EARLIER REVIEWS: (in alphabetical order)

Radio Rhema – “BETWEEN THE COVERS”

"A FAMILY GUIDE TO NARNIA" by Christin Ditchfield. Crossway.
C.S. Lewis wrote that
“It all began with a picture of a fawn carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.”
He was of course referring to his Chronicles of Narnia. Classic stories that have enchanted millions or readers around the world.
“Between the lamppost and the Cair Paravel on the Western Seas lies Narnia, a mystical land where animals hold the power of speech…woodland fauns conspire with men…dark forces, bent on conquest, gather at the world’s rim to wage war against the realm’s rightful king…the Great Lion Aslan is the only hope.
Into this enchanted world, entered through their wardrobe, comes a group of unlikely travelers. These ordinary boys and girls, when faced with peril, learn extraordinary lessons in courage, self-sacrifice, friendship, and honour.”
With the release of the new film “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” there is bound to be a renewed interest in the Narnia series of stories. I have already noticed, in several secular bookshops, large displays of these books and it is obvious that they are expecting a heavy demand in the run up to Christmas.
The seven books in the series, of which The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second, are available as mass market paperbacks, individually or as a boxed set. Also being promoted at this time is a boxed set of nineteen fully dramatized C.D.s featuring film-quality sound and music that really is a delight to listen to. 
These have been produced by Tyndale Entertainment in conjunction with Focus on the Family and The World of Narnia at the R.R.P. of $74.95. This is a beautifully presented set with the C.D.s, for each of the seven titles, in their own colourful covers. Approximately twenty two hours of listening and recommended for those of eight years and over.
The renewed interest in these stories presents a wonderful opportunity to promote discussion about the spiritual issues that underlie them. This will be especially so within Christian families as children and teenagers see the film, read these books or listen to the dramatized version. 
“A Family Guide to Narnia” by Christin Ditchfield is a resource aimed at helping parents unravel the Biblical truths that underpin The Chronicles of Narnia. These stories are full of biblical parallels but, at first, readers may not be sure what they are or where to find them. 
Although C.S Lewis did not initially intend to write stories that would illustrate the most vital truths of the Christian faith, but because of his own deeply rooted faith, that is essentially what he did. He insisted that they are not allegories, though many people have described them as such, but even though many of the characters carry no specific spiritual meaning many do and this is what “A Family Guide to Narnia” identifies.
In his foreword Wayne Martindale makes the observation that…(and I quote) ”C.S. Lewis had what could be called a biblical imagination. The truths about God—about God’s plan for human history, the realms of good and evil, and the ethics that flow from an understanding of God’s character—all of this and more informs everything that he wrote. In writing these stories, Lewis wasn’t allegorizing Scripture, however, as he says, ‘With me all fiction begins with pictures in my head’—some that had been there since he was sixteen. But as he spun the tales, because his mind was so thoroughly suffused with Scripture, he wrote, second nature, stories of profound theological (heft) significance. It was simply part of who he was and how his mind worked.” (End of quote)
Christin Ditchfield, who obviously has a deep and profound knowledge and understanding of these stories, progresses through each of the seven books and, chapter by chapter, highlights the biblical parallels and principles contained within them. 
A key verse, that reflects the primary spiritual theme of the chapter, heads each page and other Scriptures are quoted where they are appropriate. There are also questions provided which send the reader back into the story to find the answer.
Her stated aim in writing is that parents, grandparents, and teachers who are reading along with their children might gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Chronicles of Narnia and, by so doing, develop an even greater love for the source of Lewis’ inspiration: the Word of God.
“AND NOW LET'S MOVE INTO A TIME OF NONSENSE” by Nick Page. Authentic. $19.95
It is not uncommon, during a Sunday morning church service, to hear the person leading say, ”now let’s move into a time of worship.” According to Nick Page, the writer of today’s book, that’s about as strange as talking about having a ‘time of breathing’ or a ‘time of just being ourselves’.
“Worship – true worship” he writes “ is not about singing songs, or holding up your hands or bouncing up and down or chanting Gregorian plainsong. It’s about how you live your life.” (End of quote).
According to the Apostle Paul a Christian’s worship is to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1) Jesus told the Samaritan woman whom He met by a well that true worship was that which was offered to the Father in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24). The whole of life is a time of worship, not just a bracket of songs song during the morning or evening service. It is much more accurate to say ‘let’s move into a time of praise and thanksgiving’ and then go on to sing hymns and songs that do just that.
What we are asked to sing in church is very important. We can take upon our lips songs that affirm the great truths of the Christian faith. We can sing God’s praise and express our appreciation in songs of thanksgiving. We can ask for His forgiveness and blessing. Singing verses or passages of Scripture helps us to remember and reflect on them. Some Christian songs are in fact prayers, others confessions of faith and commitment and so we could go on. Choosing the appropriate hymn or song is an essential part of putting an order of service together if it is to have form and meaning.
The title of Nick Page’s book is provocative…”And now let’s move into a time of nonsense” because that is what it has become in many settings. Many of the words used, even in modern songwriting, are unintelligible to many people. He quotes the example of a wedding service he attended where, with every good intention, the bride and groom had wanted to witness to their non-Christian guests by including a time of worship but the songs they chose were full of two-edged swords and anointing oil and lots and lots of sheep and so on…he writes, “As I stood there, looking at the non-Christians while they stumbled through the lyrics or exchanged baffled, uncomprehending looks with each other, I suddenly realized one blinding, staggering fact: I didn’t understand the words either.
“I’d been a Christian for years, I’d taken part in big Christian events, worked for a major Christian charity; I’d paid my dues. And I didn’t understand a word of what I was singing.” (End of quote)
Have you ever felt frustrated with the words of some worship songs? I know I have and I related very closely with what this book has to say. Why do we have to sing the same thing over and over again – words that can become meaningless by their very repetition. Often doing in song what Jesus said we were not to do in our prayers. Sadly also we are often encouraged to take upon our lips affirmations of commitment and promises that are either not true or borne out by experience. As one lady is quoted as saying. “Before I became a Christian I used to tell lies – now I sing them.”
Combining humour with strong arguments, Nick Page, helpfully analyses how many song writers have bought into a disposable, ‘pop-song’ model. He highlights the problems of using a ‘semi-Biblical’ code of language and poor literary technique. He encourages song writers to really think about the lyrics of their songs and to ask themselves whether they really are communicating truth about God – truth which should generate worship that really is in spirit and in truth.
Nick Page opens with a brief history of worship music and then moves on to affirm why what we sing as worship is more than just words. He explains how the present situation has come about and considers the importance of technique in song writing. There is also a look at the use of appropriate language. The book closes with a look into the future, some technical stuff and literary patterns that have to do with the way in which a song can be put together. Interest is added to this book by the letters that precede each chapter written by a song writer and worship leader, Gerald Freely, to Dave Davey, the compiler and publisher of worship songs.
Nick Page uses the songs which Gerald submits for publication, which are based upon real lines from actual songs, to illustrate what he is talking about.
Graham Kendrick is a well know writer of Christian songs and he writes of this book…”Every worship leader, worship planner and Christian song writer ought to read this book. It will make you laugh and wince, but most importantly it will inspire you to think intelligently and creatively about our worship culture.” To which David Peacock, of the Music and Worship department of the London School of Theology, adds…”Provocative…a useful, practical, challenging and timely resource”.

“DEFEAT INTO VICTORY” by Field-Marshal Sir William Slim. Cassell. 1956.
Have you ever read a book, sometime in the distant past, that had a profound effect on you? A book, that for you, has been unforgettable?
Many years ago now I read such a book - borrowed from the local public library. A few months ago I asked the owner of a second hand bookshop whether he knew of the book. He did, and several weeks later ‘phoned to say he had secured a copy for me.
So, ten dollars later, I was the proud owner of a well used, ex John McGlashan College Library, copy of “DEFEAT INTO VICTORY” by Field-Marshal Sir William Slim published in 1956. Re-reading the book after all these years did not disappoint me. So, why was this book so memorable?
Well firstly it was memorable because of the account it contained of the defeat, by the Japanese army in the Second World War, of the allied forces in Burma, and then of the re conquest of that country by the allied forces some time later under the command of the author of the book. In itself a quite remarkable military achievement.
The second reason I found this book to be unforgettable was the many parallels I found in it for the spiritual battle that we, as Christians, are involved in. Paul challenges his readers in every age to fight the good fight as he had done.
To the Corinthian Christians he wrote…”For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
Writing to the Ephesians he told them to “put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11)
Following the disastrous defeat in Burma a new strategy had to be put in place to beat the Japanese. The army had to be strengthened, equipped and retrained for jungle warfare. Air supremacy had to be achieved and supply channels put in place and so on.
But there was a bigger problem that faced the army as a whole and that was morale. After such a resounding and humiliating defeat the mind set of many of the soldiers and officers involved was that the Japanese army and air force were invincible. That state of mind had to be turned round if victory was to be achieved.
So, writes the author…”When I took command, I sat quietly down to work out this business of morale. I came to certain conclusions, based not on any theory that I had studied, but on some experiences and a good deal of hard thinking. It was on these conclusions that I set out consciously to raise the fighting spirit of my army.”
The Christian church in New Zealand, and the West in general, has a problem of morale because it too is in much the same state as that army after its defeat in Burma. We are defeated by disunity, apathy, disinterest, ridicule, political correctness, worldliness, infighting, self-interest, materialism and a largely anti-Christian government and press.
Deserters and casualties are many and most of those who remain are in survival mode. There is a liberal fifth column operating within the church that is working against its best interests. While thousands around us are heading for a lost eternity we seem, with a few encouraging exceptions, powerless to make any real spiritual impact on our society.
The General, as he was then, tabulated the foundations of morale as being threefold. Spiritual, intellectual and material. Here then, with a few minor gender changes, is what he wrote under those three headings. Like I did, when I first read them, I hope that you too will see the parallels to the spiritual war we are enlisted to be involved in…

(1) SPIRITUAL: (a) There must be a great and noble object.
(b) Its achievement must be vital.
(c) The method of achievement must be active and aggressive.
(d) Those involved must feel that what they are, and what is expected of them, matters directly toward the attainment of the objective.

(2) INTELLECTUAL: (a) Each person must be convinced that the object can be attained; that it is not beyond their reach.
(b) They must see too, that the organization to which they belong, and which is striving to attain the objective, is an efficient one.
(c) They must be confident in their leaders and know that whatever dangers and hardships they are called upon to suffer, their life will not be lightly flung away.

