Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

The Weekly Read

Jewel of the Old West: Review of All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

I can’t resist a historical romance set in the Old West, and Maureen Lang’s latest, All in Good Time, set in 1880s Denver, Colorado, doesn’t disappoint. all in good time cover (Also I really love the cover. She means business!)

Dessa Caldwell is on a mission to open a home for women who want to leave a life of prostitution behind. To fulfill her dream, she needs a bank to approve her loan application, and so far, no bank will take a chance on a charitable organization’s success. Hawkins National Bank is her final hope for a loan. An initial meeting with bank clerk Tobias Ridgeway gives Dessa hope that her loan might be approved, but it’s the bank’s owner Henry Hawkins who must give final approval.

Hawkins is skeptical about Dessa’s potential for success but he’s drawn to her passion to live and work in the city’s roughest neighborhood. As their paths continue to cross, both Dessa and Henry must decide if the secrets they are keeping about their respective pasts will keep them from their futures.

This was my first read from Lang, and I was most interested in the main character’s ministry to women leaving prostitution. The story developed a little more slowly than I usually like, and I had almost no interest in Henry Hawkins at the beginning. He’s a recluse because of the secret he keeps and comes off older than he is. I couldn’t picture him as the hero or love interest in this story, especially since I liked Dessa so much. She’s a strong woman with drive and determination, as well as a compassionate spirit.

But as the story progressed, I grew to like the direction it was heading, although the pace never did accelerate. But that doesn’t mean it was a boring book. Far from it. I’ve heard good things about Lang, and I have another of her books awaiting me in my to-read pile. I wouldn’t say this was the best book I’ve ever read, but I liked it enough to read more from this author in the future.

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In exchange for my review, I received a copy of All in Good Time from Tyndale House Publishers.

 

Embracing uncomfortable: Review of Wrecked by Jeff Goins

The subtitle to Jeff Goins’ book Wrecked sounds like the sort of thing you’d want to avoid: “When a broken world slams into your comfortable life.”

And, I’ll admit, this was not an easy book to read. Not because the writing is confusing or the structure unclear.

No, Wrecked is a book that lives up to its name. wrecked cover

If you aren’t wrecked already when you read it, you will be. But don’t let that scare you away.

Goins offers stories and practical life advice for how to embrace what makes us most uncomfortable and live a life of radical obedience, even when the “adventure” looks more like “mundane.” Being wrecked means we’ve encountered something outside of our comfort zone and have made a choice to not go back to the way things were.

I’m afraid I’m not doing the book justice. When I read a book these days, I dog-ear the pages where I’ve read something that resonates. Almost every other page in Wrecked is dog-eared. Goins is a gifted storyteller, and his advice sounds more like gentle yet challenging encouragement from someone who’s traveled the road already than mandates from someone without a clue what they’re talking about.

To be wrecked begins with an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and self-centeredness, whether you want it to or not. … Being wrecked means everything you believe–everything you know about yourself, your world, and your destiny–is now in question. (34-35)

Before reading this book, my life got wrecked by a change in circumstances–financial, emotional, spiritual. All of it. Over time I’ve wondered if this is a good thing. Goins’ book offers stories that assure me I’m not alone and that even when it’s painful, being wrecked has the potential to foster deep change.

But it’s not enough to be wrecked. It’s not enough to see and walk away. Goins challenges us to commit to work that affirms what wrecked us in the first place.

Change always happens when you come down from the clouds and deal with the messiness of life. When you turn a mission trip into a lifestyle. … Real transformation happens when you commit. (92)

Although Goins draws from missions experiences and stories, this book is for anyone called to something by God. As a wife/stay-at-home mom/writer, I found the principles and stories in Wrecked meaningful and applicable to my situation.

It’s a small book, less than 200 pages, but each chapter is full of life-giving truth. I judged the book by its length, thinking I could breeze through it. Instead, I found myself reading a few pages and setting it down for a couple of days. In the places where I’d been wrecked already and thought I had moved past, I found the book wrecking me all over again, giving me a gentle nudge to take another step out of the comfortable life.

Even now as I revisit the pages I marked, I find myself lifted by the words.

If you’ve had an experience (a mission trip, a major life change, an encounter with poverty) that has wrecked you and you don’t know what to do now, this book is for you.

If you’re looking for your life’s calling, this book can guide you in finding it.

It would be good reading for high school and college grads who want to live the story God has for them.

As Michael Hyatt says in the book’s foreword, Wrecked “is not designed to make you feel overwhelmed by the world’s problems. Nor is it designed to make you feel guilty for not doing enough. No, it’s more than this. It is an invitation to lead a wrecked life–one that is shaken up but transformed by confronting the world’s most difficult challenges. It’s about living the life we are so often afraid to live. … It’s about stepping into the pain and discovering fulfillment in the most unlikely places.”

You’ve been invited to be wrecked.

The choice, now, is yours.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Wrecked from Moody Publishers.