From:-
TORCH TRUST FOR THE BLIND, Torch House, Torch Way, Northampton Road, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9HL, U.K.
Telephone: (01858) 438260, Fax: (01858) 438275, email: info@torchtrust.org
Charity Number 1095904.
One of my favourite songs at the moment is Blessed Be Your Name by Matt & Beth Redman.
It talks about blessing the name of the Lord in the "land that is plentiful, where streams of abundance flow" and "when the sun's shining down on me, when the world's all as it should be" ... "Blessed be Your Name." But the song goes on to say, "When I'm found in your desert place, though I walk through the wilderness", and "when the road's marked with suffering, when there's pain in the offering" ... "Blessed be Your Name" ... "Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise, when the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say, Blessed be Your Name."
Job had it all: health, wealth, wisdom and a large happy family. Moreover he had an unshakeable faith in the goodness of God. And yet God allowed the destruction of everything he owned, from possessions to family and even his own health. This is truly the stuff of nightmares: the worst things that could be imagined come to pass. In fact Job says, "The worst of my fears has come true, what I've dreaded has happened".
Even for good people - and Job was a "blameless and upright man", "the Lord gives terrible permissions," writes Christopher Ash in his book, Out of the Storm. This in fact is the fourth of his "markers" - the first being that Job really is blameless, the second, Satan has real influence, and the third, the Lord is absolutely supreme".
Job didn't doubt the Lord's supremacy. Even after hearing that every one of his children had been killed on the same day, he declared, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." But not before showing the depth of his pain at the news. Rob Lacey, in his The Word on the Street interprets verse 20 like this: "His heart's ripped to pieces, so he does what any dad of the day would do - rips his coat, so it looks like his heart feels; torn to shreds." The book of Job isn't telling us to deny our feelings or pretend something we don't feel. It's telling us to recognise and acknowledge reality, but then to look beyond and not to ask why, but instead, is God still God? And if He is, then He is still due our praise.
I confess that when a dear friend was diagnosed with lung cancer I couldn't understand why my prayers weren't being answered. I wasn't praying for her full recovery, just for her speech to return so that her family could communicate with her. Sadly it never happened. She was a devoted wife and mother; it seemed so very unfair. I felt helpless seeing the pain her family suffered watching her slowly die. I don't know what lesson I should have learnt through it, but perhaps we shouldn't look for a learning experience in every situation. Christopher Ash says, "Too often we come to the book of Job expecting answers to our questions - and especially to questions about suffering." He says, "Job is about true worship, a person bowing down in reality and in the darkness to the God who is God, leaving even our most agonized unanswered questions at his feet. For we are creatures and he alone is the Creator."
Christopher Ash tells us that suffering isolates. He says, "Even a shared loss is experienced uniquely by a bereft person. When a child dies, the father alone knows what it is to be the father of this dead child; only the mother enters the unique depths of loss as the mother of this son or daughter. However much they share, at the deepest level they suffer alone." Job is very much alone and somehow this knowledge acts almost as a balm to a suffering believer. If we identify with Job's suffering, surely we can identify with his unshakeable belief in the Goodness of God?
That same Goodness put Jesus Christ through unimaginable suffering. He too knew what it was like to suffer alone - Mark chapter 14 verse 37: "Could you not watch with me one hour?" And because of our sins He knew, as we believers need never know, what it was like to be cut off from the presence of the Father. Christopher Ash comments, "And this believer has so plumbed the depths of human sorrow that he alone can walk with human beings in their sorrow. And for this reason no sufferer now need ever be completely alone." One way that Jesus might demonstrate being along side us, is by meeting us in the book of Job.
The book of Job is said to be the oldest book of the Bible that we have, which makes it some four thousand years old. In this edition of TLM, we've got some examples of more recent suffering. "Tears In The Dark" by Mark Edwards and review for you by Paul Pearson, touches on mental abuse; and "Healing At The Well" by Mike Endicott, reviewed by James Brookman, describes Mike's gradual loss of sight. The modern sufferer may have trained counsellors and knowledgeable friends, but he is still fundamentally alone. Christopher Ash again: "We often pray for success and yet so often success leads to pride and pride to self-confidence, and self-confidence to independence from God and independence from God leads to hell. The most deeply compassionate and merciful thing God can do is to humble us and bring us low so that we may bow before Him and lean on Him and trust Him."
