Review time!

Grace, Eventually: Thoughts on Faith (Anne Lamott)
I knew this book would upset me greatly in places (I had seen several other reviews), but I wanted to read it because Anne Lamott has a wonderful writing style and always makes me think.

This book is no exception.

On the pro side of things, her views on social justice serve as a wake-up call to me. I admire her desire to help and serve others, her determination to live out her Christian faith as she understands it, and her refreshing honesty in her struggles. She makes no attempt to sugar-coat her life or her experiences, and it is such an encouragement to see how Jesus embraces all of us with His grace.

On the con side, I am sickened and revolted by her pro-abortion stance (and even her attempt to explain it made no sense whatsoever), her support for euthanasia, and her rabid hatred of President Bush. All politics aside, the first two are stands completely contrary to a life of faith, and while I understand opposition to certain stances taken by ANY president, her hatred of President Bush is more than a bit unsettling, to put it mildly.

Based on the reasons listed above, I would not recommend this book to anyone.


Born into Brothels (DVD)
Take a moment to click on the link above and just look at the beautiful faces of these kids.

The description of the movie on the Netflix site got my attention, and I'm glad it did.

This is a documentary of a female photographer, Zana Briski, who originally set out to capture the lives of women in brothels in Calcutta on film; however, once she got there her heart was captured by the small children who lived in such horrid conditions. She lived among them on an extended basis, teaching the children photography and, more importantly, giving them hope for a better life.

While it is heartbreaking to see the squalid conditions these children live in, it was encouraging to see that, in spite of all the opposition, people are still people, wherever you go. These children have the same hopes and dreams that we do, and it "put a face" on a portion of humanity that I had never given much thought to. As I was watching this, I kept thinking how Jesus sent one of His greatest saints to minister to these people, because His heart was breaking over the grief they have to bear.

It's a sad, and yet somehow uplifting, powerful documentary that I would recommend to "open your eyes" to the suffering that others around the world endure. May God pour out His grace upon them in great abundance, and may we be faithful in prayer for them, and in any other ways He calls us to minister to those hurting.