Book Sharing for 061112

Name	Author (Year) Title	Message	Question	Answer
Lee, Agnes	John Ronsvalle & Sylvia Ronsvalle (1992): The Poor Have Faces - Loving Your Neighbour in the 21st Century	To be part of what God is accomplishing around the world, we need only respond to his call with as much enthusiasm and courage as so many Christians before us have done.	How Christians take on more of God’s perspective and look at those who have far less than we have ?	(1) increase your giving; (2) join key church committee; (3) acquaint and educate Christians about poverty in many places and about available resources; (4) advocate a more personal racially biblical stewardship; (5) offer proven strategies for transforming church outreach by matching churches with specific needs; (6) join short or long term missions.
Fan, Anita	Diane M. Komp (1996): Children are images of grace	The collection of stories written by this pediatric oncologist (cancer doctor) about the near-death experiences of her young cancer patients reveal the love, faithfulness, and kindness of God. This is done through the innocent and pure hearts and minds of her patients, many of whom are not even born of Christian families.	How does God reveal Himself to us in children?	The striking universal “themes” the author encounters when she interacts with her young patients in their battles against cancer make it impossible to not believe that God is real and that He truly cares.
Lo, Oscar	Stephen Arterburn, Kenny Luck (??): Every Man, God’s Man	Many men live a life of pretence. They often use different defense mechanisms and methods of disguise to fool people. Denying their own weaknesses they often give in to temptations and fail to live up to what God made them to be. Using and stories and verses from the Bible, this book helps men discover their true identities, identifiy their weaknesses and guide them to confront and fight their weaknesses and temptations so that they may live a fullfilling, godly life.	What are the 3 different ways man can answer God’s calls?	(1) Out of pride, we say “God, I know better”. (2) Out of fear, we say “I know my needs better”. (3) Out of faith, we say ““You know better, Lord!”
Chan, Agnes	Philip Yancey (1997): What’s So Amazing About Grace?	Christian should be the channel of blessing – Grace comes down to us from God and we should dispense grace to the world.	How can Christians dispense grace in a society that seems to be veering away from God?	(1) Dispensing God’s grace by “Love your enemies” and use the “weapons of mercy” to fight the culture war. Attack the false idea, not the person who holds that idea. (2) Commitment to a style of grace does not mean living in perfect harmony with government. Christians must be wise in the issues they choose to support or oppose. (3) Coziness between church and state may bad for the church. The state, which runs by the rules of ungrace, drowns out the church’s message of grace. The church informs the world about justice and righteousness and works best as a force of resistance, a counterbalance to the state.
Tong, Ivy	路卡杜(Lucado, Max )著 屈貝琴譯(1998): 擁抱耶穌的心 (Just Like Jesus )	這是一本實踐操練的書，以耶穌11種品格作榜樣來教導讀者跟隨耶穌如何處事待人和對神。也透過每章結尾的D.I.Y操練，幫助讀者反思和實踐，活起來更像耶穌。	神是否滿足於按著你的本相愛你呢？	神的確是按著你的本相愛你，不過祂不願坐視不理，讓你依然故我，祂希望你像耶穌一樣。（弗4:23-24)
Lam, Irene	周學信著(2003): 無以名之的雲	在基督教靈修歷史中，有著不同的傳統和重要的代表人物。他們靈修默想的內容與形式絕對是個人性的，如沙漠修道、耶穌靈禱、戀慕貧窮者等，都是藉聖靈的同在與能力，活出基督裡的豐盛生命。在這些傳統中，已蘊藏了許多屬靈的智慧，讓我們學習。	修道主義的屬靈的生活是怎麼樣的事?	屬靈的生活是一場與魔鬼的較量，如何戰勝魔鬼的試探和攻擊呢？魔鬼害怕那些生活良善、祈禱、禁食、溫柔、守貧、輕看世上虛名、謙卑、充滿憐憫、控制自己脾氣的基督徒，魔鬼尤其害怕一顆充滿耶穌基督之愛的心。
Lam, Ernest	Philip D. Yancey (2006) Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?	“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27)	Then, why pray?	We pray because Jesus prayed. Jesus valued prayed enough to spend many hours at praying. Jesus accepted the constraints while living on earth; he became vulnerable, as we are vulnerable; rejected, as we are rejected; and tested, as we are tested. In every case, he responded with prayer. However, our prayer is often confusing and filled with frustration, why? Maybe, we treat prayer as a duty rather than a privilege, or we always come to God with a list of consumer requests but a desire to be with God.
Tong, Johnny	楊世禮 (2004): 為誰辛苦為誰忙	本書主題是基督徒的工作觀，它也是一本理論與實踐的書，理論是從西方社會的工作觀，引伸到曆代神學家的工作觀. 實踐則引伸至基督徒的日常生活.	怎樣使你的工作有永恆價值？	我們的生命若是為主辛苦為主忙, 那便有永恆價值。
Kwan, Louie	Lee Sze King (??): Isaiah Bible Studies CD	The background of history and interpretation of Isaiah.	Is the Old treatment message still relevant to us today?	Bible is a living WORD and it is very much applicable to us today.
Chan, Stephen	Philip Yancey (1990): Where is God when it hurts (part 3)	The last part of this book covers how people respond to suffering, how can we cope with pain as well as how does faith help.	How can we cope with suffering when it hurts us?	When we allow God our shepherd to guide us, we can have peace and contentment. Know that God walks with us in our struggles and hurts when we hurt.
Zia, Karl	Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart (1993): How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth	Bible is God’s Words for us. However, it does not mean that we should blindly follow people’s behavior or treat every command a command directly to us. Rather, it is the essence (point) of the text that matters, and it is based on good exegesis.	How do we look at the Old Testament law? Is it still binding to us?	(1) The OT is a covenant God made with Israelites. We have a new covenant that we are not under the old law (Ro 6:14-15). (2) Some laws are not renewed in the new covenant (like ritual and civil laws), but the ethical and moral laws has been renewed and Christians need to follow, such as Mt 5:21-48, and the Great Commandment. (3) The OT laws let us see the characteristics of the perfect God, and that it is impossible for us to fulfill them without Jesus.