Resisting Happiness

 The link to this week's live-streamed service is here  https://www.youtube.com/live/WDEzD8OmD3I?si=yhJGkaSr3Kc94Dqh

Resisting Happiness

Matthew Kelly

 

I was in a thrift store looking at the books and this title jumped out at me.   So I read the first page and the author gave the following example.  The alarm clock goes off, time to get up.  You make your first decision of the day, will you get up or hit the snooze button.  If you hit the snooze and rollover you have lost the first battle of the day.  Resistance has broken your will before your feet touch the ground.  I was so intrigued by this notion that I bought the book!

Resisting Happiness is a self-help book by Matthew Kelly.  He explores the reasons behind our resistance to happiness and provides practical strategies to overcome it.  The emphasis is on the importance of taking small steps toward personal growth, rather than waiting for a big change to happen.  Kelly has dedicated his life to helping people become the-best-version-of-themselves. He is the founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute that is redefining the way Catholics are inspired and educated.

What is resistance?  It is that sluggish feeling of not wanting to do something that you know is good for you.  It is the inclination to do something that you know is not good for you.  It is the desire and tendency to delay something you should be doing right now.

Each chapter of the book explores a road block to happiness and the ways we resist what we know is good for us.  At the end of the chapter, Kelly states the key point and gives the reader an action step.  Here are a few examples of his key points--Every activity can be transformed into prayer; Some things you do help you become the person God created your to be, and some things don’t; Life is always teaching us lessons; We are just passing through this place we call earth. We are pilgrims not tourists.  There are 37 chapters in the book and each one challenges the reader to be the best they can be.  Kelly uses his Catholic faith to illustrate his premise but I found that this did not detract from his message.

Since reading this book I have shared what I have learned with my friends, both believers and non-believers. I have found it easy to share the lessons and to use my faith as examples.     In summary, this book shows you how to get more joy in your life by exploring the road blocks you unknowingly put in the way, explaining why it is a choice, and giving you ways to  become closer to God to find your way.                                                               

 

Book review by

Linda Cliff

Book Review - The Shed that Fed a Million Children

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

The Shed that Fed a Million Children

By Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow

 

This book tells the extraordinary story of how a salmon farmer in rural Scotland comes to start a charity that has fed over a million children.   

The story starts when a family sitting around the dinner table learns of an appearance of the Virgin Mary to some teenagers in a placed called Medjugorje in Yugoslavia.  This event changed Magnus’s life and the lives of others. 

Magnus’s family is devoutly Catholic so he and his brother made a pilgrimage to Yugoslavia to visit the place of the Mary sighting.  While there he experienced a feeling of deep joy unlike anything he had felt before.  He became convinced that God existed and re dedicated his life.   This was the spark!

When Magnus and his brother heard of the needs in war torn Bosnia close the village of the Mary sighting,  they decided to take a truck of supplies to help the area.  This one time road trip grew to become Magnus’s life work.  When he returned to Scotland people continued to reach out to him for help, leading him to leave his job, sell his house and direct all his efforts to feeding the world’s poorest children.

The book goes on to tell of all the places where Magnus was able to help the down trodden.   As the needs were presented, the miracle of the needed funds or equipment became available.   This commitment developed into Mary’s Meals which aims to provide chronically hungry children with one meal every school day, encouraging education that can lift them out of poverty later.  This has become a global charity, which encourages grassroots fund raising.  The web site states $31.70 can feed a child for a whole school year.

At times I found the book a challenging read as the timeline of the events was hard for me to follow.  However, the work that Magnus and his associates accomplished is miraculous.   

The book is worth reading to see the power of God in changing lives.  Magnus was changed by the Mary sighting in Yugoslavia.  He was a teenager when this happened and ever since he has spent his life relying on his faith in God to help others. 

 

Reviewed by Linda Cliff

If you would like to see a video called Child 31 follow this link

To learn more about Marys Meals in Canada go here.

