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Pearl Girls' 12 Pearls of Christmas: A Hibiscus "Hug from Heaven" by Margaret McSweeney


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Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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A Hibiscus “Hug from Heaven”
by: Margaret McSweeney

photo-12The flurry of festivities during Thanksgiving weekend came to an abrupt halt as I began the first week of December 2013 with an empty nest. My husband was back at work. My daughters were back at college. And my brother, Claude, and niece, Mary, were back in Alabama and Tennessee.

Bare branches accentuated the overcast gloom in the Chicago suburbs on what marked the third anniversary of my brother Randy’s passing. Randy had been feeding a stray cat on his deck when the fatal heart attack struck.

Walking downstairs, I whispered a prayer. “Lord, I am feeling really sad right now. Please help me experience your joy.” As I walked into the family room, my heart smiled. The pruned hibiscus plant balanced a solitary flower that had blossomed overnight! This was truly a hibiscus “hug from heaven.”

In her book When Grief Is Your Constant Companion, my late mother shared her poignant poem about a hibiscus plant. She wrote this following poem several years after losing my dad to a sudden heart attack while he was in Paris on a business trip.

TEARDROPS: EVERLASTING JOY

By Carolyn Rhea

My love, how can it be

That I no longer think of you

Almost every waking moment

And grieve for your loving presence?

There are small spaces of time

When my life is so absorbed in present living

That you are not in my thoughts at all.

How unthinkable!

How sad that I should forget you even for an hour!

But I have not forgotten you, my dear.

You are forever a part of me.

You helped God shape my life

Into my present self.

I carry your love in my heart.

I miss you so very much and always will.

But now I’m caught up in trying to reconstruct

With God’s guidance

A meaningful life for myself.

One in which I can help,

Serve, share, love, grow.

I remember the hibiscus plant

We bought at the annual show.

It was called Teardrops,

For several perfectly-shaped white teardrops

Spattered the broad expanse

Of its gorgeous pink blooms.

How we loved it!

Then later, after it had grown much taller,

We saw a different kind of bloom:

Multitudes of small, sturdy, happy pink blossoms

Swaying merrily in the Florida breeze!

Teardrops had been grafted onto a stronger plant!

We named it Everlasting Joy.

Teardrops still bloomed at the lower level,

But as the plant grew ever upward and outward,

Everlasting Joy bloomed in profusion!

Lord Jesus, when teardrops fall,

Help me remember that through faith

I have been grafted in You –

You, the vine;

I, a branch –

Eternally secure in God’s love through Thee!

Blessed with Thy fullness of joy on earth

And the promise of everlasting joy in heaven!

Thank you, dear Father for sharing your everlasting joy with me today in my solitude. We are not alone in our grief. You are with us.

“Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” John 16:20

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Margaret McSweeney is well-published author (A Mother’s Heart Knows, Go Back and Be Happy, Pearl Girls, Mother of Pearl, Aftermath), host of Kitchen Chat, and the founder of Pearl Girls™. Through Pearl Girls™, Margaret collaborates with other writers on projects to help fund a safe house for WINGS, an organization that helps women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, and to build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda through Hands of Hope. For the past twelve years she has served on the board of directors and leadership advisory board for WINGS. Margaret lives with her husband and 2 daughters in the Chicago suburbs. Learn more at Margaret’s website.

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5 on Friday: Books to get you through winter {plus a giveaway!}

It snowed here this week, which has me thinking all things winter. Hot drinks. Warm blankets. Pretty scenery (viewed from inside, of course!). While I’m not much of a play-in-the-snow kind of person, I don’t mind snow. If it’s going to be cold, I’d rather have snow than nothing.

1. A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs. I read this novella last year, and I’ll probabl

No matter the season, I have books on the brain. And I’ve been thinking of some Christmas-themed ones and winter-themed ones that might make your winter a little warmer. Here are five that come to mind. (And I’m giving two of them away!)wreath of snow

y pick it up again. I didn’t used to read Christmas stories around Christmas, but there’s a charm to it.

sweethave christmas2. A Sweethaven Christmas by Courtney Walsh. This is the third book in a series, but if you’re from a small town that has a Christmas walk/parade/festival, then this book will take you back there. I haven’t been to something like that in years but when I read this story, I felt like I was home. (Keep reading to find out how to win a copy of this one!)

3. Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma. A new release I read this week (and it was on sale on Kindle!). Set in 1945 in the Netherlands, the book focuses on Dutch Resistance efforts and one woman’s internal battle with living safe or living free. Also, based, in part, on a true story from Tolsma’s family.

4. Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman. Another good one about a woman becoming who she truly is. I love that the main character’s name is Lily Winter. As she recovers from the loss of her husband and her daughter’s transition to college, Lily heads to Australia in search of a twin sister she never knew she had.

wildflowers from winter5. Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert. (I guess I have a thing for flowers and winter imagery!) In it, a small-town girl making it big in the city returns to her hometown to deal with tragedy and finds that leaving her past behind isn’t as easy as she thought. And I happen to have an extra signed copy of this one in the house, so I’d love to give it away. Consider it a Christmas present to you, my book-loving friends! Is there any better present than a book? Maybe, but books are near the top of the list for me!

And I’ve got a copy of A Sweethaven Christmas to give away! Two books, two winners!

So, how do you win? Just leave me a comment about what you love/hate/appreciate/despise about winter, or answer any of the questions below. Also, if you’d prefer one book over the other, let me know that. One winner per book, though! I’ll pick two winners on Tuesday, December 17 (my grandmother’s birthday!). (Contest open to U.S. readers.)

What other Christmas/winter books would you add to the list? Have you read any of these?

What stories do you like to read when the temperatures drop?

Books: best of 2013, a look ahead to 2014

I’ve wrapped up my “official” reading for 2013, and I wanted to share with you the best of the best from this year. Also, I’m going to be doing things a bit differently next year when it comes to reviews. I’ll let you in on that as well.

So, here goes! The best books I read this year. So many to choose from, and I’m sure I’m leaving some out.

Let’s start with fiction.

sleeping in edenBEST OVERALL: Way back in January, I read an advanced copy of Nicole Baart’s Sleeping in Eden, and I predicted it would be among the best books I read all year. It set a high standard for books, and as the year closes, I have to say, I told me so. You can read my review here. It’s a book I want to read again because of its beauty and rich plot. It’s not a light read, but it’s well worth it.

BEST SERIES: The Cadence of Grace series by Joanne Bischof rocked. my. world. I read the first two books back to back in the same week. A mistake because I was SO emotional at the end of it. You can read my reviews of those here. And then I waited months for the finale, which I reviewed here. I couldn’t get the characters out of my head, and the story is a gritty look at the price of past mistakes and the cost of redemption and the beauty of grace. A new classic series for the historical Christian fiction fan. Cadence-of-Grace-1-1024x691

BEST UNFINISHED SERIES: I read several other unfinished series this year. Two, in particular, have me eagerly awaiting the conclusion.

Michael K. Reynolds’ Heirs of Ireland series, which began with Flight of the Earls and continued with In Golden Splendor, concludes next month with Songs of the Shenandoah. In Flight of the Earls, Reynolds wrote the best opening line I’ve read in a long time. And his writing continued to awe me through these books.

forsaken dreams coverAnd MaryLu Tyndall’s Escape to Paradise series, which began with Forsaken Dreams and continued with Elusive Hope, finishes next summer with Abandoned Memories. Forsaken Dreams was my first full-length read of Tyndall’s work, but I’m totally hooked. I’ve read four other books by her since March. Tyndall has a unique way of blending adventure, mystery and romance.

BEST NON-CHRISTIAN FICTION: Most of what I read falls in the Christian category. This year, I branched out a couple of times, something I hope to do more of. Neil Gaiman is an author I’ve been wanting to read, and his newest book The Ocean at the End of the Lane almost jumped off the new book shelf at the library. So, I took it home, and I LOVED it. It’s short, mystical and deep. I would read it again in a heartbeat.

MOST UNEXPECTED: I got the chance to read an advanced copy of Heather Day Gilbert’s debut, God’s godsdaughterDaughter, a self-published novel about Vikings. I’ve “met” Heather online and the premise was worth the risk. And let me say that this book shattered my preconceived notions about self-published books. This is totally worth it. A good story, well-written, with a gorgeous cover.  We haven’t seen the last of her.

BEST RE-READ: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. (insert sigh) Now that I have a copy, I will read this book often. There’s a reason it’s a classic in Christian fiction.

