St Michael's Uniting Church on Collins St, Melbourne - Books by Dr Macnab

Discover a New Faith - Energy for a Better Life

There is an abundance of writers who have a need to tell the world how destructive religion has been.  They are right.  But they fail to recognize how powerfully constructive Faith can be.  So, many people are deeply aggressive about their beliefs.  Perhaps a major step in their maturity would be to put their beliefs in the background as they allow Faith, as a health process, to become active in their life.

Francis Macnab has been teaching the place of Faith in psychology, theology, health and growth for decades.  He claims that the churches have lost vast numbers of people because their 'Old Faith' has lost empathy and relevance in the 21st Century.  He advocates the need for a New Faith.

He has come under fierce attack from the "believers".  They wanted to uphold beliefs that were no longer believable.  It was as if these people suddenly realised what Dr Macnab had been doing and they wanted it stopped.  Simultaneously, his view points were posted on the internet and in a few days, he was being read and affirmed in some 65 countries.

Cost $20.00

Direct enquiries to office. +3 9654 5120

"Discover a New Faith" is also available at;
Readings Bookstores, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Malvern, Carlton & Port Melbourne,
Mosaic Resources Bookshop, Preston,
John Garratt Bookroom, Mulgrave,
St Peter's Bookroom, East Melbourne.

St Michael's Church Melbourne (E-Book) _{Formerly the Collins Street Independent Church}

The Collins Street Independent Church originated in a creative partnership between a fine architect and a far sighted minister, who was prepared to adopt an extraordinary acoustic design to maximise the power of his preaching and so revive his congregation.

Over the past 150 years the Independents of Collins Street struggled to maintain their vital, distinctive community life focused on their splendid Church and led by a succession of inspirational ministers.

The success of the Church has been promoted rather than compromised by its membership of the Uniting Church in Australia. Over the last twenty years of Francis Macnab's ministry it has gone from strength to strength and now boasts the largest Uniting Church congregation in Australia. Its connections with the Cairnmillar Institute have brough it into close touch with the social problems of today while it looks forward to the twenty-first century with confidence.

Meanwhile to the citizens of Melbourne the building remains a much loved feature of its skyline. Architects, historians and conservationists as well as many of Melbourne's residents and commuters will appreciate this fascinating history of the church now known as St Michael's Church.

Cost: $10.00

This Hungry Time _{A persistent searching for something}

Religion and faith are deeply embedded in the human psyche and human society. But we are often embroiled in confl ict over the words we will use to describe our religion and faith.

While arguments go on, this book focuses on some of the great themes of life and faith - with fresh words and colourful images. Faith is an energy - of life and the revitalization of life, of hope and enhancement. We need such Faith to live.

Francis Macnab invites the reader to explore his words and images, his poems and prayers, his hymns and songs. They are one possible way of satisfying the hunger for Faith - a New Faith for the 21st century and for everyday life.

Every human spirit hungers - for "something": for solace and strength, for imagination and inspiration, for wisdom and contentment, for expansiveness and exhilaration.

Francis Macnab, in his professional and personal life, is part of this searching every day. This book will point many people to rich resources that will satisfy some of their persisting hunger.

Cost: $15.00 or 3 for $40

Don't Call Me Grumpy _{What Older Men Really Want}

Every man over 50 knows things are different from when he is 30! Every woman knows how their men get disgruntled, disillusioned, and even destructive. What does the Psychology of the Older Men have to say about the older man's nostalgia, sexuality, anxieties, and his flat emotions? There IS no psychology of older men.

This book encourages all men - regardless of age - to think about a positive psychology for older men. For a happier and more fulfilling life to both men and women, this book is an important 'read'.

Cost: $20.00

WORK _{Survive its Stress, Enjoy its Success}

How are we to understand work in an era of wide-scale change?
Our physical and psychological health depends on how we work, love and play, but for many, work (or the lack of it) is the over-riding concern of the adult years. In this money-intensive society, attitudes to work are often governed by necessity, duty and anxiety. In addition, we live in an era of increased unemployment which brings a psychological and economic burden to many.

Dr Francis Macnab explores the role paid and unpaid work plays in our lives and offers strategies for the development of healthy attitudes to work. He argues that work, defined in the broadest sense, can be a transformative experience, and that we can be taught essential skills to survive and respond to work with vitality. The task facing all of us is to make sense of the role we want work to play in the context of our own lives.

Cost: $20.00

A Fine Wind is Blowing _{Psalms of the bible in words that will blow you away}

If you want to be successful in this world - you must get rid of your enemies. Leave their children orphans. Make sure the god of the heavens is on the side of the strong. Keep saying - God bless us! May the losers be forgotten forever! These sentiments come from the Bible.

True today as it was in ancient - less ‘enlightened' - times. In some ways we are different. Today not many people really believe in a god ‘up there'. Fewer still read the bible, and those who do, know it can mean what anyone wants it to mean. But everybody knows the power of violence and the finality of death. Everybody can see the harvests of hate.

We can do with a breath of fresh air. This book searches for the best in the human being. It finds words to tell of the exquisite exuberance of life that is ours for such a short time. God is not ‘up there' but we get glimpses of God in Life and Hope. Hope and Life.

And we become more alive to the exuberance of Life and Hope and what God means as we realise - yes - ‘a fine wind is blowing the new direction of time'.

Cost: $15.00

Hungry for Love

Turn these pages and you will be astonished at how love in its many forms affects you. It can be obvious and flamboyant, concealed and clumsy. From your days in infancy through to your adult years, you will recognise how love got into you and affected the rest of your life.

We hunger for life's most precious gift: for authentic, life-transforming, dizzy experiences of love.

This book is about this human hunger that is restless in us all. Read it, and then write your own few lines about how you had it, hungered for it, and at last have been satisfied.

Cost: $18.00

The Human Spirit _{Inner Strength in Turbulent Times}

In this book, Francis Macnab shows it is necessary to rediscover a believeable practical religion. All who have wondered about the relevance of religion in these peculiar times, will find this book stimulating - even inspiring - to read.

Cost: $16.00

**The Doctor's Casebook _{Discovering Wisdom and Contentment}

• Reaching Contentment
• Finding Wisdom
• Enjoying Life
• Managing Anxiety
• Accepting Change
• Overcoming Grief
• Functioning More Efficiently
• Identifying Sources of Energy

Dr Macnab writes from a long first-hand experience in clinical psychotherapy and community education. He is Executive Director of The Cairnmillar Institute, Melbourne. Over forty years he has treated many thousands of people; he has trained psychotherapists in several communities and has been a persistent leader in community education and the promotion of health, happiness and well-being.

Cost: $15.00

**Some Hearts Break _{New Edition of Life After Loss}

Francis Macnab speaks to the heartland of human experience and brings to it his own unique experience and skill.

Everyone who reads this book will pause to reflect on the valuable perspective it gives to their losses and the vital pathways of mourning and recovery.Whenever we run into a difficult turning point in our lives, we need some genuine wisdom to help us get going again. people will return to this book again and again.

Cost: $10.00

Inner Searching and Inner Strength _{Prayers of a City Church Transformed}

In busy times, we need to reaffirm the value of quietness. Our health and well-being depend upon it. It can change the way we think, the way we feel, and the way we behave. Somewhere deep inside us - if we let it happen - the inner slef strives to put into words the longings of the human spirit, and our hopes for a better human community. We sometimes put these longings and hopes into the form of a prayer, as we reach through our human zomes to the highest image of the human mind and spirit - to a God beyond all of our conceptions of God.

This book gathers together such inner searching and conveys and confirms an inner strength which comes from within our quietness, and also from beyond it all, and beyond us all.

Cost: $10.00

Hope _{The deeper longings of the mind and heart}

Cost: $13.50

**I Felt the Eagles Heart

David Grant knew there was something more to life. He hoped that in addition to his many successes, there was something more. Memories, dreams and fantasies, and a couple of nostalgic journeys, told him there was something more. And it was beautiful. Was it real? Or just another coloured feather floating in the wind?

This is the story of anyone, in various outward guises, an inward search is the story of everyone. The pages unfold the passion of one person's life. Sometimes it is subtle and gently concealed, at other times it is sad and tragic, as it stalks the stage in frantic predjudice and brutality. It is a story of a time and people in rural Australia and of a time and people in an Australian city.

Cost: $10.00

Footprints _{Psychological and Psychoanalytic Explorations. Edvard Munch, Gustav Mahler, John Flynn and other essays.}

Investigative and self-revealing, Macnab brings psychology and psychoanalysis alive as he focuses also on contemporary violent behaviour, human suffering and the search for human happiness.

Cost: $11.00

**Change

Are we victims of poor past experiences and other people's expectations, or do we have a say in what we do and how we feel? There is a close link between what we tell ourselves and how we feel and behave. This 'self-talk' can be changed. It is often the product of a mixture of irrational thinking, uncouncious dependency, diffuse commitment to values we do not really understand and a tangled network of human relationships. By changing and improving our 'self-talk' we improve immensely our own lives and our relationships. Here is an entirely different approach to changing our attitudes and beavhiour, and it is readily available to everyone.

In Change Dr Macnab uses a challenging case study approach to demonstrate how each one of us can change our feelings, thinking and behaviour by recognising our distorted way of seeing things and be mastering the art of altering the messages that we give ourselves.

Cost:$5.00

**The 30 Vital Years _{What every person over 50 wants to know What every person under 50 needs to know}

Most people want to enjoy life until the day they die. They need to begin early to do everything possible to reach this goal. That will mean embracing the prospect of growing older, and bursting the stereotypes that begin to gather around people as soon as they reach middle age.

The 30 Vital Years is an optimistic forward-looking book with a most important and impressive theme - that wherever you are on the life-span, the next 30 years will be the vital years. This book informs, encourages, provokes and astonishes. Above all, it is helpful and life-enhancing. It contains stories that will summon every reader to write their story; and so add to the gathering volumes that inspire people to live fully, intelligently and colourfully.

Cost: $15.00

Coping _{How to bounce back and begin again.}

Human beings are astonishingly resilient. They are able to bounce back, recover from adversity and demonstrate buoyancy, flexibility and wisdom in the face of everyday stresses. They are able to learn the skills and strategies of coping.

This book is about learning thsoe skills and strategies. It is about resources and resilience. It teaches people how to recognise their own strengths and how to manage themselves well in the face of stresses and crises. It is about knowing how to cope- about being in control.

Cost: $11.00

Theology of Beauty

This book is a compilation of essays from various entries of the "Theology of Beauty Competition" including the winning essay from Leslie Chamberlain. Forward written by Dr John Abbate.

Cost: $10.00