From:-
TORCH TRUST, Torch House, Torch Way, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9HL, U.K.
Telephone: +44 (0)1858 438260, Fax: +44 (0)1858 438275, email: info@torchtrust.org
Charity Number 1095904.
Hello, and welcome to your summer Torch Library Magazine.
Did you know that biography is the most often requested type of book in the Torch library? I suppose this is hardly surprising since it's so encouraging and faith-building to learn how people find God and cope in all walks of life, often through very trying circumstances. I think you'll agree that Hilary McDowell is one such lady. Indeed, some of you had the joy of meeting her during a book week holiday at Torch HRC.
Talking of the book week, there's another one this year. Again it's at Torch Holiday & Retreat Centre and the dates are Monday 1st to Friday 5th November, costing £215. To go on this or other holidays, call 01273 832282 or email torchhrc@torchtrust.org
And now, back to our books. Another remarkable servant of God was Eddie Askew, head of The Leprosy Mission, whom God called home recently. We have transcribed a number of his books, listed after the piece about him, including his life story Edge Of Daylight.
You don't need to listen to the radio or TV for long before something about our planet comes up. For a Christian perspective on caring for our world, look no further than Planetwise, by Dave Bookless, reviewed by James Brookman and available in DAISY or braille.
As usual, we've listed at the end the books recently added to the library. We trust you'll find plenty there to while away those long hot summer days we're all hoping for! To ask for a book, please call the library on 01858 438266 or email library@torchtrust.org
And finally, some of you will know Peter Jackson, with his wonderful gift for telling of his love for Jesus and playing the piano for God's glory. Whilst his hands are off the keys, they can often be found on braille books, doing a final check before you borrow them. He does indeed enjoy a "hands-on" experience!
We pray that you'll enjoy all your books this summer. Thanks to all of you who let us know what you think - we love to receive your letters and little notes.
Sheila and the library team
With 37 years of dedicated service to The Leprosy Mission, a string of bestselling Christian books and an OBE, no one could accuse Eddie Askew of doing things by halves. Since his recent death, we can reflect on his example of stepping out for God, utilising his talents and living life to the full.
"We looked out onto the dock. It was a jumble of hawsers and piles of crates ... Our first glimpse of Bombay. It was the excitement of new experience." (Edge of Daylight, Eddie Askew)
Born in 1927 and brought up in Nottingham, Eddie became a Christian at the age of 17 at a local Baptist church. This was also where he met his wife Barbara.
The couple heard the call to mission after seeing an exhibition on leprosy work in a side-aisle of the chapter house of Southwell Minster in Nottingham. In 1950 they left the UK for Purulia, India, to work in the school of a leprosy hospital compound. However they soon found the work would be more than they bargained for, as Eddie was asked to take over as superintendent of the whole centre.
Eddie did a great deal to develop services at Purulia. He had a central kitchen built, reducing the risk of leprosy-affected fingers getting damaged in cooking fires. He organised the repair and modernisation of the buildings, and the digging of wells for easier water access. He was also involved in furthering the centre's work with temporary leprosy clinics in surrounding areas and outreach trips to local villages.
After 15 very successful years, Barbara and Eddie realised that, for the sake of their daughters, they really wanted to move the family back to the UK. It was at this point that Eddie was invited to take a new job in London at The Leprosy Mission's international office. Although based in the UK, the job took him to many other locations, including Ethiopia, Congo and Indonesia, enabling him to make recommendations for further leprosy work.
Recognising the need for services in Ethiopia, he became one of the four founding members of the All Africa Leprosy and Rehabilitation Centre (ALERT). From small beginnings, today ALERT has a huge impact on the whole continent as a leprosy training centre for medical staff.
Eddie had a gift for bringing people together and had a strong belief that organisations should work together against leprosy. In 1966 he became a founding member of ELEP (European Federation of Anti-leprosy Associations), which later evolved into ILEP (International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations).
