The Crying Heart

by Clara Bernice Miller
1962

Claimed off my mother's bookshelf, a third place Sunday School prize she had won in 1965, The Crying Heart was a welcome read.


Growing up in an Amish community, Martha only knows about God through the traditions of her forefathers. When her boyfriend, Daniel, comes to know Jesus personally, her world is thrown upside down. Then tragedy strikes...

Written in the language of the 1960s (sometimes irritatingly so), The Crying Heart faces the question of suffering and the age-old complaint, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" How the author responds to these dilemmas was beautiful, encouraging and thought-provoking to read.

One can still find The Crying Heart online, but I doubt many readers will race to pick it up. That said, I found the book to be wonderfully refreshing and I recommend it wholeheartedly.



Reading on...

Ben-Hur

by Lew Wallace

I believe Ben-Hur is best known as a 1959 Hollywood drama starring Charlton Heston.
Who can forget the chariot race?

But have you ever picked up the novel and read it cover to cover?

If you have, have a coffee on me.
If you haven't, let me warn you - don't expect a story like the movie.


Having watched the movie, Ben-Hur seemed like the right read for a trip to Israel, but honestly, I didn't get very far.

In fact, I didn't get very far the whole vacation and only finished two months later.
At home.


Truth be told - Ben-Hur didn't grab me.

Beautifully written.
Deep and provoking.
Amazing plot.


What more could I ask for?
Still, I felt wanting.



Despite my lack of interest, however, there are a few things that have stayed with me.

The dedication.
"To the wife of my youth who still abides with me"


The detail.
Lew Wallace describes to perfection.


The depth.
Judah discovers we are physical beings with bodies of flesh and blood, yet also spiritual beings created with eternal souls.



Would I recommend Ben-Hur?
Despite my humble opinions, definitely.




Reading on...

Beowulf The Warrior

Author unknown

Retold by Serraillier

1954

My children need more culture in their lives.

Something beyond hockey.

Something beyond Star Wars.

An introduction to other interesting things in life.

The first step toward a more cultured life included a night out at the ballet for Son #1, The Nutcracker at Christmas.

His take on it? Not bad.

My take on it? A good sign.

  

As part of my quest for culture, and propelled by my own desire to read to the kids more, I picked up a retelling of the ancient book, Beowulf, for our night time fiction.

Apparently, Beowulf is the oldest epic in the English language and was written sometime during the eleventh century, though it’s also been dated as far back as the eighth century. No one really knows for sure. 

And talk about culture, Beowulf is a 3182 line alliterative poem, though our retold version only had about 800 lines. 

The lines were beautiful to read aloud.

Anyway, it was a great read, even if a little hard for the kids to understand at times.

Battles, monsters, treasure, a noble and valiant hero... they all add up to make a terrific boy story! And the boys loved it.

Even more, Beowulf portrayed values we want to instil in our kids such as courage, honour and, the very unpopular, humility.

Reading on...

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4