Gifts for all tastes
Church of Christ Bookshop
32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge
Phone: (08) 8532 4400
Bookshop Opening Hours: Please note change of times (from July 2017 until further notice)
Monday – Tuesday Closed
Wednesday – Friday Open from 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday Closed
Walk through to the Coffee Shop and have a cuppa or a light lunch with great company on Wednesdays to Fridays 10 am to 2 pm.
For more information click here.
Church of Christ Bookshop
32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge
Phone: (08) 8532 4400
Bookshop Opening Hours: Please note change of times (from July 2017 until further notice)
Monday – Tuesday Closed
Wednesday – Friday 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday Closed
Walk through to the Coffee Shop and have a cuppa or a light lunch with great company on Wednesdays to Fridays 10 am to 2 pm.
For more information click here.
Return To Me by Lynn Austin (Restoration Chronicles #1)
This was the first of Lynn Austin’s books I have read. It is the first of her trilogy in the Restoration Chronicles. Having read the first one, I am sure I will read the following two in the series. I am particularly interested in the third book which features the life of Nehemiah, one of my favourite people of the Bible. The book of Nehemiah is one of my favourites in all of the Bible.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will probably read more of her works in the future. This book is a fictional account of the first group of Jews to return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. It is very true to the historical Biblical account.
The main character of the story is Zechariah. The plot follows his early life growing up in Babylon with all of the hardships endured there, including the pressures to conform to the social moralities of the Babylonian culture and religion, including astrology. The sudden change on the part of King Cyrus is greeted with great joy by the Jews in captivity, and plans are immediately made for them to return to Jerusalem to begin life anew in their home country. The author cleverly portrays the family conflicts which arise, with families being torn apart, some remaining in Babylon, with others leaving for the long journey home.
The reader is given an in-depth impression of the physical hardships endured on the journey and the subsequent struggles to establish themselves in Jerusalem and in the surrounding countryside. The author never shirks from also drawing out in depth the spiritual pressures placed upon this band of people, especially the constant exposure to the paganism and astrology of the neighbouring Samaritans. The stark contrasts between the Jewish faith and the faith of other people living near Jerusalem is explored in many ways in the novel.
Zechariah features prominently in this account. Towards the end of the story we see him as the prophet whose book we read in the Old Testament. The author strongly portrays a young Zechariah in the early stages of his developing spirituality, and how he has a growing awareness of his special relationship with God. Austin never strays from showing the internal spiritual struggles of Zechariah, as well as his grandfather and mentor, Iddo.
I only have one little criticism: the frequent changes of point of view can take a little getting used to, but overall, this is a very well written and enjoyable account. The novel has one enduring strength: by being written as fiction, the author can draw each character in compelling and intriguing depth, while never losing sight of the facts of the historical foundations of the narrative.
Highly recommended.
˄TH
PS I read this book on my eReader. You can order a copy through our bookshop.
Chris, our bookshop manager
MURRAY BRIDGE CHURCH OF CHRIST
CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOP
REOPENING FOR 2017
TODAY
Our Christian Bookshop has been closed for the Christmas – New Year break.
The bookshop reopens today, Monday 16th January 2017
Opening hours:
9 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday
9 am – 12 noon Saturday
Closed Public Holidays
Children’s books, including Bible and Bible stories
Huge selection of cards for all occasions
MURRAY BRIDGE CHURCH OF CHRIST
CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOP
Our Bookshop volunteer staff has been very busy in the lead up to Christmas. It has been encouraging to see so many people buying books, gifts, cards and other items for giving away at Christmas.
The Bookshop will be closed from Friday 23rd December 2016 for the Christmas – New Year break.
The Bookshop will open for business again next year, on Monday, 16th January 2017.
The manager and volunteers would like to extend their blessings, praying that you all have a wonderful, safe and joyful Christmas as we remember and honour the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Music CDs
MURRAY BRIDGE CHURCH OF CHRIST
BOOKSHOP
Our Bookshop volunteer staff has been very busy in the lead up to Christmas. It has been encouraging to see so many people buying books, gifts, cards and other items for giving away at Christmas.
The Bookshop will be closed from 4pm tomorrow, Friday 23rd December 2016 for the Christmas – New Year break.
The Bookshop will open for business again next year, on Monday, 16th January 2017.
The manager and volunteers would like to extend their blessings, praying that you all have a wonderful, safe and joyful Christmas as we remember and honour the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
“Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption.
The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose–that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known.
Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development?”
Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest.
This book is available through our church bookshop.
“God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment.
God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, and the moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work.
And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Him and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road.”
Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest.
Copies of this book are available from our church bookshop at 32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge, South Australia.
Open Monday – Thursday:
Christian Bookshop 9am – 5pm (Note: Closed from Christmas Eve.)
Tuesday 22th December
9am Pastoral Care Group
Wednesday 23rd December
Coffee Shop – Closed this week. Reopening on 20th January 2016
Thursday Dec 24th
Christmas Eve Service at 11:30pm
Sunday 27th December
10am Worship Service: speaker Pastor Grant Spangenberg
DATE CLAIMERS FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Thursday Dec 31st
New Year’s Eve Service: in the Uniting Church from 7:00 – 7:45pm. Please bring a plate of food for supper.
Please note:
The following activities are in recess over the Christmas – New Year break:
“The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts.
The greatest characteristic of a saint is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, ‘Yes, all those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not for the grace of God.’
Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, ‘My God, judge me as I have judged others’? If God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell.
Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.”
Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest. (available from our Bookshop)