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I've often wished I could meet up with a Reading Group. There are some books that deserve more than solitary reading and there are readers like me who would love to share the pleasure and the humour together and discuss the issues that remain after the book is closed.
This week I read a book recommended by a friend and I know if we still lived nearby we would definitely have taken a coffee break together for that very purpose. It was a good read, it was thought provoking and it was inspirational.
It is a novel, initially a moving story about Mack, and a tragic experience which left him drowning in sadness and empty of faith. Eventually he learns to walk on the water in a manner of speaking. If you have ever asked God "Why me?" or "Why her?" or attempted to help someone else who has asked these questions then you will know that there are no easy answers.
Wm Paul Young has written a novel in which life's hardest questions are gently woven into the fabric of the story as Mack begins to understand the mystery of a loving God who lets bad things happen to good people. In the process the nature of the Trinity is presented in a simple and profound way. However this is a book about relationship and not religion and it will change the way you think about God.
It reminded me a little of Pilgrim's Progress because it is about a man's journey towards spiritual maturity. Although it is a work of fiction it is obvious that the author is writing from his heart and sharing truths he has learned himself from a similar journey.
This book has left me challenged, comforted and inspired. I needed to read this at the end of what has been globally a very difficult year.
If you read it please come back to me with your views, I would love to hear them…
Grant