Saturday, January 28, 2012

Somewhere More Holy

Somewhere More Holy: Stories from a Bewildered Father, Stumbling Husband, Reluctant Handyman, and Prodigal Son

I just finished reading Somewhere More Holy and it was great!  Sometimes I was laughing out loud and my kids would ask what was so funny and beg me to read it aloud to them.  Other times I was crying.  Tony Woodlief writes of grief after losing their 3 year old daughter to cancer.  He also writes of hope and joy in regard to his four sons born since.

Woodlief is candid and very real when speaking of his deep depression and near divorce.  He also reveals his inadequacies as a father and husband.  He says, "So while I don't feel worthy or fit to raise Caleb, Eli, Isaac, and Isaiah, I know that for some inexplicable reason, God believes I am."  This gave me a sense of his realness as I too struggle with the responsibility of parenting.  I need reminders that God put me in this role for a reason so He must feel I'm capable.

Each chapter of the book is arranged by rooms in his home.  According to Woodlief, "That's because we live our short lives room by room....Life happens room by room, and God comes to us in all these places....."  There is also a tie to the rooms of the heart at the end of the book when one son asks Celeste, Woodlief's wife, "who do you love best?"  Her answer was brilliant, but I won't spoil the ending for you.  I highly recommend this book as it has made a mark on me.

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