Book Review: Prepared for a Purpose

Prepared for a Purpose: The Inspiring True Story of How One Woman Saved an Atlanta School Under Siege by Antoinette Tuff with Alex Tresniowski is the story behind the story of a tremendous act of cour

age. Antoinette Tuff firmly believes that God is sovereign over our lives, over each and every moment, and that He uses all circumstances to mold us into vessels fit for His use. Prepared for a Purpose takes us on a journey through her life, from the young girl whose mouth got her into trouble, to the woman whose mouth was used by God to avert a potential disaster. From the broken home of her childhood, through tempestuous teen years, a troubled marriage, the breakup of that marriage, and learning to face and deal with the special needs of her son, Antoinette was gradually changed into someone whose reaction in time of need was to turn to God. That reaction served her well when – just as she was faced with a huge crisis in her personal life - a heavily armed gunman managed to breach the security in the school where she worked, barking out orders and threatening the lives of hundreds of students, staff, and police. In that moment, the strength and reliance on God that had been developed in Antoinette over a lifetime was gloriously used to avert disaster. Instead of bemoaning the many difficulties she has faced, or regretting that filling in for someone else landed her in the “hot seat”, Antoinette instead chooses to rejoice that she had been fitted by God for His purposes. What an example! I enjoyed this book, not only for the riveting tale, but because of the many Scripture verses that are included to “prove” the fundamental truth that God is sovereign, loving, and active in our lives, working as the Master Potter to form us into vessels which can be used by Him. An inspiring read! I received this book free of charge from Bethany House Publishers, and was not required to write a positive review.

Quilts for My Grandsons

This is the quilt that nearly made me lose my mind!  When I knew grandson #1 was on the way, I decided I wanted to do something out of the ordinary: spotted this pinwheels within pinwheels pattern in a magazine, adapted it to the colours of his nursery, and .... proceed to spend eons making tiny 1/2 square triangles.  I've changed my technique since then, and had I known then what I know now, probably could have made it in about half the time!  I still love the pattern, but will easily be able to refrain from making it again. Ever.

This one was for grandson #2.  The pattern was a mystery quilt for a quilt retreat, and I picked material to coordinate with the nursery (lime green and bright blue in both quilts), but added some brights rather than pastels in this one.  I learned two things:  first, that I do NOT like paper piecing, and second that mystery quilts can be a bit frustrating!  I love the stained glass effect that resulted from the print material.

The quilts certainly are different, anyway!

QUILTING

My other "sharp shiny" object hobby is quilting.  I made few quilts way back when:  one for my own bed before I was married, and two others for my girls' beds when they were small.  After years of not quilting, my friend Lou got me back on the bandwagon several years ago.  I have to admit my favourites are baby quilts:  they're fun to design, and are usually finished before I've lost interest.

This picture shows some of the projects Lou and I were working on during one of our quilting weekends:  the Indian silks table runner is hers, and she is working on the very colourful purse.  I made the purse with black/brown prints on the right, as well as the baby quilt with half-square triangles.   Triangles show up a LOT in my work; Lou avoids them like the plague.  She, on the other hand, is addicted to nine patches.  I do them when I can't avoid them!

 

 

This one went to a new baby boy:  hope Felix enjoyed it!  With both applique and half-square triangles, I certainly didn't get bored!  The only challenge was fitting them all together.  It was based on a pattern from a magazine, but modified slightly to use some leftovers from other quilts.  The "crazy quilt" patch at top right, the pinwheel, and the orange/blue bowties all appear in quilts made earlier.  I knew there was a reason I held onto them!

 

Wool work is a new and fascinating part of my hobby:  I was introduced to it at a quilt retreat a year ago.  The biggest advantage is that I can use it to keep my hands busy with something OTHER than food while I'm watching tv!  This small hanging is my own design, and also has embroidery on the back.  I made it for a friend of mine last winter.

Because most of my quilting projects are given away, I try to take pictures before they leave.  It's been "fun" trying to find them in my picture cds, though:  I'm going to start keeping a separate folder so I can file them there as I go.

 

Stained Glass

This was one of the first panels I made - almost like a quilting pattern!  It was fairly easy to cut, and the repetition allowed me to interchange pieces that didn't quite fit perfectly in one spot to another place in the pattern.  This hung in my kitchen window for a couple of years, but has now been moved to my sewing room downstairs.  I love the bright colours shining down onto my sewing table.






This was my next panel: considerably larger, and a LOT more challenging!  I was browsing through books, trying to decide what to do next, and come across this pattern.  It fit perfectly with our living room, and I loved it!  I should have been suspicious when my teacher said "SURE you can do this: you've learned a lot!" (Translation: time to stretch ya a bit.)  The real beauty comes from the glass used for the oak leaves:  it's cut from different parts of a single sheet, and each colour has a different degree of hardness, which made grinding a real challenge.  Rachel had warned me to watch out for soft spots, and I quickly discovered that the white was quite soft.  It's hard to see from this photo, but the clear sections have three different patterns of glass in them too.  This one has been done for well over a year, and I still tremendously enjoy looking at it.  The sunset shines through this window, and it's neat how different the leaves look with those colours shining through.

