Grace303

Faithful by Kim Cash Tate

2011-12-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

Kim Cash Tate’s novel Faithful is about a close group of women friends who together navigate issues of romance, betrayal, and Christian faith. One of the women is wondering if she will ever get married, while others struggle with different issues in their marriages.

Some people have compared Faithful to The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson. I can see the similarities, but I enjoyed this one more.

It is fascinating to see the characters delve into tough Biblical issues and grow in their faith, even when faced with difficult circumstances. They aren’t perfect and they don’t always make good decisions, but they have authentic faith. Throughout the story, we are right there with them, pulling for them. We get to “sit in” on their Bible study group meetings, hear what their preacher discusses in his sermons, and see what the characters’ prayers are like. Not only is this entertaining, it’s also inspirational.

I think the author did a remarkable job at character development. In novels like this with a large group of characters, it must be difficult to make the characters seem real. But Tate does this expertly; the shifts in viewpoint are seamless and serve to keep the story moving. We get to know each character so well that it feels like they are close friends. I was completely absorbed in the story and anxious to see what would happen next.

When I finished the book, I happened to be in a tire store waiting for my car to be serviced. You can picture me in my work clothes and heels, sitting on a plastic chair and surrounded by racks of tires, reading my Kindle. By the end, I was surreptitiously wiping away tears – right there in the tire store.

The best news was finding out there is a sequel: you can be sure that I downloaded Cherished in a heartbeat.

She Makes It Look Easy: Whalen

2011-12-02T12:02:00.001-08:00

I have been reading some Christian fiction lately and I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised. For some reason, I worried that Christian fiction would be poorly written. I’m ashamed to say that; it sounds terrible, doesn’t it? At the very least, I assumed it would be about people with whom I (a 37 year-old lawyer who likes Tory Burch shoes and Miu Miu bags) had very little (besides being Christian) in common. I was wrong on both counts. Not only can Christian fiction be very well written, it can also resonate with people in a wide variety of circumstances.

The first book to open my eyes was She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen. It’s about a young mother, Ariel, who juggles caring for her children, growing her photography business, making friends, and settling in to a new house and neighborhood. At first, she thinks her new neighbor, Justine, is perfect. Her daughters are neatly dressed, she makes delicious muffins, and her house is neat and organized. She’s even a leader in the church. As the story continues, we discover that Justine is not perfect after all. In the process, Ariel discovers new truths about her marriage, parenting, Christian faith, and friendships.

The main character, Ariel, is realistic and likeable. It’s easy to relate to her and you want to know what will happen to her next. The story is entertaining and nicely paced. This book is like chick lit – but better because it actually makes you think. Whalen demonstrates how Christian faith does (or does not) influence our decisions. She does this in subtle ways; there’s nothing preachy about it.

In short, I was pleasantly surprised, and I’m happy to have come across this book.

I’ve recently posted on Goodreads short reviews of The Luxe series (books 1 and 2), Reckless, The House on First Street, Growing Grateful Kids, Slim to None, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Go-To Girl, and The Power of a Whisper. Do you want to be Goodreads friends? I’m the Heather Adams in Raleigh.

Lamps

2011-11-21T13:33:00.001-08:00

Which lamp do you like better? I am constantly moving stuff around...

What Women Fear (Smith)

2011-10-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

I've done a horrible job at updating the blog. I will save you the excuses (which aren't anything more than the typical demands on a mom, wife, lawyer, etc that others manage more gracefully and productively than I do) and instead share with you my thoughts on a book that I enjoyed reading a couple of months ago.

“What Women Fear,” by well-known blogger and author Angie Smith, is a helpful and engaging book that addresses more topics than I anticipated based upon the title. For example, there are chapters about fear of being found out, fear of failure, and fear that God isn’t real. Initially, I thought the book was going to be only marginally relevant to me because I don't consider myself to be a particularly fearful person. However, since the concept of fear here is quite broad, I found myself flagging a number of pages.

What Women Fear is well written in a friendly style that isn't overly cutesy. The author does a good job of bringing out points from well-known Bible stories and sharing personal stories from her past. She offers good advice without seeming preachy.

When discussing the fear of not being significant, Smith writes “When we look to others for the assurance and identity confirmation that we are to find from the God who created us, we fail to honor Him rightly and essentially put our hope and comfort in people who are ultimately just as sinful as we are.”

Talking about fear of God’s plan, she says “I want to encourage you to invite Him into your days. Speak to Him while you do the laundry, play with your children, or sit in a stadium full of people. Be in constant communion with Him so that when times get hard, you will have relationship instead of requests.”

