90 Minutes In Heaven, Book Review

Don Piper was pronounced dead on impact, his body left under the mangled metal of his Escort while the rest of the accident was being cleaned up around him.  Dave Onerecker, a passerby, made the unusual decision to pray for this dead man and his injuries.  90 minutes later, Don returned to life only to face hell on earth.

The series of miracles that take place after his revival leave little doubt that Piper's time on earth was not yet finished.  Through his miraculous and painful recovery, Piper shares his experience of grace and the power of prayer.  Oh, and did I mention the 90 minutes while his body lay dead, waiting for the jaws of life to extract him, that he spent in heaven?

90 Minutes in Heaven is a truly heart wrenching story designed to give hope to people facing serious injury, the loss of a loved one, or a struggle of faith. The acceptance of loss, prayer, purpose, and grace are all addressed in great detail from a man who learned the importance of each through insurmountable obstacles. Unfortunately, the book carried an extremely negative connotation. The author rarely invited us to celebrate in any of his triumphs with him which, for me, resulted in a reverse effect of what he may have intended. In the end his story left me feeling angry and confused, if not doubtful.  For the most part, even though Piper's story is sometimes difficult to read, his experiences provide a comforting message of God's greater plan.

The Shack by WM Paul Young, Book Review

Funny to be reading The Shack at this point in my life when I'm experiencing my own struggle of faith, but I guess that's how the mystery of things work.

It was an incredibly smooth read, but did tend to drag on a bit in places. The book was about a man named Mack who experienced a great tragedy in his life through the loss of his innocent daughter. His loss was overwhelming and brought upon him "The Great Sadness". His life was forever altered causing him to blame and judge God for the evil of the world.

One day he received an invitation from God to meet him back at the shack, the very place of his daughter's brutal murder. Here, the holy trinity (who was represented by a colorful and refreshing interpretation) was on a mission to transform Mack's heart back into union and relationship with God.

The Shack didn't grab my attention until about 200 pages into the 250 page book. However, the message in the last 50 pages was worth every bit of history I had to read through to get to the point. The Shack is a reconfirmation of faith and love. It re-introduced the positive relationship God intended for us all to share.

"Humans, ...,have a knack for taking a verb that is alive and full of grace and turning it into a dead noun or principle that reeks of rules - then something growing and alive dies."

This is a book I can reference over and over again to help me gain a fresh perspective while struggling with my own experiences of "The Great Sadness", as life doesn't exclude many from times like these. The Shack is a great reminder that we never have to face them alone.

Eat, Pray, Love THIS, Elizabeth Gilbert

Yes, I am reading Eat Pray Love. And I am taking my time with it. So far I have read the first book, Eat, twice. Last night I finished my first read through of Pray. I want to read each section twice, the first through for understanding and the second through for details (with my highlighter and pen).

At this point of the book I am extremely jealous of Elizabeth Gilbert. How silly of me to be jealous of this woman's experience of enlightenment. Why do I take everything so personally?

I mean... of course you can become enlightened at an Ashram in India. How much closer to God could you get without the distractions of every day life in your face at a constant pace of crazy? Not to say that her journey was easy... but, YEAH. It was! Who gets to take a year off work and travel the world ALL EXPENSES PAID??? It's like a flippin fairy tale and the Divine is her knight in shining armor.

The book is good. Her journey is astonishing. She is a talented writer. Her experience is inspiring. Thank you, Elizabeth Gilbert, for sharing your story with the world.

What I want to know is, could any of this happen to me?... a wife, mother and inhabitor of society? Or has my choice to take my place in the "comforting cycle of family and continuity" caused me to live on the side of convention and tradition that doesn't get to experience such things?

I better read Love in Indonesia soon. Hopefully it will tie things together and there will truly be some balance in there... she hasn't let me down yet.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, Book Review

I have often wished out loud that one day I could be reincarnated as my own dog. What a life, sleeping in the warm sunbeams that penetrate the window, frolicking through the damp grass beneath my feet, bestowing upon and receiving limitless love and minimal expectations from my dearest companions. And while my children bark and pant at my feet as I type, I can see I'm not the only one who craves this type of simplicity.

In Garth Stein's book, The Art of Racing in the Rain, we are given a glimpse of the good life. Enzo is a dog who is human at heart. His story as mainly an observer of human behavior left me laughing, crying and aspiring to be a better dog. I mean, person. Our hero, Enzo, puts life into his own perspective, giving us his account of the life only a dog can live... accompanied by valuable lessons we can apply to our own lives as well. This book was a joy to read.