What's your style?

Everyone shops differently, but most of us do get caught up in the Christmas shopping experience - for better or worse!  We have planned two very different Christmas shopping events to suit all types.  If you prefer shopping with the family, pop in on Saturday 16th November.  We will happily entertain your children with Christmas crafts & activities while you are free to browse our special offers.  Alternatively, if you prefer to shop in peace & quiet pop along on the evening of Monday 18th November.  We will be opening late for a relaxed evening of browsing and extra discounts.
Please note... the special offers & discounts are ONLY available at these events...  also the usual free refreshments will be available with added mince pies!

#CrazyBusy

It's not wrong to be tired.  It's not wrong to feel overwhelmed.  It's not wrong to go through seasons of complete chaos.  What is wrong - and heartbreakingly foolish and wonderfully avoidable - is to live a life with more craziness than we want because we have less Jesus than we need.

What a fitting final paragraph to this excellent little book! Not only has it made me laugh, it has also made me stop & think - alot.  There are changes ahead...
Lorna
Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung, IVP, £8.99

Engaging with Keller

Perhaps they will not be welcomed, but here are some sober essays on Tim Keller's theology. Having given a welcome to his reflections on work - see blog on 'Every Good Endeavour' - I feel a responsibility to take notice of criticisms of more fundamental elements of Keller's thought. Tim Keller, ordained in the PCA, was the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, which has grown remarkably since into a major ministry. He is a very influential figure in the evangelical world: he both epitomises it and shapes it. It is a bold effort then to get a book like this published and EP Books are to be commended.
Keller's style is unashamedly philosophical. He is trying to reach a post-modern generation, particularly young professionals, and therefore seeks to jettison theological jargon. The problem emerges as to whether he (i) succeeds in 'translating' biblical terminology into his language correctly, and (ii) succeeds in conveying the truth through it. The authors of this book, led by Iain D Campbell, address this in the following areas of concern: the doctrine of sin, hell, the Trinity, creation, the church, and Mission. Quite a list! But Keller is handled very carefully on these matters by all contributors - perhaps too gently if the charges against him are fair. My conclusion is that there is a case to answer, and it will be interesting to see if Keller bothers with a rebuttal. But if avowed fellow evangelicals, fellow Presbyterians, find clear cause to sound a warning note against such a successful(?) fellow minister and brother, then something must indeed be up!
'Engaging with Keller' ed. Iain D Campbell & William M Schweitzer, p/b published by EP Books. RRP £9.99. Our price £8.49.
Jeremy

A Glorious High Throne

Our virtual reading club is getting on well with A Glorious High Throne (Edgar Andrews). I have been catching up with some reading this evening and this is too good a section not to quote!

It is central to the message of Hebrews that Christ's work of deliverance is complete.  Christ is the perfect Saviour because he saves perfectly.  There is nothing partial, conditional, or temporary about the salvation that is in Christ. Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is left to man's fallible 'decision' or 'commitment'. Jesus' work of atonement is a finished work of grace that has completely and eternally saved his elect.  Their entrance into 'glory' is assured. 

If you like the sound of that and want to join the club, please let me know (ladies only).

Lorna

Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in your Home

Glimpses of Grace is a compelling book, it can be read from cover to cover or just as easily dipped into ad hoc without losing the thread. Ever practical and honest, Gloria Furman uses a mixture of personal anecdotes, biblical truths, sound quotations and faithful hymnology to gently persuade you of the vital necessity of treasuring the Gospel in your home.
A few extracts will show this better than my attempts to describe it (from Chapter 9 God's Abiding Presence in Our Pain):

...I live in the midst of pain.  We're all carrying some sort of burden - maybe it's a lost love, or a lost child, a broken friendship or a broken home. We all limp as we go about our daily lives, and sometimes the pain is so deep that we can hardly bear to stand up. Your daily life is complicated by situations and extraordinary pain.
...There's a saying I learned in Kenya when visiting the church there. When somebody says, "God is good," everybody answers, "All the time." We extol the character of God and affirm, "God doesn't change." But how does God's immutable character affect our everyday perspective on life? If God doesn't change, how are we to respond when our circumstances do change? Rejoicing in the unchanging character of God is much harder to do when you feel like your life is a sandstorm swirling all around you, and you can't see which way to go, much less where the road went.
...Martin Luther said "Although it hurts us when he takes his own from us, his good will should be a greater comfort to us than all his gifts, for God is immeasurably better than all his gifts."
...Every time God acts, he acts in righteousness and grace.
...We need faith to trust that God doesn't merely "know what's best for us," but that he is what's best for us no matter what our circumstances are.

Lorna
Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in your Home by Gloria Furman, published by Crossway, £9.99

Books Are My Bag

Books Are My Bag is a nationwide campaign to promote bookshops & it is gearing up for a public launch on 14th September. Here's an infographic of Books Are My Bag in Numbers:

A Fantastic New Resource

This is a great resource that really fills a gap in the market.  A 'coffee table' sized book with large type, simple scripture texts (AV), poetry and countryside anecdotes plus lovely scenic photography in full colour.  Fantastic for older folk with poor sight and also those who may be suffering from dementia.  It would perhaps also be a useful resource for people with learning disabilities.

Scenes Old & New and Sayings Ever True by Ray Chaplin, £8.50

Lorna