Each chapter discusses a specific fear as well as a Biblical passage.
In my favorite part of the book, Smith writes about faith, and she discusses the Biblical story about Peter walking on water in the context of our lives: “God will still be God if you stay in the boat. But He won’t be your God unless you get out.”

The subtitle of the book is “Walking in Faith That Transforms.” In my humble opinion, this would have been a better title than “What Women Fear” because it more accurately captures what the book is about. Even if you don’t think you have “fears” per se, you might like the book if you want to learn more about what it means to have faith in God.

Barbados Pictures

2011-08-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've had some sweet requests for more Barbados pictures, so here you go! We stayed at The Crane Resort.

Names My Sisters Call Me (Megan Crane)

2011-08-17T11:25:00.001-07:00

from the publisher:
Courtney, Norah, and Raine Cassel are as different as three sisters can be. Norah, the oldest, is a type A obsessive who hasn't forgiven Raine, the middle sister, for ruining her wedding day six years ago. Raine is Norah's opposite, a wild child/performance artist/follow-your-bliss hippie chick who ran off to California. The only thing the two have in common is their ability to drive Courtney, their youngest sister, crazy.

When her longtime boyfriend proposes, Courtney decides it's finally time to call a truce and bring the three sisters together. After all, they're grown-ups now, right? But it turns out that family ghosts aren't easily defeated—and neither are first loves. Soon Courtney finds herself reexamining every choice she has made in the past six years—including the man she's about to marry—and the value of reconnecting with the sisters she knows she needs, in spite of everything.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. It has more depth than I thought it would, based in part on the cover art. (Don't get me wrong, I liked the cover art!) At times, one of the characters (Raine) was incredibly annoying to the point of being frustrating to read about, but thankfully she only shows up in relatively small doses and isn't the main character. I liked Courtney, the main character, and seeing how she matured and learned more about herself. The family dynamics seem very realistic. I would compare this author to Emily Giffin, so if you like Giffin's books, I think you might like this one.

Barbados Trip

2011-08-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

We went to Barbados on vacation this summer. These are some of the books that I read on the trip.

I read Wench on my Kindle, which sadly I lost somewhere between Miami and Barbados. It follows the lives of four women at a resort popular among slaveholders who bring their enslaved mistresses with them each year. I thought it was an interesting story, but not that well-written.

Shadow Tag was very good. From Barnes & Noble: "Here is the most telling fact: you wish to possess me.
Here is another fact: I loved you and let you think you could."
When Irene America discovers that her husband, Gil, has been reading her diary, she begins a secret Blue Notebook, stashed securely in a safe-deposit box. There she records the truth about her life and her marriage, while turning her Red Diary hidden where Gil will find it into a manipulative farce. Alternating between these two records, complemented by unflinching third-person narration, Shadow Tag, is an eerily gripping read. This was the first book in a while that actually made me cry.

Museum of Innocence is by Orhan Pamuk who also wrote Snow. He is obviously a talented writer. I think I probably enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Snow. Even though the main character is creepy at times and his love interest, Fusun, is somewhat hard to visualize, this still managed to hold my attention and kept me wondering what would happen next, despite the 700-plus page length. It's a well-written examination of obsession and desire with a very strong sense of place and atmosphere.

Living Room

2011-08-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

We recently re-decorated our living room: new paint; coffee table; table & chairs; and a few other odds and ends.

Cold Tangerines (Niequist)

2011-05-18T08:19:00.001-07:00

Cold Tangerines is a collection of essays about “celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life.” It’s very honest and intimate. At times, it’s even very funny.

Overall, I loved this book. The author has such a lovely way of looking at things and she is a terrific writer. It’s not a perfect book; some parts are repetitive and we are kept in the dark about what really happened with the loss of her job even though the topic appears frequently. That didn’t keep me from enjoying the book though. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“What God does in the tiny corners of our day-to-day lives is stunning and gorgeous and headline-making, but we have a bad habit of saving the headlines for the grotesque and scary.”

“Friendship is acting out God’s love for people in tangible ways… When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life.”

“There’s normal life, kind of day-to-day make breakfast, do the dishes kind of life, but just underneath that, like a throb of bass you feel in your chest, I feel a whole other thing going on. In the midst of taxes and email, there is something sacred, something special dipping and weaving within that same old thing, like a firefly, like a great song, and it reminds you that the dishes and the taxes are real, but so much more is real, too. The sacred mixes in with the daily when you have a conversation with someone you love, or when you read a great book, or when you do something courageous. It’s still just a normal day, but there’s something bigger, something more compelling going on, too.”

