A Grief Observed

     To anyone who has ever suffered a loss: a comfort. To anyone dealing with any stage of grief: a companion. This classic book by C.S. Lewis approaches the loss of a loved one in a way that comforts, listens, hurts, holds, and cries with the reader. In his mind-numbing grief, Lewis chokes out the words to somehow enunciate his agony over the loss of a loved one - the loss of his loved one - even when his emotions rob him of words and the breath to form them.


     In all of his floundering to communicate, what comes across is a beautifully painful account of his journey through grief; the musings of an influential man brought down to the same base level as any other individual. His expression is truly humbling. How often do we look at these famous, shining people as other and out-there and unaffected? Apart from "the rest of us"?

     And how often are we all of a sudden proven so wrong?

     To be able to relate so deeply to someone seemingly so far out of reach has an entirely humbling effect. In the shadow of sorrow and grief over loss, I would hug this book to my chest and read it time and time again, in search of comfort. Sometimes all the comfort we need is someone who listens and understands, and A Grief Observed is akin to that, without the ability of interrupting or claiming that your feelings are not right or valid.

     It is so easy to dismiss someone's pain as lesser and to compare it to our own in a cruel way of diminishing their experience, and in doing so, do exactly the opposite of comfort them. Lewis would not - could not - do anything of the sort.

     A Grief Observed is something like a heartfelt guide through different stages of grief, guaranteed to carry you through, step by step, as the author himself undergoes each.

--Elise--

For more information on A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, visit our website here.

Messy Spirituality

"My life is a mess.
After forty-five years of trying to follow Jesus, I keep losing him in the crowded busyness of my life. I know Jesus is there, somewhere, but it's difficult to make him out in the haze of everyday life.
[...]
I want to be a good person. I don't want to fail. I want to learn from my mistakes, rid myself of distractions, and run into the arms of Jesus. Most of the time, however, I feel like I am running away from Jesus into the arms of my own clutteredness."

--Messy Spirituality, Chapter One, page 18

     From page one (or rather, page 18, where he begins to share after the foreword written by his wife, Karla), Michael Yaconelli is brutally honest about himself. And, to a point, about the reader.

     The premise of Messy Spirituality is based on the foundation that it is relatable. No matter what stage you are at in your faith, it can seem like not enough. You're not spiritual enough, not committed enough; you don't have enough faith, you don't love God enough, you don't share your faith enough, you don't pray enough, you don't read your Bible enough. Everyone tries to measure up to everyone else in a detrimental spiral of comparison and shame, and in the end there is no pay off, because faith is a personal thing. You cannot compare.

     Enough.

     Yaconelli suggests that maybe faith "begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together". He addresses spiritual perfectionism as a common struggle, and Messy Spirituality provides thoughts to help change those habits. The growth of your faith is something between you and God, and God sees everyone as they are: messy, imperfect, and absolutely beloved. Pastors, missionaries, worship leaders - they all struggle with the temptations and the doubts of everyday life as much as the next individual. Your position, your profession, your calling - does not determine the level of your faith.

     Yaconelli offers encouragement, to those of us who feel like we are not enough. He provides assurance and a sense of direction. He does not necessarily say that your faith doesn't need some work - that would be untrue for anyone, at any point in time - but he wants to remind anyone and everyone who have all somehow forgotten that faith and spirituality are not neat, clear, clean, or straight forward. Not always. Not for everyone. It is a constant, lifelong struggle; a work continually in progress.

     And that can be a very comforting thought.

--Elise--

For more information on Michael Yaconelli's book Messy Spirituality, visit us at our website here:
http://www.houseofjames.com/store/details/9780310277309

One Thousand Gifts

 

What if I opened the clenched hands wide to receive all that is? A life that receives all of God in this moment? How do you do that when terror tears up your throat and you wear the burn scars of a razed past?

Chapter 8: How will he not also?

     As Brittany will share with you, the cover of this book is not the only thing that makes it so attractive. But the cover does call to me, in a way. Which, naturally, means that I know I'm going to end up reading it one of these days. That is, once I get through all of those other books whose covers drew me to them. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but don't we do it anyways? An aesthetically pleasing cover could be the tipping point between intrigue and desire.

     And now, to Brittany:

     I recently stumbled across "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. From first glance the cover intrigued me, and as I began to flip through the first chapter, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to take in as much as I possibly could. At the same time I longed to digest it slowly, savouring each word. As I read, I stepped into her world and my heart was quieted. Words of gentle grace and a profound understanding of the gifts of God permeated each page. Ann guides her readers through her journey of discovering gratitude, and the power of truly giving thanks to God. She spoke openly of her struggles and pain, and I gained respect for her quiet wisdom. She challenges her readers to lay aside their pride, and embrace surrender to the Lord who lives and loves, who gives good gifts and hears the anguished whispers of broken hearts. Life can be hard, and souls can feel broken, but "One Thousand Gifts" guides you into the deepest truths of God's love, where his goodness overflows, and thanks is the only response your heart can make.

~Brittany Beacham

     Ann's writing style is engaging and gripping, even in the few pages that I have read. Once you start, it will be hard to stop. And if you're anything like me, that's probably exactly what you want to hear.

~Elise

For more information on Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, visit our website here: http://www.houseofjames.com/store/details/9780310321910