In a charity shop...

...you can find some proper gems! To cut a long story short, yesterday morning I took my car to an independent garage only to find out that the repair was going to be longer than I thought. I had time to kill and no car so I went round a few shops, and ended up in Oxfam. Their selection of books is usually eclectic, after browsing for ten minutes, I found two books of interest, The enemy within written by Kris Lundgaard that I have just started. Click on this link to read an excellent review of this book written by Tom Welch on his blog, or copy this : www.SabbaticalJournal.blogspot.co.uk

The other book is called Awesome on the inside, how to be changed by God from the inside out. Written by Tim Hawkins. Come & hear Tim Hawkin’s powerful messages over two consecutive nights at Brisbane Chinese Alliance Church. Tim will be speaking on being “Awesome on the Inside” with the first night focusing on “A Powerful Heart” and the second “The Pure Heart”. The two sessions over the weekend are tailored for Christian high schoolers to young workers and Tim’s desire is for them to get fired up for God.
Tim Hawkins is one of the most experienced Christian Youth pastors in Australia. He has been a full-time youth pastor in a local church for over 30 years. He is currently the Youth Pastor Emeritus at St Pauls Anglican Church, Castle Hill, in Sydney Australia where he has been for over 20 years.
Tim’s passion is to see high-schoolers and young adults become fervent disciples of Jesus. He planted and built the “Crossfire” youth ministry at Castle Hill, which is one of the most fruitful local church youth ministries in Australia. Every one of Tim’s resources has grown out of his local church’s youth ministry. Tim writes this material and speaks powerful messages to meet real needs. His books and resources are revolutionising youth ministry around the world, and are now being used as training manuals in many bible colleges.
Let me know if you have read any of those as it would be nice to hear from you. Good nite. N.

Hansi the Girl Who Left the Swastika

Hansi the girl who left the swastika by Maria Anne Hirschmann. Two weeks ago I was talking to Pauline, my sweet sister-in-law, and after a moment, we started talking about books and she happened to mention that she's just finished this one. If you want I'll send it to you, I am sure that you will enjoy it. So I have started to read it and I'd say that I find it very emotional. This is the summary of the plot.

Maria was the envy of all in her little Czechoslovakian village when she won a scholarship to the Nazi school in Prague. In 1940, she began the long journey which was to lead her into blind devotion to Hitler and the atheism of the Nazi system. She then wakes up to the swastika's scourge of the Jews..and eventually return to the faith in Christ so lovingly taught her by her mother. 

'Hansi is indeed a gift from a sovereign God still at work in the hearts of men.' Catherine Marshall.

Have a blessed end of week.

Created to be his Help Meet

I bought this book Created to be his Help Meet written by Debi Pearl about three months ago along with another one that I started to read first. Two weeks ago, I went back to our house to get a few more books as we are not sure how long we will have to stay in our temporary home. The author claims that 'it is possible today to have a marriage so good and so fulfilling that it can only be explained as a miracle'.

So, I have started to read this book, about fourty pages and I realise that it deals not only with serious matters but also controversial issues, such as gender equality.
No wonder there are also some groups of Christians who wanted to discuss  its content. It is written in an unexpected light-hearted and lively manner so you can explore it at your leisure.

It comes with one warning: once you start, you may not want to stop reading it.

"If you are a wife, you were created to fill a need, and in that capacity you are a "good thing," a helper suited to the needs of a man. This is how God created you and it is your purpose for existing. You are, by nature, equipped in every way to be your man's helper. ... You were created to make him complete, not to seek personal fulfillment parallel to him. " (p.21)

You may want to read another review of this book written by Elizabeth. The topic is presented in such a controversial way that there has been blog discussion against or for! Are you up to the challenge? Read it and let me know what you think. If you have already read it, we are ready to hear your comments.

