Rob Seabrook

Rob Seabrook

Author of Beneath the Tamarisk Tree

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Category: Christian Poetry

The Artist’s Page – Debra Rufini

For all creatives, whether artists, writers or performers, it is so encouraging to have others adore our works. It may not be the reason…

Touch The Earth – Drew Jackson

This is a truly powerful collection of poems, thought provoking, poignant and hard hitting. There is an honesty in the writing that cuts through…

Generation Care – Peter Coates

Kindness seems to have been a topic of conversation over recent years, but in my view there is still not enough evidence that the…

Initiate : A Journey Begun – Neil Axtell

It has been a privilege to see a preview manuscript of this collection of poems, whilst it is going through the latter stages of…

Hearing God in Poetry – Richard Harries

It should be no surprise that poetry is an ideal artform through which to worship God. Large parts of the Bible are written in…

Amazing – Simon Ponsonby

I have never been a big fan of poetry. I studied it a long time ago at school but was never very inspired by…

Recent Reads

  • God’s Big Promises – Carl Laferton
  • The Dead Don’t Dance – Charles Martin
  • The Artist’s Page – Debra Rufini
  • The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip – Sara Brunsvold
  • Nourishing Narratives – Jennifer L. Holberg
  • Eye Can Write – Jonathan Bryan
  • Nobody’s Child – John Robinson
  • The First Phone Call from Heaven – Mitch Albom
  • Wake up to Wonder – Karen Wright Marsh
  • The Persistent Road – Tim Bishop

rob_seabrook

Author of Beneath the Tamarisk Tree, a fictional take on the miraculous story of the Penitent Thief. Christian book reviews.

rob_seabrook
BOOK REVIEW - God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferto BOOK REVIEW - God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferton

Ideal for younger children, this book takes 92 stories from the Bible and presents them in an enjoyable, fun way, easily understandable, sensitively presented (some of the stories in the Bible can be a challenge to explain to younger children) with carefully considered vocabulary.

The book includes many of the Old Testament favourites, as well as about half the book covering the New Testament. It links the two in a creative way, highlighting those stories that include a promise from God (especially in the OT), matching them to a later story that shows God delivering to that promise (often in the NT). This could really help to deepen a child’s understanding of the way the Bible narrative works over its thousands of years, and how Jesus delivers many of the promises of God.

The stories are true to the Bible, conveying the core messages of each story. They will lead to plenty of questions and opportunity for further explanation between child and reader, or further thought if the child is reading alone. I can see this one working so well as a daily bedtime read.

It is packed with illustrations from Jennifer Davison which add hugely to each story, colourful and engaging, with one on every page.

God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferton, is available here.

I received an advance complimentary copy of this book from @thegoodbookcompanyuk but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Ma BOOK REVIEW - The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Martin

I only got halfway through this novel before I placed an order for the sequel. Charles Martin writes so well and I knew it was a story I needed to read to completion. Although it does work fine as a standalone read, and what a great read it is.

The Christian content is a lighter touch than some Christian novels, in that it is not front and centre. But it is certainly an underlying theme and is handled in a true-to-life way. It is inevitable that faith can be a huge struggle when we are facing some of the torments that life can throw at us.

Having said that, this is a story of a man battling through an horrendous personal tragedy, hitting some desperate lows, but finding a way through it to a point where he can see his life progressing. Hope wins through, with God’s hand clearly guiding the characters through their situations.

And Charles Martin does create some intriguing characters, many of whom are people you would like to have around you, or you would like to emulate. They help to restore your faith that there really are some great people around.

Now on to the sequel...

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip BOOK REVIEW - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip by @sara_brunsvold 

Facing death can present Christians with difficulties. It is an inevitability, as it is for everyone, accompanied by grief, pain and loss. But if we have certainty of where we are going then it is also encased with hope and promise.

This novel faces the issue of death head on, with the opening chapters describing our Mrs Kip settling in to face her final days in a hospice.

