Sojourner's Journey

We’ve been having colder than normal temperatures and moderate snow here in Hungary, but the weather has been severe all across Europe.  Today I’m reminded of the need to pray for those struggling with the cold, especially the homeless, those without heat and those cut off from supplies by the storms and heavy snowfalls.

May we, the church, take every opportunity to remember those who are in need.

The trees outside my window – Budafok, Hungary

Sarajevo

Hockey on Lake Bled, Slovenia
(I’ll be there next weekend!)

Ice in the canal – Venice, Italy

Senj, Croatia

Woman looks through frozen bus window – Bucharest, Romania

I saw this video today and it moved me.

Be. Here. Now.

BE HERE NOW from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

About the Book:

Against Shannon’s wishes, love stakes its claim in her heart. Will she discover treasure or treachery?

When Shannon Adair accompanies her minister father to the western gold rush town of Grand Coeur, she’s certain she’ll never be happy away from her beloved Virginia, even though the South is still gripped in civil war.

Wells Fargo driver Matthew Dubois isn’t sure the lovely Shannon belongs in Idaho Territory either, but he is a desperate man. His widowed sister is dying and leaving her young son, Todd, in his care. Matthew wants to return to driving coach for the express company soon—so he’ll have to find a wife to look after the boy when he’s away.

Shannon is determined not to lose her heart to a man who is neither a Southerner nor a gentleman. But love stakes its claim. Now, will her heart survive learning the truth behind the courtship?

My Thoughts:

Heart of Gold is the tale of an unlikely romance set in the Idaho territory.

A southern family is transplanted to Idaho territory in the middle of the civil war.   A Wells Fargo stage driver is fenced in by the need to take care of his ailing sister and nephew.  A battle rages in the nation and a battle, no less divisive, reigns in the hearts of characters cut off from their dreams.  But, just maybe, God has a plan to unfold something better than they could have ever imagined.

When the story began I loved Delaney Adair’s character.  He is a pastor and a father.  We see him praying for his daughter and it was Delaney’s vision for who Shannon could become that drew me to connect with the character of the rather spoiled Shannon Adair.  And, as with all good characters, there is more to the person than at first meets the eye.  Hatcher did a masterful job of creating real characters with honest struggles and seeing Shannon grow to walk in love was my favorite part of the tale.

There is romance, adventure, heartache, joy, challenge, victory, friendship, love and lots of scripture packed into this delightful tale of hope.   A bit of the south, a bit of the west, a hint of missions and the heart of the Father God are all masterfully woven together to bring us a delightful novel.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Click on the book cover image to view this book at Amazon.  Release date: February 14, 2012

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***

“Shar” grew up in western Michigan and graduated from Spring Arbor University. After college she traveled worldwide performing with a music group and then returned home to start teaching school. She married her childhood friend, Cecil MacLaren, with whom she raised two daughters (and now has three grandchildren). After over 30 years as a teacher, Shar asked God for a new mission that would fill her heart with the same kind of passion she’d felt for teaching and raising her family. She found her mission writing Christian romance, and since 2007 has released ten novels that have earned her numerous awards and an ever-increasing base of loyal readers who are comforted, inspired, and entertained by her books.

Visit the author’s website.

Ellie Booth is on the run from her bootlegging stepfather whom she’d witnessed murder a man in their home state of Kentucky. Landing in Wabash, Indiana, she seeks a cover identity and hastily marries Gage Cooper, a widower with four children. Ellie quickly falls in love with the Cooper kids, and, not long after, with their father. But tensions mount when Ellie’s stepfather picks up her trail and Gage discovers his new bride hasn’t been entirely honest with him. Filled with colorful historic detail, emotional drama, and lighthearted humor, Ellie’s Haven is the action-packed follow up to Livvie’s Song in MacLaren’s River of Hope Series, set in 1920’s Wabash, Indiana.

Product Details:

List Price: $10.99

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: Whitaker House (March 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1603742131

ISBN-13: 978-1603742139

MY THOUGHTS:

I can only repeat what I said when I reviewed Livvie’s Song, because it is still just as true.  “One thing that I particularly appreciate about Sharlene MacLaren’s writing is that she knows people and incorporates depth of character and emotion into her novels.”  I found Ellie’s Haven to be an enjoyable novel.  (I’m a pushover for stories of love and romance blooming out of a commitment.)  I especially enjoyed the combination of spunk and sweetness in Ellie’s character.  This beauty from ashes story is a hopeful book.