Eddie was invited to become international director of The Leprosy Mission in 1974. One of the new projects he organised as director was the building of a four-storey, 30 bed hospital in Kolkata. This was the fulfilment of his long-term dream to provide a hospital for leprosy patients in this major city, where specialised services were desperately lacking. After gruelling consultations with lawyers, architects and the local government, Eddie opened the hospital shortly before retiring in 1987 after 37 years working for The Mission.
Never one to be idle, retirement opened up a whole new career. From a very early age Eddie had painted, sketched and enjoyed writing. While still working as director he had A Silence and a Shouting published, a selection of devotional passages with some sketches. In retirement, Eddie went on to produce a further 16 books, and over a million copies have been sold. With an ever-enduring commitment, Eddie arranged for his work to be published through TLM Trading so the profits would go back into the work of The Leprosy Mission. His books, artwork, calendars and cards have raised around £2.5 million in funding. In 2000 Eddie's long-standing commitment was recognised with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to leprosy sufferers. Eddie reflected later that a comment from a parent before the couple left for Purulia in 1950 - "I don't know why you're going ... you won't get a medal you know" - turned out to be wrong after all.
Eddie and Barbara's deaths came only a few months apart. Their daughters Jenny and Stephanie, now with families of their own, made sure their father's love of colour was represented at his funeral. The service contained vivid hues from saris and flowers reminiscent of Eddie's artistic talent, Purulia and the work and vision he dedicated his life to.
"Dignity is vulnerable and is so often identified by its absence ... 'Does God care?' - the classic question. I believe he does, but a God who has made himself vulnerable in human form can only show his care through us." (Edge of Daylight, Eddie Askew)
And if you'd like to try some of Eddie's books, here's a list of the ones we have in the library. First up is his remarkable biography:
Edge Of Daylight Braille, Cassette and DAISY: A family man with a special place for God in his life, Eddie Askew served 15 years in India with The Leprosy Mission.
Breaking The Rules Braille and Cassette: In this, his sixth volume of meditations and prayers, Eddie leads us along fresh paths of Christian understanding.
Cross Purposes Braille, Cassette and Giant Print: Another collection of meditations and prayers from this popular Christian writer and artist, this time focussing on six scenes from the Gospels, where Jesus is interacting with his friends over a meal.
Disguises Of Love Cassette and Giant Print: Another in this popular author's series of lively and insightful reflections and prayers inspired by different passages of scripture.
A Silence And A Shouting Braille and Cassette: Another in this popular author's series of lively and insightful reflections and prayers inspired by different passages of Scripture.
Facing The Storm Braille, Cassette and Giant Print: This series of meditations and prayers originated in Eddie Askew's monthly pastoral letters to Leprosy Mission colleagues worldwide.
Many Voices, One Voice Braille and Cassette: Meditations and prayers. This latest book is a further collection of thoughts from the monthly newsletters to Leprosy Mission colleagues around the world.
Love Is A Wild Bird Braille and Giant Print: These anecdotes will make you smile, give you cause for thought, and maybe help you turn a corner in your life.
Music On The Wind Braille and Cassette: Meditations and prayers based on the life of David.
Slower Than Butterflies Braille and Giant Print: Life is fast these days. The demands of work and daily living press in and we flit from one activity to another like a butterfly in the garden on a sunny afternoon. Eddie Askew invites us to step aside for a few moments each day and pause for thought.
Talking With Hedgehogs Braille and Giant Print: Eddie Askew's compilation of 35 reflections, (initially produced for Radio Nottingham). The message is clear - Stop and take time to think about the world that we live in and how we can, and do, influence our own lives and those of the people around us.
Unexpected Journeys Braille and Giant Print: There's an excitement and adventure about our unexpected journeys if we have the courage to stake the future on them. From 5 familiar Biblical stories, Eddie recreates each scene with startlingly vivid imagery that he transports us to another world.
Reviewed By Dr Mike Townsend
Barak Obama, probably the most powerful person in the world, is an enigma to many. What has made this man the person we see as the first black president of the United States?