Her deep compassion, forged from a life of experiences, good and bad, leads her to help others who are facing death. She has faced many deaths, many of them painful and inexplicably unfair, each one asking questions that have few answers.

Her strong faith now carries her through, her life experiences leading her to a place where she only has one objective ... to be salt and light to the people she meets. For her death to be a conduit to bring life for others.

She is a charming, endearing character, making it a pleasure for the reader to share in the revealing of her life story - one that intertwines with that of a young journalist, who needs a good story to fuel her career break, but who also needs to see God's love in action in extraordinary ways.

It is well written, so in parallel we see the present, how lives interact, as well as glimpses of the backstory that build a wide frame around the current picture. And we witness the lovely relationship develop between the young and old women. How Clara Kip's deep faith transcends and transforms the young journalist, forming a strong bond between them.

What is clear is the challenge of facing death with dignity, to have a good end... or even better than that, one that through it brings life and hope. Life from death, which after all is the Gospel message. If there ever is such a thing as a good death, then this book gives plenty of clues as to what it may look like...

Read the full review at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - Nourishing Narratives by @jenniferlh BOOK REVIEW - Nourishing Narratives by @jenniferlholberg 

This is a well-written collection of thoughts on why words, language and stories are so central to our own narrative.

I believe that creativity is a reflection of God. It is His very nature to be creative, infinitely creative. His imagination is unlimited, displayed in the endless creativity we see around us, as well as the way He has created each of us to be unique. Billions of souls, all made in His image but all unique. What depth of imagination that takes. So to me it makes sense that our imaginations are a gift from Him, which, if well directed, can be used as an act of worship to bring the glory back to Him.

After all, storytelling was a tool that Jesus often used to communicate His message, each time bringing the focus back to the Kingdom of God. For millennia, people have used storytelling to communicate important truths ... stories grab our attention, spark our imaginations, engage us in the narrative and help us to associate with the message.

Hence why I resonate with the subtitle of this book, “The power of story to shape our faith”.

Professor Jennifer Holberg draws on her extensive knowledge of literature, writing and teaching, taking content from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor and Marilynne Robinson, drawing out many truths of how important story-telling is to our lives and our faith.

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

I received a complimentary copy of this book from @ivpbooks via @netgalley but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

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BOOK REVIEW - Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan Eve BOOK REVIEW - Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan

Every so often a book comes along that is truly astonishing. This is one of them.

The introduction, written by Jonathan's mum, shows the medical problems that challenged Jonathan's early years, many times coming close to dying. His mum and dad faced them with a strong faith, a dose of humour and an unending love, that carries them all through. There is an intense determination inherent in the whole family. Reading the introduction it is also clear where Jonathan got his flair for writing from.

The fact that a 12 year old boy has written a book would astound many. That he has broken through the cerebral palsy, found his own methods of communicating and writing, that he has not been held back by the challenges to create such an eloquently written account, all make it even more impressive. It is profoundly humbling.

Jonathan has the skill of astute observation, he writes with humour and poignancy. And what an imagination! It makes me wonder if there is some great fiction formulating in his mind that we may get to read one day.

At the heart of his story, central to his very essence, is his faith. Poetically described, the precious proximity of Jesus is a clear strength, one that is inspirational to him but also to the reader.

When his story goes on to describe a time when he glimpsed into heaven, into Jesus's garden, it highlights the power of faith and hope.

His strong imagination and gift for using words, especially through poetry, clearly give him a release, a freedom that he cannot experience physically.

Central to his life is also his family, such a close unit. His Haikus, one for each family member, made me cry, each skilfully crafted and clearly written from the heart.

Jonathan is an astonishing, heartwarming, inspiring character. Thank you for writing this book.

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See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio)
BOOK REVIEW - Nobody’s Child by John Robinson T BOOK REVIEW - Nobody’s Child by John Robinson

This is a truly amazing and inspirational story.

John's childhood experiences of deep rejection, that framed his early years and led him down a path of trauma fuelled self-destruction, are horrifying to read. This was then compounded when he suffered neglect at the hands of the foster care system – a system that of course should have been protecting and nurturing, but completely failed him. As a foster carer, I found this so hard to read and felt I just wanted to apologise to John.