New Master Bathroom

2011-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some quick pictures of our new master bathroom. Our house was built in 1922 so we didn't have a master bathroom before this project. (The top picture is of my favorite part of the new closet area, a little window seat.)

It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know (Olsen)

2011-04-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

I first heard about It’s No Secret by Rachel Olsen through Proverbs 31. I read it a few months ago and decided it was worth a review, but it’s taken me a while because I had a brief due in an antitrust case and we’ve been dealing with a big house project. (We added a new master bathroom. I’ve promised pictures to Tessa so look for them soon.)

In this book, Rachel Olsen discusses topics such as how to stay humble, how to handle conflicts Biblically, and how to live generously.

With regard to humility, here is what she says: “When our pride swells, it becomes vanity. I deserve better than this. We seek status we do not merit, and function with an assumed autonomy we do not have. I know best. I’ll decide how my life should be. Soon, we envy those who appear to have more than we do and disdain those who appear to be less than we are.”

“Humility comes as we orient our attention on God and on helping others. To find it, we must lift our gaze from our own navels, or from our perceived competition, to the kingdom of God. When we make this shift, our so-called competition becomes someone to help, someone to befriend, someone to pray for and serve in the name of Christ.”

When discussing the need for rest, Olsen references Eugene Peterson’s The Message: “Grace is primary. We wake into a world we didn’t make, into a salvation we didn’t earn.”

I don’t think there is anything in this book that is earth shattering or necessarily surprising, but I think it's definitely good to be reminded, and at times, I was really touched by her points.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

My Heart’s Desire (Wick)

2011-04-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Mary Singer Wick recently sent me her self-published book: My Heart’s Desire. Through her book, Mary comes across as such a lovely and sweet person, concerned with other’s needs and with seeking God’s plan and purpose for her life. The book chronicles her health issues throughout her 40s as well as her search for a husband. I found myself cheering for her along the way. At one point, she prays:

Please God, give me heart knowledge of you… I want to know and understand what it’s like to be loved and accepted by you… I want to live with purpose. Please help me.

Here’s my favorite quote from the book, which often reads like a peek inside her personal journal: “[M]y joy first began with a close relationship with Jesus who invaded my heart with His extravagant love.”

The author has friendly wisdom to share, which makes sense given that she often prays for Godly wisdom throughout her struggles in life.

I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

Craving Connection

2011-04-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this post over at Proverbs 31 today.

Bloodroot (Greene)

2011-03-26T18:48:00.001-07:00

Bloodroot is spellbinding. I loved it. Narrated by different characters throughout the Lamb family’s history from the Great Depression to the present, it is a story of magic and madness, blessings and curses. The story is named after a rare flower that grows on the mountain, known for both its healing properties and poison.

We meet Myra Odom, the center of the story, along with Byrdie Lamb, her grandmother; Douglas Cotter, Myra’s neighbor and friend; her children, Johnny and Laura; and John Odom, the man whom Myra marries. It is a testament to Greene’s writing that we won’t easily forget these characters.

The different narrators didn't bother me; in fact, I enjoyed reading the various viewpoints. That's saying something, because sometimes that sort of thing does bother me. I thought it was really interesting how the character of Myra, who seems so compelling and magnetic (almost mythical) when described by the other characters, seems so ordinary when we read her section. I recall one character saying “She’s made out of flesh and blood, just like anybody else.” Myra’s story is touching and sad. At one point, she says “Time is different on the mountain. It stretches out longer. I used to always know what year it was, and how old I would be on my next birthday. But, like names, it seems less important now.”

The story of this family in Appalachia and what they go through over the years is heartbreaking at times, but it's handled in such a beautiful way by the author. You really feel like you are there in the story; you see the mountain and you can picture the characters. It's emotional without being sappy or maudlin. I thought the ending was amazing. The various threads of the story come together through the voice of John Odom in a memorable look at love in the heart of a deeply flawed man.

The author, Amy Greene, has said that “the discovery in the novel is that it is possible to take what’s good from the life you’ve lived and move forward, and leave the rest behind.”

When I finished Bloodroot, I felt a little lost. I wanted to be back under its spell.

I grew up in the North Carolina mountains; in fact, I started the book when I was there for a visit. I’m sure that my background contributes to my feelings about the book, but nonetheless, I think anyone would enjoy it. I read this in February so it's still early, but I'm guessing Bloodroot will end up being one of my favorite books that I read in 2011. Thanks, Edie, for the recommendation!

