The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted and Rachelle Dekker

Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker are the father/daughter duo that co-authored the most nerve rattling novel I have read in a long time, The Girl Behind the Red Rope.

The hills of Tennessee is the hiding place for an extreme, religious community that believes that following impossibly strict rules will keep them faultless, pure and ready for the world to come. Doubters, wanderers and strangers can not be tolerated. Life is lived within a perimeter marked by a red rope.

In this fear based world, it becomes impossible to tell the wolves from the sheep, the darkness from true light.

I read the book aloud to my husband as we travelled long hours cross country. There were many times we were sad to have to take refuelling breaks, so caught up were we in the story.

If you'd like a calm easy read, pass on this book; but if you want to be challenged, baffled and engaged, don't miss The Girl Behind the Red Rope.

An advanced reader edition of this book has been provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications. All opinions are my own.

There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey

Imagine waking to the same day each and every morning, knowing when the phone would ring, already knowing the words that would be spoken. The same day, day after day after day. Would you want such a life? How would you describe it? Heaven? Or hell? Or somewhere in-between?

In Billy Coffey’s newest novel There Will Be Stars, we step into the days and nights of a family of sorts that have to ask these questions.  Maddingly, a town that fans of Billy’s books know well doesn't feel the same as usual. Many of the people we've come to know and love are still there, but we meet others along the way.

In his unmistakable style, Billy grips our attention from page to page, making us more than a little uneasy with life as we know it.  We, as readers, are forced to stop and look at ourselves, much the same way the characters must.

"The Turn is a mirror, Bobby. It strips away everything but who we are deep down, and it leaves us naked and makes us look upon ourselves. That's the only way we can change." 

This is a book about faith, fear and family.  A book that twists and turns and challenges, but ultimately leaves me certain that only God can be God, no matter how hard others may try to fill His role.

This is another must read, but be warned, you will lose sleep, not wanting to put it down!

I was blessed to receive an advanced reader’s copy of There Will Be Stars. The opinions I have shared are mine and mine alone.

 

Finding Spiritual Whitespace

This post is part of the  “Finding Spiritual Whitespace Blog Tour” which I am a part of, along with a group of soulful, journeying kindreds. To learn more and join us, CLICK HERE!  

I know I'm not the only one who has thought that perhaps life would be easier if we kept our hearts sheltered.

The world around us certainly provides the opportunity to stay so busy that we don't have to listen to the rumblings in our spirit, reminding us that we're hungry for more.

More of what God can provide if we slow down and allow Him entry to all those places we have kept hidden.

I have heard His knock, soft yet persistent

come away, come away

I Am waiting

breathe in the life I offer

free, full, complete

you are never alone

and all that you need

is in Me

together you and I

moment by moment

will create the beauty

that you already are

in the vast quiet space

of My love

Bonnie Gray's wonderful new book Finding Spiritual Whitespace Awakening Your Soul To Rest is part memoir, part workbook and part poetry.  It holds up a mirror for those brave enough to grab the hand of Jesus and take a long, slow look.

As much as you might find yourself captivated by the flow of the words and anxious to read quickly, don't.

This book is meant to be savoured and worked with, not eaten in a few short gulps. Like allowing a chocolate to melt on your tongue, move slowly and allow a conversation to develop and deepen between yourself and the Lover of your soul.

In knowing Him more, you will also find your truest self and in these pages, Bonnie blazes a trail to lead the way.

Bonnie Gray is the writer behind Faith Barista.com who wrote a book about her inspiring, heart-breaking journey to find rest, which garnered Publisher’s Weekly starred review. I’m taking the journey to find rest through this guidebook and invite you to read it too.  You can get a copy HERE.

 

Spiritual Misfit by Michelle DeRusha

Writing about her book Spiritual Misfit A Memoir of Uneasy Faith, Michelle DeRusha says:

My story is ordinary – it’s not a dramatic conversion story; nothing “big” happened to me along the way. I didn't experience a near-death situation. I didn’t survive a tragedy. But in a lot of ways, that’s what makes my story so accessible. It’s about an ordinary person with ordinary questions, fears and doubts who was transformed in an extraordinary way.

