Take Note Magazine, May - June 2015

EE FR 2015 ISSUE 2 | FAITH THAT MAKES SENSE | RECOMMENDED CHRISTIAN RESOURCES

“WHAT IS FAITH?” Small children have BIG QUESTIONS. Written especially for inquisitive young minds, The Big Book of Faith Questions answers over 100 questions about Christianity, including, ‘What did Jesus’ death achieve?’, ‘Why did God send prophets?’ and ‘Who is the Holy Spirit?’

The Big Book of Faith Questions Gill Hollis and Marcin Piwowarski RRP: £7.99 / 9781853455070 / HB

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An intelligent, intellectually rigorous examination of why the Christian faith still makes sense in an age of scepticism

Stylish and durable singlecolumn Bibles perfect for those who like to take their Bible everywhere

£5 off NIV DIARY CHOCOLATE BONDED LEATHER BIBLE 9781444701791 RRP £24.99 OFFER PRICE: £19.99

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What is the Christian faith? Is it airy-fairy wishful thinking? Is it mindless acceptance of ancient mythology?

The Bible tells us that faith is something rational, reasonable and assured: “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11.1) For this issue of Take Note, we’ve chosen titles that help us to carefully investigate the claims of Christianity and the hope that Jesus offers us.

Take Note is produced by CLC Wholesale, 51 The Dean, Alresford, SO24 9BJ. Prices correct at time of going to print. Promotional prices valid only while stocks last.

Examine the Bible’s compelling evidence (p4), grapple with the trickiest questions (p8) and consider the testimonies of believers transformed by Jesus (p9).

We trust these books will fill you with confidence that faith in Jesus makes perfect sense.

Sarah Williams

Take Note Editor

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Investigate the Bible’s evidence…

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Ask your trickiest questions…

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Go back to Sunday School with Krish Kandiah

Engage in the debate…

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Meet some unlikely believers…

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Pick up storytelling tips from Bob Hartman...

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The Big Book of Faith Questions Gill Hollis and Marcin Piwowarski RRP: £7.99 / 9781853455070 / HB Explaining faith to children is never easy. This book seeks to give honest answers on some tough Biblical topics including sin, suffering, money and “Why am I here?” Written in child-friendly language and accompanied by sympathetic art work, this is a must for parents, children’s group leaders and ministers. There’s also a helpful index in the back to guide you to relevant Bible passages.

Chris Magee,

Head of CLC Wholesale

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Investigate the Bible’s evidence DIG DEEPER INTO THE GOSPELS SAVE £2

£7.99 Dig Deeper into the Gospels Andrew Sach & Tim Hiorns RRP: £9.99 / 9781783591992 Dig for treasure in the Gospels with the Dig Deeper tool-kit.

Using the Gospel of Mark as an example, Andrew Sach and Tim Hiorns teach us reading tools we can use to understand the Bible better.

As we work through Mark’s Gospel, we shall find the tools invaluable in discovering truths we might otherwise miss. The Structu re tool will help us understand why Jesus got angry with a fig tree; the Context to ol will explain why a request for an exorcism turned into a conversation about bread; the Quotation / Allusion tool will show us what walking on water and feeding 5,000 have in common. And so on…

As you read this book, we hope

first and foremost that you will grow to know Jesus better.

That you will understand the implication s of his glorious death and resurrectio n. That you will be motivated and equipped to follow him more closely. But we also pray that you’ll become a more able and confident Bible student. That, having looked over our shoulder and watched us work away at Mark, you’ll be able to take these same tools elsewhere and mine for yourself the treasures of the Gospel of Matthew or Luke or John (or even Malachi or Leviticus or Jeremiah!).

This material is from Dig Deeper into the Gospels by Andrew Sach and Tim Hiorns.

Published by Inter-Varsity Press, 2015. Used by permission.

BUILDING YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE BIBLE Confident SAVE £1

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Why we can trust the Bible Michael Ovey & Daniel Strange Is God in control? Can he be trusted?

Is he moral? Does he care and can he speak into my life and my struggles?

Daniel Strange and Michael Ovey set out how we can place our complete trust in Scripture, challenging both Christians and those outside the church. “...here’s a great book to insert vertebra into our elastic spine!”

Jonathan Lamb, Keswick Ministries, CEO and minister-at-large 9781781915547 RRP £7.99 £6.99

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Meet the writer: Krish Kandiah Paradoxology Krish Kandiah RRP: £9.99 / 9781444745368 ‘The Bible is full of contradictions,’ your unbelieving friend argues...

You want to stand up for your faith, but deep down, you secretly wonder if he’s right. How can we believe in a God who is compassionate yet destroys whole nations? A God who is in control yet holds us responsible for our actions? A God who is fully God yet became fully human?

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In Paradoxology, Krish Kandiah confronts thirteen challenging passages of the Bible and suggests that these apparent contradictions are actually where God is most clearly revealed. We spoke to Krish and asked him to explain more…

CLC: Why is it important to reflect on the paradoxes of the Bible?

