'Losing Faith' by Andy Frost

When I first saw the title “Losing Faith: Those who have walked away...” I immediately jumped to the conclusion that I wouldn't agree with it. Hackles raised, I assumed the author would be arguing that a person's salvation can be lost and that is something I cannot comprehend. However – all set to be challenged on this belief – I was completely taken aback by the actual message of this book. I could not have been further from the truth.

Andy Frost meets nine individuals (names and details altered where necessary for privacy) and re-tells their stories of how they lost faith in the Christian message. Each are emotional journeys of pain and disappointment with God and the Church. What Frost was keen to insist upon, however, was that while these people had let go of God, God hadn't let go of them. Salvation hadn't been lost. Some had already returned to Christ since walking away and he prayed the others would too.

After each story, Frost practically engages us in how we can support friends, family and church members who are going through the same thing. How we react to their unbelief, how we bring them back to Christ and how we help prevent it from happening in the first place. He touches on difficult issues such as homosexuality and abuse, but he does so in a sensitive and loving way. I was very challenged.

'Reinventing Rachel' by Alison Strobel

Reinventing Rachel; redefining God.

A young woman's devout faith is shattered when her perfect life turns to disaster. A cheating fiance, a family who lied to her and a friend she thought she could count on - Rachel Westing begins to question the character, and even existence, of God.

Twenty years of faithful obedience and church attendance – Rachel thought – qualified her for a blessed and comfortable life. When God doesn't deliver on his end of the bargain, she goes looking for something else. But, having flown half-way across the states to live with an old school-friend in an endeavour to experience a new way of life, she is met with even more heartache and trouble.

Ultimately, Rachel is challenged on whether she had ever truly grasped the message of the gospel.

Alison Strobel's language and style are fluently expressed in this gripping novel. Effortless to read, each page draws you into Rachel's world and challenges you to think about your own pereception of God and what a relationship with Him entails. Perhaps, due to the topics addressed, 'Reinventing Rachel' might appeal more to a younger readership. I'm definately looking forward to reading her next book!

"This honestly written book is a must-read for any survivor or 'churchanity'. Realistic and transparent, Rachel Westing will strike a familiar chord with anyone who's ever felt disenfranchised with contemporary 'Christian' culture." -Melody Carlson

Matthew West - The Story of Your Life

If you're looking for a unique Christian artist whose approach is personal, loving and challenging - then we've got the guy for you.

Matthew West - beautiful in voice and sincerity - has recently released his new album which is based entirely on the lives and situations of others. After asking fans to submit their stories of pain, struggles, hopes and celebrations, Matthew recieved thousands of letters from people all over the world. Dedicated to his task, he spent two months in solitude at a cabin just outside of Nashville, TN reading through each personal story. Using the inspiration he found in these pages, he went on to write 11 moving and personal songs.

This is what Matthew said about his experience:

"During those months, my eyes were opened to see the world outside my door like I had never witnessed before. It was as if a veil had been lifted, allowing me a rare look into the lives of everyday people. I read joyful stories about adoption and cancer survivors. I read heart-breaking stories of abuse and broken homes. And with every look into someone's life, something began to stir in my own"

MY OWN LITTLE WORLD

One of our favourite songs on the album is My Own Little World, which is featured here as a video. If you only do one thing today, make sure you watch it - the lyrics are stirring and the melody is gorgeous. I guaratee you'll want to watch it again and again.

This CD, The Story of Your Life, is available now from all Quench stores at £12.99

Praise The Lord!

'Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
celebrate his wonderful name with music.'
Psalm 135:3

The Psalmist is full of wonder, awe and love for the living God and can't help but express his praise through beautiful poetry and music. What an awesome reminder – and challenge - this is to us; to pause for a moment in our busy schedules and take time to consider the glory of God and the goodness he has poured out into our lives. How can we not sing his praise also?

We recognise that the Christmas period will soon be upon us, and that preparations for that are already under way. We know how distracting and tiring these next two months are likely to be for most people, so we just wanted to take the time to stop – and to invite you to stop with us as we realise the importance of resting in God.

