Recently I was sent a book and asked to do a book review, I thought I'd share it with you.

The book is 'Something Worth Living For, God, the World, Yourself and the Shorter Catechism' and there are more details at the bottom.

“You love Jesus, but who is Jesus and why do you love him? Maybe you would struggle to answer such a question, or maybe you grew up learning the shorter catechism and without a second thought could rhyme those truths that you learnt, of how Jesus is our Redeemer, Prophet, Priest and King. In his book ‘Something Worth Living For’, Randall Greenwald takes the Westminster Shorter Catechism, itself a helpful summary of what the scriptures teach, and explores the riches it contains. His hope is that through this book, we as the reader, might be moved to find what it means to enjoy a living and vital relationship with the living, gracious, and holy God of our salvation, knowing the beauty that is Reformed theology (p19).

In hoping to achieve this, Randal, rather than trying to update the language of the Shorter Catechism, instead makes helpful changes that keep the precision of the original by removing the archaic spellings; for example ‘hath’ becomes ‘has’, ‘continueth’ becomes ‘continues’ etc.. In addition, when the King James Version is used in the Ten Commandments he replaces it with the English Standard Version. The book itself is split into two sections ‘Something Worth Believing’ and ‘Life Worth Living’ that divide the sections of the catechism into chapters that examine the scriptural teaching contained within the catechism. Each question of the catechism is grouped and handled with remarkable clarity, spending no more than a few pages on each, in a way that warms the heart and leaves the reader wanting more. The pastoral way in which Randal writes along with the use of thoughtful and grounded illustrations help connect the deep truths of what is being taught to our experience, so that in each section the redemptive purposes of God are made clear.

Overall this is an accessible book that will help you to come to a greater understanding of those foundational biblical truths that it deals with. It will help you to understand more of who is Jesus and why you love him, it will help you understand the summary of scriptural teaching given in the Shorter Catechism and will help you to grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus. I only wish that this book was given to me when I was fifteen. If you are going to read one book this year make it this one, if you want to know what to get that friend who has questions about what you believe then this is the book, give this to the new convert and read it with them, if you are a parent wanting teach your child the beauty of what the scriptures teach then get this. No matter what stage you are at in life, how many books or how few you have read this book is for you. This will be used in my teaching ministry, and my hope is that I will get to use this before too long, sitting alongside someone over a coffee discussing the great truths that are contained in the Scriptures.

Five stars does not do this book justice, I would highly commend it to you, readable throughout, challenging, encouraging, and a great resource to have today.“

Alan Burke
Lissara Presbyterian Church ​

Title: Something Worth Living For
Author: Randall Greenwald
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
RRP: £8.99
Evangelical Bookshop: £6.75

You click on the cover it will take you to where you can buy it...

For those of you who want to think more about worship and what it means that God was saving his people for worship in Exodus 3. 

Does it matter how we Worship?
Listen 
https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/8/6/b/86b0a5fab1720459/biese_worship_1.mp3?c_id=92923538&cs_id=92923538&expiration=1612014931&hwt=b99456ebdcd705c9c30bbf501973ceb6

Watch 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-EZOiRB6aw

Read
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/ordinary-means-of-grace/

Children in Worship (READ)
https://www.opc.org/OS/html/V8/4b.html

Worship (BUY AND READ)

Children 
Let the Children Worship 
https://www.evangelicalbookshop.co.uk/products/let-the-children-worship?_pos=1&_sid=bd0b56c47&_ss=r

What we do
With Reverence and Awe 
https://www.evangelicalbookshop.co.uk/products/with-reverence-and-awe?_pos=1&_sid=e71adb8d0&_ss=r

God’s unfaithful wife 
https://www.evangelicalbookshop.co.uk/products/gods-unfaithful-wife?_pos=1&_sid=ed61e8023&_ss=r

I hope these are useful to you. 
Yours in the Lord’s service 

Alan

It is regrettable that I announce;

In light of our ongoing consultations and of the current serious and worsening situation, and in line with unequivocal public health guidance that people should stay at home, the General Council, acting with the delegated authority of the General Assembly, has directed that, for a limited period (from Friday 8th January until Saturday 6th February 2021 inclusive, subject to review in late January) all in-person Sunday gatherings for worship, along with all other in person church gatherings, should cease in all PCI congregations in Northern Ireland.

The service will continue to be available online this Sunday via Zoom and Facebook live. Later in the day the telephone service will be updated and link to service put on church website.

Yours in the Lord's service

Alan ​

Good morning everyone. 

You are all aware of how beginning at 00:01 on December 26, 2020 a series of Covid-19 restrictions will be introduced. These restrictions will be in place for six weeks, subject to review at four weeks, and will no doubt have a major impact on all of our society and on all of our lives as individuals and families. While full written details are awaited, the Minister of Health has formally announced that during the new six week lockdown “places of worship can remain open under strict conditions”. 

It is expected that the current strict conditions will continue to remain in force and should be carefully applied and followed at all services.

As a result I remind you that as of last week it is requires while entering and exiting the building and any gathering outside that face coverings are mandatory and 2 meter social distancing is to be maintained while on the church grounds. This means after the service, if the weather allows as we meet and chat outside that we wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. 

Next Sunday we meet as allowed under strict conditions for morning and evening worship, Rev Hiram Higgins will be leading morning worship while Rev Scott Woodburn will be leading evening Worship. But regulations will state that no indoor or outdoor gatherings of any kind is permitted after 20:00 and before 06:00 on these days. It means evening worship must be finished, and the meetinghouse empty and closed, before 8pm.

Blessings 

​Alan

Dear friends,

Once again we face the news that we will be entering another lockdown and the decision our executive has made based on the scientific advice that Churches should close over this period. In the midst of this we should pause and be grateful for the uninterrupted months of meeting together that we have been blessed with. However I appreciate that many of you will find this news disappointing or even incredibly difficult to face, as we look ahead I encourage you, in the midst of our troubles to look to Christ, to rest in Him and to know that He is Righteous and in control.

On a more practical note, this Sunday will be the last time we will be able to meet together in person and so I would encourage you to try to attend both morning and evening services. At these services there will be more information as to how to access services both online and by telephone over these coming weeks. The provisional date for resumption of corporate worship is Sunday 13th December and we pray that this will indeed be the case.

Yours In Christ,

Alan
​