CLC: Were there any paradoxes that were particularly challenging?

KK: It struck me that, when I was in Sunday School, I was the one who asked difficult questions and there were three responses: ‘Don’t ask silly questions and get on with your colouring,’ ‘God works in mysterious ways,’ and ‘If we understood God then we’d be God.’ But actually, not facing up to the paradoxes and really difficult parts of the Bible means we’re ill-equipped to face life.

KK: Lots of them! All of the chapters are personal struggles that I’ve faced trying to reconcile my life to my faith.

I’ve always wrestled with those genocide passages because God is incredibly compassionate to Israel.

He gives them time and chance after chance and yet with the Canaanite people God was telling them to completely wipe out certain cities.

That was a real wrestle.

£7.99 CLC: If readers take just one key point or application away from Paradoxology, what do you hope that would be?

KK: That’s really hard! I guess the key thing is that rather than trying to fit God into a neat little theological box, we need to allow God to be God. With a lot of paradoxology, you’re not going to get nice, neat answers. You’ve got to learn to trust that God is God.

Krish Kandiah was talking to Sarah Williams. You can read the full interview at clcwholesale.com.

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Good News Bible New Life

Good News Bible Rainbow

Good News Bible Sunrise

RRP: £16.99 / 9780007480135 / HB

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RRP: £16.99 / 9780007480128 / HB

Read and loved all over the world, the Good News Bible is translated into simple English.

These editions include Annie Vallotton’s distinctive line drawings.

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The Theory of Everything?

The subject of an Oscar-nominated film, Stephen Hawking remains firmly in the news as an authority on many important issues. In The Grand Design, he claimed that the laws of physics brought the Universe into being, rather than God.

978-0-7459-5549-0 £4.99

In God and Stephen Hawking, John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and author of God’s Undertaker, examines Hawking's arguments and demonstrates that far from disproving a Creator God, they make his existence all the more probable.

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THE HARD-HITTING BESTSELLER 75,000 SOLD IN THE UK ALONE! The Dawkins Delusion Alister McGrath World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion: ‘If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.’ The volume has received wide coverage, fuelled much passionate debate and caused not a little confusion.

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Alister McGrath, once an atheist himself, subjects Dawkins’ critique of faith to rigorous scrutiny. This book will be warmly received by those looking for a reliable assessment of The God Delusion and the many questions it raises – including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning.

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Engage in the debate MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION “The New Atheists thought that they were going to offer the coup de grâce to a religion that was dying... If you are one of them, welcome to a new world.

“Welcome to a world of hope and the possibility that you are more than just a blob of carbon floating from one meaningless existence to another.

“Welcome to a world of truth, meaning and love... These are grand claims but I hope and pray that as you read this, your mind will be blown at the staggering wonder of the truth. I pray that you will not only gain an understanding of why so many people continue to believe in God, but also that you will come to have your own faith challenged.”

This material is from Magnificent Obsession (David Robertson) published by Christian Focus Publications, 2013. Used by permission.

Magnificent Obsession by Dundee-born author David Robertson is an extremely helpful book answering various fundamental questions about the Christian faith and the importance of Jesus.

Set out as a series of letters from David to a person seeking answers, this book helps you understand how to guide others into embracing the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves.

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£6.99 Magnificent Obsession David Robertson RRP: £8.99 / 9781781912713

Melanie Gardiner, CLC Aberdeen

God is a moral monster.

The Church is dying out.

Bible stories don’t add up.

Engage in any debate about Christianity and you’re sure to meet with some strong objections. In Backchat, Chris Sinkinson shows us that we can answer our atheist friends with love and confidence.

Bust the urban myths and straighten out the facts, and you’ll discover that the Christian faith stands up to interrogation. Apologetics isn’t about apologising for our faith; it’s about giving back the answers we know to be true.

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£4.99 Backchat Chris Sinkinson RRP: £6.99 / 9781781914069

A thoughtful and robust response to the New Atheist claims that God is a delusion and Christianity is meaningless. Each of the five sections looks at current topics up for debate in an increasingly secular society, including some of Richard Dawkins’s criticisms of Christianity.

This is a must-read.

John Keble, Christian Books Dunstable

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Ask your trickiest questions Michael Dormandy and Carl Laferton answer some of the trickiest questions about Christianity: • Doesn’t Jesus ruin your fun?

• Hasn’t science disproved God? • If Jesus is real, why is there so much suffering?

• What does Jesus really think about being gay?

• In the end, it’s just a matter of opinion, isn’t it?

Tricky Michael Dormandy and Carl Laferton RRP: £4.99 / 9781909559172

Whether you’re just investigating the Christian faith or you’re a believer with a few questions, find out what the Bible really says about these big issues. Helpful for teenagers as well as adults, this honest and enjoyable book is clear, accessible and faithful to the Bible’s teaching.

If you could ask God one question Paul Williams and Barry Cooper

Basic Christianity John Stott

RRP: £6.99 9781907377921

Taking questions about the basic tenets of Christian faith and belief, John Stott’s answers are anything but basic.

