The Parish Magazine February 2021
Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye continuously since 1869
Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye continuously since 1869
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>February</strong> <strong>2021</strong> 37<br />
Book reviews<br />
Poetry corner<br />
WikiArt.org<br />
take him from the<br />
s and villages and also<br />
y. Will he find the<br />
mbrace that ministry<br />
ert? During Lent, as we<br />
e for God. That may<br />
arates us from God.<br />
of us. As we contemplate<br />
ay find that it leads us<br />
and Easter life – we may<br />
s to 'die to self' to find<br />
ly?<br />
ruary<br />
Ben, unsplash.com<br />
ation. It publishes <strong>The</strong><br />
ich provides detailed<br />
torytellers throughout<br />
about the society and<br />
ng Week:<br />
tional-storytelling-week<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bible: a story that makes sense of life<br />
By Andrew Ollerton, Bible Society, £14.99<br />
This book explores how the story of the Bible helps us<br />
understand our lives and gives a framework for making<br />
sense of life in general. Helpful diagrams and maps are<br />
integrated throughout.<br />
Holy Habits: following Jesus<br />
By Andrew Roberts, BRF, £6.99<br />
This book provides seven weeks of material for Lent.<br />
Although written before Covid-19, many of the<br />
applications, questions and take-home ideas are highly<br />
relevant to the pastoral needs, and challenges created<br />
by it. Andrew Roberts writes: ‘No one can know with<br />
any certainty the range and scope of challenges that<br />
will be present when you use this material, but I believe<br />
that whatever they are, the life and example of Jesus<br />
and the way he responded to the challenges he faced<br />
will always be of utmost value in shaping our lives as we<br />
seek to him.’<br />
Come and See – learning from the life of Peter<br />
By Stephen Cottrell, BRF, £7.99<br />
When we look at the life of Peter – fisherman, disciple,<br />
leader of the early Church – we find a man who<br />
responded wholeheartedly to the call to ‘come and<br />
see’. This book focuses on Peter, not because he is the<br />
best-known of Jesus’ friends, nor the most loyal, but<br />
because he shows us what being a disciple of Jesus is<br />
actually like. Like us, he takes a step of faith, flounders,<br />
and needs the saving hand of God.<br />
A London Sparrow – the inspiring and true story of<br />
Gladys Aylward By Phyllis Thompson, 10Publishing, £9.99<br />
A down-to-earth London girl, without prospects,<br />
Gladys Aylward became a Christian when she was<br />
18. She felt God’s call to go to China as a missionary,<br />
overcame great obstacles in order to obey. She is<br />
remembered for her ‘incredible journey’ during the<br />
Second World War, when the Japanese invaded China<br />
and she led hundreds of Chinese children to safety.<br />
Opening our Lives – devotional readings for Lent<br />
By Trystan Owain Hughes, BRF, £8.99<br />
<strong>The</strong> author offers six weeks of reflections to encourage<br />
and challenge readers to open their lives to God and<br />
the final reflection, for Easter Day, invites us to open<br />
our world to God’s hope. <strong>The</strong> book is imbued with the<br />
Welsh culture, language and landscape<br />
Stories from the Streets – an insight into the work<br />
of Street Pastors By Luke Randall & Sue Shaw, Instant<br />
Apostle, £9.99<br />
A celebration of the work of the formidable UK army<br />
of ‘Street Pastors’. Whether offering a listening ear<br />
to the vulnerable, mentoring a troubled teen, giving<br />
food to a homeless person or responding to a national<br />
emergency, Street Pastors have been credited with<br />
saving police and NHS time and money, reducing crime<br />
and improving neighbourhoods.<br />
If you enjoyed Jane Gascoine's book, 'Doggerel<br />
Days' or if you were disappointed that it did not<br />
include more of your favourite poems, then rest<br />
assured that her latest collection will probably<br />
satisfy your need!<br />
'More Doggerel Days' includes another 51 of Jane's<br />
often hilarious, thought provoking and candid<br />
view of life poetry.<br />
It is a handy sized, 72 page paperback that looks<br />
at every aspect of life from babies to old age, from<br />
work to pleasure and all the ups and downs of<br />
everyday life.<br />
Jane's book is now available in the Village<br />
Hamper, Sonning High Street, for £10 per copy<br />
and will be a great way to take your mind off Covid<br />
while eating one of the Village Hamper's cakes!<br />
Here's a few lines taken from To Life, one of<br />
Jane's poems based on the experience of her first<br />
92 years ...<br />
If you're old at 80,<br />
you were old at 18<br />
Its no good thinking of<br />
what might have been<br />
Life's for the living<br />
and all for the taking<br />
No matter how sad<br />
or even heartbreaking<br />
And I've still got a lot of living to do<br />
People to meet,<br />
places to see<br />
I'll try, on the way,<br />
to help others who<br />
Haven't been quite as lucky as me.
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