After retiring to Michigan from Texas, retired pastor Frederick Davey came out of retirement from a career that culminated at Houston, Texas First Church of God, to spend several retirement years as pastor of the Crystal Springs Church of God in Benton Harbor, MI.  Fred has now returned to another of his passions, writing. The Longing of God for His Own offers Fred’s latest contribution to the church.

If you check Fred out on Face Book, you might come up with some silly family snapshot of Fred & family at a recent Tiger Ballgame or even this one with a family member.

However, if you check him out as an author, you will find this small self-published volume of 95-pages well done, easy to read, simply written, and easily understood--printed by Reformation Publishers. Aside from a few editorial errors I really did not expect to find, since Fred has a daughter retired from the Editorial Department at Warner Press, Otherwise, it is a good job well done by both the author and the on-demand printer, Steven Williams.

Fred launches his book with a recollection of Weldon Johnson’s popular poem “Creation.” He pursues his focus with a series of “C” words in 13 short chapters that range from the Creation, which God pronounced good, to the Creation of family life, and the Cataclysm of the flood. He includes chapters on the Covenant, the Chosen Family, and the Covenant People, while also confronting the new Covenant, the Cross, and the Church, before concluding with the Culmination.

Should you read the book, you may encounter some new ways of looking at things, as I did. I like Weldon Johnson's Creation poem, but I encountered some new thoughts right off, then settled into a kind of ho-hum reading a little at a time on going to bed. Half way through the book I awoke to the awareness that I was holding in my hands a rather well-written handbook that offers an excellent resource for pastors and others who might want to help people clarify their thinking about the church on mission in ministry, the present reality of the Kingdom of God, even what it means to be part of the laos (people) of God.

I especially liked chapter 12, The Longing of God – the Church. We have always liked to preach and teach on the church and the Priesthood of Believers. In view of the renaissance taking place in the Church of God today regarding the church’s ministry and God’s intentions for the church, consider this quote from pp 87-88:

“Just a layperson? What a tremendous claim that is; to be a part, a member of God’s own people. It says you are a minister to the world, a mirror of God himself, to show his wonderful deeds and love. What a privilege—to know God personally, intimately. And that privilege is yours if you will accept it. Open your heart, and He will come in, will commune with you, and make you a part of the greatest enterprise ever, the building of His church” (Italics and bold emphasis mine).

Every chapter comes with an appropriately selected scripture passage at the beginning, scriptural references throughout, and practical questions for good dialogue at the end. Fred tells me he did his own test-run recently when given opportunity to share it where he currently worships. He felt it was well received and he was so comfortable with it that when people asked about the book, he refused to name a price, asking only enough to cover his costs.

 

For anyone interested in reaching Fred, you can reach him at his Yearbook address:

Frederick J. Davey

3017 Johnson Rd., Lot 65,

Stevensville, MI 49127

-269-408-8290

f.j.d.retired@att.net

From Warner’s World, I am walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com suggesting you give Fred's book a try; you might just like it  - The Longing of God for His  Own.