Books published by Graceworks Private Limited

Parenting is meant to be a lovely journey where parents walk together with their children hand in hand. But due to our strong belief systems in a fast-paced Asian society today, parents often feel pressured and are in despair on how best to bring up their children.Dr Seow combines research on issues facing Asian parents, with her considerable experience gained from working with parents whilst being the principal of a private school. Many of her true-life stories have been gleaned from her family and friends as well.This is a practical guide book which offers sound advice and direction to help strengthen your family. Through Practical Parenting: A Guide for Busy Asian Mums and Dads, discover how doable it is for you to enjoy your parenthood and in the process raise a champion in your family. It is the author’s prayer that you will be blessed through this book.

Mental illness is often misunderstood; Christians with mental illness even more so. Various myths and erroneous mindsets often hinder the Gospel Community from being effective in supporting those with mental illness.This book speaks to and sheds light on mental illness in three ways. Following a theological overview from Leow Wen Pin, it first presents stories from Christians who have mental illness. Their honest accounts provide a glimpse into the realities of their suffering, the words that have helped them (and the ones that haven't), and the glimmer of hope that they find in Christ.Second, it offers testimonies from those who are caregivers of loved ones with mental illness. Their words give insight into the realities of their journey, the real questions they have for God, and, mostly, the heart that they have for those they are caring for.Third, it provides perspectives from pastors who have either struggled with mental illness or who are actively providing life-giving communities in their churches for those who do. Their practical and loving advice offers stepping stones that can guide the Gospel community into becoming a safe place for those with mental illness.This nuanced book is a necessary read for anyone who wants to catch God's heart for the mentally ill.

Twelve Strands pulls together the writing journeys of 12 Asian authors from countries as diverse as South Korea and Pakistan. Some write poetry and songs, while others write children's books. Some are able to share the deepest pains and highest joys of those whose testimonies they give voice to. All feel an almost compulsive need to write so that the knowledge of the love of Christ can reach the farthest corners of their country, if not the world. They share a calling.The book aims to inspire a new generation of Asian writers and encourage current ones. The countries represented in the anthology are: Korea Bangladesh Vietnam Philippines Pakistan India Indonesia Singapore Taiwan/US Malaysia Cambodia China

Often, the approach to church small groups is functional. They are seen as part of a structure that serves a key function - building community. Popular author and preacher Soo-Inn Tan posits that this often results in the small groups missing out on the most critical relationship, the one they should have with the risen Christ. While it is important to structure small-group meetings, it is more important to understand how all these practices relate to the fact that the risen Christ is in the midst of the meeting.

Unimaginable hardship and pain on a daily basis … unremittingly, with no 'happily ever after' in sight. Each one of the stories in this book will hit you like a punch in the gut. If you think that life has handed you lemons and you're ready to pack it in, read just one story from this collection-any story-and you will soon realise that there is a Light that will shine into even the darkest of nights.Painstakingly compiled by the Hat Muoi team over the course of many years, Out of the Dark Night is the result of the belief that there are many precious lessons to be learnt in adversity. And the great news is that each of us has equal access to the Source of help and healing.

This booklet contains five meditations from a key passage (Luke 24:13-49) that undergirds Graceworks' ministry of seeing lives transformed through community. The meditations focus on the encounter between the risen Christ and two of His disciples on the Emmaus Road.

Mental illness is not necessarily something spiritual that can be prayed away, but often is something pathological that may benefit from medical and psychological intervention. The author, who has himself experienced clinical depression, explains how we can care for and help those who are mentally unwell-with compassion and gentleness. This book also contains many biblical examples and real-life testimonies that would be a helpful resource to patients and caregivers, friends and family in understanding mental illness.

How does faith at work look like in reality? In this follow-up to Workship 1, Kara Martin shares more practical wisdom on making a difference in the workplace. Topics range from hospitality and leadership, to ethical issues and workplace conflict, to reflections on unemployment, women and work, and the future of work.Kara also provides effective ways that churches can adopt to better equip their congregations to "workship", addressing areas like service programmes, workplace visitations, and mentoring. From the church to the local community, Workship 2 helps bridge the sacred-secular divide and inspires workers to thrive in their working.

