The Beloved Daughter

The Beloved Daughter is not an easy read. It is instead a book that will challenge you as the young heroine's tale unfolds. Ultimately it will impact your prayer life for you will be more faithful to remember the torment and trials that many Christians endure under regimes such as North Korea where this story takes place.

Alana Terry brings us into the world of a young girl whose father is a committed Christian in the midst of a hostile country where being a Christian can lead to imprisonment, torture and likely death, not only for him but also for his family. The family's capture ensues and this man's young daughter, Chung-Cha, will face horrific challenges to her physical, emotional and spiritual life. She will spend many years in prison. The Beloved Daugther is Chung-Cha's story.

In prison, Chung-Cha faces cruelty that will break your heart. She is but 12 years old when she is taken into captivity. In prison she faces beating and betrayals. We share with her as her limited faith will be questioned and her heart grows pessimistic. Then God places her in the presence of an old woman of faith. They share a cell for a brief time and God uses this situation to give our heroine a blessed reprieve that will help Chung-Cha's fragile faith grow.

Eventually Chung-Cha escapes to China where she will learn many more lessons and begin to slowly heal. Yet more tragedy is to follow and she will be called upon to endure more heartbreak.

I highly recommend this story because I found that it strengthened my awareness for Christians who suffer daily for their faith. Living in this country where we have abundant freedoms, food and comfort, we have a responsibility to these suffering brothers and sisters. We must step out in ways that can help ease their suffering by supporting ministries such as Gospel for Asia, Brother Andrew, and others of this nature, as well as being faithful prayer warriors for those we will likely never meet until heaven, can make a difference. How we would hope for the same should we ever find ourselves in these circumstances.  

Postcards from the Heart

Forever Friday is the debut novel from Timothy Lewis. He brings to life a couple who have found enduring love, enduring commitment and who are determined to understand the concept of "long division" and how to protect, cherish and build their love through the years rather than see it fragmented.

Every Friday, Gabe sends his sweetheart and wife a postcard that expresses his love through his poetic thoughts on their love/life experiences

I can't give this book my highest ranking as it took me awhile to identify with the book characters. I didn't find their inner energy, thoughts and heart as deeply as I had hoped to.

God's Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert

God’s Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert

God’s Daughter is a tale set Circa AD1000. It is a story of Vikings. It is a story of times and days long past. The author takes the reader to this time through the eyes of a brave and beautiful Viking woman named, Gudrid. She lives in a world that is changing as beliefs in Thor and the Viking ways are merging with newfound Christianity. Gudrid has come to know Christ and the atonement He made for our sins. This atonement is available to anyone who comes with a heart of faith - Men and women alike, slave and free. She sees the error of Thor and his requirements for sacrifice and the bondage of appeasing a god who has no capacity for loving.

Men are drawn to Gudrid for she is beautiful and possesses great wisdom. She is married to a brave Viking warrior, Finn. He loves her, and as the story progresses she finds her love and respect for him deepen.

Disease, dangers and death are always lurking for them. The need to survive and help the struggles of others, is what drives Gudrid. She loves her child fiercely and cares deeply for her friends.

The writer brings us into their day to day lives in the village and what they endured returning to their previous home through a sea voyage. We experience with them the joys and challenges of returning to their homeland where time has not stood still, as it does in our imaginings of home and our pasts. Instead time has brought illness and bitterness. The heart of the Viking is one that understands the ever-present need to survive. And that this quest to survive will demand its toll, for life is fragile even for the Viking.

Gudrid is intuitive and compassionate, fiercely protective of those she holds dear. Her friend, Freydis, is fiery and dangerous. Both women are Vikings and both are strong female warriors. The difference in their approach to life reminds me of the human heart that can be torn in two as it struggles with how it will respond to the harshness of life - Out of control reaction vs. responding in wisdom. The choices we make, result in consequences or blessings.

I haven’t read a Viking novel that I can recall and the author weaves an intriguing and captivating story. Heather Day Gilbert has found a niche that readers will love and I look forward to more from this wonderful writer. 

My Hope is Found by Joanne Bischof

Joanne Bischof has wrapped up the Cadence of Grace series with “My Hope is Found”. This book was so deeply moving and satisfying. Countless times I laughed and cried as I journeyed with the fabulous characters she introduced us to in “Be Still My Soul”. She carried us deeper into their hearts in her second book “Though My Heart is Torn”, wrapping it up with this final book.

Though this book can stand on its own, I would urge the reader to delve into Books one and two first. If I hadn’t read both of them first I would be immediately ordering them so I could enjoy more about Lonnie, Gideon, Toby and the other rich characters Joanne has created.

Joanne writes with a lyrical style that is so poetic and refreshing. I found myself re-reading her phrasing just so I could take the words and the scenes she created deeper. The author’s voice is so uniquely beautiful!

In this book we find Gideon returning to Lonnie with the joy and hope of renewing their love now that he is free to claim her as his bride. BUT, things are not going to go quite so easily. Through twists and turns that had this reader sitting on the edge of her seat this amazing story unfolds. I found myself drawn to Toby, as well as Gideon, as both men love Lonnie. Gideon is heart sick but with his hard-headed ways does his best to get Toby out of the picture. The author brings us along on the journey as God works in His mysterious ways in Gideon’s heart as well as Toby’s and Lonnie’s.

