Movie Review | God Bless the Broken Road

Synopsis: 
God Bless the Broken Road tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their young daughter in his absence. The film combines elements of faith, country music, and stock car racing while paying tribute to those who serve in the United States Military.

Bless the Broken Road has always been a special song for me. Some of my first sweet memories are from teaching a friend to play the accompaniment for this song on her harp. And now they've made a movie based on the song's theme. 

Amber Hill leads the choir at church and focuses on raising her young daughter while waiting for her husband to return home from fighting in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, devastating news is brought to her and Bri, and they must learn to live life differently. Bri's loving Sunday school teacher plants the seeds of faith in her students and Bri's childlike trust is beautiful to watch. Amber's faith, however, is tested, and though others around her love her and protect her, ultimately she will have to find her own way along the broken road. 

The church friends, the mother-in-law (however different she may be to Amber), the race car kids' leader, the US military men, a car repair man (and his apprentice ;) show their support for Amber in various ways. It was so amazing to watch the community of the church gather around her and provide for her in physical, mental, and emotional ways. And they continued doing so even when she tried to make life work for herself. 

Though Amber believed in God, she doubted His goodness, and it takes more challenges in Amber's life to bring her back to a full relationship with God. This movie wasn't shallow or casual in it's approach to faith in God, and the little quotes and vulnerable moments bring theology to a practical level. Sometimes it is a broken road that God takes us along to make us understand knew things or to show us the old things we've forgotten. And in the end, Amber finds that those around her were instrumental in holding her up when she couldn't stand. 

I believe God Bless the Broken Road is already in theaters, so go check it out and support those who bring us Christian content through the art of film!





*Film has been provided courtesy of Pacific Northwest Pictures and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

The Return by Lacey Sturm

Back Cover: 
Have you ever asked yourself, "What's the point?" of this life. Of the same everydayness that can weigh on us. Is life really a gift from a loving God? If so, shouldn't our souls burn to love him back with our lives? What does that look like? 

In The Return, bestselling author Lacey Sturm offers a collection of thoughts on how Jesus helps us see the world with new eyes and makes the mundane things in life beautiful. It's a guidebook from a fellow traveler on how grace helps us--to overcome darkness, to release our empty rituals, to shine with his light. Not so God will love us more but because we long to love him back. And a life lived loving God back is a life that shines with heaven's glory. 

Are you striving to make life happen? Waiting to get to the real purpose of it all? Coasting in limbo or heading down the wrong path? Then may this openhearted take on responding to God's love give you hope and direction. 

This book is a mixture of art, stories, journaling, song-writing, poems, and thoughts. As one who journals frequently, I loved reading through Lacey's prayers, songs, and thoughts as she grew in her responses to God's love for her. Throughout the book's chapters you'll find two pages alongside one another that record a short personal Bible study, a prayer, a to-do list (or RAK: random acts of kindness), a new song, a recipe, and the evening Bible reading.

I love the practical way Lacey writes and records her thoughts. They stem from a solid foundation of Scripture and thought-patterns, so I would only recommend this to a mature believer. She doesn't necessarily include Scripture references for all her thoughts, and if taken too far, one could reach conclusions that she never meant.

Her past is a story of redemption, and she references it here and there throughout her mental and written journey. She has learned to live in worship, and she was born to sing and worship through it. Some find their strength in prayer or Scripture reading or meditation, but it seems like Lacey finds it through singing and composing music.

Lacey's chapters cover all parts of life including plans, opportunities, sacrifices, works, judgments, hospitality, and her body (to name a few). Each of these she writes about whether song, story, poem, or diary form and gently shares her personal thoughts and journey as she returns each of these parts of life to the Lord. It's a book about surrender really. How to return our bodies, thoughts, emotions, and actions to the Lord instead of hoping for the best or following rules to achieve what we want. It's about dealing with sin in the love of Jesus--not lingering in it because of the passion and communion we share in the Lord. It's about seeing grace and mercy--because it was first shown us at the cross. It's about making our lives shine with the glory of the Trinity.

While I thought some parts were more emotional and leaned toward the charismatic side of our faith, I could not find error in it, though I may not have the same practical lifestyle. I love Lacey's heart for the Lord and if we could all be in her place in her journey, perhaps we would love the Lord more and fellowship better.

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

Back Cover:
Before Christ called her daughter . . .

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body, heart, and soul?

I rescued this book from the shelves of Value Village here and wondered what the story would be, since Tessa Afshar is a new author to me. I wasn't disappointed and I'm happy to add her pages to my bookshelves now.

