FROM THE HEART:
An honest look at life and faith
By Rob Parsons
Hodder and Stoughton. 224 pages. £14.99
ISBN 978 1 529 358 155 (hardback)
Rob Parsons has become a household name in the past four decades leading the work of Care for the Family.
He is the author of 25 books, some like The Sixty Minute Father have sold as many copies in secular bookshops as in Christian outlets. His latest book, From the Heart, is a collection of articles, mostly written for Christianity magazine, on a wide variety of topics, including disappointment with God, handling criticism, nasty Christians, cheap grace, and kicking the leaves.
Talking briefly to Rob reminded me of what a gift he is to the church. There are a number of things that we could learn from him, especially those who have the task of communicating the gospel message.
Graft and timeliness
• The articles appear to be effortless, but they clearly involved lots of hard work. Rob says that some of them went through 20 drafts to get them right.
• Rob models a way of capturing the right and timely word that speaks to mind and heart in a vivid and relevant way. This is something that he unpacks more fully in his excellent book The Heart of Communication, also published by Hodder.
Observer with the common touch
• Rob has been described as an observer of life, who the ability to ‘get things’, and then put to good use in his speaking and writing what he has observed.
• Rob retains the common touch. He has not forgotten who he is, and where he came from. He writes with compassion for those who are puzzled by or struggling with life. The book is full of people including Ronnie, an old Sunday School acquaintance of Rob, who fell on hard times, was taken in by the Parsons one Christmas time and lived with them almost 45 years.
Storyteller
• Rob knows how to tell a good story. He spoke about an older Christian man at his church who helped him as a young man to recognise the power of storytelling. He speaks about the influence of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which he describes as ‘The greatest short story of all time’! The stories in this book act like pictures, windows and mirrors that help us see God, life and ourselves more clearly.
These articles are brief, simple and authentic. There is nothing complicated here, only wise and timely words on vital matters. These are words delivered from the heart, designed to reach our hearts and fill them with fresh hope and focus for the journey of life.
