Sue Edwards

I have mixed feelings about this one. I'm so interested in the story itself, but this book is just so bizarre. It reads like a poorly written comic book, with an excessive use of exclamation marks for no apparent reason. The text is huge and if condensed would probably not fill more than just a few pages. The only real strong points are the abundance of photos and an interesting bit which was added at the end about the mysterious cleaning and treatment of Larissa Feodorovna's grave in 1998, show more during the same month the purported remains of the last Russian Imperial Family were being given an official state burial in St. Petersburg. Other than that the author is either totally oblivious to Michael Occleshaw's much more extensive and better written work on this subject, or has plagiarized him, as most of her information is the same as his and she never cites him. If you only read this book and not Occleshaw's I can understand being dismissive of the subject it deals with, which is a sign of a very poorly constructed piece of work. At points she even seems to have certain facts twisted or just wrong.

I'll give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume this was a side project that unfortunately didn't go anywhere for whatever reason (perhaps financial), as she published it herself. I don't regret purchasing this book because of how passionate I am about the subject matter and how little else out there is written on it, but for how much I had to pay and how flimsy the book I almost feel cheated out of some money. It's so obscure and difficult to find I would only recommend it to the most dedicated students of its history. show less

Sue Edwards' Philippians Discovering Joy Through Relationship led me to start a Bible study. I haven't done a Bible study for quite a while. This one is great because it involves a whole book of the Bible. I especially like the fact that it will help me grow in my personal relationships. At the moment, I am studying "humility and self sacrifice." I thought of foot washing services my husband and I use to attend annually. I am happy to have attended these services because there was an show more intimate involvement with the congregation of the church. There is a quote in the Philippians lesson book. It is taken from Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner. "Community is, of course, central to Christianity at every life stage--after all, the very life of the Triune God tells us that we are persons only when we are in communion with one another."

Along with the quotes and scriptures, there are personal experiences from the author. She talks about her friends, her marriage and her professorship. I couldn't find anything to take lightly in this study book. I am reminded gently of my spiritual growth through Jesus Christ's help and my shortcomings as well. Sue Edwards also shares facts about the city of Philippi: the Romans, the women and Paul's life in jail. I am happy to have the back page with the works cited. There are books about our emotions, hearing God's voice and the beauty and wonder of learning about God.

There is a temptation to write that the questions are too hard. Not so. It's just that my mind is a bit rusty. I would like to make it my goal to do each book of the discovery series. How coincidental, serendipitous or primarily God knowing my needs, this book came first. It is the perfect topic for me.

I must also mention there is a helpful guide to Bible study at the beginning of the book. It gives a small list of Bible Help Companions. The author comes across as a sweetly chirping bird, like one of those on the cover and pages who wants you to love God's word and the people in the Bible.
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Not a review, since I am the co-author. But a note to say that we are updating this work, so I've been re-reading it for the last few months. We really hope the new version will make it even more valuable to churches and women in ministry.