Women Food and God (Roth)

2011-03-14T17:55:00.001-07:00

For lunch today, I went to an Italian restaurant with a work colleague. I probably should’ve gotten a nice green salad with the dressing on the side, but that’s hard to do in an Italian restaurant, at least for me, and I gave in to the temptation of manicotti. As it turns out, it was really good manicotti, with flavorful tomato sauce and creamy herbed ricotta. Given my decadent lunch, I thought I’d write today about a book that I read recently called Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth.
It wasn't quite what I thought it would be. Based on the title, I assumed it would be from the Christian perspective, but it's not. It's sort of New Age in feeling. I enjoyed it though and thought there were some good insights about being mindful about what and how much we are eating, not turning to food when instead we should be dealing with our feelings, and that sort of thing. I guess the author has been on Oprah and is pretty well-known for writing about the link between emotions and eating.

She writes quite a bit about being in the moment and thinking about a world larger than yourself, often by observing nature and the details of what’s going on around you. “It was like those times when I can’t sleep and I am thrashing in bed, hot and sweaty and wound in a knot of feverish mental activity. A thought enters like a prayer: Go outside. Walk out the front door and look at the sky. Just for a minute. Listen to the night. If I can rouse myself from the hypnotic trance of what’s wrong, I throw a sweater on, pad to the door, and step into the vault of night. Coolness. Silence. A million points of glitter. Heart beats once, twice, three times. The mind sloughs its frenzy, merges with the expanse. Dazzled by a world that bears no resemblance to the one of ten minutes ago, the one I perpetually construct in my head, I slip back into the house as if I, too, am a pinpoint of luster from the boundless dimension, padding along some strange hallway, disappearing with each step until I fall back asleep.”

I think she makes some good points, and I really enjoyed her writing style.
This next quote is a good example of what the book is about: “When you no longer believe that eating will save your life when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed or lonely, you will stop. When you believe in yourself more than you believe in food, you will stop using food as if it were your only chance at not falling apart.”
With that nice quote in mind, I admit I’m off to watch the season finale of The Bachelor…

Beth Moore: recommendations?

2011-03-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

I've read Breaking Free. What other Beth Moore books do you think I should read? Any favorites?

The Lincoln Lawyer (Connelly)

2011-03-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

Recently, I had to fly down to Atlanta for work and before the trip, I downloaded The Lincoln Lawyer to my Kindle. Thankfully, my Kindle didn't freeze up like it did on my trip to Denver because this is a really fun book. It's suspenseful from start to finish and an all-around good story. If you like Grisham or Turow, then I recommend The Lincoln Lawyer. In my opinion, it's just as good, if not better. I think the movie is coming out soon too.

New Blog Header

2011-03-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Lindsey, at Sweet Simplicity for my new blog header! I love it.

Do You Think I'm Beautiful? (Thomas)

2011-03-01T13:34:00.001-08:00

The question is uniquely feminine, and it resides in every woman's heart, in spite of her best efforts to ignore it. Although she aches to be adored and desired, she decides that it is good enough to be loyal, hard-working, strong, or steady.
But there is Someone who finds her beautiful, who adores her and seeks to woo her to Himself-and best-selling writer and popular speaker Angela Thomas explores the deep and life-changing implications for women who come to realize that. Practical Bible teaching and real-world advice help readers bridge the gap between the life a woman longs for, and the life she actually has.
Filled with warm, personal anecdotes, and written in an intimate, affable style that reaches out to readers, Do You Think I'm Beautiful? invites women to awaken passion, and to meet the embrace of the One who calls them beautiful. From the Publisher

The author of Do You Think I'm Beautiful?, Angela Thomas, seems so sweet. Her sweetness comes across both in this book and in snippets that I’ve read from her website and other published books. It sounds like she has an inspiring story, especially as a (at times, single) mother. She seems encouraging and uplifting. This book is intended to be the same. It has a good message: that God is enthralled with our beauty and doesn't want us to be wallflowers. I think it might be good for women struggling with self esteem issues.

The author writes: “We’ve read magazine articles, watched Oprah, attended seminars, and paid good money for makeovers hoping one day we’d get to the bottom of this thing … this longing to be seen and completely known … and still called beautiful. I may have tasted peace, but to believe that the God of heaven and earth calls me beautiful-well, I think I could rest in that.”

“Here is what I am learning about God. There are no faceless women standing around the edge of the room with Him. He did not bring you to the dance just to shove you into a corner and tell you to have a great time watching.”

“If I truly knew that He was smitten with me, maybe I could take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and go out to face the world with confidence.”

