Archive | January 2019

More Of God by R.T. Kendall

Jan19

An Audience Of One

More Of God by R.T. Kendall is a very powerful book that is designed to help us draw closer to God. “We can have as much of God as we want” said A.W. Tozer. How much of God do you want?

R.T. Kendall asks us if we want to know God or to know about God. There is a huge difference. The difference between heart and head knowledge.

Do we want to know God to take delight in Him? Or do we want to know God because we want something from Him? These are good questions that force us to stop and take stock of our motivation for knowing God.

Drawing closer to God involves knowing Him intimately. How do we do this? By reading His Word. By spending time with Him. By praying and listening to Him when He speaks. We will never get to know God intimately if we never stop talking. We must listen for His answers.

“This life is not all there is.” So where do we want to spend eternity?

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Kiss You Now by Jan Thompson

Jan18

Crossing Your Jordan

Kiss You Now by Jan Thompson is the most heart-warming contemporary Christian novel that reveals the heart of God to the reader. It is the seventh book in the Savannah Sweethearts but can be read as a stand-alone.

The novel shows that no one is too old to be used by God. There is no retirement for the Christian. While we still have breath, there is work to be done for Jesus – a hurting world needs to know Him.

The main characters were wonderfully drawn and a mixture of mature, new and lapsed Christians. Pastor Hiram at a hundred and three years old was inspirational in his faith. “He [God] will sort out the junk from the jewels” – a real gem. Pastor Hiram lives, continually doing Kingdom business. “Do God’s will God’s way.” He lives with one eye on eternity, looking forward to seeing Jesus.

Within the novel two lead characters are both recovering from past events that are strangling the life out of them. “Do not let your past paralyze you from God’s purpose.” If we live in the past, we will miss out on all that God has for us in the present and the future. With God’s help we can move from our fears. We may need to keep giving our fears to God until we ‘feel’ His peace.

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Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard

Jan18

A Beacon Of Hope

 Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard is the most heart-warming true story of a long distance runner and a little stray dog in need of a home.

The story is about love. At times it was lacking in the lives of both the author and Gobi. They recognized a need in each other.

Gobi is a little dog with a huge personality. “Any dog that tough deserves a happy ending.” She is a fighter with a sense of loyalty.

Gobi attached herself to Dion Leonard whilst he was competing in a long distance race in China which took in the Gobi desert and hence the name. Gobi saw something attractive in Dion Leonard and by the race’s end, they were inseparable.

A decision to bring Gobi home to Edinburgh required grit, determination, sacrifice and money but “When it comes to family, you don’t count the cost.”

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Love, God by Deborah J Simmons-Roslak and Linda J Orber

Jan15

Here Is Love Vast As The Ocean

Love, God by Deborah J Simmons-Roslak and Linda J Orber is a powerful book about the love that God has for us. His love is as vast as the ocean. This book will help you draw as close to God as you want to.

The book is split into short sections. Each section is sub divided into sayings from others, explaining a theory such as fear, blessings, grace etc., ‘a moment to listen’ to what God might be saying to you, guided meditation to help you press into God with the help of questions and relaxing techniques such as imagining yourself in the arms of God, and finally a space to write your thoughts.

I read this book in just a couple of sittings. However I think it would be a great study aid for Life Groups to work through a section at a time. Or also for personal reflection and growth, taking a section at a time.

Love, God is an aid to help you grow your relationship with God. It is a book about love because God is love. “Jesus… showed us what Love looked like.” How would our lives look if we let love be our motivation and our driving force?

We are our own worst critics. We sit in judgment of ourselves daily. Actually we are “the delight of Heaven.”

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