – to be resilient and to practise resilience will have grown exponentially'. You will now find in this blog post two extracts from the book, one on what resilience is, and one on your resilience journey.

We don't like to talk about 'IVP' that much, because we prefer to let our books and authors do the talking. This month, though, we are marking a milestone.

Blogger and book reviewer Ruth Clemence has read many of our books over the last year. We’ve asked her to pick her favourites. 

If you're in need of some inspiration for a book to gift him this Christmas, let us help you find that perfect read with our Christmas Gift Ideas for Him. 

Catherine Campbell is the author of Journey With Me and others. Here, she chats with us about the preparation and journey to CRT.

On 19 July, we held an event with Terry Waite, where he spoke about his books Out of the Silence and Solitude. He spoke with great humility, kindness, and compassion. Many in attendance were young when he was captured and detained. They prayed for his release.

On our blog today, Terry has chosen some of his favourite poems from Out of the Silence, and provided notes on what each poem meant to him. 

Ahead of the publication this month of the new TOTC on Joel and Amos, here's an outline of the book and a summary of some of the key themes of Amos' Prophecy.

Ahead of the publication of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, we are sharing some handy outlines of these minor prophets. Drawn from the BST NIV Bible, here's an introduction to the key themes of Nahum!

Chris Green is in Kigali, for a significant Anglican event. He's shared some prayer points.

Jo Saxton's book Ready to Rise is hitting the shelves and virtual shelves at an unprecedented time of global crisis. Naturally, Jo didn't have a global pandemic in mind when she put pen to paper, but readers have told her that they feel this book is empowering them for this moment. We catch up with Jo in this Q&A and find out her inspiration behind this powerful book. 

Sharon Hastings, author of Wrestling with my Thoughts, offers ten points to ponder as the new University year kicks off.

With 'The Message of Leviticus' being published in the first batch of the updated Old Testament BST reissue, we thought we'd share a blog post digging into the shape and key themes of this dense and often misunderstood book of the Bible.

In this edited extract from 'Here Are Your Gods!', Chris Wright challenges disciples as to whether we are seeking first the Kingdom, or attempting to build Christendom afresh...

With 'The Message of Numbers' being published in the first batch of the updated Old Testament BST reissue, we thought we'd share a blog post digging into the shape and key themes of this deep yet often overlooked book of the Bible.

What is the culture that shapes the university experience in the UK? How does it affect our faith and trust in God? Felicity MacKenzie explores and suggests a way through the muddle.

Living with dementia is often accompanied with a negative stigma. Jennifer Bute's story proves that it is still possible to live positively with dementia, and there is much that can be done when living with this diagnosis. 

This International Women's Day we are delighted to announce a series of Extraordinary Conversations with Extraordinary Women.

In this guest blog post, Will Van Der Hart, pastoral chaplain at HTB and author (with Dr Rob Waller) of a number of books, considers how the current pandemic interacts with anxiety.

We are celebrating the MORE series, which has won an award for design! Read on to find out more...

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 Rogerson. 

Travel should be a part of one’s life – it is a way of growing and knowing what’s out there. But not everyone has the luxury of being able to travel to different places, which is why SPCK has chosen five personal accounts (and one biography) that explore the experience of travel.

In this blog post we highlight Phillis Wheatley, a poet whose story provides a challenging snapshot of what it means to engage with Black History. 

Michael Cassidy, author of Footprints in the African Sand, blogs for us about his role in the dissolution of the Apartheid. 

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 proclaim the good news in a province that persecuted Christians.

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 history.