Category Archives: Reviews

Review: I Run to the Hills, by C. Maggie Woychik

I Run to the Hills: Reflections on the Christian Journey by C. Maggie Woychik (Port Yonder Press, 2009)

Committing one’s life to Jesus Christ is an act of faith – and the first step of a journey. I Run to the Hills: Reflections on the Christian Journey is a series of brief, interconnected readings that illustrate the deepening of this spiritual relationship from gratitude and obedience into love.

The mountain-journey theme and its allegorical feel evoke memories of Hannah Hurnard’s Hinds’ Feet on High Places and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, although the language is clear and contemporary.

There’s something about presenting the message this way that lets it penetrate better than if it came via a direct essay or sermon. Jesus used story too – it sneaks past the hearers’ mental filters better than a frontal approach.

In typical journey fashion, and as every Christ-follower knows, the pilgrim travels and reflects, learns and grows… and occasionally takes unwise detours. These side-trips vary from person to person. I Run to the Hills highlights the dangers of the Desert of Duty and the Plains of License. The story doesn’t end there, though, but presses onward and higher toward the mountaintop.

Most of the readings in I Run to the Hills are only a couple of pages long. They’re grouped in longer chapters if you want to read them that way, or you can take them in morsel-sized moments. Either way, prepare to be challenged, encouraged and refreshed on the journey.

Author C. Maggie Woychik’s prose has elements of poetry and plenty of pithy sound-bytes. As we journey, she says, “Truths are for digesting, not just consuming.” And she tells us how: “Firmly clasp the piece of Light – catch it; then slowly release your fingers, using care not to allow it to slip away or be snatched by the cunning Truth-Robber.” (p.29)

C. Maggie Woychik is an award-winning author whose work has been published in a variety of magazines. I Run to the Hills is her first book. To learn more about Maggie, check out her website and spend some time on her blog, Encouraging Emerging Authors.

I Run to the Hills is a delightful, refreshing book to read and then to savour again over time.

CD Review: Need, the new album from Todd Agnew

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Todd Agnew’s first CD, Grace Like Rain, blew me away and he’s been top of my musical list ever since. It was the first album I’d heard in a long time that was worth plugging in the headphones and cranking the volume. (This was before I got into the newsboys and David Crowder*Band, so I’m casting no aspersions there….)

Todd sings with a passion that proves the truth of his words – to me it’s as if he can’t not cry out to God. That’s where we all need to be, if we’re honest. He gives voice to the need of everyman/everywoman, and his lyrics have taught me more about grace than any other artist’s.

I love Todd Agnew’s music: his voice, lyrics, diverse musical style, and his honesty. Although I’ve had Need since it released on October 6, I couldn’t begin to write a review until I marinated in it for a while. Now it’s worked its way into my daily soundtrack, and I’m starting to hear snatches of different songs in my head throughout the day or even to wake with them.

I find it ironic that this new album articulates our hearts’ needs less than the previous ones (think “Wait for Your Rain” and “Always There”). Instead, it points to the One who meets these needs. At first I wondered why the title wasn’t “I Need No Other” after the song, or something like “We Need Jesus,” but I think it’s to prompt a question.

Need – What do you need? – Jesus.

Maybe I’m reading too much into the title choice, but this line of reasoning does follow nicely from the title of his recent album, Better Questions.

I’m glad I pre-ordered Need to get the bonus tracks. “All That I Have” and “Way of the Cross” are two of my favourites from what I’ve grouped on my mp3 player as “Need – the extended version”.

Each Todd Agnew album has at least one song that’s his fresh look at an established hymn. It’s a great way to bridge the musical generation gap and to remind us of the songs – and teachings – that have gone before. Some have the original lyrics arranged to vibrant new music, others are songs like “Grace Like Rain” and “Blood on My Hands” that mesh a public domain hymn with Todd’s additional lyrics.

Need delivers a blend of both types of songs, and you can’t tell the difference by the sound. I just discovered from the liner notes that the radio single, “Joy Unspeakable,” is one of the old-new hybrid songs, but “Jesus, the Hope of Glory” is all new.

Just so you know, “Give Me Jesus” is a different song from the one Robin Mark and Jeremy Camp sing.

I’d classify all the songs as “Christian rock,” but they weave in elements of blues, gospel, soul and country – all things I’d avoid straight-up but that nicely enrich the album. Some are fast, some slow, and with the variety of musical elements I’m sure there’s a song here for everyone.

