Book Review: Heaven and Nature Sing - Highly Recommend

Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World, by Hannah Anderson, is a book I wanted to place on my Christmas list. The writing is beautiful, and the insights fresh and deep. I wish I had read this earlier in the year so I could recommend it in time for Advent use. Since I listened to this in audio form, I struggled with two prevailing desires. I wanted to savor the words and take notes from the reflections. Plus, I hungered to see the illustrations provided by Hannah's husband Nathan. I'm so grateful someone recommended it in The Rabbit Room Chinwag group on Facebook and also grateful to find it available in audio form through Hoopla. Still, I think this is a book better consumed in hard form, and I would love to own a copy.

Heaven and Nature Sing contemplates various natural aspects of the Christmas story, exploring minor details like snowflakes, snakes, and swaddling clothes. It looks at Christ's birth through a new lens. It certainly earned its selection as an ECPA Christian Nonfiction Bestseller for Christmas 2023. I wish I had known about it in 2022, when first published.

Several points stood out. When feeling common and even sometimes worthless, we must remember that we have been sanctified and made holy by the Holy One. "When you feel common, remember that the holiness of God never runs out and His grace is as limitless as He is." I loved the Day 5 reflection on silence. Considering the silence between the Old and New Testaments, and the silence of Zachariah from his doubt (after years of pleading with God), was a great reminder for times when we feel we cannot hear God or He cannot hear us. She writes, "Our inability to hear God's words is no measure of His ability to hear ours."

Discussing family land, she remarks that inheritance is more about stewardship than about possession. She talks about our "kinsman redeemer," who takes responsibility for His offspring and calls us His own. How important it is to give our children a sense of the habits of faith! We long for peace in this chaotic world. She notes that in tolerance, we often ignore wrongdoing in order to avoid conflict. But, "the peace of God does not acquiesce." The habits and traditions of Advent rehearse the truth that, with heaven and nature, we sing, looking to the One who will crush the deceiver.

This is perhaps one of my favorite Advent books. I have been mentioning it to others. I also think this would make an excellent selection for a Christian book club in November or December. So much to contemplate and discuss. The thoughts are enlightening, personal, and universal.

Book Review: Abba's Child

I had forgotten I also own this Brennan Manning book, Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging. Manning's call for authenticity is so important in a world marred by sin. The consequences of sin make it hard to remember that God dearly loves us. He wants us to bask in that love. God wants our full trust, and that trust only comes when we recognize a love that desires our very best, even when that best appears as trial or restriction. God's commandments stem from deep love. Our obedience comes from acceptance and faith in that love.

So many outstanding quotes:

- "God made man in His own image and man returned the compliment." - Blaise Pascal

- "Our courteous Lord does not want his servants to despair because they fall often and grievously; for our falling does not hinder him in loving us." - Julian of Norwich

- "Quit keeping score altogether and surrender yourself with all your sinfulness to God who sees neither the score nor the scorekeeper but only his child redeemed by Christ." - Thomas Merton

- "All things work together for those who love God, even our sins." - Augustine of Hippo

Manning articulates the very reasons that drive me to my a-political stance. I align with neither side. God's inerrant Word is my source for instruction, inspiration, and identity. Manning writes, "The anything-goes morality of the... Left is matched by the sanctimonious moralism of the... Right. Uncritical acceptance of any party line is an idolatrous abdication of one’s core identity as Abba’s child. Neither liberal fairy dust nor conservative hardball addresses human dignity, which is often dressed in rags. Abba’s children find a third option. They are guided by God’s Word and by it alone. All religious and political systems, Right and Left alike, are the work of human beings. Abba’s children will not sell their birthright for any mess of pottage, conservative or liberal. They hold fast to their freedom in Christ to live the gospel—uncontaminated by cultural dreck, political flotsam, and the filigreed hypocrisies of bullying religion.” (There is much truth here, but we must be careful not to throw away the transformation the gospel induces in a quest to take neither side.)

Finally, I basked in Manning's encouragement about Christian witnessing. Often, the perennial struggle over whether I am witnessing enough rears its ugly head. It is hard to share the gospel with caustic unbelievers. Manning admits, “To own my unique self in a world filled with voices contrary to the gospel requires enormous fortitude.” But God rewards obedience. "Perhaps when the final curtain falls, you will have told the story to only one person. God promises that one cup of living water drawn from the Fountain and passed on to another will not go unrewarded.” This sin-sick world desperately needs our Savior. They do not see their need. Indeed, they believe they have it under control. But God! May He open eyes and ears, soften hearts of stone, and send us to live authentic lives to impact others and win them for the Kingdom of God.

Book Review: Christmas With a Crank

Before I was one-third into this Christmas book, I recommended it to others. In part, because I like anything Courtney Walsh writes. But also, I was sure it would appeal to a group member in my Bible Study Fellowship group. Her family runs a tree farm, just like the setup in this book. Not only will she enjoy the story, she might even implement some of the marketing genius cooked up in Christmas With a Crank.

When Olive and Liam were twelve, they were next-door neighbors. They even shared a first kiss in a tree house. But their lives have veered away from that storybook beginning. Liam's family moved to live on the tree farm they run. Olive dated his friend, Travis. Now, almost two decades later, Liam's parents are looking to sell the farm. They hire Olive to run a final extravaganza to go out with a bang.

The problem? Liam is grumpy. What a Scrooge! Why can't he see the value of his family's beautiful property and business? He lives in Indianapolis, where he works for a gaming company. He assures Olive he is only back for the holiday and does not intend to stay. But the chemistry flares up again. Can Olive remind Liam of the olden days enough to lure him back again? Can she turn his frown upside down?

