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. "Above & Below" is a book that can be read and re-read.
The Very Reverend Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean, President, and Professor of Theology and Ethics. Virginia Theological Seminary
In our deeply broken world and at a time when the Western Christian church is divided, declining, and declared unsafe because of abuse, David Beresford’s “Call to Love” couldn’t be more timely. Jesus means for his followers to be known for how we love one another, but also for how that love spills out into the wider world. He calls us all to serve him as intentionally active agents of the radical self-giving love that reflects his heart for us and for the world. The world is hungry for that brand of love. The book you hold in your hands calls us to rethink our own stories and the opportunities we have to answer God’s call to love and serve others.
Carolyn Custis James,
author of The Gospel of Ruth, Half the Church, and Malestrom
In "Above & Below", David Beresford has given 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 Gunn,
Executive Director, Forward Movement
"Call to Love" journeys into who we are as the beloved of God in the context of confusion and challenges. David Beresford walks through Scripture and contemporary stories to examine how Christ’s purpose can echo through each of us.
Jane Gober,
Canon for Transition Ministry, Diocese of Pennsylvania
Father David offers the meditations in "Above & Below" 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. Father 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, Spirituality Adviser to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
I have called you by name, you are mine, the Lord says to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. In "Call to Love," David Beresford gives us examples, from Scripture and people he has known, of how the call of God to serve is heard and how to respond to it. Even if, as he puts it, “a willingness to serve God might be the only gift you have”, then offer that and life will be transformed.
Father Colin, CSWG,
Superior of the Community of the Servants of the Will of God
