The Shadow Doctor: The Past Awaits

Mysteries are there to be solved. Aren't they?

Jack has been working with the Shadow Doctor for a little while now. He thinks he might just be getting to grips with the Doc's unusual approach to helping with people's deep problems. Then, visiting the highly respected leader of a large Christian organisation, Jack sees his friend go on the attack. However, the encounter reveals secrets about the Doc's past that are beyond anything Jack could have imagined.
Perturbed, he makes a list of all his unanswered questions. Where does the Shadow Doctor's unusual name come from? Why is he so stubbornly reluctant to speak about faith in terms that normal churchgoers would understand? Why is Jack not allowed to simply enjoy a moment when God really seems to have spoken through him? And will the Doc finally describe the life-changing experience mentioned by Jack's gran in the letter she wrote to him shortly before her death? Most all, Jack is desperate to pin down just what the Shadow Doctor actually thinks and feels about God.

And there is one more issue that Jack feels particularly keenly. How will Doc respond to hearing that, having met a young lady named Aelwen, Jack is deeply in love for the very first time?

The Shadow Doctor

The Shadow Doctor isn't your usual kind of doctor. Sure, you can bring him your problems - but the chances are his solutions will blow your mind. This man can see into your soul, and the cures he prescribes don't come from the pharmacy. If you have fears you just cannot face, wounds you can't even bear to remember - if you've been abused, ignored, damaged by all life throws at you - the Shadow Doctor is here to help.

But the Shadow Doctor has shades of his own, and the work of helping others may be the only thing keeping him afloat. Can he stay ahead of the demons that torment him long enough to help those who need him?

Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass: Adrian Plass and the Church Weekend: v. 6

Adrian has been trying to keep a low profile at church but his son Gerald is now an Anglican vicar and the two churches are getting together for a joint weekend away. Now Adrian's been volunteered to run it...

From the confusion of arrival when Anne is allocated to the top bunk with a schizophrenic recovery group, and Adrian is in a low-ceilinged 'pod' at the top of the tower, to the hugs and tears of departure, this is typical Plass, humorous and heartwarming in equal measure. Adrian has a simple conversation about birdlife that ends with him being accused of harassment, Leonard Thynn and his wife turn up just in time to leave again after falling out with the SatNav lady, and Gerald's wit just keeps getting the better of him.

Father to the Man

THE LATEST COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES.

AS EVER, ADRIAN'S STORY-TELLING SKILLS PROVIDE US WITH FRESH INSIGHTS INTO OUR FAMILIAR WORLD AND ARE LACED WITH COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND AFFECTION

What is a forty-something bloke to do when he and his wife don't seem to talk anymore, his teenage son is alienated from him and his best mate - reliable drinking companion for many years - suddenly and inexplicably becomes a Christian?

What do a family do when a much-loved grandparent dies unexpectedly and a freshly baked cake is discovered, obviously intended to be eaten when all were together?

These are just two of the dilemmas to be addressed among many others in this latest collection of short stories.

Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation

Adrian Plass has always been one of the wittiest, insightful and profound commentators on Christian life, and his latest book sees him work through the alphabet to create an enthralling A-Z of the Christian life.

Out now, Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation is classic Plass, with many hilariously funny entries, alongside those that provoke more serious thought and reflection. Small bite-sized sections are interspersed with longer pieces as Plass works through from A to Z, taking the reader on a memorable journey. 

Keeping up with the Robinsons

Meet the Robinsons... A typical, happy, trouble-free Christian family. Or are they?

Kathy Robinson wasnts to be a good mother... but her volcanic mood swings keep the household in a constant state of uproar. Her practical husband, Mike, convinced his tedious charts will bring order to their household. Sons Jack and Mark have quit going to church and can't stop fighting with each other. Younger sister Felicity is the ray of sunshine in the bunch, and she just enjoys being loved. Family friend "Dip", a single older woman, provides a listening ear, but she has troubles of her own.

In the midst of dealing with the challenges of parenting, middle age, and singleness, the Robinsons and their friend Dip discover they may have more to be grateful for and to celebrate than they realized.

It's a chaotic diet of stress and joy, salted with plenty of humour. Come meet the Robinsons and see what authentic Christian family life might really look like.

