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Polished Arrows: Becoming a Ready Arrow in the Hand of God
‘He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver’ (Isaiah 49:2)
Traditional arrow-making is a beautiful metaphor for how God works in our lives. Requiring great skill and artistry, elegant weapons are crafted from the rawest materials. Expertly guiding us through this process, Jenny Sanders astutely applies each step to our walk with God, showing how He deftly shapes us for His kingdom purposes.
Using reflective questions and rich biblical insights, Polished Arrows helps us respond well to these sometimes painful refinements, encouraging us that they are essential to us hitting our marks and fulfilling our callings. By trusting ourselves to the loving hands of our Master Craftsman and Archer, we will soon be ready for firing effectively into our culture and contexts!
‘If you want a reset on identity and what really matters in your relationship with God, then this is a great starting point.’
PHIL MOON, SCHOOL FOUNDER, TEACHER AND COURSE DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS TRUST
'Gently exposes religiosity and explains kingdom life truthfully and beautifully while bringing a fresh understanding
to the fundamental aspects of the Christian faith.'
JOHN BOERSTRA, PIONEER, APOSTOLIC MISSION, AFRICA
Traditional arrow-making is a beautiful metaphor for how God works in our lives. Requiring great skill and artistry, elegant weapons are crafted from the rawest materials. Expertly guiding us through this process, Jenny Sanders astutely applies each step to our walk with God, showing how He deftly shapes us for His kingdom purposes.
Using reflective questions and rich biblical insights, Polished Arrows helps us respond well to these sometimes painful refinements, encouraging us that they are essential to us hitting our marks and fulfilling our callings. By trusting ourselves to the loving hands of our Master Craftsman and Archer, we will soon be ready for firing effectively into our culture and contexts!
‘If you want a reset on identity and what really matters in your relationship with God, then this is a great starting point.’
PHIL MOON, SCHOOL FOUNDER, TEACHER AND COURSE DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS TRUST
'Gently exposes religiosity and explains kingdom life truthfully and beautifully while bringing a fresh understanding
to the fundamental aspects of the Christian faith.'
JOHN BOERSTRA, PIONEER, APOSTOLIC MISSION, AFRICA
300 pages, Paperback
Published May 29, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 29, 2024
Polished Arrows poses the question “what does it take to become a ready arrow in God’s hands?” An arrow that is intentionally formed and trusted to fly straight and true, to fulfil His purpose and mission.
Jenny is inspired by the metaphor of an arrow, taken from Isaiah 49:1-2, where the prophet writes “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.” (NIV).
Her sound teaching conveys fundamental truths of the Christian faith, clearly explained, leaving the reader edified and encouraged. It also offers a clear explanation of the Gospel message and how God works in our lives.
Jenny takes us through the process of creating a “polished arrow”, from the repurposing of the raw materials, the creation of something new with a new purpose, to the sharpening and directing of the new creation.
The metaphor works well and is a strong medium for communicating and explaining how we can build our relationship with God, draw closer to Him in our lives and hold Him close throughout. It could be a good read for new believers, as well as useful for those who may be more mature in their faith, but who, like me, will always benefit from a few nudges and prompts!
Our journey of faith should transform each of us into a well-designed, fit-for-purpose, purpose-filled polished arrow; mature and wise to give fully to a life walking with Christ.
Topics covered include being chosen, being made new, repentance, grace, forgiveness and how to grow in maturity to be more like Jesus. The teaching is interspersed with chapters detailing examples from Bible characters that highlight the points being made. Plus there are questions at the end of the chapters to help the reader think through the issues and absorb the message more fully.
See more reviews of Christian books at https://www.robseabrook.com/category/...
Jenny is inspired by the metaphor of an arrow, taken from Isaiah 49:1-2, where the prophet writes “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.” (NIV).
Her sound teaching conveys fundamental truths of the Christian faith, clearly explained, leaving the reader edified and encouraged. It also offers a clear explanation of the Gospel message and how God works in our lives.
Jenny takes us through the process of creating a “polished arrow”, from the repurposing of the raw materials, the creation of something new with a new purpose, to the sharpening and directing of the new creation.
The metaphor works well and is a strong medium for communicating and explaining how we can build our relationship with God, draw closer to Him in our lives and hold Him close throughout. It could be a good read for new believers, as well as useful for those who may be more mature in their faith, but who, like me, will always benefit from a few nudges and prompts!
Our journey of faith should transform each of us into a well-designed, fit-for-purpose, purpose-filled polished arrow; mature and wise to give fully to a life walking with Christ.
Topics covered include being chosen, being made new, repentance, grace, forgiveness and how to grow in maturity to be more like Jesus. The teaching is interspersed with chapters detailing examples from Bible characters that highlight the points being made. Plus there are questions at the end of the chapters to help the reader think through the issues and absorb the message more fully.
See more reviews of Christian books at https://www.robseabrook.com/category/...
