Book Review “Aunt Jane’s Hero – by Elizabeth Prentiss

I’ve been reading a lot in relation to Elizabeth Prentiss over the past few months in preparation for our upcoming ladies study on her book “Stepping Heavenward“.  (We’ll be using this study guide).

I just finished reading another of her novels “Aunt Jane’s Hero”.  The good thing about many of Prentiss’s works is they are available for e-readers.  (Paul got a Kobo for Christmas so I think we nearly all have a book on the go on it now).  Many of her works I have looked at are free for e-readers.

Aunt Jane’s Hero is a novel telling the story of Aunt Jane and her influence in Horace’s life.  Horace isn’t actually Jane’s nephew but it turns out Jane is of such a loving character that most people call her “Aunt”.  She is a typical Titus 2 woman who you can learn much from.  Aunt Jane lovingly steers those around her to seek God’s will in all they do.  She advises and challenges mostly in areas concerning courtship and marriage.

I enjoyed reading this novel of Elizabeth Prentiss as I had only ever read “Stepping Heavenward” – certainly it does read as another “Prentiss” work and while it could be said that the heroine Maggie was beyond perfect I really appreciated many of the lessons found in the book.

I think I appreciate these novels as I find ‘modern day’ Christian Fiction too wishy washy – Elizabeth Prentiss has a gift of telling a nice story while convicting you of your sin and showing you Christ along the way.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Prentiss’s work.

Parallels

I began preaching a series on the Life and Times of Hezekiah last Lord’s Day. One of the observations I made (though didn’t develop it fully in the sermon) is the way the summary of his life brings together a number of textual parallels.

Here’s what we read of Hezekiah,

2 Kings 18:5-7   5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.  6 For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.  7 The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. 

Notice especially verse 7 – having described the faithfulness of Hezekiah in trusting the Lord, holding fast to Lord, not departing from Him, keeping His commandments we are told that the Lord Yahweh was with him and that he prospered wherever he went, and, by implication, in whatever he did.

This ought to be no surprise,

Psalm 1:1-3  Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;  2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.  3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 

And then extend it further – both the blessed man of Psalm 1 and Hezekiah, as a righteous Davidic King, foreshadow the Great King, the Perfect Man – Jesus Christ,

Isaiah 53:11   11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

Let’s thank God that not only can we be blessed and prosper through faith in Christ, love of God and obedience to His Law, but Christ our Saviour has been faithful, perfectly so, and has prospered in all He came to do – to justify His people through living and dying and rising again for them.

Failing Faith (inaugural official post by the man of the house)

Of Israel’s request for a king in the days of Samuel, Alec Motyer writes (emphasis added)

“….the request for a king arose from the failure of faith. The strain of living without visible means of security was more than the people could any longer endure. Notwithstanding that the Lord had always proved reliable, they were not strong enough in trust to face seen dangers whilst looking to the unseen.” 1

It seems to me that ancient Israel are not the only people who struggle with such failures of faith resulting in misplaced faith, or in a never-ending pursuit of something, or someone reliable enough to trust in, something or someone who can give us peace of mind, comfort or assurance. The pursuit is legitimate  and unavoidable, the widespread search is not. Even as Christians we seem to have a hard time resting in God’s promises, trusting in His essential nature of love towards His people, we too often find ourselves looking for something tangible to believe in, and being unable to be at peace unless there is some such thing to comfort us – as if the love and care of our Creator God isn’t enough. Sometimes we disguise such lack of faith as prudence, as carefulness, as diligence, in Cromwellian fashion ‘keeping our powder dry’2, but in reality it’s just old-fashioned ‘failure of faith’. Perhaps a good start to the 2012 would be to give ourselves a good shake and start believing, really believing that God is good to those who fear Him.

Psalm 37:22-27   22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.  23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.  24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.  25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.  26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.  27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.

1Alec Motyer, Look to the Rock (Leicester:IVP, 1996), 27-28
2 See here for the story
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What the Bible means to me.

Thanks again to Christian Focus for sending a copy of “What the Bible means to me” for review.

Due to the season and some family illness, I’ve not had a chance to complete this book,  thankfully (as is normal when a new book arrives), my husband snapped it up for a quick read.

He very kindly did this review for me……

One of the defects of the post-modern mindset that permeates our world is that tendency to individualism, that absolute commitment to a lack of absolutes. This mindset has permeated the Church too, even in its approach to the Bible. The question so often asked in the small group Bible study is that which is related (vaguely) to the title of this book, “What does this verse mean to you?”. The answers given can be many and various, and in opposition to each other. Thankfully ‘What the Bible Means to Me’ is not like that at all. The book is a collection of answers to the question “What does the Bible mean to you?”, but the answers given are not a post-modern jumble of subjectivity but a unified appreciation of the Word of God as the inspired, living, life-changing book that it is. 

At the same time as their being great unity however, there is as much variety in the responses to the question as there is in the people who have written them. There is absolute agreement on everything, yet amazing variety in the phrasing of that agreement. As the four Gospels describe the same person and work of Christ in different ways, here 40+ different people describing the same Word of God from their life perspective; variety yet unity.  This underlines the permanent applicability to us in all conditions and states of life of the Scriptures. In this excellent little book we have the responses of the seasoned mature theologian, the pastor, the housewife, the artist, the multiple sclerosis sufferer, the missionary, the author, all agreeing that in their varied circumstances the Bible has been, and is that powerful, sanctifying, vivifying, comfort-giving, guiding Word.

This book is highly recommended, it is one of those books that is hard to put down, but more importantly it is a book which will make you want to read God’s Word more. Between its covers you will find sentiments that you have felt, yet never voiced, or even logically collected in your mind. Here you will find warm reminders of Gospel truth. Here you will find encouragement to press on in daily reading, even if it is apparently fruitless. 

