SHEAF

Many weeks ago, I was approached, by email, to review a new Catholic book.  I was reluctant.  I wasn’t uncomfortable committing to read the book, I was uncomfortable committing to post a review.  Months before I was approached with a similar request from another author this one not Catholic.  I was thrilled.  My little blog, intended as a place to keep distant friends and family “in the loop”, had given me the opportunity to “meet” a real author, read her book for free, and share my thoughts.  Wow!  Well the book arrived.  It was attractive, it had a great idea, raising children to be Christian, and it was well written.  However, I could not in fairness post my review.  The books description said it was about how to raise our children to be good Christian, but instead it spoke of a movement to raise children to start churches.  Although often the author proved the importance of many of the teachings of the Catholic Church, she did it in ignorance by accident.  I wrote to her.  I explained that although I completely agreed with her that we need as parents to recognize our number one responsibility to God and the children He gave us, is to raise them to love Him first in all things.  I could not write a positive review of a book encouraging youth to follow Saul instead of Paul.  Things worked out OK.  We agreed I would just not post a review of the book.

When I was asked to review a Catholic book I was in some ways even more reluctant (a protestant book can have flaws but my expectations of a book “claiming” to be Catholic are very high).  I am, if nothing else, very serious about my faith.  Since coming back home to the Church almost 15 years ago, my greatest passion has been learning what Jesus teaches us through His Church and how to defend those teachings logically and biblically.  Where I have failed is in growing in my “interaction” with God.  In other words my prayer life has not matched my knowledge of God.  I have spent many many hours reading wonderful, incredible, some heavy, some light books that spoke to my heart and mind about God.  They have moved me to a firmness of faith, a profound fulfillment in knowledge of Truth that I pray the Lord will grant me for the rest of my life and help me to pass on to my children.  However, I have not been as passionate about spending time listening  to or talking to God.  I tried reading books on prayer.  I tried finding the right “prayer” that if memorized would  lead me deeper in my feelings for and conversation with God.  All failed I never finished any of them.  My heart did not sing out with the enthusiasm as my mind had when it found the Truths of the Catholic Faith.  I wanted a quick fix.  I wanted to wake up one morning with a sudden ability to deeply contemplate our Lord in prayer.  Through my previous experiences walking with Christ, I knew it would take steps.  One step at a time developing my prayer life as I had developed my gift of faith.  I even committed to a prayer partner to pray together each morning.  I believe this first step forward was used by the Lord to place this wonderful book, Why God Matters right in my lap.

Why God Matters by Deacon Steve Lumbert and his daughter Karina Lumbert Fabian is the gem I have looked for over the last 14 years.  Through their written words I finally have direction.  I knew my destination but had no idea  how to find and follow the “right” path.  Deacon Steve and Karina have, in a sense, left little bread crumbs on the path for me to follow.  Seldom have a read a book and immediately wanted to read it again.  Yet that is exactly the position I am in right now.  I would even like to buy a second copy so that I can cut it up and place specific pages around my house to remind me of their simple wisdom.  As Rome Sweet Home was a turning point in my life, so to do I believe that I will look back and see that Why God Matters was another vital turning point in my journey with Christ.  Although very quick (2 hours) and simple to read, I am better for having read it.  I have the sense of direction I had been searching for.  Deacon Steve and Karina, thank you for being the instrument of the Holy Spirit in my life.  Thank you for opening up your hearts to complete strangers so that our hearts could then reach out further to God.  May the Lord Bless you and your families and may all who read you wonderful book find in its pages the bread crumbs you have left on the path that leads to an ever deeper relationship with our Lord.