As I read this book, there were times when I thought, “This doesn’t really apply to me. My husband hasn’t left me; people haven’t called me ugly (at least to my face). I have at least enough self confidence to make it through the day.” But even so, there are truths described in lovely ways. “Christ died for your sin, set you free, so that you can enjoy the dance that God has for you – freedom.” “Unbelief leaves us empty, powerless, and wandering. Unbelief keeps us living beneath the possibilities that God dreamed for our lives.” It’s reassuring to read these words, isn’t it? You really get a sense of the love Angela Thomas has for women, and God’s love working through her.

This isn’t a book that has a lot of practical suggestions in it, and there isn’t much that’s specific about the author’s life experiences. I would have liked it more if that were the case. This isn’t a book that I’ll feel the need to re-read again in the future, and it’s not something that requires deep thought or a lot of study. Also, I confess that at times I grew tired of the dance metaphor. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a warm and fuzzy book that will remind you of God’s love for you, this is probably worth a quick read.

If you are looking for a more in-depth or serious look at the issue of self esteem, Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity is another choice. (Thanks, Jenn, for this reminder!)

The Five Love Languages (Chapman)

2011-02-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

The Five Love Languages is about how people respond to different ways of showing love: words of affirmation; quality time; receiving gifts; physical touch; and acts of service. If your spouse is showing you love by doing something that isn't your primary love language, you might not recognize it as an attempt to show love and vice versa. I think there's probably some truth to that. You just have to figure out what your primary love language is and what your spouse's is. There's a quiz in the back to help you figure it out.

I don't think this book is necessarily life changing or anything like that, but it is interesting. I think the author probably has a point that people respond differently to acts of love. Some may respond better to acts of services, others to quality time, and so on. Like many self-help books, I thought the stories were a bit self serving and that the points made by the author could have just as easily been made in a short article. I won't be getting any of this other books on this topic, but I'm glad I read this one.

Who You Are When No One's Looking (Hybels)

2011-02-11T08:07:00.001-08:00

In Who You Are When No One’s Looking: Choosing Consistency, Resisting Compromise, Bill Hybels examines what he considers to be endangered character qualities: courage; vision; endurance; tender love; tough love; sacrificial love; and radical love. The final chapter discusses the character of Christ.

With respect to the trait of vision, Hybels says “[E]very time you call a problem unsolvable, you mock God. ‘With God all things are possible.’ Visionary people face the same problems everyone else faces; but rather than get paralyzed by their problems, visionaries immediately commit themselves to finding a solution.”

Regarding tenderhearted love, he writes “How can my heart be so hard? I’ve experienced the personal love of Jesus Christ firsthand. His love has marked my soul and changed me.” When we see other people, why don’t we think about how each person is a “custom-designed creation of the almighty God?”

I particularly enjoyed the part about treating people as Christ treats us. “When you pray, the Lord listens attentively to every word you say. Why not treat your spouse, your children, your friends and your coworkers the same way?” “When you make a mistake, Jesus lifts you up, forgives you, and continues to treat you with love and respect. Why not do the same for the people with whom you live, work and worship?” “When you feel lonely and insecure, the Holy Spirit stays by your side, comforts you and assures you of God’s love. Why not give comfort and support to the people you love when they are going through difficult times?”

I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first Hybels one that I read (Too Busy Not to Pray), but I still thought this one was very good.

The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd)

2011-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Secret Life of Bees is an amazingly good book and one of my favorites from recent years. I immediately liked the narrator, 14-year old Lily Owens, who is growing up in SC in the 1960's with an abusive father and dark memories about her mother. When Lily and their housekeeper, Rosaleen, leave town, they make their way to another SC town and end up staying with a family of sisters who keep bees. Through their time together, the characters grow and learn about both themselves and human nature. Eventually we learn about the women's connection to Lily's mother.

The story is very well written - poetic and lovely. I read it about two years ago while on vacation in Cabo and I still remember how beautiful some passages are. I definitely plan on reading it again sometime. Incidentally, I think the movie is good too.

Liturgical Life Principles (Markham)

2011-01-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'm an Episcopalian and I saw that a group at church was reading this book so I was looking forward to reading it. Ultimately, I was disappointed. It's almost as though it was intended to be an introduction to the Episcopal liturgy--so it explains each part of the service--but for a very educated (maybe even Divinity School) audience--so the explanations seem academic, rather than emotional.

I love our church services, so it's not necessarily that I wanted this to "make it come alive" or anything like that, but I expected more meaning and emotion. Although Markham explains how the service is intended to impact daily life, it left me feeling a little cold. That being said, the author does a good job of describing the service from start to finish, and I thought the historical explanations for some things were very interesting. Still, I think there have to be better books out there if you are looking for an introduction to Episocpal liturgy or for an exploration of how it affects daily life.

