Best-selling author Adrian Plass tells the humorous and poignant tale of a small alien who comes to live in a parish church.

Alien at St Wilfred's

Religion & Spirituality

Plass, Adrian

Christian Books & Bibles

Zondervan

Never Mind the Reversing Ducks

'It's interesting to note that the original Greek word used here has a very strong sense of waterfowl flying backwards. So, what the writer is saying is that they went down like reversing ducks, and so, of course should we ...' -- from Adrian Plass's popular spoof of an Anglican sermon Readers who seek a weighty theological treatise on the life of Christ will not find it in these pages. With a deft touch and down-to-earth humour, Adrian Plass offers a heartfelt response to the life and ministry of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of Mark. 'I have had a passion for Jesus for many years,' says Plass. 'In Jesus we meet a dynamic, hardworking, passionate member of the human race, a man, but a man who was also God. Stronger than all the powers of nature, he was nevertheless willing to become a servant so that people like you and I can be rescued from the worst of disasters.' Plass brings his own unique perspective to this meditation on Mark, which has been broken into ninety sections that can be read in any order or continuously. An adventurous, challenging, witty and often poignant look at the events in the life of Jesus, Never Mind the Reversing Ducks addresses the deep issues we all face.

We got our first taste of Adrian Plass's outrageous humour in The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Age 37 3/4 and The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Age 45 3/4. With over 2 million copies sold, these beloved bestsellers naturally placed the author's fanciful alter-ego in great demand as an inspirational speaker. And of course, his touring experiences have led to all-new stories to share with his friends. This sequel to the first two books will doubtless secure the Sacred Diarist's reputation as a spiritual authority. It's probably not the reputation he's hoping for, but it's the perfect medium for a bucketful of laughter. So meet the speaker, meet the crew and take a seat. It's time to join Adrian Plass on tour! Anne seems to think it would be a good idea to let people see some of the diary entries I've written in connection with the little seven-day speaking tour that she and I have just done ... On that innocent note, Adrian Plass whisks us along on one of the zaniest tours in his career as a Christian speaker. Besides his wife, his fictional entourage includes Gerald, his grown son, who is now a wise-cracking vicar; high-strung Leonard Thynn and his talented but surrealistic girlfriend, Angels Twitten; and the tour's Scripture-spouting benefactor, Barry Ingstone. First stop is the church of St. James the Hardly Visible at All, where a dour caretaker is waiting to set the tone for things to come. So hop on board -- the tour is leaving, and you don't want to miss a thing.

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, on Tour: Aged Far Too Much to Be Put on the Front Cover of a Book

A funny, poignant, and moving look at the nature of family life. Families are funny. They can be sheer heaven or they can be—well, less than heavenly. One thing is for sure, though. The happiest of family members will readily concede that tears are as essential as laughter if we are to survive the dramatic peaks and troughs of close human interaction. This is no less true when love is unconditional and there is a real generosity of spirit in those concerned. Through fiction and fact, poetry and prose, this book opens the lid of family life and invites the reader to explore the richly varied and entertaining events and characters that he or she will discover there. This collection of homely treasures will certainly make us smile, and there is a very good chance that some of them will make us cry. The book is divided into seven sections: • The problem with perfection • Communication—a crucial factor in family life • The patterns of family life • Priorities—which can be tricky • The power of the past to influence us • The death of loved ones • The Father’s love—most important of all As you will see in the course of this book, this is as true in the family of the church as it is anywhere else. The heart of the family is love, and at the heart of love you will find God.

The Heart of the Family: Laughter and Tears from a Real Family

Plass, Bridget

Marshall Pickering

I have the feeling that people who run perfect families will not appreciate this book. They would prefer one of those 'how-to' books, even though they don't need one because they are perfect. This book, by contrast, will certainly not tell you how to bring up your family, but it might reassure you that most of us are making the same sort of mistakes along the way. -- Adrian Plass Adrian Plass introduces us to a varied crew of characters in these humorous and touching musings on family life. If some of the people and situations seem oddly familiar, it's no surprise -- they're reflections of our own families. With true stories, fiction, dialogues, sketches and even a smattering of poetry, The Heart of the Family embraces the joys, tragedies, puzzles, problems and comedy of family life in the real world. With the author's trademark humour and stories that 'entertain at the front door while truth slips in through a side window', we see the family in a whole new -- and inspiring -- light.

Parenting & Relationships

In this gentle and humorous anthology of poems, stories, commentary and reflections, Adrian Plass invites us to celebrate Christmas in its many facets. And Jesus Will Be Born is a holiday cornucopia filled with the laughter, tears, family foibles, simple joys and the rich blessings of the season. There’s no predicting what the turn of a page will bring in this Christmas collection by Adrian Plass. It may be a bit of verse to moisten the eyes ... When I’m in heaven Tell me there’ll be Christmases without the pain No memories that will not fade No chilled and sullen sense of loss That cannot face the festive flame Nor breathe excitement from the ice-cream air Tell me how the things that Christmas should have been Will be there for eternity in one long shining dawn For all of us to share I love the promises of Christmas. Then again, there is this – an ‘advertisement’ from Plass’s spoof of a church newsletter: ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news? The answer is – not very, if they haven’t had those ugly corns treated. Christian chiropodist. Special Yuletide reductions …’ Setting the poignant, the madcap, the joyous and the tender in artful counterpoint, this is a book to be savored over the entire holiday season. It offers something for everyone in every setting – family readings, personal libraries and even church pulpits. And Jesus Will Be Born speaks to the full spectrum of our humanity, celebrating the golden Christmas traditions, poking playfully at our seasonal foibles, observing our less-than-noble attitudes with an eye that is at once honest and gracious – and always looking towards the Person around whom all that is truly Christmas revolves. In the midst of our festivities, Adrian Plass gently reminds us why we need a Savior. And he points us towards the unfathomable possibilities that have been opened to us, and the joy and hope that are ours, because Jesus was born long ago in Bethlehem and is born today in us.

