Monday, October 31, 2011


A Sound among the Trees by Susan Meissner

 Ghosts, superstitions, and a character close to calling up the dead were a surprising theme in this book.  The characters were so caught up in the past and thinking about the spiritual world that their normal lives were disrupted and they spent their time dwelling on the unknown.  This part of the book seemed to go on and on and I was waiting for one of them to turn to the Lord and His word but it never happened. This would have made the book worth reading to me.

 However, when letters from the Civil War are found, we are allowed to read them.  Again, I felt the letters went on and on and did not develop this woman into a more mature person from the suffering and turmoil of war.  The love portrayed for a man she met as a child was again dwelled upon and the character never goes to God’s Word for direction.  The latter part of the book was more of a page turner and caught my interest but I was also disappointed.  Although we know the most messed up character did indeed find God, there are no details so we are left hanging.

It’s ironic I’m doing this review on Halloween.  Even though the house wasn’t haunted, it had that reputation and the house itself seemed to affect everyone who entered.  I would have preferred that God would be invited to dwell there and He could do an extreme makeover that would have awed us and shown us His glory and power.

Susan Meissner is one of my favorite authors.  I am sorry to give a bad review but this book was not one of my favorite.

I received this book free from Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for this review.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Broken lives ....... we need one another

  • He came to my door with a longing in his eyes.  Sadness & pain.  Wondering what to do. Needing some to listen.  A broken marriage.  Fixing it seems impossible.

  • She sat crying at my table.  Divorce had never seemed an option, but here it was and she had to deal with it even though she would rather sweep it under a rug.

  • The prodigal daughter - a mom opens up and longs for time to reverse and for God to intervene.

  • The prodigal son - rebellion - and a tiny life appears from reckless choices.  A father devestated and grieving, crying out to God in desperation.

  • Accusations and interpretations.  Wounded by the power of words.  Unforgiveness reigning.  Will we allow the Savior in?  How do we live in this world when we all say we love Christ yet we tear one another down? 

People around us need us to share their burdens, to listen, to love them, to pray with them.

Beneath the surface of our lives is brokenness ........
Only Christ can put the pieces back together. And sometimes HE uses a weak, simple, uneducated woman like me.

What an amazing privledge it is to be a vessel for Him.