HONORABLE MENTION: Halfway through the year, I picked these as my best books for the first half of the year. I would include them still. In the second half of the year, I’d add Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron, In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix and Frame 232 by Wil Mara.

Now, to non-fiction. Here’s where my list stood at the halfway point of the year.

BEST OVERALL: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I avoided this book for a while because I expected something preachy from someone with a perfect life. Ha! I was so wrong. Gently challenging and beautiful. Voskamp has a way with words I can hardly describe. She sees things differently and opens readers to the beauty around. This book is her personal journey toward thankfulness from a bitter heart. A read and read again kind of book.

BEST RE-READ: Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. I read through this early in the year. This fall, our church’s book club has been reading it, and I’ve found it richer in community.

BEST MEMOIR: When We Were on Fire by Addie Zierman. This account of growing up in evangelical Christianity in the ’90s brought tears and laughter, and at times felt like it was part of my own Christian journey. Honest, real. I love a good memoir and this is among the best. jesus feminist

MOST UNEXPECTED: Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Five years ago, I would not have picked up a book with the word “feminist” in the title. Even after a shift in what I believe, I was still a bit nervous to read this. I thought it might be angry and demeaning toward men. Again, I’m happy to say I was wrong. (Are you sensing a theme here? I think I judge a book by its cover!!) A call to community. An affirmation of gifts. A tender tug toward wholeness as a body.

MOST CHALLENGING: The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It took the author’s death for me to finally pick up one of his books. What was I waiting for? This book is challenging because of its radical emphasis on grace. These are words to ponder and ponder again. So glad I read them.

SpiritualDangerOfDoingGood_200rgb-662x1024HONORABLE MENTION: In addition to the ones I picked at the halfway point, I’d add The In-Between by Jeff Goins, The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good by Peter Greer and Jesus, My Father, the CIA and me by Ian Morgan Cron.

And now, a few words about my reading and reviewing plan for 2014.

In years past I’ve committed to reviewing a book on this blog once a week, every week, for the entire year. I’ve found myself bogged down by that plan and requesting books to review that I’m only partially interested in. So, for 2014, I’m going to focus first on the books in my house that I haven’t read.

Here’s a sneak peek at those.

2014 TBR

I will be constantly reading but may not review everything with a blog post here. If you’re a book lover as well and want to keep up with what I’m reading, find me on Goodreads. At the very least, I give a rating to what I’m reading, and sometimes I’ll write a short review. I want to enjoy what I’m reading again, not read merely out of duty. So, you’ll still find the occasional review here, but not as many as before.

Your turn! What are among the best books you’ve read this year? What books are you looking forward to in 2014?

When sending your husband to a brothel is the right move: Review of The Exodus Road by Laura Parker

“There are a million reasons why upstanding moral men don’t belong in strip clubs. A million. … We couldn’t get past the idea that maybe there was a noble reason for a good man to frequent a brothel, after all.” (The Exodus Road, p. 31)

Matt and Laura Parker didn’t make the decision lightly. Missionaries living in Malaysia at the time, they were increasingly aware of the horrors of trafficking, particularly sex trafficking, happening not only in the country but in their community. When confronted with the realities, they couldn’t sit by and do nothing. So, Matt started going in.

laura-book-quote

In The Exodus Road: A Wife’s Journey into Sex Trafficking and Rescue, Laura Parker writes about their experiences with the culture and the beginning stages of rescue from her perspective, as a wife and mom. It’s an honest and eye-opening look at the process the couple went through when deciding how to take action. What resulted is an organization, The Exodus Road, that works with local non-governmental organizations and undercover investigators to locate and document illegal activity in the sex industry. Their work began in Southeast Asia, and they now  have partners in India. exodus-road-book-274x300

I’ve been blogging for The Exodus Road for a year now. (Read my first post here.) And I love the work they do. What the Parkers discovered was a need for people to get in the fight. There were organizations focusing on prevention and aftercare but not a lot of people were going into brothels to gather evidence and initiate rescue.

The book tells the before story. The website tells the continuing story. And while I wanted more of everything from the book–more stories, more details, more chapters–it serves as a good introduction for someone new to the anti-trafficking movement. And it really is just the beginning of the story. Rescues are happening. Investigations are continuing. They are in the fight, and they are doing good work.

