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February Book Reviews

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Even though February is the shortest month of the year, it still felt like it would never end! But it has, and we survived, and I'm still on track with my reading goal! This month, I read four books: one on Kindle and three audiobooks (because I was busy crafting). One nonfiction, two contemporary fiction, and one historical fiction. Fresh Snow on Bedford Falls, G.L. Gooding This historical mystery really intrigued me because it is the continuing story of It's a Wonderful Life . At the end of the beloved Christmas movie, it feels like everything is "happily ever after," but if you really think about it, it's not: Henry Potter is still a miserable old scoundrel of a villain who got away with grand theft, and there is still a bundle of money missing from a loan company, which is not good for business. But this book begins when a new angel comes to town with a new mission of redemption. We learn Potter's backstory - why he is in a wheelchair, why he doesn't h...
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January Book Reviews

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 This year, I have a reading goal of 50 books, of varying genres. A friend suggested I return to my blog for a monthly book review, giving you a list and brief description of the books I read, and highlighting one book that I recommend. So here we are, at the end of January... let's give it a try!  In January, I read five books - two hardback books, two on Audible, and one on Kindle. I tend to be a fiction girl, but amazingly, all five of these books were nonfiction, and had pretty lengthy titles...  The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope, Dr. Curt Thompson   I had been reading this one slowly for a while, because my small group at church is reading and discussing it together. But I finished it up at the end of January, so I am counting it in my list of things I've read! Dr. Thompson frames the chapters around Romans 5:3-5, showing how it is through suffering that we develop perseverance, character, and hope. Honestly the cover art looked so depressin...
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Jars of Oil

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 Earlier this year, I read the story of the widow's oil in 2 Kings 4:1-7, NIV, and it has stuck with me, so I thought I'd share it with you. (NOTE: This is not the same story as the widow's oil in 1 Kings 17, in which Elijah asked the widow to use her last drops of oil to make him a cake, and the oil didn't run out. There are several miraculous Elijah stories that are similar but not the same as miraculous Elisha stories, and they are all fascinating to study and compare, so I recommend it!)  WHEN WE HAVE "NOTHING" The dilemma of 2 Kings 4 is that a prophet of God dies and leaves his widow vulnerable because of debt and a lack of resources to provide for their family. Elisha asks how he can help and what she has on hand. The widow responds that she has "nothing at all" with the exception of "a small jar of oil," which surely is inconsequential in such a catastrophe.  To me, this sounds suspiciously like the account of Jesus feeding the 5,00...
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