A Night In The Desert Of The Holy Mountain

An acclaimed expert in Christian mysticism travels to a monastery high in the Trodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to readers of Carlos Castaneda. In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information, Kyriacos C. Markides continues the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice little known in the West he began in Riding with the Lion. His earlier book took readers to the isolated peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece and into the group of ancient monasteries. There, in what might be called a “Christian Tibet,” two thousand monks and hermits practice the spiritual arts to attain a oneness with God. In his new book, Markides follows Father Maximos, one of Mount Athos’s monks, to the troubled island of Cyprus. As Father Maximos establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in this deeply divided land, Markides is awakened anew to the magnificent spirituality of the Greek Orthodox Church. Images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enrich the Mountain of Silence. Like the writings of Castaneda, the book brilliantly evokes the confluence of an inner and outer journey. The depth and richness of its spiritual message echo the thoughts and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and other great saints of the Church as well. The result is a remarkable work–a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.

The first comprehensive study of the Jesus Prayer, and its origins and use, providing an overview of this ancient mystical prayer practice from the Christian East which is now also widely used in the Western Church.

This book consists of the talks given by Archimandrite Zacharias in Wichita, Kansas, at the 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, at the invitation of Bishop Basil of the Diocese of Mid-America. The talks are supplemented by two lectures given at a oneday conference on monasticism after the Retreat.

Fresh Expressions of Church are key aspect of mission strategy for many denominations in the UK and beyond. Here, a stellar line-up of writers explores the central question of how Fresh Expressions turn from mission projects into authentic forms of church, developing a sacramental life of their own. Chapters include: • Lucy Moore on Messy Church and Holy Communion • Graham Cray on the sacraments for the unchurched • Jonathan Clark on baptism and mission • John Drane on seeing the world as sacramental • Sue Wallace on the sacramentality of sacred space • Reagan Humber (pastor at Nadia-Bolz Weber’s church) on liturgy and evangelism • Adrian Chatfield on healing