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AT THE FEET OF JESUS by Roslynn Bryant

AT THE FEET OF JESUS

The Call to Fellowship

by Roslynn Bryant

Pub Date: April 11th, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68197-010-3
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing

A writer calls for a more engaged personal Christianity.

This brief work from Bryant (God’s Servant, 2016, etc.) returns frequently to a dilemma that will be familiar to many modern-day Christians: the many demands of daily life and how those tasks can sometimes obscure the importance of their faith. “We might try to fit in a five-minute prayer before we retire for the night,” Bryant writes. “But we have to make the decision that being alone with God is something we cannot afford to neglect.” The author stresses again and again that the benefits of communing with God immensely outweigh the minor irritation of finding the time in a busy schedule. God, for Bryant, is the source of all strength and support in life. As subsequent chapters make clear, this remains true even in times of trouble, when the faithful might even feel that God has let them down. “But can we rise from the ashes of a wounded faith and once again believe in the power of God?” the author asks, citing both Scripture and the trials in her own life. The most pointed Scriptural analogy is of course the pairing of Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary. Busy Martha is irritated that all the housework is left to her when Jesus visits their home and talks to the other guests. Mary has wisely decided to listen to Jesus’ teachings rather than helping her sister. The key to a more meaningful Christian fellowship, Bryant maintains, is to strike a successful balance between the spiritual and the material. In the book’s clear and concise prose and quick chapters, the author underscores the vital significance of “sustaining a consistent prayer life,” and although most of the author’s personal anecdotes are rather general, the intimate tone throughout is ultimately winning. The faith observations made in every chapter are often on the anodyne side, the kinds of easy sentiments that the author’s Christian readers will have heard many times in church. But the practical understanding in the backgrounds of all these reflections—Bryant’s clear noting of the distractions of daily life—should have many readers nodding in recognition.

A short, concentrated reminder for Christians that prayer remains one of the central missions of their faith.