Review of 'As Kingfishers Catch Fire" by Eugene H. Peterson

Some of you may be familiar with the name Eugene H. Peterson for the same reason I was, he was the translator of The Message Bible.  I picked up this book for that reason, and also due to it's interesting title and cover design.

This book is a collection of teachings from Eugene  during his 29 years as a pastor in a church in Maryland.  Very firmly grounded in scripture each one is a few pages long on average.

I really enjoyed how he brought the scriptures to life and applied them specifically for the listener so practically.  For example on page 35 he begins by asking the reader if they have ever made a resolution to read the Bible in a year?  He goes on to say that more often than not it is Leviticus that gets people stalled as they try to wade through it.  His advice is skip it and onto Numbers but first read Leviticus 19v18 'Love your neighbor as yourself' and explains how that is the first time the word 'love' as a verb occurs in the Bible.  He continues on in that chapter speaking about loving your neighbor as yourself.

I like the style of writing - it is easy to read and like he is just speaking it.

Eugene's biggest goal in his teaching and lifestyle was congruence - which is living out what you believe and being consistent in what you say and do.   The insights he presents in this book are timeless and priceless.  Another example on page 241 where he discusses the American dream of the pursuit of happiness and how different the road to happiness is when it's done God's way, referring to the beatitudes i.e. poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek etc. God gives us a precise description on how to be happy there.

This is the kind of book I think I could get more out of it the more I read it.  A lot of depth and thought provoking contemplations are presented around the scriptures and living a Godly life.  I love thinking about things like this deeply and really assessing my own life.  I would definitely recommend this book.

Please note that I was sent an uncorrected proof edition of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.






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