Even though it happened 40 to 50 years ago, and I like to believe that safeguards are in place now to ensure this sort of abuse could not happen, the lack of care is truly astonishing and disgraceful. And sadly it left a trail of trauma that many may not have escaped from in the way that John has.

In John's case, by the amazing grace of God, he was rescued. It is an amazing story of salvation, a life back on track, called and dedicated to serving and supporting young people who find themselves in similar circumstances. The culmination of this part of the story was God's hand in leading John to manage the Eden bus ministry at the Message Trust in Manchester.

It is worth noting that this book was published 20 years ago and the vision and works of the Message Trust look to be still going very strong – do look them up at www.message.org.uk.

I see there is a follow up book to this one, called Somebody’s Child, sharing some of the stories of John's adventures in partnership with God… it’s on my To Be Read list now.

Read more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The First Phone Call from Heaven by BOOK REVIEW - The First Phone Call from Heaven by @mitchalbom 

What a fascinating concept … this story is of a few residents of a small, uninspiring and unsuspecting town, begin to receive regular brief phone calls from people who have died. They claim to be in heaven, reaching out to their loved ones.

As the story unfolds almost all the responses, from all the characters, seem to be misguided ... from those who want to capitalise on it, to those who don't believe it, to those who are so desperate to receive their own calls. As you would expect, the town goes crazy.

Interestingly hardly anyone seems to be saying "so this means that heaven is real, so I need to repent and believe". No one seems to respond how you would hope you would respond if you were in that situation. Even the church pastors are confused and ill-equipped to deal with the situation, all of which make it actually quite a believable scenario!

Having researched and written about heaven in my novel, Beneath the Tamarisk Tree, I did find it fascinating. One concept that is introduced here really resonated with one of my own themes, that of how heaven is where we receive healing from a lifetime on earth and all that it has thrown at us.

The story trots along at a good pace, with the reader being pushed from side to side, from belief to doubt, back and forth until it reaches a crescendo of hysteria. It sensibly leaves the reader to decide what they believe ... clever storytelling.

Ultimately this is a story about one man's search for truth in the midst of chaos and trauma, and another man's desperate measures to put things right.

It is a cleverly written observation exposing behaviours and beliefs, set at a fast pace, engaging and fun. And you just can't help asking yourself ... "how would I react if this happened to me?"

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - Wake up to Wonder by @karenwrightmar BOOK REVIEW - Wake up to Wonder by @karenwrightmarsh 

An unusual devotional, taking an aspect of influence from significant people of faith through history, theologians and thinkers, and applying modern day examples of how their advice, wisdom and disciplines can be applied. Karen then adds plenty of practical suggestions on how we may be able to apply the practices ourselves.

Each "invitation", not chapters, offers plenty of food for thought and contemplation. The topics are taken from the teachings of some very interesting people, many of whom I had not heard of before but will now certainly look up their writings.

In fact, I took this book to read with me on a weekend retreat at a Benedictine monastery, which turned out to be inspired. It was wonderful, offering up all sorts of creative ways to apply faith to my thoughts. During a time of contemplation, the studies in this book gave me a diverse range of topics to ponder, often offering me an area to focus on. I was also mighty encouraged to find a chapter on St Benedict and his teachings.

This may well be an extreme approach, so equally helpful would be to read one section each day, or each week, in the normal way for a devotional, and then apply it. It only needs for some of what it says to stick, to encourage you to be more intentional in thoughts and actions, more healthy, physically, emotionally and spiritually and initiate the process of making a bigger difference to the world.

It is a lovely collection of wisdoms to ponder each day. Our digital, social media savvy world might be tempted to re-label them as "life hacks" and broadcast them with a clever but disposable meme. But this would be crude and so much less than these writings deserve. True wisdom is precious. These deserve to be deeply pondered, to speak some permanent truths into our lives. The invitations are there, generously given and free to accept.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, via @netgalley but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

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