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Fostered by Tori Hope Peterson
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Rating: 10/10
Review: This book is fantastic and once I started, I couldn’t put it down. The author tells her story of growing up in foster care. Though Tori had a really tough life, there’s a thread of hope and redemption written through the pages. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with children, or to a person who just loves a good memoir. I’ll share my copy with you if you’d like to read it.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from her book.
- I’ve written this book not so you can see what God did through me, but so that you will believe what God can do through you, no matter the odds.
- The worst things that happen to us can open our eyes to how much God loves us.
- When God is part of the story, chances aren’t the dictator anymore, miracles are.
- Foster kids don’t have to fall into the tragedy the world destined for them. None of us do. God has the final say.
- I don’t have to be afraid of my past because I am free from its power over me. I am free from what has been done to me and from what I have done. I’m free from my past symptoms and coping mechanisms. I am a new because of a madman of love first loved me.
Listen to part of Tori’s story in this podcast here.
Follow her on Instagram by clicking here.
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Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
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Rating: 8/10
Review: This is a sweet novel book of what CS Lewis’ childhood may have been like.
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Mental Toughness for Young Athletes by Troy Horne
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Rating 7/10
Review: I’ve been slowly reading this book with my older sons over the summer and we finally finished it. It had some good tips for young athletes.
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A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier
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Rating 7/10
Review: I didn’t know much about Eugene Peterson before reading this book except that he wrote The Message Bible and that he mentored my friend Daniel Grothe. This book is engagingly written, full of Peterson’s own words from letters and journals. However, I found it a little boring. Eugene himself was surprised someone would want to write a biography about him. He didn’t think there was much about his life that would be interesting enough for a book. He had a pretty normal childhood, and was a pastor at the same church for 30 years. In my opinion, the book was too long and told unnecessary stories and information. However, here are a few of my favorite parts.
- Eugene Peterson was friends with the Jackson family (as in Phil Jackson, coach of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls). Phil Jackson wanted to play basketball but his ultra-conservative parents weren’t sure it was a good idea. However, when Phil’s parents saw that Eugene could play basketball, and still maintain his character, they allowed Phil to play. Phil became an NBA player, and then one of the best coaches of all time.
- I loved reading about Eugene’s desire to translate the entire Bible in an “easy-to-read and understand” contemporary format. The Message was a book that Zondervan turned down. They thought the market was too saturated and it would be a failure. A little known company (at the time) called NavPress decided to take a chance on this book. The Message has sold more than 20 million copies.
- I really enjoyed reading about Eugene Peterson’s relationship with Bono, the leader of the group U2. Here’s a short video about their relationship: https://youtu.be/-l40S5e90KY
- Finally, it was fun that the author mentioned my friend Daniel Grothe in the book, especially since Daniel wrote an entire book about their relationship called Chasing Wisdom. Chasing Wisdom is a phenomenal book – I recommend it ten times over Burning in my Bones.
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The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
Rating: 10/10
Review: A short but beautiful book on God’s great love for humanity. This is a book I will come back to again and again. I loved how Brennan shared how healing happens when we pass on to another person what we have received from Jesus.
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