If God is Good

It's been a rough couple of weeks for me. I wasn't sleeping through nights so the doctor upped my pain meds. That has helped me get through the night, but I'm tired all the time now. And with the change in weather, my pain is at its peak. I am missing Molly's singing of the National Anthem tonight at the football game, plus her cheering at it. I'm not sure who is more disappointed: me or her.

So it's times like this that I count my blessings. Like Mia's love of the kittens at my mom's. She's been spending time over there as often as she can, especially with the little black one in the picture named Midnight. Last weekend, Mia was sitting outside, rocking her contentedly. She ran into the house in a full-blown panic, "Grandma, Grandma! Something's wrong with Midnight! She won't stop shaking!" Mom ran outside only to discover that the kitten was purring! How sweet is that?

Mom and I have been making good money on eBay, and it's been helping to make us a little less financially tight. I'm hoping that we can keep up our success so that I can do all of my Christmas shopping with it.

I love autumn; it is my favorite season of the year, because there's such a feeling of expectancy in the air. The leaves are just starting to change color, and I love the crispness in the wind. One of my favorite things to see in the fall since we moved here are the big hibiscus flowers. When fully opened they are the size of a dinner plate. Jesse's grandma planted them over 30 years ago, and their bright faces greeted me when we first moved in three years ago. Little things that make me call myself blessed.

If God is Good by Randy Alcorn is a stunning must read. Recent years have seen several books attacking Christianity, and much of the arguments against the existence of God are based upon the presence of evil and suffering within the world. Alcorn spent years pulling together materials to support his thesis that of course God is good, and that He has a reason for the suffering we face. Through liberal usage of Scripture as well as commentaries by lots of theologians, he offers case after case for the goodness of God. I kept a pen and pad of paper next to me while reading this book, because there is an astonishing amount of wisdom here. For Christians struggling with this issue themselves, this offers answers. For those suffering, it offers hope, and for those who question God on this basis, it will force them to question their certainty. This is a book you truly need to read for yourself because it is certain to become a pivotal book in Christian theology.

The winner of The Great Christmas Bowl is Ginny O'Harrow. Congrats Ginny! Mia and I will be running a Mia & Mommy's Book Blog on Sunday, and we'll kick off a new contest then. Have a great weekend!