The Kind of Life It's Been

by Lloyd Robertson

2012

 

Lloyd Robertson is the long time TV news anchor for CTV, and previous to that, CBC. He's now retired and The Kind of Life It’s Been is his memoirs.  

His story.

And Mr. Robertson certainly had dozens of stories to tell.

After all, he’s reported on many key points in history these last fifty odd years.

 

The JFK assassination, the moon landing, the Montreal Massacre, 9/11.

Multiple elections, Olympics, Royal Visits.

The list goes on and on.  

 

I’m not going to say anything else about this book, other than that I found it to be really fascinating.

And, for someone like me who knows very little about the broadcasting business, it was also quite informative and eye-opening.

 I highly recommend it. 

 

Reading on…

Playing Catch-Up 2

 

Once again, I am in the position of reading faster than I write.

 

And, once again, I find myself thankful.

Year of Wonders  

by Geraldine Brooks

2001

 

A historical novel borrowed from real-life events of plague-ridden 17^th century England: a village quarantines itself to stop the spread of disease.

 

I have really enjoyed Geraldine Brooks’ writing in the past (see Caleb's Crossing) and, initially, I loved this book too.

Historical detail, interesting characters, fascinating plot.

 

Then my opinion changed.

 

The characters I thought I knew turned a 180 and, instead of wrapping up as the book began, the book ended like an episode of Days of Our Lives.

 

It seemed to come out of nowhere and I felt blind-sided.

Let down.

 

Did I miss something?

Somehow I wish I did.

What this book really speaks to, however, is grace. Or the lack of it. 

 

 Wings of Dawn

by Sigmund Brouwer 

1995

 

Having only known Sigmund Brouwer as the writer of middle-grade hockey novels, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

 

Wings of Dawn takes place in 14th-century England and is full of action, intrigue and wonderment. While I can’t really say that I love Mr. Brouwer’s writing style, what I can say is that he provided good, clean, adventuresome fun.

 

Exactly the kind of books I want to read.

 

Exactly the kind of books I want to write.

 

 

Winning Balance

by Shawn Johnson

2012

 

If you’ve read my post entitled, The Art of Pushing Too Hard, you’ll know I have a soft spot in my heart for gymnastics, so when I saw Winning Balance, I grabbed it.

 

I wasn’t let down. It was truly an engaging read.

 

Winning Balance is the autobiography of gymnast, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Shawn Johnson. As expected, Shawn talks about her life before, during and after gymnastics. The book ends as she attempts to make a comeback into the world of competitive gymnastics with the 2012 Olympic Trials.

 

Of course we know from the 2012 Summer Olympics, that Shawn withdrew from competition as a result of injury.

 

As interesting as it is, what sets Winning Balance apart from all the myriads of other gymnastics books on the market is the “Lesson I’ve Learned” section at the end of each chapter. These little nuggets give insight into the inner workings of the author and are truly wisdom to share.

 

Things like, “You need relationships as part of your life.” “Be humble…” “Stepping out of your comfort zone may be scary at first. But it’s worth the risk to see how far you can go.”

 

Shawn is also very open about her faith and she writes many things that would identify her as a Christian. I really appreciated that aspect of the book.

With a world full of fallen superstars, I am so thankful for those very few who can be considered healthy role models.

 

 

Reading on…

God's Smuggler

Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherrill

1967, (updated) 2001

I was a kid when I first heard about Brother Andrew and the work that God had called him to.

In fact, I read his story as a comic book when I should have been listening in church.

My life was certainly not changed by a cartoon Brother Andrew!  

Fast forward a few years...

Now, having just read the "real" book, I see things differently.

God’s Smuggler.

It's a "must-read" on every reader's list.

While Brother Andrew’s salvation story is fascinating in itself, what is even more incredible, is how God has used him since.

God called Andrew to be a smuggler.

A Bible Smuggler.

Brother Andrew has smuggled Bibles, and other Christian literature, into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Bulgaria.

Communist countries behind The Iron Curtain.

And when the Iron Curtain collapsed, Andrew’s organization, Open Doors, moved into China, Vietnam, Africa, Cuba, and the tightly controlled land of Islam.