Red Letter Revolution - a Review

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here

Thanks to Linda for this week's blog post.

Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus Really Meant What He Said?

 By Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo

 

 

This book is presented as a conversation between Shane Claiborne, a progressive young evangelical, and Tony Campolo , an experienced pastor and professor of sociology.  The authors discuss issues of violence, community, Islam, hell, sexuality, civil disobedience and twenty other topics of interest to people of faith and conscience today. Shane and Tony discuss their differences and commonalities in a way that is helpful to the reader to gain insight as they seek to live the teachings of Jesus.

 The book is divided into three parts.  I will give a brief summary of the content of each part and the chapters that resonated for me.  The first part is about Theology.  I found this section to be the most relevant for me.  The authors look at the church, liturgy, Islam, hell; topics that are not often discussed in such an open and balanced way.  Much of what the authors were discussing related to a recent book we studied in Bible Study, the Celebrationof Discipline by Richard J Foster.  This gave me another perspective on the topics which added to my enjoyment of the chapters.  My take away from this section of the book was:  

• today many churches are focused on winning believers rather than developing fully developed followers of Jesus: that is disciples.

 

The second part of the book discussed Red Letter Living.  I think the chapters in this portion of the book will be the most difficult for some Christians to read.  There are discussions on Pro Life, Homosexuality, Immigration, Women, and Racism. The authors refer to the politics of the United States and the Republican believers.   I found their discussion refreshing as it was open and unafraid to look at the questions from different angles When I looked at the criticisms by readers of this book, this was the part that raised the most objections.  One of the comments from the chapter on Racism that has stayed with me is:

•  “Eleven o’clock Sunday morning is still the most segregated time of the week”. 

 

The third part of the book looks at a Red Letter World.  I found that at times this section felt dated as it was first published in 2012.  However, each chapter is thought-provoking in its own way.  The section that I found most interesting was on the Middle East.  The authors discussed what was currently happening in Israel and with Palestine.  Also the chapter of Reconciliation was powerful, with Pentecost being compared and contrasted to the Tower of Babble. 

 

I recommend that you take the time to read this book or other writings about the Red Letter Revolution.  Each chapter begins with a quote from Jesus.  Why not explore another view of what our Saviour was saying and explore how to live out those red letters of the Bible?

 

 

Linda Cliff

The Attitude That Makes a Difference

 

The link for this week's streamed worship service is here.

by Linda Cliff

In January 2021 I wrote a blog about being a church member based on a book, I Am a Church Member, by TS Rainer. The author gave six steps on how we as believers can impact our church and community.  Now that we are able to meet in person and restart our church activities, I felt that a more comprehensive review would be in order, so I will review the book in more depth. 

 

This week we will look at how to be a Functioning and Unifying Church Member.  The apostle Paul tells us we are individual members of the body of Christ.  This body is made of many parts and all parts make one body. Hence with church membership, everyone has a role or function; we are different but necessary parts of the whole.  When one part of the body suffers we all suffer, when one part of the body does well the whole body prospers. 

Functioning church membership means everything we say and do is based on the Biblical foundation of Love.  Read 1 Corinthians 13, and apply what you read to your church.  It is not difficult to love the lovable; we are to love the unlovable as well.  We are to pray and encourage fellow members when they do things we don’t like as well as when things are going well. Functioning members commit to giving cheerfully and abundantly; to serving without hesitation.

 

Unifying members get along.  Jesus says that people will know we are his disciples by the love we have for one another. This does not mean that you will always agree with everyone all the time.  This does mean that you may need to sacrifice your own preferences to keep unity in the church.  Gossip and negative talk can be destructive in a church.  We have all heard sermons about gossip and remember James’s writing about the negative power of the tongue.  Hence we should keep our tongue under control and we should kindly tell others we don’t want to hear negative talk.   

