An uncomplicated and bright collection of Christian-themed poetry.
Linzey’s poetry collection stresses the importance of religion and the comfort people can find in worship.
As a minister, Bible translator, and speaker, the author had a long career in the church, and her poetry emphasizes the role that Christianity has played in her life. The beginning of the volume covers some fundamental stories from the New Testament, including the arrival of the three wise men, in “The Three Magi”: “They then gave Him myrrh and frankincense much, / To support Him while He lived in exile.” Jesus flees to Egypt, “Avoiding King Herod, who died on the throne, / The Christ became King, as angels foretold.” The fateful moment in “The Last Supper” is recounted here, as “Judas, the spy, left in a big rush, / When the rest had all asked, ‘Lord, is it I?’” Some poems offer endearing maxims, such as “Patience,” which advises readers that “slowly pulling all the weeds, / Buys you honey from the bees!” The wisdom of an elderly woman is celebrated (“Pearls of gold / Come forth from her lips”) in the aptly titled “Pearls of Gold.” But the main focus is religion, and the comfort that people can find when they dedicate their lives to God. Recalling a beautiful, quaint house of worship, “The Wildwood Church,” the speaker joyfully describes a reliably uplifting congregation: “Revival is there, you can truly be sure.” Linzey’s rhyming verse has a traditional feel and wonderfully communicates her intense passion for her faith and the joy and solace that it can bring. She portrays worshipping Jesus as following a path toward light in a world that can host plenty of darkness and reminds the reader how welcoming spirituality can be. Some poems are short, just one stanza—passing thoughts whose simplicity belies the grandeur she is alluding to. Followers of the author’s faith will appreciate the focused and positive message she conveys.
An uncomplicated and bright collection of Christian-themed poetry.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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