Preach Magazine Issue 1 - Creativity and innovation in preaching | Page 36

36

REVIEWS

JONAH: POET IN EXTREMIS

FORGETFUL HEART

Richard Littledale,
McKnight and Bishop (2014)

Lucy Mills, Darton, Longman & Todd (2014)

Many of us first heard the story of Jonah and the
whale as children and subsequently have missed
its very adult themes. In this short and pacey
book, Littledale takes us on a vivid journey with
the runaway prophet and in the process opens up
a whole world of complexity. I particularly enjoyed
his description of Jonah working out where he
was having been swallowed, which draws on
accounts of a man named James Bartley who
allegedly did some time in a whale in 1891.

This book is for those who fall into bed at the end of the
day regretting the time they didn’t spend with God, who
feel everyone else is managing their Christian life better.
It is a book to interrupt the busy.

Does a strange little narrative involving a man
implausibly surviving a few days in the stomach
of a sea creature have any relevance today?
Littledale has, ‘absolute conviction that the
ancient stories of faith live again in the embodied
reality of contemporary faith’. Along with a
creative retelling of the book of Jonah, he
explores the intersection of its themes with our
faith and our lives, themes such as prejudice,
fear, self-worth, and duty.
The last section of the book is a study guide. I
would highly recommend using it in a small group
Bible study setting.
I do feel duty bound to tell you that there are
a distracting number of typos and typesetting
errors. I was still able to enjoy the read, but for
someone of a more perfectionistic disposition, this
could be a bit of a barrier.
JO SWINNEY

LWPT8173 - Preach Magazine - Issue 1 v3.indd 36

It is thorough, personal, easy to read and provides
insight into the roots of our distraction, in modern times,
throughout biblical history and in many different areas
of life. Its genre is difficult to pinpoint; sometimes selfhelp – with insights into dementia and psychology, at
times autobiographical (it arises out of difficult personal
illness), but it is predominantly, I think, a themed study
guide. Each of the short chapters begins and ends with a
Bible verse. There is poetry and a prompt for reflection. It
can be read alone, as I did (I gained many useful insights)
although it would be great for a house group or book
club to read and discuss together. The layout of chapters
facilitates this. It is theologically sound.
The final part of the book is concerned with ways of
remembering God. It touches on mindfulness and
contemplation, but for me this section was a little full
of searching and ‘we need to’. In places, it turned ‘busy
forgetting’ into ‘busy remembering’. Peace for your own
soul comes in learning silence, rhythm, and in outreach
to others.
I loved the way Lucy’s energy and honesty came across.
She is sharing a personal journey of searching. I applaud
her new writing career through books and blog
(www.lucy-mills.com) and know there is a sequel here
as her journey continues. I look forward to reading it.
STELLA DAVIS

17/10/2014 12:54:04