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Discipleship

Creative praying in groups - Julia McGuiness - recommended by Joyce Webb

God on mute - Pete Greig - recommended by Angela Curror

God is closer than you think  -  John Ortberg - currently being studied by homegroups and available on bookstall

The power of simple prayer  -  Joyce Meyer - reviewed by Angela Curror
This book has left a lasting impression – the idea that God made us all different deliberately and we are not supposed to spend our lives comparing ourselves with others and trying to be the same, and we aren’t supposed to waste time comparing our prayer lives with other peoples and trying to pray like they do. This book encourages us to find our own unique ways of communicating with God and gives suggestions of various things to try. It left me with a wonderful feeling of freedom to explore, instead feeling guilty at not conforming to what I had previously imagined must be “the right way” to pray! I found it a very freeing book to read.

 

Journey into God’s Heart - Jennifer Rees Larcombe - reviewed by Angela Curror

Jennifer Rees Larcombe is refreshingly honest about the ups and downs as she has struggled through some very difficult life experiences. What comes through it all is her deep longing to know God better, which I found very inspiring and wonderfully contagious. This book would be good for anyone to read – but could be especially helpful for someone going through tough times - as are other books she has written, such as Beauty From Ashes (honest and helpful short readings to dip into when things are hard) and Turning Point (an encouraging book about the authors pathway through circumstances that almost shattered her life, leading instead to hope and new beginnings).

 

 

Me and My Big Mouth - Joyce Meyer - reviewed by Angela Curror

A very balanced book about how to speak the truth of God’s word into our lives instead of speaking negativity over ourselves. Joyce Meyer shows us how to be honest about illness or difficult circumstances, but at the same time be able to speak positively about the Lord as our healer and the One who will help us etc. Some other books I have come across on this subject tend to make people afraid to admit that there is anything wrong, for fear of being negative and therefore speaking evil into our lives, but this book clearly shows how to be honest and speak God’s truth into our lives at the same time.

 


Totally Forgiving Ourselves - R T Kendall - reviewed by Angela Curror

I really like R T Kendall’s openness about why he wrote this book and the process of forgiving himself that he has had to go through – it gives what he has written a deep authenticity. He takes us through compelling and convincing Biblically based reasons why we should forgive ourselves and then he very clearly shows us how to do it.  This book is practical and helpful and R T Kendall gets the message across in a gentle but firm way. It was a book that needed time spent on it, not a book I wanted to rush through quickly.

 

 

Father Forgive - Robin Oake - reviewed by Angela Curror

Having forgiven his own son’s murderer, Robin Oake talks about what happened and how he dealt with it, showing the reader that he is well qualified to talk about forgiveness. Passages about his own experience of forgiveness are sandwiched between discussion on why forgiveness is so important and how to forgive. He writes about the negative effects of unforgiveness and why we really should forgive, using his own story as a perfect “visual aid”.

Local interest – Croydon and Purley are mentioned in this book.

 

The Shack - William P. Young - reviewed by Angela Curror

 

Emotional healing, forgiveness, trust, relationship with God, and the intimate relationship between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – all tackled sensitively in this fiction book, which I read in a weekend – I didn’t want to put it down! I loved the picture of the Trinity – three parts in relationship with each other. The descriptions made me feel as if I was there and I really enjoyed watching the way that Mack‘s emotions unfolded and he began to trust again after his terrible loss. A difficult subject but a very healing and refreshing book to read. I have read it twice more since and enjoyed it more each time. There is an audio book too.

 

I have also read "Finding God in the Shack" by Randal Rauser. An interesting book using William P Young's story as a framework, Rauser the theologian examines controversial issues raised in The Shack.

 

 

The Penny - Joyce Meyer - reviewed by Angela Curror

In spite of the fact that this book is about a very difficult subject it was a surprisingly easy and compelling read. Based on Joyce Meyer’s own experience this is a story of forgiveness, emotional healing and the rebuilding of trust, and it shows how simple “coincidences” (God-incidences!) can have huge consequences and affect many lives. This book gripped me from the beginning - I really didn’t want to put it down! I enjoyed the descriptions and the way the story unfolded.

 

 

Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers - reviewed by Angela Curror

Based on the story of Hosea this book describes Michael’s radical, outrageous love for Angel who was sold into prostitution as a child. Angel is hardened by her experiences of life and extremely resistant to his love. The author shows great understanding of the effects of shame and weaves a story in which it is possible to have understanding and compassion for Angel even when she is betraying Michael. Gradually Angel’s heart begins to soften towards Michael as he pursues her but it is not a quick fix story. Angel runs from Michael’s love and eventually he must wait and see if she will return to him. This is a very powerful picture of the depth of God’s commitment towards us.

 

 

The Life You’ve Always Wanted - John Ortberg - reviewed by Angela Curror

A very refreshing book about transformation and how various practices can help develop our spiritual muscles. Ortberg looks at subjects including celebration, slowing down, prayer, servanthood, confession, reflection on Scripture, and suffering. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on my own, but found it even more helpful sharing it in a group, which I’ve done twice - once with the Christ Church Book Circleand once in our homegroup. The discussion questions at the back of the book really helped us to talk about how to put it into practice. There is also a DVD which we used in our homegroup, which stimulated a lot of discussion even amongst those who are normally very quiet!

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis - reviewed by Angela Curror

Seven books – beginning with “The Magician’s Nephew” (echoes of Genesis) and ending with “The Last Battle” (echoes of Revelation), with various stories in-between including the most famous, “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” (the redemption of a traitor by an innocent one’s death and resurrection). These books are not just for children - I’ve read all seven many times and get more out of them with each reading!

I also enjoy the films The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian (DVDs available) – although I wish they hadn’t changed things and added extra bits in! (The cartoon of “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” is more true to the book.)