The Sacred Echo

"He does not want us to wait alone, but rather to wait on him alone."

At the beginning of the summer I finished the book The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg. I went through it, one chapter a week, with a friend. Wow, what a life changing experience.

This is my first and not my last, (I have already started her book Organic God), Margaret Feinberg read. I have to say, I love her. I felt the entire way through the book as though we were sitting enjoying coffee in my living room. Her story is personal and strong and intimate. Things that most books in this particular genre can lack.

The book tackles the subject of hearing from God and how his voice echos around us. I believe the biggest influence this book had on my own personal journey, is that even I can put God in a box. Yes, sometimes I pray and expect Him to answer in one way and I don't see the very real ways He communicates, intentionally, in many different ways and areas of my life. Often times, repeating or echoing the message He has for me.

My favorite chapter is titled bring them to me. In essence, Margaret challenges us to bring our hardest requests, our most difficult questions to God. What would it mean to us if we accepted the invitation to bring our prayers to God, our heartbreaks and pain, and the allowed Him to provide the answers, to be the one who "...makes sense out of a nonsensical world."

I would put this at the top of your to-read list. Enjoy it with a friend and experience the challenges and reflection questions at the end of the book with them. It will change you. It will change your relationship with our Papa.

Everyone Communicates Few Connect

John C Maxwell, Everyone Communicates Few Connect. A world-renowned leadership expert. Admittedly, this is my fist Maxwell experience. I am new to persuing leadership as a part of my character and identity, this book was and is a great resource.

Most non-fiction books in the area of leadership are sure-fire cures for insomnia. Not so with Everyone Communicates. This is a practicle guide to being a better communicator, a better connecter, with your entire circle of influence.

Not only does Maxwell give examples of how we fail but how we can succeed in the situation or relationship the next time. Repeadly, I found myself thinking, "that is why that didn't work". This book is a tool I will continually use as I journey through leadership.

I would recommend this book to anyone who considers leadership. Even if that leadership is in your personal life and relationships this book has something for all the ways we can become better connecters with the people in our lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Water For Elephants

As my first finished up summer read I enjoyed Water for Elephants. It was an intriguing story of one man's journey of remembrance, forgiveness and redemption.

Jacob, the main character pulls you in from the beginning. The book follows him as he reflects on the journey his life has brought him through. It is a story of circumstance and love. And, if you ever wonder how someone may end up working in a circus, this is a pretty good adventure in that way to.

I am never one to give away plot and I am sure you can find a bazillion summaries of the story. But, as an avid reader and someone always looking to connect with the main character, even if it means being disappointed or frustrated with them, I will say this book hit the mark.

It is an enjoyable, quick read and I would highly recommend it.

The Vertical Self

How do you define yourself? Do you wait for the world to tell you who you are? Do you look to the one that created you to show you who He created you to be?

The Vertical Self: How biblical faith can help us discover who we are in an age of self obsession by Mark Sayers is one of my most recent reads.

I would have to say that this book is definitely geared towards a specific audience. I think the intent was to meet a more broad need of those in the Christian world in search for a definition to their identity. I felt, it more directly would help or give insight to those in church leadership, searching for more tools to help in their ministries.

I enjoyed the book. I felt it was insightful and heartfelt. At times I felt Sayers repeated points as someone who is very passionate about something and tries to tell you the same thing in ten different ways. Not a bad thing but made it more difficult in holding my interest for long periods of time.

I do feel this is a valuable resource. In my current role in women's ministry, this book helps define some of the hurdles that come with counseling women beyond the definitions of today's culture and having them see themselves as God sees them.

I will leave you with a quote:

"We all desperately want to move toward our true selves, but our desires, egos, and impulses derail our attempts. Our culture doesn't have answers for the conflicts we feel over our desires. God, however, views our desires as his workshop. He doesn't remove them; instead, he encourages us to redeem them, to use them as fuel to move toward our true self." pg 119

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Redeeming Love

Sometime last summer a friend of mine mentions that she has spent three days sitting on her bathroom counter reading a book. She just couldn't put it down and the bathroom is the only place her kids wouldn't bother her. A few weeks later another friend mentions the same book, with the tale of sleepless nights and overflowing emotion.

About two months ago, the book finally made its rounds to my house. And there it sat due to Girl Scout cookie sales. Then the usually life happens and the book ended up shuffled into my insane pile of books on the arm of my couch. Last week, I was not feeling well and didn't have the energy to do anything productive so I dug Redeeming Love out from under a few other soon to be read treasures.

It was Tuesday night, not much going on in our house, so I started reading at about 9pm and read until 3:30am. I didn't even realize the time had passed. Wednesday night, I picked up the book around 11pm, thinking I would read until my eyes were tired. The next thing I knew, Ted's alarm clock was going off, it was 5:30am. Needless to say, come bed time on Thursday, I finished the book around 2:30 in the morning.

It has been a very long time since a book has pulled me in so completely. I don't usually read a lot of love stories or historical romance, but it came highly recommended. And, I completely understand why. The story of Angel and her life was one we all have experienced, if even in a small way. Learning to accept being loved, in spite of our mistakes, can be a difficult journey.

It's a story of love, forgiveness and redemption and worth every sleepless night and tear shed. Thank you to my dear friends for sharing this beautiful book with me. I can't wait to hear the wild testimony from the next person who reads it.

Ragamuffin Gospel

"Unlike Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, we need not hide all that is ugly and repulsive in us. Jesus came not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don't have it all together and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazin' grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion." ~Brennan Manning

I have read The Ragamuffin Gospel before. This time, I devoured it. I went through each chapter, one at a time. My friend Stacy and I picked apart each chapter with awe and amazement. Each Monday night we talked together of our own understanding of grace, how we accept it, how we teach it, how we live it. I love this book. It is good food for hungry souls.

I have been blessed with the first hand knowledge of God's grace in my own life and Brennan drew out that picture in harmony. He also reminded me to humble myself in judgment of where others have been and where they are going. He reminded me to see God's fingerprint on all people, not just the ones I want to see it on.

If you believe or not, I would recommend you read this book. We have made a pretty good mess out of what Jesus came to do. He died to save the world, not just the few.

Understanding Exposure

I recently took a beginners digital photography class at the local community college. It was quite an experience. I have enjoyed shooting with my Nikon for the past two years but have felt a little inadequate, well maybe more than a little. But, I have always loved it and felt joy when a picture turns into something beautiful that expresses my heart or emotion at a particular moment.

While my one simple class hasn't filled the gap, it has grown a hunger in me to know more and understand more when it comes to my photography. So, to add a special treat to my 75 book reading challenge this year, I will be adding some photography books. Now, I want to put a disclosure out there....I am not a professional photographer....I don't know how truly amazing a book is in the profession realm of photography, but I can tell you what it meant to me.

My first photography read comes by recommendation from Digital Photography School : Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I would recommend both the web site and the book to any beginners or anyone looking for better understanding and more resources to improve their photography.

At first some of the photography terminology can feel like a foreign language. I felt this book gave me practical material with visual examples. Yes, my friends, it is a book with pictures. I borrowed this book from our local library but would love to have this on my shelves as a reference when I am shooting or have difficulty shooting the image I desire. In the few weeks I had borrowed the book, I found myself using in numerous times as a reference when I was in need of answers.

Hopefully with the help of this book and many like it I will find myself less frustrated and more able to express myself and what I see through my photography. If you are interested in seeing my pictures, I post them at: http://blessedamerican.posterous.com/