Thought for Thursday / Books to Read

Last year I decided to try being more purposeful about reading things that would shape me in positive ways.  I read some great books.  I wish I would've shared more about them with y'all.

Lately I've been feeling "enough with the nonfiction already."  I want a story.

A friend gave me a gift card, and I picked up "Same Kind of Different as Me."  I remembered seeing a recommendation for it, and that was enough for me.  I don't like to actually KNOW about a book before I read it.  I was about halfway through this one, when it occurred to me that it might be a true story.  "No way!  You're kidding.  You're KIDDING me!"  I flip to the back of the book:

"A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.

An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.

A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.

A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it."

There you have it.  Definitely worth reading.

But this weekend I finished a book that is a MUST READ.

"The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom.  It's been on my radar for years, but I never got around to it.  If only I'd known.  A life-changer, for sure.

Yes, it is about a woman who worked to save Jewish people during WWII.  But - No, it was not depressing.  It was very motivational.  The kind of book that helps you (me) to change the way I think.

Here's one piece:

There were certain types of Jewish people who were more difficult to hide.  One day a mother and her newborn came to Corrie's home.  It doesn't get much harder than hiding a newborn, eh?  It was a huge problem since the houses were so close together and neighbors could hear the baby crying.  Corrie prayed about the situation and a certain pastor came to her mind.  He lived in a more secluded home, well off the street.  Would you believe that he came to their home to visit the very next day!  Such an example of God at work.

Corrie asked the pastor to take the mother & child.  She showed the baby to him.  She described what happened next:

"There was a long silence.  The man bent forward, his hand in spite of himself reaching for the tiny fist curled round the blanket.  For a moment I saw compassion and fear struggle in his face.  Then he straightened, 'No.  Definitely not.  We could lose our lives for that Jewish child!'

Unseen by either of us, Father had appeared in the doorway.  'Give the child to me, Corrie,' he said.

Father held the baby close, his white beard brushing its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby's own.  At last he looked up at the pastor.  'You say we could lose our lives for this child.  I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.'

The pastor turned sharply on his heels and walked out of the room."

Don't you feel sorry for that pastor?  God placed him in position to participate in something great, and he missed it!

Doesn't that make you want to live bigger?  Fearlessly following God?  It can't just be me.  I hope you read this book.

So - I wasn't very successful in finding fiction stories, but I hit the jackpot with GREAT stories. 

Enjoy!