Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

The sheer size of this book, 544 pages plus notes and errata, gave me pause. I am a wife and mother with all the daily busyness that implies, so I wondered how long it would take me to read such a thick book. I needn't have worried! From the very first pages when the reader is introduced to Bonhoeffer's illustrious forebears, the author grabs the reader's interest in such a way that this becomes a very hard book to put down.

I am not old enough to remember the Second World War or the tyranny of Hitler. Other than my horror at the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, and my mother's tales of rationing and hardship during the war years, I hadn't really given too much thought to that time period. This book is more than just a wonderful expose of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life. For one thing, it may change your idea (as it did mine) that Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a martyr for his Christian principles. He was actually put to death for his part in an assassination plot against Adolph Hitler.

This book is also an excellent education in the history leading up to the Second World War, and the thinking of the German people during this time period. I especially appreciated the author presenting the religious climate of the time period and the religious influences on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the generations that proceeded him in his family. I found it fascinating to know that the same community school that educated Bonhoeffer's mother and governess, Hernnhut, founded by Count Zinzendorf in the eighteenth century, was also a force in influencing the beliefs of Charles Wesley. Being aware of the connection between Boenhoffer and one of my most awe-inducing heroes in the Church, drew me so tightly into this biography. Historical background is woven into the story very skillfully so the reader almost feels present in that time, not separated by 60+ years.

The author notes that, even while having 5 members of daily household staff to help in caring for her home and family, Dietrich's mother thought it imperative that she teach her own 8 children herself for their first 7 or 8 years. As a homeschooling mother, this really spoke to my heart of the lasting impact that can come from the simple commitment of time spent teaching our children. I would like to incorporate the reading of this biography into our curriculum covering the war years and holocaust, but I will wait until the last years of high school to do so because of the harsh realities it contains. It was heart-wrenching for me to read as an adult, but I think that seeing the soul of such a good man and the hard choices he made so willingly, has been of great benefit to me. Boenhoffer's scholarly & personal commitment to standing for what is right is so inspirational, and speaks loudly of the impact that comes from one person's commitment to stand firm and act resolutely in his or her beliefs. The book gives such a personal look at what people faced in those years also.

The inclusion of many photos in the book and the many direct quotes from Bonhoeffer's own writings were an excellent aid in making the story accessible. The story is presented with a good deal of background & very skillfully written so as to cause the reader to become immersed in the book. Eric Metaxas is an incredible writer, to be able to take subject matter so hard and a person so scholarly, born over a hundred years ago, and write the story in a way that makes it personal, gripping, and very hard to put down.

I recommend this book heartily, to anyone who wants to learn more about Germany in the war years, or to learn more about a great hero who stood steadfastly for his Christian beliefs in the face of terrible, unfathomable evil. Reading this book will build your faith and vision. Bonhoeffer is both very educational and one that feels like it was time very well spent when you are finished reading.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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

Healing Hearts...an engaging collection of stories, perfect for summer reading!

Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman

This book contains three separate novels within the one volume. They do not build on or relate to each other, but are stand-alone stories. I loved each of them. They are tender romances with enough conflict to keep the reader turning pages. I love that they are chaste and clean enough for me to read with a clean conscience and to share with my teenage daughter should she want to read them. I also really enjoyed the small amount of Pennsylvania Deutsche that the author included in the dialogue. It made the stories seem just that much more enjoyable and realistic. Each story has very well defined characters and a well-described setting, so the reader is immediately captivated and feeling a part of the culture and the storyline.

Incidentally, I learned an interesting fact in reading this book: Pennsylvania "Dutch" is actually a mispronounciation of Pennsylvania "Deutsche" or German. That makes so much more sense to me now. I had always wondered why the Amish dialect was called 'Dutch', yet actually seemed to be so similar to the German spoken by my parents and grandparents. Now I know, lol!

The first novella is A Choice to Forgive. It is a wonderful story of love, loss, and forgiveness. The main character, Lydia is left to raise her three children alone when her husband dies. Her first love, and former suiter, Daniel, drops back into her life, giving the story its drama, and, ultimately, giving the reader a wonderful glimpse of the healing power of forgiveness.