You can always count on a clean and delightful reading adventure with Courtney Walsh. Her books present flawed individuals seeking solutions to their problems and soulmates for their hearts. Olive and Liam are relatable and endearing. The hubbub of Christmas unfolds with magic and mystery. She doesn't tie up everything with a glittery bow, but the ending is happy and hopeful. Thanks, Courtney, for another holiday romance worth reading.

Book Review: A Cross-Country Christmas

A Cross-Country Christmas is a sweet holiday romance. Courtney Walsh creates believable characters with conflicted pasts. It was easy to put myself in the main character's shoes because many of her hang-ups felt familiar. I especially related to her efforts to safeguard her heart by only approaching men she'd never consider. Years of unrequited interest led to self-protection mode. So if you're in the mood for a forced proximity, love-hate-love progression, give this seasonal tale a try.

Lauren Richmond rarely goes home for the holidays. Her family of origin doesn't inspire warm fuzzies. When her brother, Spencer, begs her to come home for the birth of his first child, she cannot avoid accepting a ride home with Spencer's best friend, Will Sinclair. This is the same Will Sinclair she pined for endlessly until he broke her heart in college. Or is he the same Will Sinclair? For some reason, Will keeps drawing out the trip, and Lauren can't decide if he deserves a second chance or not.

I expect marvelous stories from Courtney Walsh. This book is well-written and expertly paced. Even though it is a romance, and the reader can bank on a happy ending, Lauren keeps you guessing which way she'll land. I noted, too, that the book has garnered over 23,000 ratings on Goodreads. Now, that's a popular Christmas story. Although I'm eager to read the sequel, A Cross-Country Wedding, I think I'll jump first to her other holiday tale, Christmas With a Crank, before the holidays evaporate. I'd say I'm having more luck than usual in finding worthwhile Christmas stories.

Book Review: Some Like It Scot

I thoroughly enjoyed Pepper Basham's contemporary rom-coms with a nod to Great Britain (Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope). In Some Like It Scot, we follow an American on adventures in Scotland. I'd love to visit the Appalachian Mountains here and compare them to the Scottish landscape. Basham's book identifies similarities between these two, but my eye has yet to verify. This would make an excellent book club activity. I can just imagine joining a group of women reading this book, then travelling cross-country and internationally following the steps in this book. Hey, I'd even enjoy an Edwardian Experience (that's got to be better than the Victorian Slum House experience I watched once in a PBS documentary).

Katie Campbell has made a name and a following through her "misadventures" in travel. This provides great fodder for the comedy portions of the novel. The romance blossoms in her attraction to a brusque and burly Scot. Don't let the rom-com genre fool you. As lighthearted as this book is, it also carries great depth, tackling subjects like grief, abandonment, faith, family, and home. We all long for a sense of belonging. Every family faces its own baggage.

I always enjoy a peek into the process. In the author's note, Pepper Basham explains that one month into the writing, her own brother died. Although I've yet to experience sibling loss, I have watched my husband bear the burden of his brother's suicide. Everyone grieves differently. And sometimes grief complicates relationships. I felt great empathy for Katie's insecurities and her plight. The dialogue was delightful, and the descriptions made me want to jump on a plane. If you're looking for an uplifting read, pick up Some Like it Scot. Come for the colorful characters, bask in the witty banter, and stay for the satisfying resolution. Now, I anxiously await a chance to read Sense and Suitability and the future release of A Brewed Awakening. Clever titles, sure to fulfill any itch for clean rom-coms.

Gratitude Article

Photo by Ranurte on Unsplash

After struggling for well over a year in a liminal space, unable to work on specific writing projects, I am happily back to writing. Today, my gratitude article, "When the Journey Becomes the Gift," airs in the Just Between Us Magazine on Substack. You can find it here.

Click here to learn about ways to subscribe to Just Between Us. This magazine, founded by Jill Briscoe, provides encouragement for Christian women. It reaches women in more than 150 countries. Here's a blurb from the Encourager's Corner in October:

"It still takes my breath away--how he weaves His voice through each week's collection of stories. Different writers, different seasons, different struggles--and yet, always the same thread of grace running through it all. I think of the woman who told us she read a story about forgiveness and finally picked up the phone to call her sister after years of silence. Or the mom who said she opened a devotion in the middle of her burnout and felt like the words were written just for her. Or the reader across the world who said JBU had become "her church home" when she felt completely alone."

What difficult journey did God gift to you?  

Book Review: Christmas by Accident

Christmas by Accident, by Camron Wright, is a sweet holiday tale full of typical tropes. Enter a girl who loves Christmas and a guy who hates Christmas. They meet and fall in love. An obstacle develops. Yes, an accident happens (two actually). By virtue of these accidents, their lives are transformed.

I've been contemplating what kind of articles I could write about Christmas from a new angle. It is an incredibly difficult task. So much has already been expressed about the holiday. Indeed, it feels like there is "nothing new under the sun." This book even pokes fun at itself while it contemplates the overabundance of Christmas books.  Thankfully, the easy access on Hoopla made my treadmill time go by more quickly. (Despite my fall and the narrowness of the walking pad, I continue to carefully seek out daily exercise with audio book accompaniment).

I was unfamiliar with this author. However, after writing up this book review, I came across his name again. He has written a book getting great buzz, called The Rent Collector. He is a Mormon author from Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm glad I stumbled upon this Christmas book because researching the author led me to a podcast interview that I highly recommend. Camron remarks on the process of "Finding God's Plan for Your Life," on the All In podcast. Click here to find this half-hour interview with author Camron Wright.