Not many books about faith bring tears to my eyes. Most make me think, and some find themselves in the category of life changing, but I literally had to fight back tears to finish this one. I had intended to write a review of this book, but as I sat to write, nothing but pure emotion came out. So here’s my review – but in all actuality it’s mostly my raw reaction to the book. You’ll have to read the book yourself to discover what it’s all about.
Side note about the author: she is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. I’ve only met her once – at Catalyst 2008. She graciously gave me some of her comp tickets (I have Twitter to thank for that connection.) I was so thankful and honored to receive them, but I never thought I would actually get to meet her. When I saw her in Cathleen Falsani‘s lab, I just had to introduce myself. Confession – I was a little starstruck. And then, she gave me a hug. Like we were old friends. Although we’re not real-life friends, I keep up with her thanks to social networking, and she is one of those people who I would love to spend extended time with. It was with that impression of her that I read this book – and her genuineness came out in every single word.
Her works always show me God in a new light. This one does not disappoint. As I finished each section of the book, I found myself ready to give up the life I currently live and explore God in the natural world around me. I was ready to cuddle sheep, stand amazed at the work of honey bees, pick grapes, and I was even ready to dig in the dirt to plant a garden just so I could watch it grow. (Those of you who know me well know how much I hate to get dirty – so this was huge!) As I read the stories of Margaret’s travels, it wasn’t that I thought those things would be appealing ways to spend my time. In fact, I’m not sure that any of them would be very appealing to me day after day. But I learned so much about who God is, what it means to be a leader of God’s people, what it means to be a member of the body of Christ, how every individual person and every individual church is just as important as every other one, and maybe most importantly, how much God just wants a relationship with me – just to spend time with me.
Have you ever had a time in your life when you’ve been asking God certain questions but you never reveal them to anyone else? Times in your life when you’re struggling, but you might not be real sure what you’re struggling with? Or maybe you do know what you’re struggling with but you haven’t found the courage to vocalize it to anyone? When you read or hear words that instantly answer those questions or speak to that struggle, it’s pretty clear that it’s God talking to you. That happened to me time and time again as I went through the pages. God spoke. Now, will I listen?
This is one of those books that I am pretty sure I will be processing for months, maybe years, to come. If anyone is interested in going through the DVD series with me, let me know. I would love to dig be part of a community that is digging deeper into the Scripture behind Margaret’s stories.
Thank you Margaret – for speaking truth, for being honest about your own struggles, and for showing me glimpses of God in ways I could never have imagined. Your words challenged me in a way that I am certain will bring abundant joy to my life.
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