Skip to main content

Bittersweet

We've talked about the lovely orange book that is Cold Tangerines - a beautiful book, now on many a Kerith woman's bookshelf! Well, the long-awaited next book by Shauna Niequist is the equally beautiful pale blue book that is Bittersweet. The full title being Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
I bought it at the Willow Conference - had it signed of course:) and read it on holiday in Wales. The analogies with food and meals really connected with me as I read - like a delicious and beautifully prepared meal, I wanted to read more and could have wolfed it down, but chose instead the restraint of reading slowly. Each chapter is self-contained - an observation, a recount of an ordinary event in her life. That's what resonates so well as you read it -thinking "that's my life" "I've felt like that" "I wasn't sure other women felt like that too". It's about seeing God in the ordinary. It's about real , authentic life. It's about learning and growing through all of life - sad and hard times included. To me, it's a picture of what Romans 12 v 1 is like in real life for a Christian woman living in the west in 2010.

I love it - am about to start reading it again . I highly recommend it and hope many of you get to read it. Two friends made the same comment to me last week, straight after reading the first chapter "that's my life, it's what I'm going through". Her writing about it has given them hope. Shauna's writing appeals to all sorts of women - all ages too. You can buy it at the Kerith bookshop on Sundays; or if you can't wait, buy it now at Amazon

Shauna's doing a blog-tour of Bittersweet, and as part of that is offering to giveaway a book when it's reviewed , so she will send a free copy of Bittersweet to one of my blog readers - cool hey? SO...if you write a comment on this blog, with a short account of a bittersweet moment in your life, you'll be entered for the giveaway. It's going to be a kind of lucky-dip to pick the winner really, (rather than "the saddest story wins" !) If you post something on Facebook or Twitter, send me that link as a comment to this blog and you'll be entered too! Can't wait to hear your thoughts .



 

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Blog: Esther in Indonesia

I'm delighted to welcome Esther Ross-Watson to my Blog today! She is a dearly loved member of our Kerith family. She and her late husband Michael served as missionaries for many years. Esther bravely made the decision to travel again, and she has recently returned from Indonesia. Here's her story:  Whilst Michael was on his last days on earth in August 2017 he received a request from the Island of Madura, Indonesia asking us to return to the town of Pamekasen, Madura, Indonesia where we had begun our Missions work in July 1973 exactly one year after we were married. They were keen to have us see what God had been doing in the years since we’d moved on and we excitedly said ‘Yes’ we will come!   Obviously that had to go on hold for a while because I didn’t feel I could, or even wanted to go alone! Anyway around March/April time 2018, I begun to feel a gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit urging me to think some more about it! It was like a feeling of wanting to know
Read more

Our Living Hope

Not sure what happens with my blog...or me writing my blog! Can't believe I've been away from it for almost two months. Oh well, no condemnation! Let's pick it up and start again :) Yesterday was a great day in Church! I was so challenged and encouraged - I love Sundays and all the different ways God shows His love and who he is to us. Natalie Jones preached at both our morning meetings in Bracknell , she gave such a good message on generosity, be sure to catch it when the podcast comes on our website, but for now, watch a  summary of Natalie's preach At the 6pm meeting, we had Paul Manwaring sharing about culture : the 4 Gamechangers - again, a really challenging message to check out if you didn't get to hear it live. I wore my HOPE earrings yesterday - sometimes I deliberately  choose to wear them as a practical symbol that I am choosing HOPE - that I choose Jesus, I choose trust, I choose hope. I'm so glad I did, as throughout the day I felt God speak
Read more

3 Little Bottles

Thought I'd mix it up today and do something lighthearted here. I popped into town this morning (as an aside, anyone else still incredulous that "new Bracknell / The Lexicon is so great and that it's really here to stay?!)  Anyhow, I popped into town for a quick wander and bought 3 "essentials" I'd run out of, so I thought I'd share them with you - and of course I'd love to hear about your 3 recent essential purchases. 1 Contact lense solution I've worn glasses since Secondary school, and contact lenses since I left Uni. Gas permeables - great for me - slightly perilous in swimming pools / the sea / other people's sinks (£80 to replace). They work for me - and so a couple of bottles of solution each month keep me going.I ran out a couple of days ago, so it was £4.70 well spent for clean lenses and clear eyesight. 2. "Buffet" by The Ordinary This was a new one for me, a present I received last Christmas. I LOVE it and can
Read more