The Rei Shimura Series

2011-01-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

Meet Rei Shimura, an underpaid English teacher in Tokyo who wishes she was doing something better with her life. Her chance comes unexpectedly, when she goes on a New Year's vacation to the Japanese Alps and finds the body of a Japanese executive's wife in the snow. Who killed Setsuko Nakamura, and why is Hugh Glendinning, the handsome Scottish lawyer who works with Setsuko's husband leaning so hard on Rei for help? (from the publisher)

If you like mysteries and have any interest in learning about Japanese culture, you might enjoy this series by Sujata Massey. The Bride's Kimono and The Girl in a Box are probably my favorites, and The Floating Girl my least favorite. The main character is very likeable, and even though it's a little hard to believe that she keeps getting into these situations, the stories are always fun. Because of some continuing story lines, I recommend reading them in order. The first book in the series is The Salaryman's Wife.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (Weaver)

2011-01-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

From the publisher (Thorndike Press):
An invitation for every woman who feels she isn't godly enough...isn't loving enough...isn't doing enough

The life of a woman today isn't really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord's feet...but the daily demands of a busy world just won't leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him...yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.
Then comes Jesus, right into the midst of your busy Mary/Martha life-and he extends the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters of Bethany. Tenderly he invites you to choose "the better part"-a joyful life of "living-room" intimacy with him that flows naturally into "kitchen service" for him.
How can you make that choice? With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story and its creative, practical strategies, Joanna shows how all of us-Marys and Marthas alike-can draw closer to our Lord, deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.

I read this book a couple of years ago. I had started it and was enjoying it, but I was too busy to finish it; I was running around buying Christmas gifts, working, and making lists. That turned out to be the year that I broke my foot the week before Christmas. Confined to the couch for at least an afternoon, I finally finished the book. Since it talks a lot about being busy, it was perfect timing... Even though it's been a while, I still think of this book from time to time, which I guess is one sign of a good book.

My favorite lines are about worry. "We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important." "Will we pray? Or will we worry?" "Worry does not prevent bad things from happening. In fact, it may prevent us from leading the full lives God intends us to live."

The author, Joanna Weaver, has a nice conversational tone. At times, it is perhaps a bit too cutesy for my taste. (For example, she describes Mary as "being quite contrary, crashing the party.") However, overall, it didn't bother me, and I liked how she took meaning from the Bible story and applied it to real life.

This is a good book to consider if you are interested in learning how to balance worship and service, or if you would like a reminder about how to focus more on worshiping God instead of letting yourself feel so busy with worldly things.

The Busy Mom's Devotional (Bergren)

2011-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a quick daily devotional, this is a good one. Designed for busy moms, it takes a Bible reading, applies it to an example in daily life, and then asks questions for personal reflection. It also includes a short prayer based upon the Bible reading. It's not sequential in any way, so you don't need to read it in order. You can pick a chapter at random if you're so inclined. I like how the author, Lisa Bergren, is able to get to the point very quickly; this way you feel able to do a brief devotional even when you are pressed for time.

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food

2011-01-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Like many people, I'm trying to start off the new year with a renewed discipline about healthy eating habits. This book by Lysa TerKeurst is a refreshing and inspiring look at this issue from a Christian perspective. In an accessible and honest way, Lysa TerKeurst shares her experience with learning how to crave God more than food. Reading her book felt like talking to a girlfriend, one with a lot of good points:
We were made to crave--long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for--God.-God, not food, is meant to be our comfort and reward, what we turn to in terms of stress.
The Spirit lives in us and gives us power to achieve more than we could alone.
The author makes clear that her eating plan of low-fat meats, vegetables, and fruits is not necessarily the right plan for everyone.
Regarding discipline, she says "Moment by moment, we have the choice to live in our own strength and risk failure or to reach across the gap and grab hold of God's unwavering strength." "One wise choice can lead to two, can lead to three, can lead to a thousand, can lead to the sweet place of utter dependence on God and lasting discipline."
I also enjoyed the excerpts from her friend Karen's blog, especially the part about not getting discouraged by what the scale says. Instead, Karen suggests asking yourself the following questions: Did I overeat this week? Did I exercise regularly? Did I eat in secret or out of anger or frustration? The answers to those questions are more important than any number on the scale.
At the end of each chapter, there is a section entitled "Personal Reflections." Although a bit repetitive, these are good for making the book personal and helping the reader apply the content.
I also enjoyed the Verses by Chapter and Healthy Eating Go-to Scripts (e.g., "God has given me power over my food choices. I'm supposed to consume food. Food isn't supposed to consume me.") sections at the end of the book.
The book didn't talk much about exercise, although there is one chapter about it. I wish there had been a little more about exercise.
More importantly though, I liked reading about the author's personal experiences. For example, there's a story about her waiting for a restaurant take-out meal of grilled fish and steamed vegetables and being tempted by a picture of chips and salsa. I liked this. Why? Because it's real. I have been tempted by chips and salsa many a time...
Granted I came to this book thinking it would be helpful, and without skepticism, so I don't know how it would come across to those who may not feel this way, but I thought it did a good job of presenting this issue in a very forthright and helpful way. I'm impressed with the author's accomplishments and with the way she has shared what she's been through.

