"Worth Seeing" (Amy L. Williams)

TITLE: Worth Seeing: Viewing Others Through God's Eyes
AUTHOR: Amy Lyn Williams
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (232 pages).
 

Our society often elevates the externals over the internals, the visible instead of the invisible. In many developed economies, people rush headlong toward attaining the 5Cs: Cars, Cash, Condominiums, Credit Cards, and Country Clubs. With that, people tend to gravitate toward those who are famous, rich, and powerful. Fact is, not everyone can be world famous, materially rich, and powerful. What happens to the rest of us? What about the marginalized and those despised by society? Can we learn to see all people for who they are, regardless of their reputations or ill-repute, poverty or riches, seen and unseen? More importantly, how do we learn to see our fellow human beings the way that God has intended for us to see? Beginning with the story of how Sarai mistreated Hagar in Genesis 16, author Amy Williams shows us that amid Hagar's depressing situation, God sees her and encourages her. God assures her that even when the world do not, God sees her for what she is worth. As one who ministers frequently to gang members, high-risk youths, and people who fell into a life of crime, she calls herself a "Hope Dealer." She also works as a "female gang-intervention specialist and juvenile justice advocate." The key is to learn to see people from God's point of view as best as we can.  Williams shows us the four fundamental ways of seeing:

"Every Child Welcome" (Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo)

TITLE: Every Child Welcome: A Ministry Handbook for Including Kids with Special Needs
AUTHOR: Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2015, (176 pages).

Jesus welcomes every child. He says it clearly in Matthew 19:14 to let the little children come to him. We are not to hinder them in any way. While it is easy for us to say that we all love children, it is far easier to love children who are lovable, adorable, and downright cute! What about those who are not? What about children with special needs such as "preexisting physical conditions, mental illness, or behavior issues?" Not so easy now. This is particularly so for parents of such children. Overcoming the initial challenge is not the only thing. It is trying to care for these kids every day, every moment, and every emergency. Authors Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo were former public school teachers, with special education backgrounds, and have been practitioners in the area of working with children with special needs. They are also parents of such children. Philo's son, Allen had a "life-threatening esophageal birth anomaly" at birth, followed by six surgeries, PTSD, and others. Wetherbee's daughter, Annie, suffered a stroke that left her unable to speak. Only after much care and therapies that she had managed to regain some strength and ability to speak. The authors met each other at a seminar for special needs children. Their common interest enabled their friendship to blossom and this book is a product of that shared interest and excitement to encourage "quality teaching."

"Truly Free" (Robert Morris)

TITLE: Truly Free: Breaking the Snares That So Easily Entangle
AUTHOR: Robert Morris
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2015, (240 pages).

Freedom is much touted and cherished in the West. From the Declaration of Independence to the enshrinement of freedom in anthems, oaths, and pledges, we may have from time to time be guilty in taking our common freedoms for granted. In fact, we may enslaved more than we are aware of. When Christ came to set us free, we will be free. Unless we become deceived, distracted, discouraged, or depressed. According to lead pastor and author, Robert Morris, for one to be truly free, discipleship and deliverance must go hand in hand. He laments the fact that Christians who are supposed to be living in freedom are unfortunately living in enslavement and snares to several temptations. In a series of what looked like three-point sermons that make up the chapters of this book, Morris begins by systematically using the biblical principles and teachings of Scripture to remind us that freedom in Christ means following Christ and being delivered from the trickery of the evil one and the temptations of the world, and the vulnerabilities of the flesh Dispelling two popular myths, he draws from the wisdom of CS Lewis who wrote in the popular book, The Screwtape Letters:

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them."

"Stolen" (Katariina Rosenblatt)

TITLE: Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor
AUTHOR: Katariina Rosenblatt
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2014, (240 pages).

Trust is good. Misplaced trust is not. The former keeps one safe and secure. The latter can trick one into sex trafficking. This is exactly what the author of this book had personally experienced. Having trusted a decent looking lady called Mary, who appeared to be a close confidante, a good friend, and a helpful samaritan, she was eventually manipulated, deceived, and her innocence stolen from her. With deep honesty about her own perceptions and urgency to let her story heighten the need to be careful with strangers, Rosenblatt traces her childhood story where she was unwittingly "groomed for the life of sex trafficking" at a tender age of 13. With Mary, Rosenblatt felt treated with respect, with love, and with dignity. Unfortunately, she failed to pick up signals along the way, falling into the trap of being chosen. Her need for a loving dad was falsely met by tricks and traps. Gradually, she entered into a spiral of drugs and deceit. Unlike some stories where girls are captured and forced into sex slavery against their wills, Rosenblatt's story highlights a different kind of deception that makes victims go back willingly to the perpetrators. Why? Answer: Drugs and misplaced trust. The cycle is horrendous. She needed money to feed her drug habits. She obtains money through sex and in turn needs more drugs to sustain this vicious cycle, willlingly! Her story is also a sad one. Born to immigrant parents who divorced when she was three, her biological dad sexually abused her, and often was violent toward her and the family. She had no permanent place to call home. She was even molested by her babysitter!

"To Sing Frogs" (John M. Simmons)

TITLE: To Sing Frogs
AUTHOR: John M. Simmons
PUBLISHER: Salt Lake City, UT: White Knight Publishing, 2012, (376 pages).

[Note: From time to time, I will review books from independent publishers. Today's review is one of them. Even though I do not share the Mormon faith, there is a good message in this book that deserves to be told.]

There is love and compassion. There is a hunger to do the right thing. There is a deep conviction that amid a world of badness, there is still a chance to bring about goodness. In fact, the company founded by the author, White Knights, is specifically created to help alleviate poverty worldwide in whatever small ways possible. This energetic memoir tells the story of one man and his family, bringing hope through adoption of six children. In the process, Simmons learns not only to bring blessings to others, but through others,

The story of compassion and the sharing of hope, especially to people who begin this life thinking that "the world is a bad place." Yes, there are terrible places in this world. Where there are terrible people, there will be terrible situations. After all, the most biggest challenges in the world are often not technical or philosophical. It is relational. For many orphans in Russia, the world is a gloomy place. Refusing to be discouraged by the mountain of challenges, John Simmons seeks to give at least some of them hope through adoption. With his wife Amy, they have three biological children and have adopted six others. After having four boys, the couple was hoping to adopt a girl within the country. Without much success, they shift their focus overseas, in particular, Russia. Here is where the adventure really begins. Through the memoir, the Simmons describe their adoption experiences, their international travels, their strength to overcome administrative challenges, their observation of life in Russia, and their untiring efforts to make their dream of adopting the girls come true.

This is a very personal memoir, written with much energy and passion. Readers will be amazed to read about the mountain of challenges faced in international adoption. It is so difficult that only the most determined can maintain the high levels of optimism to overcome the different kinds of obstacles placed. If local adoption is difficult, international adoption is even more difficult. Words cannot do justice to the experience of the Simmons. For all the difficult times, just looking at the photographs of smiles and family, I can tell that as far as the author is concerned, it is all worth it. This book helps the author to bring back powerful memories for him, his family, for readers, and for many people who have gone through the adoption experience. Not everyone has the resources or the opportunities like this Simmons. Not everyone can overcome the challenges as well as John and Amy.  Yet, with love, it is always worth a try. Be encouraged as you read this memoir that reminds us that when science and intellectual know-how seems impossible, faith takes over. Even though the world is full of challenges, it is also full of the overcoming of challenges.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by the publisher without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.