This "Northern Lights" panel is my most recent completed project, and it now graces the kitchen window over my baking counter.  Our favourite vacation activity is canoe camping in Algonquin or Killarney, and this is a reminder of what we see!  Rachel suggested I use stones for the "shore" at the bottom, and I love the 3D effect.  It also looks great with the stone backsplash around the bottom of the window in which it hangs.
The trees are made of scrap glass:  it took me a lot of time to get the silhouetted trees to fit properly: I ended up soldering the purple trees and the bottom third of the black tree together to save my sanity before cutting the rest.
The sky is not scrap glass!  There are two different kinds of glass in it, one with reddish lights, and the other with blue/green.  The sky changes colour depending on the amount and quality of the light. It almost looks like an entirely different panel at night, because the red "disappears" without light behind it, and that glass looks more golden.  Day or night, I get a lot of enjoyment out of this one.


My current project is my first with lead: it's just nicely underway, but eventually will be a 6 foot long panel in the sidelight of our front door.  It is made of scrap glass culled from my teacher's many boxes (thanks Rachel), and features two Macintosh roses on the inside curves of a long "S" the length of the panel.  At this point it is about half done (i.e. bottom 1/3 and one of the roses). I'd like to have it finished before Christmas - have to see how that goes.

BOOK REVIEW: Critical Reaction

 

I have not read Todd M. Johnson’s first book, but after enjoying “Critical Reaction”, I’ll be looking for it!  Although not a legal thriller per se, the courtroom plays a significant role, as the causes and effects of an explosion in a shuttered nuclear facility are gradually revealed.  Kieren Mullaney survived that blast, but both his family history and current poor health make him determined to pursue a lawsuit against the facility in order to discover whether or not he was exposed to radiation.  After encountering a number of roadblocks, including personal threats, uncooperative witnesses, and a last minute withdrawal by his lawyer, he calls an old friend to help him out; she persuades her estranged father to join the fight, knowing that they need his courtroom experience.   The team must work together in order to determine who is really telling the truth, who is using them for their own ends, and ultimately, who is responsible for what happened.

This book abounds with conspiracies and cover-ups; there are plenty of twists and turns as the investigation proceeds.   I enjoyed the sub-plot of the father-daughter relationship, and how it evolved during the book, as well as the father’s re-evaluation of his own involvement in the legal profession.  The additional storylines of others affected by the explosion add interest, particularly as they  play a role in the final discovery.

The only downfall, in my eyes, is that Johnson seemed to run out of steam at the end, which was almost anti-climactic after the drama of the investigation itself.  His denouement covered the basics, but – in my estimation – fell short of the standard of writing in the rest of the book, and left me asking myself, “That’s it?”  Overall, though, a great read! 

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House publishing, and was not required to write a positive review.

BOOK REVIEW: City on Fire by Tracy L. Higley

If you enjoy historical novels, may I recommend City on Fire?   Tracy L. Higley has obviously done some scrupulous research in preparation for writing this book.  She provides us with a number of memorable characters, including Cato, the politician turned winemaker, Ariella, the Jewish slave girl who becomes a gladiator, and Jeremiah, the Jewish rabbi who became a Christian servant.  Their stories are interwoven with others whose names can be found in the annals of history, and come alive against the backdrop of the last days of Pompeii, with Mount Vesuvius grumbling in the background.  The unrest beneath the mountain is mirrored in the political unrest of the day, with its corrupt politicians and growing persecution of both Jews and Christians. 

The main characters, Cato and Ariella, come from vastly different backgrounds , and live in vastly different circumstances, yet both are brought face to face with the same question:  what will they do with the Christ?  Their weighing of evidence, and the probable consequences of a decision for Him are well portrayed.

City on Fire was a great combination of history, adventure, and romance:  I enjoyed the read, and the twists and turns throughout the book.  The single warning note comes from the way the author carefully skirts around most of the immoral practices that were common in the day; some mention of them is integral to the story line, and specifics are almost entirely omitted, but there are some details which may be offensive.  For this reason, I would caution against providing this book to younger readers.

I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers, as part of their BookSneeze program, and was not required to write a positive review.

BOOK REVIEW: Chasing Francis

Chasing Francis follows Chase Falson on a journey of spiritual struggle.  Although he had himself founded an evangelical mega-church, and was serving as its pastor, the tale begins with Chase’s all too public loss of faith – in front of his entire congregation.  Chase feels like he no longer “knows” God; all his doctrine and theology no longer provide any comfort.  Forced to take a sabbatical, and struggling with his future, he is invited to join his uncle, a Franciscan priest, who persuades him to investigate the life of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The reader joins Chase as he learns about St. Francis, and begins to see how Francis revolutionized the church of his day.  The more Chase studies the way Francis lived, the more he begins to see that a mega-church catering to “tourists” of faith is vastly different from one which encourages pilgrims to make  a difference.  He develops a whole new basis for how a church should operate – the question is whether his current congregation will see things the same way.

I not only enjoyed the tale of this pilgrimage, I was challenged myself to take a hard look at how I view my life as a Christian, to re-think what God expects of me in my interactions with others.  How does the God of the Bible expect His people to serve and follow Him?  Am I complacent with my faith as is, or am I willing to examine how it can become more active, more effective where God has placed me? 

The bonus in this book is the “Further Reflections” section, which would enable the book to be used as a small group study, encouraging others to begin their own journey of faith growth.

I received this book free of charge through the “Booksneeze” program, and was not required to write a positive review.