A Love Quilt – eBooks

A Love Quilt: Later Faith Patches

Trish McBride

eBook publication details

Published:  25 Sept. 2020
Language: English
Words: 56,231
B/W text, 154 pages, 7″ x 10″

ISBNs:
PDF 9781988572598
Kindle 9781988572574
ePub 9781988572581

NZ$17.50

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Book Description

Do you wrestle with institutional religion but have a desire to encounter God as Divine Love?

This collection of later-life writings integrates deep Christian spiritual experiences of God with sometimes unorthodox thinking on many aspects of love, life, interfaith, race & social issues, and sciences.

Distilled wisdom, from Trish’s 70-year spiritual journey, will encourage and support you on your own journey. Her stories, poems and liturgies will engage you and challenge you to look at your life story and direction.

Trish writes as a post-denominational Christian.

praise for A Love Quilt

“This is a work of such richness and spiritual insight… Trish McBride has opened her story and her soul to her readers and enabled us all to profit from her deep understanding of her own pilgrimage. … In many ways Trish’s story is so different from my own, that it was surprising and exciting to discover that her bold experiments, her deep experiences and her explorations have significant benefit even for those of us who have gone in different directions.

Peter Lineham, MNZM, Emeritus Professor of History

“…You will find stories that engage you and challenge you to look at your own deep story and most of all you will encounter Love. You will discover her rich poetic voice and her deep commitment to Love.

A Love Quilt: Later Faith Patches gives witness to the power of Divine Love in all its rawness. As Trish shares her many sacred encounters with Divine Love, she draws on her deep experience of life in personal relationships, through creation, community, and social justice.  She shares her journey with us beyond denominational labels, and her evolving understanding of what it means to be Christian about which she says: “It’s so challenging, yet so simple: Love one another as I have loved you!”

Dr Bernadette Miles, Co-founder and Director of Kardia Formation P/L, Australia
Member, Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International

“The book is arranged in a collection of ‘patches’, which hold true to the title, ‘A Love Quilt’. The theme of each patch talks about Love which is to be found embedded in story, poetry and ponderings. Patch headings include: Love and Creation, Love in Community and Love and Social Justice; all of which are close to the heart of the author.

Within Trish’s central theme of love, comes some refreshing and diverse contexts for example, working alongside mental health consumers; engaging with people of different faiths and ethnicities and those in our community who identify as LGBTI. We find subjects as varied as quantum physics, cosmology, ecology, evolution and interspirituality. Although social justice is the backbone of Trish’s faith in action; contemplation, mysticism and playing with metaphors of the Nameless One, are also essential companions on her journey of love.

Some of this wisdom, shaped through life experience of Trish and others, will bring confirmation to some of us who are often living on the edge of orthodoxy that we were taught in the past. However, the author’s learnings may also bring disquiet. As Trish says, ‘With discomfort comes the necessity to examine our own settled theology which may need some shaking up’. Within our uneasiness comes an invitation to ‘dismantle our tidy jigsaws and incorporate new experiences, insights and understandings’ into our faith matrix. I encourage you to be dismayed and reassured.” 

Heather Sangster-Smith, Educator, Advocate, Facilitator

Review by Sande Ramage in Tui Motu InterIslands June 2021
of A Love Quilt by Trish McBride

“Trish McBride presents her personal myth as a quilt, symbolic of women hand-stitching their narratives in times when men held the pen to write history in their own image.

Trish’s “love quilt” is a patchwork of explorations across the landscape of her rich and full life. She assembles the patches of her experience – relayed in prose and poetry – stitching them together with the thread of her evolving spiritual life.

I noticed a significant thread of Catholicism, Trish’s original spiritual home, but one which she has relinquished to carry out her spiritual calling. Jesus has remained a constant, now mixing and mingling with the Divine Feminine, dreams and archetypal characters that reveal her individual holy mystery.