Another important aspect of unity is forgiveness.  We are imperfect, yet our sins have been forgiven and we are asked to forgive others.  It is easy to say I will be a functioning and unifying member of my congregation.  However what are you doing to put these two principles into action?  Do you volunteer to visit the infirm, bake for church functions, help in committee work?  Yes we are busy and for some of us feeling our age, yet we can still pray for our church members and show them love and support when it is needed. 

 

I am feeling hopeful about my church membership.  Worshipping in community makes my heart sing.  That is why I reread this book and decided to look at Rainer’s recommendations in more depth.  Over the next month I will look at steps 3-6.  I am looking forward to sharing with you what I learn.  Let me know what you think. 

Ed. Note: You can respond to Linda in person, or leave a comment below. We have one faithful "unknown" reader who regularly leaves a comment in that section. It cheers the heart of your blog mistress to find those little notes. 

 

 

Simply Christian -- Book Review

 

The link for this week's worship service is here

Simply Christian by N. T. Wright

 

                “Simply outstanding. It will confirm, challenge, and deepen your grasp of Christian faith and practice.”  Christianity Today 

 

Simply Christian is divided into three main parts.  The first part “Echoes of a voice” contains four chapters that explore: the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty.  This first section raises questions which are then bit by bit addressed and tied together throughout the book.  The handling of these voices is well done and will resonate with unbelievers anywhere.

 

Part two explores the central Christian belief about God.  This section is titled “Staring at the sun” and discusses God, Israel, Jesus and the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus: rescue and renewal, God’s breath of life and living by the spirit.  In this section he discuses how heaven and earth overlap and intersect, and claims that the most important point of intersection is Jesus.  I very much enjoyed the chapter on Israel as it was like a short history of the Old Testament and how it relates to the coming of the Messiah.

 

Part three,” Reflecting the image” is where Wright describes what it looks like in practice to follow Jesus, to be energized by the spirit, and to advance the plan of creator God.  Wright again emphasizes how heaven and earth intersect by exploring worship, prayer, Scripture and the sacraments.  He looks at the Church not as  a building or even an institution but as the company of those who believe in the God we see in Jesus and are trying to follow. 

 

The structure of the book is logical and follows the themes introduced in the first section; however I would not say the book is simple to read.  I found some portions very interesting and informative but others were disturbing.  The chapter on Jesus: rescue and renewal, painted a picture of Jesus that I had never considered.  I will not go into describing what was written as I suggest you read this chapter then call me so we can discuss it together!

 

The secondary part of the title of this book is “Why Christianity makes Sense” and I feel that Wright has presented a logical argument for why we need God, why Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, why we need worship, the Spirit and the Church.  So stretch yourself and give this book a try.  Read it with a friend so together you can look at each section and dive deeper into living a Christian life.

 

Linda Cliff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am a Church Member -- Review

 

Congratulations to Blanche on the occasion of her 96th birthday this week. I hear that Session sang happy birthday to her over Zoom! What a world. Here's a virtual slice of cake. 

The link for this week's livestreamed service:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K12MtIkcz4&feature=youtu.be

I Am a Church Member

 by Thomas S. Rainer

 

 

These Covid times and the inability to meet in person for church services had me thinking about church membership and its importance in my life.  So when I was in the Christian book store I couldn’t resist looking at this book.  In fact I sat down and read the first chapter while I was in the store!  It felt like the Holy Spirit was saying read this!

 

When our church membership does not live up to our expectations we begin the blame game.  We blame it on godless politics, secular culture, uncaring ministers, hypocritical fellow Christians, everyone but ourselves.  What the author of this book suggests is that we join churches expecting others to serve us, to feed us, and to care for us, but we have lost the Biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.

 

He says we are being hypocrites.  Hard words!  The good news is that Rainer then goes on to give us a road-map so we can be functioning church members of a vibrant congregation.  The reader is given six tasks to fulfil.  Each task is explained, Biblical references are cited and at the end of the chapter, he asks the reader to sign a pledge saying they will commit to their church.  The tasks are as follows:  

• I will be a functioning Church member;
• I will be a unifying Church member; 
• I will not let my Church be about my preferences and desires; 
• I will pray for my Church leaders; 
• I will lead my family to be healthy Church members; 
• I will treasure Church membership as a gift.

