small but brave

the world keeps getting bigger

for a small kitten, brave

each day adventure waits

new scents, sounds

exploration calls strong

to discover what life holds

in long summer hours

 

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.

Love Does by Bob Goff

I first heard of Bob Goff through the words of Donald Miller and all at once thought, “What an extraordinary sounding man. I’d love to know more about him.” I was given the opportunity to do exactly that through Goff’s new book Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World.

The author’s website explains:

In this book of compelling stories coupled with eye-opening truths, author Bob Goff shows you a new way to live, a way that’s drenched with the whimsy of God’s love and the spontaneity of following where he leads when he says “Go!” In this book, you learn what it looks like to be secretly incredible and advance God’s kingdom everywhere you are and wherever you’re going.

My heart has been turned towards God’s Kingdom and ways of reflecting all glory onto Him, so the idea of “secretly incredible” resonated deep in my spirit. What we do isn’t for ourselves, or about ourselves, but for our King, and He can use whatever broken pieces we offer. As Goff writes:

A couple of other things happen when we accept Jesus’ invitation to participate with Him in life. Obstacles that seem insurmountable aren’t. Impediments that we believe disqualify us don’t. When we show up to participate with Jesus in the big life, we’re participating with the very being who made life in the first place. He gently asks us how we are and invites us to get better together with Him.

Sometime’s Goff’s tales made me chuckle. Sometimes they left me laughing loud and long. There were tales they prompted tears as well. More often than not they left a knowing deep within that there is so much more to life with our Lord than we imagine.

As a writer, I know how it feels to want another to read, enjoy and be moved by the words you have strung together. Yet I wouldn’t be surprised that if you told Bob Goff you hadn’t been able to finish reading his book because you were off on a new adventure, he wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, I think he’d be delighted.

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.

The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman

The publisher's information page about Hiking Through: One Man's Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail by Paul Stutzman left me curious enough to want to read the book:

A life-changing journey begins with a single step.

After Paul Stutzman lost his wife to breast cancer, he sensed a tug on his heart--the call to a challenge, the call to pursue a dream. With a mixture of dread and determination, Paul left his job, traveled to Georgia, and took his first steps on the Appalachian Trail.

In Hiking Through, you'll join Paul on his remarkable 2,176-mile trip through fourteen states in search of peace and a renewed sense of purpose.

I was surprised and delighted by Paul's sense of humor, his keen eye, his humility and his love for the Lord.  He was able to share his doubts, fears and sometimes shaky faith in a way that moved and inspired me.

Paul invites us into the heart of his experience, so much so that I almost thought I felt the rain drenching me, the pains in my legs and the glorious breezes.  I almost wished I had the stamina and conditioning to join the adventure!

Even if you've never thought of hiking or other endurance adventures you will find much to enjoy in Paul's account of his time spent Hiking Through.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The opinions I have expressed are my own.