Book Review: Unstoppable: Running the Race You Were Born to Win – Christine Caine

We recently read this book at the Women’s Ministry book club and it was enjoyed by all and brought about an interesting discussion on the topic of being unstoppable in our lives with God and running the race as a relay, not a marathon – passing the baton on instead of doing everything ourselves.

Christine Caine starts her book by talking about the Olympics and more specifically the relay race – focusing on the USA team and how it is important to be in the exchange zone at the right time in order to pass the baton correctly and efficiently to the next runner without dropping it, which shows us the importance of working as a team.  Did you know that it takes less time to run a 400m relay race as a team than it does to run a 400m race as an individual!

By telling stories of people in her A21 campaign against human trafficking she shows us the importance of listening to God and realising He puts us in places for a reason - to be ready to take the baton that God has put in our hands and that we are called to be a team assembled by God to achieve His purposes. And God is unstoppable.

God has plucked us out of eternity and positioned us in time and given us the gifts and talents to serve Him and to bring the light of Jesus Christ into a broken world.

Our race is now so get ready to run it and run it with others – if we receive and pass on the baton in the divine relay we will be unstoppable.

Book Review: The Resurrection by Mark Meynell

Easter has just been and it inspired me to read this wee book on The Resurrection.  In this book, we are given the accounts of the Resurrection from Matthew, Luke, and John – three of the Gospels.

Each account of the resurrection is examined and the individual, distinctive style of each author is discussed and we are shown eye-witness accounts of people’s first encounters with the risen Christ:

• Mary
• The Soldiers
• The Disciples

Through this book we are shown that we can believe each account and have confidence in what is being told and that without Christ, a Christian has no Saviour, no power, no eternal life or no hope without the resurrection – but Jesus being raised from the dead gives us hope and each gospel account shows us the truth.

I found this book really helpful and it opened my eye to facts that I had previously missed while reading Matthew, Mark and John’s account of the resurrection. It helped me this Easter to reflect more on Jesus and what he did for me on the cross and the hope that the resurrection gives me – eternal life with the risen King. 

Book Review: Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

The Empty Promises of Money, Sex and Power, and the only Hope that Matters

Have you placed your faith in success, true love, and the life you have always wanted – believing they are the key to your happiness? But then realised they don’t and you are left disappointed.

In Timothy Keller’s book, we are shown that these are ‘Counterfeit Gods’ through biblical truths shows us where the truth lies.

This book was very helpful to me to highlight what the idols in my life are and how to overcome them and place my faith in the true God. For example, the perfect job – I believed if I had the perfect job I would be truly happy, but that’s not true as you can find happiness in any job as long as you go in with the right attitude and trust you have been placed in the right place by God.

Counterfeit Gods is easy to read, there are no big theological words or hard to understand ideas. However, it is a book to savour, to take it all in and reflect on what Keller discusses. It is thought provoking and I recommend it to everyone. 

Book Review: The Do What You Can Plan: Holley Gerth

 Ever felt stressed and that you had too much to do and not enough time to go it? Well, the ‘Do What You Can Plan’ is a devotional e-book which covers 21 days to helping us make any areas of our lives better.

This book is a very helpful and encouraging book to help you achieve your goals but in bitesize pieces. So if your goal is to run a marathon then the bite size plan would be to do exercise every day to help you train.

This wee e-book helped me as it showed me that I don’t need to do everything at once and burn myself out – but things can be taken at a slow pace and still get completed.

Book Review: If we could have coffee by Holley Gerth

If we could have Coffee is an e-book which is a thirty day of heart to heart encouragement. It is a small book and is easy to read and full of encouragement about God and His love for us.

Holley Gerth writes from the heart and each daily devotional is written directly to the reader and each day on reading the devotional it did feel as if the words written on the page were meant directly for me – that’s divine – that’s the Holy Spirit working and God using other people’s words to talk right to me.

Holley wrote the book to encourage us especially on days when we are feeling low and to show us that:

• We are loved
• We don’t have to try so hard
• We are not alone
• We are part of a plan
• And that God will never give up on us.

I do recommend this book because in a world which is busy and full of alternate facts and fake news this books shows us that God is the truth. 

Book Review: Mary Poppins by PL Travers

Like many people as a kid I watched Mary Poppins on TV starring Julie Andrews which is a lovely movie, but I did not realise it was also a book, until Christmas two years ago when I was bought the  complete collection of Mary Poppins – there are in fact eight books in total, I didn’t realise there were that many. I am in the process of reading them all.

The first book is called Mary Poppins and was published in 1934 and is the basis of the movie. The book introduced the Banks family – (Mr & Mrs. Banks and their children Jane, Michael and the twins Barbara and John) and of course we are introduced to Mary Poppins – the magical Nanny.

Mary Poppins is a strict but fair Nanny but can be fun as well especially when she takes Michael and Jane on adventures like going to Uncle Bert’s for Tea and ending up on the ceiling, or talking to the animals, or putting stars back into the sky.

Michael and Jane find Mary Poppins mysterious and are at times unsure how she makes things happen – like going to the Zoo in the middle of the night, when they were meant to be in bed and being led around the Zoo by talking animals – but they have learned not to ask too many questions because they will get no answers.

The basis of the movie is taken from this book but there are many differences and other stories in the book which are not in the movie. It is a lovely book, a great story and PL Travers characters are all different yet engaging. 

Mary Poppins is written for Children but I think it is a book for ages. 

Book Review: Love Speaks: 21 Ways to Hear God’s Multifaceted Voice by Carl Anderson

Do you struggle to hear God’s voice? Do you think God just isn’t talking to you? Love Speaks helps us to see that God speaks to us in many different ways – not just through the Bible or in the Church. There are in fact 21 ways we can hear God’s voice but we need to tune out ‘ears, hearts, and minds towards God’.

When God speaks He does so through ‘the fullness of all three Persons of His Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit”.  To hear God’s voice we need to experience God’s peace, presence, and love.

Love Speaks is an excellent book filled with teaching, scripture, and examples of those who have heard God’s voice.  Each chapter focuses on a different way we can hear and listen to God. The 21 ways include:

•  The established Word
•  The Inner Witness of the Holy Spirit
• The inner voice of the Holy Spirit

I really recommend this book. It really spoke to me and was very helpful in being able to discern when I am hearing God’s voice and when it is just my own voice in my head!  Carl Anderson is a great write and is very personable and engaging.