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight….

—Psalm 5:4–5

February 1928

Athens, Tennessee

Nothing wakes a body faster than a barking dog competing with the heated shouts of furious men. Eleanor Booth threw off her heavy quilt and leaped out of bed, pulled her flannel collar up tight around her throat, and raced across the gritty floor to the window. With her fingertips, she rubbed a circle of frost off the pane and peered out into the cold, dark morning, squinting to make out the shadowy figures that appeared to be facing off just feet away from the rotting front porch. An icy chill surged down her spine.

“I ain’t payin’ you one cent more, Sullivan. You done took me for every last penny.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Byron. Your pocket ain’t empty till I say it is, and as long as you keep producin’ hooch, the greenbacks’ll keep rollin’ in. You stop payin’, and I’ll shut you down quicker than a lizard on hot sand.”

They were at it again—Byron Pruitt, Ellie’s worthless stepfather, and Walter Sullivan, that crooked government agent. Byron’s dog, Curly, didn’t let up his fierce, frenzied barking, which ought to have deterred the dispute but seemed to fuel it instead.

“Byron,” Ellie’s mama, Rita, pleaded in a panicked tone. “Byron, pay the man so he’ll get off our property.”

“Shut up, woman, and git back inside! I ain’t payin’ ’im another dime!”

Ellie snatched her fraying robe from the foot of her bed, slipped it on, and rushed out of the room, toes gone numb from the frozen air wafting up through the floorboards. Tennessee winters didn’t generate much snow, but that didn’t stop the temperatures from plummeting into the single digits.

She entered the dark, tiny living room and found her mother standing in the open doorway, shoulders hunched, hands clutching the door frame. Her grayish-black hair was mussed every which way, and her tattered flannel nightgown hugged her narrow frame.

Ellie shot a hasty glance at the potbelly stove in the middle of the room, where nothing but a few embers glowing through the blackened glass. More shivers stampeded down her spine. “What’s goin’ on?” she asked, coming up behind her mama.

At the sound of her voice, Byron gave a half-turn, and that’s when Ellie spied the sawed-off shotgun in his arms. “Git back to bed, missy,” he groused. “You ain’t needed here.”

Walt Sullivan had a gun, too—a pistol—but he kept it holstered, one hand hovering over it.

“Byron, put that gun down before somebody gets hurt,” Ellie said firmly.

“Yeah, Pruitt. Listen to your purty li’l daughter.”

“Shut yer tater trap and git off my land, Sullivan.”

“Not till I get what’s due me.”

“I done paid you. Now, git!”

“’Fraid you paid me half.”

“You keep raisin’ the rates, you dumb ox. How you ’spect me to make any kind o’ livin’?”

Sullivan chortled. “That ain’t my concern, now, is it? I swear, if you don’t pay up, I’ll come back with my men, and we’ll turn your whole operation into mincemeat by midday.” He made the mistake of taking a step toward Byron, whether to intimidate or to show his authority, Ellie couldn’t say. She knew only that it was a mistake.

Byron raised his rifle and quickly fired off three shots, each one reaching its intended target. For a brief moment, his eyes glistened in the vanishing moonlight. Then, eyes bulging in an expression of shock, he dropped to the ground like a sack of wet cement.

Utter mayhem followed. Curly kept barking and ran circles around the fallen body, while her mama shrieked. “Byron! You—you—you’ve shot ’im. Is he dead? Oh, dear God, help us!” And Ellie, to suppress her own sobs, turned away from the body, where red fluid already oozed from mouth and nose. She clutched her stomach to keep from retching right there on the floor.

“Shut up, just shut up, both o’ you!” Byron roared. “I have to think.” With eyes flaming and nostrils flaring, he turned and started pacing.

The women kept quiet, save for the occasional gasp of air, and hugged each other. Ellie swallowed down some of the bitter juice churning in her stomach and chanced a peek over Mama’s shoulder.