As Joel Klampert says in his review of Need at The Joint Review, “If you like Todd then you will like this CD. If you don’t like Todd then you still might like this CD.”

Bottom line: I really enjoy this CD, and appreciate how it points us to Jesus as the Meeter of our need. Yes, we should articulate our specific needs the way “Written on the Wall” and “Did You Mean Me?” do, but in the end it all comes down to Jesus: let’s just run to Him and trust His care.

For more musically-literate reviews, see Worship Leader, Chosen for Grace and The Joint Review.

Todd will be introducing one song a week from the album, giving some background, interesting thoughts, and a taste of the sound. Check out his YouTube page. You can listen to “Joy Unspeakable” and “I Need No Other” from Need, as well as some of his other songs, on his MySpace player. Also you might want to check out his blog. He has some neat things to say.

PS Apparently there was a precursor to Grace Like Rain, an indie recording called Breath of God. If it were a book, the amazing database at AbeBooks.com would have found it for me by now, but I don’t have a good network for finding used CDs. If anyone knows how to obtain a copy for a reasonable price, please leave me a comment here or email me. Thanks!

Janet Sketchley

October 18, 2009

Starfire, by Stuart Vaughn Stockton (Marcher Lord Press, 2009)

Rathe’s birth order dooms him to a menial existence as a mine guard—until a chance encounter with a dying enemy leaves him a hero.

He and his best friend Rak have been through a lot together, and their jostling banter could be that of any active young men. Except they’re dinosaurs. Sentient, tool-using, weapon-wielding T-Rex lookalikes who stand 11 feet tall.

They live on the planet Sauria, and their people fear the stars. Legend says the stars are angry over an offense the Saurn have long forgotten.

Rathe’s skill in combat earns him an elite position in the Imperial Army—one that may be out of his depth. He feels outclassed in his Spur (military unit) and the second in command is looking for an excuse to send him back. One of his other spur-mates follows the unpopular Wayfarer sect, and his words about his God and His Son’s sacrifice are incomprehensible to Rathe.

Even worse is the appearance of the now-grown hatchling Rathe saved in his moment of glory. Will the young Goshren remember the truth of what happened?

Stuart Vaughn Stockton has created a richly-imagined alien landscape and culture. He lets the setting unfold around the action and resists the urge to stop for information dumps. It’s a fascinating place, especially the vegetation: some plants float, others are harvested for indoor lighting, and there’s a moving forest that eats rocks.

The characters are real. Their very human attitudes and emotions help readers connect. Long before the end of chapter one I was firmly in Rathe’s corner, relating to his struggles and cheering him on.

Starfire is filled with military clashes in a conflict where victory depends on a weapon that ancient prophecy claims will bring disaster. Should Rathe heed the warning or save his people?

I confess by the end I was as battle-weary as Rathe and his unit, and would not have jumped into a sequel if I had it on hand. Give me a while to recover, though, and by the time it’s published I’m sure I’ll be ready.

Starfire includes a size-and-shape-comparison chart for the main types of Saurn, as well as a glossary. It’s great to be able to see what the characters look like, although I found the terms clear enough from context that I didn’t need to look them up. With all these helps, I’d have liked to have a map of the action.

On reflection the character of Karey Or, and Rathe’s connection with her, hinges on the presence of two specific types of Saurn. Major plot points like this shouldn’t depend on coincidence, but Stuart Vaughn Stockton handles it so well we don’t realize at the time how big a coincidence it really is. As such, it doesn’t jolt the reader out of the fictional world.

A few species of Saurn, like the long-necked Apatos, carry names that help the reader to imagine what they look like. A stickler might argue that dinosaurs on another planet, even if they turn out in a later book to be related to ours, would not use the names we assigned to them after they were gone. To that stickler, I say, “It helps the reader visualize. Get over it.”

Marcher Lord Press is an innovative new publisher I’ve been watching from the start. Although all its titles look good and some have won awards, Starfire is the first one I’ve decided to purchase.

For Canadians (and I assume anyone else outside the continental US) I’d recommend ordering through Amazon.ca or your local equivalent.

I like to support my local Christian store, but this book cost a lot for them to bring in. Amazon.ca, even with shipping, would have been significantly cheaper. And as any good Amazon shopper knows, orders over $39 qualify for free shipping.

