It’s been my great privilege over the past few weeks to be a part of the launch team for Margaret Feinberg’s latest book, Wonderstruck. In this busy season, it’s always a challenge to maintain sanity, much less wonder, but I’ve been greatly encouraged by Margaret’s wisdom. She’s graciously agreed to share a bit of the background to Wonderstruck on snippets today. Here’s what Margaret had to say:
There have been more seasons in my life devoid of the wonder of God than I can keep track of. I think we all have them. I know I’ve had those seasons when it just feels like I’m going through the motions of faith and God feels ten million miles away.
In fact, Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God was founded out of such a time. Leif and I had just gone through one of the roughest years of our lives. Those who read the Wonderstruck book will learn of many of the challenges and intimate details of that time.
But what was born out of that time of essentially saying, “God, where are you?” was this resounding prayer and desire for the wonder of God. Essentially I was saying, God reveal yourself, your whole self to me. I want to know you like I’ve never known you before. I want to see you in places I’ve never seen you before.
And God did not disappoint.
We began seeing God show up in relationships, our finances, our chance conversations, our everyday interactions—in the most surprising ways. Scripture passages that I’d read many times suddenly came alive in a whole new way. The passion for God returned, not something forced or manipulated, but just burned inside.
So if you are in that place where you feel millions of miles from God. Can I ask you to stop and pray right now and ask for God’s wonder. Ask Him that he would reveal the whole of Himself to the whole of you. And will you live wide-eyed to the ways God answers. Because you never know what miracle, what divine moment, what insight into the character of God that transforms you forever just might be waiting.
To promote her new book, Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God, which releases on Christmas Day, Margaret’s publisher is offering 6 EXCLUSIVE GIFTS (worth over $300) to anyone who pre-orders Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God for only $7.57, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, CBD.com or their favorite retailer:
1. Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Presence of God as an eBook ($9.99 available on Kindle, Nook, iPad and other formats)
2. Fourteen Days of Wonder Journal eBook ($19.99 as a download)
3. How to Hold an Unforgettable Retreat eBook (a $29.99 download)
4. Pursuing God 14-Day Devotional ($12.99 download)
5. You will be automatically entered to win a brand new Kindle Fire pre-loaded with a suggested retail value of more than $100 worth of books from Worthy ($259.00)
6. Ten people will randomly be selected to receive a free audio version of Wonderstruck ($9.99)
Simply buy and send the receipt to wonderstruck@margaretfeinberg.com This offer is only valid through the end of the day, December 25th. At that point, this offer goes away FOREVER.
From what I know of Margaret’s writing, it will be the best $7.57 you spend this Christmas!
Margaret Feinberg is a speaker and author of Scouting the Divine and The Sacred Echo. Become a Fan on Facebook or Follow her on Twitter @mafeinberg.
May you reclaim wonder during this Christmas season.
Until next time, grace and peace.
Book: Saint Francis: Christian Encounter Series
Author: Robert West
You may or may not remember that one of my goals for 2011 was to read more consistently. I’ve always loved reading, but in recent years, my reading has been practically nonexistent. That needed to change. It took me a while to get back in the swing of things, but during the last half of 2011, I started reading again.
One of the first books I read was Robert West’s biography on Saint Francis. I’ve always been fascinated by the saint who stripped down to his birthday suit and renounced his former life of wealth, and West’s biography gave me greater insight into the life and theology of a man who would do such a thing.
I read Saint Francis immediately following my reading of David Platt’s Radical, and while it may seem like the books have nothing in common, together, they challenged me to do life differently. After reading these books and discussing them with Dennis, we decided to adjust our finances in order to give more freely. It may not seem like much, but it’s a start.
At only 221 pages, Saint Francis is a quick read, but the story was bogged down at times by West’s writing style. He meticulously describes the historical and cultural world that Francis lived in, but he could have done a better job of weaving those details into Francis’ actual story. As it stands, the historical passages seem a bit disjointed from the overall thrust of the book.
All of that said, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Francis of Assisi, a man whose great concern for the poor and personal vow of poverty literally changed the world.
Until next time, grace and peace.
This book was provided to me free of charge by Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for my honest review. If you’re interested in becoming a reviewer for Thomas Nelson, check out BookSneeze.
As I’ve mentioned before, I used to be an avid reader. Then life happened, and I got busy, and I pretty much stopped reading. Here lately, I’ve been reviving my reading habits, reading at least a chapter a day of a nonfiction book after I finish my Bible reading, but I genuinely miss fiction.
That’s why I jumped right on board when my friend Mandy proposed the idea of an online book club. Because life is chaotic as usual, this is the first chance I’ve had to tell you about it. We’re reading Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind in six weeks, and if you’re interested, please join us!
Here’s the catch: reading started last Thursday, and our first round of discussion will start this Thursday (like two days from now), but please don’t let that discourage you from participating. I just picked up my copy of the book from the library yesterday, and there is absolutely no pressure. We just want to enjoy and share GWTW with one another.
So if you want to read, stop by Mandy’s blog for more information. I hope to see you there!
Until next time, grace and peace.
I used to be an avid reader. I devoured books. Inhaled them. I would stay up all hours of the night to finish just one more chapter, which, in actuality turned into reading the entire book in one sitting. I loved books. When I was a little girl, my mom would take me to the library, and I’d max out my library card on Nancy Drew mysteries and Sweet Valley Twins volumes. In high school, my obsession with Mary Higgins Clark novels led me to read every single book she ever wrote. In college, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on.
Then I went to seminary, and my days of reading for pleasure ended abruptly. I had no time to read for pleasure after I finished reading for class. And let me tell you: there was lots of reading for class. We read books and wrote reviews to sharpen our critical thinking skills, and apparently those skills needed lots of sharpening, because I read hundreds of books and thousands of pages for my classes.
During each semester, I compiled a list of books that I would like to read, if only I had the time. But I never had the time. I always imagined that after graduation I would pick up where I left off in my love affair with books.
But it seems that books and I are still taking a break in our relationship. I honestly do not remember the last book I read from cover to cover, and that’s a shame, because we really did have a good thing going back in the day.
I’m trying to repair our broken relationship, but it’s not easy. My attention span just isn’t what it used to be, and sometimes taking a nap is a lot more appealing than opening a book. But I’m trying. I started by purchasing one of the books on my wish list: The God I Don’t Understand, by Christopher Wright. And I’m making progress. Just last night I turned the page on chapter five.
In addition to actually purchasing a book, I have also signed up as a reviewer for Book Sneeze, a book review program offered by Thomas Nelson. Basically, I receive free books in exchange for blogging book reviews. I like free books. Don’t you? I should be receiving my first book soon. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it later.
Reading is a discipline that I have neglected lately, but it’s a discipline that’s absolutely necessary for any writer. All good writers are voracious readers. That’s just how it is. You cannot be a good writer unless you are first a good reader. I’m afraid that the drought in my writing life is directly tied to the drought in my reading life. Reading introduces me to fresh ideas and even sharpens my critical thinking skills.
I guess the professors knew what they were doing when they forced us to read.
But I will never forgive a certain church history professor for making me read all 736 pages of Creeds of the Churches. Never. I’m just saying.
All of this thought about books has made me wonder what everyone else is reading these days. What’s on your nightstand? What should I add to my reading list? Go on and tell me. I want to know!
Until next time, grace and peace.
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