I believe this is exactly why this is a must read book for us all.  We who feel just "ordinary" always need to be reminded of just how extraordinary our God is. How many of us find ourselves naked before our Lord, trembling just a bit, scratching our heads, mumbling "I believe Lord, help my unbelief?"

In this close to the bone memoir Michelle shares with brave openness her doubts, fears and growing reliance on a Lord Who asks us to believe what we can not always see.

Some pages left me giggling, like the story of tossed Cheez-It crumbs; others are stained by tears of recognition, when God shows Himself in quiet glory.  Then there are the pages striped by coloured highlighters, that will beckon me to return to the words again and again, like these:

While faith through grace alone is probably liberating for most people, freeing them from the inescapable burden of sin, it scared the crap out of me because it required that I relinquish control.  It carried me full circle back to the aspects of God I couldn't define, hem in, deconstruct, or rationalize.  It carried me back to the heart, which was a much more difficult realm to navigate than the head.  Honestly, I would much rather have earned my entrance to heaven than take a flying leap onto the slippery slope of faith.  Earning seemed much more predictable, orderly, and measurable, so much less fraught with fear, than leaping.  Leaping into faith required me to trust and surrender to someone I couldn't see.

Those could have been my own words, so closely they struck my spirit.  I believe you will be struck in similar fashion.  You need to read this book.  You need to share this book.  It will speak loudly to everyone, no matter where they find themselves on this wild journey of faith.

I was given an advance reading copy of this book.  The opinions I have shared, as always, are my own.

 

Chatting with Michelle DeRusha - a Spiritual Misfit

I was blessed to meet Michelle DeRusha last November at a High Callings retreat in Texas at Laity Lodge. Her book Spiritual Misfit A Memoir of Uneasy Faith is releasing on April 15th.  She agreed to sit down for a bit in the midst of book launch lunacy to answer a few questions. Grab yourself a cup of your favourite brew and join us!

Michelle, I have always been in love with words and wanted to weave them into poetry and prose.  Did you have dreams of being a writer or did the urge to write surprise you? 

The desire to write very much surprised me! I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English, and I've always worked at jobs that have involved a lot of writing – public relations, advertising, fundraising, communications – but I hadn't ever written anything creatively until this book. That’s how I know this journey is entirely God-ordained. One morning I slipped into my basement office before my kids were up and started to write a story about my childhood religious experiences – a few months and 75 pages later, I realized I might be writing a book. I was as shocked as anyone! 

Did your blogging change as you dove deeper into the writing of Spiritual Misfit?  Did it become easier to share the truth of who Michelle is? 

What’s interesting is that I wrote the entire book long before I became a blogger. In fact, I only started blogging when I learned I needed a “platform” – a means for gathering readers and a following in order to attract the interest of a publisher. But over time I came to love blogging. I never anticipated the possibility that real, genuine friendships could be created and nurtured online, but that’s exactly what has happened with blogging. It’s been one of the greatest and most unexpected gifts of this writing journey so far.  

I think writing the book first later helped me become a more transparent blogger. Even though the book wasn't published when I started blogging, in the back of my own mind, I knew I’d already “put it all out there,” so I didn't have anything to lose by being real and authentic on the blog.  

I know first-hand what it feels like to relocate to a place vastly different from what has been familiar and comfortable.  Has Nebraska become a right place for you? 

Nebraska has become a “right place” for me. We've been here nearly 13 years now, and I absolutely love it. I love the vast sky and the wide-open landscape; I love the warm, generous people; I love that I can go for a run and leave my front door unlocked; I love sitting on my neighbor’s front porch, chatting with her on a hot summer afternoon with a glass of iced tea in hand. Nebraska offers a slower life than New England – less traffic, less “keeping up with the Jones,” and I have grown to appreciate that.  

That said, I still miss my family every day. My parents, my sister, my nephew and all my aunts and uncles still live in New England. It’s hard to be so far from them, to see them only once or twice a year. I won’t ever get used to that.  

Would you rather travel via rail, car, boat or plane?  Is there somewhere you've always dreamed of visiting? 