Byron paused and crouched over Sullivan’s body, feeling for a pulse. He cut loose a curse. “He’s dead, all right.”

Ellie’s mama gasped and released her to cover her mouth with her hands. “Oh, mother of all things holy, Byron! What in the world have you done?”

“Shut up, I told you, ’fore I shoot you, too!” He raised his gun at her.

On impulse, Ellie leaped between them, her arms raised. “Put that gun down, you fool!” She had to tell herself to breathe.

The man’s beady eyes stared as if to bore holes through her, but he lowered his weapon. Still, she knew Byron Pruitt had no soul—she’d known since the day she’d met him—and she’d go to the grave wondering why her mama had married him after her father had died. Perhaps, she’d seen him as her only hope of surviving in the hills. Some protector he’d turned out to be, operating an illegal distillery that brought the scum of society straight to their door. If he ever turned a profit, her mama never saw it, for what he didn’t gamble away he paid in bribes to keep the authorities off his back.

“I gotta get rid o’ this body,” he muttered, sweeping five stubby fingers through his scraggly hair.

“No,” Ellie said quietly. “We have to call the sheriff.”

“Are you crazy?” he spat, stepping over the body and walking toward them, his eyes as wild as a rabid dog’s. “We ain’t callin’ no sheriff. I kilt a man, a government man, in cold blood. You think any court o’ law’s gonna let me off the hook?”

Ellie huddled close to her mama and wrapped a protective arm around her.

“W-we won’t tell,” Mama said, her whole body quivering. “We promise, Byron.”

Ellie couldn’t believe her ears. “Mama, how can you say that?”

Byron’s eyes bulged with madness as he climbed the rickety porch steps and entered the house. The worst kind of cold slithered in the door and tangled around Ellie’s ankles. “Because you two’re in this with me, that’s how she can say it. I’ll tell the cops you both played a part, that you talked me into doin’ it.” He raised the shotgun and poked the barrel into her mama’s chin, lifting it.

Ellie swallowed hard and stiffened. “Byron, don’t you dare hurt her.”

Her stepfather was a perpetual terror, always cocking a gun, sharpening a knife, or speaking not-so-veiled threats. It seemed that nothing satisfied him more than creating havoc in their little household. Byron Pruitt was a viperous lunatic, and if it hadn’t been for her beloved mama, Ellie would have left years ago.

Byron slid the muzzle up Mama’s face and held it at the center of her forehead. “I ain’t lyin’, Eleanor—if you don’t help me bury that body an’ promise to keep yer trap shut ’bout what you saw, I’ll kill yer ma.”

“You are plumb crazy,” Ellie whispered through her teeth.

“Don’t believe me?” He cocked the rifle and chortled. “I’ll blow ’er head off right now.”

Mama whimpered as a lone tear trickled down her trembling cheek.

Byron redirected the shotgun at the floor and pulled the trigger. A unison scream sounded as Ellie and her mama clutched each other and stepped away from the cloud of dust that rose from the splintered hole in the boards. Outside, Curly barked even louder, and Ellie could hear the chickens fussing in the coop.

But she heard nothing except the pounding of her own heartbeat when Byron stuck the barrel of his gun in her mama’s temple. “I’ll kill ’er, Eleanor, I swear it. You go to the cops, and she’s as good as dead. And here’s an interestin’ li’l tidbit: you workin’ alongside me at that liquor still makes you my partner in crime.” He laughed, the sound cold and hollow. “Them head beaters don’t look too kindly on us moonshiners, an’ with you bein’ one of us, well, they’re likely to lock you up tighter’n a pickle in a cannin’ jar. Just don’t forget that.”

She hated that he was right. “Fine. Just put that stupid gun down.”

He complied, but only after he’d held it in position for what seemed like another minute, an ugly sneer on his face. “Good. I’m glad we’re clear on that.” He pulled the gun strap over his shoulder. “Well, come on, then, both o’ you. We got a body to bury.”

Hours later, Ellie could barely believe she’d actually dug the grave of Walter Sullivan. Granted, she’d done it with Byron’s rifle aimed at her. Twice she’d emptied her stomach contents into the hole, only to hear the gun cock and Byron tell her to hurry up and finish before somebody came along.

