On 21st September 08 David Powe, a prison chaplain currently based in Bristol, came to speak to us about his work. You can hear the talk here.

As part of his talk, David recommended a book by his wife called 'Christ Behind Bars'.

'Is God to blame?' rocked my world.  It's controversial and challenging.  Gregory Boyd looks at the whole problem of evil and a loving God and comes up with some very untraditional, but I found, satisfying and freeing answers.

Alan.

Many know of the writings of CS Lewis through his narnia chronicles.  This one that you may not have heard of and it's a shame since it's brlliant.  It's written in the form of a dream where a writer finds himself on a bus that travels between heaven and hell.  It's a meditation on good and evil, and shatters our conceptions of what heaven and hell may be like.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and at only 109 pages you could read it over a couple of evenings rather than watching the TV.

Available at Wesley Owen and Amazon.

Alan.

The Knowledge of the Holy is a meditation on the nature of God.  At times it is a challenging read, but well worth the effort.  He tackles subjects such at the faithfulness of God and the grace of God.  The last three chapters are worth the price of the book.  Let me read you one quote:  'We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by.  We must take refuge in God from God.  Above all, we must believe that God sees us perfect in His son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness' (107).

I used this book for a daily meditation, reading one chapter a day and thinking through the day what was said.  A classic! (Alan Kilpatrick)

 Available from Wesley Owen, Books Alive and Amazon.

Alan.

A book to challenge us to walk our faith.

Submerge is a stimulating and challenging read.  John Hayes was not prepared to let good intentions simply be good intentions.  He and his family moved into difficult and dangerous neighbourhoods in the USA, Cambodia and the UK in order that the gospel might be incarnated among the poor and disadvantaged. 

Out of his work a movement, a mission order, was established called 'Innerchange'.  Innerchange now has communities in different parts of the world being communities of hope in difficult communties.   He intersperses biblical studies on the poor with stories from the innerchange communties.  I highly recommend this book especially as we seek to be a community of hope.

Available from Wesley Owen or Amazon.

Alan.