Love, God by Deborah J Simmons-Roslak and Linda J Orber

Jan15

Here Is Love Vast As The Ocean

Love, God by Deborah J Simmons-Roslak and Linda J Orber is a powerful book about the love that God has for us. His love is as vast as the ocean. This book will help you draw as close to God as you want to.

The book is split into short sections. Each section is sub divided into sayings from others, explaining a theory such as fear, blessings, grace etc., ‘a moment to listen’ to what God might be saying to you, guided meditation to help you press into God with the help of questions and relaxing techniques such as imagining yourself in the arms of God, and finally a space to write your thoughts.

I read this book in just a couple of sittings. However I think it would be a great study aid for Life Groups to work through a section at a time. Or also for personal reflection and growth, taking a section at a time.

Love, God is an aid to help you grow your relationship with God. It is a book about love because God is love. “Jesus… showed us what Love looked like.” How would our lives look if we let love be our motivation and our driving force?

We are our own worst critics. We sit in judgment of ourselves daily. Actually we are “the delight of Heaven.”

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The Hidden Women by Kerry Barrett

Jan15

No Regrets

The Hidden Women by Kerry Barrett is a gripping contemporary and historical novel that will have your emotions shot to pieces.

The book celebrates the groundbreaking achievements of the first female pilots in WWII. Their bravery and courage is to be admired. They are very much modern women seeking equality with men in an age of inequality.

The Hidden Women explores the underground network of women who stood up for and helped other women, at the risk to their own liberty. Unwanted pregnancies in the war years were not uncommon, helping these women with secret adoptions and more was not. Brave women risked prison to help those with nowhere to turn. This novel is a tribute to those brave women who helped those whom society preferred to judge rather than love.

The dual timeline explores how attitudes have changed. The reader is treated to two different voices in the two time periods. Both are in the first person so we become intimately acquainted with both women and their gutsy personalities.

The women in the novel are strong in comparison with the men who seem weak and some of whom take advantage of the minors in their charge.

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Who I Am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher

Jan14

A Quiver Of Arrows

Who I Am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher is a charming dual timeline Christian novel that will warm your heart and soothe your soul. It is the first book in the Legacy Of Faith series.

The novel is set in present day and during the depression caused by the stock market crash of 1929. There are similar themes and topics covered in both periods including the devastating loss of a child which produces many unanswered questions as well as a pulling away from God. “She didn’t want her Mom to know that she’d wandered. From God… From believing or even from hoping.” The loss consumes. It is a pit from which there feels like no return. “She’d felt abandoned by God long before she’d abandoned Him.” God never abandons us but in our pain, we are so focused on our loss that we do not look for God. Therefore we do not see or feel Him, but our lack of vision and emotional detachment does not mean God is far away.

God is the God of restoration. He will restore the years the locusts have eaten. The themes in the novel remind the reader of the story of Job who also lost everything.

The novel explores true riches. People suffered terribly in the depression. True riches are never about money and always about people. We see that like the widow’s mitre, people shared what little they had with those who had nothing. There is the theme of taking care of the widows and orphans in both time periods.

Dual themes of forgiveness and trust appear in both stories. Withholding forgiveness creates a burden that becomes heavier over time. Forgiveness is freeing. It is a process that we may need to repeat.

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Castle On The Rise by Kristy Cambron

Jan12

Let The Music Play Again

Castle On The Rise by Kristy Cambron is the most marvellous Christian tale of patriotism, rebellion and bravery. “Men who seek freedom must be prepared to die for it.” It is the second book in the Lost Castle series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in Ireland over three distinct periods – present day, 1916 and 1798. The chapters alternate as the reader gets a glimpse into the troubled Irish history. There is a link down the ages for the reader to follow. Traditions, history and the troubles all combine in one first class novel.

There have always been tensions between the English and Irish down the years. Ireland has been a melting pot and when it boils over, a blood shed revolution occurs. Families are torn apart as they have to choose between English roots or Irish loyalties.

Friendship is important. “Friends – they’re the family we get to choose.” Good friends support each other through thick and thin. We get to write our stories in partnership with God. “Something God was crafting behind the scenes” but our stories are ours to tell.

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