As I logged on my Goodreads account I was a bit surprised I had only read four books this month. I do have quite a few started, so maybe next months with big a bigger amount of books read :). Also, I feel like anytime someone reads a Francine Rivers book we should get credit for two books since they are so long!
Her Mothers Hope by Francine Rivers
Topic: I’d say this book is a mix of finding belonging, following dreams, mother/daughter relationships, and the tension between truth/justice and meekness/trust. A front row view of contrasting personalities.
Who it may interest: Historical fiction lovers who like an entertaining read with deep lessons mixed in.
Story: The story starts out with Marta’s childhood and follows her until she’s been married for awhile. We get to live her life and experience what made her the person she is. Then the point of view then changes to one of her daughters: Hildemara. Marta is “strong”, fights for truth and what’s right. Her sister was “weak” and Marta is scarred from something that happened with her. Hildemara reminds Marta of her sister so she tries her hardest to toughen her up. As a reader we get to walk in both shoes and see the pain that came on both ends.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Dont give up. We need to be who God made us to be and do what He asks us even when others don’t think it’s valuable—or understand it. Even when others criticize or tear down. The middle is often messy but God is working something beautiful even from what looks like a mess.
Extra thoughts: I very much resonated with Hildemara. I felt as if I was looking back at myself in a way as I read her point of view. In my opinion she was written with highly sensitive and introverted characteristics. As a highly sensitive introvert, I thought the author did really good at portraying the struggles that we can face and the tension of what ppl expect verses what we can actually do or how we are perceived verses what our intentions are through the character Hildemara.
The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel
Topic: An atheist journalist goes on a quest to research (or rather disprove) Jesus because his wife had surrendered her life to Christ.
Who it may interest: Anyone wanting to have some apologetics in their tool belt or anyone wrestling with the question, is the Bible real…was Jesus really all he said he was.
Helpfulness: As I read through all the ways Jesus is explained away I was hit with a thought: it seems to take more faith to believe the ways Jesus is explained away than simply believing in him. The arguments against and the case for was laid out and written in a very understandable way. At the end of the book he summarizes all the arguments for one final overview.
Ease of reading: Medium-hard. It takes some thinking power to process all the evidence and findings. The author does really good at prefacing each new topic with examples of cases from court he has studied and written pieces on. It brings the validity and reason for the evidence he’s showing for Christ into a much easier way to understand because he has related it to something understandable to modern day minds.
Main takeaway: There is overwhelming evidence that supports the Bible is true and who Jesus says he is. I really walked away thinking wow—it would take more faith to believe the arguments against Jesus.
Extra thoughts: The more I study history, the more I see God at work. As I read this book I couldn’t help but see how interweaved and important history is in the case for Christ. People can brush Christianity off as good feelings, or a crutch, or a myth…but I wonder if they have ever studied the history of it all. My faith didn’t need The Case for Christ, but it was strengthened by it. It gives me a much clearer understanding on why I believe what I believe in the face of all the critiques of today. I loved that the perspective of this was a journalist who had whiteness countless cases in court in his life. He makes the statement at the end of the book as he was processing the evidence for Christ: “I had seen defendants carted off to the death chamber on much less convincing proof”.
I think this can be a very beneficial read for many people!
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Topic: The challenges faced by the people of Kentucky with a rare gene that caused a blood disorder causing their skin to be blue.
Who it may interest: Historical fiction fans. Anyone interested in reading about the blue people of Kentucky and the pack horse library route.
Story: This book gave a good look at the struggles of life in the mountains of Kentucky along with the struggles of life as a blue person. The unfair discrimination and injustice one faces simply by being different. I loved the emphasis on the importance of getting books into peoples hands even if it was hard. The excitement books brought into a secluded poor area. I enjoyed learning about this all written in a good/sad story.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Just because your different doesn’t mean your bad. We need to really be aware of how we treat people that are different than us.
Extra thoughts: The author did a really good job of putting you in the setting with descriptions and explanations as well as how the characters spoke, it felt very well researched and authentic.
There was swearing. There was also a lot of religious aspects pulled in…this push and pull that never really seemed to come to any conclusions.
Plain Faith by Irene and Ora Jay Eash with Tricia Goyer
Topic: The journey of an Amish couple through loss and eventually separation from the Amish
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves reading peoples stories. Anyone wanting to peek into the Amish lifestyle. Anyone wrestling with religion over faith, works over grace.
Helpfulness: This book was filled with insights on the Amish lifestyle. It really drew me in and I felt like I was friends with Irene and Ora Jay. In many ways I could relate to parts of their story. I could relate to the wrestle of fear of man’s opinions over the leading of the Spirit. I felt their tension, I understood their struggles, and I really resonated with the conclusions they came to as Christ followers.
Ease of reading: It’s an easy read, one filled with not only facts but emotions too. It really puts you in the characters shoes.
Main takeaway: A relationship with Christ is the foundation of our faith, it’s what saves us. The leading of the Spirit holds incredible power.
Extra thoughts: As a child I had an Amish babysitter. It was fascinating for me to read a story from an Amish perspective since I had observed their life being partially in their community. This book was incredibly special to me because of the proximity I had with Amish. The reality was, this couple ended up leaving the Amish faith and that was so hard, but their story is told in a very honoring respectful way, despite it being a hard topic.