I’ve always dreamed of visiting Italy – particularly the Cinque Terre region on the coast. I joke with my husband, Brad, that we’ll be 80 by the time we get there. Now that we have young kids, it’s going to be a while! 

I think I'd prefer to travel by magic carpet (though I realize you didn't offer that as an option!). I hate flying (truth be told, I am afraid of it). Boats make me seasick, long car trips make me feel like my head will pop off, and I've never traveled by train (maybe I ought to try that before ordering my custom-designed magic carpet?).   

What's next from the pen of Michelle DeRusha? Have you ever thought about writing fiction? 

No, no – no fiction! The thought of writing fiction terrifies me! I am currently finishing edits of my next book, entitled 50 Women Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Heroines of the Faith, which will be released by Baker Books in September 2014. 50 Women is a compilation of short biographies – very much in the non-fiction category and very different from Spiritual Misfit. It was fascinating to research and write, and I am excited to introduce these amazing women, some of whom I’d never heard of, to others.   

After that, I think I’d like to jump back into memoir. I am a storyteller at heart. I love what Natalie Goldberg says about mining your own life for material: “If you've lived ten years, you have enough writing material for your whole life,” she says in Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir. “If you’re thirty years old, stop everything. You already have too much to capture.” According to Natalie, at 43 I have more than enough for another book, so I’d better get writing!  

While Michelle gets back to work, why don't you order yourself a copy of Spiritual Misfit and come back next week when I'll share my thought about this charming and wonderful new book.

 

Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee

I don't read self help books, far too aware that I can not help myself but must allow God to do with me as He wills.

Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee is NOT a self help book, nor is it your typical Christian Life book. Jennifer's words are brave and hard as she stands before us and God in transparent honesty, revealing how deep the need for approval has buried roots. This could be my story. This could be your story. The problem is so universal that every reader will see themselves reflected, not always in a flattering light.

I must admit I am having difficulty working my way through Love Idol - because I am holding the book in one hand and a highlighting pen in the other. There isn't a page that isn't marked with bright colour.

Yes, the words are that good. That good indeed! I know I will return to this volume again and again. Reading it is almost like a prayer of repentance and surrender.

Lives are changing as idols are exposed, thrown aside and smashed to pieces.

To read more about the book and the Love Idol Movement that has been shining God's light, visit Jennifer's website here

To read the work this has stirred in me personally, read my blog posts:

Seeing the ugly idols

One True Voice

Journey

Not at all pretty


 

The Devil Walks in Mattingly by Billy Coffey

Giveaway winner is named at the end of this review.

I became a fan of Billy Coffey's writing years ago, devouring his regular blog posts before he published his first book.

Then came Snow Day, Paper Angels and When Mockingbirds Sing.  I have savoured each novel, always looking forward to the next.

The Devil Walks in Mattingly is a deeper, darker tale, previewed on the back cover with the following words:

For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man's untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive.

As I writer, I read not only for content, but for the taste and feel of the words themselves. I was not disappointed, like his other works, from beginning to end, Billy's prose remains stunningly lyrical.

I come to this place of darkness because it is where the light of heaven once touched. I come here for the ones who were saved on a night long ago and for the ones lost.  

I come because heaven is not without the past.

These are characters that dug their way into my heart, both heroes and antiheroes.  My concern for each kept me turning page after page, hungry to discover what would happen next.  I was moved in the darkness to each shining patch of light.

My only complaint is that this novel deprived me of sleep and distracted me from my own work.  Yes, it IS that good.

You owe it to yourself to read The Devil Walks in Mattingly as well as Billy's older books, and make sure to catch up with him on his blog What I Learned Today where he shares day to day truths with home town warmth and skill.

Thomas Nelson Publishers has graciously provided a copy of The Devil Walks in Mattingly for me to give away to one lucky reader.  Selected by random draw is Pastor Joel!  I do believe, however, that anyone who takes the time to read Billy's work will find themselves a winner.

I was blessed to receive a copy of this novel to review.  The opinions I have shared, as always, are my own.

 

This Is Our Love by Jody Cross

I know that God loves me not for what I do, but for who I am, His creation and His child. But I also know His desire is for me to be conformed to His image.

