Books published by publisher Parachute Press

This is what happens when a writer, preacher, and lover of words encounters some of creation’s wisest theologians…horses.First, she argues with them. They are, after all, horses. What could they possibly know about life and God that theologians haven’t already written? But slowly she engages their language and listens to their holy wisdom, attending to how they express their being, their actions, and their relationships. She allows horses to draw her out of the faith of intellect and into a deeper faith of emotion, body, and soul.With edgy honesty and humor, Brock invites all who have longed for a deeper spiritual encounter with God to join her in the saddle (and occasionally on the ground) to discover how horses speak of God and how their ways of knowing help us to discover ways of God speaking to us.

Pangolins and polar bears, olms, lemurs, and leopards. We share this beautiful blue-green globe with creatures magnificent, delicate, intricate—and now vanishing at a faster rate than at any other time in Earth’s history. Spend Lent with twenty-five of these wild ones. Vivid descriptions of their lives will fill readers with wonder—and grief at what they suffer on a planet shaped by human choices. Their stories thaw our stiff hearts and wake us to greater compassion—which is what Lent, meaning “springtime,” has always been for. These stories also wake in us a wild hope that from all this death and ruin, something new could rise. The promise of Lent is that something new will rise. In fact, as these stories also attest, our hope, though wild, is not impossible and is already loose in the world."Wild Hope is the only book whose table of contents alone gave me chills. Here’s the deal: the living world, life on planet Earth, is sacred. Author Gayle Boss yearns to show us that we live in a miracle. And she succeeds in showing us that we are not alone on this holy planet. This is a beautifully elegant, deeply excellent book, pursued by grace on every page, in every stunning illustration." —Carl Safina, ecologist, NYT bestselling author of Beyond Words and Becoming Wild; MacArthur Fellow and founder of The Safina Center

Two friends teach the world to see people by the only thing that really matters...the heart.​ This is the story of two special friends, a girl and a fluffy dog, who rescue each other. The girl is Raven. She’s deaf. Children at school are hesitant to play with her, as if she’ll break. The fluffy dog, when his first owner realized the puppy couldn’t hear or see, was left by the side of the road. From the moment these two meet, they understand each other. Raven asks her parents if she can adopt the dog from the local animal shelter. “She’d just read a book about an amazing woman who was deaf and blind named Helen Keller, so she called him Keller.” Raven teaches Keller sign language. Keller becomes Raven’s best friend. Together, they show those around them that it is OK to be different and that everyone needs a friend.

"Jean Vanier is a living saint." (James Martin, SJ) In April 2008, Jean Vanier led a simple retreat in Nyahururu, Kenya, a place recently shattered by violence between people, and bloodshed. People there were shaken. With frequent reference to the Gospel of John, this book comprises the talks that Vanier gave: What Are You Looking For? The Cry of the Poor The Feast Is Ready To Live in Unity Be Open Encountering the Other The Washing of the Feet "I am a broken man like all human beings, but I also know that Jesus loves me and that he is calling me to grow. This is the experience of being loved in my brokenness and therein lies the incredible gentleness of our God. We all have to discover the point of our brokenness because that is precisely the place where we are the beloved. Sometimes we hide behind the idea that we are better than others. We have to discover that none of us is better, that we are all children of God.... God has a desire to bring people together in love. There are two fundamental things that Jesus came to reveal to us. First, God is a lover. God loves. Second, this incredible, gentle, and tender God is in love with each one of us. Each person is precious to God and together, we are to build a community where we love each other." (From the book)

Need a gift for a Baptism? This delightful keepsake may be the gift-of-choice for children baptized this Easter, and for kids on the occasion of First Communion, as a profound but simple way to remind them of the meaning of Baptism. My Baptism Book includes prayers that are easy to commit to memory and to say at bedtime, along with very simply expressed statements of Christian belief that are appropriate for the youngest of children. The message of My Baptism Book is one of God’s eternal love and care. For ages 0-8.

