Come Eat with Me by Rob Douglas is the first book that I’m reviewing from SpeakEasy.
Rob Douglas takes us through the Bible looking at the invitation of God to come and eat with Him. God is the consummate host & even the ultimate guest, who we can learn from. The book is written with a mix of contemporary storytelling of some Bible stories, along with Douglas’ thoughts about what this means for those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus.
The book is written for those who are considering the Christian faith and those who are already followers of Jesus. Those who are not yet a follower of Jesus will hopefully enjoy the way that the Bible stories are told and be led to explore further.
The book opens with the story of God the Maker and a version of the creation story from Genesis. Throughout the book Douglas refers to God as “Maker”, a name I’ve not heard God called by before. “Creator” yes but not Maker. This name however sits comfortably with the storytelling style that Douglas employs.
In the Bible stories Douglas shares, he always names the characters (even if they’re not named in the Bible), which makes the Bible narrative more real. So some of the parts that can be quite hard to read are much easier to read. For example the construction of the tabernacle is told from the perspective of a carpenter working on some of the furniture.
Although I enjoyed the way that the Bible stories were told it took me a while to get into the book. I had read a book on hospitality late last year and was probably expecting something similar. Once I got into the book I found it quite thought provoking.
Come Eat with Me looks at how we as followers of Jesus should be host and guest and this may not always look so much the institutionalised church that we are apart of.
… if we are prepared to sit at God’s table we become the presence of God to those around us.
end of chapter 9
The above quote struck me particularly as my unit of study this semester has focused on helping us be aware of the God who is always present.
Rob Douglas is a pastor in Western Australia. He shares a number of stories of his time ministering in a small isolated town. Even though I’ve never been to Western Australia I could relate having been in outback Queensland.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read the story of the Bible in a new way. It should help anyone to think about what it really means to be as welcoming and hospitable as God is. I’ll finish with some lines from the last chapter:
You have received an amazing invitation from the maker of the universe.
end of chapter 31
Receive that invitation, reply to the RSVP, and join the banquet.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this Ebook free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Thanks for your review. I really appreciated it.
That’s Ok! I enjoyed the book!