Whatever your current circumstances, I hope you will give this rich book of Job another read really soon and perhaps alongside it read Christopher Ash's "Out of the Storm" so that you too will be able to sing "Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise; when the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say Blessed be Your Name."
Still blessing the Name of Lord, but in complete contrast is "Agony Atkins" by Anne Atkins reviewed for you by Margaret Lauritzen and keeping you smiling and laughing are some of our "Not So New" humorous titles.
Happy Reading!
Out of the Storm by Christopher Ash [Cassette C2249 on 7 cassettes, Braille B2684 in 2 volumes].
A blind man running a healing centre?! Statements don't come much more paradoxical but that is exactly the situation at The Well Centre in South Wales. 23 years ago Mike Endicott founded The Well Centre as a place for people to receive healing ministry. Since then the place has become the Anglican Order of Jacob's Well and each year thousands travel there from all over the UK to receive healing and to be trained in the healing ministry themselves.
However this book is not about stories of miraculous healing; instead it is about how Mike became blind, how he found faith and how he came to terms with his own lack of healing.
The first part of the book describes Mike's idyllic rural upbringing until the age of 15 when, at school, he started stumbling over words whilst reading aloud - the earliest manifestation of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) which slowly and progressively destroyed his vision over the next 30 years. For a few years life was fairly normal for Mike; he passed all his exams (except divinity!) and went to London University to study estate management. It was not until he started his placements out in the real world of surveying that he realised he had a serious problem - two firms sacked him after just a few weeks for his inability to read maps and the small print in contract law.
As far as Mike was concerned his life was over: he'd lost his chosen career, he had to give up driving his bird-pulling car and social events were becoming a nightmare. He returned to his parents' house and started to wallow in self-pity. One day he couldn't face life anymore and was contemplating suicide when a little voice (which he took to be from God) popped a question into his mind: "What is going to happen tomorrow?" That voice provided hope that God had a plan to use him, and it set him off with a transformed attitude.
Mike attended a three month residential course at the RNIB's rehabilitation centre in Torquay. He thought he had done really well but was devastated to be told that, with a little more application, he could aspire to become a telephone switchboard operator! Furious he asked, "What is the most difficult thing for a blind person to do?". "Computer programmer," was the answer, so that is what Mike subsequently trained for!
Fifteen or so hard working years later Mike had become a successful manager with Lucas Auto Industries, he had a happy family and had moved to a nice house in a picturesque village. He had even started, as "the done thing", attending the parish church. Mike was used to progressing in all he did and applied the same drive to church. Pretty soon he had progressed from the graveyard lawn-mowing rota to PCC member to Lay Reader.
However, by this time Mike's RP was becoming a major problem and he knew it wouldn't be long before Lucas got rid of him. What a good idea it would be to start training for the priesthood as a back-up career plan? Ironically it was only now, as Mike moved closer to God, that God seemed to move away from him. Mike's application for ordination was, at the final stage, rejected. Once again Mike was devastated and this time he couldn't even turn to God for help.
At this lowest ebb God intervened in a most significant way. In church, come Christmas Eve, Mike was dejectedly going through the motions of attending midnight mass, kneeling down at the rail to receive communion, when suddenly a man came and stood in front of him, threw his arms around him and lifted him three inches off the ground. Of course there was no-one there - the priests were still down the far end of the rail! For Mike it was as if a dam had broken inside, the tears rolled down his face and he knew God had come to take things over.
Well, I've taken you a third of the way through the book and the rest is no less dramatic or moving.
Let me whet your appetite with an extract from a more philosophical section. It is read by a new transcriber, Bob Smith from Canterbury, who has a wonderful bass voice.