Created to be his Help Meet

Life together

I thought that I'd share with you some pictures. More snow again today as about an inch according to my hubby fell last night. The birds love to come and pick at the seeds on the ground. I had a lazy morning, reading 1 Samuel: 12. After Saul is confirmed as a King, Samuel addresses Israel. In my Scriptures Union notes, I read: In a blunt turn of phrase, 'Do not turn away after useless idols..can do you no good, nor can they rescue you'  v.  21.  In the past, I have pondered over this request and wondered why on earth they would have wanted a 'human' king instead of the Lord himself. I like to see that ' despite their sin, the Lord remains bound to this people 'for the sake of his great name'. What do you think of this request? Steve and I kept on watching the birds and I enjoyed tasting the cranberry jam he made back in November. I also read a bit more of Life together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I found the first chapter about community so revealing. I quote: Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. Further on, he says: 'Even when sin and misunderstanding burdens the communal life, is not the sinning brother still a brother, with whom I, too stand under the Word of Christ.' Forgiveness is the key word.  

Later on we went to Stone and had a walk by the canal. Quite a few ducks were looking for food there and Steven took a photo of an unusual bird with a yellow back, however I have forgotten its name! How was your Saturday? Yours in Christ. 

Love one another!

This week has gone so fast and it has been really nice.  As I am now working nearer home, I have more time to indulge in some reading before I tackle marking and planning in the evening. Over the years, I have become a fussy reader, call it choosy, I do not want to waste time to read rubbish, it goes the same with newspapers, magazines or blogs.

Another habit of mine is that if I like a book a lot, I will read and enjoy so much of it and then stop reading and keep it for later..I am not sure why I do that. Do you do that too? Could it be that I need to be reassured that come to the crunch, I have got something really good to enjoy! 

Before Christmas, I read a beautiful book called Song of a Stranger that gives you interesting pointers on how you can be faithful to God in a non-Christian society without compromising your beliefs (I quote) and somehow I stopped before the last chapter, The Best is still to come. 

Before the New Year, I ordered 2 books on amazon, Compelled by Love by Heidi Baker that I have nearly finished and Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I cannot wait to start. Also, I have been reading on and off a French book called 'Les Aristocrates', well-written, light and humorous  by Michel de Saint Pierre.

So Tuesday night, I read Compelled by Love and I got very emotional.  In the war-torn, poverty-stricken country of Mozambique, Heidi Baker and her husband have experienced God's miraculous provisions and witnessed the transformed hearts of people caught in desperate life-or-death situations.  (I quote) I could not stop reading and that evening as I still had to do marking and planning, I went to bed rather late! 

So, what is your best read? Do you have any particular reading habits? Have an excellent white week-end!

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

The Love of the Spirit

For the past weeks, I have been reading The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit by Reuben Archer Torrey and I do recommend it. 


If you have Kindle on your PC, go to Amazone.co.uk and you can download that book in less than 5 minutes. 

I like very much Torrey's style as it is concise, to the point and very clear. 

I can think of no thought more humbling or more overwhelming than the thought that a person of Divine majesty and glory (the Holy Spirit)dwells in my heart and is ready to use even me.

What are the distinctive characteristics, or marks, of personality? Knowledge, feeling or emotion, and will. Any entity that thinks and feels and wills is a person. 

If we read 1 Corinthians 2: 10-11, we are taught that the Holy Spirit is a Being who knows the truth.


In 1 Corinthians 12:11, we read, “But all these are the work of one and
the same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.”
Here will is ascribed to the Spirit and we are taught that the Holy
Spirit is not a power that we get hold of and use according to our
will but a Person of sovereign majesty, who uses us according
to His will.
Further on, R. Torrey tells us more about the personality of the Holy Spirit

In Romans 15:30, Paul says “Now I urge you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” Here we have “love” ascribed to the

Holy Spirit. The reader would do well to stop and ponder those 

five words, “the love of the Spirit.” We dwell often upon the

love of God the Father. It is the subject of our daily and constant

thought. We dwell often upon the love of Jesus Christ the Son.

Who would think of calling himself a Christian who passed a

day without meditating on the love of his Saviour, but how often

have we meditated upon “the love of the Spirit”?

