Finding Sanctuary

Finding Sanctuary: monastic steps for everyday life, by Christopher Jamieson.

This book came out as a result of a BBC television series called The Monastery, in which five men from various backgrounds stayed at Worth Abbey for forty days, guided and helped by the monks who live there.
The book mentions the television series as a starting point, but its real focus is the Rule of St Benedict, which the monks live by. Benedict’s ‘Rule’ isn’t a set of rules, but a series of chapters in which the reader is encouraged to learn how to be more at peace in his or her daily life, whether that life is lived out inside a monastery or in the everyday world.
The book is simply written, and, as one reviewer says, Jamieson is ‘generous with his insights, but never self-righteous, smug or preachy.’ I read the book recently and found it valuable in thinking about how to keep the spiritual focus in my life more to the fore.
Orion Publishing Group 2006

St Kilda

People tell me that it’s not always easy to be part of a church these days. We’re busy and overworked, and (some) churches feel more like hard work than we’d like them to. When I quote from Philip Yancey’s Church: Why Bother? or Alan Jamieson’s A Churchless Faith I look around the room and see nodding heads and looks of recognition.

So - why do we bother?

The lines above come from the website of the St Kilda Baptist Church. Rev Carolyn Francis goes on to say why the people at St Kilda do bother, and her statement stands as an excellent way of thinking about the value of being with other churchgoers. The site also talks about a couple of houses St Kilda runs, one for four young (otherwise) homeless people, and one for a nearly twenty people with psychiatric problems. It's interesting that a church that talks about whether to go to church or not is also well involved with mission work.

Alan Jamieson's latest book - an interview

Len Hjalmarson is a writer, pastor, student and software developer living in Kelowna, BC, in the heart of the vineyards and orchards of the Okanagan valley. Recently he interviewed Alan Jamieson, the Kiwi author of the book, Chrysalis. This is how the interview began. You can read the rest here.

Alan, it sounds like you wrote this book with a specific audience in mind.. those who have either left the “organized” church or those who for whatever reason feel they can’t pursue their journey within the church. Can you comment?

Alan: In this book I hoped to update and make more readably available the material in ‘Journeying in Faith’ and the 8 years Jenny McIntosh and I worked with people in faith (and church) pain. Chrysalis was written for those who leave organized church but also those who loyally stay when the lights have gone out within (Internal leavers). But there was also one other major reader in mind – the church leaders/pastors. I wanted to include them so they might understand, validate and be able to accompany people in the midst of faith transformations.

Alan Jamieson's latest book

Many readers will remember New Zealand pastor Alan Jamieson's two ground-breaking books on people who are Christians but aren't attending church: A Churchless Faith and Church Leavers. (That second title isn't what it was called when it was published in NZ, but is apparently what the English title now is.)

His latest book is Chrysalis, The Hidden Transformations in the Journey of Faith, and it's available either by writing direct to the author, or through the usual Christian bookshop channels.

Drawing on the three principle phases of a butterfly's life and the transformations between these phases, this book suggests subtle similarities with the Christian faith. Increasing numbers of Christian people find their faith metamorphosing beyond the standard images and forms of Christian faith but question about where this may lead remain. Is this the death of personal faith or the emergence of something new? Could it be a journey that is Spirit-led?
'Chrysalis' uses the life-cycle of butterflies as a metaphor for the faith journey that many contemporary people are experiencing. The change for both butterflies and Christians between these 'phases' or 'zones' is substantial, life-changing and irreversible.
This book accompanies ordinary people in the midst of substantive faith change.
'Chrysalis' is primarily pastoral and practical, drawing on the author's experience of accompanying people in the midst of difficult personal faith changes.