January 8, 2011

Planet BB: The Boys’ Brigade Around the World – now available!

Posted by Phil Groom under Book News, Guest Posts | Tags: , , , , , , |
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David Chant writes:

Planet BB launch at Wesley Owen, Birmingham

Planet BB launch at Wesley Owen, Birmingham

PLANET BB: The Boys’ Brigade Around the World was officially launched at Wesley Owen Books & Music, Birmingham, on Saturday 11 December. Already, pre-orders of around 700 copies have been despatched all over the world! This includes 100 copies to Malaysia, 50 to Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong & Singapore, 150 to Wesley Owen, 50 to Koorong, and many more individual orders!

The website (www.planet-bb.co.uk, designed free of charge for the project) is about to be updated, but in the meantime please send any enquiries to me – bbworldwidebook AT live.com – and I will let you know the best way to order. Depending on size of order, bookshops may get very favourable terms.

All royalties are being sent to Global Fellowship, the BB international wing, to use where they feel appropriate. So far we have raised over £2000 through various non-book sales, all of which has gone to an orphanage in Uganda run by a BB officer. See the Facebook groups, PLANET BB: The Boys’ Brigade around the world and Let’s make this the biggest Boys’ Brigade group in the world. There is also a Facebook Page and to date, between the 3 there are about 5000 members worldwide! We now also have a Twitter account @planetbbbook.

All the Facebook members have been talking excitedly about Planet BB for more than a year, and now they have finally got a chance to buy it! I have already received favourable comments from many BB folk who have received their copy.

As you are aware, not every BB member will be on Facebook or Twitter, so many will not have heard of the book. It did get a write-up in the officers’ Gazette a year ago, but that will be long forgotten now. Can you please announce it to as many BB Companies as possible as this book deserves to be read by anyone involved with the Brigade? A poster is available from the publisher and I am sure if you do a bit of local promotion, sales will be good. Birmingham Battalion announced the launch it its bulletin, and it was great to see quite a few BB people who had not heard of the project before. 20 copies were sold at this one event. Planet BB has been written by boys, officers, Brigade secretaries, and Presidents from almost 30 countries. And don’t forget, the royalties will be going to help the BB in countries where there is desperate need for financial help.

See below for more details of the book and the publisher’s information sheet.

Many thanks for your help,

David Chant

Planet BB: The Boys’ Brigade Around the World

Planet BB - Publisher's Info

Planet BB - Publisher's Info (pdf, 422kb)

  • 136 pages plus 8 page colour photo section
  • 171 photos b/w & colour
  • ISBN 9781858583334
  • Price £12.95
  • The first book to look exclusively at the BB all over the world
  • Countries featured: UK, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Borneo, Cambodia, St Lucia & the Caribbean, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Cameroon, India
  • Interviews by UK boys (and girls!) with SE Asian boys (and girls!)
  • Travelogue of Europe by a Malaysian officer
  • Features on Global Fellowship, DofE, and the BB Memorial Garden
  • Collecting BB memorabilia
  • Everyone involved has done it for free, including the design of the logo & the website

From the Archives…

In the News…

 

February 28, 2010

Planet BB

Posted by Phil Groom under Book Reviews | Tags: , , , , , |
[4] Comments 

Planet BBPlanet BB
The Boys’ Brigade Around The World

David Chant
ISBN 9781858583334 (1858583330)
Brewin Books, 2010 (not yet published: expected April)
£12.95

Category: Youth Work and Ministry
Reviewed by: Phil Groom

Sometimes a book seizes your imagination even before it’s been published, and this is one such book — which means, of course, that this is not a review: it’s a pre-publication plug. As per the subtitle, Planet BB tells the story of the Boys’ Brigade around the world — but more than that, its aim is to raise funds for that work in developing countries.

