Summer Reading

by Linda Cliff

Summer is the time to catch up on that reading you do not find time to do during the rest of the year. Recently, I was fortunate to discover an author that writes well and includes the Christian perspective in her books. I have read two books by Angela Hunt and will be looking for more.
    The Immortal is a story that weaves the myth of the "wandering Jew" through out the plot. As a result you learn about biblical history from the crucifixion to the coming of the antichrist. It is a great read as well as a story of the heroine’s salvation.
   Let Darkness Come is more of a suspense novel and is a real page turner. In this book Hunt does not overtly discuss Christianity and salvation; however there is a tone that has the reader examining their thoughts about faith. Faith in people, the system and God. As an avid reader it has been a blessing to find an author that writes a good book as well as ask me questions about my faith. Ms Hunt is a prolific writer and many of her novels look at the hard challenges that we all face in our lives. Check her out!
     For the reader who wants a more serious read I would recommend Amazing Grace –A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris and The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. Norris has written a book about the language of Christianity. She takes words like "judgment", "faith", "conversion" and looks at them from an historical, theological and personal perspective. I find this a book I like to pick up and read when I have a quiet moment. I can reflect on the word, what its meaning has for me today in my busy life. This is a book that will be relevant for a life time as the reader will find new blessings each time they reflect up on a word.
    The Jesus I Never Knew looks at the Jesus described in the Gospels. Yancy presents the book in three parts: who He was, why He came and what He left behind. The reader is asked to look at this Jesus and explore the images they have formed over the years. The book is readable and relevant. I find it is almost like reading a novel. You don’t want to put it down because you are excited to see what comes next.
Enjoy your summer reading!


A newcomer to our congregation, Linda is a keen member of the Wednesday morning Bible Study group. The Jesus I Never Knew is available in our church library.

Heartbreak Hill

by Peter Waldin

    His father died when he was a child.  His mother struggled to keep him, and her other children as a family, but without success.  The great industrial city of Birmingham offered little in the way of doing so.  His mother was forced to place him in a sort of orphanage.  As a child, and then as a youth, life was a joyless struggle.

    When the Great War broke out, he enlisted in the famous Rifle Brigade.  During the First Battle of Ypres he was severely wounded.  Thirteen pieces of shrapnel tore into his body, one permanently blinded him.
    He became my father and my hero.  I never saw my father despondent or cast down.  He whistled more in one day than a thousand other men throughout their lifetime.
    'And all the world's Greathearts - our heroes and saints,
       took sorrow and shaped it into a shrine;
       took the red blood of suffering,
           the purple bruise of life's hurts,
           the blackness of defeat,
        and made a window for the light of God to shine through.
      They took darkness and adversity and the world's
           brutality and made a roadway to God's heaven.
      They took their own broken hearts to help others,
            to keep kindness and hope alive.'

For it is on 'Heartbreak Hill' we meet with God.  We find 'the peace which passeth understanding.' We find our souls and become 'more than conquerors.'

Church Picnic

A perfect day for a picnic!




Races


We had --




Games



Daredevils

  


Sea and Sun




Families

 


Ice Cream

 


Everyone a winner



    My thanks to Janet Smith for sharing her pictures.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The Wrong Propeller

by Peter Waldin


   My first vessel, that I used for chartering, Puffin III was a Scottish built ketch.  I had occasion to re-engine it from the original Kelvin to a Perkins diesel.  We sailed as far as Westview, (near Powell River), and realized that something was amiss with the propulsion unit.  I was advised to continue on to a little harbour further north, Lund, which was noted for its hotel and Ole the owner of the ways and the machine shop.  Ole, in short order, solved the mystery of my boat's strange performance.
    Nothing was wrong with the new engine or the transmission.  The previous marine mechanic had installed a left-handed prop for a right-handed one.  We were, in a manner of speaking, going "backwards forward."
    Many of us are like Puffin III .  On the surface things appear okay.  If the truth were told, appearances belie the facts.  They give a false impression.  We say of some people, "they have lots of money,"  We should be saying, that the money has them.  Dr. Johnson, the famous English writer of yesteryear, once visited Garrick, the great actor.  Looking at his magnificently appointed dwellings, Johnson said, "Ah Davy, Davy!  How hard it must be for you to die!"

    In trying to possess the earth, a man may lose his freedom.  And when you contemplate all the goods that money can buy, let us be sure we haven't lost the things that money cannot buy.

Joab's Fire -- a distant hope

A new addition to our church library is Joab's Fire by Lynn Squire.  Set in Western canada, in an area now known as Alberta, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Joab’s Fire is a retelling of the story of Job from the Bible.
   I recently had the opportunity to interview the author.  Here's some of our conversation.

Alice: Of all the stories in the Bible, Job is one of the darkest and most difficult. What prompted you to choose Job as your subject in this book?
Lynn: When I was 19 I was very ill with allergies and chemical intolerances. One night after a bout of vomiting, I sat on the floor between the toilet and the tub and asked God why? Almost as clear as an audible voice I heard Him say, read Job.