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, I guess my concern was that it might be have been a mild post-modern fog. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Really, I should have known better, Catherine Mackenzie has always been a ‘safe pair of hands’ and she continues to be in the concept and editing of this little book.

Pages: 144
Trim: Large trade paperback
Isbn 13: 9781845507237
List Price: £7.99

We received a copy of this book from Christian Focus in return for a review the opinions are those of Paul Wallace.

(Paul Wallace is the Pastor of Magherafelt Reformed Baptist Church, Northern Ireland).

Grieving, Hope and Solace, (When a loved one dies in Christ) by A N Martin.

My husband attends the Pastors’ conference in Trinity Baptist church on an annual basis now.  He appreciates the fellowship with the other men as well as the excellent speakers they have every year.  It truly is a special week of the year for him.  For me, there is always the thought of a few new books coming home and this year he didn’t disappoint.

Pastor Martin is the former Pastor of Trinity  Baptist Church and I’ve appreciated his 0n-line teaching for many years.

His recent book (August 2011), published by Cruciform Press, is his first written work for the lay person and I value this book and it’s contents so much I hope and pray Pastor Martin puts pen to paper again.

In this book Martin recounts what he experienced and learned through the death of his wife, Marilyn at age 73, after nearly 50 years of marriage.  After laying his foundational perspectives Pastor Martin opens up the subject of grieving by helping us to understand the Intermediate State and therefore better understand what has happened to our loved one, then he opens up some Focal points for Biblical grieving namely:

*What Christ has gained through our loss.

*What our loved one has gained through our loss.

*The shared hope of Christians.

*God’s purposes in Us through This Death

*What we have gained.

At 116 pages this is a brief book, certainly easy to read and could also be of use in guiding our children through a grieving process.  I earnestly recommend this book to you, as my former Pastor used to say “to be forewarned, is to be forearmed”.

Grief is never an easy stage in life, but it is surely a reality in life, as Christians we have a responsibility to grieve to the Glory of God, in this book Pastor Martin has given us the Biblical basis to do just that.

Having already experienced the loss of a loved one in Christ, I believe this book has truly prepared me much more for a similar experience.

A few of the commentators have said “Whether you are a pastor or counsellor, one who is experiencing the pangs of grief, or a member of the church who wants to be useful to others, you need to read this book”.  Joseph Pipa

“Al Martin weaves together personal tenderness and biblical teaching in this sweet book of comfort.  Buy it and give it away, but make sure to get a copy for yourself, too.  We can never be too prepared for the trial of losing a loved one” Dr Joel Beeke.

(Another very helpful book on preparing your family for grief and for eternity is Homeward Bound by Ed Hartman – thoroughly recommended).

Enough – Dr Helen Roseveare

Having recently completed Dr Helen Roseveare’s  trilogy of autobiographies (Give me  this mountain, He gave us a valley & Digging Ditches), I was not only delighted to know that she had again put pen to paper but gladly received a copy of her latest book Enough from Christian Focus to review.

Enough is a thorough but  concise look at how in our every day lives, through joys and trials as Christains we need to see that indeed fullness in Christ really is enough.  An excellent read which isn’t time consuming, this work would make for an excellent gift or addition to the church book table.

Dr Roseveare illustrates again from her own experience that wether it’s our Salvation, Assurance, happiness or contentment Christ shall fill all our needs and He will be enough.  One of the most striking features of her writings is her ability to show you Christ even if she is relating her personal experience.  This gift alone (which comes across also in her teaching ministries) makes her writings Christ centred as they ought to be.

In one chapter of the book Roseveare describes how God used situations where she became reliant on others for her basic needs (after having served many years with others relying on her)  to teach her thankfulness and contentment.  While this was a hard lesson to learn she relates it as God being “so patient and kindly as he seeks to lead us on and teach us deeper truths”.

It’s brevity commends this book to the ‘non-reader’.  When I finished reading Digging Ditches I found myself wondering if Dr Roseveare would write again – Praise God she was given the ability and now in her latter years she can look back and say that Christ alone was indeed and is Enough.

Dr Helen Roseveare went to the Congo in 1953.  She has dedicated her life to serving others even in the deep trials of life.  She pioneered vital medical work in the rain forests in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is an internationally recognised speaker with WEC ministries.  She resides in Northern Ireland.

I received a copy of this book from Christian Focus in return for a review – the opinions are my own.

Amy Carmichael

Amy Carmichael came from Northern Ireland and was a missionary to India for many years – you can read much of her biography here.

I’m currently reading her biography by Elisabeth Elliot – A Chance to Die.

While there are certainly some aspects of Amy’s theology which are questionable we can undoubtedly learn a lot from this Godly woman.

“Where the Will of God and the will of the flesh are in conflict there will be rough water, and if the flesh does not yield to the Spirit there must follow the painful breaking up of hopes and expectations, even as the timbers of that ship were broken up with the violence of the waves”.

“There is no promise of calm waters for any mariner, but our Lord can give the faith that can ride out against any high and proud winds and waves.  And He can come to our succour though our sea seemeth all to be on fire”.

(from Amy’s own book “Though the Mountains Shake”)

I wonder if there is a possibility that Amy Carmichael may be the female Author from Northern Ireland who has written the most books (the male being CS Lewis) – any thoughts?

I find it surprising that her writings are so little known today considering Elisabeth Elliot describes her as her first Spiritual Mother.  “For a time, I suppose, I thought she must have been perfect, and that was good enough for me.  As I grew up I knew she could not have been perfect, and that was better, for it meant that I might possibly walk in her footprints.  If we demand perfect models we will have, except for he Son of man Himself, none at all.”  Preface A Chance to Die”.

I look forward to reading more of her own writings……..