(c2s2 37:21-42:30)
The psalmist, in the valley of death, said that he would fear no evil. He did not say that he would ignore it or that it was not a reality for him. He simply said that he did not have to fear it. He knew, and I was just beginning to know and feel, that the whole world is crammed full of evil - being a battered, distorted and fallen place. The psalmist simply said that he would have no fear of the evil which surrounded him, because, "Thou art with me".
[This book is available on cassette (catalogue number: C2349), in braille (catalogue number: B2181), and in giant print (catalogue number: G2026).
This book exemplifies the saying, "There is light at the end of the tunnel". In the end Mark did come to see the true light of Jesus working in his life. And him working for Jesus!
What is life like through the eyes of a rejected child? Someone contemplating suicide, or committed to the care of a psychiatric hospital? I recommend that you find out by reading this book, especially as you can follow the successful influence of the merciful God at work.
Mark, along with his brother, Paul, were cast out of their natural family home and taken into care. Unfortunately they were moved through a series of foster families, and two adoption processes which failed at the last stage. In their teens the boys did become established in a caring children's home where "Aunty and Uncle" provided some stability and Christian influence but by this time the damage caused by repeated rejection had been done and Mark started to withdraw into himself and display obsessional behaviour.
By the age of 16 Mark's obsessive infatuation with Lindsay, one of the female members of staff, led to him being asked to leave the children's home. Within months he had an emotional breakdown and ended up in psychiatric care, where he attempted suicide. (A couple of years later his brother, Paul, who seemed to be embarking on a successful career in the Royal Navy also attempted suicide.)
At this stage Mark's fortune starts to turn. A former friend from the children's home visits him in the psychiatric ward and that friend had become a Christian. One thing leads to another and pretty soon Mark is converted, married to a Christian, fathering a child and training for the ministry!
However the ending is not as happy as this suggests. The years of rejection have left deep scars in Mark's life and God has to work extremely hard over the latter stages of the book once Mark has come to faith.
This book reveals what family breakdown can do and is a classic case of a person nearly being destroyed because they were not loved as a little child. It is strong stuff but worth the effort if only to marvel at the patience and power of the living God.
The audio version of the book is read with great empathy by Robert Morris.
There follows a short extract where Mark is receiving some Christian counselling: (c5s1 36:38-37:58)
[This book is available on cassette, catalogue number: C2468.]
Anne Atkins is an author and broadcaster regularly contributing to Thought for the Day on Radio 4 and writes a weekly column for the Daily Express. She is married to an Anglican vicar and has five children.
Amid much laughter over dinner with friends one evening discussing the possibilities of writing an agony column for the Daily Telegraph, they all said, "Don't do it ... it would ruin your writing career ... be a distraction ... lunatic idea ... forever known as an Agony Aunt, not a novelist!" Sooo she did it!
This book is a compilation of the letters sent her and the replies she gives to the correspondents. Many of these replies are laced with humour and loads of common sense, the result being that I chuckled my way through the book.
Agony Atkins covers a wide range of human problems and the author is not afraid to give honest answers stemming from her down to earth approach to life and her unashamedly Christian perspective. Which I found very refreshing.
Preceding each group of letters, Anne gives some background information which is not only interesting but often amusing and at times poignant. Many years ago Dr Johnson accused every first Agony Column in the Athenian Mercury of making up its own letters. Not something Anne Atkins had to do as the letters came in thick and fast as this book demonstrates.
If you are looking for an unusual read with some thought-provoking content, shrewd, and at times, outrageous advice, then this is the book for you.
Here are some "Dear Anne's" and replies to whet your appetite.
Enjoy!
[This book is available on cassette, catalogue number: C2507. Coming soon in braille, giant print and DAISY.]
Taming the Tiger by Tony Anthony: "Thank-you so much for sending these tapes about Tony. What an amazing story and what a very wonderful God is ours!" from Sheila Cossham of Benfleet. Taming the Tiger by Tony Anthony is available in braille: B2671, in cassette: C2425 and in Daisy: D2425.
