Above & Below

""Fr. David offers these meditations with a warm pastoral heart and wisdom springing from rich experience as a parish priest (on both sides of the Pond). Written at a time of pandemic they counter fear, doubt and anxiety with faith, insight and positivity - but here are timeless truths relevant to any time or generation. In language marked by directness and clarity, they are at once affirming and gently challenging. They are Gospel-based and communicate, with humility and humor, a lively sense of good news. Fr David has the gift of seeing the world sacramentally and discovering the parables to be found before our eyes in nature and in daily experience. Indeed, the very approach encourages the reader to live life more reflectively. These are not short sermons but rather meditations, and as such they are a stimulus and catalyst for deeper prayer and reflection, leading the reader into a God-filled future.""Canon Dr Andrew D. Mayes, formerly Course Director, St George's College Jerusalem and Spirituality Adviser to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf ""Faith meets living; this beautiful book of meditations locates the eternal truths of faith in the context of living and life. Deeply thoughtful with rich connections to literature and poetry, these meditations bring the reader closer to God, closer to nature, and closer to a fuller awareness of ourselves and our faith. Read it and allow yourself to be touched by the animating Spirit that pulsates through the text. This is a book that can be read and re-read.""The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D. dean and president and professor of theology and ethics.Virginia Theological Seminary. ""In this evocative volume Fr. David Beresford has given to us a set of uplifting meditations that will surely feed your spirit. Drawn from his own life experiences before and during the pandemic, these reflections point us toward Jesus Christ, who offers 'abundant life, which is greater than we realize, or even deserve, but which will help us to be the person God called us to be.'""The Reverend Canon Scott GunnExecutive Director, Forward Movement ""The Rev. David Beresford - Episcopal priest, poet, artist, former prison chaplain, retreat leader, and spiritual director, has pulled together his rich variety of gifts to offer readers a beautiful tapestry of comfort and inspiration.""The Reverend Russell J. Levenson, Jr., D.Min., D.D., OStJRector, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas