Liz Gulliford – författare

The last 20 years have seen the development of a growing body of psychological literature on the long-neglected subject of forgiveness. Forgiveness has been widely regarded as a purely religious construct, and its associations with a 'neurotic; Christianity perhaps led to its exile from the consulting room. However, recently it has been advocated in many different secular contexts as offering an appropriate and healthy means of release from the wrongdoing on social, interpersonal and individual levels. 'Forgiveness in Context' represents a comprehensive volume dealing with a whole range of contextual issues in which forgiveness may be embedded, and continues to address the idealism which has sometimes influenced discussions on the subject. The book continually engages the reader on both psychological and theological levels in a sustained dialogue that has not permeated any of the books already available on forgiveness to the extent we propose here. Although some of the chapters have a more psychological 'flavour', whilst others are theological in tone, it is central to the ethos of this book that it should weave psychology and theology together throughout all chapters.

Meet Maya. Maya always tries to be polite, and to remember to say 'thank you' but she wants to learn what it means to be truly grateful. Should she be grateful to her teachers for their hard work, even though they're only doing their job? Does she need to say thank you for the gifts she doesn't really like - like the pink scarf Nani gave her last birthday? And when Laura gives her some earrings but later asks to copy her history project in return, should Maya be grateful and give her the thank you letter she has written?This illustrated book is an ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+, helping them to understand what gratitude means, recognise when it is appropriate, and develop their own ability to be genuinely grateful.

Meet Joseph - Joseph is curious to understand more about forgiveness. He lost his sister's brand new football. Although she forgave him, he feels really bad. Can he forgive himself? He told his friend Billy a big secret, but Billy has betrayed his trust and told other kids at school. Should he forgive Billy, especially when he is yet to say sorry? Joseph's friend George is being bullied at school by Jasper. If George forgives Jasper, could Jasper go on to bully others in the future? This illustrated book is the ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+ to explore what forgiveness means, what it is and isn't and when it might and might not be appropriate.

Meet Maya. Maya always tries to be polite, and to remember to say 'thank you' but she wants to learn what it means to be truly grateful. Should she be grateful to her teachers for their hard work, even though they're only doing their job? Does she need to say thank you for the gifts she doesn't really like - like the pink scarf Nani gave her last birthday? And when Laura gives her some earrings but later asks to copy her history project in return, should Maya be grateful and give her the thank you letter she has written?This illustrated book is an ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+, helping them to understand what gratitude means, recognise when it is appropriate, and develop their own ability to be genuinely grateful.

Meet Joseph - Joseph is curious to understand more about forgiveness. He lost his sister's brand new football. Although she forgave him, he feels really bad. Can he forgive himself? He told his friend Billy a big secret, but Billy has betrayed his trust and told other kids at school. Should he forgive Billy, especially when he is yet to say sorry? Joseph's friend George is being bullied at school by Jasper. If George forgives Jasper, could Jasper go on to bully others in the future? This illustrated book is the ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+ to explore what forgiveness means, what it is and isn't and when it might and might not be appropriate.

Meet Briony. Briony has always wanted to be a firefighter - they seem so brave! Firefighters stay calm during really difficult circumstances, and train to be able to rescue people in life-threatening situations. How do firefighters get to be so courageous? Are they born with that kind of courage? Or is it developed through their training? What is moral courage, and are there other kinds of courage? Where do they come from? The ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+, this illustrated guide will open discussion as to what courage means, the different types of courage, and how to be courageous rather than rash.

Meet Matt, who wants to learn what hope means. Matt likes to 'think positive' - if he believes in himself he is sure he can achieve whatever he wants. No need to revise for the big test, or practice his guitar, as long as he hopes for the best! But when his disappointing results come back, Matt starts to think maybe there is more to hope than just wishful thinking.Is it always good to hope, or are there times when hoping is misguided or futile? What sort of things can we - or should we - hope for, and what does hoping demand of us? What could we do to make our hopes more likely to come to fruition?The ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+, this illustrated guide will open discussion as to what hope means, the different types of hope, and whether or not it is a good quality.

Meet Briony. Briony has always wanted to be a firefighter - they seem so brave! Firefighters stay calm during really difficult circumstances, and train to be able to rescue people in life-threatening situations. How do firefighters get to be so courageous? Are they born with that kind of courage? Or is it developed through their training? What is moral courage, and are there other kinds of courage? Where do they come from? The ideal conversation starter for children aged 7+, this illustrated guide will open discussion as to what courage means, the different types of courage, and how to be courageous rather than rash.