Its author, David Chant, is the manager of Wesley Owen Birmingham, one of the eight branches of Wesley Owen rescued by Koorong following last year’s collapse of IBS-STL UK, and for the last year or so whenever he’s not been holding the fort there, Planet BB has been more or less his entire life. One thing’s certain: if enthusiasm alone could sell a book, this would be a bestseller. I’ll let David take up the story:

Planet BB has taken up 14 months of my free time. Every evening, day off, holiday has been spent compiling/editing/plugging the book. When the publication was delayed, one of our planned first recipients of the royalties — Christian Children’s Centre — Nansana, Uganda — asked me if any money would likely to be forthcoming so they could put on a Christmas party, get AIDS/HIV testing for the children/decorate the centre. I put out an appeal (or 2!) and was blessed with £300 which I sent to pay for the party. I contacted agencies working in Uganda that secured funding for the Aids programme. So Planet BB is making money and helping children in need already!

There will be BB Companies near every bookshop in the UK. I know there will be a great demand for it. Sadly, UK folk are waiting to see it as they know it will be in the shops (but I do already have well over 100 individual orders at my shop). Overseas orders have been flying in (Indonesia, Australia, US, Singapore, Hong Kong etc) as they know direct from the publisher will be the only way to get copies. The publisher is still a bit jittery after the Christian booktrade troubles, and it looks like I will be asked to put money up front. This is something I do not have a lot of (working in the book trade!) so it is imperative bookshops order copies from Brewin Books.

We have plans to help a BB Company in Ghana, and Thailand. And money will be sent direct to Global Fellowship to use in their current BB projects. Please help the project by ordering copies, and advertising it around your local BB & GB Companies. We have already had adverts in The BB Gazette, Birmingham Battalion newsletter, and dozens of similar publications around the world.

Thank you for your anticipated very large orders.

If Planet BB captures your imagination, head on over to the Planet BB facebook page or follow Planet BB on twitter to find out more. Even better, of course, head on over to your nearest bookshop — ideally your nearest Christian bookshop — and order a copy.

Find Planet BB on facebook Follow Planet BB on twitter

Phil Groom, February 2010

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

Planet BB: Official Website | Brewin Books

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February 19, 2010

Raised With Christ – be part of it!

Posted by Phil Groom under Announcements, News | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Raised With Christ by Adrian Warnock

Raised With Christ - How the Resurrection Changes Everything - Adrian Warnock

Today’s the day: February 19, 2010: the official UK publication date for Adrian Warnock‘s Raised With Christ; and you and your bookshop can be part of it.

Following recent discussions about publishers promoting amazon instead of bookshops, Adrian wants to work with us as booksellers to promote his book in our shops. But rather than posters at railway stations, Adrian’s plan is a facebook blast, an ad on facebook targeting UK Christians and urging them to visit their local bookshop to buy it.

Here’s the deal: if you’re prepared to

  • Commit to stocking the book
  • Contribute towards the cost of the facebook ad

then your shop will be featured in a ‘Where to Buy’ section on both Adrian’s site and UKCBD/here.

And the cost? To start the ball rolling we’re looking at as little as £30. Not per shop: total. Which means you — yes, you — can afford to buy into this. Whether you choose to put in as little as £1 (that’s substantially less then your margin on a single copy sold) or make a more substantial contribution, this is something we can all be part of. £30 will start the ball rolling; but the more we put into it, the wider the net can be cast and the bigger the impact: it’s our call. Adrian himself will, of course, be supplementing the campaign.

I’ve already committed to stocking the book at LST and have made contributions on behalf of LST and UKCBD. What about you?

Book Details
Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything
Adrian Warnock
Crossway Books
9781433507168 (1433507161)
£12.99

Trade Suppliers
IVP | STL UK | STL USA

Unfortunately as I write neither IVP nor STL UK have stock available yet, but I’ve contacted both and they’re on the case: you can either watch this space or, even better, chase them yourself and let them know we mean business.
Update, 19/02/2010, 7pm: IVP have confirmed that stock arrived at their warehouse today. STL UK do not know when or if they will be able to obtain stock and have recommended sourcing the book elsewhere.

How to Contribute
By PayPal: go to paypal.co.uk/uk, choose ‘Send Money’ and follow the instructions to send your chosen amount to adrian.warnock AT gmail.com. Alternatively, contact Adrian via his blog, on facebook or twitter.

