Blessing in disguise

The other day I had to go to the pharmacy to get medicine for my son who has an ear infection. It was a bitterly cold day and for some reason the shopping center where the pharmacy is located was particularly busy. I circled around looking for a close parking spot but the only parking spot I could find was on the far side of the shopping center. As I pulled into the spot, I was frustrated at the inconvenience of having to park so far away. I didn’t want to have to carry my sick child so far in the cold weather.

As the frustration was rising, I heard a small voice say, “Be thankful. Be thankful you have access to medicine at all. Be thankful you can afford the medication. Be thankful you don’t have to choose between food and the medicine. Be thankful you can go to any number of pharmacies in the area to get the medication. Be thankful you only have to walk a few hundred feet to get it.”

And as I walked as quickly as I could, wrapping my jacket tight around me, it continued, “Be thankful you have warm clothes to wear. Be thankful you have a warm house to live in. Be thankful you have warm clothes for your son. Be thankful.”

By the time I made it back to my car, medicine in hand, I was keenly aware of the blessings God has poured out on me. And I was thankful.

What are you thankful for?

The Devil in Pew Number Seven

I recently listened to the book The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss. I must admit I was intrigued by the books title. The book is a story of forgiveness in the face of repeated painful acts of violence. For the most part, I enjoyed this book although it was slow at times. There are points where, in my opinion, the author spends a little too much time using overly flowery language or explaining too much of a back or side story.There was a point where I probably would not have finished the book if it weren't one I was supposed to be writing a review on for the christianaudio.com reviewers program.

I appreciated that at various points in the book she gave voice to the various theological questions that naturally arise when bad things happen in our lives. She raises up hard questions, and for the most part, avoids giving simple pat answers. I do wish that she spent more time talking about her journey to forgiveness. She talks about that some through out the book but I was disappointed that the book ended with more of an abstract sermon on forgiveness than the honest questioning and wrestling I found in the rest of the book.

The narrator of the book was Pam Ward. She had some weird voices for some of the characters that I found a bit distracting but over all she has a clear smooth voice. For more information about the book, click here: http://christianaudio.com/the-devil-in-pew-number-seven-rebecca-nichols-alonzo?utm_source=ca+Reviewers+Program&utm_campaign=8c8f3351b8-Jan_B_Review_Opp&utm_medium=email