{"product_id":"9780986468674","title":"Notes to a Friend","description":"For centuries, western society has been embedded in Christian teaching. Now, for a number of reasons, this has changed. Surveys reveal that while 80% of the population believe in God, less than 20% attend a church, which means that the scriptural references cherished by many Christians have no meaning for a large number of people. Increasingly these people are coming to retreats, spirituality workshops and days of reflection. They are outside religious structures, and are likely to remain so, but they are all seeking maps for the journey. As a woman said, \"We are here because we are hungry\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book is a response to that need. The author has tried to clothe the word of God with new flesh. The notes in this book borrow from centuries of Christian devotion but leave out the church language that sounds alien to many.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoy Cowley believes that she was prompted to write these notes in the company of the Master who said, \"Others I have who are not of this fold\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the section on Devotion:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dear Friend,\u003cbr\u003eYour heart is leaning towards something so sweet you can almost taste it.\u003cbr\u003eYou don't know what it is.\u003cbr\u003eYou want more of it but you don't know how to satisfy that hunger.\u003cbr\u003eThis secret, my friend,\u003cbr\u003eis hidden inside you,\u003cbr\u003einside all creation.\u003cbr\u003eWe too, don't know how to describe it with the mind,\u003cbr\u003ebut we know it as our true reality,\u003cbr\u003ethe eternal source of our being,\u003cbr\u003eand we call it God.\"\u003cbr\u003ep. 6 Notes to a Friend.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the section on Healing:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dear Friend,\u003cbr\u003eCompassion is not pity.\u003cbr\u003ePity has a subject and an object,\u003cbr\u003ea hierarchy of effect.\u003cbr\u003eCompassion is about connection,\u003cbr\u003ea sharing of feeling,\u003cbr\u003ea recognition that we are all one.\u003cbr\u003eIt is not that we are asked to carry each others burdens but to see that the others burden is also ours. No giver. No receiver.\u003cbr\u003eCompassion is walking together in the light of God's grace.\u003cbr\u003ep. 88 Notes to a Friend.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA summary of the book may well be what is quoted on the back cover:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Remember we can always see the road that lies behind us but we cannot see what changes lie ahead\"","brand":"Pleroma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47133812293872,"sku":"9780986468674","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780986468674_p0.jpg?v=1763892168","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780986468674","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}