Amazon.ca lists Starfire at $11.87 Canadian, so you only need to find $28 worth of other products for yourself or for gifts. Maybe try another MLP title or two!

Starfire is Stuart Vaughn Stockton’s first novel, but you can tell from the richness of the story world that he’s been developing and refining it for a long time. You can read the prologue and opening chapter here. Check out an interview with Stuart here.

–Update, 11 March 2010: Starfire won an 2010 EPPIE award (science fiction category).–

Review: West Nile Diary, by Kathleen Gibson

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West Nile Diary: One Couple’s Triumph Over a Deadly Disease by Kathleen Gibson (BPS Books, 2009)

Bugs are an unwelcome but expected part of a picnic. The mosquito that bit Rick Gibson in August 2007 gave something back: West Nile neurological disease.

West Nile Diary is the story of Rick and Kathleen Gibson’s battle to recover from what Kathleen calls “the pirates of West Nile.” Like a pirate attack, the disease hit without warning, plundered their lives and left them facing a difficult and uncertain future.

Kathleen tells their story through journal entries, emails and her newspaper column, “Sunny Side Up.” It’s a frank, personal account that left me not only cheering for the Gibsons but feeling like I now know Kathleen much better than our passing acquaintance would suggest.

The book is non-fiction but it reads like a novel, complete with escalating tension and reversals. It’s done without chapter breaks, each entry two pages at the most, and I stayed awake way too late reading “just one more.”

It’s a story of illness and the struggle to regain independent life, but it’s not a “downer.” Certain sections had me blinking back tears, but others made me laugh. Kathleen’s informal and personal writing style made it feel like she was telling me the story one-on-one.

According to the CBC website, “In Canada, 42 people have died from the virus since 2002.” The same article adds, “In 2008, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the number of human cases totalled 38.” That’s down from 2,401 in 2007 and 6 in the first 37 weeks of 2009. Let’s hope it stays down.

Only one in 50 cases will develop into meningitis or encephalitis like Rick’s. Most readers will be the lucky ones who escape West Nile entirely. But we’ll all experience serious illness—either as the victim, the caregiver, or the supportive friend or loved one.

West Nile Diary lets us walk in the footsteps of one couple’s journey and although our own may be very different there are similarities for which we can prepare.

For all the good medical staff, there will be some clashes. Some good friends will fade out of our lives; others will amaze us with their care. We’ll develop new friendships with fellow travellers. Life will change. We’ll have no guarantee of the future. If we make it through, re-entry to “the real world” will be surprisingly scary, and the caregiver will find it hard to let the healing person become independent.

What made the difference every day for the Gibsons was their relationship with God. Kathleen prayed each day for “strength for today and hope for tomorrow.” God always said “yes” to that prayer. As well as restoring much of Rick’s health, He drew the couple into caring relationships with people they’d never have otherwise met.

Kathleen says, “I’ve learned three things in my journey down the West Nile with Rick and the pirates: God is a lot stronger than I thought he was, I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was, and God can do exquisite things with broken circumstances.” p. iix

To learn more about Canadian author Kathleen Gibson, visit her website. And be sure to check out her “Sunny Side Up” column. Kathleen is also the winner of Word Alive Press’ 2009 non-fiction contest for her book, Practice by Practice: The Art of Everyday Faith. Publication date has not yet been announced, but I hope it’s soon.

In closing, as Kathleen says in West Nile Diary, “PS. Wear repellent.”

Review: Mohamed’s Moon, by Keith Clemons

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Mohamed’s Moon, by Keith Clemons (Realms, 2009)

Imagine coming face to face with your body double, who’s your opposite in nearly every way: finances, style, faith. You’d have to admit your evil twin is good looking though, and you have some similarities: you’re both university students who love soccer—and the same woman.

For Matthew Mulberry and Mohamed el Taher, it’s definitely not love at first sight. They don’t want to believe they’re brothers, identical twins separated at birth. Matthew is a Christian, Mohamed a Muslim extremist up to his eyeballs in a terrorist plot. Add in Layla, another Christian, who’s torn by feelings for both brothers.

A plot like this could come across as contrived, propaganda even, with cardboard hero and villain. Instead, award-winning author Keith Clemons gives us two vibrant, fundamentally opposite young men who are each seriously committed to their own understanding of God and His dealings with humanity. Each one’s reasoning makes sense to himself, while he sees the other man as clearly deceived.