Now, she watched her mama working at the stove to prepare lunch. In the living room, Byron sat in his rocker next to the fire and cleaned his gun, Ellie knew, to rid it of any traces of telltale gunpowder.

Ellie moved up beside her mama and touched her shoulder gently. “You’ve been stirrin’ this soup for fifteen minutes, Mama. Why don’t you go sit down a spell? You’re plain tuckered out.”

“What you two whisperin’ ’bout in there?” Byron barked.

“Nothin’,” Mama called back. Then, with lowered voice, she sputtered to Ellie, “You can’t stay here. You gotta leave today. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if anythin’ happened to you.”

“I can’t leave you with that maniac, Mama. He’s insane.”

“Of course you can, and you will. I’ll be fine. The minute he heads out to the barn, I want you to grab whatever you need and then skedaddle across the field to the Meyers’ house, you hear? Ask Burt to drive you down the mountain. He’ll do it.”

“What you two blabberin’ about?”

Byron’s brusque voice in the hallway had Ellie whirling on her heel. “Nothin’, just like Mama said. Go sit down. Your lunch is ready.”

“Humph. You best not be plannin’ to run off anywheres,” he grumbled before shuffling off to the table. Ellie caught the smell of his breath, and her stomach lurched, though she should have been accustomed to the stench of whiskey by now, considering the hours she’d worked at the still, where the air was saturated with mash. She would always associate the odor with Byron—and his shotgun, which was the only thing that had kept her working there.

The legs of his chair scraped against the sooty floor as he scooted in closer to the table, his back to them. With an icy chortle, he muttered, “You two don’t got nowheres to go, anyway.”

Three hours later, Ellie bumped along in the backseat of a Model T driven by Burt Meyer. Mildred, his wife of forty years, sat up front with him. Quiet tears dampened Ellie’s face as Burt maneuvered the automobile, its brakes squealing in protest, down a narrow pass.

She’d had no more than minutes to throw a few belongings into a little suitcase, hug her mama good-bye, and then sprint along the worn path across the cornfield. Mama had given her strict orders to locate her deceased husband’s aunt in Wabash, Indiana, and not to send word to her for at least a month, and then only through Burt and Mildred. “We can trust them,” she’d said as she’d helped her pack, Ellie crying all the while. “Don’t tell them where you’re goin’, though, and when you write to me, put the letter inside a small envelope and then tuck that inside a bigger one. Put your return address on the inside letter, never the outside one, you understand? The less information Burt ’n’ Mildred know, the better off they’ll be. They’re good people. I don’t want them gettin’ involved in this mess, other than to drive you to the train station.”

“You sure you want to leave your ma?” Mildred asked, bringing Ellie’s attention back to the present. The woman turned around and looked her in the eye. “You seem awful broke up ’bout leavin’, honey.”

Ellie wiped her cheeks and nodded. “I’m nineteen. High time I make my own way.”

“And get away from that fool stepfather o’ yours,” Burt muttered. “Too bad Rita didn’t leave with you.”

Mildred glared at her husband. “Now, Burt, that ain’t none of our concern,” she scolded him gruffly. When she was facing front again, Ellie heard her add, “Even if you’re right.” In a louder voice, she said, “We’re goin’ to miss you somethin’ fierce, Eleanor. Always did love it when you came across the field to visit us.”

“And brought them scrumptious pies with you,” Burt tacked on. “Won’t be the same up on West Peak with you gone.” He glanced back at her and winked. “Where you travelin’ to, if you don’t mind my askin’?”

“I…I plan to head north, look for a job. Not quite sure just where yet.” She could at least tell them that much.

Mildred turned around again, her brow wrinkled in concern. “You don’t got a plan, Eleanor? Why, we cain’t just drop you off if you don’t have no sort o’ arrangements.”

“Sure you can,” Ellie said, forcing brightness into her tone. She wiped away the last of her tears. “I need to break out o’ my cocoon.”

“Darlin’, if you want to break out, why don’t you go south? It’s so blamed cold up north.”

“Daddy has an aunt I’m plannin’ to stay with.” She regretted the disclosure immediately, but it did seem that they deserved an explanation of sorts. They’d always been so kind to Mama and her.