Music – as the Psalmist testifies to – can be a wonderful way of expressing our adoration to God, whether we're singing our own song or meditating on the music of others. Either way, this style of worship is incredibly valuable and we'd encourage you to really take note of its significance. This is why we felt it necessary to bring to your attention a selection of newly released CDs that we carry and would recommend for this very purpose.

Fresh & Fun

Britt Nicole & Francesca Battistelli
Acousitc & My Paper Heart
(£6.99) & (£12.99)
Click here for video Click here for video

Worship

Jeremy Camp & Brian Doerksen
We Cry Out & Level Ground
(£12.99) & (£12.99)

Click here for video Click here for video

Gospel


Israel Houghton & Gaither
Love God. Love People & The Best of the Hoppers
(£12.99) & (£9.99)

Click here for video Click here for video

Contemporary

Third Day & Jars of Clay
Move & The Shelter
(£12.99) & (£12.99)

Click here for video Click here for video

Please do take the time to have a listen to the sample tracks by clikcing on the video links. If you like what you hear, you can reserve a copy of the CD by calling, emailing or popping into to see us.

We'd just like to finish with a verse from Adoration by Brenton Brown for reflection:

Every soul You've saved sings out
Everything You've made resounds
All creation's standing now
Lifting up Your name
We're joining in the angel's song
We're gathered to Your ancient throne
Children in our Father's arms
Shouting out Your praise

God bless you all

Rust

Christian films, in times gone by, have been known to hit high on the cringe-o-meter. Dodgy acting, shoddy camera shots and an ending you can predict in the first five minutes don't exactly scream blockbuster entertainment.

But - and this is something we're getting really excited about - Christian films have been given a drastic makeover and recent sales across the board are reflecting their new found popularity. So far, we've given you Faith Like Potatoes, Hansie, Fireproof, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Sarah's Choice, The Wager, In The Blink of An Eye - and, the fact is, they are just getting better.

Now, new from Integirty, we give you Rust:

'A man of lost faith in a midlife crisis finds hope where he least expects it - his hometown. James Moore (Corbin Bernsen) is a former pastor who returns home to discover a family new to the area has been killed in a mysterious fire, and his childhood friend is implicated in the murder. Convinced of his friend's innocence, James sets out on a mission to find the truth... and in the process, rediscovers his own lost faith. Rust is an uplifiting drama about faith, family and the powerful ties that bind a community together.'

Still not sure? Check out this film trailer to see for yourself.

RUST

We're also very excited for the release of Letters to God, which we don't yet have in stock, but hope to have very soon. A boy, ill with Leukemia, faithfully writes letters to God which changes the life of his postman and his Mum. We strongly recommend you watch the trailer for that too:

LETTERS TO GOD

Greg Hassell: Forever Faithful God

As you may have gathered from previous posts, we, at Quench, are eager to support and encourage local authors, artists and the like. And, as you can imagine, we are even more thrilled to do so when that artist is one of our own employees.

Greg Hassell, recently appointed as Head of Retail and based at our Maidenhead branch, has just released his new debut CD. Compiled of five original worship songs and produced by Marc James, Forever Faithful God is a steal at just £5.99!

After feeling convicted of God's direction for his music, Greg embarked on a rollercoaster of a journey just over a year ago and is thankful for God's goodness through it all. His desire was to achieve a unique and original sound which would be well-recieved for use in church services and personal worship.

Strongly influenced by the works of Marc James, Brenton Brown and Matt Redman, Greg's music reflects the sincerity of his faith and his heart-felt passion for worshipping the living God. Tracks such as Hallelujah, Only You and You Reign speak volumes of God's glory and sovereignty.

What is particularly enjoyable about this CD is the familiarity of the songs. This is not to say that the tracks sound borrowed or unoriginal, but that the tune is easy and comfortable to follow (a sign of a great worship song) and you'll find yourself singing along in no time!

Another personal and very special feature of this CD is that Greg's wife, Sarah, brings a well-rounded sound to the tracks with her beautiful backing vocals. We could only hope for a duet or two on his next album!

Greg is not sure what the future holds for his music, but he is currently writing new songs in the hope that a second album might be on the cards. So, watch this space!

