Archive | February 2024

And … So We Walked by Rick & Jane McKinney

Feb27

So Very Powerful

And… So We Walked by Rick and Jane McKinney is such a powerful book that reveals the faithfulness of God and also faith in action.

In 2005 Rick McKinney ‘heard’ God tell him to walk across America. “Walk it all in My Name.” An obedient servant, married for over thirty years at that time, together with his wife Jane, on 1st January 2006 began their walk from California to Washington – a distance of 2,800 miles. Their walk was completed on July 4th 2006. It was a total walk of faith. It was a walk that would change the couple. It was a walk that impacted many along the way. And … So We Walked is a book that should impact our lives and change the way we live. Every day is a new opportunity to tell a lost world about Jesus. We do not need to walk across America. Maybe we just need to walk across our roads and tell someone about Jesus. Or across our neighbourhoods. Or maybe just across the room. You never know when God will set up a divine appointment. “Divine appointments with people we didn’t know but that God knew needed to hear about Him.”

Rick and Jane McKinney knew they could rely on God. “He would never leave us, always empower us, and confirm His presence and guidance in our lives.” There were times when they sensed “an angel is walking with us.” God never left the couple to walk alone. And God never leaves us to walk alone.

God calls us to see the world through His eyes. “We were beginning to see people through the eyes of Jesus.” When we look with Jesus’ eyes, we see the heart of God. The world will look different. We will see the injustice and the prejudice. We will see the marginalized and the forgotten. – and our hearts will break. “God had broken our hearts for our nation.” The McKinney’s realized that America needs God. Our world needs God.

We are called to tell the world about Jesus. I found the following quote so powerful: “We ‘talk’ loudest by how we ‘walk’ “ Wow!

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Kasper Prince Of Cats by Michael Morpurgo

Feb22

The Good Luck Cat

Kasper Prince Of Cats by Michael Morpurgo is a most delightful children’s historical novel that I loved. It is suitable for ages eight years and over.

This book will educate you as you read. It is set at the Savoy in London in spring of 1912. The action continues into April where the characters board the ill-fated Titanic on its maiden voyage to New York – and we all know how that ended!

Kasper is the star of the show. He is a regal black cat, all the way from Russia. Although beautiful, he is also aloof until he decides where his loyalties lie!

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The Other Edie Trimmer by Jacqueline Wilson

Feb22

Fabulous Tale

The Other Edie Trimmer by Jacqueline Wilson is a fantastic dual timeline and just perfect for ages ten years and over.

The novel is set in present day and Victorian England. It will educate you as you read about the awful conditions facing children and the poor in Victorian England. The landscape comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen.

We hear about the mudlarks, young flower girls and the appalling treatment within the workhouse. Families were split up as males and females were segregated. People were cruelly treated and food was scarce.

We witness children as young as five years old, scrambling through the mud. Children were not treasured as they should be.

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The Only Light In London by Lily Graham

Feb21

Lighting Each Other Up

The Only Light In London by Lily Graham is a powerful historical novel that consumed me.

The action begins in 1939 in both London, and eight months earlier in Berlin. It was a terrifying time to be Jewish and living in Nazi Germany. We drop in on a family and see the difficulties they face as they try to flee the country. They become a family divided.

We see the bravery of a twelve year old girl. “They don’t have the right to make me feel I’m worth less than them just because I’m a Jew.” She shows incredible courage. Though her body is limited as to where she can go, her mind is free because she refuses to let the Nazis take her mind captive.

In London we witness the fear of the population sheltering from the bombs, in the underground. “They were like small boats battling the fear in waves.” The people lift each other up, raising the spirits of those who are afraid.

It is always good to have something to focus on. We see a newly formed drama group who need enthusiasm and not talent, to join it. This is a place where those on the outskirts of society find a place to belong.

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