If anything, Mohamed’s faith seems the stronger of the two, but I think that’s because we see him spend more time thinking about it. And he has a lot to think about. As well as wrestling with the ethics of mass murder, he’s drawn to compare the harsh Allah who calls him slave with the Christians’ Jesus, who claims God is love and who offers to call him son.

The action divides between California and Egypt, present and past. The flashbacks weave in smoothly, and the author uses just enough lyrical language to evoke the scene without slowing the pace. For example, here’s the California coast: “Waves crashed with a thunderous roar, only to be sucked back with a whoosh, leaving the shoreline bejewelled with fingernail shells sparkling in the crimson light of the dying sun.” (p.215)

Keith Clemons’ taut writing style pulls the reader into the story and keeps the pages turning. This isn’t a novel designed to paint all Muslims as terrorists, or all Christians as ideal. In each camp we see examples of devout behaviour and human failing. While Mohamed and his friends are extremists, other peripheral characters are Muslims living peaceful and caring lives.

If all power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then the excesses and evils of the extremist leaders say far more about human depravity than about the deity they claim to serve.

The author’s Christianity is a clue to which side he’s on in comparing the two faiths, but he treats both fairly. He acknowledges the help of former Muslims in understanding Mohamed’s mindset.

Through twists, turns and surprises, Keith Clemons delivers us to a satisfying ending. Nothing is pat or easy, and none of the three main characters will ever be the same again.

The novel’s key characters are all of Egyptian origin, and it was an interesting experience for me as the fly-on-the-wall Caucasian reader to belong in the story world’s ethnic minority.

Canadian author Keith Clemons writes issue-related fiction. His previous novels, Angel in the Alley, These Little Ones, Above the Stars and If I Should Die, are all award-winners, and I have no doubt Mohamed’s Moon will follow suit.

You can read an interview with Keith at Interviews and Reviews and the Hot Apple Cider site. To read other reviews of Mohamed’s Moon, visit Promptings, Writer-lee, Writing Right, Interviews and Reviews and Deborah Gyapong’s blog.

Review: Whispers that Delight, non-fiction by Andrew T. Hawkins

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Whispers That Delight: Building a Listening-Centered Prayer Life, by Andrew T. Hawkins (Word Alive Press, 2008)

“Does your prayer life seem like a one-way conversation? Do you have difficulty quieting yourself to listen to God?”

These questions from the back cover of Whispers That Delight may evoke quiet “yes” responses from many Christians. Andrew Hawkins knows better than to offer an instant fix. Instead, his PARE approach is a framework within which we can deepen our prayer like. And it can be used whether you have ten minutes or an hour.

It seems paradoxical to suggest the way to more intimate communion with God could come through a structured format, although the Old Testament Israelites wouldn’t have found it so. In Whispers That Delight the format is simply the means to a desirable end, and the author makes it clear that the Holy Spirit’s prompting must take precedence over externally-imposed structure.

The acronym PARE describes Rev. Hawkins’ pattern for prayer, and he reminds us that to pare is to cut or shave away thin layers. As we pare off “the superficial things which occupy our minds,” (p. viii) he promises we’ll discover more of God.

P is for preparation, when we refocus from ourselves to the goodness of God in praise and thanksgiving. This is also where we confess anything that’s inhibiting our communion with God and receive His forgiveness and restoration.

A is attentiveness, with our spirits fixed on God’s presence to hear what He may have to say. One person may “hear” words, another impressions or images, another through reading and meditating on Scripture.

R is our response: to love, to intercede or repent, to act. Rev. Hawkins says, “Although God gives specific guidance and even surprises us with supernatural directives, when we meet him in prayer he primarily empowers us to do what we already know to do.” (p. 95)

E is a fitting end: enjoyment. Instead of rushing off into the day with a “Thanks, God!” we need to take time to linger a few minutes in His presence, just for the experience of being with Him.

Not that we should stop praying then—the concept of prayer without ceasing, practicing His presence, is worth pursuit. But our intimate, one-on-One prayer session has ended for another day.

Whispers That Delight comes with three appendices, one of which I think would serve better at the beginning: “Tips on Reading Whispers That Delight”. Essentially, the tips are “Read with the heart, read small portions at a time, and to go deeper, study the quoted Scriptures.”

Reading in bite-sized chunks is definitely wise. This isn’t at all a hard read, but the subject itself requires careful consideration and prayerful pondering. To breeze through Whispers That Delight would be to “read” the words and miss their effect on our hearts. I’m glad I took it slowly.

