Title: Lifecycle Gates in a Christian’s Life: Nehemiah 3 – Gates in a Christian’s Life
Author: Elizabeth M. Washington
Publisher: Toplink Publishing
ISBN: 978-1949804928
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Pages: 108
Reviewed by: Allison Walker
Pacific Book Review
The journey to discover faith may begin with an infant’s first Baptism, or it may begin when an adult offers themselves up to Saved. But no matter how long the path, all seekers pass through certain gates on their way to eternity. In her book, Lifecycle Gates in a Christian’s Life: Nehemiah 3 – Gates in a Christian’s Life, author and pastor Elizabeth Washington describes the trials and gifts of the twelve gates, and how a Christian comes to recognize and conquer each.
The lifecycle gates are the twelve gates each Christian passes through in their lifetime journey to eternity with God. As you come to know each gate, you are filled with the peace that comes from understanding the Lord and His plan for you, and are fully prepared to recognize Satan and resist his influence. Each gate is not only a passageway; it is an action to be taken by the seeker. For example, the Sheep Gate is accepting the Lord, and the Fish Gate is the fishing of men. Some gates you may pass through more than once, like the Dung Gate, where you discard Satan’s influence on your life.
Reading the novel, Lifecycle Gates in a Christian’s Life, you can imagine Pastor Elizabeth Washington standing at the pulpit, her voice carrying loud and true to the ears of her congregation. Her writing echoes in your heart and mind in the same way her voice must echo throughout the church, bringing the Word of God to the faithful. Her familiarity with the Bible and her dedication to Holy Scripture brings to her book an inspirational assimilation of Biblical quotes to help readers find the strength to pass through each gate and grow in faith.
As an author, Washington’s language is dense, and her book heavy to read. As a pastor, her interpretation of religion is all-consuming. Washington has a reverence for her faith which some readers may find alienating. Her directions may be very strict; for example, in the Old Gate, you learn how to travel on the path to Holiness. Part of this gate is accepting this advice from the First Book of John: “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” Washington quotes. “You cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the Church. You will learn not to love the things of the world,” she translates. Washington’s greatest talent as a writer, and also her greatest downfall, is her draconian discipline. Readers who can match her commitment will find a leader to light their unknown paths; but those who get lost in the dense forest of her words will only ever find it too dark to see.
Lifecycle Gates in a Christian’s Life is a journey unto itself, guiding readers through the challenges you must meet and tasks you must accomplish in order to progress in your journey to eternal peace with your Savior. Washington does a well and thorough job describing each gate in order to prepare her congregation for their journeys. If a reader can embrace her quotation-heavy writing and dense language, they will find a trove of knowledge within the pages, and the assurance within themselves to meet and pass through each gate before them.