Tea & Read: The Renewal

Title: The Renewal Midlands Building
Author: Terri Kraus
Rating: Spend the Day Sleepy

This is a wonderful book. The plot was moving and the character were heartwarming. I found myself rooting for them at their biggest points of struggle.

But I had an odd experience with this book. I normally gripe about books that have forced conversions. My complaint was "if I wanted to have a spiritual moment, I'd read my Bible." Most of the time, I read books for escapism or entertainment. I'm not looking to learn spiritual lessons from a fiction book.

But this book touched me in a way that only one other book has, that being Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I have suffered loss and every writer knows about starting over after failing (and if you don't, give it a few more rejections, you'll find out.) I felt spiritually refreshed after reading this book because it was full of hope.

The realism in this book was superb. Meaning, these were real people with real problems. It wasn't about unrealistic unforgiveness or a hangnail. I am so appreciative of Kraus because she tackled the tough stuff and made it enjoyable to read.

She also scores high marks for subtle biblical themes. She shows characters applying the Word to their situations and gives a picture of how God gradually works in us, not this contrived One-Scripture-Fixes-All occurrence in Christian fiction.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her books.

Is that you, Jesus?

Sitting in my living room one day, I noticed that the sky was doing something weird. It was a cloudy sunset. The last traces of light peeked through the clouds, giving the snow in my back yard a pink tint in a matter of minutes. It was so strange because it was so sudden.

As I watched the world turn pink, I asked "Is that you, Jesus?" I do that often when I see strange things happening in the sky. It could have been Him. We don't know when He's going to return. All we know is that He will crack the sky and everyone will see Him.

I try to imagine what that's going to be like, if I live to see it. My heart wonders about how it will feel to have my savior that close. Will I sense that the Lover of my soul is near? Will His return be a gradual thing, His cracking the sky being a gradual event? Or will it be like the pink sunset over my back yard, happening in seconds? Will we be standing around, doing what we always do and have to ask "Is that you, Jesus?" and He replies "Yes."
Selah.

Tea & Read: The Chronological Study Bible

Title: The Chronological Study Bible

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers

Rating: Spend the Day Sleepy

The Thomas Nelson Chorological Study Bible is a great resource for the serious Bible student and new believers looking for a historical context of the scripture. The combination of the historical layout and the study notes sets this Bible head and shoulders over its rival, Reese’s Chronological Bible. This book has quickly become my favorite resource for historical background of the Bible.

The study notations of this Bible are phenomenal. There are pages and pages of information on the major time divisions of the bible. I also enjoy the way it is broken down into Epochs. They give a clear snapshot of Biblical times and other insightful information about science, technology, trade, economics and more. Significant events are shown in outline form and maps give a sense of the scale of these events.

The Bible is beautifully printed in color and hard cover bound, making it sturdy and easy to read. The study notes are colored-coded, so finding the background information of a passage is effortless. Even with all the wonderful features in this Bible, it is not overwhelming, as some recourses can be. The information and its placement on the page are logically and well-thought out.

I wish I had this book when I was completing my Master’s Degree in Theology.