Reading the Anne of Green Gables novels straight through gave me a clear picture of Anne’s character arc, a redemptive arc if ever there was one. It also showed me L. M. Montgomery’s Christian worldview. Her worldview jumps from the pages so clearly that I began to highlight the many Bible references, though none of them are given a chapter and verse.
When I heard about the new book by Mark Vroegop, Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life, I knew I needed to read it. The title alone spoke to my heart. Goodness, my life has its share of uncertainties! I want real comfort in the midst of those uncertainties.
From the start, I was in good company. Vroegop makes it clear that he, too, isn’t good at waiting. I appreciated the kinship he offered throughout the book.
He starts by defining waiting: Waiting on God is living on what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life.
He then unpacks how we can wait on God with faith.
Read MoreThis Homeward Ache is a series of memoir-like essays on the author’s experience of Sehnsucht—a sense of separation from and the ceaseless longing for a place one has never been. C.S. Lewis, the author points out, calls it Joy (in Surprised by Joy). The author’s argument is that these longings point us toward Heaven, the home where we belong but have not yet reached.
I give This Homeward Ache 4 stars because it felt like a lovely conversation. The sometimes-burdensome descriptions kept me from giving it 5 stars.
Read MoreHere are my favorite books read in 2024 (not necessarily published in 2024) in five categories: Nonfiction, Fiction, Biography, Christian Living, and Cozy Mysteries.
Read MoreMr. Cotter shares his emotions, thoughts, dreams, frustrations, and new understandings as he loses his hearing to Meniere’s Disease. I love that he didn’t hold back. It helped me to know all the little things he suffered and processed, things my father may have also felt and thought.
This book is not written from a Christian worldview, but it is written honestly. I appreciate that.
Read MoreIn Dr. Paul Brand’s book The Gift of Pain Brand says pain is the body's built-in warning system that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Time and again, he found that lack of pain was his patient’s worst enemy. I nodded, understanding and wishing I didn’t.
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