Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Next: Same Kind of Different as Me


Coming next: Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Here is the teaser from the Thomas Nelson Product Page:
A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.
An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.
A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.
A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.
It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.
Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.
EDITED 5/6/09: This book was in PDF form and will take a while longer to read. This review may be a while in coming, but don't give up!

A Great Grief Helper

A real help for those grieving is "For the Tough Times" by Max Lucado. This gift book type piece was a nice surprise wrapped up in what I thought would be a bubble gum-hued band aid for those suffering from the death of a loved one. This book is so much more.

We grieve over those lost to death as well as relationships lost to pride or sin. We grieve over jobs lost and futures lost. We all face tough times and the answer is found in Christ for all situations. I was so inspired by the actual applicable texts found in this book that I quickly found a stuation in one close to me to give this book to. It is a wonderful tool to pass along after you have found the help needed within it's pages for your own pain.

I really liked that it was not a glib collection of platitudes, but shone the light on the real issues faced in the midst of pain as well as the importance of facing them with God's help. This connection is acheived through prayer and immersion in scripture to remind us of God's unending control. In grief we can easily feel that God has forgotten about us or is caught off guard, but listening to his voice through his word and pouring out our hearts to him in prayer can reset our center and help us to stand.

I urge you to obtain a copy of this book even when not in crisis. Teach your heart to pray now so that when grief enters your life you will be ready.