(3) MATERIAL: (a) All those involved must feel that they will get a fair deal from their commanders and from the army in general.
(b) They must, as far as is humanly possible, be given the best weapons and equipment for the task. (I would add training to that list because I know, from reading the book, that that was given a high priority too.)
(c) Their living conditions must be as good as they can be. (End of quote)

If we are to be effective for Christ, our commanding officer, in the spiritual battle we are involved in then we too must take morale seriously. As Paul wrote to Timothy…”Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilians affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
The victory that the allied forces achieved in Burma was not easily won, mistakes were made, lives lost and many wounded. But victory was won in the end and every battle won was a step in that direction. We have the advantage of knowing the end of the story – Christ already has the victory but there are still battles to be fought before His victory becomes a universal reality. United, in His strength, we too can turn defeat into victory!

“DEFEAT INTO VICTORY” by Field-Marshall Sir William Slim was published in 1956 by Cassell and Company Ltd. London.

“DEREK PRINCE – A Biography” by Stephen Mansfield. Charisma House.
 As one reads about the lives of prominent Christians, down through the ages, it is not long before one realizes that God has no stereotypes as to the sort of people he chooses to use for His purposes. This point can be proved time and again from the pages of Scripture. Some of the most unlikely types, from a human perspective, have the hand of God laid on them and, in spite of their past, and in some cases their continuing mistakes and disobedience, God still used them to fulfill His agenda.
 While some people seem from birth to have been destined to play a significant role in the purposes of God it would appear that in many cases God allows men and women to go their own merry way until, at some point in their life, God challenges them, their life is then turned around, and they go down in history as a great man or woman of God.
 Saul of Tarsus was certainly one such as was Augustine of Hippo, John Bunyan, George Muller, C.S. Lewis and, more recently, Derek Prince, whose biography by Stephen Mansfield has just been published.
 Though I knew of his writings, radio teaching, cassette tapes and worldwide ministry, I knew very little of Derek Prince himself and so it was with interest that I secured a pre-publication copy and read it with growing fascination.
 I have to say firstly that it is one of the most honest biographies that I have ever read. Stephen Mansfield obviously spent much time with Derek toward the end of his life and asked some very searching questions as to the years prior to his conversion.
 One is tempted to believe that if God is able to forgive and forget then maybe we too should not bring up the past. That we should leave it buried and just remember the person as the faithful servant of God they became. The Bible certainly doesn’t do that because, I imagine, God knows that there are lessons to be learnt from the lives of these people that can only be learnt when we know both the before and the after. Great lessons of God’s mercy, grace, willingness to forgive and then use in His service.

 Derek Prince was born in Bangalore in India at about the time when the old world order of British Empire power was waning. His father was an army officer, as were several generations before him. Derek’s early life was as much Indian as it was British. He lived in an exotic, violent, clashing world where East did indeed meet West.
Biographies such as this double as a history lesson of the times in which the life was lived. The places, the people, the way of life, the expectations related to the obvious class distinctions that existed, attitudes, progress, change and so on. For me this is what brings a book to life and gives it reality and the author does this well.
 Stephen Mansfield traces Derek’s life during those formative years. The return to England at five years of age, schooling in the best of schools, Cambridge University, where he distinguished himself as a scholar and became a Don, and then the army in World War 2. At that time he, like C.S. Lewis, was as an avowed atheist and his morals, behaviour and manner of life was very different to that which he later taught and practiced so passionately.
 To all outward appearances Derek was not an obvious candidate for any sort of life-changing spiritual experience. He was a lonely man who experienced some very emotionally low times. Even so God was at work in most unexpected ways.
 He was posted to Scarborough, in the North of England, and that was where God cornered him. He saw service as a non-combatant in the Royal Army Medical Corps in North Africa. On several leaves he visited Palestine, as it was then called, and it was there that he met is first wife - but I’ll not spoil it for you if I go into more detail. You really will have to read the book for yourself to enjoy the whole story.
 A paragraph on page 100 sums it up pretty well…”The lives of great men normally reveal a pattern of strategic timing, as though providence has aligned the life of the man with the course of the age to achieve some higher purpose.”  This was certainly true for Derek Prince.
 I think what struck me most from reading this book was the diversity of ways in which God works to bring about his purposes. There are several quite distinct streams of Christian belief and practice operating. Perhaps the things of God are so deep and broad that we are not able to grasp everything and so He reveals Himself to people in different ways and in so doing covers the full spectrum of His dealings with mankind.
 Derek Prince was very much a man of the Bible and yet, on some subjects, there are those, equally anointed of the Lord, who would beg to differ, yet God blesses both and His kingdom is enlarged as a result and different people’s needs are met in the process.
 In reading about this man whose life was lived in the service of his Lord and Saviour, and who has been a blessing to millions, one has to live with this tension and be grateful that God is bigger than even the greatest human minds can comprehend and humbly bow in worship as Derek Prince would so desire that we should.

“DEREK PRINCE A Biography” by Stephen Mansfield is published by Charisma House at the R.R.P. of $34.95 (ISBN 1-59185-794-5 Published 2005 Clothbound)

“DISAPPOINTED WITH JESUS?” by Gavin Calver. Monarch Books. $22.95.
If you were to compare a road map of the South Island of New Zealand with a road map of the South of England you would notice a marked difference. The South of England has a much more complicated roading system that requires considerable concentration when planning, and following, a route from one place to another.
I use that to illustrate the difference between what it is like for a young person growing up today and what it was like for me at the same stage of development. Life for me was far less complicated as a teenager. There were nowhere near as many distractions and temptations, and boundaries were much more clearly set.
I grew up in a Christian family and the church we were members of provided a much wider range of activities for young people than is the case in most churches today. There was a tennis club, a mid week recreational evening for young people and Saturday evening activities most weeks. There was Sunday afternoon Bible class and a fortnightly youth fellowship after the evening service on a Sunday. Outside of our own fellowship there were always interesting events at other churches nearby. It is very different for young people today growing up in our largely unrestrained, materialistic, entertainment orientated, and sex obsessed, secular New Zealand. Life for teenagers today is a veritable minefield.
One often hears it said in church circles that our young people are the future church. That may well be so but the problem is that there are an increasing number of young people who are in fact opting out of church life, which doesn’t bode well for the church in the future. Sadly many of these young people are from Christian homes while others may, for a time, have been attracted to a church youth group but never came into a vital relationship with Jesus. Teenagers today are anti institution so the church of itself will not hold them – they need to know Jesus personally if they are to stay in the church.
Gavin Calver is the son of a prominent evangelical Christian leader in the U.K. This placed expectations upon him that he resented. He rebelled and was thrown out of Sunday School, at Sunday worship he slunk out to the car park for a smoke during the sermon, soccer became his passion, drink his escape, and girls his fun. The final straw came when his parents accepted a call to minister in the United States. He refused to go with them believing that he could make it on his own. Church life held no interest, he blamed God for his parents going to the U.S.A. and he hit the bottle big time. It was after a drinking binge on his eighteenth birthday, like the prodigal son in the parable of Jesus, that he came to his senses.
Gavin came to realize that he could not exist on an inherited faith. What he needed was a personal relationship with Jesus. This he claimed and today, still in his twenties, he is on the leadership team of Youth for Christ, where he is responsible for the team working with local churches.
His book, “DISAPPOINTED WITH JESUS” is a passionate plea for the church to take a greater interest in its young people. He poses the question, “Why do so many young people give up on God?” and goes on to write…”It breaks my heart to think how many of my mates got lost along the way. Of a group of 10 to 15 people, only one other person and myself are still going on for God. Those who packed it in claimed to be disappointed with Jesus. Really they were disappointed with the church.”
As Gavin shares his own journey he challenges the church to take a more loving, sympathetic and tolerant interest in its young people. The church as an institution holds no interest for them. The local church, through its members, is only fulfilling its God given role when it demonstrates the love of God and models Jesus for them.
This is a book that teenagers need to be encouraged to read as it will help them to understand why they react, and develop, as they do during their teen years. It will challenge them as to what is important in life and warn them of the dangers that face them when God is rejected. More importantly though Christian parents should read this book as it will help them to better understand their teenage children and the challenges and changes they are coping with during those formative years.
But I wouldn’t stop with just parents, this is a book that all concerned adults should read if they really do believe that their young people are the future church. To take that for granted may well result in there not being enough of them left to be that future church.
This is a challenging book that is both instructive and realistic. Gavin uses the experiences of many young people he has known to illustrate the points he is making. His own story adds considerable weight to what he is saying.
Gavin came to appreciate what his parents had done for him as a child and a teenager. He saw in them, though for a time he resented it, the life of Jesus being lived out in devoted service and obedience. They have written an after word at the end of the book.
Ian Coffey of the Spring Harvest Leadership Team writes…”Gavin Calver’s honestly told story will be a help and inspiration to many prodigals – and those who pray for them to come home.”

“DISAPPOINTED with JESUS?” by Gavin Calver is published by Monarch Books at the R.R.P. of $22.95. (ISBN 1-85424-649-6 Published 2004. 159 pages)

“epilogue” a collection of poems by Andrew Killick. Shadow Press.

Andrew Killick is the publishing manager of Castle Publishing Ltd. in Auckland. From time to time he sends me a review copy of a new book they have published. The latest of these, received late in 2005 was a small book of poems by Andrew himself.
He made the comment to me in the accompanying letter that he was in a “rather strange position of promoting my own book”.  Entitled “Epilogue” this collection of poems spans a timeframe between 1995, when he first started writing poetry while doing an arts degree at Auckland University, and 2005.
Andrew completed his MA degree in 1999 having specialized in modern poetry along with research in historical Christian poetry. Andrew’s poetry engages all facets of life – loss, love, society, spirituality and God.
Much of Andrew’s work, he claims, deals with, and grows out of, the tension between the physical and spiritual experiences of life with a tendency towards bringing the unexpected into the everyday, and the everyday into the unexpected.
He records the fact that along the way he has been given cause to be thankful for the books he had read, the music he had listened to, the art he had viewed and for the people who had taught him.
In an email to me Andrew made the following comments…”My feeling about poetry is that people are overly cautious about it – it really isn’t some strange secret art form, it is simply the way to condense emotion, experience and truth into written words. Sometimes it seems mysterious, but that’s because – as everyone knows – many experiences, emotions and truths are extremely difficult to capture with ‘normal’ language. Christians are in a unique position to appreciate and enjoy poetry seeing that about one third of our Bible is poetry and the rest constantly uses poetic language.”

