Echoes of the Kingdom

     Okay, most people who know me are aware that sometimes I tend to overcommit. (I can’t actually hear you, but know some of you are saying that may be the understatement of the century.) This past year I’ve used the word “no” more often without feeling guilt. I’ve tried to organize better and stay on schedule in order to make the most of my time.  Overall, most would agree that organizing and sticking to a schedule are admirable traits.  I think this is true, if we are careful not to be so organized and scheduled to miss out on the opportunities to share God’s love.     
     The other day I heard a quote on the radio that made me stop and think.  The DJ was sharing about a band member of The Fray visiting Rwanda and talking with a woman who survived the genocide and was sharing her story.  The band member made the comment that when he was holding her hand, he couldn’t distinguish between her heartbeat and his.  Brent Hansen, the DJ, commented, “When you take time to hear people’s stories, you might hear echoes of the Kingdom of God in places you don’t expect.” Wow…something as simple as listening to someone’s story can put you in a Kingdom perspective and let you live out being the hands and feet of God.
     Since I heard that quote, I’ve seen it in action a couple of times.  A friend shared how busy her day was and how excited she was to be running “on schedule” but actually dumped her schedule to invite someone to sit down and chat during a lunch break.  Those few minutes turned out to be a precious time of fellowship.  I had the opportunity to get a little “off schedule” and chat with an elderly lady whose husband has been ill.  I didn’t know her, but I believe our encounter was ordained to encourage us both with the mercies of God.
   Yes, I will continue to exercise my use of the word “no.” Now, however, I will be watching for the chance to hear echoes.

Born in the Wrong Century

     In The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck: a Novel by Kathleen Y’Barbo, Charlotte Beck is a headstrong, independent, often immature only child born in a time when women are suppose to get married, have children, and tend to family responsibilities.  This creates numerous collision points with her family and society in which she must sometimes strike a few bargains to achieve her goals.  At first, Charlotte was hard for me to like because of her selfish attitudes.  As I got into the book, it was evident that many of her escapades may have been motivated by selfish desires, but they also portray her as person struggling to find her way. I enjoyed the foreshadowing provided by the quotes by Miss Pence, Charlotte’s etiquette teacher, at the beginning of each chapter. 

     The book is an easy, fun read.  There isn’t really a deep spiritual content, but the importance of a relationship with Christ is important to Charlotte’s father as he “interviews” her prospective husband.  This questioning prompts the young man to examine his faith, and isn’t that what we all need to do daily? The discussions some of the characters have about arranged marriages, I feel, gave an accurate portrayal of some of the arranged marriages from the historical old west. Although this is the third in “The Women of the West” series, it doesn’t require knowledge of the first two stories to understand. 

     I received The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck: a Novel for free from Multnomah Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Great Suspense

Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann is a suspenseful read in which finding a “good” stopping place is almost impossible.  Being a teacher, I wasn’t quite clear of the meaning of the word “indelible,” so I looked it up.  According to Webster, it means something that cannot be removed or washed away and is lasting.  Natalie has dealt with eidetic (similar to photographic memory) images since childhood.  She doesn’t just “see” people, she sees their innermost being and it sometimes overwhelms her to the point of temporary blindness.  To deal with her gift/curse, she sculpts to get the pictures out of her head.  These sculptures are not put on display, but acts as a type of release for her.  When her nephew is rescued from the mouth of a mountain lion by Trevor, the wilderness outfitter next door to her gallery, Natalie becomes the one person who may be able put the pieces together in order to figure out who is behind the bizarre and disturbing pictures of children in danger being sent to Trevor.  I love good suspense stories, but appreciated this one even more because of the depth of characters and how Heitzmann used excerpts from Milton’s Paradise Lost to let the reader glimpse into a mind waging the battle between good and evil.  Being introduced to several characters sometimes gets confusing, but in Indelible you are given enough information about the characters and see them interact so they become familiar and have you looking forward to another book in which one of them might be the main character. Although Indelible is the second book in a series, it is a great stand alone read.
I received Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann for free from Multnomah Publishing in exchange for my review.