Rested and Green

 
Today I'm once again combining the Lent Challenge (rested) with Five Minute Friday (green).

I chose the above photos from a long weekend away I had in Flald-y-Brenin three years ago with a good friend. It was both restful and full of greenery.

Rest is as important as exercise and activity. God set the ultimate example by resting at the end of the first week from His work of creating the universe. 

I belong to a Facebook group which encourages individuals with health issues to get moving. We applaud a few steps round the house and thirty mile bike rides. We also cheer each other on when someone has a rest day (like me today). 

Rest is important for the wellness of our whole being. I also find - with lockdown and other challenges - that enjoying nature is important for my mental and emotional health. I mostly keep away from the countryside around us because so many other people are enjoying it but don't always bother to socially distance, making me feel unsafe with the current pandemic. So I often confine my walks to the town but pounding the streets doesn't relax and refresh me as much as the greenery and rivers.

The psalmist, King David, clearly valued the joys of nature as evidence in Psalm 23: 'You lead me beside still waters and make me lie down in green meadows; You restore my soul.' 

Hide and Secret

 

Hide and Secret follows the story of Ruth and her mum as they move from Egypt where her mum has been working as an expat nurse until the hospital closes. They return to her mum's home city of Edinburgh.

Ruth's parents - before her dad died - worked in various places in the Middle East. One of the friends they made was a man called Joe though they lost touch as they moved around.

As Ruth and her mum settle into life in Scotland, a Syrian patient is brought onto her mum's ward in the hospital. He speaks very little English and is suffering from amnesia and various physical injuries. Ruth's mum recognises him as her husband's old friend Joe. She is concerned that he is in Scotland illegally and is reluctant to entrust him to the immigration system while he remains mentally and physically vulnerable. 

She finds Joe a flat to stay in while he recovers and young Ruth is sworn to secrecy.

Meanwhile, Ruth is beginning to make friends of her own, including a lad called Chris. She tries hard to keep the secret of harbouring an illegal immigrant without resorting to lies but it slips out. Chris, too, is sworn to secrecy. The pair of them spend time with Joe, teaching him English and helping him settle down in Scotland. 

But the secret weighs on all of their minds. Especially when the church youth group Ruth and Chris attend discuss the importance of telling the truth. What should they do? Do they tell the authorities about Joe when that may mean him being sent back to Syria? Or should they lie to protect him, knowing they are doing wrong? 

Helen Parker has written a gripping and thought-provoking young adult book which has biblical truth at its heart with its threads of caring for the vulnerable, honesty, bravery, love and friendship. I enjoyed reading this review copy sent to me by Instant Apostle and award it 4*.

A Week in the Life of Corinth

If you enjoy delving into the culture and times of the Bible, then I can recommend this series published by IVP Academic.

I saw the series advertised on Twitter and put it straight on my wish list. This is the first book of the Week in the Life series I've read and I wasn't disappointed. I've ordered another already!

Based on historical facts, this is a novella set in the Corinth of the apostle Paul.

Learning history via a story appeals to me as I don't tend to take in dry facts but learn through imagination.

The storyline is simple and interspersed with useful and interesting information about the time, place and culture.

The main character is freedman Nicanor who works for his former owner, Erastos. This important man is running for city treasurer, as mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans (chapter 16) as well as elsewhere in the New Testament.

The book is well written and clearly laid out. The interposed facts entitled 'A Closer Look' are easily found and can be taken alone or alongside the story. Likewise, the story can read by itself.

I found it both interesting and useful and am happy to award it 5*.

Transformed by God's Love

Transformed by God's Love is the personal account of Sarah who, for more than thirty years, identified as gay. She was one of the first same sex couples to formalise her relationship by civil partnership.

But in 2015, she was called out of a gay lifestyle.

This book is her story, of the internal and external battles she faced as she sought answers to her many questions about sexuality, God and the Church. During the process, she was welcomed and loved - without judgement - by her local church. They gave her the space and support she needed to work things through, trying to make sense of what the Bible says and what she believed.

She writes honestly and directly about the process of trying to understand what God says about human sexuality. She initially researched online and questioned people within the Church for answers. Was being actively homosexual wrong? Or was it okay? But she got hugely differing responses from it being the worst ever abomination to yes, it was fine and God was okay with same sex relationships.

But Sarah wasn't satisfied with the Church's wavering opinions. She wanted to go to the source: what did God think?

This book is the result of months of ransacking the Bible on what it really says about homosexuality. The arguments Sarah offers are easy to follow and backed up by her own testimony. 

It is a powerful and thought-provoking resource for anyone wondering what God says on this hot issue. 

Sarah also challenges the Church to a) stand up for the Bible on this and other issues, and b) to truly welcome all people. 

I, for one, am thankful that Sarah's church welcomed her and gave her space to explore the Bible and a relationship with God without pressure or judgement. May every Christian church in the UK follow suit.

I am delighted to award this short and very useful book 4*.