 

The chapter on each task has stories about how necessary it is to address these aspects of membership.   Rainer begins by exploring Corinthians 13, the love chapter and explains that Paul was talking about us and how we should treat our fellow Christians. In the chapter on the church and our family he talks about how we as believers can affect the non believers in our families.  Some of the chapters tell us things about ourselves that are difficult to hear, especially the chapter on our preferences.

 

This book was a great read.  It is short, easy to read and important to all church members.  It should be required reading for all Christians who want to be part of a vibrant congregation.

Reviewed by Linda Cliff

 

The text for this book is available on the internet with appropriate study guides.  We are bound to our homes these days and filling our time can be a challenge.  Why not take the Pledge?

The book can be downloaded for free here , or you can read it on-line at the same url. Various scholars and preachers have offered study guides. Here are a few. https://michaelfkennedyjr.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/i-am-a-church-member-free-small-group-outlines/

 https://www.lansingcogic.org/files/8714/2482/9459/I_am_A_Church_Member_Ch_1_-_Presenter.pdf

https://www.lansingcogic.org/files/8714/2482/9459/I_am_A_Church_Member_Ch_1_-_Presenter.pdf

Book Review -- Linda Cliff

If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

By John Ortberg

This book was the winner of the 2002 Christianity Today Book award! - And is well worth the read.   The author invites the reader to consider the potential that awaits outside your comfort zone.  Ortberg takes the reader step by step through Peter’s walking on water experience helping the reader to develop the necessary skills to do the same. 
 

In the preface of the book Ortberg states that he believes there is some aspect of our lives in which God is calling us to walk with and to him, and that when we say yes to his calling it sets in motion a dynamic that is beyond mere human power.  Fortunately there are some essential skills we can learn before we try “water walking”, this is a book that will help you get out of the boat. 

The book begins with a discussion of water walking, the people who risk getting out of the boat and the boat potatoes, the people who stay in the boat.  Ortberg tells the reader there are consequences with each decision but God’s promises about water walking are worth the first step.  
He uses scripture from Matthew to look at each part of the water walking skill.  After having the courage to take the risk the walker needs the wisdom to discern the call. Each chapter focuses on learning a part of this new skill.   Once we have discerned the call, there is the actual walking on the water.  This is when we, like Peter, may see the wind and cry out in fear.  Then there is the sinking which is stopped by focusing on Jesus.  We also have to learn how to manage failure and decide “How big is our God?” How big is Christ in our lives? 

Ortberg leads us through this new skill by focusing on each part of the water walking. He uses Bible references to illustrates how others have taken the risk of getting out of the boat.  He is like any good coach; he explains what is needed and then gives us things to practice so we build both the skill and our confidence.  The book is filled with humorous antidotes that make you want to read more and help to keep the reader engaged when you are doing the hard work of learning a new skill.

I highly recommend this book.  The chapter on fear was one of my favorites and one I reread.  Also the chapter on focusing on Jesus has practical ideas on how to make Jesus the focus in each day. 

If you would like to be part of a group who will do a short study on this book, copies are available at the Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian church.  The group will meet in January 2020 and we would like to welcome you.  Watch this Blog for updates.

Linda Cliff

Real Christianity

Real Christianity by William Wilberforce 

Revised and updated by Bob Beltz

William Wilberforce was a most remarkable man, and has been described as the greatest reformer in history.   Millions of lives were changed because of Wilberforce’s determination to change the society of his day, and put an end to the slave trade.  Real Christianity gives the reader access into his theology, his spirituality and his passion.

