The Parish Magazine March 2023

THE ARTS — 2
Book Reviews
Hope for Ukraine – stories of grit and grace from
the front lines of war
By Kyle Duncan and Esther
Fedorkevich, Baker Publishing via
Eden.co.uk, £14.99
Part narrative, part wartime
dispatch, Hope for Ukraine
transports you into the gritty
reality of war-torn Ukraine and
the front lines of faith, survival,
and miraculous intervention. From
scrambling to escape the bombs
levelling their neighborhoods to
fleeing sex traffickers in the chaos
of border crossings to rescuing
orphans trapped by Russian tanks, these stunning first-hand
accounts tell the stories of real Ukrainians enduring terrible
hardships with grit and grace.
Kyle Duncan and Esther Fedorkevich both have deep
family ties with Ukraine, and they take you inside the
conflict, with dramatic boots-on-the-ground stories and
eyewitness accounts of Ukrainian refugees, aid workers,
soldiers, and families affected by the conflict.
These stories reveal the unbreakable spirit of a nation
under siege. Even amid the chaos and tragedy of Europe's
largest war since World War II, God is indeed at work in
redemptive ways.
Bitter and Sweet, A Journey into Easter
By Tsh Oxenreider, Harvest House/
Kingsway CLC Trust £18.50
Bitterness runs through the Bible
as a sour reminder of sin’s presence
in our world — yet it’s because of
this bitterness that Jesus’ grace
is so sweet and satisfying. As
we learn to turn from our vices
and crave real beauty, goodness,
and truth through the pursuit of
virtues, we grow nearer to God and
become more like who he made us to be. It may help you to
meditate and rejoice in the transcendent miracle of Easter.
Bouncing Forwards — notes on resilience,
courage and change
By Patrick Regan OBE*, SPCK, £9.99
'You'll bounce back.' How many of us
have heard these well-meaning words
when faced with mental or physical
health challenges, trauma or the loss
of dreams? And yet, life's battles can
leave us scarred and changed. Why
would we want to go back when what
we've been through has taught us so
much? It's time to bounce forwards
instead. Nobody is immune from
the storms of life. This practical book may help you to grow
in resilience and become better equipped for the journey.
*Patrick Regan OBE is the CEO of Kintsugi Hope, and the founder
and president of urban youth work charity XLP.
The Parish Magazine - March 2023 31
History
Was it really . . . ?
. . . 300 YEARS AGO, on 8 March 1723
that Sir Christopher Wren, the English
architect best known for designing St
Paul’s Cathedral, died.
Ken Taylor, dreamstime.com
. . . 125 YEARS AGO on 16 March 1898 that Aubrey
Beardsley, British illustrator, died. His black ink drawings,
influenced by Japanese woodcuts, contributed to the
development of Art Nouveau.
. . . 100 YEARS AGO on 4 March 1923 that Patrick
Moore, the amateur astronomer, TV presenter, writer and
musician was born. He was best known for presenting the
The Sky at Night for over 50 years. He died in 2012.
. . . 80 YEARS AGO on 13 March 1943 that the final
liquidation of Krakow Ghetto in Poland took place. 8,000
Jews were transported to Plaszow labour camp, and 2,000
more were killed in the streets. The rest went to Auschwitz.
. . . 70 YEARS AGO on 26 March 1953 that Dr Jonas Salk
announced that he had completed the first small-scale test
of a polio vaccine. Larger tests began in February 1954,
and mass vaccinations began in April 1955.
. . . 65 YEARS AGO on 2 March 1958 . . .
Marc-andrÃ, Le Tourneux, dreamstime.com
. . . that the first land crossing of Antarctica led by Vivian
Fuchs was completed by the Commonwealth Expedition.
. . . 50 YEARS AGO on 8 March 1973 that the citizens
of Northern Ireland voted to remain within the United
Kingdom and the IRA carried out its first car bombs in
Britain, in London. One person died and 200 were injured.
. . . 25 YEARS AGO on 16 March 1998 that Rwanda began
mass trials for the country’s 1994 genocide. There were
125,000 suspects for 500,000 murders.
. . . 20 YEARS AGO on 1 March 2003 that Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed, the al-Qaeda terrorist who masterminded
the 9/11 attacks on the USA, was captured in Pakistan.
. . . ALSO 20 YEARS AGO on 12 March 2003 that the
World Health Organisation issued a global alert about a
severe form of pneumonia (now known as Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome — SARS) that was affecting people
in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.