Elianna means "My God has favored me", and thus was she named because her birth was seen as a blessing from God to her parents. Two siblings would later be added to her Jewish family--the second being a boy whom her parents loved especially. But tragedy soon strikes Elianna's family, and her father wrongfully lays the blame at her feet. Ethan, her betrothed, gives her space and time, loving her all the while. I love the relationship she and Ethan share--hers of doubting and sorrowing in her family, but Ethan choosing to share her pain and giving her the comfort and advice that he can.

With the passing of time, she watches her younger sister fall in love and lives through the horror of a bandit attack along with her father. Elianna finds purpose and meaning in taking over her father's wool and weaving business and she keeps the family alive when her father passes away. And despite this Ethan still is faithful to her and brings security to her life in a way she doesn't realize. Because of the guilt and oppression she lives with regarding their family tragedy, she pushes Ethan away, thinking that he deserves a better wife and life. She throws herself harder into weaving and selling, finding new dyes and material and using her connections to learn what the people desire to buy.

Once again tragedy strikes, this time her business in the way of a house fire. It seems as though her life as been filled with sorrow, and yet it will take personal physical uncleanliness to bring Elianna to Jesus' feet--literally. Keziah, her servant, and Joanna, her sister, remain constant and faithful friends to her as she spends her living on physicians, attempting to find a cure for her sickness, and yet she is never completely healed. Viriato and Claudia provide humor and relief from the Gentile side of Elianna's Jewish life, and I'm so glad Afshar created characters who found companionship in those outside their own culture and religion. Keziah and Joanna encourage Elianna's faith in God (sometimes with tough love) and tell her of a Prophet from Nazareth who heals. After spending her living on physicians, she doesn't readily agree with them, but as a last resort goes to hear Him speak.

This story is historical fiction regarding the woman with the issue of blood, and Afshar drew her story from the way Jesus called her daughter. Obviously, we know little of this lady, but we know she was healed physically and spiritually, and Afshar does an amazing job placing Elianna with real-life characters and scenarios. Whether or not the Biblical story had a woman behind it like Elianna, we won't know, but either way the story is one of tragedy and love, sorrow and hope, and pain and healing. And in the land of silence that surrounds Elianna, she learns to love and forgive and trust the God of Israel anew.

The Girls' Guide to Conquering Life by Erica and Jonathan Catherman

From Amazon: 
There's a lot a girl needs to know as she grows up and makes her way in the world. Having a reference guide of practical how-to life skills and character traits can empower her to become a confident and capable woman. Coauthors Erica and Jonathan Catherman offer this collection of step-by-step instructions on 100 things girls need to succeed, including how to
- introduce yourself
- change a flat tire
- respectfully break up with a guy
- leave a tip
- apply for a job
- ask for a promotion
- behave during a police stop
- create a personal budget
- calculate square footage
- wash your face
- clear a clogged drain
- iron a shirt
- wear a scarf
- shoot a basketball
- sharpen kitchen knives
- and much more

In fact, if it's in here, it's an important skill or character trait practiced by capable and confident women. With great illustrations and sidebars of advice from world-class experts, this all-in-one reference tool for young women in the making is the perfect gift for birthdays, graduations, or any occasion.

I remember requesting this book while waiting in the barn at the farm where I work. I thought it would be neat to see how an author would break down different life skills into smaller steps. The Catherman husband and wife team cover many aspects of life in their chapters. Each chapter begins with a page long introduction on the topic. The authors are straight-forward and encouraging in their approaches to varying life skills, and while I loved their honesty, I was a bit bothered by the fact that their guidelines and points of view were merely backed by the idea of "being a strong woman". While I am completely for the equality of value in men and woman as humans created in the image of God, I can't seem to find a biblical backing for some of the statements Erica and Jonathan present. I love how they desire to instill leadership skills and empower the next generation to live well, but they do seem to root much of their thinking in feminism. (While I understand that non-Christian authors will write from a non-biblical point of view, I was quite surprised to see it published under a typically Christian publisher. I do not necessarily takes issues with reading specifically non-Christian material in and of itself.)

Some of their relationship styles may not be to everyone's taste, but I believe the underlying principles are generally helpful. Whether or not you'd invite a guy on a "date" or choose to use a credit card or decide to swing a golf club in your free time is up to you. Either way the basic instructions for a variety of life skills is laid out step by step. Some of these instructions could have greatly benefited from picture illustrations (ie: gift wrapping, budgeting, ironing a shirt, etc.). While detailed writing instructions are good, there were times when the task itself was quite a bit easier than attempting to understand the picture-less directions.

All that said, I think this book would be helpful for pre-teens and young teenagers. I think most of the topics in this book are covered by many families when raising their children (and most are simply common sense), but it's always good to hear a review of them and have a list of directions nearby. Plus you might learn a couple new things as well.


*I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. 

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar

From Amazon:
Auschwitz Lullaby brings to life the story of Helene Hannemann—a woman who sacrificed everything for family and fought furiously for the children she hoped to save.