To quote from the Open Doors Canada website,

In 2008, Open Doors delivered almost 3.9 million Bibles, children's Bibles, Study Bibles and other scriptural books and literature to persecuted Christians worldwide, and trained 114,400 pastors and church leaders...

Isn't God good?

What touched me personally about God’s Smuggler, however, is how involved God was and is in this work. 

God didn’t just call Brother Andrew to smuggle Bibles then let him go at this impossible task alone.

Brother Andrew sought God.

Impossibly.
Constantly.

And,

God worked.

God acted.

God answered.

Why does this touch me so deeply?
Because I have often felt overwhelmed by the task God has called me to.

But, just like Brother Andrew, God doesn’t just call me to something then let me go at it alone. 
He gives me the tools I need for completion.

When God calls, and I prayerfully follow,

God works.

God acts.

God answers.

Even to the seemingly impossible.

What faith-building, encouragement for me. 

Especially in this season of motherhood and church leadership.

1 Peter 4:11, "...If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."

Reading on...

Adventures with Knives: Surviving 1,000 Hours of Culinary School

by Bob Foulkes

2011

The only TV show my hubby and I regularly watch is MasterChef.

Haven't heard of it? 

In short, it’s a bunch of amateur cooks facing off for the grand prize of money, a cookbook contract and, of course, a trophy.

The fact that I watch that kind of TV should give reason enough as to why I would pick up and read a book called, Adventures with Knives, 

And loved it!

Basically, Adventures with Knives is the account of author, Bob Foulkes, experience in culinary school. 

And his reason for going to culinary school?

In his early sixties at the time, Mr. Foulkes decided to rebel against the cultural norm of retirement, ie sitting on the couch and doing nothing all day, and go to culinary school in a “restless, self-absorbed search for meaning in [his] life.”

Adventures with Knives was a terrific read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and totally recommend it.

Bob Foulkes has a relaxed and easy writing style full of understated humour and quirky stories, all with a bunch of really useful cooking tips thrown in.

For instance,
I learned how to keep green beans green, how to intentionally under cook scallops and that all vegetable stocks start with sweating onions.

What does it mean to “sweat onions”?

For all aspiring chefs, and all watchers of MasterChef, this book is a keeper.

Reading on...

Redeemed and Restored: The Stories of Twelve Ordinary Women Transformed by God’s Extraordinary Power

2006

This book is actually a compilation of testimonies...  

Twelve women.

Twelve stories.

Twelve ordinary, mixed up lives saved solely by God’s grace.

Twelve pastors’ wives reaching thousands for Him.

God is good.

Reading on...

Soul Surfer

by Bethany Hamilton

2004

Ages ago, I heard about a young surfer who’d lost her arm in a shark attack.

I’d also heard this girl was back surfing again.

With one arm.

Then I heard this young, one-armed surfer girl was a Christian.  

And, I thought, that’s interesting.

Then I forgot about her.

This summer, however, I was reminded about Bethany Hamilton when my mother asked if I’d seen her movie.

No.

I checked the DVD out of the library.

Now, I’ve seen the movie, Soul Surfer, three times.

And I’ve read the book, also called Soul Surfer, on which the movie is based.

Soul Surfer was written about a year after the shark attack, when Bethany Hamilton was about 14 years old.

The book itself is not very long and it’s an easy read. That said, it is well-written and certainly encouraging. 

And, I should add, convicting.

I think what touches me the most about Bethany Hamilton’s story is how she trusted in God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

And His promise in Romans 8:28,

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Wow.

So the question I must ask myself is this:

Would I have the same trust if I went through a heart-wrenching trial of my own?

Reading on...

Kisses from Katie

by Katie Davis

2011

My attention gravitates to books whose main character has the same name as one of my children. I’ve actually started collecting them with the intent of passing them along at the appropriate time.

That drew me to Kisses from Katie.

Simply put, the author, Katie Davis, is a young, twenty-something girl whose heart attached itself to Uganda and its people after a short high school mission trip. This led Katie to give up her American life and move to Uganda, where she currently serves as a nurse, teacher, cook, and caregiver, among other things. If I can actually sum up her life with those few words.

