Reviews Archbishops
Lent Book 2006: Free of Charge Archbishops
Lent Book 2006 We are
at our human best when we give and forgive. But we live
in a world in which it makes little sense to do either
one. In our increasingly graceless culture, where can we
find the motivation to give? And how do we learn to
forgive when forgiving seems counterintuitive or even
futile? A
deeply personal yet profoundly thoughtful book, Free of
Charge explores these questions – and the further
questions to which they give rise – in light of
God's generosity and Christ's sacrifice for us. Miroslav
Volf draws from popular culture as well as from a wealth
of literary and theological sources, weaving his rich
reflections around the sturdy frame of Paul's vision of
God's grace and Martin Luther's interpretation of that
vision. Blending
the best of theology and spirituality, he encourages us
to echo in our own lives God's generous giving and
forgiving. The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Lenten study book for 2006 is
at the same time an introduction to Christianity. Even
more, it is a compelling invitation to Christian faith as
a way of life. Miroslav Volf, one of the most celebrated
theologians of our day, offers us a unique interweaving
of intense reflection, vivid and painfully personal
stories and sheer celebration of the giving God. Lent
with Luke Lent
with Luke offers the reader a daily passage from Luke's
Gospel, with thoughtful reflections, suggestions for
prayer, and study notes. A special feature of the book is
its use of reproductions of famous and not-so-famous
paintings of the gospel scenes to open up our reactions
to familiar passages, especially the Passion narrative,
which is covered in full and forms the heart of the book.
The daily studies continue into the week after Easter to
help encourage continuing Bible study, prayer and
fellowship beyond the time-limits of Lent. Life
Attitudes: a five-session course on the Beatitudes for
Lent The
aim of this Lent course is to explore the Beatitudes,
which encapsulate the teaching of Jesus. Jesus himself
lived out the Beatitudes in his earthly life and called
his followers to do the same. This
five-session group study course, specially designed to be
used during Lent, encourages Christians to examine their
lifestyle in the light of Jesus' radical teaching and to
live out these kingdom values – now. Each
session of the course contains enough material for 90
minutes and includes: John
Wyclif The
name of John Wyclif is surrounded by mythology. According
to G.R. Evans, he got both credit and blame for much more
than he actually did or probably intended. The ideas
associated with his name had a huge influence and their
effects were felt in the sequence of events which
eventually led to the Reformation. This
major new biography offers fresh insights into Wyclif the
man, his preoccupations and his achievements. The author
follows Wyclif through his childhood and university days
at God's
Business – balancing faith and the bottom line This
is a very helpful book for those who desire to serve God
with integrity in the high pressure world of business.
Myron Rush shows how to balance 'Faith and the Bottom
line' and challenges the reader to examine personal
priorities and values in their business lives. Drawing on
his experience as a corporate leader, Myron Rush presents
a practical and scriptural analysis of crucial issues in
business life. Chapters
include: The Battle for the Business World; The Role of
Money in Business; You Can't Serve Two Masters; Biblical
Principles of Business Ethics; Dealing with Stress in
Business; How to Avoid Personal Burnout; Keeping Your
Priorities Straight. Finding
Joy What
motivates you to serve Christ? Is it a sense of nagging
obligation as you struggle to achieve a host of
impossible targets? Or is it a heart full of joy? God's
grace is neither earned nor deserved. We receive grace,
and with it the blessings of forgiveness, peace, hope,
security, rescue, reconciliation and eternal life. God's
grace needs no additions, no subtractions. Yet it's so
easy, so tempting, like the Galatians in the New
Testament, to slip back into a legalistic mindset. We
want to build on what God has done; we want to make
ourselves more attractive and acceptable. Marcus
Honeysett challenges us to live as sons and daughters of
God, not as slaves. Joy should be the hallmark of our
Christian service. Understanding God's grace is the
foundation to releasing that joy. The
prayer God longs for God
longs for us to be close to him and yet our pride and
desire for independence so often get in the way. How can
we develop the attitudes that God desires? Jesus gave the
Lord's Prayer to be the foundation of the disciples'
prayer life. James Emery-White believes that it is still
the prayer God longs for. It develops in us the attitudes
that bring us close to God: intimacy, expectancy,
reverence, submission, dependence, honesty and humility. Life's
Big Questions How
can the sixty-six books of the Bible have a single
message for us today? What unites the vastly different
accounts of God's work in the world? How do the various
genres of the Bible work together? Vaughan Roberts
believes that the Bible tells a single story for all time.
He draws out the Bible's message of Jesus Christ and
God's redemption through him, in six big questions: · Who
is the king? Inspirational
Gold - thought provoking meditations from great Christian
Authors Mary
Werner has produced a delightful daily devotional made up
of quotations selected from the last twenty centuries of
Christian experience. These allow us to benefit from the
wealth of wisdom of past pilgrims on the road to
enlightenment. Each
day opens with a passage of the Bible that is then
illuminated from the writings of Great Christian figures
and authors. These gems come from a wide variety of
sources, early Christians like Cyprian and Iranaeus; then
Jerome, Anselm or Francis of Assissi; Thomas a Kempis;
Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards pop up; as do John
Donne; Blaise Pascal and John Wesley; also included are
more contemporary figures such as Frances Ridley
Havergal, George Macdonald - and many more from each and
every century of thought. Refined
by the passage of time, these ideas remain as relevant
today as when they were written. They will enrich your
times of meditation with a freshness and clarity that
sets you up for the day. Whether you use it for a few
moments before the daily rush gets under way, on the
train or bus, or as you wind down at night,
'Inspirational Gold' will provide the ideal companion. Learning
about true spirituality: Jesus our joy Do you
enjoy God? Most of us could not reply to such a question
with a straight answer. We might say that we respect God
or fear him. Some would admit to worshipping God, or to
even love God - but few are heard to say that they enjoy
him. Surely this is wrong! But it is what true
spirituality is all about. People
outside the church are eager to explore 'spirituality'.
Wallace Benn presents here an opportunity to introduce
them to something completely fulfilling - or rather
'someone'. Wallace
doesn't want you to just believe in God, he wants you to
enjoy God. He takes, as his starting point, the epistle
to the Philippians because Paul says here that he wants
to know Jesus, so that he can know God - and thus have
joy. He
shows that true spirituality flows out from a personal
relationship with Christ and involves increasing your
knowledge of him, trusting his, and our, heavenly Father
and getting involved in Christ-like service. Wallace
Benn is the Bishop of Lewes. Entering
into the Mind of God The
seven last words from the cross tell us all we can know
about Jesus' thoughts at his crucifixion. We treasure
them for what they enable us to understand about his
sacrificial love and as a source of faith, inspiration
and mystery. For they allow us to enter into the mind of
God at his most vulnerable, and glimpse what it means for
the disciple to obey Jesus' injunction to take up his own
cross and follow. The illustrations perfectly complement
the journey we too must make to share in both the pain
and the glory, which are ours to embrace. A
Sense of Grace Robin
Gill through a series of meditations helps us to find
God's grace breaking through into our everyday experience
- into family life, into being a grandparent, into the
gap between what we are and what we could be. A Sense of
Grace is written for busy people who perhaps don't take
the time to see God's grace in their own lives. A
meditation for each day of Lent, except Sundays,
reflecting on Scripture and making the connection between
everyday life and the Christian life - bringing us to a
deeper understanding of our need for God and the role of
Jesus as God's Son. |