Recent Reads - Patrick: A Spark in the Darkness

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Patrick: A Spark in the Darkness by Jessica Dunn - This novelized version of St Patrick's life is based in large part on his autobiographical "Confessions", and tells his story simply but dramatically. This version is appropriate for adults, teens, and even pre-teens. The hard conditions and suffering of slavery are presented in a straightforward but very brief way, not glossing over the pain or injustice but not portrayed in graphic or gratuitous detail. 

Patrick was a careless and somewhat selfish young Roman citizen in Britain, until he was captured by raiding Irishmen. Still in his teens, Patrick was sold into slavery in Ireland, where he bitterly resented the hardships and humiliations he faced while forced to tend sheep. After he begins worshiping with a small band of Christians, he also embraces God, and his attitude changes. He becomes more loving and kind, takes pride and pleasure in doing his work well, and as he learns to trust God, he also learns patience in suffering. He also learns that he can be free in spirit even though he is enslaved, and he learns to endure the taunts and threats of the druids and his pagan captors.

Eventually Patrick is able to escape but his journey takes another turn as he winds up in Europe for a time after a shipwreck. He is finally reunited with his family in Britain, but grows restless as he thinks about his Irish friends. One night he receives a vision of a letter begging him to return to Ireland, which he recognizes as a call from God. He returns to Europe to study and after years of waiting and preparation, he finally returns as a missionary to Ireland, patiently and boldly preaching peace and freedom to the people who once were his captors and tormentors.

Teens and adults who are interested in a biography of the patron saint of Ireland would find this an excellent read, and younger children might enjoy it as a read-aloud.

The original version of this review originally appeared on Homeschool Coffee Break as part of the Online Book Club for March 2021. Once again I was slow to remember to share it here.

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Be Strong and Courageous

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

~Joshua 1:7-9~

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Colors of Character - Documentary Movie

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Colors of Character - This recently released documentary movie, about artist Steve Skipper, is now available on DVD or On Demand, and let me tell you - it is good! It is the inspiring, true story of a prolific sports artist who spent his teen years in a violent gang before returning to the Lord and to his natural talent for art. He was able to walk away from crime and addiction, and use his talent to become a successful and respected artist, giving glory to God.

Synopsis: 

Steve Skipper is one of the most prolific artists in the realms of sports, civil-rights, equestrian, portraiture, and Christian artwork. Skipper has shattered barriers of race and education in the art world. His works are on permanent display in some of the most hallowed halls in America, including: the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, International Sports Halls of Fame, the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, and has been honored with unveilings at Chelsea Piers in NYC, the MGM Grand and Monte Carlo in Las Vegas, and Millennium Gate Museum in Atlanta.

With no formal training, Skipper openly gives credit to Jesus Christ for his gifts and for every opportunity that he has been given. An ex-gang member and drug addict, Skipper was transformed into an internationally respected artist.

Reviewers say:

• "Colors of Character is a remarkable, quality documentary." - Dove.org review
• "Skipper's story is nothing short of extraordinary." - CCM Magazine review
• "Artist Steve Skipper defied all the odds in his life to grow up to create paintings that have broken barriers between whites and blacks in America." - Christian Post review
• Dove.org approved for ages 12 and up

My thoughts: This was such an interesting story to watch, much of it told and narrated by Skipper himself, but with plenty of commentary from others. The background of Skipper's childhood includes his early interest in drawing and how it was encouraged by a brave schoolteacher, but not seen as a possible career by his family. As a very young teen, Skipper was a member of the Crips, involved in violence, crime, and dealing and using drugs. In his later teens, thanks to the very bold witness of a schoolmate, Skipper attended a revival service and accepted Christ as his Saviour. He was able to leave behind his gang associations and overcome his addictions. Although he was offered a football scholarship, he turned it down because God prompted him to pursue art instead. He was unable to attend college to study art, but had the assurance that God had promised to teach him everything he needed to know, so that God would receive all the glory. His testimony is a powerful story of redemption!

Skipper found success in creating portraits and artwork for Crimson Tide football players, but not without facing opposition because of his lack of formal training and his skin color. And his successes continued in other areas of sports art as well, with many prestigious commissions. Later on he was inspired to create a series of artworks commemorating the historic Civil Rights movement in America, specifically the work of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the events in Selma. 

How to watch: Rent of buy Colors of Character on DVD or On Demand wherever you watch movies to watch from the comfort of your own home. Go to: https://colorsofcharactermovie.com/ for more info.

Hashtags: #ColorsofCharacterMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Disclosure: Many thanks to Collide Distribution for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

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Recent Reads - Hope Between the Pages

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham - Clara Blackwell loves her quiet bookish life helping her mother run the family bookshop in Asheville, NC, but a new big chain bookstore is formidable competition and her uncle is ramping up the pressure to buy the building and force her out of business. Uncle Julian's latest threat is very real though - he tells her that unless she can produce the deed proving ownership of the building, she will be forced to vacate. Along with her mother and her cousin Robbie, Clara takes on the most important research of her life. They must track down the deed or some proof that Clara's great-grandmother Sadie actually owned the building, and all they have to go on are a couple of old love notes and the name Oliver.

About one hundred years earlier, Sadie Blackwell's story begins at the Biltmore estate where she is the maid in charge of the library. Sadie loves books and stories, and part of her job is to provide guests of the Vanderbilts with the reading material they are interested in. That's how she first connects with Oliver Camden, a guest from England, and with his very young sister. When Sadie saves little Victoria from being injured, she is invited into a friendship with Oliver that transcends the social lines between them and a romance blooms. Sadie accepts Oliver's offer and steps into a romantic adventure story of her own that takes her to England.

With Uncle Julian's deadline looming, Clara travels to England looking for the connection between Sadie and the Camden family that might provide enough proof to save her bookshop, and finds that her own romantic happy-ever-after might be possible too. Searching for her family's roots brings her face-to-face with a choice for her future when she meets Max, the new owner of the Camden property. Can she, Max, and her newly discovered family put the pieces of the puzzle together in time to save Blackwell's Books? 

This book has everything I could ask for in a story: lead characters that are booklovers, libraries and bookshops for settings, fairytale romance, a bit of mystery and intrigue, and a dual timeline. Even though I was in tears through the last third or so of the story, it was so achingly sweet and satisfying. Sadie's story is narrated in first person and Clara's in third person, and the two alternate chapters so that both women are navigating difficult choices, family responsibilities, and blossoming romance at the same time although their shared experiences are a hundred years apart.  The characters are beautifully developed, and the love stories and life lessons are poignant and inspiring. Hope between the pages indeed.

From the publisher:

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man's identity in her great-grandmother's letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

Find out more about this series at Doors to the Past

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Raised to Life

Alleluia! He is risen!

"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."

~Acts 2:22-24; 32-33; 36~

He is risen indeed!

 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Obedient to Death (Good Friday)

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death --

even death on a cross!

~Philippians 2:5-8~

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Scripture and a Snapshot - An Example for Maundy Thursday

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

~John 13:1-5, 12-17~

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