Saturday 25 November 2017

Cosy Christmas Evening

Our annual Christmas evening is usually a cosy affair - much more pleasant than most Christmas shopping experiences! Homemade mincepies & cakes, steaming mugs of hot drinks, relaxing background music, friends and chat... you get the idea. Oh, and of course, there are the book deals! We're excited to be offering 'Wonders of Creation', the new coffee table book from Day One, at a 'you-won't-find-this-cheaper-anywhere' price, plus Helen Roseveare's new 'Count it all Joy' alongside a 3 for 2 on children's books. We've even sneaked in a few Martin Luther's - yes, we couldn't resist the Playmobil Martin Luther figure, so we have a few 'lil Luther's in the shop for you to pick up as stocking fillers!
We look forward to seeing you on Monday 27th, or if you really can't make it but you don't want to miss out on one of the offers, just give us a call to make your order (we draw the line at sending out mincepies though 🙂).


Tuesday 21 November 2017

The Sweet Taste of Providence

Christine Farenhorst is a master storyteller, always engaging and finding new ways of pressing a message home. This book of 74 short stories from history is no different. Not all the stories are about Christians, some are about obscure and little known places and people but all are thoughtfully told so that the reader is drawn to consider and clearly see God's providential workings.  Each short chapter begins with a scripture passage and ends with well crafted 'Food for thought' questions. These are not trite, repetitive questions but at times real mind benders!
For example, in one chapter where we read about the man whose technical skills developed the techniques that led to the creation of the Gutenberg Press - the printing press that began the mass printing of Bibles. The gentleman himself was not thought to be a Christian, and he died friendless and penniless, but what wonderful good has come from the development of his techniques! In this chapter, one of the 'food for thought' points is... 'We live in an age where technology has advanced much beyond Gutenberg.  How can we be accountable and use this technology to God's glory and honour and to the advance of his kingdom?'.
I think this book really fills a gap in the market for devotionals for teenagers. It could be used as a daily reading or adapted for group discussions, but however it is used it will provoke careful analysis of the situations that face us in our daily lives and will cause the reader to consider our sovereign God who has all times, situations, people and places in his hands for the furtherance of the gospel and his glory.
The Sweet Taste of Providence - 74 Devotional Episodes from History, by Christine Farenhorst, published by Joshua Press.