The last 50 years have seen the popularity of Chinese medicine grow exponentially. In China, Korea, Japan and Singapore, Chinese medicine has been incorporated into their healthcare systems to varying degrees. In the West, it is no longer uncommon for patients to consult Chinese medicine doctors, many of whom are non-Chinese. However, among Christians in many parts of the developed world, Chinese medicine is still viewed with suspicion and negativity. Are these fears justified? How can we better understand the roots and practices of Chinese medicine?The Dao of Healing takes us on an in-depth exploration of the histories and philosophies that have shaped both Western biomedicine and Chinese medicine in order that we might make informed judgements about them. If our call is to “love our neighbours”, we need to be able to dialogue with them on the basis of mutual respect and understanding. Let this book be the catalyst for meaningful and productive conversations across the divide.

This book seeks to both encourage those who are serious about following Christ but who are struggling with same-sex attraction, and to challenge the church to lend a listening ear and a helping and welcoming hand. The stories in this book are told with pathos, honesty, and courage.We must all recognise that whatever our story or struggle with sin (and we all have struggles), God has chosen us to be His children so that we can be conformed to the likeness of His Son. The church should understand this and provide a safe redemptive space to all of us sinners, whatever our problem, surrounded by the sheltering canopy of God's unchanging truth and abiding love.From the Foreword by Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon,The Methodist Church in Singapore

The external pressures faced by Christians in the marketplace in Asia are the same as those faced by Christians worldwide. Few of us have sufficient inner spiritual strength and pastoral support to deal with the relentless power of sin as manifested in the corporate world. Increasingly, too, in a globalised economy, there is a need for Christians in the West to understand the ramifications of working in Asia.This short book is one attempt to respond to the need to help Christians in Asia find a biblical response to the real pressures they face in the marketplace. It takes seriously both the Scriptures and the context in which Asian Christians function. In order to provide a holistic look at the issues involved, Bribery and Corruption begins with a theological framework for grappling with real-time problems, continues with responses from various theologians on the framework presented, and concludes with actual case studies from the marketplace.

Though the Christian faith is believed to have reached the shores of China way back in the 8th century, it is still generally perceived as a foreign or Western religion to many Cultural Chinese.How does this perception of Christianity as a foreign approach to spirituality advance or hinder our mission of making Cultural Chinese disciples of Christ? Has this negative reputation of the Christian faith changed today among Mainland Chinese? While the church in China has grown exponentially in the last few decades, the question still remains - can we find common ground between the Christian faith and the Chinese culture? What about Diaspora Chinese globally? Is it truly the case that Jesus and his teachings are alien to the Cultural Chinese mind?This book seeks to present the Gospel in a way that seamlessly corresponds with Confucius's ideals for humanity but with a realistic solution. This means a Cultural Chinese can be a follower of Christ without having to shed his ethnic identity. In fact, by choosing the path of Jesus, the uniqueness of one's culture and ethnicity is affirmed, as the Lord of Heaven is the Creator of all. There will be no identity dilemma - one can be a Chinese and a Christian with honor.

How can we practise the discipline of spiritual friendship in today's busy world?Popular author and preacher Soo-Inn Tan presents a highly doable model for spiritual friendship in this groundbreaking book. 3-2-1: Following Jesus in Threes seeks to explain both the whys and hows of 3-2-1 triads. This small book contains all you need to understand and practise a 3-2-1 approach to spiritual friendship.

How do those called to serve the economically poor-people almost always pushed to the margins of society and often systematically exploited by those with influence and power-find the strength to do so? How do they follow after the model of Christ who also experienced times of soul-wrenching distress and grief? How does one cooperate with the ongoing work of spiritual formation? What practices and habits help this process of transformation? What role can local communities of faith or Christian development NGOs play in enhancing the spiritual formation of members and staff? These are but some of the questions addressed by this compilation of essays, originally written as part of the Master of Transformational Development (MTD) program at Eastern College Australia. Here, the authors share their personal experiences of how they wrestled with such questions, and testify that ones capacity to "do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with God" requires a God-nurtured resilience.

The Hebrew root word for 'work' is also the root word for 'service', particularly service to God in worship. By combining the two English words, 'work' and 'worship', I hope to challenge people to integrate their faith and work. Work does not just refer to what is done in paid employment. I believe God sees work as any purposeful activity requiring focus and effort. It could be housework, schoolwork, caring for children or parents, study, paid work, voluntary work, etc. - Kara MartinIn her book, Kara explores the biblical view of work, provides six spiritual disciplines to integrate faith and work, shares practical wisdom on how to make a difference in the workplace, and offers ideas to help churches better equip their congregations to live out their faith at work.