Have you already read that book or are you acquainted with R.A. Torrey's books, let us know please. 
Steven and I are about to go out to diner in an Indian restaurant in Stone, the Crown of India, so to all my blogger and non-blogger friends, have a blessed Valentine evening. Your sister in Christ.

Happy New Year 2012

to all of you who read this blog. May the Lord bless you richly!
If it is your first time visiting, a warm welcome to you, I hope you will enjoy your tour, leave a comment and come back.
 Have you had time to formulate your new resolutions? Steven makes us laugh when he declares in a very serious voice that his resolution is not to eat any ice-cream (for example) until the end of the year. I must add that he says that on the 31st of December at 6 p.m. Well we find it funny..So generally speaking we have given up on making resolutions.!
Today we took Camille to the station as she is going back to uni to do an internship for a few weeks. Then we went for a walk in Doxey park for an hour. It was lovely to share a quiet moment... trying to skip the puddles, avoid skidding on the mud and ultimately sit in the hide to observe a few seagulls arguing over..well, it was difficult to say why!
I have resumed reading 'The Discipline of Grace' by Jerry Bridges. For those of you who have not read it, let me quote a bit of the summary on the back page: Being a Christian is more than just coming to Christ. It's about growing and becoming like Jesus.. I'll say no more. I have just started Chapter 5, the discipline of Grace, concept based on Titus 2: 11-12 ..Let me know if you have read that book too!
I also discovered a new song.


Not Guilty Anymore - Aaron Keyes

The imitation of Christ

Thomas à Kempis - Ascetical writer

(circa. 1380-1471), priest, monk and writer

Thomas, whose family name was Hammercken, was born in the Rhineland town of Kempen near Düsseldorf in Germany. The school he attended at nearby Deventer in Holland had been started by Gerard Groote, founder of the Brothers of the Common Life. These were men devoted to prayer, simplicity, and union with God. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. 

When he was 19 he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes, which the Brothers had recently started near Zwolle in Holland and which was then being administered by his older brother John. He spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. From time to time Thomas was given a position of authority in the community of monks, but he consistently preferred the quiet of his cell to the challenge of administration. The other monks eventually recognized Thomas' talent for deep thought and stopped troubling him with practical affairs.

Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and information about the lives of the saints. He reflected the mystical spirituality of his times, the sense of being absorbed in God. The most famous of his works is The Imitation of Christ. This book, free from intellectual pretensions, has had great appeal to anyone interested in probing beneath the surface of life. "A poor peasant who serves God," Thomas wrote in it, "is better than a proud philosopher who … ponders the courses of the stars." The book advised the ordering of one's priorities "Vain and brief is all human comfort. Blessed and true is that comfort which is derived inwardly from the Truth." Thomas advised where to look for happiness. "The glory of the good is in their own consciences, and not in the mouths of men." The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature. Thomas died in the same monastic obscurity in which he had lived, on Aug. 8, 1471.

If you do not enjoy the favor of men, do not let it sadden you; but consider it a serious matter if you do not conduct yourself as well or as carefully as is becoming for a servant of God and a devout religious. Book 1, ch 21-25

Did you know about that scholar? I only found out about him last week.. 

As it is nearly Christmas, we will keep on the A-Z challenge in the New Year. 

Crisis in self-esteem

I have just listened to an interview of the journalist Tanith Carey on Premier Christian Radio thus discovering her book 'Where has my little girl gone? 
She is covering a whole range of issues in her book, i.e. Helping girls fight back against the desire to be thin and the pressure to buy, How to teach your daughter to feel good about herself, Build your daughter's self-esteem so she is strong enough to deal with the pressure to behave older than her years..
A teacher in  her daughter's primary school confided that he was shocked that a little boy had spent an hour applying gel in his hair and thus missing on breakfast. 
Tanith Carey insisted that mothers must be very careful about what they say in front of their children..i.e my bum is too big or 'I'm going on a diet' because children understand much more than you think and will check their body in the mirror .. 
There is a big increase of beauty pageants in the states..
Tanith who spent a whole day in a cosmetic surgery clinic was surprised to see that all the people there were under 25 y.o. and carried a list of items to be done. She realised what happened, their parents had already paid for their older sisters..in a society where youngsters cannot find a deposit for a house, parents were paying for these. .what they look like is not the most important thing..
Parents don't know where to turn to! With this book, this a call to parents to resist peer pressure..Tanith's wish is to empower parents take steps towards building their daughters self-esteem, i.e. what to say when your daughter wants an inappropriate t-shirt. 
Just letting you know that if you have not listened to Premier Christian Radio yet, do so, as it is so enjoyable, and personally I find it to be a blessing. N

