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Risky Compassion
Risky Compassion is series of stories, insights and reflections from Dr Ash Barker's twelve years immersed in Bangkok's largest slum with his family. From this extreme context he explores the story of the Good Samaritan and teases out life's risky questions and implications for each of us. Ash brilliantly identifies those qualities that can enable you to go deeper in life - no matter where you live.
172 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 17, 2019
Ash will be embarrassed to learn he's one of my Heroes of the Faith. :-) Because I couldn't do it myself, I've always been impressed by those Christians (or others for that matter) who leave the safety of their birth culture and go and immerse themselves in the lives and places of others. Through World Vision, I was able to assist some others to do that, but never felt the call or the confidence to do it myself.
So here is the story of Ash and Anji Barker living and being in a slum in Bangkok for eleven years. It's an exciting yarn which Ash uses as a thread to dig out his learning and insights from the experience. He is extremely self-deprecating (wouldn't like people calling him a 'hero') and that makes it easy to relate to his experiences. If it seems frightening to you and me, it also did to Ash and Anji and their two kids.
The embellishments on the story are doubtless the real reason for the book. There is a thorough and profound unpacking of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan in which even tired old Bible readers like me will find something new and delightful. And there are practical suggestions for what to do about our concerns for the world's wounded. Above all, Ash is a practical fellow.
My only gripe with the book is not with the author, but the editor. Really, it needed more careful editing. Ash's natural style tends towards sentences that are too long. He loves the appended phrases and the redundant adjectives a bit too much. And there are proof reading errors that suggest a hasty edit. The book deserves better.
So here is the story of Ash and Anji Barker living and being in a slum in Bangkok for eleven years. It's an exciting yarn which Ash uses as a thread to dig out his learning and insights from the experience. He is extremely self-deprecating (wouldn't like people calling him a 'hero') and that makes it easy to relate to his experiences. If it seems frightening to you and me, it also did to Ash and Anji and their two kids.
The embellishments on the story are doubtless the real reason for the book. There is a thorough and profound unpacking of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan in which even tired old Bible readers like me will find something new and delightful. And there are practical suggestions for what to do about our concerns for the world's wounded. Above all, Ash is a practical fellow.
My only gripe with the book is not with the author, but the editor. Really, it needed more careful editing. Ash's natural style tends towards sentences that are too long. He loves the appended phrases and the redundant adjectives a bit too much. And there are proof reading errors that suggest a hasty edit. The book deserves better.
June 18, 2019
This short book has been a pleasure and inspiration to read! I didn't want it to end and deliberately read it slowly.
If you like sermonettes, based on practical theological insights, you'll love this!
Barker's down-to-earth and utterly unpretentious persona comes through in the text as it does in meeting him in person.
Thoroughly ecumenical and inclusive.
The book also offers insights into what I hope will be excellent titles on which to feast as I thirst to know more about Him.
I would say, however, that the book has considerably frequent grammatical errors which could easily be corrected if a careful proof-read was undertaken and will frustrate the idiosyncrasies of any one who, like me, is an English language fanatic or teacher!
Nevertheless, if you want to be inspired on your faith journey, whatever that might be, this book is an inspiring, down-to-earth grass-roots read.
If you like sermonettes, based on practical theological insights, you'll love this!
Barker's down-to-earth and utterly unpretentious persona comes through in the text as it does in meeting him in person.
Thoroughly ecumenical and inclusive.
The book also offers insights into what I hope will be excellent titles on which to feast as I thirst to know more about Him.
I would say, however, that the book has considerably frequent grammatical errors which could easily be corrected if a careful proof-read was undertaken and will frustrate the idiosyncrasies of any one who, like me, is an English language fanatic or teacher!
Nevertheless, if you want to be inspired on your faith journey, whatever that might be, this book is an inspiring, down-to-earth grass-roots read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews