One Step At A Time by Robyn Claydon

This book covers a lot of ground but is easy to read. It encourages and challenges Christians on many fronts and uses characters from the Bible and contemporary life to powerfully illustrate how we can better navigate our Christian life.
The recurring theme in the book is that heaven is our ultimate destination and that we mustn't lose sight of that goal. But we are reminded that, as Christians, we need to keep our wits about us during our journey to heaven. The author narrates stories and cites bible verses, poetry and the sayings of famous people, to show how we can become more Christ-like by, for example, praising God in difficult times, sowing the seeds of faith and sorting out our priorities.

The book explains words which may not be commonly understood. In Chapter 4, for example, we learn how Christians can be the "salt' and "light' in the world. In Chapter 15, we see what it means to be made in the image of God.

Bible stories are littered throughout the book to demonstrate how God has worked in people's lives. By retelling contemporary stories from her travels around the world, the author shows that God still intervenes in lives today.

Claydon clearly wants us to learn valuable lessons from the characters she so intimately describes. She narrates the story of Jocelyn, a woman who took a perilous journey, by mule, down into the Grand Canyon. Terrified the whole way, Jocelyn, nevertheless, acknowledged that she had learned some "life lessons', such as, "I had to keep focused on the goal, one step in front of the other."

Bible verses and practical tools are listed in bullet points, which make for easier reading and retention. Some of the practical tools are gems, like the acronym A.S.A.P, which takes on a new meaning- "And Say A Prayer".

The book is dotted with funny real-life stories as well as fiction, such as the "stressed-out' centipede.

"He was fine until one day a toad asked him: "Pray which leg goes after which?' This strained the mind of the centipede to such a pitch that he lay distracted in a ditch, considering how to walk!"

Can you guess the moral of this story?

Claydon has written a very practical book which can help Christians gain an insight into what "worldly' traps they've fallen into and how to get out of them. It is also an interesting read, interspersed with humour, and encourages us to follow the shining examples of others.