- An Inspiring Story of the Faithfulness of God

by Eunice Wangui Stuhlhofer

Using her own life story, Eunice has written a very honest and personal account of her journey through life and her life as a Christian, while at the same time writing a devotional book to help and encourage others. As the mother of identical twins I recognised her emotions in the Prologue. You imagine twins are going to be identical in all things, but this is not so as God reminds her, not only twins but every one of us is made whole and complete. We are not the same as anyone else. In this context she discusses how a couple are not incomplete on their own; they are a union of two complete people in God’s eye.
As the author tells of her own life she confronts many issues with biblical answers, her childhood and teenage years in Kenya were difficult, in some instances hard to imagine, living as we do in the affluent West, but as she struggled with being a single Mum, she also forged a relationship with Jesus and found over time that as she says ‘a single mother can rely on God as Father and Husband.’ What a discovery that must have been!
Each chapter begins with a quotation taken from a variety of sources and ends with suggested Bible readings with accompanying questions to ask yourself and ponder upon.
Eunice now lives in Vienna, Austria and says on her website’ Currently, I’m studying Psychotherapy to become a psychotherapist in a world in dire need of a Christian approach to soulish problems.’ Her book is well worth reading.

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Review by Mary Bartholomew (06/02/12)

Paperback
Price: £12.96
Publisher: Lulu UK
Published: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-445-74683-8

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God Hunting

- A Diary of Spiritual Discovery

by Jo Swinney

Other people's journals are fascinating if we are given access to them, as we gain insight into who they are and how they tick. In this book Jo Swinney a young, busy mum, shares her 'diary of spiritual discovery' with us, and by the end you feel you know her quite well. But her purpose in writing is for the reader to join with her in her quest. She sets herself to explore one spiritual discipline per month and invites us to join the hunt for God through ... prayer, fasting, Bible study, worship, solitude and simplicity. I found her honesty refreshing and helpful. She isn't doing this as a gimmick: she really does want to know God better in the midst of a hectic schedule. She longs to 'stop paddling on the shore and wade into deep waters until I am out of my depth.' And this longing for a close encounter with God is infectious. I finished this book more than ever determined to keep on seeking God.
At the end of each chapter there is an interview with someone who is experienced in that particular discipline. The podcasts of these interviews are available on the publisher’s website (click on the name) or the author link below.

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Review by Jackie Rowe (31/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Scripture Union (SU)
Published: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-844-27533-5

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We Shall See God

- Charles Spurgeon's Thoughts on Heaven

by Randy Alcorn

We think about heaven too little and when we do we think in a wrong way. This book will help correct both errors. Randy Alcorn has taken 50 excerpts from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons which cover life after death, updated the language and then added his own comments.
The result is delightful. It is both doctrinal and devotional. I love the warmth, depth and breadth of Spurgeon’s teaching. Rooted in the scriptures he speaks with a pastor’s heart. I also found Randy Alcorn’s comments helpful and enriching, complementing the quotations from Spurgeon.
The chapter headings alone should whet your appetite: To enjoy Heaven is to enjoy God; Joining Heaven’s celebration now; Death has no power; Behold the face of God.
Dozens of areas are covered. They explain the difference between the intermediate state (Heaven) and our final state (the New Heaven and New Earth). They emphasise that believers will be perfectly happy when we die but we will not be complete until we receive our resurrection bodies. They tackle the issues that trouble Christians such as whether we will recognise each other in the next life (yes) and how we can be completely happy knowing we have relatives and friends suffering in Hell.
Randy Alcorn has done a great service in bringing Surgeon’s thoughts on the afterlife to a wider audience. Read this and be edified and uplifted.

Review by Alan Hill (11/01/12)

Hardback
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: June 2011
ISBN: 978-1-414-34554-3

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Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

by Larry Warner

Larry Warner is a seminary professor and spiritual director, and this book is the result of his experience in leading people through a contemporary form of the exercises of Saint Ignatius. This is a gentle, accessible, guilt-free book which takes you on a daily meander through the rich pastures of God’s grace. Larry warns that you have to take it seriously – but also that perfectionism is not called for. If you want to get closer to Jesus, to deepen your relationship with God, this is a beautiful way to do it. It takes an hour a day to do the exercises – but somehow it comes as easily as breathing. The book includes practical excercises, and it has the great merit of moving slowly, eddying round you like a gentle stream of life-giving water throughout the day. I thoroughly recommend it.

