A Lady in Attendance. A book Review.

 Summer, with its slower pace, is a great time to do some reading, and I have read a number of good books lately. Let me tell you a little about the latest.

A Lady in Attendance by Rachel Fordham is the story of a young woman named Hazel who, after being wrongly accused of a crime and spending 5 years in a reformatory in Upstate NY, must now seek employment. Because her past is hindering her job search, she uses a false identity and finds a position as a Lady in Attendance (dental assistant) in Dr. Gilbert West’s office. There she finds a friend, and also the hope that there may be a future for her after all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a gentle story that starts slowly but builds to a very satisfying conclusion. There is some mystery and some suspense, along with a very sweet love story. Fordham deals with opium trafficking in the 19th century, along with themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption. This is Christian historical fiction at its best. 

I received a copy from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for my opinion.

The Scarlet Pen. A Book Review.

 

I finished reading The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Uhlarik over the weekend. It is part of Barbour Publishing’s True Colors series, a fact-as-fiction series of books based on true crimes. This one journeys into the counterfeit money business in the 19th century as well as the life of serial killer Stephen Dee Richards. This is the 12th book in the True Colors series, but each stands alone.

As the story begins, Emma Draycott has become engaged to her childhood friend Stephen Dee Richards, but he leaves town almost immediately on “business”. Secret Service Agent Clay Timmons arrives in town tracing fake currency, and the trail soon points to Richards. This book is both a crime novel and a love story, with a Christian perspective through.

I took an immediate dislike to Richards, even before I was aware of just what a villain he was. Sweet Emma…I often wanted to shake her so she would wake up and see the truth about Richards. I immediately liked Clay, who was not only an excellent investigator but also an excellent “leading man”. 

This is my first Jennifer Uhlarik read, but I hope not my last. Uhlarik has done an excellent job of telling the story of these horrible crimes, yet at the same time weaving a thread of hope throughout. The characters are authentic, the events are vividly described without excessive blood and gore, and the dialogue between characters is well written and flowed easily. This is one you don’t want to miss.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review.

Let Freedom Ring!

It’s Independence Day weekend. That means it’s time for the annual 4th of July post, which brings me to this quote:

“Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof."       

Those words from Leviticus 25 are inscribed on a bell we have come to know as the Liberty Bell, originally cast in the Whitechapel Foundry in East London, England, and now housed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Over the weekend we will celebrate our nation's independence. July 4, 1776 was the date of the signing of our Declaration of Independence, and we celebrate that day every year.

But our independence, our freedom, is about more than a one-day-a-year celebration. It's about more than picnics and parades. It's about more than fireworks and flag-waving and funnel cakes.

Our freedom as Americans is something to celebrate every day of the year, not just on one day in the middle of summer. It's something to be cherished and protected. It's something we must never take for granted, but continually be thankful for.  

Our freedom as Americans is a precious thing that must be guarded and defended. And just as the verse from Leviticus that is inscribed on the Liberty Bell reminds us, we must "proclaim liberty throughout the land"!

If that is true of our freedom as Americans, how much more is all that true of our freedom in Christ! Our freedom in Christ isn't something just to be celebrated once a week on Sundays, but to be celebrated and cherished and treasured and proclaimed every day! Because "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"  (John 8:36 ESV)

"For freedom Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1 ESV)

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."  (Romans 8:2 ESV)

[Jesus said] "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32 ESV) 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6:23 ESV)

Free in Christ Jesus! Free indeed! Our freedom in Christ is not dependent on political parties or political correctness or political whim. That freedom is all and only in and through Christ Jesus! Free indeed!

Proclaim that freedom "throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof"!

What will you do today to proclaim liberty? To let freedom ring?

"Let Freedom Ring" - The Gaither Vocal Band:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVVbSXz7jaU

Not Available

Even in these days when texting is the norm, we still sometimes use the telephone to make a call. And when we do, how frustrated we become when we hear "the person you have called is not available."

We are even more frustrated when we hear a list of prompts, followed by another list of prompts, and another, and another, all ending with "please leave a message after the beep."

In this world of instant everything, we don't want to wait. We want to talk to a real person, not an automated answering service. And we want to talk to that person now. When we call. Not at some future point that might or might not ever happen, because they might or might not decide to return the call. And if they do return the call, we might or might not decide to answer. And so it goes.

We want answers now. We expect people to answer when we call. Just like in the "olden days" when the phone rang, and you answered the person without even knowing who was on the other end of the line. The phone rang, and so you answered it. Perhaps I'm dating myself!

In these days of texting and telemarketing and robocalls, a person who actually answers the phone without knowing who on the other end of the call is a rarity indeed. 