Authentic Christianity

Spending those few days in Italy with Camille was truly delightful! Spending the night in Milan airport to catch the 6:15 Ryanair flight to EMA was a nightmare, unlike Stansted airport, there was no comfortable seats but everybody apart from me seemed to know that and were cosy in their sleeping-bags! I had two hours sleep and spent the rest of the night reading The diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos: le Journal d'un curé de campagne. A very interesting read!
I wanted to sort out all the photos but somehow I have ran out of time!
Tonight, Steven has cooked a casserole with chicken livers, herbs and various beans, a tasty winter warmer (I know spring is coming) that is if you like liver! The other day, he did a similar version with chicken thighs! Delicious.

After diner, I picked up Authentic Christianity by Richard Taylor. I have just read the first two chapters called The Losses in the Garden Choices and found them to be edifying and encouraging. I like what I read! Let me quote you a powerful message: ..the real purpose of attending church is to be equipped for the work of the ministry that will take place when we leaver the safe confines of the church building. In other words, every Christian should be doing outreach. Then I ask myself this question, do I do this? Something to meditate! Blessings, Yours in Christ. N

In His presence

This was the title of the 10th anniversary conference Steven and I attended last saturday in Lichfield cathedral. In the morning, we had a powerful address by Revd Richard Taylor and in the afternoon Michele Guinness invited us to party, yes, really we had a party!

Here are some brief notes I took while Richard Taylor was talking.

I was a heroin addict and Jesus saved me. I gave my life to Jesus. I want to share Jesus with everybody. My book, To catch a thief from career criminal to a life of hope is a UK based story. It can be found in most prisons in the UK as I believe if I can change, other people can change too and come to saving faith. We see them and they are transformed. One girl who was a hard drug user, a gaunt prostitute with scars all over, she'd been sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years. Trudy came to us  and became part of the family. We got used to her, show her love and three years on she is the manager of the girls home.

I became Christian in a pentecostal environment and then I was introduced to reformed theology. I became friend with Archbishop Rowan . I have what I have by the grace of the Lord and I believe in the power of the Gospel. Jesus is explaining to his disciples the type of relationship between him and the Father, entering in his presence. His presence lives in us. The anointing is in us already! We rely too much on the atmosphere. Jesus is saying that He is in the Father. Do we understand the power of God's presence? The scriptures point to the fact that his presence is already in us. I take his presence to street work. In Edgbaston, I asked a young woman for a coffee and she started to shake the coffee so much that she spilt it. She could experience something different, God's presence. We talked further and I told her I was a Christian. The presence of God is in us. We have the power of the living Christ in us. The same Spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead dwells in us. Christ is more than a religious leader. John 8:58-59  ⁵⁸"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!  Jesus was speaking of his presence. Jesus-Christ is God. However ecumenical we want to be, the message of the Gospel is exclusive and politically opposed. We are not physical, Christ came with love. Now that we are forgiven, the gospel is inclusive to those who believe. [....] I recommend Richard's book, To catch a thief. It is an excellent read and you won't want to put it down!

I am currently reading Michele Guinness 's  autobiography : Chosen and I am enjoying it thoroughly!
Blessings. Yours in Christ.

