Off the Shelf – The Woman Alive Book Club

Hosted by Amy Boucher Pye


Off My Shelf

The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You
John Ortberg (Zondervan, ISBN 9780310275930, £8.99)

My heart sank when I heard that John Ortberg was writing The Me I Want to Be. For a newby wannabe author such as me, learning that one of today’s blockbuster Christian personalities had penned a book on the same subject as the one I had just started writing on was enough to deflate my balloon. So, in the spirit of disclosure, I’ll say that I read his book wondering if there was room for mine, while also seeking to avoid a negative review borne out of envy.

I trust I’ve overcome the temptations of discouragement and envy. For the me that I want to be is different enough from the me he wants to be; that is, there is room for both of our visions of how to become the person God created us to be.

And I gained from his book. His compelling message can be summed up from page 16: “When you flourish, you become more you. You become more that person God had in mind when he thought you up. You don’t just become holier. You become you-ier.” God wants us to become not only more like Jesus, but also the person he created us, in all of the flowerings of our self – mind, spirit, relationships, experience, how we spend our time. We can then stop pretending to be who we are not, or who we think we should be. Here is great freedom.

The main point of his book, going with the flow, is one that I try to live out: “The only way to become the person God made you to be is to live with the Spirit of God flowing through you like a river of living water” (p. 39). I also appreciated his point on “trying softer”. By this he means “focusing more on God’s goodness than our efforts. It means being more relaxed and less self-conscious” (p. 72). Trying softer will free us up from a rules-based approach to our spiritual development. For instance, learning how to intersperse conversation with God throughout the day will transform how we pray.

John’s book has many of the features of a US-style self-help book, with exercises, quotations, graphs, boxes, cartoons and even an online spiritual-growth assessment. Sometimes these extras detracted from his main message, but perhaps that reflects my learning style. His quirky humour also comes through, which made me laugh out loud at times, but cringe at others. I appreciated his exploration of biblical stories, and learned some interesting things, such as Bezalel being the first person mentioned in the Bible who was “filled with the Spirit” (p. 219) and the background on “turning the other cheek” (p. 210).

One to commend for a hands-on, interactive approach to “becoming God’s best version of you.”

Free, but with a price
Copies of The Me I Want to Be will be on their way to those whose letters we have printed this month. For your chance to win next month’s book, the incredibly moving Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman, simply write a short review of a book you are reading. Send them to Amy at womanalive@cpo.org.uk, or post your review on the Facebook group: Woman Alive Book Club.

Off Your Shelf

Finding God’s Path Through Your Trials
Elizabeth George (Harvest House, 2007)

I’m always happy to see a new-to-me Elizabeth George book, so I made a straight path to it when I encountered some trials over the past few days. She focuses on a few very specific Bible verses as she examines the concept of trials and our responses to them.

She recommends that we should receive trials with a joyful attitude. At this point, the author and I very nearly parted company. Knowing that I generally find her advice helpful, however, I elected to keep reading – and I’m glad I did. Using a friendly, intimate tone, Ms George goes on to explain why we should cultivate that joyful attitude and, in a counterintuitive way, it started to make sense. I started putting her suggestions into practice.

I found lots of good advice and some things I don’t quite agree with. While I don’t claim to have found a magic bullet, I am feeling a whole lot better about my current troubles and feel confident that I can get to the end of this week without disintegrating.
Laura Clare Thomson, by e-mail

What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage
Paul David Tripp (Inter-Varsity Press, 2010)

Am amazed by this book; have read the first few chapters and I am already learning how to base my forthcoming marriage on realistic expectations and on the Lord’s strong foundation. It covers a number of different areas or ‘Commitments’: we will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness; we will make growth and change our daily agenda; we will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust; we will commit to building a relationship of love; we will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace; and we will work to protect our marriage.

So far, I am very pleased to see what a God-focused and sensible book this is. I am finding it very useful as an engaged person, but think it would also help those married for a long time or even as a single person for preparation.
Victoria Louise Fisher, Woman Alive Book Club Facebook Group

Life Conquers Death: Meditations on the Garden, the Cross, and the Tree of Life
John Arnold (Zondervan, 2007)

Each of the 12 chapters deals with a different aspect of the story of God’s love for us. Unusually, John Arnold uses pictures by Rembrandt and works from Russian literature, as well as passages from the Bible. Particularly inspiring is his discussion of Rembrandt’s Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves. Darkness is across all the scene except for a little light on Jesus and the penitent thief. Dying a shameful, agonizing death, having lived a life from which God had been excluded, the thief puts his trust and faith in Jesus – and is saved. None of us is beyond the love of God, no matter what we have done or how late in the life we turn to him.

