Monthly Archives: February 2018

Creating a new mindset with the Bible

FAITH NEWSWIRE – We all have many unanswered questions concerning God and what is written in the Bible. Why aren’t things so straightforward? Why are they quite complex, we may ask?

Malcolm Dunjey, the author of 136 Questions, published by Ark House Press, had the same questions, so he decided to put pen to paper on some topical and controversial subjects. Some of the discussions are formal, some casual – all focused on helping the reader understand some of the Bible’s many and great unanswered questions.

Malcolm has written his book to help readers understand the scriptures and to give them an overview of some of the unanswered questions that arise.

The author explains why it was so important to write this book. “I wanted to ask some questions which reflected on my varied background as a missionary, minister of the gospel and a medical doctor,” Malcolm told me.

“The need for a book to be free of denominations and theology. My thinking was the book should be one-of-a-kind and unique in its conception and range of topics.”

Christianity always provokes a number of questions and Malcolm discusses many topics that people are contemplating on a wide range of Biblical issues. In fact, 136 of them.

Some questions deal with eternity; what that actually means and what awaits us. The author also looks at who God is, as this is a question many people are thinking about.

His book covers articles on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, the future or fate of Israel, the trustworthiness of the Bible and examines if there are any errors in these topics.

Malcolm also debates and examines what and where are heaven and hell, and the contentious issue of suffering, particularly relating to Christians. He also talks about Jesus, a blood sacrifice for sin.

“Many people are not sure if the devil even exists or if there is a second coming and how this will manifest,” the author explains. “There is also the question of how God is portrayed in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament, as there appears some differences in how God seems to handle humanity, and suffering.

“Is there sometimes the possibility of there being a hiatus between the Gods of the Old and New Testaments? Why did Jesus die? These subjects are often discussed and debated and often there are no finite answers.”

“I think my treatment of all these topics is ‘one of a kind’, almost unique,” Malcolm maintains. “The range of topics is wide, covering most of our beliefs, but the answers are brief, succinct and nearly complete within my self-imposed limit of a reasonably small and attractive book, without being academic or stuffy. Each topic is introduced

and peppered with searching and sometimes controversial questions, but I remain Evangelical in doctrine. I searched before I wrote but couldn’t find a similar work.”

If you have questions about God and what is written in the Bible then 136 Questions can help you and give some answers.

The book is available now globally.

Lynn Goldsmith

 

Editor’s Note: this article may be re-produced, without requiring permission.

 

 

 

 

Domestic violence and the grace to forgive a killer

FAITH NEWSWIRE – A story unfolds of a great tragedy, but it is also a story of forgiveness – sometimes a miracle in itself. There is a call to the judicial system to bring justice and righteousness in the midst of tragic circumstances.

Tragically in 2013 and at just 22, Rekiah Lee O’Donnell fell victim to domestic violence from her ice addict partner. Nelson Lai took a precious life from this world, a beautiful young woman who should still be alive. Someone who had the world at her feet.

The author, Kerryn Robertson, reveals her pain and heartbreak at the death of her daughter in her new book Rekiah’s Law, released by Ark House Press. Kerryn explains why it was so important to write about the tragic events. “Rekiah’s Law was written for a variety of reasons: both to help myself through writing and to help other people through the various topics covered in the book,” she said.

“When such a tragedy happens, particularly if it’s the death of a loved one, you have trouble making sense of it. I felt compelled to write Rekiah’s Law as part of my healing process, because to make any sense of Rekiah’s death I had to know that I was helping others, and that her death was not in vain.

“Because Rekiah died at the hands of her partner, I also wanted to write the book as a warning for others who might be experiencing domestic violence: to not only tell Rekiah’s story about where violence can lead, but to provide explanations of what domestic violence is and give information of where to go for help. My hope is that the book will also give understanding to family and friends of domestic violence victims, and to give examples of the warning signs to watch for.”

The heartbreaking murder occurred when Nelson shot Rekiah in the head at close range. In his statement to the police he maintained he loved his girlfriend, but admitted he used to punch and threaten to kill her, and frequently wrongly accused her of having affairs with a number of different males. He fervently maintained this happened only when he was coming off drugs. It was also discovered he had previous convictions for attacking his partner from a previous relationship, who was the mother of his two children.

When the matter went to court, Nelson, through his defence barrister, claimed he did not know the gun was loaded. He said he was not particularly aggressive towards Rekiah at the time and the gun was not pointed towards her. It was just a grave mistake that unfortunately ended in taking her life.

The ending of this court case resulted in Nelson being convicted of manslaughter and not murder. The family was totally heartbroken at this verdict, and the light prison sentence of a maximum of nine years and five months.

