Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

As you know I am constantly reading and trying to find books that will be good for our book club. I recently finished up Left to Tell:Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. A good friend recommended it to me at AEW's birthday party. This is a non-fiction novel about 210 pages of reading and let me just say it was pretty amazing. Here is what the book flap states:

Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Her family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Miraculously, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor's home while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having truly discovered the meaning of unconditional love-a love so strong that she was able to seek out and forgive her family's killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable woman's journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering and loss. (end quote)


I really enjoyed reading about her story. This was one of those books that is really hard to put down and you feel like you have to keep reading to see what happens. I would definitely recommend it and I actually picked up her second book, Led by Faith, that goes along with it but I'm not done reading it yet. I really want to choose Left to Tell for the book club but there are some parts that are graphic because we are dealing with real truthful history. I am going to read the second book soon to see if it would be better for the club and then it just be an option if people want to go back and read the first book with a warning. If I do go with the second book it won't be till at least September when the paperback version is available for purchase. Here is a link to where you can see an interview of Immaculee from 60 Minutes that is on her website. Scroll down and it is on the bottom left. As always if you decided to read this book, share with us what you thought! Happy Reading!




To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

Available Red Tent Book

The church has one more paperback copy of The Red Tent available for purchase for $9.50. Leave me a comment, e-mail or contact Kathy in the church office if you are interested. Hurry act fast before it is gone!


To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

Stories to be told

As we start out with The Red Tent, please be warned that you may come across some content that is PG-13. Please do not let this discourage you from reading but press on to read this story of what could have been. When I was reading it the first time, I almost stopped reading when I would come to these parts but I decided to persevere to see why everyone loved this book. I am glad I did. In the Prologue we have Dinah speaking directly to us, the readers. She is prepping us for the story she is about to tell from her point of view. Her name is a mere blip compared to the whole Bible, but we are getting ready to read “her story.” I don’t believe God includes “blips” in the Bible for nothing and that everything has a purpose and something that can be learned from it. I know that only a fraction of the story about to be told is actually in the Bible and the rest is fiction. But I feel like the people that I read about in the Bible all the time, now have a little more life to them and are easier to grasp. In the prologue Dinah informs us that she is going to start with the stories of her 4 mothers in chapter 1. I look forward to reading along with you as we get to learn about the stories that “Dinah” has to tell to us.

To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

June Ewomen Night

Our Extraordinary Women Night for June will be this upcoming Friday the 5th at 6:00 pm. Our lesson will be “A Woman and Her God: Prayer, Devotion and the Spiritual Life” with Beth Moore. A brief description of the DVD is as follows:

"A woman's relationship with God is meant to be a love relationship, hopefully intimate, and deeply satisfying. Do you long for such a love life? Beth shares truths that will rekindle your love relationship with God, giving it new spark. She speaks from her heart and a well-spring of God's word, showing you how to change dry devotions into a personal devotion to the One you love. She'll show you how routine times with God can become intimate encounters that will satisfy your soul and spirit."

We will be watching the DVD at Jody Beth's house followed by discussion with coffee and desserts. Please note this is so that the griller's (6:00) and ewomen gals can car pool to maybe make it easier. I hope you can join us! Feel free to bring a friend. If you are interested in bringing a dessert or need directions let me know!!

I hope to see you there!


To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

Don't give up on the process

Well this past Saturday was our May meeting and we had a small turnout but had great conversation! Thank you to those who could come and those of you who read the book and just weren’t able to make it. I know that if we had everyone come to the meeting that actually was reading along we probably wouldn’t have enough seats! As we finish up our May selection, I really like how the author shares with us her personal struggle in writing the book during this last chapter. Through many examples the author continues to remind us that our journey is a process. It can be a long, hard process but worth it. I like how the author uses a quote from Claire Cloninger who describes the process in our lives as kaleidoscopes, “I don’t always get to see how the bits and pieces of who I am fit into the big picture of God’s plan. And yet I know I am called, as God’s child, to believe by faith that they do add up. That in some way every single scrap of my life, every step and every struggle, is in the process of being fitted together into God’s huge and perfect pattern for good.” What a neat perspective to think of everything that we do fits into a beautiful kaleidoscope of God's plan. As I finish up the book I have to say that my favorite part here at the end is Henrietta Mears. The author tells us how in spite of Henrietta's busy schedule of helping others she always took the time to open her Bible and spend time with God. When she passed away, some remarked about her that, “It was nothing new to meet her Lord alone, for she has often done so. This time she just went with him.” Oh to have others say that about us when we are gone! How wonderful to live that kind of truth and balance. I’m sure if she were here today she would tell us it is a process that has to be worked at everyday and to not lose hope or heart. The author closes out our book with a message from Paul in 2 Corinthians, “Therefore we do not lose heart,” “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” The author reminds us not to give up on the process because in the end it will all be worth it. Praise God! I hope this book helped you in some way and that you will continue to go back to it and pick up sections to help you when the time is right. So what do you think, Do you think you have a different perspective on Mary and Martha than you did when you first started? I know I do!