Now for some examples…on page 37 is a poem entitles “Sarajevo”

They waited at the street corner,
then quickly ran across the road
the way we would seek to avoid the rain
as we made our way up the main street –
they, the sniper’s bullets.
Theirs was a big, hard, heavy, thick war
that cramped the bones in his fingers.
She loved him & was taken away saying,
“Pass my error onto Kovak” in earnest love.
Her song was now just echoes on the hills
As he touched the page to feel her last contact
as she disappeared.

And another from page 49 has the title…”what they saw”

couldn’t you paint her face like radiance and appear
like one who constantly gazes around at creation in wonder?
and all things happen for a purpose, all things happen
and then all things happen again.
and all things work together for good
for those who love the Lord.
exactly what I saw, exactly when I was being brave
and the also rans were galloping past the finish line
and in all things I gave thanks
and kept on breathing in and out
until all that glistened was not gold
and the city on the hill could not be hid
until everything seemed to be and not to be
and tiredness turned into sleep
and I simply kept it close and kept silent.

And I loved this short one on page 28 “paris”

I missed you… in gare du nord
outside the george pompidou… underneath the tour eiffel
inside the louvre… along the champs-elysees
near the arc de triomphe…I missed you in paris.

Just three examples of the seventy or so poems by Andrew Killick in his book “epilogue”. Published by shadow press at the R.R.P. of just $14.95.
(ISBN 0-473-10542-X  Published 2005 75 pages) Reviewed for Radio Rhema by John Ward and recorded by John Lindsey in the Christchurch studios of the Christian Resource Centre INTERNATIONAL.

“EVANGELICAL TRUTH” by John Stott. InterVarsity Press R.R.P.$19.95
One of the things that encourages me to believe that the Christian faith is for real is that there are so many people against it. Be they members of other religions, atheists, agnostics or just plain anti religion in general all seem to have a thing about Christ, Christians, the Christian faith and the Church.
Added to this there is also a fifth column that works from within the church to undermine its confidence and effectiveness as God’s agent in fulfilling the task He has placed it in the world to accomplish.
Even among those who are committed to following Christ, and who are faithful to the Word of God, there are divisions that hinder and obstruct the unity that the Lord Jesus prayed for as recorded in John 17.
All too often we are guilty of being more preoccupied with the things that divide us than we are about the things we have in common. This has come home to me personally of late when a situation that I had organized, and which had the potential to stimulate mission and outreach to the lost, was undermined by lesser things being given the spotlight while the main thrust of what was said was lost.
As I worked through my disappointment a reprint of a book by John Stott came to hand that helped me to get things back into focus. His book, “EVANGELICAL TRUTH”, is a personal plea for unity, integrity and faithfulness. It is a heartfelt statement, from a contemporary Christian leader, with many years of fruitful ministry behind him, which brings into sharp focus the defining essence of evangelical truth.
At the very heart of evangelical faith is the gracious initiative of God the Father in revealing himself to us, of Jesus Christ in redeeming us through the cross, and of the Holy Spirit indwelling, transforming and empowering us for the task entrusted to us.
The threefold emphasis of evangelical Christian faith is firstly upon the Word of God as the vehicle by which God has made himself known and reveals his purposes. Secondly: the once-for-all nature of the work of Christ in making reconciliation with God possible and thirdly the active, continuing work of the Holy Spirit.
Following the introduction as to evangelical essentials John Stott moves on to consider the revelation of God. The means, that is, by which he has made himself known. God has done this in a general way through creation, in a more specific way through the inspired Scriptures and in a personal way through the coming into the world of God the Son in human form.
Part two has to do with the cross of Christ and its central place in evangelical thought. It is the place where we find our acceptance with God as guilty sinners, confessing our need, and by faith receiving that which Christ accomplished on our behalf. Saved by grace through faith and given the promise of eternal life.
Our acceptance with God, our daily discipleship, along with the mission and message we have been entrusted with all find their basis and stimulus in the
cross. It was the great missionary Paul who wrote, “God forbid that I should boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us, He gave himself for our sins so that in him we might have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. It was the theologian P.T. Forsyth who wrote… “Christ is to us just what the cross is. All that Christ was in heaven or on earth was put into what he did there…You do not understand Christ until you understand the cross.”
The third section of this book has to do with the ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to Christian beginnings, Christian assurance, holiness, community, mission and hope. Each of these topics being dealt with in detailed and helpful way.
What Christ, the Son of God, came to do in obedience to God the Father’s bidding the Holy Spirit of God now continues to make effective in the lives of all those he indwells as the proof and guarantee of their relationship with Christ Jesus.
The challenge presented in this book is that those of evangelical faith retain their integrity, stability, remain faithful to the truth revealed in Scripture, maintain unity, and endurance, in spite of all the opposition the enemy of souls would throw at us.
The postscript highlights the pre-eminence of humility in our Christian witness and dealings with one another. One of the ways that I evaluate a book is to try to gauge the attitude of the one who has written it and what that attitude engenders.
Sadly those who claim to be evangelical Christians are often regarded as being proud, vain, arrogant and cocksure. Such attitudes are at odds with what should be true because, as the author writes, “the supreme quality which the evangelical faith engenders (or should do) is humility.” That is certainly the spirit in which this book is written and its content encourages its readers to practice the same.

“EVANGELICAL TRUTH” by John Stott is published by InterVarsity Press at the R.R.P. of $19.95. (First published in 1999 ISBN 0-85111-988-3 – 159 pages).

“Every Day With Jesus BIBLE” and “TREASURY” – Selwyn Hughes.
Although the Bible is read around the world by millions of people it still has the power to speak to each one of us individually. And, as one author has said, “The Bible is a personal message from God to you—and whatever situations you may face, you will find hope, wisdom, encouragement, and the very purpose for your life within its pages.”      (From Falling in Love with the Bible by Mike MacIntosh. Victor)
    Because God has designed the Bible to last us a lifetime and thereby meet our needs at each and every stage of life, and in the many and varied situations we meet on the journey, the Bible can be read in many different ways.
    Read it from cover to cover, or a book at a time, meditate on a text, follow a theme or a doctrine, do character studies of Bible characters. Use a study guide, daily Bible reading notes or dip into a commentary for a deeper understanding of the passage being read and so on.
    Over recent years a number of Bibles have been produced that contain helpful notes and explanations and one such was given to me recently.
    You will be familiar I’m sure with Selwyn Hughes and the Every Day with Jesus devotionals that he has written for forty years or so, and which are daily read by some 750.000 people around the world.
    “The Every Day With Jesus BIBLE”, using the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation, divides the sixty six books of the Bible into 365 easy-to-read sections with an extract from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. being allocated for each day and thereby covering the whole Bible in a year.
    Along with these readings is a life related devotional thought, a short prayer, some questions for further study and, at the back, several lined pages for personal notes and reflections.
    Because, left to ourselves, we tend to gravitate to those passages of Scripture that we are familiar with, or especially enjoy, there is the danger of neglecting other parts of the Bible through which God might want to speak to us and instruct us.
    The words that Paul wrote to Timothy are still as valid for us today…”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
   As an aid to daily Bible reading this publication combines a good, modern translation, with selected readings for each day, along with helpful devotional notes and questions to stimulate further study.
   The price is right too with the Hardback edition having a R.R.P. of $34.95 and Paperback R.R.P. $29.95. This is outstanding value for such a well presented and comprehensive publication.

   Also from Selwyn Hughes and the CWR team is the “Every Day With Jesus TREASURY” which contains highlights from eleven popular issues of Every Day With Jesus published over the years. There are also some recent reflections on the subjects covered and prayers to help the reader apply what has been read to their own personal experience.
   This is a beautifully presented gift book with attractive, coloured, pictorial pages that combine helpful reflections, quotations, and “Quiet Time” poems by Susan Lenzkes. The subjects covered are the Twenty Third Psalm, The Divine Eagle, The Lord’s Prayer along with…
   The Divine Gardener, The Vision of God, The All-Sufficient Christ, Going Deeper with God, Thy Will be Done, The Care of the Soul, The Pursuit of Exellence and the Uniqueness of our Faith. All powerful and enriching subjects I think you will agree.
   The R.R.P. of “The Every Day With Jesus TREASURY” is just $21.95. (ISBN 1-85345-351-X)

Both the “Every Day With Jesus BIBLE” and the “Every Day With Jesus TREASURY” are published by Crusade for World Revival.

