All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings

All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by Gayle Boss/Illustrated by David G. Klein

This new advent book captures the essence of the Advent season in a unique way. Gayle Boss, poet, writer and lover of all things nature, has taken the sights and sounds of nature, including animals, and given life to them through these Advent meditations. The illustrations created by David G. Klein, an award winning graphic artist, are black and white pencil drawings of each animal in its different habitat. With laser focus on the way these animals burrow and get ready for the winter season, Gayle and David provide their readers with a truly amazing experience of God's wonderful creation.

The descriptions of the animals were quite extraordinary and caused me to want to engage these animals in my own neck of the woods. Gayle writes about the chipmunk by stating, "I hear a chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp, pointed as a metronome. Ticking items off some list, a chipmunk sits up tall on teh warming cement slab" (18). The chipmunk is digging tunnels near the front door, giving him a place to hide and a place for warmth from the cold. Gayle mentions near the end of the meditation that each chipmunk has to make several decisions about the winter months, including how is he/she going to endure these cold, frost-bitten winter months with enough food and warmth for the whole season.

The beauty of this book is that it digs into the intricacies of how the animals we see everyday endure this winter time, waiting for the expectation of the coming of spring. We wait as well, as believers looking forward to the coming of Christ, and have to pray, fast, and learn to meditate on his coming. I know this book will be a great encouragement to those who love God's good creation.

Thanks to Paraclete Press for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends. Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks. The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life. His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ. Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing. I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security. Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core. “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love. We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).” Love is a two-way street that inv

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover? This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover. However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover. Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20). This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today. The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to

For All It's Worth

Search This Blog