Born in to a mixed race family, father a Muslim, mother a post modern free thinker, growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia, Obama has absorbed a mix of multi-cultural twentieth century thinking. But Obama says he is a Christian. He recounts his conversion at the South Chicago black Trinity Church of Christ where the pastor Jeremiah Wright holds inflammatory views about white people and the USA.
The author examines Obama's background through his writings, speeches, and personal interviews. This insightful book, even though published prior to Obama's successful election to the presidency, gives us a clear understanding of his faith and what drives him. Do you want to know more about this most powerful man? This book is also a great read.
It's available in DAISY D2752 and in braille B2879
What is it? Well, here's a question: What very important event took place in 1611? Answer: The introduction of the King James Authorised Version of The Holy Bible into English churches - in English - for the first time ever. So how's your Latin? Can you begin to imagine what it must have been like to hear the Word of God for the very first time in your own language?
So in 2011, this wonderful arrival, preceded by years of hardship and sacrifice, even to loss of life for Bible translators, will be four hundred years old. Biblefresh is an initiative to celebrate the quad-centenary of the Bible in English, taking the opportunity to encourage more Bible reading with fresh approaches.
And here's a taster from The Biblefresh Book:
Unfortunately, the most treasured book on our bookshelf is too often just that - on our bookshelf. Whether it is because we are too busy, too self-reliant or too scared to hear God speak, survey results confirm that only a quarter of Christians open the Bible outside of a Sunday service. This waste of a precious resource would make William Tyndale turn in his grave. I can't help but be moved when I read about the incredible lengths that he went to to translate the Latin Bible into "ploughboy" English. Just before they broke his neck, he managed one last cry, "May God open the eyes of the King of England." What the King couldn't see then is what we sometimes can't see now - the value of having God's Words available to read in our own homes in our own language. That is what Tyndale, along with Wycliffe and others, suffered for: not the privilege of being able to stick God's Word on our shelves - but rather to have God's Words stick in our hearts and lives.
The Biblefresh book contains, amongst others, contributions by: John Stott, Rob Bell, Amy Orr-Ewing, Eugene Peterson, Rose Dowsett, Bob Hartman, Krish Kandiah and Siku.
If you can use the internet, go to www.biblefresh.com where there are loads of resources for individuals and for churches. Your church can sign up and take part.
Jam packed with inspiring stories, thoughtful articles and creative suggestions to help you and your church engage with God's Word in fresh ways, Biblefresh is available from Torch in braille (3 volumes) at £5. We may be able to produce an audio version using a high quality synthetic voice, so do ask if you would like this, also at £5.
Reviewed by James Brookman
There were many reasons I didn't want to read this "save the planet" type book, not least of which was its cover made of brown recycled cardboard which set my teeth on edge every time I touched it. Then there was this phrase which caught my eye as I flicked through the book "Noah's ark is actually about God's saving purpose at a time of climate change" ... umm.
Thankfully though I persevered and once I'd covered the book with a cling-film dust jacket I not only enjoyed it but started to have some of my negative attitudes towards environmentalism change for good.
Dave Bookless' main theme is that we're wrong to think the world revolves around us as human beings; God created the world not just for us but for all creatures - after all, we are reminded, not a single sparrow falls to the ground without God's knowledge.
The audio version of the book is read brilliantly by Ralph Bennett (at one stage he sings along which alone justifies getting out the book, especially if you're using a DAISY player on double speed!). Here's an extract from the book:
Some years ago I came across a survey by a major medical research charity showing a direct link between areas with a lack of access to "green space" and an increase in mental health problems. At the time I was minister of a church in a heavily urban area and the findings did not surprise me. Since then I've noted several surveys on "happiness", where people consistently identify one of the key factors in their sense of well-being as "contact with nature". God is relational and has created us to relate, not only to himself and each other, but to the world around us. In a busy, built-up area where even gardens had become covered in concrete, I could see a mental and spiritual poverty in the lives of people around me caused by a complete lack of relationship with creation.
