“The In-Between”, Jeff Goins

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The-In-Between-211x300The ordinary moments brim with wonder

I read this book smiling. It is so delightful and comes with a strong message that there is wonder to be found in the moments of waiting.

Too often we are focused on the next, whatever that is: job, baby, year, holiday, or even what we’ll be doing when we get home. There is nothing wrong with that except if we ignore the present. Jeff encourages us to be expectant in the wait, in the pause. In doing so we can realise the unique preciousness that only comes in that particular moment.

Jeff recounts stories from his life where he’s been forced to slow down or wait. Whether it was the train journey home for Christmas, the nine months till his first son was born, or the wonder of time spent with the elderly, Jeff encourages us to cherish the in-between moments. I particularly enjoyed the story of his wedding proposal and the actual day. Both are magical with old-fashioned romance.

Jeff writes beautifully and the power of these stories lies in their ordinariness. We all experience the run of the mill moments of life. But Jeff reminds us that everyday is precious and even when nothing much happens there’s still joy to be found.

Highly recommended.

Barren Seasons

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It’s been eight and a half months since the first stroke. Dad had admitted himself into emergency advising that he believed he’d had a stroke. Being a doctor, he was able to self-diagnose.

Things got worse an hour later. We all received the call you never want to receive: get to the hospital and fast.

The first stroke was only minor. It was the second one that nearly took him from us and caused all the complications. Two days prior Dad worked a full day at the practice. Not bad for an 83 year old.

In those few moments in hospital Dad’s world had been turned upside down. His career ended, his speech severely impacted, short term memory jolted and ability to concentrate impaired.

Devastating.

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“Galatians for You,” Tim Keller

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I studied Galatians at college not so long ago so I thought I had a pretty good understanding of it. However, this excellent study opened my eyes to far more. I can’t speak highly enough about it.

This is practical expository teaching, taking each verse of the epistle and unpacking it so we can both understand but also use it.

Keller uses excellent layman’s language and the conversational style reads like he is sitting alongside guiding you through the epistle. Then after each section of teaching there are three challenging questions for self or group reflection that assist in personalising the message.

Galatians is all about the gospel of grace. As Keller writes in the last paragraph: “The gospel of grace is what the Galatians need to know , and love, in “your spirit.”” As do we.

If you are soon to study Galatians then grab a copy of this book.

Reflections on Silence

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Recently I’ve read a few devotional pieces on Psalm 23. If you haven’t read it recently, I’d encourage you to. Give yourself some time to simply sit and meditate on each of the verses. It’s a Psalm that brings such comfort.

Often when I praying I picture myself sitting with Jesus in a lush meadow. It’s peaceful and safe. I find I don’t want to leave it; I’m alone with my Lord and my shepherd. The world can wait a little while longer.

Soul Restoration

Jesus is in in the business of restoring souls. Read more

“The Way Back,” Tom Pawlik

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This is different to Tom Pawlik’s first two novels that I enjoyed immensely. Pawlik describes it himself as a ‘coming-of-age’ sort of novel which it is, but one filled with gripping suspense that kept me turning (well flicking, is that what it’s called on a Kindle?) the pages.

Pawlik is masterful in how he describes his settings. In particular, the way he describes Jake and Buck’s boat trip through a creepy swamp had me feeling like I was a third passenger on it. The suspense he creates when danger is at hand is riveting. His scenes with a certain large crocodilian creature reminded me a lot of Peter Benchley’s Jaws.

But it was his character, Abe Garner, an elderly man, misunderstood and rejected by his small community, that grabbed my heart. It is his story that lingers in my mind on finishing the novel. His story is such a beautiful one of grace in action, of forgiveness and not allowing one’s mistreatment to malign one’s life with bitterness, mistrust and hatred.

Read this so you can meet Abe Garner. Oh, and one very large water-dwelling reptile.

Join an Author’s Launch team!

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Over the last two years there has been an increase in authors establishing teams of readers, or a Launch Team, to assist in the launch process.

I’m a big fan of these as they are such a practical way a reader can support an author. I’ve been a member of a few such teams for authors in both the fiction and non-fiction worlds. Some teams have ended with the launch and others have continued on to include further book releases. The first one I joined two years ago, is still running, and has evolved across a further two or three content launches.

I wrote a post on establishing a Launch Team from an author’s perspective for ACFW. You can read that here if you like. I thought I’d use my blog to encourage readers to join one.

What is a Launch Team?

Simply put, it’s a group of people who actively support the release of a new book. It generally involves the author inviting people via FB posts, Tweets, and/or emails, and offering to provide them with some “exclusives”. In return, the team members will promote the release with reviews, social media postings and such like. Think of the team as an author’s inner tribe and/or cheer squad.

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“The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald

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I found this both charming and terribly sad.

Fitzgerald’s elegant craftsmanship with attention to detail using such economy of words was extraordinary. It was such a delight to drift off into another time as he captured the soul of Gatsby’s world in the 20s. It was an interesting use of the 1st person as Nick Carraway narrated the story.

But there was such sadness with the apparent meaningless of these characters lives. All fluff and bubble without any soul. I found I felt sorry for Gatsby, unlucky in love and seemingly wealthy from dubious commercial activities that never got fully explained. Daisy, I felt nothing for, as she came across as the most callous selfish individual, blessed with beauty and good upbringing.

I can understand why the novel is held in such esteem by the literary world. In less than 200 pages, Fitzgerald was able to describe the folly of the hedonistic life that has even greatest prevalence today, making the novel very relatable to a modern readership.

“Jesus is ______”, Judah Smith

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In our mixed up world it’s very easy for us to lose sight of “the way, the truth and the life” whether we are a believer or not. We have this maddening way of taking charge ourselves or basing our opinions of faith on the church or other believers.

What this wonderful book does is bring us back to the heart of the gospel. A person. Jesus.

I love how Smith sums it up near the end of the book: “He just wants to love us. He wants to be loved by us.” We should wake each day and welcome Jesus to it. He’s here anyway, why not walk through our days in relationship with Him. And if we do we will truly discover who we are and can be.

Written in easily understandable language with much humour (some funny, some not so) plus plenty of anecdotes and Scripture, this is a beautiful reminder of what Christianity is all about. A person. Jesus.

We need more of this message and I look forward to Pastor Smith’s next book. Highly recommended.