And Jesus Will Be Born: A Collection of Christmas Poems, Stories and Reflections

Literature & Fiction

'. . . [a] beautifully conceived and executed book.'---Publisher's Weekly It has been just six months since David Herrick lost his beloved wife, Jessica. The grief is still an open wound. So when he receives an invitation to a reunion of long-lost friends, David's first impulse is to refuse. After all, two decades have passed since he was in the same youth group with these people. But the invitation comes from Angela, one of his wife's oldest friends---and mysteriously, she claims she has something for him from his late wife. Reluctant but curious, David arrives at Headly Manor, an ancient house with an unsettling reputation. But life's most haunting specters are not a matter of location. In this honest, deeply moving novel of the heart, David and his friends search their souls for the courage to exorcise the ghosts of their own pasts.

Ghosts: The Story of a Reunion

Contemporary

It has been just six months since David Herrick lost his beloved wife, Jessica. The grief is still an open wound. So when he receives an invitation to a reunion of long-lost friends, David’s first impulse is to refuse. After all, two decades have passed since he was in the same youth group with these people. But the invitation comes from Angela, one of his wife’s oldest friends—and mysteriously, she claims she has something for him from his late wife. Reluctant but curious, David arrives at Headly Manor, an ancient house with an unsettling reputation. But life’s most haunting specters are not a matter of location. In this honest, deeply moving novel of the heart, David and his friends search their souls for the courage to exorcise the ghosts of their own pasts.

Ghosts

Evocative reflections on three facets in our relationship with Jesus. People long for reality in their walk with Christ. To know him better, we must understand the different sides of his complex nature. Popular British author Adrian Plass draws on biblical stories and personal experience---as well as his keen understanding of people's needs---as he explores the Safe Jesus, the Tender Jesus, and the Extreme Jesus. God has told us that he holds us in the palm of his hands, where no one and nothing can harm the most important part of us. But from biblical times to the present day, Christians encounter accidents and disasters. What does it really mean to experience the Safe Jesus? Jesus tells his disciples that they must love one another. Yet time and again we try to find achievement and success through our own efforts and individual gifts, only to end in failure. Instead, we need to know the Tender Jesus who becomes visible when we join with each other in the body of Christ. Jesus only did what he saw his father doing. Each of his actions and encounters were fueled, informed, and instructed by the dynamic, creative, unpredictable Spirit of God. Failing to be obedient in this way is what truly constitutes sin. When we are open to the genuine leading of the Spirit, we will experience the Extreme Jesus. In Jesus -- Safe, Tender, Extreme, Adrian Plass is 'simply a man with a broom, sweeping away the rubbish that prevents others from passing further in and further up, by talking about what Jesus does and doesn't do in my life.'

Jesus - Safe, Tender, Extreme

People long for reality in their walk with Christ. To attain that heartfelt need, Adrian Plass in his profound but endearing style engages with three deeply significant aspects of Jesus - how he is safe, tender and extreme. The safety we find in Jesus is only discovered at a price, which may be suffering or the witnessing of suffering. Jesus himself was able to battle through the agony of Gethsemane because at the deepest level he was safe in the love of his Father. And he also knew that obedience is the surest path to ultimate security. Are we able to embrace the safety of Jesus? The tenderness of Jesus can be one of the most life-sustaining things of creation. We can see it in the people around us and we can see it in the Bible, such as in accounts of Jesus himself, especially his dealings with the widow of Nain. Many people may find it difficult to receive the tenderness of God, but, like Peter confronted with his rooftop vision, we may be called to a new understanding and a fresh revelation. Do we experience the tenderness of Jesus? The extreme Jesus was actually, from a divine perspective, not extreme at all. After all, Jesus only ever did what he saw his Father doing. Some of his behaviour may seem trivial or mundane to us while other actions appear dramatic, such as clearing out the temple with a knotted rope, asserting that a dying girl was actually asleep and would soon be awake, or being extremely rude to important people. All of his actions reveal his total commitment to obedience. Whatever needed to be done would be done, regardless of how it would appear to human eyes. Is Jesus the solid ground on which our feet stand? With him at the centre of our lives are we willing and able to be extreme for God in the big and little and mild and dramatic and banal and bizarre acts of service that are required of us? Each of the three sections is accompanied by personal experiences of encountering Jesus, safe, tender and extreme, some of them very raw indeed, and the book ends with a selection of prayers for readers who would like to respond to the issues that have been covered.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Plass, Adrian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Plass, Adrian

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Plass, Adrian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Alien at St Wilfred's

Never Mind the Reversing Ducks

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, on Tour: Aged Far Too Much to Be Put on the Front Cover of a Book

The Heart of the Family: Laughter and Tears from a Real Family

The Heart of the Family: Laughter and Tears from a Real Family

And Jesus Will Be Born: A Collection of Christmas Poems, Stories and Reflections

Ghosts: The Story of a Reunion

Ghosts

Jesus - Safe, Tender, Extreme

Jesus - Safe, Tender, Extreme