On an otherwise ordinary morning in 1943, Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for the day when the German police arrive at her home. Helene’s worst fears come true when the police, under strict orders from the SS, demand that her children and husband, all of Romani heritage, be taken into custody. Though Helene is German and safe from the forces invading her home, she refuses to leave her family—sealing her fate in a way she never could have imagined.

After a terrifying trek across the continent, Helene and her family arrive at Auschwitz and are thrown into the chaos of the camp. Her husband, Johann, is separated from them, but Helene remains fiercely protective of her children and those around her. When the powers-that-be discover that Helene is not only a German but also a trained nurse, she is forced into service at the camp hospital, which is overseen by the notorious Dr. Mengele himself.

Helene is under no illusions in terms of Dr. Mengele’s intentions, but she agrees to cooperate when he asks her to organize a day care and school for the Romani children in the camp. Though physically and emotionally brutalized by the conditions at Auschwitz, Helene musters the strength to protect the children in her care at any cost. Through sheer force of will, Helene provides a haven for the children of Auschwitz—an act of kindness and selflessness so great that it illuminates the darkest night of human history.

Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.


I've been on a World War II phase for a bit now. I think it started with Kristy Cambron's Hidden Masterpiece books and Schuyler McConkey's War of Loyalties. The WWII era wasn't exactly a happy one, and a reader shouldn't expect stories to be quite as full of fun and life as other genres. However, I think the true stories and the true history is important--one that we shouldn't quickly forget. People matter. And that's why Mario Escobar wrote of Helene Hannemann. There are fictional aspects to the story which Escobar details at the end of the book, but I believe most of it is very real and very true.

For most people, the word and place of Auschwitz has the connotation of evil and horror. Rightly so. The stories that have been resurrected from that place have been anything but humane, though the heroes that lived through it sought to provide dignity and hope to those who lived their last hours amid the terror of human experiments and the filth of everyday living. Many of those who suffered in Auschwitz were Jewish. However, this story takes place through the eyes of someone in a different category (at least, in the governments' eyes she was different). Helene is German, but she married a Romani, sometimes known as Gypsy, and together in their happy family they had five children. I don't know if Helene considered herself a Christian or not, but there are several references to her praying or questioning different aspects of spiritual matters. She refuses to leave her children and husband on the day they are called to the camps, and thus gives the rest of her life searching for ways to provide hope and stability to the poor, desperate souls in Auschwitz.

Because of her courage and practicality, plus her nurse training, she gains a leadership position fairly quickly among the barracks of women prisoners. She learns how to interact with Dr. Mengele, who treats her a bit better than the rest and offers her the position of a teacher over a day care/school setting for children in the camp. She soon learns that Mengele always has reasons for what he does.

Written from Helene's point of view, she details the tortures of the work camps, the lifestyle of the prisoners, and the activities of her superiors, though not in inappropriate ways. However, I would still recommend this book from mature readers only, even though countless other children personally, emotionally, and physically experienced the pain of inequality and racism firsthand under Hitler's leadership.

Grateful for Helene's example of courage to us and sobered once again by the tragedy of man's depravity willingly performed on his fellow companions.



*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Miriam by Mesu Andrews

From Amazon:
"The Hebrews call me prophetess, the Egyptians a seer.
But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel
and the messenger of El Shaddai.
When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing."

At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.

Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of the Pharaoh?

Enter an exotic land where a cruel Pharaoh reigns, pagan priests wield black arts, and the Israelites cry out to a God they only think they know.

Isaiah's Daughter introduced me this year to the fabulous author Mesu Andrews, and I was excited when I saw one of her other books on NetGalley. This book follows Miriam's story from physical slavery in Egypt, through the ten plagues, and forward to the future Promised Land. But Miram's story isn't just that of slavery to King Ramesses, but also that of doubts and the bondage in her own heart. As prophetess of the Lord, Miriam relies completely on the Lord for her skills in healing and in singing and prophesying. But soon she must come to know the Lord by faith and not just by hearing.

I loved how Eleazar and Taliah grew together in their relationship. Abba's kind and gentle counsel was so refreshing and it was always there when Miriam needed it. The plagues were all well done, and I didn't think that the "extras" in them distracted from Scripture at all, rather they gave life and meaning to the separation between Jew and Gentile, while also demonstrating that believing Gentiles were covered under the same blood of the Lamb. Andrews details the theological struggles of the Jews well. While we don't know for certain if Jews wondered if someone went to heaven if they weren't circumcised, but yet believed in Yahweh, the questions would have arisen because people doubt and wonder and wander. And our hearts today are no different from the hearts that clung to promises not knowing whether they would see their fulfillment. Andrews also deals with unanswered questions providing hope even when the unknown was before them.