I did as He said and was truly blessed. God is in control. He loves me, and the more I read Job, the more I appreciate this. Of late, I see Him reminding me that He'll do anything to ensure my close relationship with Him...even allow hardships into my life.

There are many wonderful verses in the Bible that testify to God's provision in trials. I look at Paul's life, and I see someone who chose to suffer like Jesus and rejoiced in that suffering because it drew him closer to his Saviour. Paul wanted that for his disciples. Here's what he wrote to the church in Colosse:
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering;" Col 1:9-11

Paul didn't pray for them to not suffer. He didn't pray that they'd gain wealth or physical health or escape hardships. Instead, this man who knew great sufferings, prayed what he discovered was of far greater value than worldly possession, the knowledge of God.

Just like Job, who said when his ordeal was over, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." Job 42:5

We know that Job was a Godly man who feared the Lord. He even had all the pat answers to trials, but when it was over, he realized what he thought he knew of God, he didn't. When he repented of his assumptions, God blessed the latter end of Job's life more than his beginnings. Is that an awesome and merciful God?

In my own life each trial has deepened my understanding and love of God. I would not want to substitute that knowledge for pain-free living. I'm glad He thunks me on the head now and again to remind me that I don't know everything there is to know about Him. And each time I discover a new depth of His love and abundant mercies.

 Alice: How did you decide on the time and place for Joab's Fire? (BTW, I love your descriptions of the prairies.)
Lynn: Writing teachers often say to write what you know. I know the prairies, love history, and am particularly proud of my Albertan heritage. I loved reading my grandparents memoirs and my sister gave me a book consisting of diary excerpts from NWMP officers in their early years.

All these played a part in my decision to set Joab's Fire in the area where I grew up, drawing upon my own heritage. While Arrowwood didn't exist at the time that the story occurs, I put my fictitious town in the same area and made Joab Black's farm a place my dad once lived as a boy. As a child, I used to play in the old buildings and dreamed up all sorts of stories to suit the setting.
Alice: Anything else you'd like to add?
Lynn: The release date for Joab's Fire to September 15. However, you can purchased an early signed copy from me on my website at: http://www.PresentingBiblicalTruths.com. After you have read the book, please leave a comment on the website. I love to hear from my readers.
 

Author, Lynn Squire

When Life Gets Tough

by Peter Waldin

  I've been challenged these past three months, with a dear one whose life, physically and otherwise, has taken her into the dark valley of suffering.  For me it has been a foregone conclusion that I should travel with her.

   I'm not alone in that 'walk'.  Many have extended companionship.  their love has been like a warm blanket around us.  Indeed it has been, as I've expressed it, like the 'hands and heart of God'.

   Not quite everyone!  An individual who was in the position to know the facts, broadcast the information that "He doesn't know how ill his wife is!  He's not capable of looking after her!"

   None of us can escape criticism.  There are sad folk who expect too much from other people.  One critic wrote of a famous composer, "If Beethoven continues this sort of trash, our orchestras will degenerate into instrumental debating societies."  Did Beethoven quit?  "A few fly bites," he commented.
  
   One should live independently from unkind criticism.  There is One whose judgement is never in error.  Let us live so that His words are the final approbation, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant.  Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

A beloved and faithful member of SPPC, Peter is an artist, author and teacher with a gift to appreciate others.

School's Out

School's out for the Wednesday Morning Bible Study group, but, unlike your children and grandchildren, we are not skipping down the path and yelling "freedom!"

After twenty weeks, through snowstorms, Lent, Easter, potluck dinners, and a very short heat wave, this group has studied Romans from 1:1 to 16:27.  Through the writings of Paul we have experienced elation, anger, sorrow, joy and enlightenment.

We've been challenged to examine our relationship with God, with Jesus, with our church, with our enemies and with our friends.

We've learned to dig deep into scripture, examine every word, every phrase.  We've learned that even a list of names carries a wealth of information. 

We've learned from each other and about each other.  We've shared tears and laughter (a lot of laughter) and coffee and cookies.

We've been blessed with marvellous teachers.  Edna, always gracious, willing and insightful has shared her dedication and knowledge.  Irwin, has brought his years of study, his keen mind and his love of learning.  He has made dry texts come alive, has opened our eyes to the riches of scripture and brought the lessons home to today.

   The truth is, the Bible Study group has had such a good time going to school, we don't want it to end.  So for the next couple of  Wednesdays, we'll wean ourselves away gradually by doing some one-off discussions on  some shorter scriptures.

    This is a great opportunity for anyone who cannot commit to a longer study to come and experience a Wonderful Wednesday.

Alice Valdal is a keen member of the Wednesday Morning Bible Study group.  She is also blog mistress for this site and welcomes contributions for future posts.  To contact her, email avaldal@shaw.ca