Glimpses of Grace

I just finished another book by Gloria Furman and let me just tell you again how much I enjoy her writings (the first book I read by her was The Pastor’s Wife). She is real, Christ-centered, and hits you (and herself) with God’s word continually throughout her book. I love how she doesn’t try to seem like she has it all figured out and shares her life stories and then connects them to the bible.

In this book, Gloria discusses how God is in the midst of our mundane daily tasks as wives, moms, and women. She shares stories that will make you laugh (her son loving to stick his hand in the toilet while it flushes) and cry (her husband’s constant battle with pain in his arms) while relating them to our spiritual lives.

“God can use the ordinary moments in your life to glorify himself by conforming you into the image of his Son.” If that quote from the book doesn’t make you want to shout, “Amen!” then I don’t know what will.

My First Kingsbury

Yesterday I finished reading The Chance by Karen Kingsbury. It was the first one of her books I had ever read (which seems odd since I LOVE Christian novels), and I was hooked, addicted, had to know how it would end, LOVED IT!!!!

It is about a teenager girl (Ellie) whose family falls apart, is uprooted from the only place she has ever called home, and loses contact with everyone(including her mom and best friend-who she loves!) except her dad. Because of this she feels unwanted, unloved, and doesn’t believe in God anymore. Eleven years pass and suddenly things begin to change…

I finished it by the pool and got too much sun…but it was so worth it!

I don’t want to ruin it for you so I won’t finish the summary, but let’s just say it reminded me so much of the prodigal son. In Luke 15 you can find the parable of the lost son. This story that Jesus tells is about a son who leaves home, wastes what he has been given, and finally comes back home. When he gets home he is received with open arms by his father.

Just like the lost son, when Ellie finally realizes that God is real, that she was never really alone, she is so loved and has always been wanted, God welcomes her with open arms! 

Today, if your lost and wandering around aimlessly…know that you are loved by God. You are wanted, valued, and cherished. You can come stumbling, crawling, or running and skipping back to God the way the prodigal son did to his father.