Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Two Minutes Added On’ by Stephen Bishop (Zaccmedia, 2018)

Stephen Bishop’s latest book is a sequel to his previous book, ‘Time: Full Stop or Question Mark?’. When interviewed for Prophecy Today he said he felt there was more to say on this topic and that he would be exploring certain aspects further which may result in another book. So, here it is!

The title is based upon a sporting analogy (added time at the end of a football match) and is intended to show that “God’s work is not constrained in an unyielding timeframe…when the whistle is blown to end the match is down solely to the referee” (p4-5). God is the final arbiter. He may add on time in our situations or say when no more time is left.

As before, this is an easy read in several short chapters which opens up possibilities for further reflection. Each chapter ends in this fashion with ‘points to ponder’ which makes it not only suitable for personal devotion but also for group discussion.

Discerning God’s Timing

There is a straightforward structure to the book. After the introduction, a foundational chapter looks at the healing of the paralysed man who was lowered through the roof while Jesus was teaching in a crowded house. This ‘interruption’ could be seen either as a disruption to Jesus’ busy schedule or an unexpected opportunity to perform a new work of God, unplanned and unforeseen. How do we respond when such interruptions come our way? Jesus’ attitude was to find ‘extra time’ for this individual.

The heart of the book (chapters 3-9) takes us through seven passages from John’s Gospel in order to explore the time elements found there. The key message in all of these is that in following Jesus we must be prepared to allow him to shape our time. It may not always be easy “to discern God’s timing in respect of action that we need to take, but He is able and willing to show it to us if we ask” (p25).

How do we respond then unforeseen interruptions come our way? Do we find ‘extra time’?

There is a good example of how Jesus accepted delays and rearrangements when his talk with a Samaritan women created an unexpected opportunity for further ‘evangelism’. When the Samaritans urged him to stay he spent two days with them, delaying his original plan to return to Galilee, but with the result that many more become believers (John 4:40-41). There was no sense that this would make him late for his ‘next meeting’! Indeed, his next miracle (healing the official’s son) was performed ‘right on time’ (John 4:49-53).

Other passages considered also show that Jesus’ perspective on time was very different from that of his disciples. He seemed untroubled by the ‘ticking clock’, unconcerned that time may be ‘running out’. Sometimes things happened after ‘a long time’ (e.g. healing the invalid at the pool) or late in the day (e.g. feeding the 5,000), but Jesus always understood God’s timetable.

Practical Lessons

For us, time pressures often create anxiety or urgency, even panic. We may react by rushing into Plan B because there is not enough time now for Plan A. Yet, we need to learn that “No countdown is outside God’s control or ability to miraculously intervene” (p59).

Equally we may have to put aside what we think is our ‘right’ to not have to wait. When God ‘puts us on hold’ we must accept this and learn to trust him.

The book concludes with three postscripts on passages taken from Acts. The author intends these to be ‘launch pads’ to show us that like the early believers we can also “take practical steps to personally experience God move outside our conception of time” (p5).

Jesus’ perspective on time was very different from that of his disciples. He seemed untroubled by the ‘ticking clock’.

The treadmill of routine need not be our constant expectation. What may start as ‘just another day’ may become extraordinary in God’s timing. Equally, periods of waiting and wondering can also have their value. We need ‘in between’ times for spiritual rest and re-evaluation. The Book of Acts was not always a mad dash from one miracle to another. Even Paul was set aside or held up at times (e.g. Acts 9:9, 16:6-8).

Overall, this is a useful book which repays thoughtful reading.

‘Two Minutes Added On’ (130pp, paperback) is available from Amazon for £6.99. Available on Kindle for less. Click here to read our review of Stephen’s other book, ‘Time: Full Stop or Question Mark?’, and click here to read our interview with the author.

Paul Luckraft interviews Stephen, whose book ‘Time’ we reviewed recently.