And while the Parkers write and speak from a Christian perspective because they are Christians, they don’t limit the work of The Exodus Road to only Christians. They cross cultural, religious and national boundaries to work together for the sake of rescue. It’s a beautiful thing.

I appreciated this book from a wife’s perspective. It would have been easy for Matt to write about his side of it, or for them to write a book together about what they’ve seen happen with The Exodus Road. But I think it’s good to have Laura’s words about her struggles and her journey to accept this part of their calling.

You can learn more about their work at http://theexodusroad.com. In their short life as a non-profit, they’ve supported nearly 200 rescues and have dozens of ongoing investigations.

“Justice is in the hands of the ordinary,” they like to say.  Their story may never make the big screen, but they are doing the work of heroes. Every. Single. Day.

Justice-in-the-hands-of-the-ordinaryI encourage you to consider how you can join the fight.

When it's not the end: The story I never thought I'd tell

Today, I’m a guest writer at my friend Alison’s blog, concluding her months-long series Nothing So Broken. When she asked me back at the end of summer to participate, I wanted to say “yes,” even knowing that saying “yes” meant telling the story I never thought I’d tell.

It’s a love story, and like all good love stories, there’s plenty of conflict. But there’s also hope and grace and forgiveness.

It begins where most fairy tales end: with a wedding.

We stood at the altar, him and me, making promises, pledging our troth, nodding in agreement as our pastor and friend counseled us to lean not on our own understanding.

I was 29. It had been a decade of watching most of my friends get married and begin to have babies, wondering when it would be my turn. Ten
years earlier I had given my life to Christ, and I had expected him to find me a prince worthy of a happily ever after. I had waited what felt like a very
long time, but when I met Phil, I knew from the start something was happening.

Read the rest of the post here.

How to open the door: Review of Let Hope In by Pete Wilson

I didn’t plan it this way, but I’m glad it worked out. It’s the first week of Advent, the time we focus on hope, and Pete Wilson’s book Let Hope In, is an encouraging resource for those of us who find it hard to hope. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my review.)

let hope inIn it Wilson presents four choices he calls life-changing. I was afraid he was going to oversimplify or oversell it, but it’s clear from the beginning that Wilson is not preaching self-help. In fact, he says it’s impossible. The harder we try to change ourselves, overcome our past or rid our life of sin, the less change we actually experience. His encouragement is to seek transformation instead of transferring blame, to accept that we’re not okay, to trust God rather than aim for people pleasing, and to offer freedom instead of hurt to others.

I didn’t know much about Wilson before I picked up his book, but I find his writing style approachable. He shares stories of his family and friends, of his personal struggles with sin and temptation. He doesn’t speak as a preacher from a high pulpit but as a guide on level ground with fellow travelers.

Hope is a tricky thing, hard to grasp sometimes and even harder to maintain a hold on, but Wilson has given it flesh.

Practical. Realistic. Attainable.

Our choices can be the door that lets hope into our lives.

5 on Friday: Guilt-free Black Friday shopping

I avoid Black Friday shopping for the same reason I don’t go to the grocery store on Saturday mornings, Sundays or late afternoon on weekdays: I don’t like crowds, and people in a rush make me anxious.

That said, I do like shopping when I have money to spend. So, I don’t want to be a Black Friday party pooper, but I also want to encourage your holiday shopping to make a difference in the world, not just in your world.

Here are five places to shop tonight, and the rest of the holiday season (and all year long) that won’t leave you feeling guilty and will make a positive difference in someone else’s life.

1. Imagine Goods. I’ve told you before about the fabulous work these ladies are doing. But I’ll say it again. And again. And again. Here, they’re selling clothes, tablecloths, napkins, and aprons made through a trustworthy supply chain by workers earning a fair wage in Cambodia. They’re recycling clothing (and brass from landmines!) into new clothing and jewelry. And they provide a symbol on each of their pieces so you, the buyer, can learn about the person who made your clothing and what this job means to them.

2. Nozomi Project. A Japanese friend introduced me to this beautiful work. Through this project, Japanese women are finding hope and lives restored as they create jewelry from broken pottery left in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami. The jewelry is beautiful and so are the stories.

