2013 June Bookmarks

*Bookmarks is an online book club hosted at Creative2xmom. Here we discuss the books we've read in the past month as well as the suggested reading. Our suggested reading for June was In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham.

These are the books I read this month:

Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn--You can see my review here.

Called to Adoption: A Christian's guide to Answering the Call by Mardie Caldwell--  Being in the process ourselves, I was interested to pick this one up.  Called to Adoption highlights the three most prominent means of adoption: private adoption, international adoption, and adoption through foster care.  The tone is Christian in nature as the author reminds us all the be connected with the Lord throughout this process.  This becomes the best way for us to make decisions as they come our way, sometimes with little time to think it through.  For us, there wasn't much that this book had to offer.  However, if you are just starting to think about adoption, this is a good place to start.  It does define alot of terms and serves as a good base for beginning.  

Our suggested reading for May was In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham.  In this memoir, Gracia Burnham tells the story of her and her husband's captivity for more than a year at the hands of a Muslim extremist group in the Philippines.  During their time as hostages, they endured horrific events, including beheadings of other hostages, shoot outs with the Philippine army, days of hiking, and a minimalist died, barely staying alive most days.  Still their faith in God, helped them continue to put one foot in front of the other, and even love and cherish the lives of their very captors.  Though the beginning of the book starts out slow (going into a lot of background information on the couple), the overall story is gripping to say the least.  Burnham isn't shy about describing her own struggle with faith.  Often times it was her husband who kept them both sane.  But her honesty is what gives the story true depth.  Without it, I would have wondered what kind of saint was kidnapped.  But her ability to show her weaknesses kept her human.  Burnham's account of her husband's love for their captors was also surprisingly refreshing.  I have to wonder if I'd have the same grace if I were in that situation.  It's nothing short of miraculous.  This real life account is personal, tragic, and triumphant all at the same time.  Definitely worth the read! 

So what are your bookmarks this month?

Tell us in the comments about the books you're chewing on. Or link up a review from your own blog. Let's share the books we're finding, good and bad. And give us your thoughts on In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham.

Don't forget to come back July 26th as we discuss Forgotten God by Francis Chan and any other books you're reading.  Can't wait to see you then!