“Say no more,” Burt spoke up. “Long as you’ll be safe, that’s enough for Mildred and me.”

“He ain’t a good sort, that Byron Pruitt,” Mildred said, as if she knew that he had something to do with Ellie’s departure.

Ellie determined to purse her lips for the rest of the trip, lest some hint of the sordid murder slip past them. Best to keep it buried in the deepest parts of her soul.

My Thoughts:

When I reviewed The Skin Map, book one in the Bright Empires Series, I told you that it was good, but it wasn’t Lawhead at his best. This is Lawhead at his best!

The Bone House improves in every way upon my minor disappointments with book one.

The writing style is more carefully crafted and the transitions are better set so that the reader doesn’t get lost in the multitude of jumps between different places in different times. I especially liked the creative chapter titles and the clues they gave to what was coming next. Even the character development shows significant improvement. All in all, the writing is more classical Lawhead and I loved it.

The theme of the series fascinates me and I appreciate how the characters delve into the theories in great depth. I personally didn’t think that that this in any way weighed down the tale, but then again, I enjoy science, history, philosophy and theology, all of which are present to some extent in the story.

The extra dimension of having a story set across time and space, so that you are following a story line through ancient Egypt, medieval Europe and prehistoric lands makes for an exciting and interesting tale.

This series just keeps getting better. I can’t believe I have to wait until September of 2012 before I get to read the next installment.

—-
Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

—

And for those who haven’t yet dived into the Bright Empires, here’s the trailer for book one in the series: The Skin Map.  I love this trailer!  The Bright Empires would make a great movie or TV mini-series!  And yes, this is a series where you do HAVE to read the books in order if you want to have any hope of understanding the greater story.

Last week Larry Crabb spoke on the theme of gender at Colorado Christian University and I want to share the videos with you.  It’s a brief look into an overall teaching of how we as men and women are designed to display the incarnational and invitational character of God.

If you want to skip straight to the teaching, in this video it starts around minute 21.

The teaching in this video starts around minute 18.

Sorry my blog has been up and down over the last week.

I’m having some issues with a recent upgrade and don’t have the time to invest in investigation right now.

So I chose this as a temporary theme.  New blog appearance coming soon…

About the book: The Shadow of Your Smile

A beautiful blanket of snow may cover the quaint town of Deep Haven each winter, but it can’t quite hide the wreckage of Noelle and Eli Hueston’s marriage.

After twenty-five years, they’re contemplating divorce . . . just as soon as their youngest son graduates from high school. But then an accident erases part of Noelle’s memory. Though her other injuries are minor, she doesn’t remember Eli, their children, or the tragedy that has ripped their family apart. What’s more, Noelle is shocked that her life has turned out nothing like she dreamed it would. As she tries to regain her memory and slowly steps into her role as a wife and mother, Eli helps her readjust to daily life with sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-heartwarming results. But can she fall in love again with a man she can’t remember?

Will their secrets destroy them . . . or has erasing the past given them a chance for a future? Read the story behind the story here: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/books/the-shadow-of-your-smile.

About Susan: Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan’s larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com.

My Thoughts: I love the tagline from the back cover: “Sometimes love requires a little forgetting.”

Susan May Warren writes a poignant tale of love, forgiveness, grace and faith emerging from the ashes of tragedy.

The call to share your soul instead of hiding your pain was compelling.  The reality that we can’t control life, that we must learn what it means to love God enough to trust Him (even when the world doesn’t make sense) also tugged at my heart strings.  The writing drew me into the story in a way that made it difficult for me to put the book down; however, it was equally difficult for me to keep reading.

I resonated deeply with the truths contained within the story, but it was too emotional for me to say that it was a book I enjoyed reading.  Do I recommend it?  Yes!  Just read it when you are OK with a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching tale of hope.  It was a powerful story of grace (not unlike the stories we find spilling off the pages of the Scriptures).  But if you are looking for a bit of light entertainment you might want to save this book for another day.

Sometimes love requires a little forgetting … Come back to Deep Haven and find out what’s been happening in your favorite quaint hamlet. If you’re new to the Deep Haven series – this is the perfect book to start with – each book in the series is a stand alone story.