3. The Exodus Road. Okay, this one is a limited time only. Ends Nov. 30. This anti-trafficking organization is offering gift packs ranging from $17-$25 that include a book about the organization, bumper stickers and a T-shirt or sweatshirt, depending on the donation. The real gift here isn’t what you get. It’s what you give. Purchasing a gift pack enables the funding of investigations into sex trafficking in Southeast Asia and India. Their goal by the end of tomorrow is to fund an entire year of investigations. Your purchase can help.

4. Restyle. I got a set of handmade cards from this company a few years ago, and they are gorgeous! Not only that, but they are eco-friendly and made by women earning a fair wage in India and El Salvador. (Are you sensing a theme here?) But cards are only a small part of their products. They, too, have jewelry made from seeds, wallets and bags made from recycled tire tubes, and ornaments made, in part, from recycled orange peels. I love innovation and creativity, and these products showcase that. And, again, they provide quality employment for women around the world.

5. Catalogs. When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for the humongous department store catalog to show up at my grandparents’ house. Then my brother and I would flip through it and circle what we wanted for Christmas. That’s a bygone practice for department stores, but there are a ton of organizations that offer giving catalogs this time of year. In them you’ll find opportunities to give money toward gifts like goats and chickens, milk, mosquito nets, clean water and other life-saving necessities we take for granted but are absent in the poorest countries of the world. Check out organizations like Heifer International, Compassion, and Samaritan’s Purse for starters.

This is not in any way an exhaustive list of how you can give and shop with meaning this holiday season. But if you’re looking for a place to start, these are good options. Feel free to add your own ideas and suggestions in the comments.

 

When the thankfulness takes thought

Yesterday I was feeling anything but thankful.

Lonely. Stressed. Overwhelmed. Ungrateful. Bitter.

Yeah, that’s more what my day before Thanksgiving was like. The list-making, the shopping, my daughter home from school giving us an extra six hours of potential fighting with her brother. I wanted to be thankful. But wanting it wasn’t making it happen.

Earlier in the week I’d realized this is our sixth Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania. The sixth year we’ve been absent from our family celebration in Illinois. It was coupled with the realization that Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. Phil and I love the food and family, the togetherness in playing board games, laughing, sharing stories of years gone by. On Thanksgiving there’s no pressure to bring anything except yourself (and maybe your signature dish). No gifts. No pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I like Christmas. In theory. Maybe those are thoughts for another day.

So, there I was missing my family, not looking forward to the food prep ahead of me, feeling bad for feeling unthankful.

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My hands were covered in flour, sticky and dough-covered as I formed and shaped the rolls. Our daughter stood next to me, her hands matching mine, doing her best to make round balls of dough that would later become dinner rolls. Our son was crumbling cornbread into a bowl, readying it for the cornbread dressing to be baked the next day.

And I realized something else.

In the six years we’ve been in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, I’ve learned a lot of things I might not have learned.

Making homemade rolls, for one. It’s taken me years to decipher the traditional recipe from my husband’s side of the family, and I still don’t get it right all the time. But I can make rolls from scratch using flour and yeast and everything, and they taste like dinner rolls, even if they look like blobs instead of clovers.

For this, I am thankful.

And cooking a turkey. I was terrified the first year, sure I would screw it up. But for five consecutive years I’ve brined and cleaned and oiled and roasted a turkey. (This year, we opted for a pork chop Thanksgiving.) And I learned that I actually like turkey.

For this, I am thankful.

I make pie crusts from scratch. We have our own food traditions now.

For this, I am thankful.

Over these years we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving with select members of our family, with other people’s families, with just the four of us. One year, we celebrated in anticipation of the arrival of the fourth member of our family.

And I’ve learned that sometimes family is geographic, rather than genetic. As much as we love our blood relatives, we’ve found friends who are as much like family here in Pennsylvania.

For this, I am thankful.

And I’ve learned to be thankful even when my husband had to work on Thanksgiving because at least he had a job.

This year, we’re glad to have him home for the day.

As we cooked up kukelas (pronounced like koo-kah-luhs), the German fried and sugared dough of my husband’s family’s heritage, and ate our fill of sugary goodness, the thankfulness hit me again. I’m thankful for this family, this house, this season of life, not because I think we deserve it or even because we have so much, but because we know what it is to not have, to nearly lose what’s most important, to take for granted.

For this, I am thankful. 

Not only for the blessings of God but for His mercy. For the grace of others. For love that covers a multitude of sins.

In everything, give thanks.

 

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.