I will be looking out for further books by this thought-provoking author.
Katherine Davies, Cumbria

No More Christian Nice Girl
Paul Coughlin & Jennifer D Degler (Bethany House, 2010)

An interesting book. If being ‘nice’ means being kind, caring and compassionate, that’s great, but many women are ‘nice’ because they fear conflict and rejection. So this is the challenge!

The book explores Jesus (was he nice?), the differences between male and female brains, how childhood experiences shape what we are now, ‘nice’ versus ‘good’ with examples of biblical women doing the right things fearlessly. There are chapters on friendship and family, how being nice can wreck relationships and even careers. Throughout the book are examples of how to react rightly rather than nicely in situations.

Much food for thought here!

Margaret Vaughan, Woman Alive Book Club Facebook Group
(You can get more of a taste of this book, from our extract HERE - Ed)

Fear Not
Ligon Duncan with Nicholas Reid (Christian Focus, 2008)

Many people today are confused and need reassurance about what Christians believe about life after death. Fear Not is a wonderfully encouraging, uncomplicated little book which you could pass on to Christians who have doubts about life after death, or to non-Christians who want to know the Christian perspective. It answers some of the poignant questions, for example: Who will be in heaven? Will the parents know and recognise the tiny baby they lost? What happens the nanosecond our bodies fail us? Why is a physical resurrection so important? The book is packed with relevant scriptural gems. Ligon Duncan has a pastor’s heart that wants to inform and reassure us. 
Ann Hopkins, by e-mail

The Centurion’s Wife and The Hidden Flame
Davis Bunn and Janette Oke (Bethany House, 2009 and 2010)

How often do we receive a direct challenge when we have read a book – on whatever subject?

Not long ago, my friend bought The Centurion’s Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke. We saw it advertised in Woman Alive and thought it looked interesting. Little did I think it would make such an impact on me, along with its sequel, The Hidden Flame.

These two books are novels about characters living at the time of Jesus and after his Ascension. They draw us into the scenes in the Holy Land as we meet the disciples and the ‘followers’ (as the growing band was called). I have never before felt I ‘knew’ the various people who walked and talked with Jesus. I was enveloped in their love and joy for the Lord – I was there!

Next time you are thinking of buying a book for a good read, make sure you buy The Centurion’s Wife AND The Hidden Flame, and you will never be the same again!
Beryl Fudge, Abingdon

Amy adds: I’m so glad to hear that you loved these books. I began The Hidden Flame but didn’t get very far. Not because of the writing, but because I’m not a big fan of this type of historical fiction. Also, Anne Rogers recommended this book on our Facebook wall: “I’ll always cheer on The Centurion’s Wife (for making me rethink what it would’ve been like between the crucifixion and the resurrection).”

Off Her Shelf
 
Ali Hull

Ali works in editing, journalism and writing and media training.

Why did you co-author Tracing the Rainbow: Working through Loss and Bereavement?
In talking to people I had realised that often Christians handle bereavements very badly. We don’t know what to say, so we either say the wrong thing, or we don’t say anything at all – we even go to great lengths to avoid the person who has been bereaved. So I set out to interview those who had been bereaved about what had helped and what had not. Pablo Martinez added most of the book – what grief is, and how it affects us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And I wanted to cover death and divorce, as divorce can be even more painful but often receives less sympathy. I know the book has helped people and that is very satisfying.

You’re an editor but a theology and history graduate. Read much history?
Of the huge pile of books next to my bed, about 50% at least are history books. Andrew Marr’s books – on history and also on journalism – are an absolute joy.

Your sister has challenged you to read more fiction. Any top picks?
I fell in love with the cover of A S Byatt’s The Children’s Book, so was determined to read it. It was hard going at first, but I enjoyed it, and sailed on through Possession, although that was aided by having seen the film. Neither are easy reads, but they have a depth that you just don’t get in a lot of fiction. And I loved Paul Torday’s debut novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and have read all his subsequent books. Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which combines history and fiction, is waiting for me . . .

Best book on writing?
Creative Writing, edited by Linda Anderson and published by Routledge. It is a huge book, but covers everything and contains theory, practice and readings. Everyone who wants to write should read and work their way through it.