May 17, 2024
Polished Arrows by Jenny Sanders is a thoroughly researched, wordy and an intellectual read that should not be rushed! It throws in self-probing and jolting questions such as – Are these the last days? What is God asking us in the circumstances within which He has placed us? Etc. I took a pause to always ponder on such questions and I came out of it more conscious of reflecting Jesus in my life and how I meet my divine purpose in God’s kingdom. There are Target Questions that helped refresh my intake on the varied sections of the book and have helped with daily living. The writer gives her opinions objectively with wisdom and makes no judgements on how anyone else might view some of the sensitive topics discussed.
The book broaches salient themes in detail using examples from various aspects of the entire Bible: Change, Forgiveness, Hope, Patience, Mercy, Unconditional Love, Righteousness and the Gospel. Her message on the metaphorical title – Polished Arrows is clear – Christians should be like arrows without splinters [e.g. pride, falseness, etc,] to be real and reflect the Lord Jesus and get their target [their calling] in His Kingdom. The writer is encouraging Christians to run their race like arrows aimed on their targets – [Jesus], as well as being like arrows in God’s bow. He is the skilled archer and master craftsman!! This concept is explained throughout the book as an extended metaphor! It is amazing and fascinating!
I love and enjoy reads that remind and emphasise God’s love. Sanders says that ‘God knows all about us, every detail, every secret – good, bad, ugly but He loves us anyway. He loves us because He loves us’. In ‘Swimming against the tide’ section, about the pressures Christians face living where godly standards do not exist, she advises, ‘ not to jettison the Holy Spirit’ but to listen and get to enjoy the grace of the Lord Jesus’. There’s so much golden nuggets shared. So I highly recommend this book, worth its five stars for the rich flavour and blessings that will impact your life. Buy your copy today!
June 3, 2024
I tend to be overly cautious or suspicious of books entirely inspired by and written around one Bible verse. Perhaps this is a result of years of warnings about taking a text out of its context and making it a pretext. However, I hoped that in Polished Arrows, I would find something more reliable and deeply grounded in a full understanding of Scripture. I trusted the author as a woman with a deep love and reverence for God’s Word, and Jenny Sanders did not disappoint.
Jenny uses the arrow as a metaphor for Christian growth, starting with choosing the raw materials, and taking us through the various processes of formation until it is ready to be deployed. Before reading this book, I knew very little about arrows, so the explanations were fascinating. However, the lessons the author drew from each process were truly Holy Spirit inspired.
The language used in this book is simple enough for a new believer, with no presumption of deep Biblical knowledge. In fact, Jenny uses a Bible character to emphasize and back up every point she makes, devoting sub-chapters to telling their stories. I would have no qualms about giving Polished Arrows to a new believer or using it with a study group. I believe the topics covered would lead to lively discussions, in-depth studies, and debates. Jenny isn’t afraid to face some tough issues, but she does so with love, grace, and sensitivity. There are also target questions at the end of the chapters to fuel group discussion.
Some of the themes dealt with in Polished Arrows include forgiveness, grace, expecting more of others than they can realistically give, and the reality of suffering. Jenny builds theme upon theme, returning to some of her earlier ideas later in the book and expanding upon them. It is an amazingly well-rounded overview of the Christian life, tied together by the theme of preparing a polished arrow.
Jenny uses the arrow as a metaphor for Christian growth, starting with choosing the raw materials, and taking us through the various processes of formation until it is ready to be deployed. Before reading this book, I knew very little about arrows, so the explanations were fascinating. However, the lessons the author drew from each process were truly Holy Spirit inspired.
The language used in this book is simple enough for a new believer, with no presumption of deep Biblical knowledge. In fact, Jenny uses a Bible character to emphasize and back up every point she makes, devoting sub-chapters to telling their stories. I would have no qualms about giving Polished Arrows to a new believer or using it with a study group. I believe the topics covered would lead to lively discussions, in-depth studies, and debates. Jenny isn’t afraid to face some tough issues, but she does so with love, grace, and sensitivity. There are also target questions at the end of the chapters to fuel group discussion.
Some of the themes dealt with in Polished Arrows include forgiveness, grace, expecting more of others than they can realistically give, and the reality of suffering. Jenny builds theme upon theme, returning to some of her earlier ideas later in the book and expanding upon them. It is an amazingly well-rounded overview of the Christian life, tied together by the theme of preparing a polished arrow.
December 16, 2024
In this superb book, Jenny Sanders uses the extended metaphor of a polished arrow to explore different aspects of a Christian's walk with God in relation to submission to His will and readiness to be caught up in His kingdom purposes. Each chapter unpicks a different aspect of the process of creating a medieval arrow with each process representing part of God's sanctification eg. the chapter on 'Stripping the bark' refers to the way in which God highlights the self-sufficiency in our lives and takes us through repentance and restitution. The chapter on 'Sanding' refers to the importance of forgiveness and the chapter on 'The Whipping Cord' refers to the way we respond to suffering. Sanders had clearly done her research on the process of arrow making and the way that she weaved together the physical process with the spiritual was insightful and imaginative. A highly recommended book for mature Christians.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews