Book reviews

The Shack - William P Young £5.99 (special offer)

This is the best piece of Christian fiction that I have ever read. I laughed, cried, had goose bumps and felt an overwhelming sense of the love of God.

The main character has a family tragedy that he and his family struggle to cope with. During a period he describes as "the great sadness" Mack encounters God in a most marvellous way.

The author blows away our religious pre-conceived ideas of who God is, what He is like and His expectations of us. It raises the question "why do we have to struggle with pain?" I am left with an excited feeling deep within me that cries out "God you are so good!"

I highly recommend that you read this book, and it is endorsed by greater people than me - including Eugene Peterson, Wayne Jacobson and Michael W Smith.

Caz

Chasing the Dragon - Jackie Pullinger £7.00

Chasing the Dragon is the most exciting and amazing autobiography I've ever read, i literally could not put it down, 'What Would Jackie Do' becoming a common slogan amongst my friends. Jackie's faith and relationship with God, throughout extremely scary and tough situations in the Walled City in China, is inspirational. I dont find reading very easy but this book is simply written and keeps a good pace. Jackie sees God perform miracle after miracle, setting captives free from prostitution and drugs, and providing where there is nothing - truly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Kat

What's so Amazing about Grace? - Philip Yancy £9.49

What’s so amazing about What’s so Amazing about Grace is Yancy’s amazing ability to unpack this amazing topic. Were you counting? Yes, I used amazing four times.

Yancy does not set out to define grace, but in his words, would rather “convey it, than explain it”. In his discussion on grace he does not avoid the dark issues that are faced in everyday life, but tackles them even from the first pages.

He describes a world thirsty for grace. The system in which we live is one of ungrace, where we measure ourselves and others based on performance and status. Guilt and fear plague those in the system as we earn rewards or punishments, fail to meet expectations, compare ourselves with others, or fear losing our place.

Grace—the free undeserved unconditional love for who we truly are—is what sets us free.

Grace is what the world really needs. In the words of Yancy, “Grace costs nothing for everyone except the person who gives it.” That very grace is what Christ Himself offers, but so quickly we fall back into the system of performance and merit even in the church, dispensing judgment on others and ourselves.

Christ’s church must have “grace on tap” for everyone once again.

Yancy challenges all who claim the Name of Christ to become needy grace givers. First, we must become needy before we can truly give grace. In other words, we must turn from trying to earn God’s favour with our “morality”, and recognise our need for His free gift of grace. In Yancy’s words, “the proof of spiritual maturity is not how ‘pure’ we are, but the awareness of our impurity-because it leads to grace.” We are honest with ourselves and with God about what we are, and that we need Him and His forgiveness. Then we depend on Him and stand in that grace as new, clean, forgiven, and loved people.

Once that truly happens, we have “grace-filled eyes” that changes the way we see things. I see myself as a sinner, who cannot please God by any method of self-improvement, and yet God loves me despite all my defects. Then, I can see others too as sinners with defects loved by God just like me. There is no room for judgment, because all is made level. Truly being rooted in the love and grace of God spreads a fragrance of love and grace to a thirsty, hurting, judging, and performance-driven world.

Being forgiven…I forgive. Being loved…I love.

Let us be needy grace givers and receive, enjoy, and dispense grace freely and with abundance. Let us live in Jesus, who full of grace, gave everything so that we could live free.

Rodney