Always on my Mind by Susan May Warren

-
Product Details

Well, now doesn't that look like the typical romance book, Christian romance of course.  And you would be correct in drawing that conclusion, but I do really like this series of books.  It's the fourth in a series about the Christiansen family and this book deals a lot with love and forgiveness and overcoming past mistakes and being able to move forward.  I'm really not going to give a lot of the story line behind the book except to say that Casper is the middle child with the need to save the world.  He wants to find the lost treasure, he wants to heal the hurting lady, he wants to prove himself to his family that he isn't just a failure.  So he first runs away to dig for pirate's treasure, but then comes back home and tries to forget the woman he fell in love with who happens to have a past that kicks him in the gut.  Interested yet?

But here's what I really want to focus in on-- some advice that John, Casper's father gave to him.  Listen to a few lines pulled from the book: "See, I was my own worst enemy back then. My pride told me I deserved better.  A bigger life. But my dad figured it out--there is no life bigger than the one lived, every day, in awe of God. God showing up in our lives to love us despite ourselves. That is a treasure we can find every single day....How do you keep loving someone who doesn't love you back? Like Jesus did, Son. Faithfully praying, faithfully abiding, faithfully loving anyway.....You don't think Jesus sees our choices, our decisions, and wants to run out in front of us with semaphores? He does, in fact warn us over and over of the ways we're destroying ourselves. But we don't listen. And what does love do? Forgives, Comforts. Protects. Saves. Renews. Loves.....If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves, require more of us than we ever dreamed, then it's not the unconditional, divine love God intends for us. God's love is not cautious, not wise, not sensible, and not remotely conservative. In fact, loving another person the way God loves them is the greatest adventure we can have. The greatest treasure we can find."

This speaks to me: we all have people in our lives we don't understand, we struggle to get along with or we have completely broken relationships with them.  Our first step must be to pray for them and then to love them irregardless.  This is not humanly possible. This backs us up to the first quote, the one that says there is no life bigger than the lived every day in the awe of God.  God loves me despite my shortcomings; how can I do anything but love the next person despite his or hers?  This is my goal, this is my resolutions for the year 2015 and this might be worthy of posting on my refrigerator.

This book was given me by Tyndale House for the purpose of reading and writing a review on it.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fragrant Whiffs of Joy by Dorcas Smucker (It's Giveaway time)

-
Image
Ah yes, this was just what the doctor ordered. I've wanted to review Dorcas' last book or two and was always too chicken to ask, but this time I threw caution to the wind and said, "Yes, I want to review your book." And I'm so glad I did. It was the perfect book for this stage in my life. Short, easy to read chapters that can be picked up and read whenever and wherever. They are guaranteed to either make you laugh, smile, cry, or or just give you that ah-ha feeling that someone else experiences life like that too.  I could quote from pretty much every chapter something that struck me in one of those ways, but I really want you to go buy the book so I won't do that many spoilers. I only want to give you a hint of what is to come in the book. First off, isn't the cover beautiful? I can dream of a kitchen table like that with the apple pie still steaming and the tea pot, or coffee pot more likely, full to the brim and a beautiful arrangement of flowers ...
Read more

All the Pretty Things by Edie Wadsworth

-
Image
I haven't posted a book review in over two weeks, I must be lazing off!!! Actually, I had two books going at once and also read a non-review book in between. Not that I think anyone missed me or anything. But just to be clear, I am back and have about six books to review in the next few weeks. Okay, "All the Pretty Things". When I started this book, I loved it. I thought it was an amazing story and it is. Edie was born to an alcoholic father. She rarely saw him sober, but she loved him and enabled him until his dying day. She missed that father figure in her life and attempted to salve that wound by working hard at everything she put her hand to except her marriage. She was raised in rather extreme poverty. Her parents divorced and both remarried, but divorced again. She was abused as a child, though it became a repressed memory that came out through recurring nightmares. She was introduced to Jesus and would often respond to altar calls to make sure she was saved. Sh...
Read more

PRECIOUS CHILD

-
In my dreams, you are alive and well Precious child, precious child In my mind, I see you clear as a bell Precious child, precious child In my soul, there is a hole That can never be filled But in my heart, there is hope 'Cause you are with me still In my heart, you live on Always there never gone Precious child, you left too soon Tho' it may be true that we're apart You will live forever... in my heart In my plans, I was the first to leave Precious child, precious child But in this world, I was left here to grieve Precious child, my precious child In my soul, there is a hole That can never be  filled But in my heart there is hope And you are with me still In my heart you live on Always there, never gone Precious child, you left too soon,  Tho' it may be true that we're apart You will live forever... in my heart God knows I want to hold you,  See you, touch you And maybe there's a heaven And someday I will again Please know yo...
Read more