'A Wondering Jew', by John Fieldsend (Radec Press, 2014, 181 pages, available from CWI Bookroom for £8.99 + postage)

Here is an autobiography to warm the heart, a personal story of a life under threat in its early stages and yet which, under God's grace and guidance, has been long and fulfilled.

John Fieldsend was one of the Kindertransport children rescued from Nazi tyranny by Nicholas Winton. Born in Czechoslovakia and brought up in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, early pressures forced his family back to Vitkov in their native land- but there was to be no respite. Following the failure of the Evian-les-Bains conference in July 1938 to offer increased help for Jewish refugees, Nazi confidence and aggression grew. Before long, John was on his way to England.

Here, a long and eventually fruitful life started to take shape: education, marriage, ordination and ministry, especially in the area of Jewish-Christian relations where John was often a pioneering force. The drama unfolds in a way that demonstrates God's sovereign hand at work. He confesses that he did not experience a dramatic calling to full-time Christian ministry, but "the seed had been lodged in my mind while still in the RAF; it was growing and would not go away." (p63). It took others to reassure him of the reality of his calling, which he then readily followed.

Whilst John's story is enlightening and encouraging, its force lies in his admission of an identity crisis due to his Jewish background"

As well as providing enlightening historical details and encouraging personal memories, so clearly related, the force of his story lies in his admission of an identity crisis. The issue of being Jewish and Christian was one that "had pierced right into the heart of my being and pulled me into a deep identity crisis, which took the form of a long dark tunnel. I was dominated by wondering, 'Who am I?' and could find no answer." (p110). His honesty is refreshing, as he realises that such confusion would reduce his effectiveness to serve God. But eventually he came out of that tunnel as realisation dawned that rather than being a Christian with a Jewish background, he was a Jewish Christian, a Messianic Jew. God had set him on a new path that would help many others, a path that he continues to tread now, well into his eighties.

The rest of his story resonates with gratitude and a desire to live by faith, and is one that will bring hope and encouragement to others. Although the paragraphs are often overlong, the book is set in a clear, well-spaced type which helps readability. Overall, here is an account of a spiritual journey which should make us wonder afresh at the purposes of our loving heavenly Father.