“Alone with God”, John MacArthur

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107334lgSometimes we can spend too much time reading about prayer rather than doing it. However, this shortish book (180+ pages) is a great resource for aligning our focus.

Too often our prayer can be too needs-based, ie, it’s all about us. Whilst in taking us through The Lord’s Prayer and then Paul’s priorities in prayer, MacArthur provides a challenge to allow prayer to be more God focused. Most of the book walks through MacArthur’s reflections on the Lord’s Prayer. I’ve been using The Lord’s Prayer a lot recently, so I found this a good reminder of Jesus’ intentions when reciting this prayer.

However, it’s the last two chapters that spoke to me the most. MacArthur moves from Jesus to Paul’s prayer life to outline what Paul prioritised in His prayers. He highlights two key priorities:

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“Talon, Combat Tracking Team”, Ronie Kendig

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Talon-cover_FINAL-197x300Having read Trinity, the first in the series, a few months ago, I was eagerly awaiting Talon, the second. It exceeded my expectations. It took me a little while to get into Trinity, but I was hooked on this story from the first pages.

Kendig has created a great character in Dane ‘Cardinal’ Markoski. Cardinal has a troubled past which is intriguing and it simmers below the surface for the entire novel until it crashes into the present in it’s climactic ending. Great, great writing

I hope Kendig builds a series around Cardinal. She has developed a character with wonderful apparent complexity (or is it just male aloofness?) that drives both the action and much of the dialogue.

Aspen, his romantic interest, didn’t really grab me. There was too much reference to flicking curls away but more significantly I didn’t see the underlying strength of character that her colleagues in the book saw.

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“Living a Prayerful Life”, Andrew Murray

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Photo courtesy of Bethany House

“Satan endeavours to become the master of the Christian prayer time.”

That statement is written on the third last page of this marvellous book but is a great reminder of where the battle for our souls is played out. The enemy knows we are ineffective against him if we aren’t praying.

Andrew Murray in this relatively short book emphases the power of prayer by exploring Jesus’ commitment to it. His ministry wouldn’t have been as effective if it weren’t for His prayer life. I know I often forget this.

Murray regards prayerlessness as the scourge of the christian community: we just don’t pray enough. This book needs to be read diligently as Murray explores many new ideas. It isn’t a “To Do guide” only featuring the one small chapter on how to spend one’s prayer time but rather by focusing on the Word, the lives of Jesus, Paul and some more modern day Christian heroes like George Mueller and Hudson Taylor, encourages us to greater commitment to prayer.

It got me praying more which is the best recommendation I can make about a book on prayer.

“Fearless”, Mike Dellosso

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Photo courtesy of Mike Dellosso

Mike’s one of my favourite suspense authors. I’ve read most of his catalogue and continue to be impressed with his ability to create spine tingling suspense.

He is truly a master craftsman of the suspense genre.

I was fortunate to receive an advance reading copy (ARC) of “Fearless”, his latest creation. Here’s the cover blurb of the novel:

When a nine-year-old Louisa mysteriously appears in the middle of a house fire with no memory of how she got there or where she came from, Jim and Amy Spencer agree to take her in. Wrestling with the recent loss of their own child, they soon discover Louisa has a special gift. But when the same gift unknowingly puts her in contact with a serial killer, the grieving couple must unite to face all odds and save themselves and Louisa before it’s too late.

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Pray Like Jesus

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Photo courtesy of Ligonier Ministries

Jesus provides a wonderful picture of the power of prayer. His life revolved around it; His ministry would not have been effective if it hadn’t been for His commitment to prayer.

I often forget this about Jesus. It’s only been in recent years studying the Bible that I realised that Jesus was fully human. I had lived thinking He was God, so Jesus could do anything.

Jesus was only able to do what He did and fulfil His mission because of prayer. In living as a human for 33 years, Jesus provided the example for us to live by: be people of prayer.

Let’s have a quick look at some of the aspects of His prayer life. Some of this post I wrote 6 months ago, so some of you may be familiar with what follows. But I thought it useful to re-post it.

Regularity

Scripture tells us Jesus prayed constantly:

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

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“The Way of the Heart”, Henri Nouwen

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coverSolitude, silence and prayer.

