"A Reflection of God" (Joanna Tulloch)

TITLE: A Reflection of God: Poems, Meditations, Prayer Resources
AUTHOR: Joanna Tulloch
PUBLISHER: Leicestershire, UK: Matador - Troubador Publishing, 2014, (160 pages).

There are many books that purport to be Christian and talks about how to do spirituality and theology about God. They tell us the steps to live well. They describe the points of certain Christian doctrines. They even show us the details behind the theology and the practices from which the theology can inform.What about having the theology and the practice working together more closely? What about letting the informing and the doing supplement each other through reflections? What about letting 101 poems, prayers, and reflections help us to see more of God, as we long to let God reflect us to Him? This is what the book tries to accomplish.

A Methodist lay preacher and a poet for many years, Joanna Tulloch puts together her years of personal devotions and meditations in this self-published book. Right from the start, she invites readers to journey with her in spiritual reflections of faith and hope. This reflection is like a dog that refuses to give up on the bone in the mouth. Part One is "Glimpses of Grace" that comprises thirty poems. The poems urge one to "go forward" without fear; to sing the songs of joy; to respect the beauty of silence; to enter the garden of spirituality to discover hope amid fear of darkness; to learn contentment; to question the purpose of coincidence; to reflect inward matters as well as to be open to God's speaking; and so on.