Proclaiming God's Grace and Glory: Mission Stories for Today

by H. Claude Young, Jr.

personal paperback 111 pages

published: 1979

genre: non-fiction Christian short stories

 

This is one of my read it and get rid of it books, but I only made it to page 14. The author was a superintendent in the United Methodist Church and I wish he were writing to a more general audience!

 

Some of the stories had really good pieces in them, but I stopped reading because it felt as though he were writing for other UMC "in the know" people. So many irrelevant and uninteresting names of people I've never heard of and truly don't care about. It's time to move this book along!

 

In his story Language of the Heart, he wrote: "All Christians who have worshiped in unfamiliar cultures can testify to this heart language. God speaks to worshipers in their hearts regardless of the particular tongue being used . . . " I love this idea that we can praise and worship together even if we don't speak the same language (English, French, etc.) 

In his story Mission Is Where You Find It, I love love love that after an initial hesitation about his position, people who were flagrantly sinning turned to him for prayer and compassion. I love that he chose to stay in a tourist home and show the other people living there that "being a minister does not take all the fun out of life, and that the Christian faith might offer them ways to 'the good life' that they were never going to find otherwise."

Yes! Too many people view Christians negatively - uptight, judgmental, etc. (Not without good reasons, sometimes.) It's a challenge to live out our faith joyfully and unapologetically. 

Although there were pieces of stories that I liked, I find I just cannot finish reading this little book of short stories. On to another book living on my shelf!

A Unicorn Named Sparkle

by Amy Young
Hennepin County Library hardcover picturebook
genre: children's fiction

Lucy sends for a unicorn for only 25 cents, but when Sparkle is delivered, he's not at all what she envisioned.
Fanciful, adorable, also recommended in the Wild Rumpus newsletter.

The Shack

by William P. Young
paperback, personal copy, 248 pages

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but it's not one of my top tens. I enjoyed our book club discussion even more than reading the book itself! Most of us felt that it was primarily a story about God's love and desire for relationship with us. Some felt that it was purposefully trying to "rock" people's preconceived notions. It was interesting to hear about some Christians' objections to the book. It almost seems like some folks are going out of their way to find something to object to.

Mack's beloved youngest daughter has been abducted and brutally murdered, the body never found. "The Great Sadness" descends on him until he finds a note in his mailbox from "Papa," his wife's name for God. Not sure what he'll find, Mack returns to the site of the crime to get some answers. There, he encounters three beings who change his life.

I almost didn't finish the book before the book club got to my house! I was glad I did, though, because there was a surprise twist at the end. This is definitely a worthwhile read. Many of us would love to hear a non-believer's perspective on it.