Mysterious Ocean Walkers
Pastor Manu Philips
Cochin Books (2021)
ISBN: 978-8195240401
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (06/2022)
“Mysterious Ocean Walkers” is a book designed to help Christians understand their journey of faith through God’s use of water on the earth and in their lives. Pastor Manu Philips has taken great strides to create a work to better help us reflect on our lives and the bridges it has taken to get us where we are today.
The beginning chapters of “Mysterious Ocean Walkers” discusses creation and the power of water. Philips goes into great detail about what scientists believe about creation and what scripture actually says. His focus is on the theme of Genesis, which is that God is the creator of all thing’s heaven and earth. God has the supreme power in creation and in our lives today.
Once Philips has discussed that man’s goal is to seek answers that are beyond our comprehension, he takes on Biblical examples showing the power of God’s love by using their experience with water. He begins with Egypt and the Pharaohs. Philips spends an entire chapter with stories of Pharaohs and the kings of Egypt. He specifically speaks of the importance of the Nile River to the people of this region. Following the Egyptian history lesson, Philips tells us the story of Moses, his divine commission, and the parting of the Red Sea.
Throughout the rest of the book, Philips tells readers the stories of Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus with Peter. All these men had divine encounters with God that involved a bridge through water. They walked over these divine bridges to follow the calling of the Lord.
I am a Christian and a pastor’s wife, so this was a book that I was excited to read. What I discovered was that this book was one that puts high authority and importance on the book of Genesis. I appreciate the time and effort Philips takes to discuss the scientific theories about creation. He is obviously well-read and acquainted with creationism. In his efforts to dispute theories and question the scientist creating these theories, he always leads us back to scripture.
My accolades are given to Philips for his take on the stories of the men who experienced God in a mighty way, with a bridge across water. Each chapter gives a full-length version of their stories. Philips leaves nothing out. Readers are not left with holes that would hinder their understanding of what the author is trying to say. I would also mention that Philips gives the reader a takeaway from each person he discusses. My favorite was when Philips is sharing the story of Elisha and reminds us that prophets often must give an unpleasant message and prophets often find themselves standing alone. I can attest to times in my walk of faith that I felt like I was standing alone.
“Mysterious Ocean Walkers” is a book that has merit. It certainly has a place on the Christian bookshelf, but there are improvements that could be made. For example, spending three chapters discussing creation and water felt a bit excessive to me, like I was just trudging through. The importance got lost in the words. I would also suggest more editing. Because the book has been translated, there are errors. American English is hard, but my suggestion would be to further the work of translating into American English by adding words like “the”, “and’, and “into.” Sentence structure was off in a few chapters as well. These suggestions would make the book flow better and easier to read.
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