Redeeming Love - £6.99 (£2 OFF RRP)

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a powerful, fresh re-telling of Hosea, a small prophetic book in the Old Testament. Rivers passionately and originally modernizes the story of Hosea's wife, Gomer, and her unfaithfulness to him, which is a clear depiction of the relationship between God and Israel. In this gripping, "unputdownable" novel, Rivers brings to life the character of Angel - a young woman in 19th Century America thrown into prostitution at an early age as a result of a chain of unfortunate events.

In a brilliant, heart-wrenching narrative, Rivers delves into the complex relationship between Michael Hosea, a devout man guided by God to take this young prostitute as his wife, and Angel. As a reader, you are dragged into every element of the story, you relate to Angel's pain, you sympathise with Michael's impatience and you hope, with all your heart, that there will be a happy ending.

A rollercoatser of twists and turns, Redeeming Love will shock you, depress you, encourage you, challenge you and tug on your romantic heartstrings. Ultimately, it all boils down to God's workings within Angel and using Michael to guide her to Him. Her journey is a beautiful mixture of sadness, hope and redemption. A must-read for all!

Book Signing

As a new and relatively small business, we understand the pressures and challenges of trying to put ourselves on the map and for Quench to become a widely-spread and well-loved name. It is for that reason, and for many more, which we readily support local and budding authors.

One of those said authors, whose books our Reading branch have stocked since November 2009, is journalist and broadcaster John Madeley. Currently residing in Caversham, Reading, Mr. Madeley specialises in social development issues such as international trade, aid and human rights. His passion for a fair and peaceful world has led him to write a number of books on these topics, but it is only his latest publication which has reached the Christian market.

Beyond Reach?, set in 2005, is a novel based on the Make Poverty History campaign. In it, Madeley addresses modern ethics, politics, relationships and the meaning of life. Here are what some have said about the book:

"A gripping and inspiring story of forbidden love and the struggle for justice" - D. Rhodes

"Truly a great marriage of entertainment and purpose" - Rev. P. Wedgewood

"A revealing story about a scandal of our time, witty, sharp and above all urgent" - R. Boycott

It is a great pleasure, then, for us to have John Madeley join us - at our Reading branch - for a book signing event on Saturday, 7th August. He will be selling and signing copies of his new book between 2 - 4 pm as well as happily answering questions about his journalistic work and life as a succesful author. It would be a great opportunity for all, not only to support a local author in difficult times, but also for those who are interested in writing, journalism and fair trade.

Please do come along if you can make it. We would love to see you there; supporting both Quench and John Madeley as we strive to stay afloat in a struggling industry.

Quench

60 London Street,

Reading

RG1 4SQ

0118 9576078

reading@quenchshops.com

New Beginnings

Welcome to our new Quench blog!

We are excited to be so involved with you - our friends, loyal customers and faithful suppliers - through Facebook, Twitter and now Blogger! I think we are more privileged than we realise to be living in times such as these, with countless Christian resources at our fingertips to help us in all areas of our walk with Christ. From websites like Bible Gateway providing us with different Bible translations and Sermon Audio offering sound, biblical preaching, to podcasts, blogs, Christian newspapers/magazines etc... the list goes on!

As you may know, we are a chain of 5 Christian bookshops who were formerly under the management of St. Andrews. Now, a new and thriving company, the shops at Reading, Maidenhead, Wokingham, Slough and St. Albans aim to bring about a fresh, modern approach to a Christian presence on the high street. As our website states, we want to be a lamp-stand in the retail world and offer excellent customer serice as well as a dynamic product range. We hope that those of you who have supported us over this past year have experienced this and are seeing the positive changes which we are gradually implementing.

As Christians, we should be making the most of our opportunity to grow in faith by taking advantage of these resources that have only recently become readily available to us thanks to modern technology and the internet. Yet the importance of having a physical place in which to browse the latest books, CD's, DVD's, gifts and cards and to meet with local Christians should not be discredited. There will always be a place for the Christian bookshop on the high street - especially for evangelistic purposes ("How can they hear about [Jesus] unless someone tells them?" Romans 10:14, NLT)

We're looking forward to this exciting, and no doubt challenging, journey and we hope you will be right there with us - growing in understanding and faith, learning to trust God even in the hard times, and praising Him through to eternity.