Forgiveness

When we were at dad's in Norfold (Heacham) we popped in the Christian bookshop and I chose a book writtten by Sokreaksa S. Himm. Thirteen members of his immediate family including his parents were brutally executed by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge. Reaksa describes how he overcame  his wishes of revenge thanks to grace of the Lord and he tracked down his family's killers to let them know he'd forgiven them, to bring them peace and tell them about the Lord.
Facts
One of the most traumatic periods was that from 1975 to 1979, a war orchestrated by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader. More than 2 million Cambodians died of starvation, disease, overwork or by execution. (page 38)

Quotes I liked
'The power of forgiveness from the Lord Jesus-Christ has set me free from the bondage of bitterness..(page 51)
'The message of loving our enemies is the most fundamental teaching of Jesus-Christ. Luke 6:27-28
(page 120)
This is an excellent read, truly inspirational!

Go back and be happy!

 During the half-term hols, I started to read 'Go back and be Happy' by Julie Papievis, an amazing story. Somehow I progressed slowly as it is an emotional read and I had to put the book down and wait for a few days before resuming it. This is how Julie introduces it on her website:  

On May 10, 1993 my life was changed forever because someone ran a red light.  After a life-threatening car accident, I suffered a severe brain stem injury and medically died, rating a "3", the lowest number possible on the Glascow Coma Scale.  According to medical experts, 96% of the people with such a severe injury either die or remain permanently comatose.  The few who survive typically face a non-functional life.  I completely beat the odds even though I remained in a coma for over a month. Paralyzed and unconscious, I was transferred to the locked brain injury wing of a rehabilitation facility, where I awakened with vivid memories of my near death experience.  During "death" I saw my grandmothers in heaven.  They instructed me to "Go back and be happy" and assured me that my body would heal.  Although medical experts said I would never walk again, or be able to take care of myself, I didn't listen.  I believed the words of my grandmothers.
If you want to find out more, here is Julie's website. 
http://www.gobackandbehappy.com/
Have a blessed evening, in Christ.

Touching Godliness through submission

by K.P. Yohannan

The truth is that when I ordered that book I had no idea what it was about. In this book, K.P.Yohannan explores how we are to submit to God in all aspects of our life. I also liked the prayer at the end of each chapter. This book is riveting, well written, deep and thorough, full of pertinent exemples, Bible quotations and humour too.

The introduction is straigth to the point, very powerful. ...These followers of the Lamb have a distinct mark about them: Submission.

In chapter 1, KPY explains that the Lord has 'established order and peace for mankind through authority and submission to authority. Adam disobeyed the Lord's first command and we have the desire to resist authority. Of course if you are a parent or work in education you already know that children say 'no' quicker than 'yes'.

He quotes Romans 13:2 Consequently he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Now I can think of many occurences in my life when I rebelled instead of surrendering.

'During his whole life...Jesus lived in submission to those who had authority over Him' p 27

I must resist telling you more about it.

This book has been a real blessing as it has stopped me from 'rebelling' instinctively. Where at work, I would at times express concern about decisions made by the bosses, I don't any longer. It has stopped me from feeling downhearted and upset as I know that the Lord is totally in control.

Finally, you can order it direct from Gospel for Asia website, http://www.gfa.org/

Enjoy!

Easter Holiday

This Easter holiday, we stayed in a CL campsite at Kidlington, north of Oxford. It was such a lovely site by a small river. We went to Oxford to do a bit of sightseeing and I remembered my way round the town. Parking is so costly though. We managed to park in Kimble street, near the Pitt River museum.

I managed to do quite a bit of reading. I took that book:

Power Evangelism, signs and wonders today by John Wimber with Kevin Springer.

I found that book so rich and compelling! In the first chapter, John reminds us that we are at war, and that Jesus is about his Father's business, which is releasing those held captive by Satan. He then gives us his personal view on how to enter the warfare : we need to listen to God's voice' He explains what Power Evangelism is about, giving us his personal experiences on using the gifts of the Spirit. Though the book was written in 1985, its tenets are very modern. In face his comment on the Western society thinking that supernatural is fantasy and only the material is real is still so true!

If you have read that book, do drop me a line!