And, did I mention, she adopted thirteen Ugandan children? 


And I think four are loud at the dinner table.

Katie is an amazing example of a young woman taking up her cross daily and following Jesus completely. One hundred percent.

Kisses from Katie was a compelling read start to finish. I don’t even know where to begin. The stories and experiences Katie shares in her book are so different than what I experience in my everyday life....

So, what impacted me?

Comfort is bad for my soul. Why? With all my creature comforts in place, I am not mindful of my need for a Saviour.

People who believe in God are supposed to share with the poor.

God uses inadequate people and sometimes He stretches them beyond what they ever thought possible, but He always provides the means.

“Do not forget in the darkness what you have been promised in the light” (pg 204).

How can a child, or anyone, accept the Saviour’s love if they don’t know what love is?

In the last twenty-four hours, more than sixteen thousand children died of hunger-related causes.

Hot water in my home is a gift, not a right. (Recently, I was ever so grumpy to go forty-eight hours without it.)

I do not want to forget what I’ve learned through Katie Davis, so I have added her blog to my own homepage, check it out.

Reading on...  

A Father's Love

One Man’s Unrelenting Battle to Bring His Abducted Son Home

by David Goldman

2011 

Not necessarily a book I would have picked up on my own initiative, A Father’s Love was so captivating and utterly horrifying, that I couldn’t put it down.

Passed along with high recommendations from a dear friend, this book recounts the events surrounding the abduction of Sean Goldman in June 2004 and the excruciating battle his father, David Goldman, undertook to bring him home.

Alarmingly, the perpetrators were Sean’s mother and maternal grandparents.

As a quick recap, four year old Sean left his father and home in New Jersey to travel with his mother and grandparents back to their native country, Brazil. The trip was labelled “family vacation”, but in reality, it was anything but.

Just days after his son and wife left, David Goldman received a phone call from his wife stating their marriage was over and their son would not be returning to the United States.

Thus began David’s five year separation from his son and a fight against unbelievable legal and governmental corruption.

I won’t write what happened, but let’s just say, the Hague Abduction Convention didn’t work.

What is the Hague Abduction Convention?  
As quoted from the previous link, “The Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is a multilateral treaty, which seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of abduction and retention across international boundaries by providing a procedure to bring about their prompt return”. 

Not all countries participate in this treaty. A list of the countries who do can be accessed here.

First of all, I must say, it’s a sad day that something like the Hague Abduction Convention even exists. However, as David Goldman stated in his book, at the time of Sean’s abduction there were at least sixty-five other American children who had been abducted to Brazil and, at the time of writing the book, nearly three thousand had been abducted internationally.

Most of these children have been abducted by a parent or legal-guardian.

The Hague Abduction Convention is obviously necessary.  

Please note: Brazil had signed the treaty at the time of Sean’s abduction, but the courts chose not to cooperate with it.

To learn more about this type of child abduction, visit David Goldman’s website at www.bringseanhome.org.

On a final note, I was surfing the web the other day and came across a recent interview and news report about David and Sean Goldman. Apparently, their ordeal is not over as Sean's grandparents continue to pursue legal action against David.

Reading on...

    

Just a Minute

by Wess Stafford, President and CEO, Compassion International

2012

I had read Mr. Stafford’s first book, Too Small to Ignore, way back in spring 2010 and found it to be incredibly powerful.

So powerful that I picked up copies for the Kid’s Ministry servants at church and encouraged them very strongly to read it. (You can do that when you coordinate the ministry!) 

In Too Small to Ignore, Mr. Stafford tells his story of abuse at the hands of boarding school missionaries and how God used that experience for His purpose in the development of the child advocacy organization, Compassion International.

Though I was moved by all 264 pages, the following hit me hard, 

“Watch carefully the children around you. In precious moments you will catch a glimpse of your Saviour’s face. Listen intently and you will hear His voice. Walk gently among them; His footprints are all around you. Embrace them, for you are embracing Him. Respect them, because they are sometimes God’s agents – exactly the kind of instruments He needs. At such times, only a child will do,” (pg 228).

As I had been impacted so deeply by Too Small to Ignore, when I saw an advertisement for Mr. Stafford’s new book, I quickly placed my order.

