From Marie, St Paul’s Bookstall Manager

This quarter’s suggestions for Christian books - March to May 2011 for Lent and Easter

These books can be obtained from a Christian bookshop such as: Wesley Owen (8a The Mall, Bromley BR1.1TR Tel.020 8464 1191) or through Marie if you put a note in her pigeon hole in Church.

Wednesday 8^th March was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent leading up to Easter in April this year. Commercially celebrations for Easter mean chocolate eggs and cards with bunnies or daffodils, etc., but there are some very readable books which bring out the real meaning of Easter.

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis he was an Oxford Don and so, although this book also appeals to young people, it has a deep message to show the reason for Good Friday and Easter. (ISBN 0-00-671663-6)

These are three different books which have reflections for Lent and Easter

"Journey to Jerusalem” by David Winter (ISBN 978 1 84101 485 2) brings together all four Gospels, retracing Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. Starting from the transfiguration, travel with the disciples alongside Jesus and be part of their discussions: “Who is the greatest? What is the cost of following?”

“When they Crucified my Lord through Lenten sorrow to Easter joy” by Brother Ramon (ISBN 978 1 84101 024 3). Brother Ramon, an Anglican Franciscan friar, reflects on and draws insight from the experiences of those who were there during the first Easter. He invites us to enter with him right into the centre of the drama. Were you there? You can be, if you let this book, with its daily Bible readings, prayers and reflections be your guide. This is a book, not just for a Lenten Pilgrimage, but one which can become a source of inspiration, challenge and encouragement each day of the year. (Recommended by Sheila, a member of St Paul’s congregation.)

Lent is often seen as a time of denying life’s riches; however, this book suggests ways of using it to make the best of them. “Tasting Life” provides a pattern of daily reflection which enables readers to enter into a closer relationship with God and their inner self. Being nourished by such a deepening awareness is a recipé for discovering more of life’s delights. “Tasting Life” by Chris Morley (ISBN 978 1 84867 223 9)

From Marie, St Paul’s Bookstall Manager

This quarter’s suggestions for Christian books - December 2010 to February 2011.

These books can be obtained from a Christian bookshop such as: Wesley Owen (8a The Mall, Bromley BR1.1TR Tel.020 8464 1191) or through Marie if you put a note in her pigeon hole in Church.

“I once was a Buddhist Nun” by Esther Bake The true account of a young lady who was a fully persuaded Buddhist nun for 13 years and then found it “meaningless and worthless” as she found the reason for the Cross of Jesus Christ and became a “worshipper of the Creator of all things”. After three years she worked among drug addicts in Hong Kong and then answered God’s call to work in Thailand. At St Paul’s we have a mission partner we support who works in Thailand and another who has gone to Cambodia, so we would find Esther Baker’s experiences a help in understanding working in Thailand and Cambodia and praying for our mission partners, Julia Birkett and Naomi Rowland, and their work in those Buddhist countries.

ISBN 9 781844 743841 published by Inter Varsity Press.

“Micah Challenge: Just Mercy” by Joel Edwards - halve poverty by 2015. At the turn of the Milennium 189 nations made 8 promises to the poor of the world who live in extreme poverty called the Milennium Development Goals. Those goals aim to halve extreme poverty by the year 2015. Micah Challenge takes seriously the words of the prophet Micah “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6.8) Micah Challenge is a global Christian response to those promises and we are two thirds way through from 2000 to 2015! In “Just Mercy” Joel Edwards helps us to understand how we can help by our attitude and actions, particularly by exploring mercy and justice. This is a challenging book for individual and group study reading. “Micah Challenge Just Mercy” by Joel Edwards

ISBN 978 1 85345 557 5

“Nevertheless” by John Kirkby Joel Edwards writes in the above book “Showing mercy in small settings, as much as the big stories of acts of mercy will help people understand the God of mercy we have come to know” and the following book tells of this and how people in debt are being helped to get out of poverty:

“Nevertheless” about the start of the organization “Christians Against Poverty” “the incredible story of one man’s mission to change thousands of people’s lives” written by John Kirkby.