“FAITH IN THE FACE OF DANGER” by Jonathan Lamb. Authentic. $19.95.
When it comes to fulfilling the purposes of God it is often a case of the right person being in the right place at the right time and usually that right person is a person chosen and prepared by God in advance to meet a particular need.
Over recent weeks in our Bible in Schools lessons we have been taking the children through the life of Joseph. He first appears on the pages of history as a spoilt, obnoxious brat who told tales on his brothers and boastfully recounted dreams in which his many brothers, and even his parents, bowed down to him.
Yet, in the purposes of God, he became second only to Pharaoh himself when he was appointed to make preparation for the seven years of famine about which Pharaoh’s dreams had warned him. In so doing Joseph became God’s means by which his own extended family were saved from the famine’s life threatening effect.
Another man, who is nowhere near as well known as Joseph, was Nehemiah. He too was a man prepared by God to meet a need in his day. After seventy years of exile many of God’s people had returned to their own land. The temple in Jerusalem had been rebuilt and some degree of normality had returned to life in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah, who held a position of some importance in the service of the Persian King Artaxerxes, around about 445BC received news from Jerusalem that deeply concerned him. He was told… “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3)
He mourned, fasted and prayed and when the opportunity arose he shared his obvious concern with the king. Then, with the king’s support and authority, he traveled to his homeland believing that God’s hand for good was upon him for the work of rebuilding the wall – a task he led the people in completing in just fifty two days – a quite remarkable feat by any standard. The Bible records all this, and much more, in the book that bears his name.
But, you may be thinking, what has this got to do with us? We live in New Zealand, in a society that is very different to Jerusalem several thousand years ago, our towns and cities do not have walls round them nor gates that are shut at night.
That may well be so but it has to be acknowledged that the spiritual walls that provide protection for our society are certainly in ruins. The remedy for such a situation can be learnt by studying and then applying the principles found in a book like Nehemiah.
Nehemiah has much to teach us about leadership skills and how to go about enthusing and organizing a diverse group of people to accomplish a worthwhile task. His leadership went beyond the practical needs involved. He had a zeal for God along with a passion for seeing God’s will implemented in the spiritual and moral areas of life.
Nehemiah organized the public reading of the Scriptures and arranged for qualified men to be on hand to explain what they meant. Social reforms needed to be put in place and the worship of God restored to its rightful place in the life of the community.
Laws had to be enacted to protect the people from the pagan influences of the other people living around Jerusalem and so on. All of this Nehemiah accomplished.
There was considerable opposition from the non-Jewish people who also lived in the land, and had done so for many years. The book of Nehemiah has much to teach about dealing with opposition and how to maintain a healthy balance between reliance upon God and the need to play our part in fulfilling His purposes.
There is a strong emphasis on prayer in this book and the importance of obedience in our dealings with God. Nehemiah recognized the need for both times of repentance and times of rejoicing. Nehemiah was not only concerned to build a wall but also recognized the need to build the people into a strong community of faith.
As I prepared a series of Home Group studies on this remarkable little book I was struck by the way in which so much could be applied to the Christian life and the ‘building project’ that we are called to be involved in, as the people of God.
As background reading for my preparation I used Jonathan Lamb’s study book “Faith in the face of Danger” in which he answers such questions as: “How do we hold on to our faith when we face difficulties and dangers? How do we build a community that will show the love of God to those who don’t know him yet? Because these are not new questions, and Nehemiah faced them long, long ago”.
This book is based on of a series of messages given by the author at the 125th anniversary of the Keswick Convention held in 2000. The thirteen chapters are divided into five sections. Choosing God’s Priorities, Building God’s People, Knowing God’s Protection, Responding to God’s Word and finally, Living by God’s Standards.
Each section concludes with questions, suggestions for further study, reflection and response. An ideal publication for individual or group study. As author and pastor Ian Coffey, has said of this book …”The message of Nehemiah – so relevant for today’s church – is explained and applied with great skill.”

"FAITH IN THE FACE OF DANGER" by Jonathan Lamb. Published by Authentic. R.R.P. $19.95 ISBN 1-85078-580-5 Published in 2004. 132 pages Bible Study/O.T. History. 

“Finding the Favor of GOD” by Dr. Ronnie Floyd. New Leaf Press RRP $26.95

 One sometimes hears it said that someone just happened to be in the right place at the right time. For the non-Christian this is simply put down to luck or chance. For the Christian it might well be seen as God’s leading or provision.
 Very rarely is credit given to the person for having placed themselves in that position so that they were ready and waiting when the opportunity came their way. In a game of Cricket field placing is all important and it is the Captain’s placing of his fielding players, in the right positions to take advantage of the bowlers strengths and the batsman’s favoured shots, that can win or lose the game.
 The same is true of life in general and it is especially true in our relationship with God. Salvation and eternal life are all of God’s grace but His favor may well be directed at times upon those who position themselves to benefit from it.
 Grace and favor are two words that are closely linked. There are many books written about God’s grace but to my knowledge very few that deal with God’s favor. Dr. Ronnie Floyd, from whom I quoted last week with regard to Mary having found favor with God, has rectified this situation with his book “Finding the Favor of God”.
 W.E. Vine, in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, writes that “Grace implies more than favour; grace is a free gift, favour may be deserved or gained.”  As a noun both grace and favor come from the Greek word CHARIS but favor, as a verb, is CHARITOO, which means to endow with charis or grace. To show favour.
 Early in the book of Genesis we read that… “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” ((Genesis 6:8) Why was that? The next verse tells us. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”
 Although God’s saving of Noah and his family was entirely of God’s grace God’s favor rested upon him because he was a righteous man and walked with God. In other word’s he had positioned himself to be the recipient of God’s favor.
 Because God is whom He is he is not obligated to extend His favor to us as a reward for our good behaviour and faithfulness to Him but, if we set ourselves to live in a way that pleases Him, we can have confidence in believing that His favor will rest upon us and, as a result, we can count our blessings and give Him the glory.
 The great Old Testament leader Nehemiah closes the book that recounts his exploits with the words “Remember me with favor, O my God.” (Nehemiah 13:31) Dr. Floyd’s belief is that that is a prayer we can all pray but, to receive a positive answer, requires that we, as did Noah, Nehemiah, Mary and many others, position ourselves by our devotion to God and the holy life of faith that proceeds from it.
 Dr. Floyd opens by introducing the concept of the favor of God and how it applies to his readers. The American spelling of favor leaves “U” out but God certainly doesn’t. In Part One God’s favor is defined and goes on to answer the question - What is God’s Favor? From there the book moves on to explain how one can grasp God’s favor and recognize signs of it’s sovereign and mysterious manifestations in our life.

 Part Two Deals with Finding God’s favor as we seek it, discover it and experience it. The final Part deals with Positioning ourselves for God’s Favor through growth, faithfulness and an ever increasing knowledge of what is pleasing to Him.
 Dr. Floyd is the pastor of a very large church that has grown considerably under his leadership. He has already written eighteen other books and is a popular and respected conference speaker and broadcaster. This book is filled with examples, personal experiences and powerful illustrations - many of which are taken directly from the Bible. He writes, and I quote, “The favor of God is as important as it is unexplored and misunderstood. Both the Old and the New Testaments frequently highlight God’s favor. Heroes of faith such as Moses, David, Daniel, Mary, Peter, Paul and others both discovered and experienced the favor of God. You can too.”
 “While a certain mystery will always color the favor of God, it can be sought after, discovered, experienced and enjoyed. Favor is not a toy to play with nor a blessing to exploit. While complete understanding of God’s favor will forever remain beyond our grasp, we can do much to find and experience it. Starting today!” (End of quote)

I found this a richly rewarding book to read with its fresh and convincing exploration of a subject that has long been neglected. It is, to quote author Spencer Tillman, “impressive in its scope and depth, and yet is remarkably simplistic to read. It belongs in everyone’s library in these uncertain times.” 
"Finding the Favor of God” by Dr. Ronnie Floyd is published by New Leaf Press at the R.R.P. of $26.95 (ISBN 0-89221-619-0 Clothbound. Published 2005. 158 pages)

“FOLLOW JESUS” by Dave Roberts. Victor Books (Kingsway) R.R.P. $24.95.
The invitation that Jesus extended to his first disciples was to follow him. Two thousand years have not changed that simple invitation. To follow someone presumes a willingness to trust, a route to be taken and a destination to be reached. It is also a commitment that involves obedience for the duration of the journey. To lose sight of the one being followed, or to opt out of the journey altogether, is to place the reaching of the destination in jeopardy.
The Christian life is a journey not a religion. It is a relationship with the one who is followed because only he knows the route to be taken and the destination to be reached at its end.
But following Jesus in a world that is increasingly antagonistic to him can be, and probably will be, dangerous. Jesus was dangerous during his own earthly pilgrimage, and he still is.
He is dangerous to the status quo, dangerous to the religious elite, dangerous to the complacent yet, over the centuries, many have loved him and given up their lives to follow him. It is no different today. He disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. He challenges the worldly wise and enjoys the company of the outcaste and the unloved.
So, as today’s book asks, “what does it mean to follow him now? How do I absorb his radical mix of holiness and graciousness, of wisdom without obsessive rule-keeping?”
“FOLLOW JESUS” by author, speaker and publishing consultant, Dave Roberts, is a guide book for the spiritually hungry, for those who are intent on following Jesus in a radical and life changing way.
The Jesus we meet in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is the most uncomfortable, comfortable person one could ever be with. His first disciples never knew what he was going to do next. He berated the religious leaders of his day and described them to their face in some most uncomplimentary ways.
He was unyielding in the demands he made upon those who asked to follow him. Many were offended by his claims. He ate with the outcastes of society, he touched the untouchables, he spoke with those whom others shunned and he told the most simple, yet at times, most outrageous stories.
He healed the sick and crippled, restored sight to the blind, raised the dead, fed the hungry, stilled storms, walked on water, caste out demons and blessed little children. He turned water into wine so that a wedding party wouldn’t be spoilt and vandalized a market that had been set up in a place dedicated to prayer.
At the heart of a poem by Pete Greig is a line that stopped the author in his track and started him on a journey of discovery about Jesus. “The vision of Jesus – obsessively, dangerous, undeniably Jesus.” It is that kind of Jesus that this book is about and it makes for challenging, stimulating and potentially life changing reading.
Using the Gospels as his foundation Dave Roberts adds personal experiences, and the example of others he has known over the years, to spell out what it really means to follow Jesus in every area of life. His style of writing is lively and contemporary.
He explains what it will mean to implement the teaching and example of Jesus in every area of life, not just in the religious segment it is so easy to relegate the Christian component of our life to. Real holy living with Jesus is to live with him outside the box. It is both meek and wild, a long costly, obedience in the same direction.
Chapter five is a message from our sponsor and the following chapter takes the reader into once upon a time land. Chapter seven is a swimming lesson with Peter and so the book progresses with pithy little stories, pointed examples, perceptive insights and challenging application.
Each chapter is short and to the point with bold headings to highlight the subject matter along the way. The author asks the question: “Are you ready to be ordinary so that the extraordinary can be seen in your life as the Holy Spirit prompts you?” To use the Scriptures as a means of listening to the Spirit. To learn with the first disciples of Jesus from everyday conversations and through crisis times?
Living with the paradoxes in the life of Jesus doesn’t involve compromise. You are not being asked to ignore parts of it, as sadly so many Christians and non-Christians choose to do. You are being asked to take it all seriously even if at times you don’t understand it fully or know how to apply it even if you do.
Like Jesus you will be misunderstood at times, ridiculed and criticized as he was. He was accused of being demonized because he lived an ascetic lifestyle and called a glutton and a drunkard because he celebrated the good gifts of his Father with the people he most wanted to reach and influence.
Following Jesus as Lord and Saviour is the only sure way to eternal life because, as Peter of old said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) This book could well be your introduction to a new way of living that makes following Jesus the exciting and demanding top priority of your life.

