TOO SMALL TO IGNORE

Hi all,

In July, we finished reading "Too small to ignore" by Wess Stafford, the leader of Compassion international.

In this book, not only does Wess share with us his incredible boyhood experiences when growing up in an African village, he also draws our attention to the suffering and tragic deprivation that children in the world today face. He calls us to open the eyes of our heart to see the strategic importance of the children around us and why they must be protected and cared for.

One thing we need to remember is that a small pebble in the pond of one child's life may send out ripples that eventually transform many others.

On a final note, the bible tells us that Jesus entrusted the little children to our care and we should not cause them to sin (Mat 18:6). We are called to provide safe, nurturing environments for them. It is our job to train a child in the way he should go (prov22:6).

… A must read


Kind regards,

Ope






Synopsis

The time has come, argues Dr. Wess Stafford, for a major paradigm shift: Children are too important and too intensely loved by God to be left behind or left to chance. Children belong to all of us and we are compelled to intervene on their behalf. We must invest in children–all across the world.
There are strategic, persuasive reasons–beyond love and kindness–to invest in children. Today they may snuggle into your lap, if you let them. But tomorrow you may not have access to them in the corridors of power they might occupy. Now is the time to shape the future.
Dr. Stafford issues an urgent call for change. His adventures as a boy raised in a West African village provide an often-humorous and always-captivating backdrop to his profound and inspiring challenges. Wess lived the reality of “it takes a village to raise a child” and calls us to “be that loving village for children everywhere.”
This book will encourage you to turn your good, loving intentions into strategic actions and empower you to help change the world–and the future–forever: one child at a time.

Redeeming Love

Another truly amazing book by Francine Rivers….


California's gold country, 1850. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. What she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside. Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father's heart in everything, Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance, her heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. So Angel runs. Back to the darkness...A powerful retelling of the book of Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God's unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love. A page-turner…

Battlefield of the mind ...

I absolutely enjoyed reading “The battlefield of the mind”. I found this book fruitful and thought provoking. The sections of the book that applied to me spoke volumes to me….indeed an eye opener. I found some of her comments and analogy enlightening, refreshing as well as challenging. I pray I will be able to apply what I have read and learnt to my daily walk with God with the help of the Holy Spirit. It was valuable listening to the thoughts and views of the other members of the book club during our meeting. It is amazing how the same book can speak to a group of people in different ways. On a closing note, I want to encourage every one of us to try and hold on to the truth and use the words of God as a weapon against the attacks from the enemy.

Stay blessed,

Ope

….And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. ….Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:32, 36)

Battlefield of the Mind

Hi there,

We have just read "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer. Please share your comments and thoughts with us if you have read this book.

Kind regards,

Ope

Synopsis

A WAR IS RAGING.

Your Mind is the Battlefield.

Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger and feelings of condemnation... all these are attacks on the mind. If you suffer from negative thoughts, take heart! Joyce Meyer has helped millions win these all-important battles – and she can help you, too. In this popular bestseller, Joyce Meyer shows you how to change your life by changing your mind. She teaches you how to deal with thousands of thoughts you have every day and focus your mind to think the way God thinks. She shares the trials, tragedies and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family and ministry that led her to a wondrous, life-transforming truth, and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way.

Now it’s your turn to:

• Gain control over your mind and find freedom and peace

• Recognize damaging thoughts and stop them from influencing your life

• Be patient with yourself even when you make mistakes

• Arm yourself with the word of God, praise, prayer, and other powerful spiritual weapons

• Follow the light out of your mental “wilderness” – the bad attitudes and excuses people use that keep them from God – and find undreamed of happiness and fulfillment. Don’t surrender to misery another day.

Find out today how to guarantee your victory in your BATTLEFIELD OF THE MIND!

The five people you meet in Heaven

Hi there,

Our first meeting of 2011 was held on Saturday January 22 where we discussed "The five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom.

I quite enjoyed this fiction and found it easy to read. I liked the way Mitch Albom switched the setting back and forth as well as the subtle suspense of wanting to find out if the main character saved the little girl’s life. This made the story more appealing and interesting to read.
Regardless of the fact that I found spiritual depth lacking, the book gave me a lot to think about life and how our actions – deliberate or accidental, can have an altering effect on others and vice versa.

I certainly recommend this book for reading!

Please share your comments and thoughts with us if you have read this book.


Regards,

Ope



--------------------------------------------------




Synopsis

This is an enchanting and beautifully written novel that explores a mystery only heaven can unfold. Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in the toil of his father before him, fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. Then he dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people who were in it. The author gives us an astoundingly original story that will change everything you've ever thought about the afterlife -- and the meaning of our lives here on earth.

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the belated post here, ladies!

Happy 2011! It’s amazing how fast the days have gone by… it's already the end of January! I pray that 2011 will be a year of blessings and fulfilment for each of us.

Don’t you just love the variety of books we get to read in Activate? Well, I do and I have you ladies to thank for that.


Love,

Ope

What is God's Language?

Hi there,

At our last meeting on November 20, 2010, we discussed “The Language of God” by Francis Collins.

In this interesting and well written book, Francis Collins puts forward his views on how science and belief in God are compatible. In it, he shares his personal conversion from agnosticism to theism and raises some arguments for the idea of God as well as responds to several objections to belief in God. He examines various issues such as moral law, the big bang, the origins of life, evolution and DNA, and concludes that DNA sequencing only shows us something of how God operates but doesn’t explain the source of things that make humanity special and the universe itself.
He finally considers theistic evolution, which he believes is ‘science and faith in harmony’ and encourages believers that science and faith are compatible and that faith makes sense.

I enjoyed reading "The Language of God" and found it packed with lots of information geared towards finding harmony between the existence of God and science, especially in our current world, where science and the existence of God are at war. In addition, I found parts of the main text and appendix to be a good resource of information in knowing more about the human genome and the science of embryonic and adult stem cell research and cloning. I therefore feel more equipped and comfortable in holding “the unavoidable” discussion of God vs. science which usually crops up during conversations with non-believers.

I think it is a good book to be read by all – Christians, theist, agnostics, atheist, creationists etc.

If you have read “The Language of God”, please share your comments with us.



Stay blessed,

Ope







The language of God
by Francis S. Collins


Synopsis


Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists. He works at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and scripture.
Dr. Collins believes that faith in God and faith in science can coexist within a person and be harmonious.
In The Language of God he makes his case for God and for science. He has heard every argument against faith from scientists, and he can refute them. He has also heard the needless rejection of scientific truths by some people of faith, and he can counter that, too. He explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes readers for a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry, and biology can all fit together with belief in God and the Bible.
The Language of God is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of faith: Why are we here? How did we get here? What does life mean?