Artwork by Marion Aitken. New media roundup

Friendship with Jesus: An Imaginative Prayer Journey; Human Difference: Reflections on a Life in Proximity to Disability; Discern + Engage: Essentials of Spiritual Warfare; Being Human: Abortion and the Church; and more

• Friendship with Jesus: An Imaginative Prayer Journey, by Dan Heavenor (Wipf and Stock, 2024). Veteran spiritual director in B.C. invites readers to develop friendship with Jesus using the stages we go through in other relationships (DanHeavenor.com).
• Human Difference: Reflections on a Life in Proximity to Disability, by Andrew Barron (Cascade, 2024). Ontario theologian whose family includes a son with Down Syndrome challenges readers to rethink disability and difference, and what we ultimately value.
• Discern + Engage: Essentials of Spiritual Warfare, by John Smed (Prayer Current, 2024). Eighth title by B.C. author and founder of the training ministry PrayerCurrent.com.
• Being Human: Abortion and the Church, by Brian Norton (Self-published, 2024). Invites pro-choice Christians to reexamine Church history on the morality of abortion and the pastoral call for helping women experiencing unexpected pregnancies. B.C. author helped found Pregnancy Care Canada and the Christian Advocacy Society of Greater Vancouver.
• Leading What Matters Most: A Business Parable on Unlocking Human Potential, by Phil Geldart (Forbes Books, 2024). Ontario leadership author is a former corporate executive who founded a global company focused on improving productivity (EaglesFlight.com).
• One Such as Me? Pioneering Spiritual Mental Health Support, by Marja Bergen (Blurb, 2024). Reflects on the years 2000 to 2014 when this B.C. author was raising awareness in churches and founding the support ministry Living Room (MarjaBergen.com).
• Too Many Deaths, by James Coggins (Mill Lake Books, 2023). B.C. author and publisher releases three more mystery stories about Christian magazine editor John Smyth and RCMP sergeant Troy Wesson.
• Moments in Time: Sermons from The United Church of Canada 1910–2020, by HyeRan Kim-Cragg and Don Schweitzer (United Church Publishing House, 2024). Two sermons from each decade, each pair accompanied by an analysis of Canadian society, Church, homiletical techniques and impact.

“In every area of life, there is so much more than meets the eye. My paintings challenge viewers to take a deeper look at the ordinary, both physically and metaphorically. I want to stir an appreciation for nature’s minutiae so often overshadowed by more grand vistas. I trust that each piece points to God’s wise, artistic and glorious design of all living things, and reminds people to notice and care about the small things because they matter (John 1:3–4).”

Frosted Fire (12” x 12”, acrylic on canvas) by Marion Aitken. MarionAitken.com