Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for November 2013

Better with age: Review of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

I can’t tell you how old I was (at least 19) or how many years it’s been (too many) since I read Francine Rivers’s classic novel Redeeming Love. But I know my season of life was different. And because of that, when I read it recently for the second time, I found a whole new appreciation for this story. And the need for a box of tissues as I read! (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Waterbrook Multnomah through the Blogging for Books program.)

redeeming loveRedeeming Love is the story of farmer Michael Hosea, whom God tells to marry Angel, a high-priced prostitute in a California mining town in the 1850s. It’s based on the Bible’s book of Hosea, an illustration of God’s faithful love for His unfaithful people.

And Oh. My. Word. I was a wreck!

Angel’s life is tragic from the start. Born to a mother who is a prostitute by a married man who doesn’t want her. Rejected by family. Orphaned at 8. Sold into prostitution as a child. Hers is a story that plays out in real life for too many children worldwide. What follows is despair and hopelessness. Until one day Michael Hosea offers to take her away. He buys her freedom. To love her as a wife.

It would be easy to see this story only in terms of romantic love, to wish for a man who loves unconditionally and sacrificially like Michael. But it’s more than just a nice love story. It’s a picture of God’s love. For us. Every. Single. One.

He pursues us. Loves us. Even when we run. And betray. He patiently awaits our return.

This book has been around for 20 years, so I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t already been said. I love Rivers’ storytelling style, and I feel like I love this particular story better now that I’m older, both in natural age and spiritual age.

If you’ve yet to read this book, I can’t recommend it enough. Biblical books like Hosea can be hard for us to understand sometimes because of names and circumstances that are unfamiliar. Rivers puts all of that into a more understandable context to convey a life-changing truth: no matter what we’ve done, or what’s been done to us, God is faithful. And He loves us. And He wants us.

Good heavens, I’m getting all teary just thinking about it.

Get yourself a box of tissues and let this story invade your soul. And wonder at God’s love.

You can read the first chapter here. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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Want to know more about the author? You can read all about her here or visit her Web site here. She’s got a new book coming next year, and I can’t wait to read it!

For more about the book, including the video trailer, click here.

And would you consider taking a moment to rank this review on the Blogging for Books site? You could win a copy of the book, just for ranking this review. Find it here.

When familiar words become fresh: Review of God Is Able by Priscilla Shirer {plus a giveaway}

Two verses. One powerful message.

In her new book, God Is Able, Priscilla Shirer breaks down Ephesians 3:20-21, familiar words from the apostle Paul, in a fresh and encouraging way. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.)

Here are the words on which she bases the book:

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

god is ableI will confess: this book made me nervous at first. I wondered if she was going to promise that God would answer every prayer if we just had enough faith to believe, or something along those lines. And I wondered if she had any hard places from which to draw her experience. It’s easy to place a Bible teacher, speaker or author on a pedestal of ease, thinking they’ve never had to deal with hardship.

I’m glad to say I was wrong on both accounts.

Shirer makes it clear from the beginning that she has experience with seemingly impossible situations. She lists some of them. And that she’s not promising results. She writes:

Just because God can doesn’t mean He will.

But just because He hasn’t doesn’t mean He won’t.

The bottom line is that He is able. (p. 13)

And it’s that theme, the title of the book, that carries through the book. Each chapter focuses on a word or a phrase from the verse in Ephesians, and I appreciated the chance to dig in to a set of verses that I sometimes gloss over.

Shirer is realistic and encouraging. She exudes hope, which is hard to handle sometimes when you’re in the midst of hopelessness, but doesn’t deny that life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.

Whether or not God CHOOSES to do something is a question of His sovereignty, not His ability. Whether or not He WILL do it is His business. But believing that He CAN–that’s our business. (p. 62)

A tough assignment, especially for those of us with a tendency to want to fix and do something about our problems.

Shirer writes with boldness, humor and honesty. I appreciate her authenticity, and the book was so encouraging I wish I’d had a copy a year ago when life seemed impossible.

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Are you in the same boat? Because I’ve got a copy to give away. Leave a comment on this blog post. You can share about your impossible situation or simply tell me that you need this book. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday night, November 24.