Susan is celebrating the release of The Shadow of Your Smile by giving away a prize pack worth over $200 from 1/9-1/28.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Gift Card (Use that to rekindle a little romance, treat yourself to a spa day, snap up those shoes you’ve been eyeing, or purchase a few great books!)

• The entire set of Deep Haven Books

The winner will be announced on 1/30/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles! Just click one of the icons below to enter and tell your friends about Susan’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say this -
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

♦

Some wandered in desert wastelands…
Then they cried out to the LORD…
and he delivered them…

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men

♦

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners suffering in iron chains…
Then they cried to the LORD…
and he saved them…

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men

♦

Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction…

Then they cried to the LORD…
he sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

♦

Excerpts from Psalm 107

If you know me at all it’s no secret that I like to read.

According to Shelfari I read 82 books last year.  Since I got to fill my head with so many interesting ideas and fabulous stories, I thought I’d share with you my top ten.

OK – I’m cheating a bit…three of my top ten are series that I listed as one unit.  But that’s my prerogative as creator of the list.

Note that these are books that I read in 2011.  They are not all books that were published in 2011.

In no particular order…

1. The 100 Cupboards series – N.D. Wilson (100 Cupboards, Dandelion Fire & The Chestnut King)

These are children’s books; however, the beautiful mystery of discovering the joy of a life lived fully alive, the poetic writing style and the spectacular way that N.D Wilson stretches the imagination thoroughly captivated my heart.

2. The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine – A.W. Tozer

While this book overflows with powerful concepts the one that I still find myself pondering is the mystery of the omnipotent presence of God verses the manifest presence of God.  This the reason we pray “Come, Lord Jesus – Come Holy Spirit” when we know that He is already here.

3. Ruthless Trust: A Ragamuffin’s Path to God – Brennan Manning

By far the best book by Manning in my library, this book hit home in a year where I’ve found my own trust in God stretched.  I particularly appreciated his treatise on “Artists, Mystics and Clowns.”

4. River of Time series – Lisa T. Bergren (Waterfall, Cascade and Torrent)

While marketed for teens, I found this series both compelling and adventurous.  Good, clean, light reading that asked provoking questions about God and the world.

5. Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction – David Benner

This book profoundly impacted my thinking and my journey to become my “true-self-in-Christ.”  I’d recommend this book to everyone, whether you are curious about spiritual direction or just want to become a better sacred companion to the people in your life.

6. Spiritual Rhythm: Being with Jesus in Every Season of Your Soul – Mark Buchanan

Buchanan takes the rhythms of our spiritual life, the ups and downs, the overflowing joy and the deep sorrow and then grounds them in an illustration of the seasons of the natural created world.  He offers practical application in the form of actions appropriate to each season and offers thought provoking discussion and encouragement for living through the year in and year out rhythm of the seasons of the soul.

7. Shattered Dreams: God’s Unexpected Path to Joy – Larry Crabb

In this work based in the book of Ruth, Dr. Crabb explores the possibility of a greater dream than every other dream that we have ever dared to dream.

8. Monster in the Hollows – Andrew Peterson (Book Three in the Wingfeather Saga)

In this novel geared toward children, I found another beautiful exploration of what it means to be fully alive, on the path to becoming the person you were created to become.  Like N.D. Wilson, Peterson’s lyrical and poetic grasp of the English language paired with the exceptional ability to envision and imagine makes this a novel for all ages.

9. To Win Her Heart – Karen Witemeyer

My favorite stories are stories of redemption. Besides being a sweet tale of falling in love, To Win Her Heart is a beautiful portrayal of the struggles and joys that accompany a life redeemed.  You can see my full review here.

10.  Legends of the Guardian Kings series – Karen Hancock (The Light of Eidon, The Shadow Within, Shadow over Kiriath, The Return of the Guardian King)

I admit that these were a 2011 re-read.  I’ve read them a number of times over the years, but they still made it to my top ten list, because no matter how many times I read them they still have an impact.  I walk away from these books looking at my world through new eyes.  I am challenged to be more aware of the spiritual world that is all around me and I am compelled to carefully consider my choices.  Not unlike Dr. Crabb’s Shattered Dreams, this series compels me to ask “Which dream am I chasing?”