Find the Way by Mike Endicott: "I have so enjoyed hearing about Yates the dog ..." from Violet Liddle of Stowmarket. Find the Way by Mike Endicott is available in Braille: B2629, in cassette: C2388 and in Giant Print: G2056.
One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury: "This is a fantastic read. It is splendid on relationships and reaction to crises ... also very exciting ..." from Annina Mayhew of Auchlochan in Scotland. One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury is available in braille: B2681 in cassette: C2427 and in Daisy: D2427 and its sequel, Beyond Tuesday morning, is available in braille: B2682 in cassette: C2426 and in Daisy: D2426.
Are we Nearly There Yet? by Sheila Bridge: "A delightful book. Thank-you." from I Henson of Ipswich. It is available in cassette: C2344 and in Daisy: D2344.
Autumn Return by Sally Brice Winterbourn: "I really enjoyed this tape. Even though it was a novel I learnt a lot and laughed and cried while listening to it. Thank-you ..." from Mrs J Stephen of Chalfont St Peter. Autumn Return is available in cassette: C2351 and Daisy: D2351.
Matthew For Everyone parts 1 and 2: "Thank-you so much for sending Tom Wright's commentary which has been a blessing to me ..." from Mrs E Branson of Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Part 1 is in braille: B2632 and in cassette: C2194. Part 2 in braille: B2630 and in cassette: C2402.
This annual conference is for Publishers and Retailers and ... Torch Library staff! All those lovely new books! The main reason we go to CBC is to have that all-important face-to-face contact with Christian publishers, many of whom offer us review copies from their latest catalogues. This year however, we launched our "Christian Resources from Torch" catalogue, which was aimed especially at the Booksellers.
CBC Ltd very generously, for the second year running, gave us a stand in the main hall. There were over 160 exhibitors this year, mostly publishers. The event is run from Monday to Wednesday, although Monday is primarily for setting up, with some special training aimed at equipping retailers. So we arrive late Monday afternoon, set up the stand and then on to the evening event. Tuesday and Wednesday we have appointments to see various publishers, plus man the stand and see that no booksellers pass us without taking our new catalogue!
Here's what some first-timers thought of the event!
As we sat in the Costa Coffee just off reception at Wolverhampton university, Telford, we considered how times have changed! We'd both lived in halls of residence, Suzanne much more recently than Sheila, but what was all this coffee shop and en suite bedrooms thing about? Here we were to stay whilst attending the Christian Booksellers' Convention along with others from Torch.
Our first evening began in style. We went along with Paul and Lydia to an awards dinner. After feasting on food so fancy that its exact description now slips our minds, awards for best author, best book, best Children's book, best bookseller, best life achievement - you name it - it was awarded - were given out.
And so to bed. Getting up next morning somewhat brought us down to earth about the uni accommodation. Lots of noisy traffic outside, pipes banging all night inside and one cold shower later, we were ready to set off for morning devotions at the convention.
Our two days were spent mixing time at the Torch display stand, encouraging booksellers to let blind and partially sighted customers know what Torch has to offer (we had a special resource catalogue to help them); queuing up for free books signed by their authors; enjoying visiting other people's stands and generally drinking in the atmosphere of all things bookish. So look out for some sparkling new books in the library!
For me the epitome of irresistible temptation is the smell of bacon sizzling in the pan. What, you may ask, does that have to do with CBC 2007? More than you may think!
But to begin at the beginning. Departure from home at 6.30 am was purgatory, but things looked up when Ildi and I arrived well in time for Morning Devotions. To our smug satisfaction, we were ahead of the resident Torch Team but, true to form, pride preceded a fall: entry to the exhibition hall was delayed by the unmistakeable smell of bacon - and a serpent disguised as Gordon, Torch's Chief Executive, who offered to buy me breakfast!