This book was written 200 years ago and in his introduction Wilberforce states his purpose is to write about faith and to point out some of the problems with the beliefs and actions of those who already claim to be Christians.  He states he is disturbed when he sees the majority of so-called Christians having such little understanding of the real nature of the faith they profess.  So starts a book that is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

He divides Christians into two camps.  The cultural Christians who live a surface type of faith.  They are able to talk about religion in generic terms but rarely use the name of Jesus or speak of His death on the cross or His resurrection.  They do not recognize their sin and have no understanding of the work of the Spirit in their lives.  Authentic Christians are those who have a passion for Christ, they live lives of great excitement, true humility, hatred of sin, humble hope, firm faith, heavenly joy, ardent love and unceasing gratitude.

Wilberforce goes on to show how belief influences behavior of the cultural and authentic Christian. 

I am not going to go into the book in depth as I feel you should read the book. Ed, note: It is in our church library. Here is a 200 year old book that has as much relevance to Christians today as it did when written.  There are parts of the book that deal with practices that are no longer part of our world but it is easy for the reader to substitute current practices in today’s society.  Beltz has done an excellent job of modernizing the language but remaining true to the original text. 

We often look for "how to" books to point us in the correct way to do things.  I felt that after reading this book I was given a blueprint of how the Authentic Christian life should look.  I had a better understanding of what sin looks like, of what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the Authentic Christian and of how my love of Christ should be influencing my actions.  I will paraphrase one idea that resonated for me.  Wilberforce stated that if many Christians were on trial for being Christians, their cases would be dismissed because of lack of evidence.  I do not want to be that Christian.

“Real Christianity is all about living as Jesus lived and doing what Jesus did.  It is a must read for everyone serious about living all and only for Christ”. (Walt Kallestad)

Review by Linda Cliff

 

Book Review by Linda Cliff

Confessions of a Prayer Slacker

By Diane Moody

This book was a new venture for me in that I got the book as a free download from the internet.  This did make me wonder if the book would be worth reading since it is “free”.  The good news is you too can download the book from the net because the book is well worth reading!

I have to admit that at the start of this book, I really thought the author came off as a little too casual and flippant for my tastes. I thought I would not like this at all. However, after persevering, I found much that was helpful, in spite of her writing style. I was reminded how important it is to carve out of our busy and distracting days, a special time of devotion. I was challenged to not neglect my personal time of prayer and conversation with the Lord.

Early in the book the author asks the question “just how badly do you want to spend time with God in prayer” I found that this question helped me to change my attitude to subsequent chapters.  If you are serious about spending time in prayer then the "how to" information about setting up a prayer journal and how we can set aside time for prayer will be helpful.  I found the chapters “When God is Silent” and “Prayerlessness” interesting as the topics were discussed in a way that was easy to relate to. 

Moody uses Bible references and references from other Christian authors to illustrate her points witch stimulated my interest in doing some further reading.    She was also very open and honest in sharing her own successes and failures in her pursuit of prayer.  This helped to make the book feel more like a conversation with a friend rather than a "how to" book that had to be followed to the letter.

Well, the book has made a difference to my prayer life.  The biggest take away for me was about finding and taking the time for a regular prayer life, and understanding that this is time spent with God;  time for me to learn more about Him, to grow in His love and to develop a personal relationship with my God and Saviour. 

Good read and only a download away!

Linda Cliff

Book Review - The Great Divorce

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

reviewed by Linda Cliff.

