REVIEWS

THIS IS GOD’S WORLD Songs of praise and possibility

Compiled by: John L Bell Published by: Wild Goose Publications Price: £9.99 (with an ebook available for a further £2 when bought together)

A new songbook with John L Bell’s imprint is always eagerly anticipated – and this new addition to the worship portfolio does not disappoint.

The collection – delayed following the death of long-term collaborator Graham Maule (the songs in the book are dedicated to him and the bright eyecatching cover image has been painstakingly drawn from some of his doodles) is as John says in an introduction ‘an intentionally mixed bag’. There are songs from overseas and the collection of 22 songs is designed to mirror worship.

John explains that none of the songs are new: most he says have ‘been hiding in manuscript form for several years and subject to occasional revision’.

All have been road tested by choirs and a number of well-known names in the Church of Scotland.

A separate CD of the same title has been recorded by the Wild Goose Collective.

This contemporary collection, which seeks to encapsulate an authentic expression of the concerns of today and always will be of interest to anyone charged with playing or arranging worship and will find an audience globally, not just within the Church of Scotland.

A MIND OF THEIR OWN Building Your Child’s Emotional Wellbeing In A Post-Pandemic World

Written by: Katherine Hill Published by: Care for the Family Price: £12.99

Pre-2020, we lived in a world of routine and some (but not all) certainties. The Covid-19 global pandemic has led to peaks and troughs and ebbs and flows and little is now certain.

With that in mind, the UK director of the Christian charity Care for the Family, has written a book aimed at parents, but could equally be used by those caring or working with children, with a variety of common sense advice and activities to help young people deal with the additional burdens on daily life imposed as the world gets to grips with the global pandemic.

According the author, the numbers of children living with mental health difficulties has escalated in the wake of the pandemic – and this book seeks to support parents in particular as they help to support children and young people in a now hugely uncertain world.

The 21 chapters seek to help parents and carers understand what might be going on in the minds of young people and offers tips to help support them and underpin both their resilience and emotional wellbeing as the world continues to deal with the ebb and flow of the pandemic.

For parents and carers and those who work with young people there will be much that is familiar in this book in terms of behaviour, but equally there are tips on how to turn things around and build the necessary resilience for a future in an uncertain world.

Endorsement for the book has come from Dr Rob Waller, a consultant psychiatrist with NHS Scotland who writes: ‘We can’t talk about flourishing families without talking about good mental health.’

The book would be useful for anyone with young people in their circle but also for those working with young people in developing further understanding on behaviour – and the impact of lockdowns and online learning and loss of social contacts for different periods on the emotional well-being and resilience of our future generations.

GIRL GOT FAITH Discovering You

Your interactive guide to navigating faith, identity and purpose Published by: SPCK Price: £12.99

Aimed at teenage girls and young women, this book seeks to show that a life of faith need not be boring and encourages them to engage with the bible, using interviews with famous peers who are active Christians to reach out.

The book – an extension of a blog by founder Emma Borquaye – is designed to be personal for each recipient with encouragement to use it almost like a diary to chart progress through the Bible, issues and activities – including a DIY face mask, mindful colouring-in and plenty of space for notes (all the sorts of things that young women like to engage with).

At times it feels more like a magazine than a book – particularly with the short celebrity interviews breaking up text – but its purpose is clear: to ensure young women achieve their full God-gifted potential and discover that a life of faith need not be boring.

The original blog ‘Girl Got Faith’ has developed into a schools programme and this book is a natural extension of the work behind it and helps young women appreciate that faith can be fun does not exclude some of the activities enjoyed by young women – music, fashion, beauty etc – and engages with them in their peer language, but never loses sight of the importance of leading faith-centred lives.

Lynne McNeil