In the course of reviewing books for Prophecy Today, I have often come across authors who started writing later in life after a career elsewhere. Typically, they have felt called of God to write just one book - but when I met Stephen at a Foundations Conference recently, he already had five books to his name, so I wanted to know more. How had this happened and how would it progress in the future?

Early Training

Stephen was brought up by Christian parents in East London, where he still lives, and after leaving school he started to train as a maths teacher. Although he had a heart to serve young people in this way he soon realised that this was not for him, so he switched careers and joined the Civil Service as part of what was then the DHSS (now the Department for Works and Pensions) where his main role was to handle benefit claims.

Stephen can identify four strands in his life which have brought him to the point where he is now. One of these was his new career where he developed an ability to research and communicate, and which provided him with his first writing experience as he learnt to compile casework studies and write reports. The skills needed to present a case and provide a persuasive argument remained with him and proved invaluable when he started to write books.

In his career in the Civil Service, Stephen developed his ability to research, communicate and provide a persuasive argument.

As a second strand, Stephen was very active in his local church, participating in home groups, presenting Bible studies and preaching. His desire to communicate has always been a strong point, as is his willingness to dig deeper to discover truth and insights. When putting together material either for Bible studies or preaching he is always asking, ‘Where is God now? What is he saying today?’. God doesn’t change; he is the link between the Bible text and now. This approach features strongly in all of Stephen’s books.

God’s Plan Coming Together

Meanwhile Stephen’s career was continuing along a stable path, and would do so until he retired in 2015. But other two strands emerged during the latter years which would have a significant impact on what he would do next.

Stephen began to submit material for a Christian website, The Way, mainly short and concise pieces along the lines of a ‘Thought for the Day’. This proved to be a worthwhile opening towards a more sustained writing ministry and is something he continues to do today. It is also reflected in the way he puts together the chapters of his book which, although slightly longer than the ‘Thoughts’, are compact and to the point.

God doesn’t change; he is the link between the Bible text and now.

Alongside this opportunity to contribute towards a website Stephen was influenced by a longstanding friend who had recently started writing Christian books and who encouraged Stephen to consider doing the same. This was the push he needed and at the same time he felt ‘the hint to retire’. God’s timing was coming together to move Stephen on and seek God’s purposes for the next stage of his life.

Commitment to the Word

His first book, Dialogue with a Donkey, was initially rejected by the publishers, but it wasn’t long before Zaccmedia took it up. This has since provided Stephen with the means of getting more books into print. His early books are all centred upon an Old Testament character (Balaam, Gideon, Samuel, Ruth) but more recently he has focussed on particular topics, such as ‘Time’. The inspiration for his book on Balaam (and his donkey) came when he preached a single sermon on the story and realised there was more to be said. Here was a book waiting to be written!

Although Stephen has no formal theological training, God has been training him during his various ‘jobs’, both in the world and in church – often the best training of all. His commitment to the Bible as God’s Word and his heart to connect this with the lives of Christians everywhere means he writes in a style that can readily be appreciated and absorbed.

Although Stephen has no formal theological training, God has been training him during his various ‘jobs’, both in the world and in church.

He always provides a series of questions ‘For Reflection’ at the end of each chapter which suits personal or group study. Home group leaders would find his books a useful source for a short series of studies on the character or topic under consideration.

Read our review of Stephen’s book ‘Time: Full Stop or Question Mark?’, here.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Time: Full Stop or Question Mark?’ by Stephen Bishop (Zaccmedia, 2017).

This is a very readable and thought-provoking book on a key issue. Is time a constraint upon us and our enjoyment of life, or a God-given means of exploring life to the full before we enter eternity? We may (at times!) feel controlled by time, but God is not. He controls it. The aim of the book is to explore “some of the implications of God’s control of time and seasons described in the Bible” (p.ix).

The book contains 17 short chapters, each ending with some questions ‘For Reflection’, suitable for personal reflection or group study. These chapters divide into two roughly equal halves.

