More Questions than Answers by Eleanor Shepherd – A Review

This book by Eleanor Shepherd is a good read for  those people in the church who have a desire to see others receive eternal life through the cross.  I have attended several churches who were always evangelical purposed and they each had different ways of reaching outside the church to those who might be in seeking mode.  I’ve seen the Roman Road and the ABC methods of presenting the gospel to others but Eleanor Shepherd recommends “accompaniment”–coming along side someone who might be searching for the truth–taking the time to build relationships with people allowing them to go at their own speed no matter how long it takes. As someone who once had to go to a minister’s house and present the gospel to them as if  they were someone on the street I found this book to be pretty interesting. Some  Christians want to say that they brought ‘X” amount of people to Christ as if they’re acquiring another notch on their gunbelt or they treat the lost  as projects not taking their questions into consideration but they try to make them believe what they believe instead of seeing them as a person seeking answers. We all have questions about God and it’s okay to have those questions.  There are some  we just can’t answer for others about faith. If we want others to see the authenticity of our transformation we must not be afraid to tell them that we cannot answer all their questions because there are some things we have no answer for.  They are a mystery and will never be known this side of heaven.  As the book says, if we knew everything it would not be “faith” would it?

More Questions than Answers  is loaded down with great information for people in Christian counseling, Bible teachers, Pastors, as well as laypeople. It is presented in three parts. The first is about the listening process, the second is “Discovering and Sharing faith, and the third is called  “The Source”, which shows us the importance of humility in our accompaniment as well as tolerance in this day and time when sin is not as easily understood by the young. They have   their own right and wrong. We can be perceived perhaps as judgmental sometimes when we don’t agree with others way of life.

There is so much information in this book that it could have been two books. It’s really hard to condense it into a few paragraphs. If you have a compassion for the lost as we all should there are many good points in this book to help you walk along side others in their search for a true relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and both parties will be blessed.

Eleanor Shepherd spent thirty years in ministry after ordination as an officer of The Salvation Army.  Along with her engagement in pastoral ministry and administration, she contributed over 85 articles, mainly to Salvation Army publications. These were distributed in a variety of periodicals in Canada, the USA, France, Germany and New Zealand.

Her degree in Psychology equipped her for learning the listening skills that she uses in spiritual accompaniment relationships. A venue where she has been able to apply them is in the leadership of College and Careers Bile study groups. She undertook this leadership in Montreal and Toronto along with Glen, her husband of forty years, who was also a Salvation Army officer. One of these experiences led to the conversion of a young Moslem and Eleanor published his story in Power for Living, the Scripture Press adult take home paper. Their College and Careers group field-tested the Bible study book created by the Shepherds, Why Families?

Prayer has played an important part in Eleanor’s life. For fifteen years, she has been a
member of the Intercessors, an international prayer ministry begun by Catherine Marshall. She has
done workshops and seminars on prayer and created a personal prayer support network for the
ministry of her husband and herself.

This network proved particularly valuable to the Shepherds when their 30-year-old son, John broke his neck in a car accident six years ago and became a quadriplegic. John was a student at Harvard Business School at the time and the Shepherds were serving with The Salvation Army in France.

Prayer and writing are intertwined for Eleanor in that she is a member of the prayer support
team of The Word Guild, a professional writers’ association to which she belongs. In addition,
she was for many years a prayer partner for Lin Johnson, the organizer of The Write-to-Publish
conference in Wheaton.

As well as writing, Eleanor along with her husband has spoken at many conferences,
particularly for clergy in Canada, the USA, France, Belgium, Switzerland, South Africa, Haiti and
Jamaica.

Eleanor Shepherd     

Eleanor Shepherd’s book: More Questions than Answers

SBN 13: 978-1-60899-361-1
Pages: 184
Binding: Paperback

I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Can be purchased at Amazon.com

About Charmaine

I am a Christian woman seeking to truly "know" God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I love the Word of God and it's life changing power. I like reading, writing, and amateur gardening. My passion is working in women's ministry with emphasis on Bible Study. I believe discipleship is very important in our transformation process to become more Christlike.
This entry was posted in Bible Study, Christianity, Devotionals, spiritual journey, Uncategorized and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to More Questions than Answers by Eleanor Shepherd – A Review

  1. Steven Atwood says:

    Reblogged this on Steven Atwood.

  2. Eleanor Shepherd says:

    Thank you Charmaine for your review. It is a great encouragement to me.
    Warm regards,
    Eleanor

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