Mercifully, yielding to temptation did not bar me eternally from the paradise of books within. Moreover I was to find myself amongst kindred spirits, because an hour later I was queuing alongside a wonderful exhibit of biblically decorated hosiery for a personally signed copy of Adrian Plass's latest book, Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation. According to the book, bacon sandwiches are "a seriously neglected evangelistic tool" and what I had seen as temptation suddenly became a means of grace.
This segues neatly into Amazing Grace, the film about William Wilberforce that was trailed in a mid-morning presentation by Zondervan, the publishers of Be the Change, an inspirational book by 15 year-old American, Zach Hunter, who encourages other youngsters to engage in the fight against modern-day slavery.
Bacon butties, the Abolitionists and Holy Socks - odd bedfellows but then a trip to meet the world's leading Christian publishers would always throw up some surprises! It was a feast from beginning to end and I feel privileged to have been invited.
That's the name of our newest catalogue.
As the name suggests, it's packed with all the Christian Resources which Torch produces. These are either completely free of charge or for sale as near to the publishers price as we can get.
For all you bookworms, there are now quite a few titles which we've made available for sale in the various media.
The catalogue is free to all our blind or partially sighted readers in the medium of your choice and there is a standard print version for anyone else you think might be interested.
Phone 01858 438260 or email: library@torchtrust.org for your free copy.
Hello, I'm James Brookman and I started working for Torch a couple of years ago to co-ordinate the transcription of our audio books.
I'm married to Sarah who started working for Torch 6 months ago on our Premier Radio project, and we have 3 boys William, Peter and Edward, aged 10, 8 and 4. It has been a great blessing for the whole family to be involved, through Torch, with blind and partially sighted people, and now even Edward thinks of blind people as being "normal"!
The story of how I came to Torch is worth hearing as further evidence of how God cares for every detail of our lives. I used to be a secondary school teacher and in 2003 moved to Evesham for a new post. On our first Sunday we went to Evesham Baptist Church where they happened to be saying "goodbye" to Gordon Temple (the chief executive of Torch) who was moving to Market Harborough to be nearer the office. We were both amazed that Gordon went out of his way to make us feel welcome at the church even though he'd be gone the next day.
Over the next year Gordon and his wife, Pat, would occasionally return to the church and give an update on the work at Torch, a work I found very interesting. During this time I was becoming increasingly ready for a change from teaching, and mentioned one Saturday to Sarah that I wouldn't mind working for Torch. She pointed out the things I already knew, like: it's on the other side of the country ... they don't pay enough ... you don't have the skills to work there and ... they won't have a vacancy anyway ... but concluded by saying something far more constructive: "Let's pray about it and ... why don't you have a word with Gordon?" Well, at church the next day guess who not only came to the service but also came and sat next to me?!
Gordon was a bit surprised when I asked him for a job but hid it well and went on to explain that they had a suitable vacancy. He could calm most of my worries over taking such a job apart from the financial and geographical ones. However, following more prayer, despite knowing it was not "sensible" in worldly terms, I applied and got the job. Two years on I know what God was doing - I've never enjoyed a job so much as this one, all our financial needs continue to be met and I use the 74-mile journey into work 3 days a week to be blessed by Torch tapes!
If you ever find yourself on a visit to Torch House do drop in to audio transcription and say hello, it would be nice to meet you.
[In this feature, we will be highlighting some titles of a topical interest, which are not necessarily new ones.]
Adrian Plass - Plass, Adrian. The humorist and author has done many things with his life. In this tape he shares of the one constant in his varied life. Cassette catalogue number: C2028 on 1 cassette.
Another Door Opens - Hadert, Valerie. An ordinary young woman who, armed with the grace of God, faces multiple sclerosis with wit, courage and style! Cassette catalogue number C358 on 4 cassettes.
Another Way Of Seeing - Baker, Marilyn. The blind singer/songwriter tells the story of her life from childhood, through boarding school, and on to life as a top-selling gospel artist. Braille catalogue number B1378 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1064 on 4 cassettes, Giant Print catalogue number G1037 in 2 volumes.