I did not find The Great Divorce an easy read.  I am a literal person and the story is written as a fantasy so it took me awhile to get into the spirit of the book.  The good news is that the book is short so rereading parts of it did not seem to be burdensome. 
Divorce is written in the first person voice—apparently the voice of Lewis himself. We don’t know how long he was in the Grey Town (hell), but he seems to have recently arrived. He observes that Grey Town is a dreary place and the inhabitants are dour, quarrelsome, and cynical. There is no tormenting fire, and in fact no punishment at all; it turns out that they live here because they choose to live here.
Lewis encounters a number of inhabitants on their way to catch a bus for a visit to another place (you might call it heaven), and Lewis joins them. From this point much of the story revolves around conversations Lewis observes between the inhabitants on the bus and him, each other, and the inhabitants of the place they visit. The conversations  are filled with human insight and well worth reading; you might even see yourself in some of the discussions.
Each visitor from the bus meets someone from their previous life and has a conversation with them. These people are seen as solid people while the vistors from the bus are called ghosts.  The solid people try to convince the visitors that they should stay in this new world, that there are glories to be opened to them.  It is through these conversation that Lewis reveals Gods word .  These conversations give the reader a view of what the afterlife could be like.  Since the book is a fantasy, the reader is asked to look at hell in a way they may not have considered prior to reading this book.
Divorce is thought provoking and will change your thinking. Some of the reviews I read of the book stated that readers changed their persepectives on hell.  The book was written in 1957 which is a much different time from today so this book challenged the traditional views of that time.  I would say that if you read this book you will also find your views challenged.  I will leave you with one quote from the book to reflect upon.
There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it.

Amazing Grace - Book Report

Book review by Linda Cliff

What’s so Amazing About Grace was written in 1997 by Philip Yancey.  The book examines grace in Christianity, a central theme in the bible but often absent in the Christian church, which seems to focus on immorality rather than forgiveness.   Yancey tells a convincing story of how the world has a difficult time identifying Christians with grace.

The book is easy to read as Yancey uses personal stories, Bible stories and accounts from history to reveal what the Bible teaches us about grace.  The book is divided into four parts.  Each part begins with an illustrative story of grace and how it is revealed by Christians and the church.  

    The author argues that many of the activities carried out by the church (social justice, community service) have secular counterparts but only the Church can offer grace- as it comes from God.   Yancey gives examples of  ungrace in the Evangelical churches of America, he talks of the rule bound legalistic lives of Christians that can effectively shut out sinners.  

     He talked about racism and how he was taught within his own congregation that people of colour were not welcome in the church building or programs He then explored this belief that he himself held and by looking at the life led by Jesus he came to understand that  many of the practices of Christians were about ungrace.  

    At times I found that many of the historical references in the book seemed out of date as the world was very different in 1997.  

    The last part of the book was titled “Grace Notes for a Deaf World” and looked at the evangelical church in America and how there has been an increasing involvement in government.  When I read this section I found that if  looked at what he was saying through the lens of the current political climate in the United States, I was able to understand  the support given to the current president by some evangelical Christians. 

This book was well received by both the secular and Christian readers.  It is a book that will have you look at your prejudices through the eyes of grace.   A few years back there was a movement that asked you to think “what would Jesus have done” before you did or said something.  I found that reading this book has done the same for me.    I recommend What’s so Amazing About Grace as another avenue to explore the message of the gospels. It is available in our church library.

 Side Note: As a Birthday present for Alice, the editor of this Blog, I promised 12 book reviews. This is the first and I am looking for other books to read.  If you have suggestions please let us know and I will add them to my reading list. 

 Editor's Note:  A great birthday present.  Thank you, Linda.

Sun Stand Still

reviewed by Ruth Rockliff

If you are looking for an easy to read yet truly inspirational Christian book, Steven Furtick will not disappoint you. Reading 'Sun Stand Still' will change the way you think of God in today's world.

 Believing God for the impossible and living your faith beyond the ordinary is what Steven Furtick calls audacious faith. He not only preaches it but he lives it.    What God did for Joshua .... made the sun stand still!! .... he can do for you if you have the audacity to ask.   God desires to see the sun stand still over all the impossible needs in your life. 

Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the ten fastest growing churches in North American. Through trusting God and asking for the seemingly impossible he gave up everything and moved his family and seven other families to start a church. What started out slow and scary turned out to be a true miracle of God. Thousands line up every Sunday to hear God's message. Do not be deceived this book  ‎is not about getting all snug and feeling good. It's a super challenge to pray unstoppable prayers and believe in our God to do more than you can imagine. 

