The Beauty of Grace

Feb 1, 2016 | Books

[title subtitle=”review: Marla Cantrell”][/title]

Stories of God’s Love From Today’s Most Popular Writers
By Dawn Camp, Editor and Photographer | Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group | 192 pages |$17

 

In a world where instant connection is everything (texting, Facebook, Skype), it’s also a world filled with disconnection. The busyness of everyday life keeps us bound to our small cubicles at work, or on the move in our cars, hurrying from here to there, or at home where there is always so much to be done. It can make us feel alone. It can make our problems seem extraordinary and isolating.

 

But in this book, The Beauty of Grace, editor Dawn Camp, who blogs at MyHomeSweetHomeOnline.net, finds a way to circumvent those feelings. She’s gathered more than forty writers who talk about their struggles and triumphs and dependence on God. Some share what it’s like to feel defeated, to be humbled by circumstance. Like Amanda Williams, who found grace in a grocery store when a young clerk paid her bill, on a day when her money and morale had run dry. Another writer, Sara Frankl (Gitz), writes about being housebound, and what it feels like to see the beauty of life even as it’s fading away.

 

Other stories take you inside the lives of women dealing with issues of home and family and aging and sleepless nights. Of love and heartbreak and absolute joy. And bit by bit, you’ll feel connected to these writers, and you’ll feel as if you have a friend walking alongside you, experiencing what you have, and finding ways of learning from every event.

 

There is only one male writer in the entourage, and he is Seth Haines, author of Coming Clean, A Story of Faith, his first book which he wrote about in the December issue of Do South® Magazine. His essay in this collection is about how inundated we all are with texts and tweets and phone calls. Finding that quiet place, those few minutes of solitude, is difficult, but something that’s absolutely necessary if we want to stay grounded.

 

Seth’s wife, Amber, is also in this collection. Her images of early morning are so vivid and so lovely, it feels as if she’s crossed the boundary from essay to poetry.

 

What’s particularly helpful is that these essays are never more than two or three pages long. You can work your way through the book from front to back, use them as devotionals, or you can go to the section of the book that fits your needs. The book is divided by topic: Purpose, The Big Picture, Surrender, Trust, Lessons Learned, Hope and Encouragement, and Worship.

 

All along the way, Dawn shares her stellar photographs. She also contributes to the collection. In her essay about losing her mother, she frames the story with a simple act. She is wearing a shirt that belonged to her mother, shrouding herself in the clothes that bear the memories of the woman who meant so much to her. The story runs full-circle, from grief to acceptance to hope.

 

If you’re looking for a way to connect, to hear stories of love and gratitude and overcoming obstacles both mundane and other-worldly, this is the book for you. It has had such a good reception, Dawn is about to release a second collection this month, titled The Gift of Friendship.  Either book would be a lovely Valentine gift for someone you know who could use a community of likeminded people, figuring out life and sharing their experiences in such an accepting way.

Do South Magazine

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