In the church garden, my two-year-old daughter pointed out a dandelion to a much older child. "Don't be stupid," the older girl scorned, "It's not a lion!" She had no knowledge of even the commonest flowers. On another occasion a woman from our church looked out of our kitchen window and saw a robin on the bird table. She gasped in astonishment, "But, but it's real!" Even though they are among the commonest of urban birds, she had thought robins were make-believe birds on Christmas cards and had never before noticed one.
All of us suffer if we spend too long away from God's creation. We are part of creation, and our first God-given tasks were to look after the garden and name the animals. I have come to understand that it is vital for every human being to have some hands-on involvement with the natural world. It does us good, it makes us more aware of our Creator, and it also means we are less likely to misuse and exploit God's creation.
My wife has taken over an allotment in recent years, initially as a way of providing our family with cheap, local, ethically sourced food. Somewhat to her surprise, it has also deepened her relationship with God. As she waters young seedlings, she prays for friends who are new to faith. As she pulls up weeds, she examines her own conscience and prays for forgiveness and cleansing. In the planting and waiting and harvesting, she has become more aware of the way God's work and ours blend together: we may plant and enjoy the good food, but God sends the sun and rain and the miracle of transforming a tiny seed into a giant marrow.
The ways in which we relate to creation will vary according to personality and circumstance. Some people love gardening, some bird-watching, some canoeing. Some people are star-gazers, while others are keen walkers. The same person may at one stage be energized by surfing and years later enjoy the more sedate pleasures of painting landscapes. The key is that we relate to creation in some positive life-enhancing way, and through it are led to worship God.
Planetwise is available in DAISY and braille.
By Peter Jackson
I don't know how many books I've proof-read, and I'm glad, for I fear that if I did know, that in itself would provide a pretext for boasting, and we're not into that.
I try to avoid vices, (don't we all), but I wonder whether greed is always a vice. If so, then I have a problem, for, as soon as I've finished proof-reading a book, I'm greedy for the next one, and the next, ad infinitum. And then, when I've got the next book, I am usually obsessed, and at best, obsessions are dangerous, and at worst, a kind of addiction.
Alas, then, perhaps it's not altogether a virtuous exercise.
As I open the first volume of a book, I realise that I have to be objective about what I'm doing to the point of being clinical. I have to read it with the proverbial toothcomb constantly at the ready. So here comes a dilemma: I must not become so engrossed in what the book is saying, because I might miss errors, and I can't help thinking that this is a distinct possibility with some of the Christian books I've proof-read.
Under my hands have come missionary books, biography, study books and Christian apologetics - just the kind of books I love.
A good deal of my correcting is done on long journeys by rail, and that often gives me opportunities for witnessing to fellow passengers who make enquiries as to what I'm doing. And if I don't have a book to proof-read on a long train journey, say, to Scotland and back, I feel deprived!
In days gone by, it used to be the norm for a proof-reader to partner a transcriber. I wouldn't think that happens nowadays with computers having become transcribers. I'm glad about that, for I'd rather be critical of an unfeeling computer than my brother or sister who could, by the very nature of my work, be sometimes discouraged.
I am so grateful for the opportunities Torch gives me to do this work which I love so much, and which enables me to read books I might never otherwise get my hands on.
(taken from The Encourager - Magazine of the Christian Ministries with Disabled Trust)
At our Centre we have a succession of interesting speakers. Hilary McDowell was one of these. She stands just 4 ft 6 in, and it is amazing the irrepressible life, vitality, determination and "get up and go" that is packed into her small frame. She has been described as a "God-working miracle", and in addition is all of the following: counsellor, author (of 5 books), deaconess, radio broadcaster, dramatist, psychologist and poet. Here is a part of what she shared:
"When I was born I came into the world with seven disabilities. I was damaged by the forceps being used, and the doctors thought I would be lucky to live even for three weeks. But God blessed me with the most amazing parents who were determined that I would get every opportunity to pull through. My mouth would only open a tiny amount, so they had to feed me with a fountain pen - much as a mother bird does with her babies, but my system could only take just one drop at a time every quarter of an hour. It was necessary to keep this up night and day, and when Mum and Dad asked how could they do this when they would need sleep, the doctor's reply was 'Well, if you can't, that would save you a problem!' Yet such was my parents love and commitment and the hand of God, that at the age of three I could read and write - although I couldn't get out to play with other children.