Looking Good Being Bad

War of the Worlds

There is a war going on in the Church, a war between two worlds - one where honesty is valued, and one where it’s shunned. That same war is going on inside every Christian with areas of conflict such as death, weakness, sacred cows, the Bible, prayer and commitment.

WAR OF THE WORLDS goes to the heart of Christian life and once again Adrian skilfully employs humour to help us absorb his more profound points.
 

A Smile on the Face of God

This is the extraordinary story of a priest, Philip Ilott, who has known extremes of suffering and now reaches out to others in their time of need...

'More than anyone else I have met', writes Adrian Plass, 'I see in Philip a living expression of the compassionate smile with which God regards his suffering children.'

'Sensitive and humourous. What emerges most forcefully here are courage and even joy.' The Independent

'From the very first word to the very last, Adrian Plass holds us within a web of intrigue. Catholic Herald

View from a Bouncy Castle

A humorous collection of tales with a Christian message. Adrian's view is that unless we acquire a child-like perspective we cannot understand the things of God. As usual, Adrian shows us that some of the things we do as Christians are faintly ridiculous. Through these modern parables he lets us enjoy the humour whilst helping us to question ourselves and our lifestyles. Adrian Plass' musings on life and the gospel message are fun and mildly challenging.

Why not jump in and start bouncing?

This book sold out just two weeks after publication and went to Number One on the Religious Books Bestseller list.

An Alien at St Wilfred's

This is the story of Nunc, the small alien who comes to earth and learns to speak in Prayer Book English. It concerns Nunc's innocent responses to the things that go on in the Anglican church and the way in which his alien perspective and special powers affect the congregation at St Wilfred's and told by best-selling Christian humorist, Adrian Plass.

Cabbages for the King

Best-selling author Adrian Plass feels that being a Christian who happens to speak and write about his faith is much the same as being a Christian who happens to run a greengrocer's shop.

This book is a wonderful new collection of Adrian's jokes, stories, sketches and verse. Most are humorous, a few are sad or serious and the rest he says are 'beyond definition'.

You Say Tomato - The Transatlantic Correspondence of George and Brad

Imagine trying to explain the Church of England to an American!

This is just the sort of dilemma that Englishman, 'George Smith' and American, 'Brad Miller' face in their transatlantic correspondence.

This book is a hilarious and often thought provoking look at Christianity in England and The United States. Differences abound and make for some fascinating personal exchanges - but in the end the boundaries between stars and stripes and fish and chips are superficial at best. Christians everywhere will identify with these two men and the things they've written. 

Stress Family Robinson

Each chapter in this book reveals the events and experiences of the family Robinson's - a Christian, but very human family consisting of parents plus two teenagers and a six year old - struggle to achieve peace and harmony amidst the everyday turmoil of family life. This warm and humorous look at the ups and downs of the Robinsons is sure to strike a chord with us all.

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Christian Speaker aged 45¾

THE LONG AWAITED SEQUEL TO ADRIAN'S PHENOMENAL BESTSELLER THE SACRED DIARY OF ADRIAN PLASS AGED 37½

In this follow up to The Sacred Diary written at the age of 37½, Adrian Plass draws on his experiences as a travelling speaker to entertain us with memories, both hilarious and tragic, of his visits all over Britain and the world.

A Year at St Yorick's

The Anglican parish magazine, largely by-passed by the recent revolution in communications technology, is something of a neglected art form, despite the fact that these volumes of local news and views must have been read by millions of readers every week for years and years.

Adrian Plass remedies this deficiency by collecting together a whole year's worth of 'The Skull', a church magazine produced for the benefit of the good people of St Yoricks. Readers may have considerable difficulty in locating this very ordinary little village on the map, but the extraordinarily normal characters and events that appear in these twelve monthly editions of 'The Skull' will be instantly and hilariously recognisable to most of us.

In A Year At St Yoricks, Adrian Plass, an Anglican himself, explores the intriguing world of parish life with typical humour and compassion.

Stress Family Robinson 2: The Birthday Party

" thought-provoking and poignant" New Christian Herald

A week is a long time in family life as well as in politics. Stress Family Robinson II puts the microscope on eight days of laughter and tears in the lives of the loving but tumultuous Robinson family at a time when major issues are about to be dealt with.