John and his staff work with couples and their families helping them to get out of debt, negotiating manageable repayments on loans, aiming them to get to a debt-free lifestyle. Christians Against Poverty is opening a Centre soon based at St John’s Church, Penge, SE20 - so this will show “acts of mercy” in our local area!

ISBN 978 0 9546 4103 8

Recommendations from Marie, the St Paul's Bookstall Manager. These books can be obtained from a Christian bookshop such as: Wesley Owen (8a The Mall, Bromley BR1.1TR   Tel.020 8464 1191) or through Marie if you put a note in her pigeon hole in Church.

“Somebody’s Child” – the story, true story, of John Robinson who as a boy was brought up as “nobody’s child” and experienced brutal foster homes, borstal, prison and life on the streets.   As an adult John has found how God can use him, has given him his own wife and daughters, and how they can help other young people who have a similar background to John’s who can know they also are “Somebody’s Child”.   He gives an insight to understand the youth of today as many find they are not valued.   “Everyone is Somebody’s Child” he says “and that Somebody is God”.

“Somebody’s Child” by John Robinson. 
ISBN 978 1 85424 852 7 published by Monarch Books

“Father, Forgive – how to forgive the unforgivable” by Robin Oake

The first part of the book is about what Robin Oake calls “Forgiveness” the forgotten “F” word and is his personal testimony.   After telling what happened when his son was murdered, in the rest of the book Robin delves into the different sides of forgiveness of each other and God’s forgiveness to us.   With Biblical and personal testimony he writes about why and how to forgive and receive forgiveness.

“Father, Forgive” by Robin Oake
ISBN 978-1-85078-765-5 published by Authentic

“The New is in the Old concealed
The Old is in the New revealed”

This couplet shows how the 2 Testaments of the Bible, the Old and the New, relate to each other!   The following 2 books, in very different ways, use both the Old and New Testaments and how they relate to each other.

In each chapter in “Living Waters” by Brother Yun, he opens up the riches of God’s Word in both Old and New Testaments which he has learned from his experiences in China.   He has now had to leave his homeland and this book gives us some messages he wants to pass on to the Christian Church in the West.

“Living Waters” by Brother Yun edited by Paul Hattaway
ISBN 978-0-310—28554-0 published by Zondervan

“Remaking a Broken World – the heart of the Bible story” by Christopher Ash is a Bible overview on remaking a broken world and the “scattering” which makes a broken world.   Christopher Ash relates the Old Testament to the New and vice versa showing how the ordinary local Christian Church can contain within it the seed of a remade world.

“Remaking a Broken World” by Christopher Ash
ISBN 978-1-85078-873-7 published by Authentic

From Marie, St Paul’s Bookstall Manager

This quarter’s suggestions for Christian books - good for holiday reading.

“God on mute” Pete Greig explains what he has found out about prayer – a very enlightening and readable book.

Do you think it is wrong to ask God questions?
Philip Yancey’s book “Prayer – does it make a difference?” asks questions which only God can answer, but Philip Yancey has asked these questions of God about prayer over the years, and he explains very clearly the answers he has seen, though he doesn’t do it in a trite way! It is a very helpful book! – a thick book but easy to read a little at a time.

This book by John Stott called “The Radical Disciple” is what he calls his farewell book as he is now 89 years of age, but he doesn’t write like an old fogey! He looks at 8 characteristics of Christian discipleship which are commonly neglected yet deserve to be taken seriously, and he is writing in everyday words and concepts, so not complicated. I thoroughly recommend “Radical Disciple” – it certainly makes you think!

This book is for men, and it was reviewed for me by a man! - “6 Men Encounter God” by Brad Lincoln.
My friend says ‘6 Men Encounter God tells the faith stories of 6 men. They range from the dramatic cliffhanger (literally) to being about “ordinary” car mechanics. There are a few deep theological insights but good, readable testimonies of how God mce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"> spoke to these men, sometimes dramatically, sometimes gently and often through their female partners. He says this book might be a valuable gift for a male friend who is exploring what it means to be a Christian.’

Do you wonder if preachers believe what they preach?
If so then reading a biography will help you decide. “C.H. Spurgeon: the people’s preacher” by Peter Morden tells us about a man who spoke regularly to a large congregation in a past century and gives you background information about him and his preaching.