Being Frank - Gamble, Frank. At the age of 26 Frank was left confined to a wheelchair. He has triumphed in his illness through unflagging faith, indistinguishable joy and charismatic humour. Braille catalogue number B2002 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1634 on 3 cassettes.
Beyond Healing - Rees-Larcombe. When Jennifer learned she had a rare viral disease that threatened her life, she was forced to re-think the issue of healing. Cassette catalogue number C1023 on 4 cassettes.
Called To Be Me - Cundiff, Margaret. Deaconess Margaret Cundiff's reminiscences of ten years spent on the staff of a parish church in North Yorkshire. Radiating the sheer enjoyment of someone who feels she is in the place and job where God wants. Braille catalogue number B870 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1628 on 3 cassettes. DAISY catalogue number D1628, Giant Print catalogue number G2059 in 2 volumes.
Elijah Anointed And Stressed - Lucas, Jeff. Elijah: A leader called by God to stand for Him in a slick and cynical age, Christians can draw encouragement from Elijah's story. Cassette catalogue number C1921 on 8 cassettes.
First We Have Coffee - Jensen, Margaret. True stories of faith and humour from the lives of the author's parents, an immigrant family in North America. Braille catalogue number B1492 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1649 on 5 cassettes, Daisy catalogue number D1649 on 1 disc.
Grace Choices - Lucas, Jeff. The grace of God - his undeserved love and favour towards you - presents you with choices. Will you choose to see God through the lens of grace? Will you choose to see yourself - and others - the same way? Braille catalogue number B2247 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C2242 on 5 cassettes.
Green Wellies For All - Hamilton, Peter. The author has a passionate commitment to conservation and the environment but this light-hearted account touches on some important topical issues. Braille catalogue number B1412 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1685 on 4 cassettes.
Kingdom Zoology - Freeman, Joel A. The author using humour blended with hard hitting insights from Scripture, clarifies the nature, purpose and proper use of spiritual discernment. Cassette catalogue number C1815 on 5 cassettes.
Love Finds A Way - MacDonald, Dolly. Dolly MacDonald - a vivacious Australian, gave her life to the people of Zaire's Mulango District. Warmth, humour and complete trust in God are keynotes to her captivating story. Cassette catalogue number C1610 on 4 cassettes.
Lucas Out Loud - Lucas, Jeff. The follow up to Lucas on Life 1 & 2. Be prepared to be thoroughly challenged, provoked and nudged, both subtly and directly, in this humorous collection of stories and anecdotes. Braille catalogue number B2678 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C2477 on 3 cassettes.
Mustard Seed Faith - Thomas, Maisie. A 79 year old lady recounts experiences of God's blessings from 1926-1997. Braille catalogue number B2197 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C1977 on 4 cassettes.
Parables Of Harris, The. Horrobin, Peter . Peter Horrobin was an overstressed executive until his wife bought him a dog to look after. Read about Harris, a Labrador with character, and how his adventures and humorous exploits have become modern-day parables providing important insights into life. Cassette catalogue number C2445 on 4 cassettes.
Pelican Crossing. Cotterill, Hilary. Hilary, aged 18, takes her first steps through the snow towards her dream of becoming a nurse. Her grim, grey lodgings - a warren, built on a tilt and complete with mice, are a far cry from her privileged home in warm ex-pat Hong Kong. Cassette catalogue number C2376 on 6 cassettes, DAISY catalogue number D2376.
Sowing, Reaping, Keeping. Singlehurst, Laurence. This short, crisp and often humorous book is full of seeds of wisdom for those who long to help to make permanent disciples for Jesus. Braille catalogue number B1268 in 2 volumes, Cassette catalogue number C2019 on 3 cassettes.
Walking Backwards. Lucas, Jeff. Many Christians find themselves unable to escape from past sins. They have repented, but become increasingly burdened by a sense of failure. Jeff Lucas says that when we confess our sins, God's forgiveness is total! Braille catalogue number B1049 in 1 volume, Cassette catalogue number C2208 on 4 cassettes.