Kerryn explained, “The title Rekiah’s Law came about because of the injustice we believe we were served through the Victorian (Australia) justice system. One of the reasons for writing the book was not only for me to vent my frustrations at the legal system, but to create awareness of the injustices that occur in our court rooms and campaign to get laws changed for the benefit of victims and their families. I felt this was vital to bring to the attention of politicians, lawyers and families.”

However, there is another side to this tragedy – the grace that enabled Kerryn Robertson to forgive Nelson for killing her daughter. This was the miracle – it was, of course, an extremely difficult thing to do. Not many people would come to this place of forgiveness, but Kerryn found the strength to reach out into the darkness and bring God’s light into an evil and heartbreaking situation.

Because of her courage and faith the judge was immediately impressed, and commended Rekiah’s mother when she turned to Nelson during an earlier pre-sentence hearing and told him she forgave him. The judge did not think many people, including himself, could forgive their child’s killer.

The author said she had included writings from her journaling in the years that followed Rekiah’s death, as she wanted people who are grieving deeply, to know that anything they are going through is okay, and that grief and the healing process never follow the same pattern. Everyone’s journey is different and it’s okay to take as long as you need, because life is never quite normal again after the death of someone close, particularly if it is a child or a spouse.

Kerryn goes on to say, “From a faith perspective, I want to give readers a glimpse of what a relationship with God is like, and how faith is so important in giving you hope through the worst of times, and the peace that forgiveness can bring. I have said that losing a child is like losing a limb. Life will never be the same again, but you learn to live with it.

“I made a decision early on that I was not going to let Rekiah’s death ruin my life and the lives of those around me, particularly my other children’s lives. I want people to know through reading this book that no matter what happens, whether it is teenage rebellion, divorce, adversity, death, injustice… all of which I have had to endure, that there is still hope for a happy future.”

The book is available globally.

 

Editor’s Note: this article may be re-produced, without requiring permission.

The Battle Within to Fight the Enemy

FAITH NEWSWIRE – the substance of things believed for but not as yet seen. The promises God has made to us in His Word and for us personally that we are believing for and need to fight for.

Beryl Spencer, the author of the recently released And Then Came A Lion writes about the consuming faith and the battle we have to fight against the enemy to manifest all God has given us. The book, published by Ark House Press, is communicative and also contains teaching, particularly from the book of Ephesians.

A key theme in her book is ‘faith that shuts a lion’s mouth’ and is more than a hope that ‘it won’t bite’, according to Beryl. A lion is a wild animal and will bite and we can be prepared for an enemy who, though he thinks he is a roaring lion roaming about trying to destroy, in reality Jesus rendered him as dead when He died on the Cross.

“We need to learn to believe and live in that truth. Faith and fear cannot walk in tandem,” says Beryl.

The author encourages God’s people to stay in the Word of God, which gives such a strong foundation. She previously conferred to many readers on faith: AW Tozer, Andrew Murray and Watchman Nee and felt compelled to share her knowledge.

“As I was writing and preparing, I studied the lives of many of the great Generals in wartime and their strategies as well as other leaders,” Beryl explains. “There are powerful truths to be learned. I also read about the National Defence Systems (NMD) of places like the USA and Israel, who have the best in the world.

“We have our own PMD (personal missile defence). It is the tested Word and the Spirit positioned to disarm any missile the enemy cares to hurl at us.”

Beryl believed at one stage, like many people, that God would always protect His people. This is true to a certain extent, but there are actions we need to take. She discovered that we need to put on God’s armour, we need to stay in God’s Word and rise up in faith.

Her heart is very much for the youth and the author knew they would need strong faith to overcome life’s challenges. Although she had read many wonderful books, she felt the need to write a book that would ground the truths of God’s Word in their hearts. “But above all I knew there was quite a bit of ‘hyper-faith’ and presumption and I knew they could be led astray by that. I talk about presumption in the book,” she states.

“At the time I felt challenged to write And There Came A Lion I was leading a large country youth group and felt strongly they needed to have some foundations set in the Word. I started a series on Ephesians 6 based on ‘putting on the whole armour’. The youth loved it and I found some innovative ways to teach these Scriptures and I have incorporated these into my book.”

The book is written in a communicative way rather than straight teaching, though it does teach to a small extent.

“It actually grounds the Word of God in everyday life,” Beryl continues. “In His Word, God by His Spirit has given us all we need. It reaches out of the Word and into everyday life. God wants to direct us back to His Word for the answers. I wanted to share the authenticity of the Word and show God’s Word is alive and active and energising. It reminds us over and over that we can live victoriously in faith in the Word of God.”

The book is available globally.

 

Editor’s Note: this article may be re-produced, without requiring permission.