Tag Archive | Rhoda Hardie

These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Sep6

Finding True Treasure

These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a powerful and beautiful Christian historical novel that I adored. It is set in small-town America in 1930.

This is a book about love and relationships – whether with people, places or God. It is also a time when the old order of things is breaking down. “Her father had grudgingly agreed [to marriage] once he’d confirmed Preston’s bank account.” This was an old class system of marriage alliances to bolster families.

We witness different types of marriage. A couple chose love over wealth. Another chose financial security over love. Both marriages worked but in different ways. Being older when facing marriage definitely brings a different set of priorities.

A younger character is not comfortable in his skin. He continually feels that he needs to earn love. For him, rising up the financial ladder will bring love – he doesn’t realise that his other half loves him for who he is, and not the size of his bank account. “Rich or poor, or anywhere in between, honesty is the soil in which strong relationships grow.”

1930 in America was a difficult time for many. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 saw many people lose their money. But “when God closed a door, He often opened a window.”  We find that “It’s troubles that have done the most to shape me into the woman I am today.” We grow more in the valleys than we do on the mountaintop. It is in the valleys that we realise our great need for God.

When we know God, we can praise Him in the valleys as well as on the mountain top.

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Chase The Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Aug15

Searching For True Treasure

Chase The Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a marvellous contemporary Christian novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the second book in the National Parks Summers series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Acadia National Park is the setting for this book. The landscape comes to life under the author’s artistic pen. We ‘see’ the rugged landscape, the high mountains and the crashing waves. It truly is an area of outstanding natural beauty.

There is an ancient mystery to solve and gold treasure to find, hidden in the park, but help will be needed to solve the clues.

We see that legacy and heritage are important. We want to preserve the things of the past. A character wants to save the town’s newspaper as it was started by his distant ancestor. The past is important. We can learn from it as we move into the future.

A leading character belongs to the Penobscot people who worked the land long before the white settlers arrived. Their heritage is important to preserve. “Native Americans all share responsibility for the next generation.” Unfortunately prejudice still exists. Though the Native American character has a commanding presence, he still feels invisible at times due to his heritage.

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The Bookshop Of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright

Jul26

Seek The Light

The Bookshop Of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright is a powerful and compelling Christian dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1888 and in present day in an old house with 99 doors but there is rumoured to be a hundredth door with a portal to another world. Where is it? And what lurks behind it? The narrative in both time periods is similar but different.

Spirits walk amongst us. Characters are searching for answers. They need to put their faith in God and not dabble with the spirits. “Isn’t it safer to reach out to God? Isn’t He the one who created everything? Why give them [spirits] the power over my curiosity when God could have it?” We need to put our trust in God for He is good. Spirits can be meddlesome, and once we open the door, there is no telling who will come in or what they will do. “Even God warns us not to summon the spirits.”

Pray against the spirits, and pray to God. “Her prayers were stilted, her faith uncertain, but when she finished, Millie felt better.” Prayer connects us with God. He renews our minds when we focus on Him.

We meet troubled minds within the book. They have been dabbling in medication which is addictive. Terrible things were seen in the American Civil War. “The war may be over… but it is not silenced.” Minds were broken. “He had seen enough evil… to convince him that if God existed, then God had turned a blind eye to humanity and given them free reign to war against one another.”

It is easy to believe that God has abandoned us but God walks beside us whether we ‘feel’ Him or not. “When you have nothing left… He [God] is all you can rely on.” We can trust God at all times.

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A Song In The Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse

Jul2

For Such A Time As This

A Song In The Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse is a powerful historical Christian novel that I could not put down. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.

The action is set in Europe during 1938 as the world watches on as Hitler’s Nazi Germany consolidates its’ evil regime. This evil radiates outwards from his seat of power in Berlin.

The leading lady is a blind pianist who uses her God-given talent to bring joy to others. As the months count down, she realises that she, too, is one of Hitler’s ‘undesirables.’ “Because I’m blind… I could be seen as less than worthy. Unfit to live.” This opens the eyes of her soul as she does everything in her power to rescue and help those who are viewed as ‘less than’, especially the children. “I can’t sit by and do nothing.”

She is not alone in her endeavours, as her grandmother also has a heart for the persecuted and hurting. “She was willing to use the wealth and resources God had given her to help.” Her age does not stop her from acting.

We witness a life that realises their need for Jesus. “The Lord felt so distant. But she’d been the one to stop communicating.” Now is the time to return to Him. When we know Jesus, we can have peace despite our circumstances. “I’m in the Lord’s hands, and that’s the best place to be.” No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.

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