‎This book is biblically based. It has sound theology. It is not for the weak who want easy answers. To see the sun stand still in your life and reconnect with your true God-sized purpose and potential Steven Furtick calls us to start living our life of faith beyond the ordinary.  

I challenge you to read it. You will not be the same. It changed my prayer life and dug deep into the roots of my faith. Christians should be unstoppable we have a great and powerful God!!!!              

 

      If you want a copy I have a number of books available for purchase. I bought bulk to get a discount on the price. Perhaps people who read this book may want to get together in small groups to talk about it.  

Thank you for reading my review. Ruth Rockliff                                                   

WWJD?

I first became acquainted with the "What Would Jesus Do?" movement in the late 1990's when golfer Payne Stewart wore the letters in a bracelet.  Turns out, that was a revival of a much earlier practice.  In 1896 Rev. Charles M. Sheldon published a book called In His Steps.  It was a huge, best seller at the time.  Although the author made almost no money from the book, he  delighted in the fact that so many people read his message of living a life as Christ would.
    Over the years several authors wrote adaptations of In His Steps and in 1997 Garret W. Sheldon, the great grandson of Charles Sheldon wrote What Would Jesus Do?, a contemporary version of his ancestor's original book.  
    When I began the book, I wasn't sure I'd like it, the writing style is reminiscent of 1960's Sunday School leaflets, but I soon became so fascinated with the characters and their tales that my inner editor fell away.  The story, this is fiction, concerns the minister of a large, well-off congregation who realizes that their church is "successful"  in secular terms but failing in their duty to model Christ to the community around them.  So he and a number of his congregation take a pledge to live their lives in accordance with Jesus' teachings.  Every time they must make a decision they ask first "what would Jesus do?"  The results are amazing.
     Attendance at church drops, but attendance at the after-church meetings of those taking the pledge goes up.  A TV station decides not to air questionable programming or advertising.  The result is an increase in viewers.  A store keeper decides to remove pornography, tobacco and liquor from his shelves.  His business falls away.  He faces financial set backs and his wife is very unhappy.  A young woman breaks her engagement.  The congregation sets up a mission in the seedy part of town and sees many broken souls respond to Christ's call.
    Living "What Would Jesus Do?" has consequences, some welcome, some more difficult.  
    The book is an easy read, but one that made me think, made me consider my own choices, turned "what would Jesus do?" from a slogan on a coffee mug into a real question for life.  Thanks to Rev. Irwin for loaning it to me.

Book Review --The Prayer of Jabez

by Linda Cliff

The Prayer of Jaybez   

Breaking Through to the Blessed Life

                                    - By Bruce Wilkinson

"Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, "Because I bore him with pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested." (1 Chronicles 4:9,10)

The opening paragraph of the preface summarizes the book and states that, "I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers . . . I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favour with God.”   

During my trip to the Dominican Republic, the Holy Spirit convinced me that I had to learn more about prayer and integrate prayer more fully in my life.  I have found this little book, only 90 pages, to be a powerful call for Christians to embrace this simple yet powerful prayer.  The author begins by describing how Jabez fits within the genealogy of the Old Testament and describes how this prayer has changed his own life.  What I found helpful were the stories that Wilkinson used to illustrate the power of this prayer.

Wilkinson then breaks the prayer into four sections.  
So Why not Ask–Oh, that you would bless me indeed,
Living Large for God – Oh, that you would enlarge my territory, The Touch of Greatness- Oh, that your Hand would be with me, and Keeping the Legacy Safe- Oh, that you would keep me from evil.

In each section the implications of the prayer are discussed and then Wilkinson encourages the reader to pray the prayer for thirty days, keeping a record of the wonders that God will deliver.

So I ask myself, what will get in the way of this simple request?  I think that fear is one of the impediments, because when God delivers we don’t know how we will react.   I have yet to accept the thirty day challenge but I am looking at the Prayer of Jabez  as part of my prayer life.

The book is available in the church library.