Central is “the blessing of Divine Love”, something I find hard to comprehend. But this is Trish’s truth and Divine Love is something which she has experienced in “privileged and astonishing ways.”

Women readers may connect with how Trish developed loving detachment through involvement with Al-Anon, so that she could live well despite problems at home. This surfaces again as she helps women in Arohata Prison find their voice beyond trauma. Male readers might wonder at the courage and creativity women need to excavate their long-buried voices to speak out feminine truth.”

More praise for A Love Quilt

“This is the story of the faith patches that make up the later stages of one woman’s spiritual life. You too may indeed identify with and discover anew, but you will not find this book mundane or prescriptive or even the end of the journey. Trish ends with a brief and beautiful blessing: may her writing bring rich blessing to you and those with whom you share it. Thank you, Trish, for trusting us with the mystery and multi-layered fabric pieces of your later life.”

Rev Dr Jenny Dawson from the Foreword

“A quilt is the perfect metaphor for this beautiful patchwork of what the author describes as ‘pieces of my learning and thinking from the last decade.’ As in her earlier volumes, Trish engages the reader in an intimate personal conversation about the spiritual journey.”

John Broomfield, Former President, California Institute of Integral Studies

“It’s always a pleasure to learn from Trish’s words and history. And it’s a privilege to have access here to her meditations, experiences and wisdom. If you have the chance, try also to reach her previous books. In each piece, you will hear the voice of the Universe asking you to stop for a bit, reflect and feel its magnificence.”

Antonio Lima, Liberation Theologian, Sociologist, Activist, Brazil

“A rich reading experience! This is a wonderfully multifaceted quilt – inspiring, challenging, and thought provoking. All the pieces are sewn together with the continuous thread of love.” 

Sheila Pritchard, Spiritual director and supervisor

“Trish is an enchanting storyteller who secretly embeds insights and wisdom within, for those who have eyes to see.”

Heather Sangster-Smith, Educator, Advocate, Facilitator

About the Author

Trish McBride spent more than 25 years as a lay chaplain in workplaces, a hospice and a mental health context, and is a retired counsellor and spiritual director. Formal studies included an MA (Hons) in Classics, Diploma in Pastoral Ministry, and recognition as an Associate in Christian Ministry (inter-denominational).

Her articles and academic papers have appeared in several periodicals in Aotearoa NZ and elsewhere. She was awarded third prize in The (London) Tablet’s international John Harriott religious journalism competition in 1993, and contributed chapters to five Catholic-based New Zealand theology books by Accent Publications between 2008 and 2016.

These writings have been gathered and supplemented to be the basis of what has now become an accidental trilogy, recording her spiritual journey for most of the last 70 years. Faith Evolving (2005) covered 30 years from the 1970s. Exploring the Presence went backwards, forwards and very widely. And now A Love Quilt covers the last decade. She is passionate about Social Justice, the well-being and stories of women and other marginalised people.

Trish was born in Lancaster, England, emigrated with her family as a child to live in Tauranga, and has lived in Wellington since 1959. She has a large extended family, including 21 precious grandchildren. She was a deeply-involved Catholic until her late 50s, and since 2012 has belonged to St Andrew’s on The Terrace, a Progressive Presbyterian Parish. She enjoys family, nurturing her friendships, reading, swimming, and walking, as well making quilts, three of which have appeared on the covers of her books.

Also by Trish and available from us:

Faith Evolving: A Patchwork Journey

Print book 3rd edition details

218pp
Published: 6 September 2016
Language: English
ISBN: 9781537521046

We print this book on demand and bring copies in from the USA as orders are received. Please therefore allow 3-4 weeks for delivery from time of order.

How is religious faith affected by our life’s experiences? NZ’s Trish McBride started with a traditional Christian faith. Over time this has evolved into a belief in a God who is free of denominational church boundaries. One poem and prose step at a time, Trish weaves the scattered patches of her life into a compelling narrative that will touch your heart, and invite you to ponder your own faith journey.