"At five I started school at a normal school. They had never had a child with a disability before, and the headmaster was absolutely amazing, but the school made it clear that although the teachers would carry me around (I was still small enough for them to be able to do this) they would not be able to attend to my toileting needs, so for the next seven years my mother came to the school two or three times each day to attend to my toileting - in addition to taking me to and from school each day.
"When it came round to my secondary education I was given the choice of going to a grammar school which would necessitate me being driven there every day, or attending the local secondary school, with a bus that stopped right outside our home and right outside the school. I chose this second school which had a great record for academic success, but it was situated right in the middle of a very tough Catholic area. There were many fights throughout the district. It proved to be a very hard time, and although I was bashed by one of the big boys on one occasion, most of the others proved caring and considerate and carried my books from class to class."
Looking back Hilary says God oversaw her being in that school so that she could develop what she now has - a strong ministry of reconciliation and mediation by his gracious love. Back in Ireland - her homeland - she is very involved in a project to prevent suicide amongst young people.
When she was seven her father took her on his shoulders across a bridge consisting of just two planks, and wires on either side for handholds. Hilary held onto him under his chin. Half way across a gale sprang up and Hilary's mother called on them to come back. The father put it over to Hilary, "Do you want to turn back or go on?" She chose to "go on", and that seems to have been her motto ever since, no matter what obstacle she comes up against she pushes through it, not in her own strength but in God's.
Yes, God has played a huge part in her life right from an early age. She was just eight when she gave her heart to the Lord. She had been told she'd never walk, but she did from that point on, and all the trials that have followed have served only to make her faith stronger. She says, "Whatever happens, God doesn't take us out of the circumstances, he gets inside the circumstances and brings us through. Nothing that ever happens is ever wasted in his purposes if we suffer trauma, as long as we give it back to him. He will then take it and use it in his way." At the end of her time at school Hilary got a scholarship to college, and later went to Scotland to study theology. Following this she obtained an honours degree in psychology, followed by counselling qualifications in England.
She said, "God is all about relationships," and this came out strongly as she dealt so lovingly with the many questions being asked her, always thanking each person listening to her talk at the Centre, and encouraging them in her replies. "Developing relationships makes us vulnerable, but we must push through with this. Jesus wasn't afraid to make himself vulnerable to us, dying a horrible death on the cross, but it was this amazing sacrifice that enabled us to know personally a God who cares for us."
She got everyone involved in the first exercise she had learnt at college in which everyone had to move around the room, and as she named parts of the body such as a shoulder, an arm or a nose, she would get each person to touch others on those same parts. This was to make each one of us vulnerable to others. She finished by describing how when in Palestine she had gone early to the tomb in which Jesus had been buried. She was so wanting to savour that precious moment alone, and confessed to even being slightly miffed when she found a man already there. As they stood together they saw over the entrance the words, "He is not here. He is risen!" Tears welled out of their eyes. All at once they were one, and God had given them an unforgettable experience that they, though total strangers, had shared together.
She has travelled all over the world, having many adventures in her little car, and has often been very grateful for her rich sense of humour that has helped her through many difficult situations. She told of one stop she made in Belgium when she was very tired, and spotting a marble slab, she lay down on it and was soon fast asleep. She later woke to find herself surrounded by a throng of schoolgirls in stitches of laughter. She quickly discovered she was in fact lying on an altar!, but the funny side came out when she noticed the words engraved there: "Come unto me all you who labour, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).
Hilary stressed we have such a "Big God", and she loves Philippians 4:11: "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." Everything she does is planned in partnership with him. As John 10:10 says, "He has given us abundant life," but as she point out, he supplies our need, not our greed.
