BRF Recommends
Below members of the BRF staff team write about their favourite books and resources:
Kristina Petersen, Editorial Coordiantor, writes about Growing Leaders by James Lawrence
'Over the years, I remained in many things. I remained in the Church, I remained in ministry, I remained in my marriage, I remained a reasonable evangelist, I remained a visionary leader. But I didn't remain in [Jesus]. I followed him, but I didn't remain in him. There is no greater priority.'
Does this sound in any way familiar? Whether you are a Christian leader or just someone who is serious about being a Christian disciple, Growing Leaders by James Lawrence will excite you, challenge you, make you think. This book is for anyone who wants to do God's work without losing his love for God.
Ceri Ellis, Events and Direct Marketing Coordinator, writes about In the Palm of God's Hand by Wendy Bray
Wendy Bray says in the preface of the book: 'Sharing a diary like this is about more than baring your soul. It's like taking your clothes off in public mid-January and asking passers-by to throw snowballs at you. Not something you would do unless you hoped an awful lot of good would come out of it.'
This level of humour, despite the heavy subject matter - the diary covers her diagnosis and treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and years later, an unrelated breast cancer - threads throughout the book, showing Wendy's ability to keep her sense of self, and her sense of humour, in even the darkest of times. Her humour and honesty sit alongside offerings from her prayer life. It is both humbling and inspiring to read about her struggles and how she relates to God throughout all this.
Sue Fulford, Barnabas Press and Publicity Coordinator, writes about Footsteps to the Feast by Martyn Payne
If you lead a children's group at church, you will agree that the quality of the material used is crucial! It is important that children have fun and be creative, and leaders would certainly hope that there will be a chance to explore and discuss issues around Christian belief and what it means to belong to a faith community.
Footsteps to the Feast skillfully allows for all of these to take place. Through a sequence of steps each Christian festival is explored using simple creative arts and moves towards opening up the theme for wondering questions and activities in each 'Foothold' section. The strength of this material is that is encourages children to explore in order to learn and engages with their own sense of wonder and creativity.
