November 2019 Book Review

November is flying by. In fact, it flew by so quickly that it's now December! 🙈😭

 Better late than never... here is my November Book Review! 

I managed to get through 3 books last month. 

First up, Broken Vessels, God's Power Through Autism. 

In October, our sweet Zach was diagnosed with autism. There is much to process and say about this but for right now, we are learning all we can. We feel incredibly blessed to be his parents. He continues to amaze us and bring us joy every day and we couldn't love him any more than we already do. When I have time to share a bit more, I will definitely be doing that. In light of this recent news, I am naturally reading more books on the topic and I started with this one. Having a son diagnosed with autism herself, the author has asked questions like, "Why is autism on the rise?" And "Why can't the medical community pinpoint what is really going on?" Then she asks God these questions... and He responds.

This book made me ponder the depth of sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden. With this, they opened the floodgates to the fall of humanity. Sin would enter our world. It also brought about disorder, illness, sadness, hopelessness and death. But for those of us who believe in Jesus, God's one and only Son, He is the propitiation for our sins and death is ultimately defeated. His sacrifice on the cross is an atonement and free gift to mankind. No matter what the "cause" is for autism (and there has been some speculation in Zach's case), the fact of the matter remains: Satan has launched a military attack on children. He always has (think back to baby Moses and baby Jesus). He is especially after our sons, particularly in the last days. I don't want to get all theological on a simple book review but let's just say my eyes were opened to the spiritual warfare taking place. I had this verse that kept coming to mind as I read this book. 

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." -Genesis 50:20

I have ALWAYS believed that God has a very special purpose for Zach. I believe wholeheartedly that God is working a redeeming story of victory in him. And even autism, is not going to stand in the way of that. In fact, it will only make the victory all the more sweeter. Our testimony for God's glory will grow brighter and touch more people as a result of this. If you are a Christian parent with an autistic child, this book is a clear reminder of who is ultimately in control. On the other hand, if you are not a believer, this book will probably be nonsense.

Next, I read The Keeper out loud to the girls. 

I mentioned that we enjoy reading autobiographies together. Especially about people who have overcome something. Tim Howard opens up about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette Syndrome and OCD defied the odds to become one of the world's premier goalkeepers. 

After a successful seventeen-year professional soccer career, Tim became an overnight star during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. His heroic performance in the game for the United States against Belgium, in which he saved an astonishing fifteen shots—the most for any goalkeeper in a World Cup game—made him a household name. 

We enjoyed reading about his childhood and the challenges he faced with issues that made him feel different. We loved how he ultimately used those differences to his advantage and became a remarkable and successful world class athlete. 

Then about 2/3 of the way into the book, he revealed that he was getting a divorce from his wife ("whom he still loved") and that it killed him that his 2 children would be living in Tennessee when his soccer career had him living in England. Now, I know there was probably A LOT more to the story than we were told. However, from what we read, we were disappointed because it clearly looked like he chose his soccer career over his family. From that point on, I'll be honest, his highlight reel grew dim for us. It seemed to us that he got his priorities all wrong. Was it the fame, money, ego, or selfishness? Maybe he should have focused more on "keeping" his family.

Lastly, I finished Bringing Elizabeth Home by Ed & Lois Smart. 

This was a book I picked up for $1 at a local book sale. Gotta love that!

Ed and Lois Smart share the pain of every parent’s worst fear: “What would I do if my child was taken from me?” They also share a story of great hope, strong faith, and trust in God. The Smart family had always been devoted to their Mormon faith, but through their terribly painful experience they gained a tremendous inner strength, which became the key to their survival.

In the end, the Smarts’ story brings one point poignantly home--nothing is more important in this world than family. Not money. Not work. Not a fancy new car or an expensive, big house. Family, the prayers of so many friends and strangers, and trust in God are what got them through this experience--and having survived, they have no doubt that they can persevere in any situation as long as those three things are in their lives. Though their story is filled with many incredible twists and turns, they never lost focus on what was important: bringing Elizabeth home.

It took a while for me to get into this book but about half way in, I was hooked. I cannot even fathom the horror the Smart family went through, let alone what Elizabeth went through. Although this book does not go into detail about Elizabeth's nine months of brutal captivity, it does chronicle what the family went through during that time. Although our doctrines of faith differ, their reliance on God and their hope in Him is what got them through this ordeal. They are an amazing and inspiring family. A fascinating read, to say the least!

I've read 41 books so far this year.

With December in full swing, I'm not sure how many more I can get through but inspired by all the reading this year, I'm hosting a fun Book Exchange Party next week. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.