Around the world on 80 prayers: Hilary shares her life story. Braille B2043; Giant Print G2039; Cassette C2018 or DAISY D2018.
On the way to Bethlehem: Reflections on life's journey from Advent to Christmas. Braille B2851; Giant Print G2275 and DAISY D2663. This book is also available to buy at £6.
Like meeting a new friend, Tom Wright helps us to find Hebrews full of interest and delight, with a powerful message that comes home to today's and tomorrow's church as much as it did to yesterday's.
An incredulous steward retells his story, painting a moving picture of the heart of a father; one who often leaves him shocked, but also with an outlook he would never have dreamed of. . .
This booklet presents 15 biblical and historical reasons to take Genesis as history.
A revised amplified edition of earlier books, revaluating Christian apologetics, ethics and theology – the central problems of belief and of conduct which Christians face today.
Zach Hunter may only be fifteen, but he's taking on issues that affect the world – and he's making a change. Find out how Zach is working to end slavery, and how you can make a change in the things you see wrong with our world.
This brand new book by Virginia Duhanes offers a delightful collection of picture images, and through each one we hear God's message of love for his children.
'Our Father in heaven. . .' With millions of others you may have prayed the Lord's Prayer. But did you know that it's far more than just a prayer? Within these ancient words lies a profound guide to life for every generation.
Lent can be a time for exploring a different kind of 'giving up'. If we are to draw closer to God, we have to be willing to give up some of our entrenched ideas about him. Perhaps our ideas of God are too harsh, too small, too fragile or too stern?
This Lent book gives Luke's 2,000-year-old words a fresh immediacy and renewed personal and shared meaning. It will help to make Lent, so often seen as a time of abstinence, a period of rich discovery and growth.
Whether you are fighting for breath after tragedy or facing the same pain day after day, this book is written with the express purpose of kick-starting you into a diligent pursuit of God and the discovery – or recovery – of your destiny.
These entertaining and enlightening devotions will delight you as you discover how God daily draws us to Himself, provides for our every need and loves us in spite of our flaws.
This book is a fellow traveller's guide to the joy of discovering God afresh. The teaching in every chapter focuses on a key aspect of our relationship with God and shows how we can develop life-changing encounters with him.
"My experience over the years has taught me that this quiet hour spent with God day by day is an unfailing secret of power, progress, purpose and peace."
A practical tool kit to help you understand God's word.
The poignant, deeply personal chronicle of a young woman's journey through grief. Sarah Kay shares the emotional ebb and flow of her own heart and spirit – and in so doing, reassures, comforts, and encourages us all.
SONGS OF PRAISE: The Nation's Favourite is a book to entertain, to reawaken fond memories, to inform and, above all, to inspire. It is a must for all those whose lives have been touched by this most popular of television series.
Is God real? Is it possible to know anything, let alone know him? Why do bad things happen to people who worship this God? What about the spiritual experiences of other faiths?
This warm yet journalistic book will help believers reaffirm their faith while guiding seekers as they pursue solid answers about this miraculous occurrence.
Through story, parable and thoughtful commentary, Chalke calls us into a deep experience of learning and relationship with Jesus. We. . .discover the richness of apprenticing ourselves to the master teacher in ten crucial areas of life.
In this provocative book, Eldredge gives women a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be-dangerous, passionate, alive, and free.
Leading your child to a living faith: A mother's reflections.
This book takes the post-resurrection sayings of Jesus and uses a reflection format. The meaning and significance of the resurrection how it was first communicated and how it is communicated today, are explored by piecing together these sayings of Jesus.
Poems and Reflections on Flowers and Scripture.
To mark 50 years of working with people with sight loss, this book is published as an invitation to join a 50-day journey in prayer and Bible reading, led by an amazingly diverse company of people whose only link is that they love and appreciate Torch.
Long-term illness can crush the spirit as well as the body: encouragement can be especially valuable in this situation. Through 30 short daily readings, practical insights and ideas for reflection and action, this book provides an inspirations lifeline.