Too Busy Not to Pray (Bill Hybels)

2011-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

Too Busy Not to Pray has been around for quite some time – over twenty years, in fact. It's widely available and often mentioned, and there’s a reason for that. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The author, Bill Hybels, is well-known, but this was my introduction to him so I didn’t know what to expect. He’s very down-to-earth and writes in an approachable and absolutely non-judgmental style. He shares his thoughts on how to have an enriching prayer life, and he’s not at all condescending. Another thing that I liked about Too Busy Not to Pray is that the author uses some stories from people he knows, but not too many. (It seems like some non-fiction book authors fill page after page of stories about people they know or have counseled.) Hybels also does a good job at referencing Biblical stories and Bible verses throughout the text to illustrate the points he is making.

Here is some of what he says:

"God is interested in your prayers because he is interested in you. Whatever matters to you is a priority for his attention. Nothing in the universe matters as much to him as what is going on in your life this day." (p. 29)

We should make a conscious effort to mean what we say when we are praying. We should try to avoid meaningless phrases such as asking God “to be with us.” (p. 56) At the same time, I didn't feel like the book was saying "You need to do x" or "You're doing it wrong if you do y." The style is comfortable, not at all condemnatory.

The pattern for prayer that the author suggests is ACTS, an acrostic whose letters stand for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. (p. 65) He describes what is meant by each.

With respect to cultivating the type of faith that moves mountains, Hybels reminds us that “Faith comes by looking at God, not at the mountain.” (p. 76)

Prayer purifies us by forcing us to look closely at our requests. If granted, would my request bring glory to God? Would it help people? Would it help me to grow spiritually? (p. 90)

In addition to discussing how meaningful prayer can be and describing some suggestions for how to pray, Hybels also talks about how God answers prayer and how we can discern those answers.

“Prayer is the way to turn dry theological descriptions into warm, living, personal realities. When we live in constant communion with God, our needs are met, our faith increases and our love expands. We begin to feel God’s peace in our hearts, and we spontaneously worship him.” (p. 166)

I wholeheartedly recommend this one. I got my copy for $11.99 at ChristianBook.com.

Heaven (Roger Ferlo, Editor)

2010-11-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

Heaven by Roger Ferlo is a collection of essays about heaven. It's 207 pages long and pretty easy to dip in and out of. Each essay is fairly short, and they vary quite a bit since they're by different authors from diverse backgrounds. It's interesting to see the different authors' ideas about what they think heaven might be like. I liked some essays more than others, but that is probably to be expected.

In her essay entitled "Leaving Myself Behind," Barbara Brown Taylor writes "Since ecstatic union with God is my best idea of heaven, I think I have to be ready to let myself go -- literally, I mean. I think I have to entertain the possibility that joining God in heaven may mean surrendering everything I hold dear on earth, including my me-ness, in order to be made entirely new." She concludes, "I am willing to forego the details, as long as I know whose lap I am in." Isn't that lovely? I think her essay was probably my favorite in the collection.

In "Famous Last Words," Peter S. Hawkins says "I will let my last word be the one that I hope I can express with my final breath, the one that Luke reports that Jesus spoke from the cross, and that sums up absolutely everything that needs saying: 'Father, into your hands I commend my spririt.' The rest, whatever it may be, is simply not up to me."

Cynthia Bourgeault in "Hobbling (Walking, Flapping) North" reminds us that "a candle is not a candle until it burns," and that our life here on earth is "merely wick and tallow."

Heaven is described as "an experience suffused with love" by Addison Hall in "Heaven Enough." He imagines it as a place where a stranger will be as dear to us as one of our children or exalted heroes. I love that idea.

If you would like to read a number of different essays about what heaven might be like from a variety of authors, then you might enjoy this book.

