Reviews

VIDEO

Everyone should see it

Three Days That Changed The World, produced by Viz A Viz media £4.99

This is one of the most technically brilliant, emotionally challenging and spiritually moving videos that I have ever seen. From its opening sequence of a man in his early thirties called Rob, painting Easter eggs for his kids just as his dad had done for him and trying to remember what he had been told about the story of Jesus, I was drawn into his world, and wanted to know more about what he thought and believed.

He then happens upon a TV programme dealing with the events of Easter, and through that we are told the Easter story in a direct, un-religious way, in the very places where the main events occurred. We see Jerusalem as it is today, with its cars and crowds, but still a city where the most amazing event of history took place – the resurrection of Jesus, when God intervened in human history.

After being invited to hear a Christian group perform, Rob does a bit of research on the internet, trying to find out as much as he can about Jesus, discovering afresh the facts of his life, death and resurrection.

The camera work is stunning, and I can’t begin to express the beauty and anointing on this gentle, moving video, with its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Everyone ought to get a chance to see it over the Easter holiday. I hope you do.

David Waite is a freelance writer and broadcaster based in Oxford

BOOK

Proactive help in praying for your husband

The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie Omartian. (Kingsway £6.99)

It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes you find it easier to pray for those you hardly know than for your nearest and dearest. Stormie Omartian here gives help and inspiration to pray for key areas of your husband's life, such as work, relationships and self-image.

The format of the book is similar to her earlier best-seller The Power of a Praying Parent, with short, easy-to-read chapters, each ending with a prayer and relevant Bible verses, or 'power tools'.

There are many real-life examples of prayer changing lives and Stormie is refreshingly honest about her own experiences, which I found encouraging. Because the book is written from the author's personal perspective there were some parts I didn't find particularly relevant for us, but I guess with 30 chapters there should be something for everyone.

For me, the book's main strength is that it challenges me to see prayer for my husband as being proactive and ongoing rather than just responding to particular problems or situations.

Just one final point: it would be good to see The Power of a Praying Husband appearing in print some time - wives need lots of prayer, too!

Jane Bravo - mother of three and freelance proofreader

SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIAL

Good stuff, but a bit pricey

Under construction: Adventure (Year A, Part 1, Age 6-8, CPAS)

Observations

The material is very well presented, attractive for children and culturally relevant in that its visual aids and ideas seem to follow a 'McDonalds' approach. However I am not so keen on the teacher having to look after eight or so 'souvenir' boxes over a 10-week period! McDonalds boxes last about 30 minutes in our house!

The use of OHPs in a Sunday School class is an excellent idea which will help to focus young minds, and the quality of those provided are very good although the samples I saw were rather too adult in style.

Content

There is a separate syllabus which clearly lays out the topics and each study book details the contents of each manual. The leadership material is presented with times for each activity which is very useful for planning the session. Resources needed each week are listed with an overall plan for the whole manual which again helps with forward planning (the nightmare for any Sunday School teacher).

The content of the sessions appears to be good with appropriate games and exercises. One criticism is the lack of a clear objective for each session, which I believe is a must for teachers who are often hard pressed for time, and need to quickly understand what the point(s) of the day's topic is.

Overall, the standard of the material and particularly the visual aids is very high and appropriate for the age group. I would be keen to try this for my group - but I do have a concern over the potential cost (£23.50 for Part 1 covering 20 weeks for the leader, plus £3 for each child's material).

Dave Thompson is a Sunday School teacher in a Sussex Anglican church

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		VIDEO Everyone should see it Three Days That Changed The World, produced by Viz A Viz media £4.99 This is one of the most technically brilliant, emotionally challenging and spiritually moving videos that I have ever seen. From its opening sequence of a man in his early thirties called Rob, painting Easter eggs for his kids just as his dad had done for him and trying to remember what he had been told about the story of Jesus, I was drawn into his world, and wanted to know more about what he thought and believed. He then happens upon a TV programme dealing with the events of Easter, and through that we are told the Easter story in a direct, un-religious way, in the very places where the main events occurred. We see Jerusalem as it is today, with its cars and crowds, but still a city where the most amazing event of history took place – the resurrection of Jesus, when God intervened in human history. After being invited to hear a Christian group perform, Rob does a bit of research on the internet, trying to find out as much as he can about Jesus, discovering afresh the facts of his life, death and resurrection. The camera work is stunning, and I can’t begin to express the beauty and anointing on this gentle, moving video, with its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Everyone ought to get a chance to see it over the Easter holiday. I hope you do. David Waite is a freelance writer and broadcaster based in Oxford BOOK Proactive help in praying for your husband The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie Omartian. (Kingsway £6.99) It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes you find it easier to pray for those you hardly know than for your nearest and dearest. Stormie Omartian here gives help and inspiration to pray for key areas of your husband's life, such as work, relationships and self-image. The format of the book is similar to her earlier best-seller The Power of a Praying Parent, with short, easy-to-read chapters, each ending with a prayer and relevant Bible verses, or 'power tools'. There are many real-life examples of prayer changing lives and Stormie is refreshingly honest about her own experiences, which I found encouraging. Because the book is written from the author's personal perspective there were some parts I didn't find particularly relevant for us, but I guess with 30 chapters there should be something for everyone. For me, the book's main strength is that it challenges me to see prayer for my husband as being proactive and ongoing rather than just responding to particular problems or situations. Just one final point: it would be good to see The Power of a Praying Husband appearing in print some time - wives need lots of prayer, too! Jane Bravo - mother of three and freelance proofreader SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIAL Good stuff, but a bit pricey Under construction: Adventure (Year A, Part 1, Age 6-8, CPAS) Observations The material is very well presented, attractive for children and culturally relevant in that its visual aids and ideas seem to follow a 'McDonalds' approach. However I am not so keen on the teacher having to look after eight or so 'souvenir' boxes over a 10-week period! McDonalds boxes last about 30 minutes in our house! The use of OHPs in a Sunday School class is an excellent idea which will help to focus young minds, and the quality of those provided are very good although the samples I saw were rather too adult in style. Content There is a separate syllabus which clearly lays out the topics and each study book details the contents of each manual. The leadership material is presented with times for each activity which is very useful for planning the session. Resources needed each week are listed with an overall plan for the whole manual which again helps with forward planning (the nightmare for any Sunday School teacher). The content of the sessions appears to be good with appropriate games and exercises. One criticism is the lack of a clear objective for each session, which I believe is a must for teachers who are often hard pressed for time, and need to quickly understand what the point(s) of the day's topic is. Overall, the standard of the material and particularly the visual aids is very high and appropriate for the age group. I would be keen to try this for my group - but I do have a concern over the potential cost (£23.50 for Part 1 covering 20 weeks for the leader, plus £3 for each child's material). Dave Thompson is a Sunday School teacher in a Sussex Anglican church © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.