A Broken Kind of Beautiful

A Broken Kind a Beautiful

By Katie Ganshert

Ivy Clark is a professional model, turning heads everywhere she goes since at least the age of fourteen. The people in her life have used her for their own gain, pleasure, or in some cases, to witness their demise. She’s never known love, real love, and wouldn’t recognize it if it invited her into its home, served her sweet tea, and placed her favorite flowers in a vase.

The fashion industry is fickle, and when her career starts to slip, Ivy receives an unusual opportunity to salvage it. But she’ll need the expertise of a photographer who doesn’t take pictures anymore. And it will involve returning to the small town where she was forced to spend summers with a father who never gave her the time of day.

Davis Knight sees Ivy like no one else does. He sees the cracks, the pain, the hollowed hurting eyes behind her perfect visage. He punishes himself for the past and refuses to look hopefully into his own future, allthewhile keeping Ivy at arm’s length.

This story touches on some beautiful themes: unconditional love, true beauty, and learning how to see people through different eyes. The characters are well-drawn, and they linger in the best possible way. Though published three years ago, the book feels very fresh. I think every reader will see shadows of themselves as they read it.

You can learn more about Katie Ganshert here. You can check out her book for sale here.

When you see models on magazine covers, do you ever wonder what their life is like outside the spotlight? Do you wonder if anyone loves them for who they are instead of what they look like? Leave us a comment to be entered into this week's drawing!

Brokenness to Beauty – A Book Review

I have the privilege of reviewing Jacqueline Wallace’s book, Brokenness to Beauty, today. Drawn from her own experience with cancer and myasthenia gravis, Ms. Wallace shares her journey in an authentic and relatable manner. Her battles with fear are real but so is her hope. Her book seeks to encourage through prayer, Bible reading, having a community of support, and a purpose to get up each day.

After her first cancer surgery she wrote in her blog: “What is hopeless and impossible with man is not so for God, for all things are possible with God. Am I scared? Of course I am. Do I have anger and fears? Absolutely. I cry to the Lord who hears and understands, and who alone can do anything about them. I cast myself on his mercy. If others hadn’t been in similar situations we wouldn’t have the Scriptures, which are full of such agonies. Now I choose to affirm my faith in the God Who Is” (pp. 17-18).

Ms. Wallace goes on to say: “The roots of my life, the foundations of my life, are set deeply in the Word of God and the God of the Word. Going back to my roots in God and his Word gives me perspective in the midst of pain and struggle and the fear of the unknown, for the unknown is only unknown to me, not to God. I can rest in his goodness even when I cannot see my way ahead…My faith is in him, not in my ability to have all the answers” (p. 132).

I had no way of knowing when I got Brokenness to Beauty that I’d be entering a very difficult period in my life. But God did. And it’s exactly what I needed. Ms. Wallace doesn't just share from a place of brokenness but also beauty in her journey through chronic illness and cancer. Though much of what she wrote was familiar to me, the way in which she delivered it showed great spiritual insight and really spoke to me in a fresh way. I was reminded of the beauty of prayer through several Bible psalm references and her blog quotes. One of my favorite Oswald Chambers quotes she shared reminds that “worship and intercession must go together, the one is impossible without the other.” It is abundantly clear that the author has a firm grasp on how to rest in God and have a rich spiritual life despite suffering and brokenness. This is a book I will continue to reference in the future through my own spiritual journey with Christ.

Laura Hodges Poole blogs regularly at  "A Word of Encouragement." Her latest book, The Trouble With Jasmine, is available on Amazon.com.

Website/blog: http://laurahodgespoole.blogspot.com/

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The Language of Sparrows

The Language of Sparrows

Rachel Phifer crafts a beautiful story about broken people and what happens when they find each other in the midst of various crises. April is raising a teenaged daughter on her own as she mourns the loss of a life she expected. Sierra is obsessed with languages, but refuses to communicate the important things with her mom. Luca, a single elderly gentleman, becomes the unlikeliest of friends, despite the deep wounds he carries from his time in a Romanian gulag. His son Nick, a teacher, encourages Sierra at school, and warily agrees to allow her to study with his father.

These fascinating characters intersect with each other and form an ad hoc family of sorts. When Sierra and Nick separately learn the truth about their fathers, worlds are turned upside down, and brokenness seems to move beyond repair.

I think it’s the brokenness of each character that makes them so relatable. We are all broken in one way or another. We need people in our lives to help us mend. And at times, I think we all feel completely alone in our pain, helpless to heal. So this story looks at brokenness and the different ways we (as humans) seek healing.

I love several details in the story, including the fact that the single mom and daughter live in a neighborhood that is not overly safe. This makes it real for me. Also, the fact that the teenager is highly intelligent, especially when it comes to learning languages. Since her mother is not skilled at languages, her daughter’s obsession almost hinders the communication between them, since she is literally reading and writing in different languages. Most parents of teenagers feel like they speak a different language, so the irony is lovely.

Please check this story out. It’s truly enjoyable and the characters linger in the best of ways. You can get to know Rachel Phifer on facebook or her website.

Do you speak more than one language fluently? Do you feel like your kids speak a different language altogether, even though you were the one to teach them how to speak?

Please leave a comment to register for this week’s prize. 
Review by Jennifer Fromke