Some people ooze a sweet, sweet spirit. You can sense the presence of God when you're in their midst. They appear to be surrounded by a peace that passes any human understanding. I met Marcia Moston at a writers' conference in May of 2010. She is one of these people.
When she won the Women of Faith writing contest and asked if I'd be willing to review her book, I gladly accepted the opportunity. Expecting to find myself immersed in the busy ordeals of a missionary and her work, I was rather surprised to read about a woman and her fears. As I read on, I kept wondering what was going on in the home for the widows and orphans, all the while reading about the happenings in Marcia's heart, home and travels. This intrigued me.
God doesn't always work in ways we expect Him to. He has His own ways, which are higher than ours. We plan and put our feet in front of each other, working out our walk with Him, but He is the One who directs our steps. Which Marcia knows very well.
It's through putting her trust in God and allowing Him to lead her life and the lives of her husband and daughter that she has become the woman of peace that she is today.
And that is what we read in Call of a Coward. It's a story of a woman who laid aside her hopes, dreams and fears to follow God even though where He led seemed to require credentials she lacked and courage she didn't think she had. And in doing so, she discovered just how personal and gracious He is.
"The problem with promising God you'll follow Him wherever He leads is that you just might have to go. I suspect it would be easier if you were certain of His calling--like stepping out the door and seeing the lilac bush on fire and hearing a voice command you. But when it's your husband delivering the message--well, that leaves little room for wonder. At least that's how I felt when my husband rocked my comfortable, middle-class afternoon with his belief God was calling us to pack up and move to a Mayan village in Guatemala."
Excerpted from Call of a Coward: The God of Moses and the Middle Class House-wife. Thomas Nelson (c)2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com
I hope you'll read Call of a Coward and discover His hand in your ordinary or extra-ordinary life. Because either way, He's in the midst of it, ready to share His grace with each and every one of us.
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I absolutely loved Call of a Coward from the first time I heard the title. Congrats, Marcia! Can't wait to have you at The Christian Writer's Den. And thanks for your review, Alycia.
ReplyDeleteSo excited for Marcia, and looking forward to reading it for myself. Thanks for the great review, Alycia!
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