Stott provides insightful, clear and considered responses that call us to a deeper faith.

RRP: £8.99 9781844749089

Reading this book is like having a conversation with a kind and witty friend who also happens to be really good at explaining the gospel. With personal SAVE £2 anecdotes and a heartfelt call to faith, Williams and Cooper show us the Bible’s answers to questions like ‘All good people go to heaven, right?’ and ‘Why don’t you just do a miracle?’ Give this book to all your inquisitive friends.

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Melanie Carroll,

Unicorn Tree Books

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Meet some unlikely believers SEEKING ALLAH, FINDING JESUS “Please, God Almighty, tell me who You are! I beseech You and only You. Only You can rescue me. At Your feet, I lay down everything I have learned, and I give my entire life to You. Take away what You will, be it my joy, my friends, my family, or even my life. But let me have You, O God. “Light the path that I must walk. I don’t care how many hurdles are in the way, how many pits I must jump over or climb out of, or how many thorns I must step through. Guide me on the right path. If it is Islam, show me how it is true! If it is Christianity, give me eyes to see! Just show me which path is Yours, dear God, so I can walk it.”

This material is from Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (Nabeel Qureshi) published by Zondervan Publishers, 2014. Used by permission.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Nabeel Qureshi

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RRP: £10.99 / 9780310515029 This is an amazing account of a devout Muslim’s encounter with God and conversion to Christianity. An absolute must-read for those who want to share the gospel with Muslims, or for anyone who enjoys reading a good testimony.

Shelley Webb, CLC London

Why I am not an atheist David J. Randall

Real Lives D.J. Carswell RRP: £6.99 9781906173326

RRP: £9.99 / 9781781912706 Eleven Christians from different walks of life share their testimonies and the arguments of science, philosophy and history that convinced them of the truth of the gospel.

“For the many honest, SAVE £2 open-minded sceptics who do want to reasonably weigh all the evidence, this book will be thought-provoking, stimulating and perhaps even life-changing.”

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This is an excellent give-away book full of real life testimonies of people whose lives were changed when they came face-to-face with the gospel. Buy three copies and give them away to your family and friends.

John Keble,

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Christian Books Dunstable

William J. U. Philip,

Senior Minister, The Tron Church, Glasgow

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Share stories of faith in action Talking Tales: Shhhh!!

Miriam, the baby and the secret basket boat There’s a discovery in the river, an Egyptian princess, a big problem with slavery, a few difficult frogs and a very big army!

RRP: £5.99 / 9781782593607

Talking Tales: Yummm!!

Elijah, the boy and the amazing famine feast There’s a nasty famine, a bunch of ravens trained in waiter service and a little bit of oil and flour that turns into something huge!

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RRP: £5.99 / 9781782593591

Meet the WRITER: BOB HARTMAN Talking Tales is a new series of illustrated Bible stories, imaginatively retold for young children. We spoke to the author Bob Hartman…

What was the inspiration behind Talking Tales?

I have three grandchildren and I like to read them stories whenever I can. Some of the picture books they like best are the ones where the characters in the books speak directly to the reader. I hadn’t come across any Bible retellings that were told in that way, so I thought it would be fun to have a go.

I also thought that if the character telling the story was also a child it would provide a nice way into the story for the reader. Fortunately, the folks at CWR were also keen, and with Emma’s drawings they have produced a series of books that are inviting and fun!

Can you share some of your storytelling secrets?

Storytelling is all about relationships. You need to build a playful, interactive relationship with your audience. The more they do to help you build the story, the more engaged they will be.

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It’s also important to love the story you’re telling. Find those aspects of the story that make you go ‘Wow!’ Tell us about a favourite story-telling experience.

I told the story of the widow of Nain’s son at an event a couple of years ago. The story is told from the son’s perspective but because there are parts of the story he inevitably missed, I have him reflect his mother’s feelings in those places. To do so, I had to think about what it might have been like for her to have lost both her husband and her son.

Several days later, a woman came up to me and thanked me for accurately reflecting what she had felt when she lost someone close. I was reminded of how powerful stories can be when we tell them truthfully, unafraid to be honest about the characters’ feelings and our own.

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By Stephen Elkins

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£1.99 Tell Me about Salvation

Tell Me about Faith

RRP: £2.99 / 9781414396798

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£1.99 Tell Me about Grace

Tell Me about the Bible

RRP: £2.99 / 9781414396781

RRP: £2.99 / 9781414396774

Train ‘Em Up is an interactive, fun-filled, and affordable series that uses a train locomotive theme for teaching kids core Christian beliefs and principles. In this series, a friendly train conductor, Mr. Steve, teaches kids about Christian topics through bold graphics and interactive songs and stories.

Each book in the series includes a CD with sing-along songs and narrated stories with sound effects, plus a colourful sticker sheet!

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BEAUTIFUL BIBLES TO TREASURE

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£12.99 Candle Bible for Toddlers Deluxe Edition 978-1-78128-201-4 £14.99

The Lion Picture Bible 978-0-7459-6303-7 £10.99

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