If I want to be like Him, I need to know what moves His heart.  He doesn't make this a mystery, His Word shows again and again that He is concerned with the broken, the fatherless, the hungry, lame and weak.

In this new collaboration with World Vision Canada, pastor and worshipper Jody Cross shares devotional thoughts behind sixteen worship songs by Canadian artists.  The songs are provided on a cd slipped neatly in a  back pocket of the book.

Each chapter includes a prayer section Lift it Up; discussion questions Talk it Out and practical steps to take Walk it Out.

One of my favourite songs included is Real Life Offering:

You want food for the hungry
Love for the lonely
Justice and mercy for those treated poorly
Tears for the lost and wounds from our cross
This is the worship you seek
A real life offering

The words resound in my heart, reminding me again and again of Paul's words to the Romans:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1 NIV

I urge you to read and listen to this project, and pray that you hear not only the sound of these talented musicians and singers but the very pulse of God's heart.

Book has been provided courtesy of World Vision and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at Churches.WorldVision.ca/resources

The opinions I have shared are my own.
 

Activist Faith by Burroughs, Darling and King

I have long been moved, almost haunted by the words of James:

Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:27 The Message

How can I claim to be a disciple of Christ and shut my ears to His call?

In their new book Activist Faith, From Him and For Him, Dillon Burroughs, Daniel Darling, and Dan King tackle the tough issues of our time:

Human Trafficking; Immigration; Poverty; Environmentalism; Disaster Relief; Homelessness; Defending the Unborn; War, Terror and Genocide; Religious Freedom; Parenthood and Sexuality: Crime and Urban Decay; the Orphan Crisis.

Using quotes as varied as the Word of God, modern theologians and others, the words hit the mark and convict the spirit.  For example:

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. —Dr. Seuss

All three authors share stories of people they have met and lives that have been changed, including their own. I wept through Dan King's telling of a mother in Kenya:

My biggest question is the same for everyone we meet: “How has the opportunity to run this business with the support of the micro-loans affected you and your family personally?” 

She responds simply, “Now I have some extra money to buy things for my kids.” She has three young children under the age of ten. 

This is a response that I can really relate to! I have a six-year-old son at home. As his dad, I love having a little extra money from time to time so I can buy something special for him, such as a handheld gaming system. But I don’t see many kids around there playing on their handheld gaming systems. In most parts of Kenya, the term “handheld gaming system” usually means “a stick.” Some of the more fortunate kids I see get to play with an old flat soccer ball.

So I ask her, “What kinds of things do you buy for your kids?” She shrugs a little bit and responds, “You know, meat and bread.” 

For the first time ever in my life, I am utterly speechless. Here I am thinking of all the luxuries I’m going to shower my son with when I return home, and she just told me that all of her hard work provided her the luxury of buying her kids food!

Activist Faith does much more than remind us of what God desires. The authors provide examples, resources and effective steps to take with sections in each chapter: How You Can Help;Think It Through; Helpful Tools and Resources - for Research and for Action.

I pray that this book changes each and every one of us.  May these ending words burn deep in our spirits:

As you pray for guidance, consider that Jesus might answer, “I’ve changed you so you can live out your faith where you currently live, work, and study. Begin right now.” Okay, so Jesus did not exactly say it like this in the Gospels, but it’s accurate realistic paraphrase. You might not like your job, your major, or your place in life at the moment. God might have some big plans for you in another part of the world someday. Until then, start where you are. That’s where He’s placed you for the moment. Live with Activist Faith.

Activist Faith isn't just a book, it is a way of life.  Be sure to check out the website which is intended to be an ongoing resource to support the movement.

I was privileged to receive an advanced reader copy of this important work by Navpress.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate

There are times when I want to disappear into someone else's life, stepping away from the "real-life" around me.  Lisa Wingate's tales set in Moses Lake have provided just such an escape in the past and her new novel Firefly Island took me down a familiar road.

The back cover teases:

Mallory Hale's life quickly veers off course when she falls hopelessly in love. After a whirlwind romance, Mallory finds herself leaving the bustle and action of Capitol Hill for the remote town of Moses Lake, Texas--with husband, stepson, and a U-Haul in tow. 