The terror of the Passover was real, I believe, especially for all who were first born. And yet the obedience of the faithful provided relief and security amid the questions and chaos. While I don't know if Eleazar actually worked in the palace as a bodyguard, I loved his placement as a character. It gave him unique opportunities to fulfill little details in Scripture when we aren't told exactly how things happened.

Miriam's story, as well as the story of the Jews as they leave the bondage of Egypt is a true one, and one that Andrews did well in retelling. I love the fictional aspect of it, but even more, I believe good historical (Biblical) fiction makes you truly fall in love with the God of the Hebrews, who is also the God of the Gentiles and the nations. Join Miriam as she journeys out of Egypt to freedom, and come along side of her as she travels the road of faith, all the while healing hearts and relieving the pain of those around her.


*I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review.

Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom

Back of Book:
Sex. In a world overwhelmingly obsessed with it, why is the church so silent about it? While our secular culture twists, perverts, cheapens, and idolizes sex, there are gaping holes in the church's guidance of young people. The result is generations of sexually illiterate people drowning in the repercussions of overwhelming sin struggles.

Enough is enough, says Mo Isom. With raw vulnerability and a bold spirit, she shares her own sexual testimony, opening up the conversation about misguided rule-following, virginity, temptation, porn, promiscuity, false sex-pectations, sex in marriage, and more and calling readers back to God's original design for sex--a way to worship and glorify him. This book is for the young person tangled up in an addiction to pornography, for the girlfriend feeling pressured to go further, for the "good girl" who followed the rules and saved herself for marriage and then was confused and disappointed, for the married couple who use sex as a bargaining tool, for every person who casually watches sex play out in TV and movies and wonders why they're dissatisfied with the real thing, and for every confused or hurting person in-between.

Sex was God's idea. It's time we invited him back into the bedroom.

Sometimes I request books for review simply because I know they're written on controversial topics and I want to see where the author is coming from. This author writes from deep personal experiences, past and present. It's an easy-to-read style, and while the material is thoughtful and challenging, it's not difficult to understand.

Mo Isom introduces the book by discussing that sex isn't a topic discussed much in churches. While the culture around us revels in sexual immorality and makes cheap sexual comments every other sentence, the church is largely silent on the issue. Not because we want to live like society around us, but because leaders don't know how to preach guidelines without preaching legalism, or because they don't know that boundaries can be set without harming the hurting or guilty.

Isom wants to speak up for those who are struggling sexually, but also to point out to believers world-wide that sex is a God-glorifying act without the sanctity of marriage. Not something to be shunned or embarrassed by just because our culture desecrates it. Isom willingly admits that she doesn't have all the answers, but from experiences she is able to trace the pathway to godly sexual identity and share her testimony as it led her from perversion and pain to purpose and purity.

Because of the details and topics addressed, I would recommend this for mature thinkers, and not for children. Isom begins at the root of what sex is and what God meant it to be while including personal stories and moments, as well as statistics and data where helpful. She helps us to understand that purity isn't simply virginity, and that even those who are not sexually pure can find their purity in Christ. She discusses the downfalls of her upbringing in that many churches and families assume that covering the basics and laying the foundation for purity is enough and that once you're married everything will fall into place perfectly. However, they didn't cover topics for those who have "messed up" or for those who are married and continually feel guilty for the intimacy they rightly share with a spouse when all their life they've been taught to hold back those feelings.

Isom covers pornography and it's addiction and results in our personal lives as well as sharing her experiences when she finally understood purity and the mercy of God. She realized her identity was in Christ and that the satisfaction she received from sex was temporary and cheap.

It was interesting to see the connections between the foundation for this book and a book I recently finished Beloved Mess. Kimm Crandell (author of Beloved Mess) and Mo Isom continually lace their words with where our identity and purpose are found. That we are known, seen, purposed, loved, and designed by a King. This is where our identity comes from, and once we have grasped this knowledge we begin to live in the grace of God and the purposefulness of our sexuality and spirituality. Isom also covers topics just as healing from sexual sin, her personal story of fasting from intimacy, and unrealistic expectations in the married life. She ends the book once again focusing on the Scriptural fact that sex is not a sin (though people use it to sin), but rather an act of worship when expressed in the right context. It's something we should learn to delight in and see as a gift from God. It requires self-control and surrender and submission to one another, but it's powerful, purposeful, and pure in its design.

Whether or not you've been trapped by the lies of sex, this book is a refreshing testimony of redemption through intimacy. Ultimately though we may have suffered from the hands of our church, family, or society, sexual struggles result from within. Mo Isom shows how even the deepest, most secret sins can find light, purity, and redemption when laid at Jesus' feet.



*I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.