“FOLLOW JESUS” a guide book for the spiritually hungry by Dave Roberts is published by Victor an imprint of Kingsway and Cook Communication Ministries. R.R.P. $24.95. (ISBN 1-84291-215-1 Published 2004, 190 pages)

“GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK” by John Ortberg. $19.95
The rather unusual cover of today’s book is what first caught my attention as I browsed in a local Christian bookshop recently. The title, “God is Closer than you Think” is spelt out in letters of decreasing size, on a vivid white background, like one of those cards you see in a doctor’s surgery, that are used to test a persons eyesight.
Then in much smaller letters, that really do test your eyesight, is the question “If God is always with us, why is he so hard to find?” Turning the book over the prospective customer is told that “the Bible is filled with examples of an intimate God, a God keenly interested in connecting with ordinary people. He promises to be with us. Yet somehow intimacy with God eludes us. Caught in the mainstream of life, we know we are missing something vital. But how do we obtain it?” (End of Quote)

John Ortberg’s answers to these questions makes for interesting reading. There is a freshness about what he writes that I found most stimulating. His turn of phrase, use of illustrations and quotations and the practical application of the Scriptures maintains the reader’s interest throughout bringing a fresh understanding to well known truths and opening up new trains of thought in areas perhaps not previously considered.
God’s great desire is that we might know him and enjoy knowing him in ways that bring glory to him and give purpose and meaning to life for you and I. The problem is that there are so many things that get in the way. We may be looking for God either in the wrong places or in such a way that we limit the degree to which we really want to know him. In other words on our terms rather than his – you just can’t do that where God is concerned.
Like Wally, in the “Where’s Wally” books God is often hidden in the crowd. He’s there but we fail to recognize him because, as Armond Nicholi has said, “He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always easy to penetrate.”
Sometimes, the author suggests, God hides himself from us so that our desire to know him is tested. We can give up and place knowing God in the too hard basket or we can be provoked into seeking for him with greater zeal and commitment.
While we may think that God is far away he is in fact closer than you think. Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome depicts God reaching down to Adam so that all Adam has to do is lift his finger to touch the welcoming hand of God.
Life with God is a relationship that grows and deepens with time but, for it to do so, takes application and commitment on our part. A good relationship is always two way because a one sided relationship is unbalanced and therefore unsatisfactory. Like Mary of Bethany we need to take time out with Jesus, sit at his feet, learn from him and allow the dust from his sandals to settle upon us.
Life can become so busy and cluttered that even what might be good hinders the best becoming a reality. God’s promise of, and desire for, closeness cannot be limited to when it suits us. He knocks on the door of our inner life and seeks admittance to every part of it.
John Ortberg writes of the ”sacrament of the present moment”. The past is irretrievably gone, never to return. The future is unknown but each moment we live is God’s irreplaceable gift to you and I. Tomorrow may well be the most dangerous word in the English language because putting things off until then may mean that God’s gift of this present moment is lost.
Because of our individual uniqueness we will all experience God’s presence and learn to relate to him in different ways. Finding the spiritual pathway that best fits our uniqueness is the subject of chapter seven.
The quirky little movie based on the book “The Princess Bride” is used by John Ortberg to illustrate the truth that there is no greater expression of love than the freely submitted will that is always ready to say to God, as the farm boy did to the heroine of the story whenever she required anything of him, “as you wish”. When old enough to realize it she came to understand that the farm boy was really saying “I love you.”
A meaningful relationship with the God, who is closer than you think, requires the willing submission of love. But the author is realistic in recognizing toward the end of the book that there are those times when God seems absent. An experience common to us all. In spite of this though we can be assured that God is waiting to be discovered in the complex mosaic of life if we are willing to search for him with all our heart.
With his vivid gift for storytelling John Ortberg illustrates the ways in which you can reach out to God and complete the connection to your joy and his. So often when reading a book I am tempted to say, “I’ve read all this before” but in this case those truths, many of which I did know so well, came across with a freshness and vitality that was a real spiritual tonic. A five star read this one!

“God is Closer Than You Think” by John Ortberg is published by Zondervan at the R.R.P. of $19.95. (ISBN 0-310-25318-7 Published 2005 198 pages)

“GOD’S PRIORITIES” by J. John.   Published by Victor R.R.P. $24.99
The saying has it that “familiarity breeds contempt”. It may do in some cases but I have a feeling that familiarity is much more likely to breed a loss of meaning and importance.
Some things, and some places, can become so familiar that we no longer notice or appreciate them. Take for example what we know as the Lord’s Prayer as recorded, in slightly different forms, in the Gospels of Matthew (6:9-10) and Luke (11:1).
You would probably be able to recite it without any trouble. It may well be that it is used as part of the liturgy in your church, at some point, during every service of worship. I can’t help wondering how often folk who regularly use it in this way take time to think it through so as to really know what it is that they are actually praying.
It is a pattern for prayer and I’m not sure that Jesus intended that it should be recited by rote as if that were sufficient to fulfill all that is embodied in it. Rather it was given to illustrate several of the most important aspects of our relationship with God and our dependence upon Him.
J. John is regarded as one of the most creative Christian speakers and writers in the U.K. and his latest book, “GOD’S PRIORITIES” picks up the thought that within these ancient words lies a profound guide to life for every generation. Far more than just a prayer to be prayed but challengingly indicative of the life to be lived if God is truly “Our Father in heaven…”
J. John claims to have written the book for four groups of people. (i) For those who have recently come to faith and want to know how to grow spiritually. (ii) For those also who have recently returned to the faith after a time away from God. (iii) For those who know the Lord’s Prayer but feel they want to know it better. (iv) For those who are searching for God and for whom this prayer would be a good starting point.
In his introduction the author poses the question as to why we should pray and goes on the give four answers. He summarizes these as firstly being a means of glorying God through praise. Secondly prayer allows us to be involved in God’s actions in the world.
Thirdly prayer makes it possible for us to enjoy fellowship with God by communicating with Him in the way He has indicated that we should and fourthly prayer allows us to receive God’s priorities for our lives.
Each of the eight chapters has a one word title beginning with the letter “P”. The first of these being the preliminaries of prayer. This includes three principles that relate to the relationship enjoyed with the One being prayed to. Personal, living and family which is indicated by the opening words. “Our Father”.
Prayer to such a One is a great privilege. I have no direct means of approaching Queen Elizabeth at her palace in England or Scotland but I do have access, through Jesus Christ, to God who is “Our Father in heaven”. Such a great privilege requires respect on our part, a recognition of whose presence we are seeking audience with.
Heaven is a place of awesome reality, a place of power, majesty and holiness that brings us to the third “P” praise. Our priority should be that of desiring above all else that God’s name be honoured. That God be number one in our priorities.
The purpose of this is that God’s kingdom might come and His will done, on earth as it is in heaven.  God’s kingdom is His dominion and rule in the lives of those who acknowledge Him to be whom He is. God’s kingdom is both dynamic and a delight. At times it is divisive and requires making a decision as to whom we choose to have control of our life. It is a kingdom that makes demands on its citizens.
The second half of the prayer deals with our needs. Firstly for God’s provision, our daily bread being symbolic of all the basic requirements of life. It is an acknowledgement of our total dependence upon Him.
Another basic need that we have, because we are all sinners and under judgment, is for His pardon, for forgiveness. The removing of our sin is made possible because God in Christ paid our debt and the requirement placed on us is to extend forgiveness to those who sin against us.
Our next request is for protection and deliverance because as God’s people we are actively involved in a spiritual conflict, of a most aggressive kind, with trials and temptations of many kinds dogging us all the time.
The final “P” has to do with perspective. An acknowledgement that in the final analysis it is the eternal nature of God’s kingdom, power and glory that should be the priority in our life 24/7.
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury writes…”This is a characteristically challenging, clear and practical guide to what it means to live as if we meant what we said when we pray. It is full of insight. Every Christian can learn from these meditations.”

“GOD’S PRIORITIES – Living the Lord’s Prayer in the 21st Century” by J. John is published by Victor at the R.R.P. of $24.99.    (ISBN 1-84291-269-0  Published 2001)

“HEALTHY HAPPY FREE” by Dr. Lisa Dawson. Castle Publishing. R.R.P. $12.95.
An old gentleman in my congregation in Dunedin many years ago often said to me “your health is your wealth”. He had for many years suffered from ill health that conventional medicine did not seem to have an answer for. He had some treatment, of what I gathered at the time was less conventional, and for a number of years enjoyed much improved health.
For those of us who are more concerned about storing up treasure in heaven than enjoying wealth on earth the statement “your health is your wealth” might not be entirely true. Even so our health is important to us and disregard for healthy living is a major cause of our medical services being under such pressure.
Much ill health is self inflicted, or the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, with such things as depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and fatigue reaching epidemic proportions. It goes without saying that heart disease, cancers of various kinds, diabetes, to mention but a few that can result from poor eating habits, excessive alcohol consumption, drugs, smoking and a lack of exercise.
Dr. Lisa Dawson, the author of the booklet “happy healthy free” makes the point that people are spending vast amounts of money, time and energy on the pursuit of feeling good. Health food shops and keep fit gymnasiums of all kinds are big business.
In her introduction she writes that…”In the past the pace of life was slower – no cars, no TV, no computers, less stress, and minimal refined and processed foods. People walked, talked and lived in extended families, ate unrefined foods, and spirituality was a vital part of their lives.”
By contrast today…”we grossly abuse our bodies through eating the wrong foods and neglecting to exercise, suffer incredible emotional stress, live independent, lonely lives, and are indoctrinated with every imaginable worldly principle.”
Added to this…”Many people have lost their basic values and beliefs, even in the church. They seek to serve only themselves and have forgotten to fear God and show mercy to the oppressed, poor and sick.”
So much then for the problem – what is the solution? How can we make healthy choices for body, soul and spirit? Providing some answers is the purpose of this booklet. The first step is to understand how the health industry operates and this is dealt with in the section following the introduction.
The second step is to understand how we work and this requires the need to recognize that health is more than just physical well being. As Paul acknowledged at the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians we are body, soul and spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Brain hormones, body hormones and the immune system work together for our holistic good and these function are identified and explained in the next section. Then, in the section dealing with the body, the author writes that… “The body makes a great servant but a terrible master” and because of this…”We need to learn to discipline our bodies rather than letting them dictate what they do or don’t want to do. Remember that with God all things are possible.”
Diet is obviously important and the food we eat, what the author calls the “building blocks and the fuel”, involves a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals, sodium salt and water. The part that each of these plays, along with the need for exercise, adequate sleep and relaxation, self care and regular medical check-ups is helpfully explained.
The next step is to understand the soul. That part of us that “thinks, feels and makes decisions.” Our soul can have a powerful detrimental effect on our body by affecting our hormonal balance and immunity as had been explained earlier in the book. Positive suggestions are made as to how problems in this area can be identified and dealt with.
The section on understanding the spirit opens with the claim that…”Without a doubt we are spiritual people. Very few people aren’t in some way drawn to the supernatural. Whether it is reading horoscopes, consulting clairvoyants, using energy medicines, or looking to traditional religions, we are all drawn to something beyond the merely physical.”
A helpful checklist is provided to enable Christians to check out the various aspects of their spiritual life. Being spiritually healthy will have a profound effect upon our physical health and emotional well being.
This final section concludes with the reminder that everything must be seen in the light of eternity. For those without such an expectation the physical body is all important. The body is what we use to live each day and how we feel emotionally often depends on how our body is functioning.
God created us body, soul and spirit to enjoy communion with Him and, while on planet earth, to live and serve Him according to the pattern He has given in His Word. When His claims upon us are ignored, and His pattern for life rejected, there is no way we can be healthy happy and free as He created us to be.