A sweet, mishap-filled journey into marriage, motherhood, and ranch living ensues, and Mallory is filled with both the wonderment of love and the insecurities of change.

This is not however just a sweet little romance.  There is mystery and intrigue that kept me turning pages long after I should have been sleeping.

If you have journeyed with Wingate to Moses Lake in the past you'll want to read this addition to the series. If you haven't yet stepped foot in Moses Lake Firefly Island is a great place to start.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group.  The opinions I have shared are my own.

 

Learning to Love - Heidi and Rolland Baker

I have known of Heidi and Rolland Baker's work in Mozambique for some time but never had a chance to read their words until Learning to Love Passion, Compassion and the Essence of the Gospel became available.  The back cover alone tempts and convicts:

• What does LOVE look like?
• Love is food and comfort to a ten-year-old amputee, abandoned on the side of the road
• Love is a new roof for an elderly widow installed before the rainy season
• Love is sharing hope with the homeless man on your street corner
• Love is not just an ideal. Love is action. Love looks like something.

Heidi and Rolland alternate telling the tale of how our mighty God has worked in the lives of those who need Him most.

Heidi reminds us that the message of the Gospel is simple:

Despite what many would have us believe, the Gospel is not complicated.  It is very simple.  Jesus has given us everything we need.  It is so simple that a child of three can get it:  Love God and love the one in front of you.

This book reads like both an action/adventure tale and a richly moving romance novel, heavy with love.  If you want to be moved by the things that move the heart of God, this is a must read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey

Thomas Nelson, the publishers of Billy Coffey's latest novel When Mockingbirds Sing begin their description of the story with this line:

What marks the boundary between a miracle from God and the imagination of a child?

In this new novel, Billy Coffey introduces us to a world of faith, doubt and God's mysterious ways, seen through the eyes of a lonely child.  Leah believes in "the maybe" and has to face the sad truth that many people around do not.  When she begins painting prophetic pictures the town begins to swirl.

As he weaves threads of lives together into a stunning whole, Billy holds up a mirror that reflects not only our faces but our hearts.  I'd like to think that my faith is strong, but like the people of Mattingly, I admit that I too can waver when I see things I don't quite understand.

I will not share more because I fear spoiling the story, but I encourage you to take a journey to Mattingly, to meet all the people dwelling there, including The Rainbow Man.  If you are anything like me, you will smile, you will weep, spend some time on your knees and then you'll hunger for more.

I was given a complimentary copy of this novel.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

and now... the winner of their own copy of When Mockingbirds Sing is --

Holly Grantham who wrote:

What gives me courage is hearing other folks' stories. To know that someone else in the big wide world has braved something hard and challenging and lived to tell about it--well, it infuses me with strength I didn't have before. Vulnerability begets vulnerability and vulnerability is fueled by courage.

Contact me with your shipping address Holly and we'll have the book on its way to you!

  

Billy Coffey on writing and a giveaway!!!

I have been moved, inspired and encouraged by the words of Billy Coffey since I first started reading his blog years ago.  He is a writer's writer and a down to earth, God fearing, sit awhile on the front porch Virginia man.  With his latest novel When Mockingbirds Sing releasing next week, Billy was gracious enough to take time to answer a few questions for us.

Billy, with three books published and another on the way, I believe you’re qualified to speak a bit about the art and craft of fiction writing.

Do you feel like you design your characters or do they develop a life of their own as you begin to put words to paper?

I usually begin with a name, a problem, and how that problem gets solved. Novels aren’t about events as much as they’re about people and how they change between the first chapter and the last. Those three things are all I allow myself to think of at the beginning. After that, they sort of come alive on their own. By and large, though, I think every character in every story is in some ways a reflection of the writer. At least, that’s true for me. 

Do the paths your stories wind down ever take you by surprise?

Occasionally, yes. I've always been better at characters than plot, so I have to approach plotting carefully. It’s a balancing act. If you sit down and try to outline every single moment of your story, there’s a good chance it will grow stale. I have in mind where I want to start, where things need to be at the middle, and a rough idea of how it all ends. I let the rest take me by surprise.  