There are other introductory books about Orthodoxy. This one comprehensively covers the history, theology, and practice without talking over your head. Mathewes- Green takes the original approach of bringing you into a typical church for a series of visits. That is how Christians learned the faith for most of history, by coming into a community and keeping their eyes and ears open. Designed primarily for newcomers to come to understand Orthodoxy and Orthodox Christians, this guide to the faith is also a non-threatening and accessible introduction to people already "in the pews.” Inviting rather than argumentative, this is a book Orthodox Christians will be giving to their friends."Plenty of books deal with Christian theology in weighty and abstruse ways, but few apply the theology so wholly to the everyday lived realities of life, and in such easily accessible prose, as does Welcome to the Orthodox Church. Take warning, though: if you do read this thoughtful, passionate book, you run the risk of having to take the claims of Orthodox Christianity very seriously indeed." —Philip Jenkins, Baylor University"How do you introduce (Eastern) Orthodoxy? Frederica suggests we treat it as a large, and muchloved, family house. She takes us round it, showing us all the rooms and what goes on in them. . . . There is lots of information, and she deals directly with problems to be encountered. This is a wonderful book." —The Very Revd Archpriest Andrew Louth, Durham University, author of Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology"With exhilarating clarity, Frederica Mathewes-Green introduces the profound mystery at the heart of the Orthodox Christian faith, which is also our common inheritance: it is a way of life to be encountered and performed; it is not reducible to a range of propositions to be considered. With great charm and with characteristic wit and humor, she prepares the way for those who arrive at an Orthodox church for services, letting them know what to expect, what to watch for, how to lean in—letting them know how best to open their hearts to this worship that is both ancient and ever new." —Scott Cairns"In her own warm and engaging way, Frederica takes you on a journey into a strange and exotic world for those unfamiliar with it but a spiritual refuge and oasis for those who have embraced it. This just may be the Church you have been looking for and didn’t even know it existed." —John Maddex, CEO Ancient Faith Ministries"Beautifully written and carefully explained with a heart for the non- Orthodox. As an evangelical, who grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church, until being shipped off to boarding school in England, I found myself longing to revisit the liturgy and traditions of my youth!" —Emmanuel Kampouris, Former Chairman & CEO of American Standard Companies, Founder of www.biblemesh.com"This excellent book is most valuable because it is more like a friend than a book. It's the voice you hope to hear beside you in church, murmuring explanations and encouragement as you make your journey. I highly recommend it." — Rev. Dr. Christopher Metropulos, Executive Director, Orthodox Christian Network, MyOCN.net

It is 1940, and American Tom McCord, a 23-year-old graduate student, is in England researching the historical evidence for the legendary King Arthur. There he meets perky and intuitive Laura Hartman, a fellow American staying with her aunt in Oxford, and the two of them team up for an even more ambitious and dangerous quest. Aided by the Inklings — that illustrious circle of scholars and writers made famous by its two most prolific members, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien — Tom and Laura begin to suspect that the fabled Spear of Destiny, the lance that pierced the side of Christ on the Cross, is hidden somewhere in England.

This is what happens when a writer, preacher, and lover of words encounters some of creation’s wisest theologians…horses.First, she argues with them. They are, after all, horses. What could they possibly know about life and God that theologians haven’t already written? But slowly she engages their language and listens to their holy wisdom, attending to how they express their being, their actions, and their relationships. She allows horses to draw her out of the faith of intellect and into a deeper faith of emotion, body, and soul.With edgy honesty and humor, Brock invites all who have longed for a deeper spiritual encounter with God to join her in the saddle (and occasionally on the ground) to discover how horses speak of God and how their ways of knowing help us to discover ways of God speaking to us.

Picasso's artistic inspiration takes hold of young Emma's faith imagination in this beautifully illustrated debut picture book about how we all see God differently. “This urge to draw something beyond spectacular would not leave my side. ‘What should I draw?’ I thought. I sat quietly, listening to my mind and heart. That's when I heard their whisper and I decided to draw God.” Emma tries again and again and again to draw God, but her classmates can’t see God in any of her drawings. Emma finally realizes that she doesn’t need their approval. “I knew I had drawn God. God knew I had drawn God, and maybe Picasso knew, too. That finally felt like enough.” But when Emma returns to school on the following Monday, something beyond spectacular happens. Drawing God is a story for children to discover what inspires their very own faith imagination and to realize the contagious faith that lives powerfully within them. Celebrate World Drawing God Day on November 7th. Visit .

This is a fairy tale set, not in some far away mystical land but, in any town USA. The hero is a little girl named Polly who loves going to the park with her mother. One day she notices homeless people sleeping on the benches. When Polly asks her mother why they are there, her mother tells her that they are good people who have simply lost their way. Polly offers to share her lunch with a homeless woman she has seen before. In exchange for her sweet gesture, the woman gives Polly a magic orchid that grants wishes. But there are two catches: you can’t wish for anything for yourself, and with each wish the flower loses a petal. When Polly realizes the orchid has only four wishes left, she sets out to help as many people as she can.Sweet Polly Petals will teach children the virtue of helping those who are less fortunate, and has a surprise ending kids will love.