Just a Minute did not disappoint.

If you are looking for a book that pours out beauty with ugliness, restoration with abandonment, time with neglect, smiles with tears, this is it.

Filled with stories of passing moments between children and adults, Mr. Stafford’s premise is that how an adult chooses to respond to a child will, in many cases, have a lasting effect on that child's life.  

For the good and for the bad.

For instance, did you know that notorious German leader, Adolf Hitler, was one of five children in an abusive household? As the story goes, a young Adolf decided he would run away from home like his older brother, but not before his father found out and locked him in a room to prevent it....

Adolf tried to escape by squeezing through a barred window, but couldn't quite fit. To make himself smaller, Adolf removed all his clothes and made another attempt. As he tried to wriggle his way out, he heard his father’s approach and quickly moved back from the window, covering his nakedness with a nearby tablecloth.

“This time ... [his father] did not punish with a whipping. Instead he burst into laughter and shouted to [his mother] to come up and look at the “toga boy”. The ridicule hurt Adolf more than any switch...” (John Toland, Adolf Hitler, New York: Doubleday, 1976)

And, as the common phrase goes, the rest is history. Adolf Hitler would never let himself be ridiculed again.

On the more positive side, Mr. Stafford also included an account of the leading animator for many beloved Disney characters such as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, the beast in Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel in Tangled, among others.

This animator’s name is Glen Keane, son of “The Family Circus” creator, Bil Keane. 


When Glen was young, he aspired to draw just like his dad. On one particular day, Glen could not get his sketch of a horse right. Instead of looking like a horse, it looked more like a dog! Glen sought his father’s help.

Despite having his work interrupted for an inconsequential sketch of a horse, Bil Keane stopped what he was doing and helped his son draw the horse correctly. 


In that moment, as Wess Stafford reports in his book, “Glen felt loved and respected,” (page 165-166). Glen obviously went on to be a very talented "sketcher". 

Just a Minute is full of stories like these. 


Stories that made my head swell with shame and stories that made me nod quietly with approval.

This book reminded me that the moments I spend with my children count. 


My words, my expression, my actions. 


They all matter.  


For good and for bad.

As both my sons learned in kindergarten, everyone has a bucket. Am I emptying their buckets or filling them?


When I act with compassion and grace, I am filling.
When I act with anger and impatience, I am emptying.

Sometimes it is only by the grace of God that I don’t dump their buckets right out onto the floor.


And that is the point.

Taking a moment out of the busyness of my life to ask the child next to me about their day, or to laugh at a “non-joke”, or to compliment the use of colour in a scribbled picture isn't always accomplished through my own strength.


Sometimes it is only accomplished through the grace of God given to me.

And I need to remember, I am also a child. A child of God. 


And God takes every moment for me.




Reading on...

Night

By Elie Wiesel

Translated by Marion Wiesel

I had never heard of the book called “Night” by Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Elie Wiesel. It was part of my sister’s library and part of Oprah’s Club.

In case you haven’t heard of it either... Night is a short book that describes the author’s personal experiences during the Holocaust. Mr. Wiesel survived the ghetto, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, Gleiwitz, Buchenwald; deprivation, starvation, thirst; deportation, cattle cars, marches, labour; death; loneliness; guilt.

And how did Mr. Wiesel survive? Really, in my estimation it seems like luck and lots of it: Being in the right place at the right time, pretending to be the right age at the right time, having the right skill at the right time, listening to the right advice at the right time, the list goes on. But, for Mr. Wiesel, everything that happened seemed to happen at the right time.

Of course, I really don’t believe in luck. I do, however, believe in a sovereign God who works out even the horrible things in life according to His perfect plan.

Quite a relief to me, even in my comfortable Canadian life.

After reading Night I find that I cherish my husband and children a little bit more. I relish in my ability to live and eat and sleep and walk as I please.

I am thankful for my freedom from a life of fear.

Reading on...

Judging a Book by its Cover

Confession time again... I’m drawn to books by their covers. Artwork, title, font, number of pages are all things that attract me. But, exactly how much do these surface features really say about the heart of a book? The author’s voice?  