How much have your characters taught you, or changed the way you look at this life?

I think they've taught me much more about myself. All the characters in When Mockingbirds Sing are segments of my own personality—Leah’s shyness, Allie’s belief in life’s magic, Reverend Goggins’s sense of entitlement. They’re all me. Seeing me laid out on the page wasn’t very comfortable, but it made me see my own strengths and weaknesses.

I know we have talked about how much courage it takes to pour your self into words.  Where do you turn when that courage begins to fade?  How do you keep yourself going?

To me, writing is a huge blessing. It’s also a huge responsibility. Readers don’t owe writers anything, and to pretend otherwise is only to court disaster. But writers owe readers plenty, and chief among that is honesty. You have to give the very best of yourself to the page, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts. That responsibility is what I most often turn to when the courage begins to fade.

Any other words of wisdom or encouragement for those of us still working on our first novels?

Write every day. For every hour you spend on social media, spend three on your work. 

Read every day. Not just the genre you’re writing for, either. Read anything. Everything. The broader your knowledge, the better you’re writing will be.

Kill your darlings. 

Polish, submit, wait. And when those rejections come (they will, and often), always try one more time. I cannot stress that rule enough. Always, always. Just once more.

I hope this peaks your interest in Billy's work.  If you haven't already, you really should read Snow Day, Paper Angels and next week his latest becomes available When Mockingbirds Sing.  Here's a little peek into this new novel:

Thomas Nelson Publishers has been kind enough to make a copy of When Mockingbirds Sing available for me to give away to one lucky reader.  All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what gives you courage and you'll be entered into a random drawing.  To earn extra entries, share this via Facebook, or Twitter or Google+ and come back and leave me another comment for each shout-out.

Keep watching here. Winner will be announced next week when I post my review of this wonderful story!

 

Mennonite Girls Can Cook - Celebrations

I was excited to receive my copy of Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations hungrily flipping through the pages. The website for these already proven cookbook authors states

Life is a gift from God, so why not celebrate?

From births to marriages to holiday meals gathered together these pages are filled; not only with tasty delights but also with words of praise and prayer.  There are stories, reflections and blessings woven between the recipes.

The brilliant photography not captures much more than the food with shots of nature and familes.

Tonight I followed the recipe for Raspberry Drizzle Salad Dressing.  It was quite easy to preapre and unlike any other dressing I have tried.  I plan on making it again, and again, using my own home made raspberry jam and pepper jelly.

I know I will return often to this wonderful volume that proves that not only can Mennonite girls cook, they can write great cookbooks as well!

Book has been provided courtesy of MennoMedia and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Herald Press, a publishing imprint of MennoMedia
The opinions I have expressed are my own.


 

North of Hope by Shannon Polson

When I was offered the opportunity to read and review North of Hope by Shannon Huffman Polson I could not have known that my ailing mother was soon to take her last breath.  I am certain that God did know, and this was not circumstantial timing.

North of Hope is a story of pain, an adventure through the Alaskan wilderness and the barrenness of loss.  The author skillfully shares her journey to find healing after the senseless and brutal deaths of her father and his wife.

There was much here for me to digest and learn from as I began my own travel through the shadows of death.  Polson writes:

I envied cultures that have mourning traditions, wearing black or rending garments.  Then people would know; they would understand.  Why had our culture done away with all that?  To spare the majority the discomfort that each of us must one day face?  And by doing so robbing every one of us of the space to grieve and neutering society's ability to mourn with the bereaved, our chance to appreciate life more for knowing death?  I felt cheated.  And it occurred to me that grief is something imposed, but that grieving is something that must be learned and, like anything of consequence, would reveal its realities slowly, over a lifetime.

There is hope.  There is light.  There is life.  In the telling of her tale, Polson leads us along the way.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist

The title of Shauna Niequist's new book Bread and Wine a love letter around the table with recipes promised tasty morsels about both food and life.  This is a collection of essays about love shared with each forkful.  It is real, true, funny and warm, a mixture of spices that leaves me wanting to follow her advice:

Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love and honesty and creativity. Feed them with your hands and the flavors and smells that remind you of home and beauty and the best stories you've ever heard, the best stories you've ever lived.