The second story in the book is A Change of Heart. This was perhaps my very favorite of all of the stories, although I did really love them all. In this story, Leah, the second of four sisters in an Amish family, is struggling with her own dreams of becoming a writer, which is not a traditionally accepted goal for an Amish woman. She is definitely the odd sister out in her family, and feels as though she comes up lacking when compared to her sisters. The story introduces a very colorful character in the person of Auntie Ruth. Leah finds herself becoming attracted to her soon-to-be brother-in-law, the great nephew of Auntie Ruth. It is a very engaging story; hard to put down!

The third novella in this book is Healing Hearts. It is a very touching and emotional story of Lavina Lapp. She is an older woman, mother of 5 grown children, who finds herself abandoned by her husband. It is a perhaps too emotional story of how Lavina struggles to find the trust to allow her husband back into her life and heart after the hurt he has caused her. I did really enjoy this story, too, but it pulls on the heart-strings a tad too much for me. As a married woman, it did give me a well-needed pause to consider if I am doing all that I can do to keep the love and romance alive in my marriage.

I wish is was possible to give this book a 4 1/2 star rating, but since the half star isn't possible, I am going to have to go with 4 stars. The stories were very uplifting and enjoyable, but were kept from being as good as they could have been by the slight predictability of the plots, the shortness and non-connectedness due to the stories being novellas, and the slightly over-emotional nature of the final story. All that said...I would certainly offer the book to a friend as an very pleasurable, quick read, and I am glad I read it myself. I love reading Amish stories. They have a way of making me see the simple beauty and blessings in my own life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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

Such an engaging an inspirational book!

A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins, by John Trent, Ph.D with Annette Smith

This book really took me by surprise. It is a lightning fast read, largely because you just don't want to put it down! The main character has so much heartache, deprivation, and loss, that you just want to weep for him and his brothers. The author does a fine job of keeping the pace going just like real life, so you never have time to bog down in the sadness, instead forging ahead to see if better circumstances come into Josh and his brothers' lives. It almost seems like that will never happen. The three boys are neglected & abused, abandoned for large amounts of time with scarcely any food to eat. Then, their parents are killed in an automobile accident, leaving the boys to be raised in foster homes and group homes, waiting for an adoptive family that may never arrive.

Our communities are full of people like Josh, so in need of kindness. I taught for quite a few years at an alternative middle & high school, so I have known a great many of these dejected young people, aching for just one person to believe in them. Dr. Trent did a fabulous job of portraying the loneliness and fear, and utter lack of hope that anything good will ever come to them, or OF them, that lie just barely hidden under the skin of young people like Josh. This book is so inspirational, and at the same time, provides a clear and practical picture of the way to throw out a life line to these people so in need of one.

The story is a practical application of the lessons taught in another of Dr. Trent's books, (which I have not read), The Blessing, written with Gary Smalley. It illustrates how to bless those in our families and those whom God brings into our lives through the "5 essential elements" of blessing:

Meaningful touch
A spoken message
Attaching high value
Picturing a special future
An active commitment

I was surprised to realize that one of my favorite books to read my children and grandchildren, the wonderful children's picture book, I'd Choose You, is also written by Dr. Trent. The same principles are at work in all three of these books, giving people tools to bless the people in our lives. After reading A Place Called Blessing, I don't think I will ever lose sight of what those five elements are, or the power they hold to change lives.

I highly recommend this book to everyone from young teens through adults, male and female alike. Probably those in helping professions and those who deal with children and young adults in the course of their workday would be especially challenged by this story to see the ways that God is waiting to use them. I can't think of anyone who would not be inspired and blessed by this engrossing novel.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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.

Simplicity, Sharing, & Saving...what a timely book!

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker
Book Review

As soon as I read the title of this book, along with its subtitle, "Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving", I knew this was a book I was going to love reading! What a timely book-for my family as well as for most other people I know. The author, Lorilee Craker, sets about to discover some of the thrifty ways of her Mennonite ancestors by researching the frugal ways of the Amish.