“HEALTHY HAPPY FREE” by Dr. Lisa Dawson is published by Castle Publishers in Auckland at the R.R.P. of $12.95. (ISBN 0-9582398-8-6 Published 2005. 64 pages)

Reviewed for Radio Rhema by John Ward and recorded by John Lindsey in the Christchurch studios of the Christian Resource Centre.

“HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE” (Red-Letter Text Edition Bible 2004)
There are so many English language Bibles in circulation that one might well wonder why yet another one should need to be published. They already range from as near as possible literal translations across the spectrum to the easy to read paraphrase versions. There are so many to choose from that the selection available can make choosing which one to use quite bewildering – even so I want to tell you about a new translation that I have been quite impressed with as I’ve used it over the past few weeks.
The “HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE” New Testament was first published in 1999 – the complete Bible in 2004. The Red-Letter, cloth bound, Text Edition is the one I have been using. There are other sizes and bindings also available.
The publisher’s stated goals in producing this translation are firstly to provide English-speaking people across the world with an accurate, readable Bible in contemporary English.
Secondly: to equip serious Bible students with an accurate translation for personal study, private devotion, and memorization.
Thirdly: to give those who love God’s Word a text that has numerous reader helps, is visually attractive on the page, and is appealing when read aloud in church services.
Fourthly: to affirm the authority of Scripture as God’s Word and to champion its absolute truth against social or cultural agendas that would compromise its accuracy.
The explanation given for producing a new version is that each generation needs a fresh translation of the Bible in its own language. The reason for this is that English, as one of the world’s greatest languages, is rapidly changing and Bible translations needs to be keeping apace with these changes. Added to this is the fact that there have been rapid advances in biblical research that has provided new data for Bible translators to work with and, along with that, advances in computer technology have opened a new dimension in Bible translation.
The translators have sought to bring together the two opposite approaches in this new translation, Formal and Dynamic, in what they call ‘Optimal Equivalence’ in which they recognize that form cannot be neatly separated from meaning and should not be changed unless comprehension demands it.
The primary goal of such a translation is to convey the sense of the original with as much clarity as the original text and the translation language permit. To achieve this exhaustive analysis of the text at every level has been undertaken.
Many helpful features are included in this publication. There is a dictionary of word meanings. All the words included in this section are marked with a clear black spot in the text. There is a short history of the Bible, a table of weights and measures, and an index of where to turn in the Bible for information on a range of selected subjects.
There is a list of the many names and titles given to Jesus, followed by a listing of the main events in His life, as recorded in each of the gospels, that illustrates the harmony that exists between them. The miracles and parables of Jesus are listed as are the prophesies relating to his Second Coming. A section that details the relationship of the teaching of Jesus and the Ten Commandments is most helpful as is a section on prayer under the heading, “Lord, Teach Us to pray”. There is also a clear outline of God’s plan of salvation.
The print size is easy to read and the layout of each page has some variety according to subject matter. The chapter and verse divisions are the same as in other Bible and each new paragraph or section is clearly identified with an appropriate heading.
Any words used to give the sense in English, but which are not in the original, are bracketed and, where there are other possible renderings, the alternative is given at the foot of the page. With regard to the thorny issue of gender language great care has been taken to remain true to the original intent of the writer. The goal of the translators not being to promote cultural ideology but to faithfully translate the Bible so that where “man” or “men” is clearly intended this is retained. “Father” and “son” have not been translated as “parent” or “child” and so on. Traditional theological vocabulary words that have no translation equivalent such as justification, sanctification and redemption etc have been retained. The philosophy involved in producing this translation is clearly stated in the introduction.
Holman Bible Publishers are the oldest publishers of the Bible in America and for the purposes of this translation assembled an international, interdenominational team of 100 scholars, editors, stylists and proof readers, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy.
As a sincere attempt to get closest to the original intent of those men, inspired of God to record His Word, this translation, into present day English, must rank very highly.

The “HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE” Red-letter Text Edition is published by Holman Bible Publishers at the R.R.P. of $34.95. There are also ultra thin leather bound, large print, pocket sized paper back and bonded leather editions available. (ISBN 158640068-1. Full Bible first published in 2004).

"HOPE RESPECT and TRUST" by Joel Edwards. Authentic. RRP $16.95
I do appreciate it when an author can say what he or she has to say and takes less than a hundred pages to say it. You are probably like me in that I seem to retain proportionately less of a book the longer it is.
Paul wrote, at the end of his dissertation on love, in his letter to the Corinthian Christians…”And now three things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) Although from a Christian perspective these three qualities remain - from a human point of view they are very much lacking in the world around us. In fact it would probably be truer to say that what remains, once God is removed from the equation, is lack of trust, hopelessness and self-interest.
In the foreword of Joel Edward’s book “HOPE RESPECT & TRUST”, British member of Parliament, Gary Streeter writes… “Imagine being on an ocean liner, crashing though heavy seas, and discovering that there is no one on the bridge. You learn that the captain has been locked below with all his charts, compass and navigational aids. The ship is completely unguided.But then you realize: I’m on a vessel powering across the seas with no sense of direction, no one at the wheel and no one to guide it. There may be icebergs out there! We live today in the twenty-first century with no clear set of values to guide us. There is nobody on the bridge and we have no idea where we are going. The values framework, based on our Judaeo-Christian heritage, has been eroded these past fifty years as we, the church, have allowed ourselves to get bogged down in irrelevant issues. Society, greatly in need of the truths and values that flow from our faith, ploughs on regardless, heading for an uncertain destination.”
Obviously what is at stake here are the values we live by. For many people these are the values they were taught in their family of origin. Some may reject these values and, along with many others, live by a set of values that are not clearly defined or adhered to and which leaves them the freedom, so they think, to do their own thing.
The present sorry condition of Western civilization morally and ethically gives ample evidence that this is the case. The author gives statistics taken from Gallup poles to support his opening claims - although each day’s news gives ample evidence of this. Our modern world puts a high price on the existence of personal freedoms. Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks states in this regard that “the very concept of liberty cannot be separated from the questions of values” and Jim Wallace, writer and activist, points out that “values are at the very heart of our political and cultural issues.”
Faith is the ability to trust. In other words we trust what we have faith in. Without trust confidence is eroded and uncertainty prevails. Faith is at the heart of what it means to have a relationship with God and it is only as we build our values on His prescription, detailed for us in the Bible, that we can live without fear and have a firm foundation upon which to build our life. There is a great need to restore trust as a value in our society and, even though most people recognize this need, it will not be easy with the “Captain shut up in His cabin.” Having a confident hope requires trust. It is our trust in a loving God that gives us the confidence to believe that this life is not all that there is. Without that eternal perspective hope that is based on what we know and experience in this life is shallow indeed. Hope is the answer to cynicism. Hope gives us a sense of identity and, as Alister McGrath has said, “Only by rediscovering its theology of hope can the church hope to gain a hearing in the secular world.”
The biblical trio of faith, hope and love, as Christian virtues, interface with the secular values of trust, hope and respect. Love is at the heart of the Christian faith. When love is absent then, as Paul reminded us, whatever we profess is valueless. The call to love is a call to respect. To respect others, whoever they may be, for no other reason than that they, like us, are created in the image of God.
The author suggests that “respect is a ‘chicken-egg’ question. Do we earn respect, or is it something given to us that we either keep or lose? In giving respect do we earn it? The truth is, we should give respect to another human being freely, without judgment.” We show respect by our attitude to others and the concern we have for them whoever they may be irrespective of their colour, religion, social status etc. and in so doing we love our neighbour as God commands us to do.
The subject of values is crucial and the Biblical insights given in this book are very much needed, so that Christians can be empowered to speak out with a contemporary voice and, in so doing, address the postmodern search for hope, respect and trust.

“HOPE RESPECT & TRUST” by Joel Edward is published by Authentic and the Evangelical Alliance at the R.R.P. $16.95. (ISBN 1-85078-589-9. Published 2004. 56p.)

