Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

The Weekly Read

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.

A mix of what I love about a romantic adventure story: Review of Elusive Hope by MaryLu Tyndall

Earlier this year, I read my first-ever MaryLu Tyndall book when she released the first book in her new series, Forsaken Dreams. I loved it so much, I could hardly wait for the second book, which released this month.

And Elusive Hope doesn’t disappoint. (I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for my review.)

elusive hopeIn it, Tyndall continues the story of the post-Civil War Southerners who are looking to start a new colony in Brazil. Forsaken Dreams told the story of their sea voyage and the relationship between the ship’s captain, Blake, and Southern widow Eliza. Book 2 turns the lens toward Hayden, a con man looking for the father who abandoned his family, and Magnolia, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy couple who is miserable and wants to go home.

The book started a bit slow for me and I wondered if Elusive Hope would be conform to the pattern I’ve often seen in a trilogy where the second book is weak and just a placeholder of sorts between the beginning and the end.

I’m happy to say that Elusive Hope does much better than that. I don’t know how the author does it, but she blends romance, adventure, and spiritual truth in a way that is challenging, interesting and entertaining.

When I read Forsaken Dreams, I compared it to Gone with the Wind, only with the setting on a ship. That was meant to be a compliment. Elusive Hope reminded me of some of my favorite scenes from that ’80s movie Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. I loved that movie, and when Hayden and Magnolia are navigating the jungles of Brazil, I pictured scenes from the movie.

I like that Tyndall’s books remind me of other works I like without feeling like they are carbon copies of those works with a slightly Christian perspective. Tyndall’s characters undergo significant trials and overcome major obstacles on their way to faith. She pulls no punches in her belief that there is a battle of good and evil taking place here and now. Both books so far in the Escape to Paradise series have had elements of spiritual warfare. Elusive Hope’s plot builds on that theme, and without giving anything away, leaves us with a lot of questions yet to be answered in book three.

I, for one, can’t wait to see how this ends.

Tyndall doesn’t write your “typical” Christian fiction, and I don’t mean to knock anyone’s favorite author, but her books are worth the read because they are different in a good way.

You can learn more about MaryLu Tyndall here, and you can find her books at major online retailers.

And check out this hauntingly beautiful book trailer. If I hadn’t already wanted to read the book, the trailer would have sold me on it.

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