Review by Alison Morgan (09/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £10.99
Publisher: Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson
Published: Spring 2011
ISBN: 978-1-841-01883-6

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200 Keys to Unlock Your Destiny

by Wale Oladipo

This is perforce a slight book – one which the browser might just dismiss because of its size: if they do, they might be missing a little gem!
The book is essentially 200 sentences or “Keys” to living, each one based on a scriptural text and these are fully referenced in the appendix.
Some may seem to have departed a little way from the quoted text [eg No 1 based on Proverbs 20.29] while others are natural readings of the their text [eg 200 – Genesis 12.2]
The more I looked at this book, the more I found in it – some sentences stating the obvious [eg 7]
Wale Oladipo has experience as a Christian working in Nigeria, Egypt and the UK, where he is currently a psychotherapist based in Bradford.
I strongly recommend this little book – which is by the way self-published.

Copies of the book can be ordered for £7.00 (+ 50p postage) from Trees Fewster, Listing Mill Farm, Gomersal, Cleckheaton, BD19 4HS. Editor

Review by Nick Horton (09/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £7.00
Publisher: Author
Published: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-456-79716-4

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Spiritual Warfare for Women

- Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family and Friends

by Leighann McCoy

You might love Christian books written especially for women or you might be like me – a woman who sees a Christian title written especially for women and gives the book a miss! But let me say before I go any further: this is a Christian book written for women which is worth reading.
McCoy is clearly a woman writing for women but she succeeds in avoiding the tone which can be typical of such books: Spiritual Warfare for Women is a good balance of teaching with personal illustrations from life. It’s a well-organised piece of writing, which is generally strongly rooted in Scripture rather than pop Christianity, and this is perhaps my most significant reason for commending it above many other women’s titles.
The book explores the enemy’s tactics in our lives and proclaims that there are effective tools for spiritual warfare, yet, at the same time, McCoy displays a willingness to engage with these issues on a very real and personal level and without being overly-triumphalistic. This is to be celebrated! I particularly liked the reflective sections at the end of each chapter which encourage readers to meditate on Scripture and then provide a variety of very practical ways to start the task of Scripture memorisation. In fact, if you only bought the book to discover some useful methods of Scripture memorisation, I suspect you’d think you’d got your money’s worth!

Review by Chloe Lynch (09/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £8.99
Publisher: Bethany House imprint of Baker Pub from Lion
Published: September 2011
ISBN: 978-0-764-20890-4

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Setting Our Sights On Heaven - Why its Hard and Why its Worth it. by Paul D Wolfe
ISBN: 978-1-848-71143-3 Price: £7.50	Published: 2011
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A Vision of the Deep - Uncovering the Treasure of Life in Christ by Susan Scott Sutton
ISBN: 978-0-875-08786-3 Price: £7.99	Published: February 2009
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Radical Love In a Broken World by Ron Nikkel
ISBN: 978-1-845-50702-2 Price: £7.99	Published: 2011
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Common Prayer - A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Enuma Okoro
ISBN: 978-0-310-32619-9 Price: £16.99	Published: 15 October 2010
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The Healer’s Tree - A Bible-based Resource on Ecology, Peace & Justice by Annie Heppenstall
ISBN: 978-1-849-52077-5 Price: £9.99	Published: Spring 2011
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An Almighty Passion - Meeting God in Ordinary Life by Alan Hargrave
ISBN: 978-0-281-06671-1 Price: £9.99	Published: November 2011
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An Impossible God - Experiencing the Power of the Passion and Resurrection by Frank Topping
ISBN: 978-1-848-25095-6 Price: £9.99	Published: 29 June 2011
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Shaping the Heart - Reflections on Spiritual Formation and Fruitfulness by Pamela Evans
ISBN: 978-1-841-01726-6 Price: £7.99	Published: October 2011
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Landscapes of Prayer by Margaret Silf
ISBN: 978-0-745-95528-5
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Evensong by Kenneth Steven
ISBN: 978-0-281-06480-9 Price: £8.99	Published: 17 November 2011
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Pathway To Our Hearts - A Simple Approach to Lectio Divina With the Sermon on the Mount by Thomas Collins
ISBN: 978-1-594-71265-4 Price: £8.99	Published: April 2011
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Strike The Cloud - Understanding and Practising the Teaching of The Cloud of Unknowing by Graeme Watson
ISBN: 978-0-281-06425-0 Price: £8.99	Published: September 2011
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Living on the Border - Reflections on the Experience of Threshold by Esther de Waal
ISBN: 978-1-853-11962-0 Price: £9.99	Published: 31 August 2011
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Praying the Dark Hours - A Night Prayer Companion by Jim Cotter
ISBN: 978-1-848-25109-0 Price: £12.99	Published: August 2011
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