Get ready to fall in love with both Gideon and Toby. Get ready to find yourself rooting for both men as you watch Lonnie find her way to her one true love. There are countless lessons I learned as I read this book (and the previous 2). There were challenges I faced regarding my own walk of faith. God’s peace – God’s rest – despite the outward circumstances is waiting. We are challenged to humble our own selves before Him and be content to wait for His plan – which is perfect, to unfold in our own lives. You will rejoice as you see what God has in store for Lonnie, Gideon, and Toby.

When Mountains Move by Julie Cantrell

When Mountains Move is the continuation of Millie's story that began in Julie Cantrell's amazing debut novel of Into the Free, which I reviewed in a previous blog. Though this book can stand on its own, I urge the reader to first enjoy Into the Free before delving into this next chapter of the story. 

In this book, Millie and her beloved husband, Bump, head to Colorado to start up a ranch. Millie, carries a deep wound in her heart that hinders her, as a newlywed, from entering her marriage in freedom and fullness, both emotionally and physically. She has been deeply hurt and Bump, who loves his bride with all of his heart, senses her resistance and fears. He longs for Millie to open up to him and share her past. 

Adventures abound for the two as they start up their marriage with the challenges of ranch life. Millie's Choctaw Indian grandmother, Oka, comes to live with them and Millie begins to find her connection to her own Indian heritage which proves to be a source of strength for her.

Another key character is Kat. Kat is a gorgeous woman who is selfish and sexually driven. Most women in the town sense this and refuse to befriend her, but Millie is lonesome for company and embraces Kat as a friend. Kat is attracted to Bump and Millie's own insecurities deepen as she is filled with self-doubt.

Millie has a beautiful little girl, Isabel. The father is not Bump and this is part of the secret she guards from her husband. As the newlyweds struggle to find their way, the secrets and doubts begin to mount up and take their toll on both Millie and Bump. 

The title of this story befits what must transpire for the young couple. They desperately desire to become "one" despite the outward and inward obstacles. The ending of this story left me breathless as the author brings us through the climax that sends Millie and Bump crashing to earth as the truth is revealed. The couple find themselves rising from the ashes and discovering the depth of their love for one another.  

This book is one I will treasure and re-visit again. Julie Cantrell is a marvelous author who, through her words, transports the reader to Millie's world. You will find your heart break for Millie as she clumsily struggles to find healing and the security that true love brings.

The Morning Glories are Blooming!

When the Morning Glory Blooms by Cynthia Ruchti is a beautiful story about three women. They share a common thread which is teen pregnancy.

Becky lives in the present day. Becky has a teenage single mom/daughter with a new baby. Both of them rely heavily on Becky and her husband. The daughter loves her son but is too immature to understand the need to lay aside her own desires and put her son's needs first. She reminded me of a radio that isn't quite tuned into the station you are trying to listen to. Becky's struggles touched my heart so deeply as she tries to find the balance of assisting her daughter without enabling her. A balance that tilts precariously at times but her love for her grandson and daughter is so real you can feel it. She makes mistakes but her love and faith is the driving force that guides her persistence.

Ivy: (1950's) Ivy is a young mother-to-be who finds life an uphill climb. She feels so alone as the baby's father is fighting in Korea. He doesn't know about the pregnancy and Ivy guards the secret as closely as she can. Ivy tries to work and make a way for them without more than scraps of love and support, until she meets Anna in the nursing home where she works. It is through this amazing woman, Anna, that Ivy finds understanding and begins to discover her way to the surface.

Anna (her story begins in 1890) Anna is a beautiful soul who desires to make a home for unwed mothers. She is a woman whose vision for this needful ministry is challenged but she endures, grows and finds the ministry unfold in countless ways. I learned so much from Anna. She finds God's strength to do the hard thing and her tender heart and desire to make a difference is tangible.

Some books are "spot-on" in taking the reader on a journey of the heart and spirit. Books like this bring change. They have me making notes or highlighting their pages. I have had to rearrange my top ten favorites to make room for this beautiful book.

I also plan on planting my own morning glories this spring and when they bloom I will think of Anna, Becky and Ivy fondly.

Into the Free

Julie Cantrell is an amazing storyteller. In her debut novel, Into the Free, we discover Millie Reynolds. Millie's mother is lost in sorrow and her father is abusive and cruel. There is a neighbor named Sloth who is one of the only encouraging influences Millie has. He teaches her about the farm, fishing and parental love while weaving life lessons for her hungry soul. There is also a young man, River, who travels with a band of gypsies and crosses her path. He teaches her to open her heart, to dream and to believe in herself. She waits for him to return again the next year but much is to happen to Millie during that time of waiting.

Millie faces intense hardship and loss that breaks the readers heart. We journey with her as she figures out how to keep her head above the swirling waters of her life and somehow move forward. She is not afraid to dream and to believe deep in her heart that there has to be more to her existence - more to hope for.

When she loses her family she is taken in by another family. The mother, Diana, is generous and kind to her but once again her safety is stolen from her and the ground shifts beneath her feet.

Millie finds redemption in the town rodeo. She is a natural with the horses and makes a new friend, Bump. He is gentle and kind and helps draw Millie out. He helps her discover healing in the love of a horse and his own unconditional friendship, faith and love.

The author weaves a story of redemption through heartache and loss and that there are mountain tops despite the deep and dark valleys. This story changes the reader, I was moved deeply by Millie and her resilient spirit.

The author has written a sequel to Into the Free. It is called When Mountains Move. I have had the privilege of reading this next installment in Millie's life and will review it next.

I will treasure "Into the Free" and revisit this story again. It is a keeper!