Rev. Andrew T. Hawkins is a Canadian author, and pastor to St. Paul’s Congregational Church in Ontario. Whispers That Delight is a book for all denominations and levels of faith, and it received The Word Guild 2009 Writing Award in the Book—Biblical Studies category.

Review: Hot Apple Cider

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Hot Apple Cider: Words to Stir the Heart and Warm the Soul is a collection of personal experience articles, short stories and poems by Canadian Christian authors from a variety of denominations.

Edited by N.J. Lindquist and Wendy Elaine Nelles and with a forward by Canadian Christian fiction icon Janette Oke, the anthology features work from 30 professional members of The Word Guild.

Content ranges from the light-hearted and humorous to serious topics such as the death of a loved one, cancer, infertility, loneliness and family conflicts. Unlike some anthologies, there’s no sentimentalizing, no over-dramatization. Just real people writing about real situations, and faith in a real God who makes a difference. Truth presented through articles, poetry and fiction, accented with restful black and white illustrations.

Canadian Christian writers are a vibrant and articulate group, and Hot Apple Cider is a wonderful sample of some of their work. Even though each selection is self-contained, I found myself reading “just one more” when it was time to stop.

The book is available online or through local bookstores. The authors also donated 30,000 copies to World Vision to be given out at FaithLife Financial’s Girls’ Night Out events across Canada in 2008.

Seven entries from the anthology were finalists in The Word Guild 2009 Canadian Christian Writing Awards–and five won awards! More recently, Hot Apple Cider was chosen by the Church Library Association of Ontario for its 2009 One Book/One Conference focus.

It’s great to see Canadian authors who are Christian getting exposure in our country. Hot Apple Cider was a treat to read, and I know I’ll dip into it again and again. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a second copy and gave it away on my blog.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this ground-breaking project. Bring on volume two!

CD Review: Better Questions, by Todd Agnew

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Better Questions, by Todd Agnew (2007, Ardent Records)

Todd Agnew is the gifted songwriter who brought us the life-changing “Grace Like Rain” and “My Jesus.” Better Questions came out in 2007. The title of the CD comes from the first track: “I’ve got better questions than I have answers….”

Although I don’t ordinarily do music reviews it got into my head and wouldn’t rest until I talked about it. So here’s my review, formerly posted on my reviews page where it may not have been seen.

Better Questions’ music ranges from the rocky, driving “Least of These” and “War Inside” to the pensive “If You Wanted Me” and “Can I Be With You?” to the playful and catchy “Funny.” “Martyr’s Song,” co-written with novelist Ted Dekker, gives a poignant view of God’s longing to welcome His children into Heaven.

The songs are Agnew’s own, except for “Our Great God” (a duet with Rebecca St. James) , “Can I Be With You?,” and the bonus track “Glorious Day,” which continues his tradition of reprising a public domain hymn in his own unique style.

Todd Agnew sings as everyman/woman, exploring Christians’ struggle to live right and challenging us to see past the labels we put on others into their hearts and needs. His lyrics leave no room for plastic Christianity.

The songs remind me of the group Casting Crowns, who also call Christians to authentic living, although Agnew’s music is heavier. His straightforward lyrics remind me of contemporary Christian music pioneer Keith Green, but they don’t have the harshness I sometimes felt in Keith’s delivery. There’s no judgement here, just an awareness of our common need for grace and a heartfelt “We have His heart, what is keeping us from being His hands?”

Better Questions packs a challenging message, but it’s no sermon set to music. Todd Agnew delivers vibrant music with raw, honest lyrics that could have come from our own souls—or our neighbours’. Like the old man in “A Corner in Memphis,” “he’s telling us our story, or at least his side.” It’s worth a listen.

Todd Agnew’s newest CD, Need, comes out on October 6, 2009. I took advantage of the pre-order special and got an immediate download of his new single, “Joy Unspeakable,” along with a downloadable 5-song acoustic EP. I did it to get the bonus tracks that’ll be available when the CD releases, and I’ve got to say, I’m enjoying the acoustic EP and “Joy Unspeakable.”

Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley (Doubleday Canada, 2009)

Flavia de Luce is an 11-year-old girl whose approach to her older sisters’ pranks is “letting the soup of revenge simmer to perfection” (p. 4). The girls’ mother died when Flavia was a baby, and their father has never recovered. He’s distant and inattentive, and the girls have the run of their sprawling, centuries-old house in 1950’s England.