I must confess that I am not a fan of the telephone, particularly in this post-stroke season of my life. But when I do actually make a phone call, it's because I want to talk to the person I called. Actually talk to them. Not to their voice mail. I actually want to hear a real human voice. The voice of the person I called.

How thankful I am that when I want to talk to God, I don't have to worry that He's too busy to pick up the phone. When I want to talk to God, He listens. And He responds. Not audibly, of course, but with that still, small voice that let's me know He's listening.

When I want to speak with God, I don't get put on hold. There's no endless list of prompts to get through. I don't have to press 1 for requests and 2 for praises. I don't have to leave a call-back number.

When I call, He answers. When I call, He hears. When I call, He responds. When I call, He answers.

"He bends down to listen....." (Psalm 116:2 NLT)

I am overwhelmed.

The Most Important Thing

 

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us….Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like." - A.W. Tozer

I have encountered this Tozer quote several times this week.  I have read it often and written about it here on this blog. The fact that it has come to my attention so often this week is a good indication I need to pay attention. Particularly to four words out of this quote. Those four words - the most important thing -  have really grabbed my attention.

A. W. Tozer was a  pastor in the Christian Missionary Alliance church and is perhaps best known to us for two of his books, both now considered classics in Christian literature, The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. My copies of these books are well-worn and well-highlighted, and have had quite an impact on my life.

This week, being faced again with this quote has caused me to stop and think. To ponder, if you will.

What do you consider the most important thing about yourself?  Is it your physical appearance?  Or your education?  Or your job?  Or where you live?  Or your family?  Or your political affiliations?  Or your opinions? Or your loyalty to a particular sports team?

Have you ever stopped to consider that question? And have you ever paused to consider what Tozer said?  Have you ever stopped to think about what you think about God?

What do you think about God?  How well do you know Him?  What is your view of God?

Isaiah had this to say about his view of God:

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' " (Isaiah 6:1-3)

That was Isaiah's view.  What's yours?

How do we get to know God?  How do we have a right view of Him?

Once we are in a faith relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, we come to know Him better through the pages of Scripture. As we read, and as we study, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to understand more and more about who God is, about His character and His ways.

Our right view of God is developed by time in His Word, and by spending time with Him in prayer. And we express our right view of Him by how we live out our lives on a daily basis.

May we - may I - always have a right view of who God is. And may we - may I - always express that right view in our daily living.

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:1-2 NASB)

Hope Between the Pages. A Book Review.

“Any story that begins with a library is bound to be an excellent read.”  With that opening sentence, I was hooked! 

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham is one of my new favorite books. I loved it from beginning to end. Except that I really didn’t want it to end.

This is a dual timeline story of young Sadie Blackwell in 1915 and her granddaughter Clara Blackwell in the present day. Much of the story takes place in Asheville, North Carolina in and around the Biltmore Estate. Basham’s descriptions of the area are vivid and authentic. Since I live very near this area, I have often visited the Estate as well as nearby Biltmore Village, so I felt right at home as I immersed myself in the story.

Often dual time lines leave me preferring one story over the other. Not so with this tale. Both storylines are woven together almost seamlessly to give us a delightful story. Both Sadie and Clara are wonderfully presented.

Hope Between the Pages is part history, part mystery, and part romance, with Christian elements woven throughout. It is a happy-ever-after fairy tale. One I will remember. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion.

Refreshed

 

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. That is certainly true of vacations. This year’s vacations is history, and now we are back to reality. But even as I am experiencing the "reentry" that comes after a vacation, I am feeling renewed and refreshed. I always love and am refreshed by time with family. That is even more true this year, after the stress we have all experienced because of Covid.

Over the years, our vacations have taken various forms. Some years, vacation meant sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand, listening to the sounds of ocean waves crashing onto the beach.



Some years, like this one, we headed to the mountains.

 

  

What a relaxing week it was. No particular agenda. No appointments or doctor visits that had to be kept. No chores to be done.

Just relaxing. Laughing. Talking. Making memories together. A week of giggles and snorts and belly laughs. The sounds of love. The sounds of family.

Now it's back to "real" life! Yet even as I'm faced with unpacking and sorting laundry and putting things away, there's a smile on my face.  

Relaxed.  Refreshed.  Renewed.

It wasn't just about the location. It was about the people.

It was smiles and giggles and laughter. It was conversation. It was together. It was family.

Family. One of life's greatest blessings.

The vacation is over. But the memories will last a lifetime.

More happy than my heart can hold.



"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."  (Psalm 103:1 ESV)