"HOW CHRISTIANITY CHANGED THE WORLD" by Alvin Schmitt, published by Zondervan.
It is quite interesting, and disturbing, that credit is not given, in most secular history books, to movements, and individuals, who have been instrumental in bringing about change for the good of mankind that were motivated by a love for God and faith in Jesus Christ.
   Many of the great achievement of the past two thousand years came about as a result of the spread of Christianity and the effect that this had on the world at large. Many of the great men and women of history had a deeply entrenched faith in God and acknowledged his rightful demands upon their lives.
   Two books have come my way recently, one from the U.S.A. and the other from the U.K. that detail many of different ways in which the Christian faith, and the people who have embraced it, has impacted the world in good, lasting  and positive ways.
   Critics are all too ready to remind people of the crusades and inquisitions but rarely do they acknowledge the many benefits that have come as a result of the growth and spread of the faith that Jesus Christ brought into being. The world would be a very different place were it not for Him and what He accomplished during His three short years of public ministry and subsequently through His Spirit filled followers in the centuries that followed.
   “HOW CHRISTIANITY CHANGED the WORLD” by Alvin J. Schmidt provides boundless evidence as to the impact that the person of Jesus Christ has had upon the world. The Christian faith has been a radical force in shaping Western civilization in particular that, in turn, has also benefited the world at large.
   Yes, it has to be admitted that the Church has made its mistakes and its members have not always been as their Lord and Master would have wanted them to be. But, as this book gives ample evidence of, this is far outweighed by the positive benefits that have resulted from individuals and movements dedicated to the cause of Christ.
   This book is soundly researched and the vast number of sources quoted and detailed is proof of this. Readers will discover how the moral fabric and highest achievements of Western civilization were inspired and influenced by the Bible and the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.
   The author deals frankly with the highs and the lows of the Christian faith as it spread across the globe. Your eyes, as were mine, will be opened to the far-reaching impact that Christianity has had upon everything from health care to higher education, to human rights, the arts, humanities and much more.
   At an individual level many people’s lives have been radically transformed by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and the course of history has been changed markedly as a result. The sanctity of human life has been affirmed and sexual morality elevated. Life was cheap in the ancient world into which Christ came and His teaching was radical and challenging to the social and political structures of the day.
   The family, as the basic unit of society, has been promoted and women given freedom and dignity that in the past was not always enjoyed to the degree that it is today. Charity and compassion were unknown in the times of the Greeks and the Romans nor were hospitals and health care as we understand it today.
   Christianity has also left its imprint on education and made it available to everyone, not just the favoured few. Schools and universities largely owe their origin to Christian influence and patrionage.
   The dignity of work and the benefits of economic freedom have been established and much scientific research, and many of the discoveries that have resulted from it, are attributable to Christians and their desire to know more of the inner workings of the creation the God they worshipped had brought into being.
   Child labour, substandard working conditions a pay were improved and regulated by men of Christian conviction who worked tirelessly for the good of humanity.
   Liberty and justice for all is largely the result of Christian belief and practice. The abolition slavery was a Christian achievement. Much of the great music, art and literature that we enjoy today were motivated by a love and devotion to Christ.

   The other book that covers much the same ground but in a more pictorial way is Jonathan Hill’s “WHAT HAS CHRISTIANITY EVER DONE FOR US?” This is a well presented book that illustrates the indelible mark that Christianity has left on our heritage. As both books emphasize Christianity has had an enormous influence on every aspect of Western life, from what we drink to how we speak, from how we write to how we mark the seasons and very much more beside.

“HOW CHRISTIANITY CHANGED the WORLD” by Alvin J. Schmidt is published by Zondervan, R.R.P. $39.95 but I believe is currently available for $29.95. “WHAT HAS CHRISTIANITY EVER DONE FOR US?” by Jonathan Hill is published by Lion R.R.P. $39.95.  (ISBN 0-310-26449-9 and ISBN 0-7459-5168-6)

“I’M ASKING YOU NICELY” by Greg Watts. Highland. R.R.P. $19.95.
“FIRE WITHIN” by Wu Yung. R.R.P. $29.95.
You would have to go a long way to find two men as different as Es Kaitell and Wu Yung. Even so, the thing they have in common is that both had a life changing appointment with God that set the course of their life on a very different tack.
Neither of these men had a Christian upbringing, in fact both were quite opposed to spiritual things. Their journey to faith followed very different routes, on opposites sides of the world, through very different God orchestrated circumstances.
Es Kaitell was born in West London, his parents having come to the U.K. from Sierra Leone in West Africa. Their marriage broke up soon after Es’s birth and at eighteen months he, and his five year old brother, were adopted by a middle-age East End couple, Lilly and George Warner, who already had two children of their own.
Author Greg Watts recounts that Es had a happy childhood and did moderately well at school excelling in sport. Leaving school he moved into the work force and because of his height, and physical presence, was enlisted as a nightclub ’bouncer’.
His fast paced life style skirted a fine line between enforcement and crime, family and fun, building his own business or looking for trouble of which there was plenty in the part of London where he operated.
Crisis came when he got offside with some local toughs who ambushed him when alone, beat him up, and left him for dead. His physical fitness helped his survival but he was left with a constant headache and other disabilities. Getting revenge was uppermost in his thinking.
Es had no interest in religion but boredom moved him to accept an invitation to go to a church service. It left him cold as he couldn’t understand what was going on. A special service in Central London had more meaning for him as a ‘word of knowledge’ by the guest speaker clearly identified him and the promise of healing became a reality in a way that meant he could no longer ignore God’s call on his life.
Though at first inclined to give up his business of providing security for nightclubs, public houses and dances etc. he felt God was telling him that that is where his future ministry lay and still does. Es Kaitell’s story illustrates how a believer can survive in a jungle of competitive pressure and sharp practice and be a witness in places far removed from the church and its usual realms of activity.
His Christian, proactive approach to patrons and management alike nips trouble in the bud and earns him the right to be heard as an ambassador of the gospel in the challenging arena of nightclubs and bars. “I’M ASKING YOU NICELY” by Greg Watts is a powerful story that is still unfolding in the Eastern Suburbs of London.

By way of a contrast Wu Yung is of Chinese extraction. He was raised in Singapore and in his later teen years became very radical in his political views and after leading several protests was expelled to mainland China where he survived the Japanese occupation. He later became a teacher at a police training establishment.
He married and shortly afterward his wife became a Christian. Wu Yung was not interested until some remarkable answers to his wife’s prayers made him review his thinking where Jesus Christ was concerned.
He and his wife moved to Taiwan after the Second World War and for a time worked for the railway department. As a new Christian he had thirst for God’s Word and a passion to see others saved. His influence grew rapidly as the fellowship he helped to establish grew and prospered under his leadership.
He was challenged to leave secular employment and look to the Lord for support but he was hesitant to do so as he was concerned for the welfare of his wife and young family. The onset of inoperable cancer, and a fire that destroyed the building they were using for worship challenged his faith but several remarkable answers to prayer, regarding his health and the provision of land upon which to build a church, proved to him that God had a purpose for his life and was well able to provide for his temporal needs.
Wu Yung was no academic or theologian but his life of disciplined prayer and Bible study has bourn much fruit over the years. He has seen many come to faith through his ministry. A church has been established and a seminary and training centre for Chinese young people. Wu Yung can now look back upon many years of fruitful service for His Lord that is well worth reading about.
He claims that he believes “spiritual people produce spiritual work. If the church considers only methods and systems, the work produced will be wood, hay and stubble” a principle he has lived out over many decades.
Wu Yung tells his story in his autobiography “FIRE WITHIN”. Two very different men, Es Kaitel and Wu Yung, but both, from vastly different backgrounds, with different colour skins and cultural origins, have a testimony to share that illustrates yet again the love and power of God and the ways in which He can transform and use the most unlikely people to proclaim His kingdom and live for His glory.

“I’M ASKING YOU NICELY” by Greg Watts is published by Highland Books, R.R.P. $24.95. (ISBN 1-897913-75-3 Published 2005. 191 pages)
“FIRE WITHIN” by Wu Yung is an OM Publication R.R.P. $29.95. (ISBN 1-85078-355-1 First published 2000. 320 p.)

"JESUS, MAN OR MYTH?" by Carsten Peter Thiede. Lion R.R.P. $19.95.
A member of our Home Group passed onto me a clipping from the Christchurch Press that reported a leading philosopher of religion, by the name of Richard Swimburne, as having said that it was 97% certain that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
This conclusion was based, he went on to say, not on faith but on sheer logic and mathematics. He argued that any evidence for the existence of God was an argument for the resurrection, and any evidence against the existence of God was an argument against the resurrection.
Swimburne is quoted as saying…”Does he (God) have a reason to become incarnate? Yes, to make atonement, identify with our suffering and to teach us things. Even Jesus’ life was not enough proof,” He continued, “God’s signature was needed, which the resurrection was.”
Carsten Peter Thiede is another, well qualified, Christian writer who has put pen to paper to argue in defense of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith and has provided us with an easy to read, clear and authoritative book that provides convincing arguments that will help Christians dispel the objections encountered when seeking to defend or explain the Christian faith.
Jesus Christ is one of the most revered and, at the same time, maligned figures in human history. While during the week we may well hear his name used as a swear word on the lips of those we work with, in Christian circles he will be worshipped as God the Son and be held in the place of highest honour.
Even those of other religions revere him as a great prophet yet society at large has been blinded to his true identity and the claims he makes on every living person. Thiede’s book “JESUS, MAN or MYTH?” invites readers to lay aside any preconceived ideas they may have and to examine the evidence. It could be that they will be surprised at what they discover.
Each chapter gives a reasoned explanation of the subject under consideration. Did Jesus Really Exist? is the starting point. If that cannot be proved then there is no point in going further. What evidence is there historically for the life of Jesus?
How Do We Know the Stories about Jesus are Actually True? is the subject of chapter two. They have about them the ring of truth. There is a simplicity and lack of embellishment in what is written. In fact there is quite a lot written that would have been better left out had the writers been fabricating material to support their cause.
The virgin birth of Jesus is a stumbling block for many people. How Was Jesus Born? is the important subject dealt with in chapter three. The timing of the life and ministry of Jesus is important too. It was just the right time and place in more ways than one so the next question to be discussed relates to place Jesus held in Jewish tradition.
Many people seem to think that the Christian faith would be much easier to accept if it were not for the claimed miraculous events recorded in the Bible. So Did Jesus Really do Miracles and what was their purpose? This is the subject of chapter five.
The film, of a couple of years ago, “The Passion of Christ” once again brought to the fore, in stark detail, the brutal way in which Jesus was put to death. But even so there are still those who would claim that Jesus did not really die.
The recent book “The Da Vinci Code” has made, not for the first time, some extravagant claims as to what actually happened to Jesus, and the very popularity of the book is an indication that there are many people who would like an excuse not to believe what the Bible clearly teaches and the witness of history affirms.
Though it would have been a tragic end to a wonderful life the death of Jesus, however dramatic and regrettable, would have had no value in the course of human history had he not defeated death through his resurrection. In this regard Swimburne’s 97% is not good enough. The biblical and historical evidence is 100% sure and the reasons for this are explained in chapter seven.
It is quite clear from the record we have in the Bible that Jesus knew exactly who he was. To simply credit him with being the world’s greatest teacher, a prophet even, is exploded if he is not whom he claimed to be. The very claims he made will not allow that. He was either the eternal Son of God in human form or he was the greatest fraud that ever lived.
The final chapter presents the challenge of the book. There is no sitting on the fence where Jesus Christ is concerned. Having considered the arguments a response is made whether the reader intends it or not. Even to ignore the evidence is a rejection of the claims presented.
The author’s credentials for writing such a book are impressive. He held many important posts and authored, or co-authored, several other books. Sadly he died in 2004 before this book was published. It is a fitting legacy to a life lived for the One it defends so powerfully.
“JESUS, MAN or MYTH?” by Carsten Peter Thiede is published by Lion at the R.R.P. of $19.95. (ISBN 0-7459-5147-3 Published 2005. 158 pages.

