Dear John

2 am – 1/18/10

Dear John

A sweet story. And when I say sweet, I guess I mean bittersweet, the ending isn’t disappointing and it doesn’t make me hate my life. It’s just…. right. ya know? It wasn’t predictable…I didn’t and could never have predicted the outcome. The main character, John, does the right thing. He makes the right decision. The only way, I guess, which ended up being an option I didn’t even see coming. Maybe I’m just oblivious, but it wasn’t at all a predictable story to me. It was nothing like I thought it would be, going into it. The story line had more depth, and it was good. It was slow at first, but it began moving along after a few chapters, and at some points I couldn’t put it down. So,  I’m glad I read it, and I definitely don’t feel like it was a waste of my time, but I also know it’s not one that I will  recommend to friends  as “an ABSOLUTE must read!” I will recommend it , because it’s a sweet, sad, story about love, the  sacrifices people make for love, right and wrong timing, and dealing with the unfair things that are hurled our way in life.  Now I can also say I’ve read a Nicolas Sparks book!!! That’s a plus J.  Sorry guys, I’m making it sound like an awful book and that THAT is the only thing I got from it. NO that’s not the case at all. I liked it a lot and I’ll probably read it again someday when I have time- which may not be for a long time….. But it was good. I was disappointed that Savanah was supposedly a Christian, and she didn’t think it was that important to wait on sex. I’d like to have a talk with Sparks about that, just so he knows that we believe it’s a beautiful thing to wait on, and that it could be a more attractive way to present the story. I think he still could’ve achieved what he wanted in the story without that, and it would’ve reeped the same benefit. How cool would it have been if Sparks HAD presented the story that way? He would have been glorifying God and not have even known it!!! OBut ya, that was kind of disappointing. Eh, I guess if Sparks doesn’t know Jesus, there’s only so much I can expect. If he was a Christian and wrote that, I’d definitely have a few things I’d like to write to him about, haha.

            And you know, I didn’t think his writing style was amazing? It was just okay; somewhat poetic, but just very commercialized. It was good ENOUGH that it didn’t bother me, but it was riding that line.  I mean, granted the dude has published more books than I have (haha= 0) or ever will, and has a huge fan base, so he’s obviously successful, but just as a personal preference, the style wasn’t my favorite. I will give him storyline and character props though. I loved mostly all the characters. They were very real, and you could see different facets of them revealed through relationships with other people. For instance, like how Savannah reveals to John halfway through that he has adult Aspergers. Savannah, Tim, and John were all very genuine and relatable as well. It was funny though, because I kept imagining Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as the characters! I think they did a fairly good job at casting those parts for the movie coming out…except that Savannah’s hair and eyes are supposedly brown.  Oh well.

             It was a great story line and I was grateful that he didn’t create more drama and tension by creating an affair in the end. I guess I knew nothing would happen, because of the thickness of the pages in my right hand as I neared the end- there was no room for all of that to happen.  Of course, like every story I read, or every movie I watch, I became emotionally involved with the characters for example: I cried when John’s dad died.  I just adore their relationship, and the description of his dad. Their relationship had so many relatable facets to it, which I guess is why I became attached!  

It was a good book and I’m glad I read it. J Thanks for buying it for me Kaitlin! 

Night!

-Me

Song of Songs

So while I was reading Reedeeming Love, I decided to read Song of Soloman because Micheal Hosea references it so many times. This morning I was reading Soloman's words, and having a hard time concentrating. So I closed my eyes and asked God to enrich my focus and that every word would connect and flow together and I that I would be able to focus soley on his Word. I opened my eyes and actually ended up reading to the end of the book!  I was expecting it to be alot longer than it was, and granted it was only 6 or 7 chapters, but I got through it!
     It is truly a beautifully written book, except for some of the analogies Soloman makes such as comparing his brides' temples to halves of pomegranates, and her nose to a tower....what a way to flatter a girl! Haha, but no, it's really interesting because it goes back and forth in a sort of script form, saying "He: " and then what the man says, and "She:" and then what the woman says, and it even includes "friends:" and gives the input of the friends.  I also noticed that besides being an extremely sensual book (probably the most open about sex in the Bible) it repeats itself three times when it says " Daughters of Jerusalem I charge you; Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires", meaning love will come when it comes, and it s dangerous to take things into your own hands- something I try to do all too often! I always take control, and forget that God has control of all things, especially when love will awaken in my life, and when that special someone will choose to arrive. :) Thanks for that special reminder Lord. You're awesome.
Just thought I would share this with everyone, as it is a book and I try to share about all the books I read on here. :)
Blessings!
-Alyson

Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love-

(this post is about a week late, sorry guys)

I finished Redeeming Love last night at 3:30 am. This was my second time to read the novel and I am more convinced than ever that this is my favorite Christian romance novel. To say that it is my favorite book is a dangerous thing- what about all the others? And you know me, I’m so indecisive, even with which books I award places to.

            Rivers really astounds me. I wrote her a letter actually. Rather than writing a “review” or journal immediately following my completion, I ripped out a college ruled sheet of paper from my journal I keep by my bedside and wrote her a letter, thanking her for being an obedient servant of Christ and allowing Him to speak through her writing. Whether she will read it or not, I have no idea, haha, but she is a big name in Christian writing and I felt like I have a duty to encourage other writers- like she needs it with such a successful book haha.  It is such a powerful, emotional, and extremely relatable-to-life book. I read her author’s note at the end of the book which talks of her process of writing it. She gives a few details about her walk with Christ, and  gives Him full credit for everything accomplished in the novel- the details, names, place, time, characteristics. She tells how her own testimony is nothing like Angels- almost the complete opposite.  She grew up in a Christian home, and though she initially believed she was a Christian, it was a very long process in understanding what this meant and truly grasping the concept of grace.

            She says writing was her escape, her control. After her conversion, and re commitment to Christ, she says that He asked her to give up writing for a period.  She didn’t know if she would ever write again. But she did and she says she commited all of her writing to the glory of Christ and in furthering His kingdom. And she has. I love that I can connect with this book in a new way every time I read it. Whatever stage of life I am at, I can come to this novel knowing that it can still relate to me- even if I’m seventy.

             I have decided to make reading Redeeming Love a Christmas tradition, and I couldn’t have picked a better book to read annually. I wrote to Rivers that one can rediscover the concept of grace by walking alongside the character Angel, as it is such a hard concept to grasp and I’m not sure if I ever will. But I love trying, and I love seeing a breathing interpretation of Christ in Micheal Hosea- how he forgives, how he loves Angel relentlessly, how he refuses to associate her sins with who she is. As a single woman, this novel points directly to Christ and reminds me He is all I need and my portion forever rather than leaving me desperate and lonely for the perfect man as many love stories do.  Reading it this second time has truly drawn me into Christ once more, opening my eyes to His beauty and majesty. It draws attention to the gifts He so willingly gives that we all to often take for granted- friendship, the earth, sunrises, sounds of nature, the good in people, the state of brokenness, forgiveness, mercy, His Son.  Wow. I am so in awe of you Father.

            There’s a different reason Angel leaves each time she does- resistence, fear of being vulnerable, pride, and the last an attempted act of selflessness for Micheal. In the last time that she flees, God tells Micheal that he has become her idol, her god, and that she has to find him in this last retreat. I had completely forgotten the part in this final retreat where Angel has the dream about Christ, and it brought me to tears. I thought I would put it up here for you to see:

            She looked up and saw Micheal standing before her. A small flame burned where his heart was. No, Beloved. His mouth hadn’t moved, and the voice was not his. The flame grew larger and brighter,spreading until his entire body was radiant with it. Then the light separated from Micheal and came the last few feet toward her. It was a man, glorious and magnificent,light streaming from him in all directions.

“Who are you?” She whispered, terrified “Who are you?”

Yahweh, Al Shaddai, Jehovah- Mekoddishkem, El Elyon, El Olam, Elohim…

Th names kept coming, moving together like music, rushing through her blood filler her. She trembled in fear and could not move.  He reached out and touched her and she felt warmth encompassing her and the fear dissolving away. She looked at down at herself and she was clean and clothed in white.

“Then I am dead.”

That you may live.

            Blinking, she looked up again and saw the man of light covered with her filth. “No!” she wept.  “Oh God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll take it back. I’ll do anything….”  Yet even as she reached out, the defilement disappeared and he stood before her perfect again.

 I am the way, Sarah, follow me.