Peninsula Parish | Anglicans in Miramar, Seatoun and Strathmore - Book Reviews

Max Lucado - “The Christmas Candle”

19/12/2025

This light-hearted but serious novella tells a simple tale of faith, and faith especially at Christmas time. It would be most suitable to be read to your children and grand-children. It is sentimental and only takes about an hour to read but it lightens the heart.
Thank you Max Lucado for faith, faith in candles, hope and prayer. May every reader be blessed.
Publisher Westbow Press, Nashville Tennessee, 2006.

“ Every Woman in the Bible” Sue & Larry Richards.

12/12/2025

This book is a solid read, more or less like reading a condensed version of the Bible.
I’d say every woman is described, measured & discussed, from women in Creation and the Fall of Genesis to, In Chapter 16, Symbolic Treatment of Women in the Bible. When I finished it, my initial thought was that this would be a good book to consult if you were a young couple, heart set on a Biblical name, for your baby daughter as there is much discussion of names & meanings. Chapter 17 lists in fact all names with their meaning and related story.
Although it is a solid read, it is easy to follow & is updated by the Richards with psychological interpretations for today.
I recommend it and enjoyed it. I trust you will too.

Thank you Sue and Larry and thank you Iona library.
Peninsula library 1055, Thomas Nelson Inc Publisher, Nashvillle Tennessee, 1999.

A. W. Tozer - “The Knowledge of the Holy”

5/12/2025

Tozer speaks a true message of what it is to be a Christian.
1/ Forsake our sins,
2/ Utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith,
3/ Reckoning of having died unto sin & to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus followed by life in the Holy Spirit.
4/ Follow the simple enjoyments of nature.
5/ Practice the art of long & loving meditation upon the majesty of God.
6/ Service to fellow men & women to know Him better.
A Holy book indeed. I enjoyed it for its dedicated purpose and wise interpretation of the Christian life - good, merciful and hopefully full of love. I recommend this book as an encompassing read for the devout.
Thank you Mr Tozer and thank you Iona Library.

The End of the Christian Life BY J.Todd Billings

28/11/2025

This book is heavy going but somewhat hopeful in that it looks at all aspects of the once taboo subject of dying. With a terminal cancer diagnosis Billings challenges the reader to face their fragility and asks instead, what death can truly teach us about life? We are all children of God who return to Him in our final hours. When this is, we know not but by reading this book, one can be comforted by the realistic message of wisdom in the face of suffering. For those interested in this subject, I suggest you peruse these pages and think carefully through the Billings heart evident on every page.

Thank you Todd Billings. Thank you Iona library for shelving this book.

Iona library 1044, Brazos Press, Michigan 2020.

Gary Thomas - ‘Sacred Pathways’

21/11/2025

Sacred Pathways - Nine ways to connect with God.
You connect best with God and grow spiritually in one of nine ways. In this book you lean into your spiritual temperament & learn how to appreciate other people who engage with God differently. In this updated & expanded edition of ‘Sacred Pathways’, Gary Thomas describes 9 spiritual temperaments & encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. Thomas will help you discover the traits, strengths, & tendencies in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship & praise.
I will add that at different stages of your life your temperament may change. I will describe myself now as mainly ascetic whereas years ago I may have been a combination of other temperaments. A good book, a reliable book, and an interesting book. I enjoyed it and recommend it.
hank you Gary Thomas and thank you Iona library.
Iona Parish 1069, Zondervan Books, 1996, Michigan.

Kate Evans - FUNNY WEATHER

14/11/2025

Everything we didn’t want to know about CLIMATE CHANGE but probably should find out, with an introduction by George Monbiot.
I was drawn to this amazing little booklet that should appeal to adults and young adults alike because of the title & introduction. As a daily ‘ Guardian’ reader, George Monbiot features there regularly. Although written about 20 yrs ago this weather topic is not new, as I discovered while happily reading these well researched, scientifically, well-informed & entertaining cartoons. For myself, I was a founder member of ‘Friends of the Earth’ in Bath, UK in the mid 70s & we used to be aware of all of these climate concerns then & tried in our pioneering small ways to make change happen. Like the amazingly inspiring & talented Kate Evans who wrote and drew the cartoons, says, use this book to change your life, because what happens next, depends on what you do now …
Thank you Kate and thank you Iona Library for shelving this important book.
Iona Parish, Myriad Editions, Brighton, UK, 2006. Text and artwork by Kate Evans.

Awakening by Jo Raymond

7/11/2025

This is a remarkable true story of a woman who recovered from a life- threatening illness and lived to tell the tale, in great detail and clarity. Jo has a husband, Matt, daughter Cecelia, & son Pete and they stood by & supported her through her gruelling ordeals of life, death, then life again, truly supported by the Lord. One moment this family was happy in a worldly sense and then the lessons learnt from Jo’s sudden sickness, death, and miraculous revival are priceless. This book takes you on a journey with them, with honesty & transparency, if you have ever felt alone, this tale will give you certitude that God is always with you and will never leave you. I suggest you choose it, read it, and enjoy the revelation of each page.
Thank you Iona library. Thank you Jo, Matt, and family for your blessing of this book.
Iona parish 1050, Ark House Press, Australia/ NZ.

Max Lucado - “The Applause of Heaven”

31/10/2025

Max Lucado writes in this volume of the Beatitudes.
In each of the 18 chapters he follows, carefully and with peaceful grace, a modern version from a modern world, with an explanation of how one can meet God, pray with Him & be with Him to satisfy your thirst for the divine. At the end are exercises to be followed & worked through in groups, such as ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.’ From chapters 3 & 4 to chapter 11, ‘Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy,’ to Session 10 - chapter 18, ‘ Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward.’
This is an easy read by an accomplished storyteller and a thoughtful and insightful observer, who is well known and successful in America.
Thank you Max Lucado.
Iona parish 778, Word Publishing, Nashville, 1990-1996.

Radical Spirit by Joan Chittister

24/10/2025

This inspiring & practical guide, offers the thinking to transform and free us from anxiety, worry & tension at home & at work & in all our relationships, by asking us to give ourselves to something greater, that of HUMILITY. With 12 steps to follow that offer true commonsense we cannot come away from this read uninspired.
Sister Joan offers challenges to our true problem, that of ego and gently introduces kindly support to face life’s battlefields. I cannot recommend this book heartily enough and suggest one read it and absorb Joan’s peaceful wisdom.
Thank you Joan, thank you Iona library for shelving this great book.

With Open Hands by Henri Nouwen

17/10/2025

This is an unusual book on prayer that is illustrated by photography by Ron P. Van den Bosch and Theo Robert. Translated from Nouwen’s mother tongue, Dutch, he has divided the text & photos into 5 chapters -1) Prayer& silence, 2)Acceptance, 3)Prayer & Hope, 4)Prayer & Compassion, 5)Prayer & Revolution, along with an Introduction ‘With Clenched Fists’ and a conclusion - ‘With open Hands.’

Nouwen’s interpretation of his friends photographs speaks volumes of the differing states one can meet & greet prayer, that intense call to God in hope. “Hope means to keep living amid desperation & to keep humming in the darkness. Hope is knowing that there is love, it is trust in tomorrow, it is falling asleep & waking again when the sun rises … And God will be holding you in his hands.”

Thank you Henri Nouwen. Thank you for this new day.

Iona Parish 721, Ave Marie Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1972.