Copyright © 2003 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

Left: Amy Morehous; right: Beth Anderson

Comments or suggestions are welcome on ways to improve service. Please visit the Web site at www.chapterandversebooks.com, send an e-mail to bookshop@etdiocese.net or call the bookshop at 865-966-2912.

New on the shelves

Chapter & Verse Episcopal Bookshop is readying for its first Advent and Christmas season in its new location. The shop offers a wide variety of Advent calendars and wreaths, Advent and Christmas devotions, Christmas cards – everything the discerning reader might need for a blessed and thought-provoking Advent and Christmastide.

• God’s Healing Light through Scriptural Meditation
  CD, $15 at the bookshop and at St. John’s Cathedral.

  The Rev. Mary Lee Bergeron knows pain. As a physical therapist and biofeedback specialist, she has helped many patients through all types of physical and spiritual suffering. As an Episcopal deacon, she led a weekly class on scriptural meditation while at St. John’s Cathedral. Now these meditations are available on a CD called “God’s Healing Light through Scriptural Meditation” for all to enjoy.

  The disc begins with some helpful hints for meditation; those new to guided meditation and relaxation will be able to follow along easily. Meditators may listen through the entire disc for an extended retreat or select any one or two for a soothing half-hour of contemplation in the midst of a busy life.

  Elizabeth Farr, a harpist and native Knoxvillian, provides the musical setting for the meditations. The thoughtfully selected accompaniment ranges from 13th century plainsong to music from Bach and Brahms.

New for Advent are these titles:

• I Wonder as I Wander, written by Gwenyth Swain, illustrated by Ronald Himler. Hardback, 32 pages, $16.00.

  “I wonder as I wander out under the sky, how Jesus the Savior did come for to die for poor orn’ry people like you and like I – I wonder as I wander out under the sky.”

  This new children’s tale is a fictional account of how young Annie Morgan may have come to sing the beloved carol for balladeer and composer John Jacob Niles. Annie wonders about a lot of things, like how her Mama could have died in the spring, when life was bursting from the ground. She wonders how she and her father, a wandering preacher, will pay for gas and food.

  Gwenyth Swain’s words illuminate the gentle questions of a child’s faith, and Ronald Himler’s soft watercolor and pencil illustrations capture the story and life in Appalachia during the Great Depression.

• Christmastide: Prayers for Advent Through Epiphany from the Divine Hours, by Phyllis Tickle. Paperback, 272 pages, $9.95.

  These excerpts from Phyllis Tickle’s “Divine Hours” series are an excellent, contemporary introduction to praying the daily office. They include prayers, readings and psalms for morning, noon and vespers.

  This volume begins with the first Sunday of Advent, and continues through Epiphany. It’s an excellent gift for those interested in beginning daily prayer, but who may be intimidated by larger volumes or rigorous schedules.

  These prayers are intended for individual use, but can be adapted for “those blessed occasions in our lives when the office can be kept in company with others.”

• Advent and Christmas with the Saints, compiled by Anthony F. Chiffolo. Paperback, 102 pages, $9.95.

  This new volume of Advent devotions includes brief writings from various saints, from Saint Anselm to Mother Teresa. Each day’s reflection begins with a quotation from scripture, continues with the meditation from a saint’s writings and concludes with a prayer for the day. Meditations begin the first Sunday of Advent and continue through Epiphany. p An example from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) reads: “Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear and a shout of joy in the heart.”

Gifts and more ...

In addition to a wide selection of books, Chapter & Verse Bookshop stocks a variety of gift items, including suncatchers, jewelry, icons, art for display, embroidered and printed shirts and caps, notes and cards, blank books for journaling and other unique options for gift occasions.

To shop at Chapter & Verse:

You may reach Chapter & Verse Bookshop staff members Amy Morehous or Beth Anderson by calling 865-966-2912 or toll-free at 1-866-281-4599. Bookshop hours are 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or you may choose to shop via the World Wide Web at www.chapterandversebooks.com.

To get to Chapter & Verse Bookshop at Diocesan House in Knoxville, exit Interstate 40/75 at Lovell Road and go north. (Off the exit ramp traveling east, turn left; traveling west, turn right.) As Lovell Road curves right after about 1/2 mile, turn left onto Gilbert Road (look for the Episcopal School of Knoxville sign). Make the first right onto Episcopal School Way, then the next right into the Diocesan House parking lot. The bookshop is just off the lobby.