Dear Husband and I went to Dallas for the eclipse, and while we were there, we did our usual things of eating good food (hello Texas BBQ), going to art museums (Wow, Dallas Museum of Art! https://dma.org/), and visiting bookstores. So, there I was in Dallas, eating lunch at the restaurant Food from Galilee, and across the way was a Christian bookstore. Christian Bookstores are a dying breed, offering more Christianish stuff and fewer books. DH and I hurried over, and I chose for my vacation book Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Our True Calling by Dr. Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel, MA.
I have been slowly reading for several months. I would file this book under Christian Self-Help. I have read many books by Allender and appreciate his depth of knowledge and bluntness. Their view is taken from Francis Schaeffer that we are glorious ruins.
We are glorious because we were created by God for the noble purpose of being His image bearers, yet we are ruins because sin has marred the divine image we were designed to display, at times seemingly beyond recognition.
~Francis Schaeffer
Allender and Loerzel create six related roles that express how we exist in the world: orphan, widow, and stranger, and the flip side of prophet, priest, and king. I have found myself reacting as an orphan who has no help or resources. My dad was in the military, and we moved frequently, and I often like a stranger in a strange land. Allender and Loerzel explore why we adopt those roles and how we can learn to transform into more of our glorious selves. I was encouraged and challenged.
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Last week, I stumbled across a recommendation for The Rook by Daniel O'Malley and was captivated. A secret British organization, The Checquy, with members with supernatural powers, protects and defends the realm from bizarre creatures with mystical powers and abilities. The protagonist, Myfanwy (rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas, is an executive called the Rook. Or she used to be, but she's gone, and someone else is inhabiting her body trying to discover the traitor who erased Myfanwy, as well as protecting and serving. She was warned this would happen and prepared by writing herself several letters. It's a fun, action-filled story. I liked it so much that I immediately checked out the sequel, Stilleto. The story continues with Myfawny seeking to unite centuries-long enemies, the Checquy and the Grafters. There are deep secrets, treachery, and the attempt to create a force for good uniting bitter rivals. There is lots of tension, subplots, humor, and action. I listened to the twenty-three-hour audiobook (at 2x the speed), which went by quickly.
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