I purchased this book having spent a number of months seeking to do more of all 3. For too long I’ve thought communing with God was a reflection of how many experiences I have of Him, whatever form they may take. However, I no longer seek the experiences OF Him rather to experience Him.

Nouwen’s reflections of the “Desert Fathers” ( who lived in the Egyptian desert during the 4th and 5th centuries) lifestyle are a wonderful summary of how we can experience more of Him.

At times it was a challenging read as I couldn’t immediately grasp some of the concepts presented, however, sometimes we need to allow ourselves to soak in new ideas so they can in-fill us over time. However, these few words are a great summary of the essence of the book:
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“66 Love Letters”, Dr Larry Crabb

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0849946409.jpgI’ve always considered the Bible to be a love story. This book helps elucidate the essence of God’s love for us in each of the 66 letters of the Bible.

I loved it.

I took on a challenge to read the entire Bible during Lent just passed. Crabb’s book had been sitting on my shelf for a year or so untouched. It kinda jumped out at me as I dived into the Bible reading challenge.

As I moved quickly through the Word, what became very clear to me was God’s absolute love for us. He is madly in love with His creation, and will do anything to have us choose Him. This culminated in Jesus living, dying on the Cross and being resurrected. So working through Crabb’s love letters was a perfect fit for where my mind was at.

Certainly this is not a commentary nor concordance but doesn’t try to be that. There is definitely room for 66 Love Letters to sit alongside commentaries and such like to provide a different insight into the Word.

Not everyone is going to get it and may find it a poor cousin to more literal interpretations.

I don’t profess to know the Bible well. What this marvellous book has left me with is an insatiable thirst to know the heart of God and to better understand His love story. As Crabb says in his introduction: “We try to reach the heart of God without listening to the Word of God.” God’s revealed His heart to us, in 66 love letters.

I’m not sure how’d this book would go if you weren’t reading through the Bible simultaneously. It took Crabb 3.5 years to write it so he obviously spent a lot of time both studying the Word, other references and seeking God’s wisdom on each book. I particularly enjoyed how Crabb used other influential authors like CS Lewis to add additional insights.

The epilogue at the end will be a useful quick reference guide as it summarises each of the 66 letters into one paragraph.

Highly recommended.

A Final Reflection on Lent – It’s all about Him!

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Photo courtesy of grandcanyon.free

It is the day after Easter Sunday. And my first experience of observing Lent has now passed.

Did I have an experience of God that wowed my mind? No.

Was I able to effectively let go of my daily ill discipline that I had set out to fast? Yes, but with lapses.

The most satisfying experience over the six weeks was reading the complete Bible. It was a massive task and one I often questioned why I was doing it. Most days I was just skimming through the Word just to keep up with the demanding schedule.

I don’t feel the same sense of euphoria that Margaret, who responded to God’s nudge to encourage thousands of people from around the world to take up this challenge (you can read about Margaret’s cartwheeling reflections here)

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My Review of “Iscariot” by Tosca Lee

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Iscariot Cover FinalI was lost for words when I finished this beautifully written novel. And I’m still struggling to find the best words to describe the power of this story.

But the incredible thing about this story is it’s part biographical, part fiction and I’m left wondering how much of it was fiction.

Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, the one that Luke described “Satan entered” moments before he committed his betrayal. The gospels never tell us exactly what the discussion between Judas and the Chief Priests amounted to, but Ms Lee, having completed extensive research, provides an insight. And boy, was I shocked. I can’t say any more without revealing too much, so will leave it there.

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“The Hole in our Holiness”, Kevin DeYoung

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9781433533341This is the second book I’ve read recently on holiness. The other being John Eldredge’s new one: “The Utter Relief of Holiness”

Both come from the same precepts: why did Jesus come to save us? and why isn’t holiness talked about more in Christian circles? Both are excellent and should both be read. The two authors have their own unique styles that make each book compelling reading.

DeYoung is a pastor so has a very biblically-based message. However, it is also extremely practical and instilled in me a firm desire to seek after God’s presence.

I mentioned the topic of holiness to a good Christian friend the other day who suggested I not be raising it with too many others as people are simply not ready to hear it. This saddened me. Surely, holiness is a key part of the Gospel message? But one aspect that we have perhaps de-emphasised in modern society.

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