Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

The Weekly Read

Finding God in nature: Review of Earth Psalms by Francine Rivers

Yes, you read that correctly: Earth Psalms is a new release by Francine Rivers. earth-psalms

I, too, was excited to discover this book, which is a departure from Rivers’ popular inspirational fiction. Earth Psalms is a weekly devotional that directs readers to observe and discover God in the natural world. Pretty great, right? (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book through the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my review.)

Nature is my favorite place to find God, and this devotional is a beauty both in its writing and photography. It is meant to be used weekly and offers reflection questions at the end of each meditation to help readers think about the ways they can see God throughout the week. The very first installment came with a challenge to try to view at least one sunrise and one sunset during the week. That is the sort of spiritual challenge I embrace and welcome.

Earth Psalms would make a great gift book for nature-loving friend and is the perfect commitment of time (weekly) for busy lives. I appreciate that the meditation doesn’t stop at the once-a-week reading, though, and offers ways to connect with God through the natural world throughout the course of a week.

Also, it’s Francine Rivers. Need I say more?

I’ve been enjoying taking this book out to the porch on mornings when my schedule seems overwhelming. It helps me focus and breathe before I tackle my to-do list. I’m not always a big fan of devotional books, but this one is a new favorite.

You can check out a sample here.

Or watch a video teaser about the book here.

An invitation to do it all differently: Review of Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

I really love the way Shauna Niequist puts words together and the lessons she learns that she shares with us, her readers. And the message of her latest book, Present Over Perfect, that we can let go of our frantic lives to take hold of something more meaningful and simple, is one my heart/mind/soul needs to hear. (Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of the book in exchange for my review.) present-over-perfect

There are some writing gems in this book, like:

“The inciting incident for life change is almost always heartbreak.

And,

“It seems to me that Christians, even more than anyone else, ought to be deeply grounded, lying a courageous rhythm of rest, prayer, service, and work.”

Also,

“In season of deep transformation, silence will be your greatest guide.”

So, there are some great take-aways from this book. However, I just wasn’t excited about the format. It’s set up as a series of essays, somewhat connected to a theme, but I couldn’t get into a flow when reading. A lot of great writers and books use this collection-of-essays format, but it just didn’t work for me here. I like a book I can’t put down, and this one almost begged you to set it down and walk away. Although now that I think about it, maybe that’s the best way to read this book and let its message sink in.

Overall, I was encouraged by the book and challenged by some of the questions about how my life is lived and what I might need to say no to. It’s a good read for the fast-paced world in which we live.