Book review: The Eternal Current, Aaron Niequist

I jumped at the chance to read a review copy of The Eternal Current written by Aaron Niequist. It did take me a while to read in the end but that’s only because I misplaced my Kindle for a while. I really think there is so much for us in Northern Ireland to learn from in these pages and also from the experience of The Practice community which Aaron has led and developed over a number of years.

Having followed online the development of The Practice, under the auspices of Willow Creek Community Church, the theme of God’s eternal current was already familiar. The book expands upon the idea that Christ’s invitation to swim in the current is for us all, no matter who we are and the ways in which we may be hesitating. He asks us to join him in the deep waters of his grace and love, to not just dip our toes or wade knee deep but to swim with him.

It challenges us to assess where exactly we are right now as individuals and also as faith communities. If we’re just standing on the shores of the eternal current, we are missing out on so much as is the rest of the world because as Aaron explains, faith is not only about theological belief but about how we can participate in God’s Kingdom in practice, here and now for the sake of the world.

‘Through Christ, we get to join the redemption and restoration of all things.’

This book encourages us to be brave and to look beyond the boundaries of our own church walls and denominations, to not be afraid to learn from the historic practices of the church that have been set aside, to re-engage with spiritual disciplines that will hopefully help us to swim closer to Christ and join him in the work of the Kingdom here.

There is much of Aaron’s personal spiritual journey and of The Practice community that would surely resonate here at home in Northern Ireland, where there are also deep religious divisions and suspicions.

A book such as this can help us find the courage to swim further into the eternal current without fear and to be more open. I would recommend this book to anyone who might want to explore new ways of pushing deeper into faith, of practising, not just believing. There are also lots of other books and resources mentioned that can be investigated and which sound interesting. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea though, as we like to say, but I for one give it a loud round of applause.

#NetGalley #TheEternalCurrent #aaronniequist

God's Giant Box Of Felt Tip Pens

I read The Silver Chair again recently, the sixth book in C S Lewis’ Narnia series, so when I spied the Narnia colouring book in a basket at home, I popped it into my suitcase, along with a tin of felt tip pens, to bring on holiday.

While flicking through the pages one evening, I decided on a quote from the book I had just finished.  

'You would not have called to me, unless I had been calling to you.'

Aslan

The Silver Chair, C S Lewis

I began to fill in the letters and shapes with my pens - grey lettering with dark highlights, light blue for the myriad cloud-like shapes floating all over the double paged outline.

As I coloured, I wondered if it could help me pray. Might the rhythm of pen on paper ease away distractions, helping create space for focus in the same way as walking often does, the simple rhythm of placing one foot in front of the other - actions connecting the physical to the spiritual.

And in the space, a thought flowed from an unseen pen held by an unseen hand.

I could pray for God to colour in the shapes of people’s lives.

We all have blank spaces within us that are waiting to be brought to life by our artist God. Vast empty plains and small overlooked corners that exist without the joy of His colour. He has an immense palette of shades and hues that He uses to fill in the outline of us that he has already drawn.

He makes us in his image but God is not just a black and white outline. He may be like that in our own profoundly inadequate idea of him but it is not the truth. God is the fullest spectrum of light, emitting an array of colour beyond the imagination and he is making us to be more like himself in order to be a living exhibition of his glory!

There is simply no room for comparison and envy in such a truth. Each one of us, living in submission to being saturated by the colour of grace and love, can truly only respond with gratitude and worship. There is freedom to be found in knowing that God takes great pleasure in his work, that he deftly tints and highlights, blends and shades with perfect understanding of his craft in order to produce living artwork worthy of being given a place in his house.

It is a tremendous privilege to be chosen by him to personally receive the fullness of such masterful creativity within ourselves. It is also an honour to be a living extension of the work, to be visual representations of God’s extraordinary colour in the world around us.

Prayer is one way of joining him in his creative work in the lives of others. We are  invited to participate in this immense and beautiful imaginative work, a work that Jesus began during his ministry and that he continues today. It is the Kingdom work of pervading lives, places and moments with the colours of eternity, his will being done on earth as it is in heaven.  As the Narnia quotation reminds us, we call to God because he has already called to us.

The outline in my Narnia colouring book isn’t complete yet. It still needs work and time. It serves as a reminder that God’s work, in us and in the world, is ongoing. When I next pick up my pens, I hope that I remember to pray for his colour to fill the empty spaces. I hope that I remember to consider the depth and breadth of God’s work. It is on display continually everywhere and in everyone if we have eyes to see it and the willingness to accept the invitation to join with him in his work.

Book Review: The Story Peddler

The Story Peddler is the first novel in The Weaver Trilogy and although it did take a while to really get going, it was an enjoyable read overall.

This is a classic fantasy tale of mystery, of good versus evil, of self-discovery, of friendship, of family and of love. We follow the fierce and determined heroine Tanwen on her perilous journey towards the truth, meeting plenty of other likeable and interesting characters along the way, especially Princess Braith.

It was the unique style of magic that particularly kept me hooked and drew me in. Tanwen’s gift of storytelling is a visible weaving together of colourful, fluid story strands to form a solid crystal image which is wonderful and was intriguing enough to hold my attention until the rest of the plot and the characters developed more fully to keep my fingers turning the pages.The pace of the narrative picks up considerably in the second half of the book until the final confrontation with the enemy when the truth is finally revealed.

Throughout the book, I particularly liked the idea that ‘art has a way of revealing truth’, that the creation of beauty as a means of revealing truth cannot ultimately be suppressed. There is also a recognisable Christian element which is woven very well into the fabric of the story, another subtle strand that helps to create a world and an adventure with meaningful layers.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GileadPublishing for the review copy of #TheStoryPeddler. I would be happy to recommend this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.