Discover More

Publisher’s Description

Jesus truly is alive today. But compared to his atoning death, Jesus’ resurrection sparks relatively little discussion in the church. Inadvertently, we can become so focused on the good news that Christ died for our sins, that we almost forget he was “raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

In Raised with Christ, author Adrian Warnock exhorts Christians not to neglect the resurrection in their teaching and experience. Warnock takes his cue from Acts, where every recorded sermon focuses on Jesus’ resurrection. He stresses that Christians who faithfully proclaim both the death and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and live out the implications of that message in vibrant,grace-filled churches, will be enabled to reach a world that lives in death’s dark shadow.

The power of the risen Christ is active in every true Christian, transforming our lives. Raised with Christ will help you discover afresh the massive implications of the empty tomb. Jesus’ resurrection really has changed everything.

 

April 10, 2008

Kingdom Triangle

Posted by Phil Groom under Book Reviews | Tags: , |
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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Christian Life & Discipleship > Kingdom Triangle
Kingdom TriangleKingdom Triangle
Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit’s Power

J P Moreland
ISBN 9780310274322 (031027432X) 
Zondervan, 2007 (237pp) 
£11.99

Category: Christian Life & Discipleship
Reviewed by Graham McFarlane

Every so often a book hits my desk that screams out, “Read me”. I have to admit this happens rarely these days but when it does, it is worth the wait. This is exactly what happened when I got Moreland’s Kingdom Triangle. I’ve been waiting for this kind of book to be published for a while now and am not disappointed. Moreland is an incredibly clear thinker and a superb writer — and more — he manages to combine a pastor’s heart and a prophet’s eye to boot. In addition, each chapter ends with a series of really helpful and not-cheesey questions, thus making it an incredibly good book for a group of folks to study. I have to warn, though, that this book will both thrill and annoy. It will thrill the non-charismatic who likes anything that offers a robust defence of one’s faith but will challenge and even annoy the same reader because of its insistence on the ongoing in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. It will thrill the charismatic for the latter but challenge anyone who is not used to using his or her brain in the process!

In essence, the book falls into two parts. The first is a diagnosis of our western scene — and for those of you who are tired of reading critiques of western culture, this will be a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed Moreland’s presentation of the western worldview as most of us experience it, whether it be naturalism or postmodernism. At the end of the day neither is able to produce a context within which human beings can live and flourish. Rather, they end up in a kind of ‘deadness of soul’. What I found refreshing was Moreland’s ability to identify (Ch. 4) and describe five paradigm shifts we have all experienced and which shed light on why Christians feel increasingly alien within their own culture.

The second part is Moreland’s response to the problems described in part one. What he does offer are three strategies — or, three aspects of the Kingdom triangle. The first is the recovery of the Christian mind (Ch. 5). I love this — for too long Christians have acted as though the mind is not important – odd thing, really, given that biblical and contemporary opinion is that the only way people change is if they start thinking differently! As such, it is a brilliant rejoinder to mindless Christianity. However, this is not egg-head stuff — Moreland is also interested in the soul — thus Ch. 6 engages the reader with the necessity for spiritual discipline. If you like Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, you’ll love this book. The third strategy is what makes this book different from all others like it. Moreland argues for the restoration of the Kingdom’s miraculous power — in plain language this is simply learning to live in and use the Spirit’s power and the authority of the Kingdom of God.

What is especially good about this book is the fact that it does lots of things — it provides a reasoned critique of our culture as well as a robust defence of what Christians believe; it challenges rationalist Christians that their faith has to work, and challenges experiential Christians that their faith has to be reasoned; it reminds us that our minds, our souls and our actions are all part of the Kingdom; and best of all, it really does leave the reader feeling encouraged and inspired once the book is put down. Why not give it a try yourself?

Graham McFarlane, April 2008

Dr Graham McFarlane is Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology at London School of Theology. He says, “I have a passion for getting people to think about what they believe rather than just believing. I also believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only antidote to the problems I see around me but in order for that Gospel to get out and do its stuff there need to be biblically and theologically informed thinking people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty in the process.”

Official Website: Audio Files, Blog, Contents, Excerpts and more

Zondervan | Order from www.christianbookshops.org

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