Reading between the lines
- deansimpson7
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Salvos Online continues a new weekly column – Three Books. Today’s guest bookworm is Bindy Lupis, who is the National Response Manager for The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES).
Besides the gospels and Psalms, which is your favourite book in the Bible and why?
I love the book of Ruth – because it’s one of only two books named after women, but also because of the beautiful theme of redemption seen in Boaz and Ruth’s story. It will always blow my mind that Ruth, this unlikely woman considered an outsider, is not only redeemed but then becomes part of the lineage of Jesus – how cool is that! I have the word ‘Redeemed’ tattooed on my arm as a constant reminder of my own redemption story and that I, too, am part of that lineage.
Besides the Bible, what is a Christian book that has strongly influenced your faith?
There are so many, but adding on to the story of Ruth being my favourite, I think I would have to say the Lineage of Grace series written by Francine Rivers. These five stories of women in the lineage of Jesus are each powerful reminders of how God has used women and, in some cases, very unlikely women (a foreigner, a prostitute, a victim of abuse, a pregnant teenage girl) to bring about his grace and redemption. A few years ago, I wrote a series of monologues based on these stories for a women’s camp. Books/stories that are life-changing need to be shared, and it was a beautiful experience to share these stories with a room full of women and see them embrace their own part in the lineage of grace.
What is a secular book that has revealed to you a Christian message or theme?
I am a big fan of Brene Brown. Her book Dare Greatly has some great themes on courageous vulnerability and wholehearted living. She draws on Theodore Roosevelt’s Arena speech to encourage showing up and being seen – to ignore the ‘critics’ of shame, fear and judgement and show up anyway. The call to step into the arena and to do life with people with courage and vulnerability is what Jesus also calls me to do.