Just in case you are interested in further reading, Joanna Weaver has another similar book available called, “Having a Mary spirit.” I have heard lots of great reviews on it as well. I hope you will join me as we start June’s selection, The red tent by Anita Diamant. Happy reading!

To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

Balance

I think these last chapters make the biggest point at what we need to remember with this book. Balance is a process and always will be. We can achieve balance but the teeter totter is still going to go one way or the other at some point and we just have to be ready with the Holy Spirit living inside us to know what to do. Chapter 11 is about balancing work and worship. The author states that, “As long as my heart is set toward both service and worship; I don’t have to feel guilty when my life seems to settle longer on one side because I know I’ll eventually push off from that spot and spend some time on the other.” I really like the Balance checklist that the author gives us in shaded boxes. If we ever feel one way or the other we can come back to this and see what needs to be done to maybe even ourselves out a little bit. The author shares different techniques that she has learned at achieving balance which we can use as jumping off points if we are having trouble. One big thing I struggle with that she talks about in this chapter is receiving the gift of rest on the Sabbath. We are to relax and not do work. I have to admit that most Sunday’s I do work. I do laundry, I have to run to the grocery store, this and that, and it’s definitely a struggle for me. I really like the story about the African tribe that takes a break of rest to allow their souls to catch up. I need to remember to put aside the “kitchen duties” and spend time in the “living room.” The author goes on to give us some helpful advice on how to be hospitable in the kitchen without overdoing it or tiring ourselves out. But most of all in this chapter, I like the point the author makes with balance. It’s just like on a real teeter-totter where you have to move in towards the middle to make it balance better and not get “bumpsies." We have to move closer to Jesus in order to achieve balance on our teeter-totters of life.


To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.

Nothing held back

As we finish up this book we progress through chapters 9 & 10 and learn two more stories about Mary and Martha. In chapter 9 we look at Martha’s teachable heart and how we all need to have one. If we don’t have a teachable heart, how will we come to know the love of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to reside in us? As the author talks about having a teachable heart and how Jesus chose those whom were teachable it makes so much sense. Especially eye-opening was the example of the Wall Street Corporation, whom wanted workers fresh out of college ready to train. Of course, Why would you want someone that was “A know and it all” and refused to learn? The author even has a shaded box for us to try to figure out if we have a teachable heart and what maybe we need to do to work on turning ours into one. I enjoyed the author including the story about Martha running out to Jesus from chapter 8 so that we can see the transformation in Martha’s heart that took place. If we want to have a change like Martha did, the author tells us that we must have three things in our relationship with Jesus: be willing to listen, act on what we hear and respond to discipline. I pray that we all can find ourselves with a teachable heart that’s willing to make changes just like the story of the butterfly at the end of Chapter 9.

Chapter 10 shows us the woman that Mary has changed into as well. The author tells us that no longer is she just sitting at His feet but now she is devoted to giving Him all she has. The author gives us some perspective on the story of how Mary poured the perfume on Jesus feet and dried it off with her hair. I had no idea about the significance for Mary to use the expensive perfume. I enjoyed that background because it helped me to understand the story and how Mary really loved Jesus with her whole heart. She was willing to jump out there and give Him all of her no matter what the cost. The author has a shaded box that gives ways for us to make Jesus our Lord if this is something we struggle with. We are not perfect and we want it all and want to do it all, so sometimes we may need a little help in jumping out there. I think this book is a great tool to help. I know for me, coming away from these two chapters I want both, the teachable hart and the extravagant love with nothing held back. As we wrap up the book we will see that all this can be achieved with balance and will always be a work in progress.

To comment on this post click on "comments" Type in your comment then where it has the drop down box click on "Name/URL" Type in your name, you do not have to have a URL. Then you can preview and post your comment.