The book is well-organized into chapters for each of the thrifty ways that modern families can adopt the money saving ways of the Amish people. Some of those include: buying used items instead of new, not replacing items that are still able to do what they need to do, evaluating 'needs' versus other reasons for purchasing things, gardening, canning, baking & cooking from scratch, finding low-cost or free fun activities, finding joy and fun in working together as a family, re-gifting, bartering, and so many more. These are certainly not new ideas. My family and I have been zealously frugal for many years, so there was scarcely a new idea in the book for me, BUT, I still wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book. It is inspirational and challenging to have so many great ideas, along with the practical benefits and the author's examples of how she applied them to modern life, all gathered together in one well-organized volume. The author stresses, and illustrates with some great examples, the benefits of having a long-term financial vision, with the cumulative small sacrifices and savings providing the stepping stones to get there.

I could scarcely put this book down, and I plan to re-read it as necessary when I need a booster shot of inspiration. I have often been asked for tips on how my family gets along on one income with all needs well met. If I had the ability to write a book listing what our family practices, this would have been the book! Since that is far beyond my abilities, I am so happy to have found this book so I can recommend it to anyone who asks us our money saving methods. I *will* say that I would love to read the hypothetical 'volume two' that would contain more stringent methods that my family and I have yet to put into practice.

Beyond just the financial gains of a simpler, more thoughtful lifestyle, the author shows the benefits to self, family, and community, of choosing more interactive pastimes over the typical American leisure activities. Dining in with friends as opposed to eating out; playing games with loved ones instead of sitting passively watching a movie at a theater; finding the fun in doing meaningful work together as a family instead of needing to be entertained, are just a few examples of enriching life by choosing the simpler path.

This book is written in a folksy, conversational style. The ideas are (for the most part) practical (the art activities she recommends left me shaking my head at the cost/mess/uselessness of the 'product', but that is a very small part of the book.) and easily accomplished for any family truly desiring to save more and spend less. I highly recommend this book to all!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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

Quilting Inspiration Photos

Here are the photos of two of Sophia's quilts. If this doesn't make you want to go shopping--imediately!--for vintage sheets...take your temperature : )

Quilting inspiration

Sophia, a blogger I follow regularly Frugal ideas from the Parsonage, is having a fat quarter giveaway. Quick!...Get yourself over there and enter : )
I've been seeing the gorgeous small quilts that Sophia churns out so quickly, while running perhaps a busier life than most of us. My daughter and I have been gathering up vintage sheets, planning to try our hand at making quilts for family members. We'll see if that all turns out, with homeschooling, putting up all the produce from our big garden, and all of the other things we stay busy with. It IS fun to plan and dream, though, right : )
Just to give you some further inspiration, here are two of my favorites of Sophia's quilts. You can find her Etsy store through the address on the pictures. I've purchased adorable skirts for American Girl dolls from her, and I have my eye on other of her items also.

(photos are pending Sophia's approval)

Summer in the Country Blanket is finished!

I finished this lovely blanket about 2 weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to showing the finished project. It is SO soft and just the right warmth for the chilly spring evenings and nights we have where I live. It took exactly 3 cones (690 yards each, so about 2070 yards) of cotton yarn. I stopped when I had about 2 yards left on the 3rd cone. It is VERY generously sized; about 54" X 76" before it stretches, and it is really stretchy. I absolutely LOVE it!

This blanket was done as a KAL (knit along) from one of my favorite designers, Firefly (scrumptiousliving.wordpress.com). I've been taking it along on day trips with my husband and daughter in the hills where we live, and it is so perfect for the chilly spring weather, especially in the hills. Some of the photos were taken on those little trips. This is completely different than a toddler taking along a comfort blankie...right???? lol






This is a classic old Oldsmobile, possibly a 1947, I didn't write it down. What a beautiful old car, hmmm? It seemed like a nice backdrop for my pretty new blanket : )

I started another blanket in the same baby blue Peaches and Cream cotton yarn. One of them will be for my sister. I'm going to try to make this one a bit smaller, and without bobbles, as our cats think the bobbles are completely irresistable. I have to fold up the finished blanket inside out to keep them from biting the bobbles, so I should just give this blanket to my dear sister who would love it. Blue is her favorite color also.

For the second blanket, I cast on only 170 stitches. It will also have 5 cables, but with only seed stitch between them, no lattice work. I need a project that I can do without a pattern so I can work on it without thinking at all : ) I'm anxious to see the photos of my KAL-mates' Summer in the Country blankets, too. Here's hoping Firefly hosts another KAL before too long!