Click to Order Print or eBook editions

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction

    • To the Unknown Woman

Being Loved

  • Culture Shock
  • Strange happenings
  • Seeings
  • Prayer of relationship: a personal journey
  • Reluctance
  • Easter Crossing 2000

Love and Creation

  • Yatton Park
  • Breath
  • Wilton Bush
  • Kākariki
  • Osmosis
  • Labyrinth
  • The Bush
  • In Spring
  • Bee
  • Learning
  • Breakfast meditation
  • Higher tide
  • Down South
  • The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars

Love and Community

  • Spiritual Direction
  • A True Story
  • Rātana
  • Mahboba’s Promise
  • Tibetan Journeys
  • Encountering Rumi
  • Words and Worship
  • The Interfaith Journey
  • The Pandemic

Love and Social Justice

  • Pentecost Prayer
  • Being A Neighbour
  • Just Peace
  • A Closure
  • Sue’s Tooth
  • Stretching
  • Listen, love, respect! Justice for Same-sex Couples
  • The Living Wage Movement
  • Abortion – A Middle Way?
  • Hope and Healing in Prison
  • Doing Racial Justice
  • A Closer Look at Forgiveness

Love and Parish

  • Ordination
  • The Anointing
  • New Wineskins: Progressive Christianity
  • Mysticism and Progressive Christianity
  • A New Liturgical Season: Celebrating the Season of Creation
  • Storm Reflection
  • Humanity Reflection
  • Good Friday
  • New Year Reflection, 2017
  • Light

Ponderings

  • Jesus and Evolution
  • Musings on Metaphors
  • Letting Go
  • Bad Back
  • Mortality
  • Am I a Christian?
  • Blessing

Endnotes
Glossary
Bibliography
Periodicals
Websites
Acknowledgements

Keywords

New Zealand, memoir, essays, social issues, modern parables, insights about the natural world, contextual theology.

BIC

  • HRCS     Christian spirituality and religious experience…
  • HRAF     Interfaith relations
  • HRCV    Christian life and practice…
  • HRCX6  Christian social thought and activity
  • HPS       Social and political philosophy
  • HR         Religion and beliefs…
  • HRC      Christianity…
  • HRCS1   Christian mysticism
  • HRCM   Christian theology
  • HRCV4  Christian aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships
  • HRCV9  Personal Christian testimony and popular inspirational works
  • JFFK       Feminism and feminist theory
  • JFFJ       Social discrimination and inequality
  • RNKH    Conservation of wildlife and habitats…
  • VXA       Mind, Body, Spirit: thought and practice
  • 1MBN   New Zealand
  • HRCR1  Christian prayer
  • BM        Memoirs
  • BGXA    Autobiography: religious and spiritual
  • FW        Religious and spiritual fiction

 BISAC

  • REL012130         RELIGION / Christian Living / Women’s Interests
  • REL012020         RELIGION / Christian Living / Devotional
  • REL012070         RELIGION / Christian Living / Personal Growth
  • REL012110         RELIGION / Christian Living / Social Issues
  • REL012120         RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth
  • BIO018000         BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Religious
  • BIO022000         BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women
  • OCC012000       BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Mysticism
  • OCC011020       BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / Prayer & Spiritual
  • NAT000000        NATURE / General
  • NAT014000        NATURE / Ecosystems & Habitats / Forests & Rainforests
  • PHI022000         PHILOSOPHY / Religious
  • REL012000         RELIGION / Christian Living / General
  • REL074000         RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Pastoral Resources
  • REL067040         RELIGION / Christian Theology / Christology
  • REL022000         RELIGION / Devotional
  • SOC046000        SOCIAL SCIENCE / Abortion & Birth Control
  • SOC010000        SOCIAL SCIENCE / Feminism & Feminist Theory
  • SOC064000        SOCIAL SCIENCE / LGBT Studies / General
  • REL077000         RELIGION / Faith