Section One covers the general aspects of time and aims to have a practical focus. Section Two is a short study on Ecclesiastes 3 and takes us through each of the first eight verses, one per chapter.

In a society that wants to speed everything up and get instant results, the idea of slowing down, waiting and preparing ourselves while God works through his plans at his pace seems to go against the grain. The final chapter of Section One is called ‘Taking a Break’ and looks at the concept of a time of rest without quite going so far as to mention ‘Shabbat’. To explore this theme in more detail you will need to look elsewhere. Another interesting chapter considers how God often does things ‘last-minute.com’.

It must be stressed that this is not another book on time management. Rather it mixes a sense of personal devotion to God with thorough biblical analysis and exposition. Here we find a gentle persuasion to make time our (new) friend and not our old enemy. It should make us more ready to meet God at the times of his choosing and not according to gaps in our schedule.

‘Time’ (146pp) is available from the publisher for £6.99. Also available elsewhere online. Click here to watch a short Youtube video from the author, about the book.

Also by Stephen Bishop:

Dialogue with a Donkey (2014) (Balaam)

Fleeces, Fears and Flames (2014) (Gideon)

Finding a Place to Settle (2016) (Ruth)

Paul Luckraft reviews 'The Day is Yours' by Ian Stackhouse (2008, Paternoster)

Rooted in the monastic liturgy of the hours, this book aims to help Christians find a "slow spirituality in a fast-moving world", as the subtitle indicates. The central thrust is that living each day as it comes, with contentedness and gratitude, is vital in our modern society if we are to avoid succumbing to the distractedness and pressures of a 24/7 world.

Stackhouse skilfully demonstrates that 'one day at a time' spirituality is not sophisticated but it is important. It provides a tool for survival which delivers us from the anxieties of a future that may never exist and places us firmly into the particular reality that is definitely in front of us.

He explains the distinction between chronos (clock time and schedules) and kairos (God's moments, the rhythm he has placed into the time we experience). The art of living is not to be hurried by the former, but to enter and enjoy the latter.

Important Resting Points

There is a good discussion on the Sabbath rest, the need for a punctuation point somewhere in the otherwise relentless sequence of days in the week. Embracing a different kind of day from the others is a celebration of freedom over necessity, a recognition that we don't have to keep going in exactly the same way day by day. To embrace the Sabbath is to "enter a different construct of time" (p34) which can dominate other days.

Stackhouse skilfully demonstrates that 'one day at a time' spirituality is not sophisticated, but it is important.

Part Two (the central three chapters of nine) is devoted to the monastic 'Liturgy of the Hours'. The author realises that it is not realistic in modern life to embrace all the monastic hours and offices, but he does insist that some of them can, and should, still be appropriated nowadays. He focuses on three of them: morning, noon and evening. His exploration of 'evening' is particularly instructive, asserting that ending the day well is as important as starting it well, and offering (perhaps uniquely) a theology of sleep.

Each Day is Given

For all of us, time is a mysterious entity. We talk about making time, losing time and managing time, all from our own perspective (which may not be the best). We may never fully understand what time is, but we still have to recognise it, respect it and live within it.

Here we have an honest appraisal of the problems that living within time throws up, together with good advice on countering these problems, though the author always accepts that there will be difficulties putting his advice into practice. However, it is not difficult to agree with his overall proposition that each day is not a "vacuous hole waiting to be filled" (p81) but is given to us already shaped according to God's purposes, full of rhythm and moods waiting for us to step into and live through.

Here is an honest appraisal of the problems that living within time throws up, together with good advice on countering them.

The book is very well written in an easy style, with good endnotes and a comprehensive index. The author has thought through all the issues he brings before us, and brings us wisdom and insight from his own years in ministry. Ultimately, though, it is God who must write this on our hearts and make it effective in our lives.

Ian Stackhouse is the Pastoral Leader of the Millmead Centre, home of Guildford Baptist Church. The Day is Yours (158 pages) is available on Amazon.