Flavia concocts some rather beastly revenges, such as dissolving sister Ophelia’s pearls in acid and adding poison to her lipstick, but it’s with a child’s spitefulness rather than any sense of evil. Although she’s a genius in the house’s private chemistry lab (poison is her passion), she’s a bit short on interpersonal skills. As the novel opens, she’s vaguely fond of her father and would happily embrace never seeing her sisters again. She takes the people in her world for granted, as children do.

Flavia would be a terror to live with, but she makes a charming narrator. Her point of view is never dull and often sprinkled with humour and clever turns of phrase. There are too many wonderful descriptions to quote, but here’s how she describes her home: “[The] two yellow brick annexes, pustulently Victorian, folded back like the pinioned wings of a boneyard angel, which, to my eyes, gave the tall windows and shutters of Buckshaw’s Georgian front the prim and surprised look of an old maid whose bun is too tight” (p.5).

Mr. de Luce loves his stamp collection more than his own daughters. Perhaps he feels it’s safer ground. One day a stamp turns up at the kitchen door—impaled on the beak of a dead bird.

That evening Mr. de Luce has a secret visitor, and the next morning Flavia finds the man’s body in the cucumber patch. Fearing that her father or the family’s gardener might be involved, and irritated with the police Inspector for excluding her from the crime scene, Flavia determines to solve the mystery herself.

She reminds me a bit of Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl, minus the fairies and criminal tendencies. Like Artemis, the dangers she faces help her begin to understand her family and her heart. I think that’s where the novel’s title fits in. It refers to a quote from William King’s The Art of Cookery, “Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie, who cares for all the crinkling of the pie?”

As with her human relationships, Flavia doesn’t give much thought to faith. It’s there in the background, another part of her life’s framework. Author Alan Bradley treats it with care, something I rarely find but always appreciate in a mainstream-audience book.

I must also say, as a Canadian, I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book with Canadian spellings. That too is a rare experience these days.

I read the novel once to see what happened, and a second time to enjoy the language. Flavia may be 11 years old, but this isn’t a book for children. It’s rich in nuance, vocabulary and detail, clearly designed for adults’ experienced palates.

I’d love to share the best lines with my husband but I’ve resisted—for the most part. I don’t want to spoil it for him.

Canadian author Alan Bradley has created a fascinating character in Flavia de Luce, and I’m glad to see two more novels to follow this one: The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag [or Tied Up With Strings] (2010) and Dance, Gypsy! Hang, Gypsy! (2011). Flavia certainly seems to be capturing the imaginations of readers the world over. There’s even a Flavia de Luce fan club—for adults.

Mr. Bradley is co-author (with Dr. William A.S. Sarjeant) of the non-fiction Ms. Holmes of Baker Street and author of The Shoebox Bible. Before being internationally-published, his first novel The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie received the (British) Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger Award in 2007.

Review: Let Go, by Sheila Walsh

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Let Go: live free of the burdens all women know, by Sheila Walsh (Thomas Nelson, 2008)

We all need deliverance in one area or another. To receive it, we need to let go: of self-effort, legalism, past hurts or actions, unforgiveness, shame, lack of self-worth, fear, loneliness… the list could go on.

Men need this freedom too, but Let Go is a woman-to-woman book. Each chapter opens with brief quotes and a contemporary parable. Sheila Walsh shares her personal experiences as well as teaching from Scripture. Chapters end with a few questions for discussion or private contemplation, and with a prayer.

Initially I feared this would be a lightweight overview of complex issues, but I needn’t have worried. Sheila introduces each element with a gentle touch and goes deeper in successive chapters. This is a good way to approach touchy subjects like hurt and shame that we may have to chew on a while.

Sheila’s music has blessed me for maybe 30 years now, and a recurring theme is that God loves each of us—more than we can imagine—no matter who we are or what we’ve done.

This is the message at the heart of Let Go. Sheila writes, “God’s love for us is based on who he is. This truth can change our lives if we are able to receive it.” (p. 172)

Sheila Walsh’s transparency and her heart for God make her a woman He can use to touch others. Let Go is an encouraging book that’s well worth reading. To find out more about book and author, you can read the opening chapter of Let Go or visit Sheila Walsh’s website.