Kathy Robinson, mother of three children ranging in age from ten to twenty five, is about to turn fifty. The prospect is far from pleasant. Family, friends, even the girl who delivers the milk become victims of her aggressively sharp tongue as she tries to come to terms with the unwelcome hinge on which her life is about to turn.

Mike, her mild but highly organised headmaster husband, decides to tackle the problem head on by throwing a birthday party for his wife in true sixties style – packed rooms, red light bulbs and all.

Meanwhile, Dip Reynolds, a close family friend, reveals that for more than thirty years she has borne the guilt and pain of an abortion carried out when she was a sixteen year old in Australia. At a special meeting of friends from the church that they all attend, Dip faces the past squarely for the first time, and takes an important step on the road to peace.

Kathy’s birthday celebration becomes an important milestone for both women, especially as Mike’s birthday present to his wife turns out to be the surprise arrival of her beloved older brother from Australia.

"Those familiar with Adrian Plass's writing will know he can have you laughing and wincing in the space of one sentence." Woman Alive

Ghosts

“When David Herrick receives an invitation to a reunion in one of England’s most haunted houses, his first reaction is to refuse. After all, he hasn’t seen Jenny, Peter or the others since they were all a part of the same youth group two decades ago. Moreover, he isn’t feeling very sociable since his wife Jessica died six months ago. In fact, he’s still rather raw and numb.

But the invitation comes from Angela, one of his wife’s oldest friends, and, mysteriously, she has something for him from his beloved Jessica. Reluctant but curious, he makes his plans to visit Headly Manor.

When the friends gather, they no longer resemble the fresh-faced group of twenty years ago. One has been deserted by her husband, another has lost his faith and another is filled with anger and bile. Life hasn’t been the sweet existence they might have hoped for.

As they have less than forty-eight hours with each other, they decide to be vulnerable and share their greatest fears – a suitable exercise, given their ghostly venue. But will they have the courage to bare their souls? And if they do, how will such revelations be received?

This poignant, moving and sometimes disturbing story blends Adrian Plass’s rich style of humour with his knack for addressing the deep issues we all face, such as faith, grief, love, fear – and most crippling of all afflictions, the fear of fear.

”In this brave, beautiful book, Adrian Plass takes us to the edge of the precipice of our fears, and invites us to peer over the edge. And then, just as terror seizes us, he places the hand of God in ours. An unforgettable, life changing book.”
Jeff Lucas

“This is a story that will grip you. But far more than that, it’s a book which will help you face up to the ghosts of your past. Ultimately, this is a book about redemption. Beware: it could change you.”
Rob Frost, Director, Share Jesus International 

Never Mind the Reversing Ducks: Responses to the Gospel of Mark

A chatty, serious, tragic, humorous look at the Gospel of Mark. The full text of Mark is included in a translation that is accessible and enjoyable to read.

The book of Mark is broken into 90 sections. Following the scripture passage, each entry has Adrian’s special mixture of funny stories, encouraging comments and profound truths. A prayer ends each section.

Plass at Christmas

Previously published in Germany, this illustrated book is a series of 24 Advent readings to prepare the reader for Christmas. Filled with humorous stories that often make a deep and serious point, it also includes poetry, reflections and commentary.

A detailed look at the story of Mary runs throughout and provides a continuous theme. Also, anecdotes from Adrian’s own family life provide a compelling link to the reader. Adrian’s wife, Bridget, contributes two stories.

The Sacred Diary On Tour

SACRED TOUR JOURNAL (AGED FAR TOO MUCH TO BE PUT ON THE FRONT
COVER OF A BOOK)

The favourite characters of the Sacred Dairy series return in this much-awaited volume, such as the fictional Adrian’s long-suffering wife, Anne, their irrepressible son, Gerald, and loony and loveable Leonard Thynn.

We are introduced to new characters, too, including tour sponsor Barry Ingstone and a certain special person called Angel.

Within the pages of the Sacred Tour Journal, we are invited into the land of the Christian speaking circuit. Hilarious stories abound of antics with cranky technology and dark, freezing and oversized venues. And there are a number of poignant moments about living in a world where bad things can and often do happen to good (and not so good) people.

Jesus Safe Tender Extreme

This book presents 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."