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by David Painting (Editor)
Fresh from the Word 2023 aims to help us build the discipline of Bible reading into our lives so we are grounded in God's word and our faith may deepen and develop. By offering accessible and engaging material, it aids our understanding of the Bible and helps us understand it from different Christian perspectives.
One of the key themes in this year's edition is 'Hidden Heroes and Heroines', characters in the Bible who are overlooked but play a pivotal role in the unfolding of the Kingdom. As we read their stories, we may be encouraged that our lives, though they sometimes feel insignificant, are indeed being used by God in ways possibly beyond our imagining!
The book also explores the different types of literature in the Bible. A number of the international and diverse community of writers who have contributed their wisdom, understanding and hard-won insights to encourage and bless us, unpack passages written in each particular style. And so we learn how we might safely interpret poetry, law, prophecy, narrative or apocalyptic. The hope is that these reflections - and indeed the complete volume - will will help us see revealed that which was previously hidden from us.
Contributors this year include:
Terry Lester, who writes on the Judges of Israel. Terry has been an Anglican priest in Cape Town for almost four decades and currently serves in Constantia. A vocal advocate for justice, he is engaged in projects aimed at restoring dignity and building reconciliation in his fragmented community.
Immaculee Hedden, who writes on Healing Divisions in the Old Testament. She and her husband Richard are the authors of Under His Mighty Hand, the story of how she survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The couple are currently based in Rwanda, serving in healing and counselling support ministry with YWAM.
Jane Gonzalez, who writes on Celebrations. Jane is a Roman Catholic laywoman and an active member of the Justice and Peace Group.
Joshua Taylor, who writes on The God of all Comfort and Mercy. Joshua is an Anglican Priest in New Zealand, where he and his family have been exploring what it means to be a family following the way of Jesus.
Louise Jones, who writes on Lord of the Sabbath. Working for an embedded, community-based organization (Newbigin Community Trust), Louise has a passion for empowering, resourcing and loving those who have slipped through the cracks of our systems, in order to help people see their immense value and worth in Jesus.