“JESUS: SAFE – TENDER – EXTREME” by Adrian Plass.  Zondervan.  $29.95.

If you were asked to describe Jesus in three words I wonder what three words you would choose. The popular English author Adrian Plass has chosen Safe, Tender and Extreme, and these three words form the title of his latest book: “JESUS - SAFE TENDER EXTREME”.
Much of the book was written during the terminal illness of his much loved mother-in-law to whom the book is dedicated. “…to my wife’s mother, Kathleen Rosa Ormerod. Her life was a gift to others. All she asked was a few flowers and the love of her family and friends.”
Although there are touches of Adrian’s tell tale humour on the whole this is a much more reflective style writing than his previous books. This new one is different in other ways too especially in the way it is divided up.
Part One: SAFE JESUS has three chapters. The first being: “Safe in the Love of Jesus and Safe in the Body of Christ.”  The second: “Freedom, Safety, and the Value of Truth” and the third: “Telling the Truth, Part Two”. Following these opening three chapters Adrian recounts six personal experiences that demonstrated for him the safety that there is to be found in knowing Jesus.
The titles of these awaken curiosity: “Sleep Paralysis”. “A Twenty Pound Note”. “Travelling Mercies”.  “Restoring the Balance”. Behind the Blank Stares”. “Home or Fortress”.  Each of these encounters with Jesus pointedly illustrates the subject matter dealt with in these opening chapters.
Part Two takes up the thought of the TENDER JESUS. Two chapters here: “Turning the World Upside Down” and “The God Who Defaults to Compassion.” Then follows five more short reflections: “Another Place”. “What Do You Think of What I Do?” “Jesus in Tears”.  “The Deep Dark Places” and “Closed Wounds”.
Part Three: EXTREME JESUS. Three more chapters: “At the Extreme Edge With Jesus”. “Falling Through to Solid Ground” and “Stepping Out with Jesus”. Again followed by six personal encounters with the extreme Jesus.
This is a book that takes up, considers and explores, many of the themes that resonate through most people’s lives. It is honest and reflective. It doesn’t shy away from the tough things in life that often leave us puzzled to say the least.
It is certainly a book for people who want to get to know Jesus better. Adrian writes in his introduction: “Writing this book has been a strange, intense experience. In horticultural terms, my intention was to grow a tidy little shrub with a few decently spaced blooms and a general air of dignified symmetry. From the beginning it has not been like that. The roots of the project have plunged deeper into the dark earth than I had ever expected, while unmanageable fronds, tendrils, and trailing vines have shot out wildly in all directions and to all heights, searching for light.” (End of quote)
The light, he discovered at every stage of writing, was Jesus. What Adrian wanted to do was to explore the fact that Jesus had brought ultimate safety, tenderness, and a profound sense of adventure to his life. In fulfilling this desire his readers benefit from the lessons learnt on this pilgrimage with God.
As I mentioned in my introduction Adrian Plass’ immediate family circumstances posed a very real problem at the time of writing. He explains…”Shortly before I was due to begin writing, my wife’s mother was brought home from hospital, diagnosed with an aggressive, incurable cancer. The awareness of her presence and her suffering in our converted dining room (now a downstairs bedroom) had a profound effect on my thoughts and emotions as I sat down to begin work each day.”  (End of quote)
Knowing this gave added depth and meaning to what I was reading. Here was not a professional writer sitting down to write yet another book to be finished by the publishers required date - but rather a book written from the heart during a time of great stress, inconvenience, sorrow and family disruption.
In the midst of which were discovered afresh the aspects of Jesus that the author had always loved, but to which was now added a deeper meaning, that are shared with his readers as verbal snapshots of events and situations from his everyday life.
Here then are reflections on many of those real life Christian issues that never quite seem to have an easy answer, but which keep you and me pondering the wonder and the mystery of God at work in each of our very human lives.

“JESUS – SAFE TENDER EXTREME” by Adrian Plass is published by Zondervan at the R.R.P. of $29.95. (ISBN 0-310-26899-0 Trade paperback.   Published 2006.  289 p.)

"LIES THAT GO UNCHALLENGED in popular culture" by Charles Colson. Tyndale

There are probably many things in life that unsettle us, that make us feel uneasy and challenge our confidence. People who had traveled, without a second thought, on the London Underground for years may well, since the July bombings, have anxious thoughts as they now descend on the escalators to the platform from which their train will depart.
The terrorist threat has most likely made us all rather more wary of suspicious looking characters in public places. There was considerable unease in a church service recently when it was noticed that a rather scruffy young man, unknown to the regulars sitting nearby, had a backpack that he fingered nervously from time to time. One lady was so concerned that she left the service.
The day before I prepared this script there were reports of an airliner crashing in Toronto and another frightening experience for passengers on a flight from Perth to Malaysia. I’m sure people traveling by air on the days following had just that bit more concern for their safety as they boarded their aircraft.
These threats to our well being challenge our sense of security and peace of mind but I want to suggest that there is another threat, that is much more subtle and insidious, that affects us all. It may well have been highlighted in the run up to the election and it has to do with truth because, when truth comes into question, when we have doubts as to what and who to believe our security and peace of mind is challenged and disturbed.
To know that we have been lied to, to know that we have been sold a pup as the saying goes leaves us feeling angry and vulnerable. Added to this is the fact that if we are told an untruth often enough, and it is not refuted, it comes to be believed.
Over recent years our society has been subjected to a process of indoctrination that has come about as a result of much that has been communicated through the media, entertainment, books, the education system, and even some segments of the church.
Charles Colson, the former presidential aide to Richard Nixon and who, following his conversion to Christ, became the founder of Prison Fellowship, comes to grips with this threat in his book “LIES THAT GO UNCHALLENGED in popular culture”.
This book makes for unsettling reading but to ignore what it claims is to bury ones head in the sand. Each segment in this book is about as long as this review and takes only a few minutes to read. The book is divided into seven sections each of which has an introduction and then a dozen or more interesting and informative examples of the subject in question. At the end of each of these mini segments are some truths to be considered and some questions for group discussion.
The first issue dealt with concerns the rights of the individual and the lie, in this regard, is that we have the freedom of choice to be who we want and to do what we want. Individual rights have taken over where responsibilities used to be the priority. The examples given make for sober reading.
Marriage and the family are dealt with in the second section - the lie being that marriage can be between any two people and it lasts only as long as both are happy. The issues dealt with here and the illustrations given of the harmful effects of this attitude in society make it plain that God’s design for human relationships, where marriage and family are concerned, are the best for everyone.
Society and toleration comes next with the commonly held lie being that we’ll live in harmony if we tolerate the beliefs of others. It is amazing what people will believe without, it seems, ever questioning whether it is true. This has resulted from the fact that the concept of absolute truth has been rejected by society at large and so truth is what best suits us. Truth, in other words, is what we individually choose to decide it is.
The arts, in their many forms, tend to present what those who produce them want to convey and, it is claimed, they should break with traditional norms and challenge outworn beliefs. Yet another lie that goes unchallenged by most people.
Another lie being circulated is that Christian beliefs are a private matter. That Christians have no right to propagate their beliefs as being the only way to be right with God. In one way or another Christians worldwide are under attack with the faith of many being challenged and denied. Again each of the short mini sections provides evidence of the ways this is happening.
The media comes under the spotlight in section six. and the lie this time is that entertainment is a vehicle to help us fulfill personal desires. T.V. programmes and films along with the marketing of deviant lifestyles graphically illustrates how those who are bent on shaping society use these, and other mediums, to achieve their ends.
Finally the rise in the current interest in spiritually has resulted from the lie that God accepts us as we are, and there are many ways to him. Spirituality of this kind is a mile wide and an inch deep. Anything goes because the choice is our and no one is allowed to deny our right to choose our own path to spiritual fulfillment.
To sum up it has to be said that often these, and other, assertions are left unchallenged because they sound good and reasonable on the surface, yet they embody ideals that fundamentally oppose truth and it is only in knowing the truth that we can hope to enjoy the security and well being that the God of all truth has revealed to us in His Word.

"Lies That Go Unchallenged in Popular Culture" by Charles Colson is published by Tyndale Press at the R.R.P., for a limited time I’m told of $19.95 (ISBN 1-4143-0166-9 Published in 2005. 393 pages Trade Paperback)

Reviewed for Radio Rhema by John Ward and recorded by John Linsey in the Christchurch studios of the Christian Resource Centre.

“LIGHT FORCE – The only hope for the Middle East” by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen. Hodder & Stoughton. R.R.P. $29.95.
The documentary on T.V. - one back in November: “Expose: The Kennedy Assassination – Beyond Conspiracy” - illustrated the degree to which we are subject to media bias in reporting, and the amount of film makers license used when films for both the big screen and T.V. are made of historical events. The need to entertain and captivate interest sometimes over rides the need to be accurate.
When the true facts are hard to ascertain, and when the involved parties have particular interests to protect or expound, or when theories are propagated by people with vivid imaginations then what is seen and heard by those on the receiving end may well be far from the truth - convincing though it may sound.
It is also interesting, and disturbing, that while some events and situation receive wide coverage in the media other events, that often don’t come to light until much later, are almost, if not completely, ignored.
Another problem that we can have as hearers of news is to assume that that what is perpetrated by a few is the common attitude prevailing in the whole nation – this is especially true in the Middle East.
As Christians we may have a natural sympathy with Israel – our Saviour was a Jew – God made them promises regarding their land. We may not like some of the things they do to preserve their security but maybe, we think, it is necessary for their security so we give them the benefit of the doubt.
On the other hand what of the Palestinians and their right to a peaceful and prosperous life – they have children they love and need to provide for and educate yet their homes are regularly shelled, curfews imposed, life disrupted and so on.
And what of our Christian brothers and sisters in Israel, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Christians who, in the midst of all that goes on around them, are seeking to live out their faith in Jesus Christ in situations where they are perceived, even by their own people, to be out of line with the general populace.
Brother Andrew is well known for his book “God’s Smuggler” that has been a best selling book for several decades. When the phenomenal success of that book made it too dangerous for his contacts in the underground church in Eastern Europe he