Delirious? Well I am ...

Delirius - World Service
OK, so let's be honest, I'm a bit of a music snob, and my first reaction when someone recommended a Christian band to me was to be pretty sceptical - their hearts may be in it, their motives great, but that doesn't mean they have talent! Well, I went ahead and listened to one track, largely out of a desire not to cause offence, and found myself more than a little surprised.
The song was Inside Outside by Delirious, and instead of being the (un)musical homily I expected it was first and foremost a thoroughly likeable tune, the sort that you find yourself singing along to within the first couple of minutes, despite not having the first notion what the lyrics are. The Christian message is very present and very strong, but because the music is so accomplished that message is a bonus rather than a priority. The same is true of the whole World Service album, with Mountain High being especially rewarding, so follow my lead and give it a try. PP

Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation

by Adrian Plass
This book by the author of “The Sacred Life of Adrian Plass” continues in the same humorous vein, putting together (and picking apart) an A-Z of “the Christian Life”.
Mr Plass is enough of a seasoned evangelist (how he'd love that phrase) to be able to be outrageous but also poignant and spot on.
The title comes from an episode in church when his pastor asked the congregation what the most important thing in life was. He called, nobly “salvation”; his neighbour yelled out “bacon sandwiches”.
The book is a scream – you try to put it down after a few pages and suddenly you are into the fifth chapter. It will make you think as well as laugh as Mr Plass uses his wild humour to keep us on board. Let's look at a few entries in his A-Z ...

Fish: Symbol of the Christian church, possibly because fish are nervous creatures that stay well out of sight, and flop around helplessly when removed from their very limited environment.
Damnation: (1) condemnation to eternal punishment (2) Holland.
Bangladesh: Country where five million children struggle to stay alive every day. Hardly a religious subject. Move on quickly.
Born again Christian: (1) Person who has entered into a glorious new life with Christ (2) A tautology. The response to those who ask if one is a born again Christian might well be: “What's the other sort, then?”

Brighten up dull old February with a laugh. It really is good for you!

Stuart's Cafe

Our first review is, aptly enough, all about a new cd entitled Starters.

Starters by Stuart’s Café
As here in Wickham Market, many churches are blessed with a Christian music ministry.
Stuart’s Café is from Orwell Church in Ipswich and Starters is a CD of 11 tracks from Stuart Colbear, drums, James Allen, bass, and Nikki Boyd, violin, featuring the haunting voice of Becky Osler.

Melodic and lyrical, these are not choruses sung in church, but songs performed in their own right – although the Christian message is unequivocal. Memorable is Amazing Grace (Lifter of My Head) and You Hem Me In (Psalm 139 v5-9), although it is the final track Healed that really speaks to me – “By your stripes we are healed”. MH

The Hiding Place

by Corrie Ten Boom
If you have not read this book I urge you to read it. If you have read it before, read it again.

The Hiding Place is a true story, a story of courage, of hope, of forgiveness and of faith. It is set against the background of Nazi oppression and of a family's trust in God to overcome tyranny.

We are introduced to a watch-maker's shop and house where Corrie and her sister, Betsie, live with their father and aunts in pre-war Holland. It is a happy family enjoying a happy life.

But the war is not far off – we hear of the rising anti-Jewish laws in Germany and then we are in the midst of it after the invasion of Holland in 1940.

But this is much more than a history book; this is an astonishing testimony which has inspired millions of people.

The ten Boom family risk everything to help their Jewish friends and neighbours and then strangers who come to them for help. The tension is electric as we live with them through this mad time. Then comes betrayal and arrest. Throughout, we are witnesses to astonishing faith and courage. Jesus is always close to the two women and their father, and their faith shines like a beacon.
Even in the concentration camp of Ravensbruck that faith cannot be beaten. Nothing can quench the love Corrie and Betsie show to their fellow prisoners and the almost unbelievable forgiveness she shows towards those that would destroy her.

Ravensbruck becomes their “church” as well as their jail. The two sisters share the gospel, their food, their love and the love of God with many others. Even the constant degradation, pain and, ultimately, Betsie's death cannot defeat Corrie nor deter her from her mission.
As a lifelong coward, this came as a real shock. It is not an easy read; nor should it be.

But despite the horror, it is a book of hope and of the ultimate victory that God gives us. As Corrie ten Boom reminds us, “His will is our hiding place.”You cannot really use the word “enjoy” to describe reading this book. But I don't think you will forget it.

The Hiding Place is published by Hodder & Stoughton and is available in the CLC bookshop in Ipswich. But, better still, ask at the All Saints bookstall or order direct from Joan or Chris (747215) – price £7.99. MS

A Little Bit Of Kosher Seasoning
by Michele Guinness

This book will change your weekends!
Written in a brilliantly funny and down to earth style by a journalist raised in a Jewish home and now married to an Anglican minister, she has blended Jewish tradition with Christianity giving a thought provoking yet refreshing dimension to worship in our everyday lives.
Given the church’s Greek based history, it is easy somehow to forget the Jewishness of not only Jesus himself, but also many of the figures known to us in the New Testament. This book not only provides a fresh insight into the life of Jesus, but included are many recipes, prayers and suggestions for incorporating Jewish tradition within our Christian framework.
Celebrating the Sabbath as a family using some of Michele’s suggestions was not only inspiring for us as adults, but the children, in their own words, said “This has been the best Sunday ever!”
Sadly, this book is currently out of print, but copies are available at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk or Eden Bookshop Online at http://www.eden.co.uk. DS................                                                    

Review Number Two

Some Day I’m Going To Fly
Hilary McDowell

This is an extraordinary book. It starts off by saying that the first thing you notice about Hilary McDowell is that she is disabled. The second thing you notice is that she is not.

Hilary was born in Northern Ireland and she was born with severe disabilities. She grew up in a loving family and soon developed a personal relationship with Jesus. Determined not only to walk but some day to fly, she sets off on an arduous trek through life.

Now, Hilary is a Presbyterian preacher and an author/speaker of note. This book highlights her journey. It is a story full of humility and humour and although very moving, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Or pray. She sees the insidious violence of Protestant v Catholic creep towards her family home. She badgers her church leaders to let her study. Throughout, she faces new hurdles but overcomes them through a deep faith in her Lord.

All of the chapters are broken by the author’s own poetry, itself worthy of a collection in its own right. This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. One chapter highlights her trials when her invalid car breaks down at the bottom of a hill in Belfast during a snowstorm. It is at the start of a home visit. Undaunted, she crawls up the pavement and arrives at a block of flats, only to find the lift out or order. Despite being soaked to the skin, she tackles the long flights of stairs to the top floor on her hands and knees. Covered in urine and spittle and gasping for breath, she knocks on the chosen door only to find no one is home. Just as she is gently (far more gently than I would have done) questioning God, she hears someone coming down from the roof above. A sobbing woman asks Hilary if she had come all this way just to visit her. She explained she was about to jump off the top of the block of flats as she had nothing to live for when she saw this “little crittur” struggling through the snow.
Hilary isn’t too keen on being called a crittur but thanks God.

Most of the book is as good as this. It is a fantastic read.  Join her on the runway.