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Monday, December 3, 2007

Startling Beauty

Startling Beauty: my journey from rape to redemption by Heather Gemmen is a book that defines grace and forgiveness in a real life story. A story worthy of the bible itself and reads as good as any novel. Simply unputdownable. It addresses racism at its core.

It made me pause and think about what it might mean to be used by God and how hard that could be.

A couple of great quotes from the book:

"Integrity is so much more than claiming noble ethics. It is more than holding passionate conviction. Integrity is living out expressed beliefs. It is making choices that accurately reflect core values."

"Faith is a journey, but there are definite moments along the way when truth propels a person from one state of being to another. I ( the author ) can name several defining moments in my life. I wonder if you can do the same."

For me my first mission trip to Peru was a defining moment. It was March 2006 and it cemented my calling, I think: to care for children on the margins of society. But my book can't be written yet. I'm just getting started.

Marriage and having kids have to be classified as defining moments. They are filled with great joy and define personal responsibility.

The following is a great review of this book that I have paraphrased slightly:

Startling Beauty narrates the author's journey between despair and hope as she faces pain no one should experience. Relationships are strained and mended; decisions are forced and welcomed; fears are created and calmed; faith is threatened and increased. The author and her husband fall into grace, exchanging their emptiness for God's fullness.

1 comments:

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