The Prodigal God

Hello,

We have just finished reading "The Prodigal God". This is a short book structured around Jesus' parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and explains how to adapt ourselves to live in relationship with the Father.

If you have read “The Prodigal God”, you are welcome to share your thoughts. Please leave a comment.

Kind regards,

Ope




Synopsis

In THE PRODIGAL GOD, New York pastor Timothy Keller uses the story of the prodigal son to shine a light on the central, beautiful message of Jesus: the gospel of grace, hope and salvation.

Keller argues that the parable of the prodigal son, while Jesus’ best-known parable, is also his least understood. He introduces the reader to all the characters in this timeless story, showing that it concerns not just a wayward son, but also a judgemental older brother and, most importantly, a loving father.

This short but powerful book is a reminder to the faithful, an explanation to the seeker, and finally an invitation to all – both older and younger brothers – to enter in to the ‘unique, radical nature of the gospel’: the reckless, spendthrift love of God.

The Shack

Hello,

There was a lot of hype about “The Shack” when it was first published that it caught my attention. I didn’t get round to reading it then and therefore was quite glad when it was chosen as our reading title. A very thought provoking book. Please share your comments and thoughts with us if you have read "The Shack".

Kind regards,

Ope


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








Synopsis.

The Shack is a fictional story that seeks to provide answers to the age-old question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” Mack, the main character, has lived under the burden of The Great Sadness since the abduction and murder of his daughter four years previous. He then receives a note from God (”Papa”), inviting him to return to the shack — the scene of his daughter’s murder — for a time together. When he returns to the scene, Mack is treated to a weekend encounter with the Godhead. Each member of the Trinity is present: “Papa” – a large African-American woman (representing the Father); ”Sarayu” – an ethereal woman of Asian descent (representing the Holy Spirit); and “Jesus” – a Middle Eastern man with carpentry skills. Most of the book is Mack’s dialogue with these characters from this point on. They discuss many topics, but ultimately help Mack to deal with The Great Sadness. By the time the weekend is over, Mack is a changed man.

Left Behind?

Hello!

Happy New Year to you all.

We have just finished reading “Left Behind” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
This is a novel of the earth’s last days. The story is built around the “end times” in a fictional context around the theme of the “Rapture”.

I need to stress that Left Behind is a “Fiction Story”. However, the subject of this book really makes you stop and ask yourself where you are in your walk with God.

A must read for all Christians or for anyone who has any questions concerning Christianity.


Love and blessings,

Ope

Totally Forgiving Ourselves

Hello,

So sorry it's been a while, just lots of "life and doings" happening all at once. However, that did not mean that we haven't been reading. We recently finished reading "Totally Forgiving Ourselves" by R T Kendall.



What a book!

Initially, I struggled to break into this book, and found the first couple of chapters a bit dry. However, I focused and pressed on and I sure am glad I did. I started enjoying the book and there was a lot of advice and information to take in page after page.

Totally Forgiving Ourselves (TFO) gave me a fresh insight about forgiveness, guilt (false and real), self pity, self righteousness and judging others and myself. God spoke to me through this book and now, when I think about some of the challenges I am currently going through, I feel I might be able to make decisions without feeling guilty. It made me reflect on past trials and tribulations and how I handled them.
TFO made me reflect on past trials and tribulations and how I handled them. As I cannot do much about the past but to ask God for forgiveness, I certainly will be applying what I learnt from reading it to certain areas of my life.

If you have read “Totally Forgiving Ourselves”, you are welcome to share your views. Leave a comment.

God bless.

Ope

and the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers

Hello,

It's summer time and lots of you are on holiday or plan on having a holiday.
A "must have" for the holiday is a good book to read. Look no further as our next read is guaranteed to stir your heart and make you remember the need to put God first in every moment of your life...

Happy reading

Ope

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


Synopsis

When Paul Hudson eagerly accepted the call to pastor the struggling church, he had no idea what to expect. He only hoped he could please the Lord with his plans and hard work. Together, Paul, his wife Eunice, and their son Tim packed up and moved halfway across the country to do the Lord’s work.
It didn’t take long for Paul to turn Centerville Christian Church around. Attendance was up–way up. People came to hear the charismatic Paul Hudson preach. The choir added members, and the children’s program was at an all-time high. A building program was in the works. Everything was going so well. If only his wife could see it his way. Still, he tried not to let her quiet presence disturb him.


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

..... So what is a Shofar?

Shofar, the Hebrew word for trumpet is mentioned over 70 times in the bible. It is an ancient musical instrument made from the horn of a Ram.

The shofar was used in biblical times for various occasions ranging from calling the armies together, calling people to Worship and spiritual awakening. It is specially used for the call to repentance.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Hi there,

Hope you are all well and in good health. I should have posted this a while back.

I am sure you have all heard the saying........."Variety, is the spice of life"!


In Activate, the idea of members choosing the reading books gives us all the opportunity to read a “variety” of books and hence broaden our horizons. Our next read is interesting and challenging in lots of ways.

So enjoy!

Yours,

Ope

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

Synopsis

"The Screwtape Letters" is fiction. But only fiction in the sense that the characters and the dialogue sprang from the imagination of one of the greatest modern Christian writers. Yet in our terrestrial reality the issues confronted in this book play out in our lives every day.
The book contains thirty-one letters from Screwtape (an experienced devil) to his nephew, Wormwood, just beginning his demonic career and has been assigned to secure the damnation of a young man who has just become a Christian.
We get the letters only from one side of the correspondence (Screwtape's), yet the story of the meanderings of the Christian "patient's" soul is clearly read between the lines. The letters begin with Wormwood's failure to keep his subject from becoming a Christian. The urbane Screwtape informs him that, although this is an alarming development, his patient is by no means lost to the dark forces of evil.
Each letter addresses various aspects of the travails of the human soul and how the devil tempts that soul away from goodness and toward evil - not evil on a grand scale, but evil on a petty scale. They show how evil can seep into a Christian's relationships with friends and family, in his views on the church, even in his practice of prayer.
Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better understanding of what it means to live a faithful life.
"The Screwtape Letters" is a book that entertains while it instructs. It is a book to be treasured and studied.

Velvet Elvis - Share your thoughts.....

I found Velvet Elvis very thought provoking. It’s given me the boldness to ask questions and dig deeper into certain areas of Christianity that I do not understand.

I commend Rob on some areas of Velvet Elvis, his honesty and the research he carried out to back up his views. I liked how he brought abstract to life in the early chapters of the book.

However, there are some areas where I do question and challenge his views and opinion, especially where he doesn't have a scripture or fact to back up his views. One thing for sure is that everyone’s opinion of the bible is essentially his or her own opinion. The Holy Spirit brings about revelation and understanding of the scriptures we read in the bible.

I think we would all agree that Christianity is a journey, not a destination and the bible is not just about historical events but is true of how we live our lives today. The stories in the bible are our stories, as we can identify with them to date.

One thing Rob said is 'As a Christian--we are free to claim the good, true and holy whenever we find it...because the world is God's and everything in it.’
I found this comment full of meaning. It applies to everything but can also be easily misinterpreted. For guidance, in 1 peter 2 vs. 16, we are told to "live as free men BUT we should not use our freedom as a cover up for evil; we should live as servants of the living God."
We must be careful at what we claim as good, true and holy.

On a closing note, I felt there were some words of wisdom and discernment in Rob’s Velvet Elvis. However, there were parts of the book that I didn’t quite agree with.

God bless.

Ope