We come to the table because our hunger brings us there.  We come with a need, with fragility, with an admission of our humanity.

I do indeed set my table with love
blend my flavours with the same creativity
I use to mix my words
I am open and honest and real
I offer the spice of my life in exchange for yours
to walk together, up to the hills
and in the valley's shadows

I found delight within the covers of this book.  I know that you will too.

I received a complimentary advance reading copy of this book from Zondervan.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Revealing Jesus by Darlene Zschech

The back cover of this new devotional Revealing Jesus by Darlene Zschech asks:

Do you long for more of God's presence? Do you ache to see Him at work in your life? Do you desire His peace and rest? 

My heart answered "Yes.  Yes, of course."

Every year my husband and I choose a new daily devotional book to read and pray through each night before we turn out the lights, choosing to end the day the way we begin, by pouring His Word into our hearts and spirits.

Zschech begins each daily page with a passage of scripture.  What follows are stories, questions, words of faith that not only encourage but challenge.  I have found my faith being stretched, shaped and enlarged in ways I am sure delight the One Who I am reading about.

If you are looking for a short daily read that will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus make sure to add this book to your bedside table!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Breaking Old Rhythms by Amena Brown

When I was asked to review Breaking Old Rhythms:Answering the Call of a Creative God I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I had no knowledge of the author Amena Brown but felt a pull to dive in.

The call to dive began to make sense as I started reading, for these are deep waters indeed; but what a joy to swim in!

Brown shares in a voice that vibrates with poetic rhythm slicing through to find the truth of life and love and God.  She writes:

We are like instruments in God’s orchestra. That means if we want to be a part of the symphony, we have to learn to follow God’s beat. We are like bones in a body—growing, stretching, discovering and sometimes breaking. God’s rhythm is surgical, breaking, healing and mending where we have grown crooked. We are like trees, extending our branches toward the light. God’s rhythm is the post he ties us to, to make sure we grow straight, with roots growing deep into the soil.

I found my own reading rhythm interrupted by the need to add highlighting to my Kindle version again and again, or to take time to type quotes into my Facebook status.

Yes, it is that good.

There are so many more passages I want to share with you, but instead I'll just urge you to grab this book for your own library.  You'll return to the words many times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.


 

The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee

The back cover of this updated book by Randy Frazee states:

The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community?

First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made ‘the body of Christ’ a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth?

I have long sensed the need for true connection between people. I have seen how our facades have kept us from each other and from God.  It seems to me that real relationships are impossible without getting down and dirty about who we really are.

Frazee discusses how we have become a society focused on individualism and that stands in opposition to functioning as a community.  I was struck and stung by the following:

What the church urgently needs is to reconnect to its core mission of making disciples. We need to get back to the basics: Why did God create the church? Why does church even exist? As a community of Jesus followers, we must learn to see that our corporate mandate is "to be Jesus" to each other and to the world. As the one body of Christ, we await the second coming of Jesus himself, but until that day we are called to represent his presence, his purposes, and fulfill his plans in the power of the Holy Spirit.

But Frazee does more than identify the problem, he points to a variety of approaches to a solution.  If your heart has been searching for community and if you have longed to see help for the broken church of Jesus, this is a great place to start!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

The River by Michael Neale

Andy Andrews, the best selling author said of Michael Neale's first novel "The River is a story that will transform how you see yourself and the world" setting me up to expect a story larger than life.

Gabriel Clarke was born by the river, and for the river just as his grandfather and father were.  When his father John loses his life to the river attempting to save another man, young Gabriel is relocated from the majesty of the river canyons to Cairo, Kansas to live with his mother.  I was hungry for more information.  Why had his parents separated years before?

With my questions unanswered I continued on, watching Gabriel struggle to deal with memories, fears and a darkness that would overtake him.  But as we had been told, he was made for the river and to the river he returned.

There is adventure in these pages and romance.  There is raw emotion.  The story was quick to read, but I never experienced the depth I was promised.

I wish I had encountered this book before reading any of the hype.  I suspect I would have expected less and enjoyed it more for the simple story it is.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.