Forgiving Ararat (Gita Nazareth)

2010-09-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

My church is starting a book club and this is our first book to read. I was really excited to read it, but as it turns out, it wasn't that interesting to me. The main character is a lawyer who dies unexpectedly. She finds herself representing souls in Final Judgment. As she does this, she sort of enters into their memories and re-lives portions of their lives. The stories kind of connect up at the end in an interesting way, but nonetheless, the narrative style sort of plodded along for me. The big theme of the book is about forgiveness vs. justice and I respect that, but I just didn't enjoy the book all that much.

The Commoner (John Schwartz)

2010-09-09T07:07:00.001-07:00

The Commoner by John Schwartz is about a young woman in Japan named Haruko who marries the Crown Prince. Although Haruko is from a good family, she is not aristocratic; she is the first commoner to marry into the world's oldest monarchy. After the marriage, she struggles with the pressure to produce a male heir, with the strict rules of the court, and her in-laws, the Emperor and Empress.
At one point, the book skips forward quite a bit in time and this seemed jarring to me. I think it could have been handled differently. Also, I wanted this to be the type of book where I felt like I was "there" with the main character and really knew what she and her environment were like. Unfortunately, that didn't really happen. I ended up liking the book okay, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

The Septembers of Shiraz (Dalia Sofer)

2010-08-18T06:35:00.001-07:00

The Septembers of Shiraz is about a wealthy Jewish family in Iran during or shortly after the revolution during the 1980s. After the father is arrested and imprisoned, we see how various family members deal with what is happening to their family. I think the author does such a good job of providing these different perspectives and addressing larger issues about religion, class, politics, material possessions, family, and the nature of love. The amazing thing is that she does all of this with beautiful language too. I definitely plan on reading this book at least a second time.

If you like books that show you other parts of the world in troubling times, this is a beautifully written one that you may want to pick up.

Goodreads

2010-07-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Are you on Goodreads? Email me if you want to be Goodreads "friends"!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

2010-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

I finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter recently. I thought the writing was very impressive, especially for a first-time novelist, but ultimately the story itself was a bit disappointing for me, especially since I had heard so many good things about the book. The book begins in the 1960's when an orthopedic surgeon in KY finds himself delivering his own babies in the middle of a snow storm. They did not know they were having twins. The first baby is a healthy boy. The second is a girl with Down's Syndrome. In a moment, he asks the nurse to take the baby to an institution and he tells his wife that the girl baby died. (As an aside, it was a little bit odd to me that he told her this. The book explains that he did not want to hurt his wife with the Down's Syndrome news and he recalls how his sister passed away from a heart condition when he was growing up and how that hurt his mother. Since his wife was not conscious of the second baby, why did he tell her that she died? That wasn't "sparing" her since she then spends years mourning the loss.) Anyway, the nurse ends up leaving town and taking the baby with her, to raise her as her own daughter. The story follows the husband, wife, and their son in one storyline and the nurse and daughter in the other storyline. There are really some beautifully written parts and I was definitely curious to see what would happen next. However, the last part of the book did not ring true for me, or perhaps I simply did not enjoy it as much as the first part. It is hard to say why (especially without giving too much away, in case you haven't read it). In any event, this was an enjoyable read, and I would be interested to read Kim Edwards' next book (The Secrets of a Fire King) and maybe it will be even better.

(Picture from amazon.com)

The Shack (William P. Young)

2009-04-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

You've probably been hearing about The Shack. It seems to be getting quite a bit of attention and, for the most part, good reviews. It's the story of Mack, who takes his three children on a camping trip. His daughter, Missy, is abducted and murdered. While dealing with his grief years later, Mack receives a note in his mailbox from "Papa," saying that he would like to meet with Mack at the shack.

When Mack goes to the shack, he meets God in the form of an African American woman who calls herself Papa, Jesus Christ as a Middle-Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman named Sarayu. The book describes Mack's conversations with Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu as he comes to terms with Missy's death.

I thought The Shack had some good "nuggets" in it - parts that I wanted to underline or highlight and pull out again for repeat readings. However, for the most part, it didn't seem to be a very good book. It's not that I necessarily disagree with anything in it, and I like the idea of thinking about God in this very intimate and relaxed way. I also liked the emphasis on love. Nonetheless, some of the dialogue and descriptions almost made me cringe, and I didn't think the story or characters were all that interesting.

from the Book of Common Prayer

2009-03-05T06:28:00.001-08:00

I always like this one:

A Collect for the Renewal of Life

God, the King eternal, who divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.