THE HIDING PLACE
I'm sorry if you are tired of me always sharing my favorite quotes from the books we read. But these truisms are exactly what I feel is important, and want to remember. Sooooooooo........
My favorite "HIDING PLACE" quotes:
- That was Father's secret: not that he overlooked the differences in people; that he didn't know they were there.
- Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings, Corrie. It's something we make inside ourselves.
- How often it is a small, almost unconscious event that marks a turning point.
- This was evil's hour: we could not run away from it. Perhaps only when human effort had done its best and failed, would God's power alone be free to work.
- Like waifs clustered around a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to its warmth and light. The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
- Surely there is no more wretched sight than the human body unloved and uncared for.
- Oh, this was the great ploy of Satan in that kingdom of his; to display such blatant evil that one could almost believe one's own secret sins didn't matter.
- When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
- Whatever in our life is hardest to bear, love can transform into beauty......when we're feeling poorest–when we've lost a friend, when a dream has failed, when we seem to have noting left in the world to make life beautiful–that's when God says: You're richer than you think. – Elizabeth Sherrill in the last chapter entitled "Since Then"
Seldom.....no, never in my life have I been able to relate to the kind of suffering that Corrie and her family, along with so many others, experienced during that horrible time in our history. Nor am I able to relate with her profound faith, and her ability to remain positive and forgiving...... even to the point of loving those who hurt her so deeply, and witnessing miracles as a result.
On an even more personal note, I have a dear niece, who along with her family have recently experienced and continue to experience, some very difficult challenges as well. Briefly, she is a mother of four. The oldest child isn't two yet, and she delivered triplets less than two months ago. About two weeks after the triplets birth she suffered a brain hemorrhage. We didn't know if she would survive, and if she did what her chances were for any kind of a normal life, and how she would ever care for her little ones. Since then I have been bowled over by the faith and love and support that surrounds this young mother, and the miracles that have multiplied as a result. She still has a long way to go, but in the end it will be a beautiful story. Like Elizabeth Sherrill wrote at the end of The Hiding Place ......Whatever in our life is hardest to bear, love can transform into beauty......
I doubt any of us will be asked to suffer the way Corrie did, or have the challenges that my niece and her family face, but we will all experience our own set of trials, and I hope to remember these marvelous examples and be strengthened by them when difficult times come in my life.
I'm sure the family wouldn't mind if I invited you to check out the blog they are keeping to record my niece's recovery. I think you would find it truly inspirational. janielsjourney.blogspot.com
We'll start looking for your comments on The Hiding Place in the next week or so!
THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE is our book for November!
Since Julie is the one who recommended this book, I asked her to write a little intro for us. Thanks Julie! Sounds like a fun book!
"I recommended The Actor and the Housewife because I remembered that it made me laugh and it made me cry. Shannon Hale's books have a lot of fun conversation between the characters--I enjoy their wit and the back and forth that goes on. I also loved her portrayal of people that fit themselves into a sterotype (i.e. hollywood gypsy, gossipping Mormon women...)
"Reading it again I noticed how Felix goes from denying that God exists at the beginning to saying a small prayer, in essence, at the end. I tried to notice the journey that he made during the book and not just the journey that Becky makes. And I laughed and cried in all the same spots the second time through.
"Shannon Hale wrote this on her website about this book: " In interviews, "I'm often asked, "What do you hope readers take from your books?" I have a hard time answering that question, because I never write toward a purpose or moral. I just hope that a reader takes whatever she needs from my story. And while that's still true for this book, I do have a tiny hope: I hope that readers want to talk about it. I have a lovely dream of groups of readers, women especially, sitting around and talking, heatedly sometimes, questioning the actions of the characters, debating some of the questions raised, what the characters did or didn't do, and the way I chose to tell the story. I hope there are lots of questions, debates, and listening too. And I hope that activity is fun."
"I guess she's getting her wish! There are a lot of points to debate in the book--if I picked one it would be the ending. I really don't like the ending because it seems like Becky starts grasping at straws just to make all the dots connect. I guess I'll read your comments to see what everyone else thinks."
"I guess she's getting her wish! There are a lot of points to debate in the book--if I picked one it would be the ending. I really don't like the ending because it seems like Becky starts grasping at straws just to make all the dots connect. I guess I'll read your comments to see what everyone else thinks."