The life of a carer can often involve considerable sacrifice and stress. Through 30 short daily readings, practical insights and ideas for reflection and action, this simple book offers real spiritual encouragement and strength.
JOHN BUNYAN is well known as the author of 'The Pilgrim's Progress', the seventeenth century spiritual classic which has been the second best-selling book in the world after the Bible.
He was also a much-loved preacher and pastor. . .
ANN JUDSON OF BURMA: A life, with selections from her Memoir and Letters.
DEREK PRINCE -The full authorised biography of Bible expositor and prolific author who died in 2003.
A collection of real-life stories about people whose lives were changed by the mystery and wonder of Christmastime. In each of these stories, Karen brings undeniable proof of God's presence in our lives.
Startling evidence of belief in the one true God in hundreds of cultures throughout the world.
Robert Murray McCheyne Martyn Lloyd Jones George Whitefield Charles Spurgeon Jonathan Edwards Samuel Rutherford D L Moody Billy Sunday A W Tozer John Owen
Would you like to make history? These ten boys grew up and did just that!
A timeless story of passion and revenge, of lost innocence and shattered dreams, Grace in Thine Eyes explores the sorrow of unspeakable shame and the gift of immeasurable grace.
A football star running back with much to learn, a younger player with much to give, and a woman with a heart for underprivileged kids. A story of redemption and love where life's real victories are won off the field
Can be played on DAISY or mp3 CD player.
Tom Wright's eye-opening comments on the gospel and what it might mean for us are combined, passage by passage, with his own fresh and involving translation.
Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright manages to unravel the great complexity of this extraordinary gospel.
In her best-selling book Bad Girls of the Bible, Liz Curtis Higgs breathed new life into ancient stories depicting eight of the most infamous women in scriptural history, from Jezebel to Delilah.
Discover fascinating details of biblical history and the life and times of Jesus, and be brought up to date about what is happening today in the Middle East amongst Christians, Jews and Arabs.
Nick Page looks into some of the puzzles, mysteries, curiosities and conundrums of the Bible. From well-known questions like 'Where was Jesus born?' to less often asked such as 'Did Jesus visit the theatre?' and 'Just how tall was Zacchaeus?'
Finding it hard to love? If so, you may have forgotten a step – an essential first step. Living loved. God loves you with an unfailing love. And his love – if you let it – can fill you and leave you with a love worth giving.
Three counselors reveal ways to clearly communicate God's grace to the victims of domestic abuse and ask "How will you help the privately violent?"
This book takes the post-resurrection sayings of Jesus and uses a reflection format. The meaning and significance of the resurrection how it was first communicated and how it is communicated today, are explored by piecing together these sayings of Jesus.
Poems and reflections on Flowers and Scripture.
These 366 daily meditations by Joni Eareckson Tada reveal priceless pearls of God's kingdom hidden beneath the surface of our circumstances, waiting for us to discover and claim.
Whether you are fighting for breath after tragedy or facing the same pain day after day, this book is written with the express purpose of kick-starting you into a diligent pursuit of God and the discovery – or recovery – of your destiny.
As Jackie spoke of Jesus Christ, in the walled city of Hong Kong, brutal Triad gangsters were converted, prostitutes quit, and Jackie discovered a new treatment for drug addiction: the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Emma was working with Tear Fund when she developed epilepsy. She tells of her battle with this, and of coping with the problems of working in some of the most difficult areas of the world.
VANYA MOISEYEV – Testimony of a young Baptist Russian who dies under dubious circumstances in the Crimea in 1972. Vanya's death was an event out of the ordinary, and it turned the attention of thousands probably millions of people the world over.
ERICA WOLZAK This is the true story of one woman's journey through the hell of prison camp to find new life, and new love, in a Europe reborn – mirrored in her own spiritual awakening.
Florence Nightingale Henrietta Mears Mary Jane Kinnaird Elisabeth Elliot Ida Scudder Betty Green Jeanette Li Bessie Adams Emma Dryer Lottie Moon
Would you like to make history? These ten girls grew up and did just that!