The message inside?

Certainly a cover and its trimmings can provide a glimpse into what a book may or may not be about, but would I even pick up the book to flip through if I wasn’t first drawn to its cover?

Maybe.

Likely not.

In my musings, I have come to the conclusion that book covers are very much like the skin we live in as humans. The packaging, if you will.

The first things we notice about each other are all exterior features. Face, hair, clothes, body, teeth. Our packaging.

Our cover.

It is these surface characteristics that first serve to either attract us or repel us from each other.

If we like what we see, we make the effort to study the person closer, dig a little deeper, get to know them better. At the other end, if we don’t like what we see, we tend to move on with scarcely a backward glance.

Sad, but true.

It makes me wonder how many fascinating stories I’ve missed because I didn’t like a cover.

It makes me wonder how many conversations, or even friendships, I’ve missed because I didn’t like a cover.

I was reminded of a book I read several years ago by the now deceased memoirist, Lucy Grealy, detailing the impact of jaw cancer on her childhood and adolescence.

In Autobiography of a Face, Lucy wrote about how facial disfigurement impacted every single aspect of her life. Inside and out. I copied the following quote into my book journal...

“But for me, dressing as if I didn’t care was an attempt not to care, to show the world I wasn’t concerned with what it thought of my face. In my carefully orchestrated shabbiness, I was hoping to beat the world to the finish line by showing that I already knew I was ugly. Still, all the while, I was secretly hoping that in the process some potential lover might accidentally notice I was wearing my private but beautiful heart on my stained and fraying sleeve.”

What Lucy said impacts me today just as it did years ago. I hurt for her and feel her pain.

I can never know what is going on in someone else’s life if I don’t chose to look beneath the surface and get beyond their cover.

One final thought that brings a smile to my face and a surge of thankfulness to my heart. In the Biblical account of the prophet Samuel anointing David, king of Israel, it says,

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

It comes down to this...If God, the maker of all, looks beyond the cover – shouldn’t we?

Reading on...

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea.

By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

2006 Penguin Books

In case you haven’t read this book... 

In 1993, Greg Mortenson made an unsuccessful bid to climb the world’s second tallest mountain, K2, in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan. On the descent, he got lost. After days of walking, Mr. Mortenson was rescued and brought back to a village where the people cared for him and gave him many cups of tea.  Out a debt of gratitude, Mr. Mortenson formed the Central Asia Institute http://www.ikat.org/ to fund the building of schools and hospitals in Pakistan.

I am aware of the recent controversy surrounding Three Cups of Tea. Check out: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/business/media/18mortenson.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto.

However, in my mind, whether or not Greg Mortenson dipped his toe into the world of fiction, the message of the book does not change. It remains...

Reach out. Step out. Help.

A great message to be sure, but how realistic is it for the person who doesn’t climb mountains in exotic locales? Who, instead, leads a fairly regular and everyday sort of life?

Like Me?

Which makes me ask, “how about me”?

How can I help?

How can I reach beyond myself and into the lives of others?

Certainly, starting a humanitarian organization is beyond my current life stage. So what fits?

“Love your neighbour as yourself.” Treat other people as I wish to be treated. 

Basic? Yes.

Easy? No.

So, how exactly does this translate? A few ideas:

Be polite to the cashier at the grocery store, because I want to be treated politely.

Be respectful to the elderly driver out for a Sunday drive on Friday, because I want to be treated with respect.

Be kind to the very tardy pizza delivery guy, because I want to be treated kindly.

Offer my help to the mother balancing babies and grocery bags, because there are times when I need help.

Be gracious towards the nanny when she washes red shirts with the whites, because there are many occasions when I need grace myself.

Be hospitable to the new family at church, because I enjoy receiving hospitality.

Send a relative or friend a note of encouragement, because I like to be encouraged.

It comes down to this: Look beyond my own world and notice the others around me.

I am so quick to get wrapped up in the business of my life that I forget the people around me. However, I have noticed that if I take the time to give to someone else, in the end, it is me who is blessed.

And, on a note of practicality, it’s not necessarily the big things that make a difference, it’s the little and seemingly insignificant things that go the farthest.

Reading on...