"A Good Old Age" - Book Review
– An A to Z of loving and following the Lord Jesus in later years”.
By Derek Prime
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Old age often gets a bad press. Very often caricatured with grumpiness, aches and pains,
loneliness, and isolation it’s not something we particularly look forward to or relish when we’re there.
Pastor and Bible teacher, Derek Prime, shows us that there is another way to view, especially to live, old
age fruitfully. He does so simply and kindly and persuasively.
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Author Derek Prime was in his 80’s when he wrote this book. “A GOOD OLD AGE” is the exquisite fruit of the author’s lifetime of practicing Christian Ministry and leadership that aims to particularly help elderly Christians sustain and to joyfully navigate the final years of the journey of faith with its unique challenges and rewards. Drawing on his lifetime immersed in God’s Word, Derek Prime gives a roadmap for pursuing godliness in our later years and advises why and how we remain valuable disciples of Jesus Christ in the work of His Great Commission until our last day on earth. He charts the ‘A to Z’ of Christian discipleship in an immensely practical, warm and honest way - biblical wisdom for the elderly. The value of this book lies in the specific application of the Scriptures to the challenges and opportunities of old age. Honest, insightful and full of grace, this book is a goldmine of wisdom for older believers and a gem for the others. The value of these pages goes far beyond encouraging and motivating senior citizens to enthusiastically accept and live the good old age. There is also something for families, church leaders and young people too. it will be a great aid to discipleship to a Christian of any age.
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If you are in the elderly group, reading this book, will perk you up spiritually to finish the race looking up to Jesus. Even if one is aging, one remains alive to continue serving - doing in the closing chapter what one had been doing throughout the course of one’s life. If still away from it, this book will help in coming to terms with old age and learning how to handle it - and much more. Instead of succumbing to the temptation to slow to a crawl, we are encouraged to run the race looking to Jesus right through the tape all the way to the end.
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This book is a must read, especially those who still find it difficult to come to terms with ageing and how to live through this phase. You may not have problems with it but others may have. After reading his book you will be able to help and guide such people to happily live their vintage years – living in faith up to their dying day.
About the Author:
Derek Prime, M.A., S.Th., was born in 1931 in South Lambeth, London, and attended Westminster City School. His parents were neither professing Christians nor churchgoers. In 1944, at the age of 13, some school-friends persuaded him to go with them to a Bible class at Lansdowne Evangelical Free Church in West Norwood, near his home. There he heard the gospel and became a Christian. In June 1946, at the age of 15, he was baptized and received into church membership.
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During his teen years, he began to sense a call to the ministry which was soon confirmed and he was ordained to his first pastorate in 1957. He was for twelve years pastor at Lansdowne Evangelical Free Church before moving to Edinburgh at the age of 38 with his wife and five children. Prime was appointed minister at Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh, where he served for eighteen years (1969-1987).
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While at Lansdowne, he was President of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (1966). Since 1987 he has given his time to writing and itinerant ministry and has written a number of books and articles.
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