A novel crafted around the life of Lady Jane Grey, focusing particularly upon her Christian faith. This historic novel enables the reader to gain an appreciation of the courage of this young lady and will be an inspiration.
Taking over the responsibility of running the family farm, Josh has to provide for his grandpa and uncle all the time, following his own desire for a family of his own.
Luke opened his eyes, blinking in the strong sunlight. He was sprawled on his back on soft, dry sand. In front of him the sea was calm and deepest blue.
When George McMannus' daughter and son-in-law died in a river accident, he alone was left to care for his three year old grandaughter and to bring her up in the mountain wilderness where he lived.
There were moments when she wished she were an only child, that her mother had never blessed her with a baby sister. Not a sister. . .like Glenna. Berta was used to those comments. Everyone was always exclaiming over her little sister.
The story of a Montreal girl from a high society background who as a newlywed follows her doctor husband out to the primitive frontier towns to which he feels called.
Suddenly widowed, Sarah Perry & her baby daughter Rebecca struggle to survive; eventually Sarah decides to send her away to boarding school; a physical & emotional separation. On Rebecca's return the story follows the restoring of the bond between them.
What does the Holy Spirit do and what does it mean to experience him in our lives? Taking a close look at the 'mystery' of the Third person of the Trinity.
An investigation into modern slavery by leading human rights authorities of our time in the context of the transatlantic slave trade.
Is God real? Is it possible to know anything, let alone know him? Why do bad things happen to people who worship this God? What about the spiritual experiences of other faiths?
..many people struggle to realize their true potential or fail to make the connection between their natural gifts and abilities and their God-given ministry. This book will help you make sure that you don't miss out on all that God has for you.
If you sit quiet and still in the Garden of Grace, with the Golden Book before you, the Lord will reveal treasure. He always does, because it's His Book, you see. He lives in the words.
This book takes the post-resurrection sayings of Jesus and uses a reflection format. The meaning and significance of the resurrection how it was first communicated and how it is communicated today, are explored by piecing together these sayings of Jesus.
This brand new book by Virginia Duhanes offers a delightful collection of picture images, and through each one we hear God's message of love for his children.
Lent can be a time for exploring a different kind of 'giving up'. If we are to draw closer to God, we have to be willing to give up some of our entrenched ideas about him. Perhaps our ideas of God are too harsh, too small, too fragile or too stern?
This Lent book gives Luke's 2,000-year-old words a fresh immediacy and renewed personal and shared meaning. It will help to make Lent, so often seen as a time of abstinence, a period of rich discovery and growth.
How we can think Christianly, see clearly, and respond as Christ would to contemporary ethical issues such as crime, rehabilitation, consumerism, war, euthanasia, same sex relationships, and other complex issues that confront us in the 21st century.
These entertaining and enlightening devotions will delight you as you discover how God daily draws us to Himself, provides for our every need and loves us in spite of our flaws.
Long-term illness can crush the spirit as well as the body: encouragement can be especially valuable in this situation. Through 30 short daily readings, practical insights and ideas for reflection and action, this book provides an inspirations lifeline.
The life of a carer can often involve considerable sacrifice and stress. Through 30 short daily readings, practical insights and ideas for reflection and action, this simple book offers real spiritual encouragement and strength.
Bethan's delightful record leaves no room for admiring anything except the grace of God which transformed such characters as 'Staffordshire Bill' and Mark McCann.
The story of the great slave trade abolitionist, and its implications for Christians today.
9 contemporary stories of courageous women including Joanne Hogg lead singer of Iona.
Personal testimonies of refugees who experienced the transforming power of Christ in the midst of war in the Balkans.
This latest tale from Wemmicksville will surprise you as Punchinello himself shocks the town with how special he really is.
We meet up with Punchinello and the Wemmicks once again in this popular sequel to 'You are Special'. Punchinello learns a hard lesson in this adventure, it's not what you have that counts, but who you are.
Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is – no matter what other Wemmicks may think. It's a vital message for children everywhere: that they are special in God's eyes.