Finding Spiritual Whitespace - A Book Review

Several months ago, I came across an email invitation to be part of a book launch team. The name of the book was what really caught my attention - Finding Spiritual Whitespace: awakening your soul to rest. I accepted the invitation to be part of this exclusive group and embark on this journey of rest. 

To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to expect as I opened the book. Not even past the introduction, I was struck by the vulnerability that Bonnie Gray expressed. In allowing her vulnerable moments to be penned out and shared publicly, she expressed her need for rest and gently coaxed others on this journey with her. Each story gave yet another glimpse into a soul seeking rest, followed by thought-provoking questions that opened the reader to find rest. 

The more I spent time using her experiences as a guide to rest, I identified with questions that she penned. Bonnie Gray, also known as the Faith Barista took life experiences, creating "whitespaces" and applied them to a simple, yet complex concept known as rest. 

Bonnie is not asking us to do something extraordinary; no, not at all. Rather she is prompting us to do something that even our Lord and Savior, in all His perfectness, yet fleshly body, needed to do as He walked this earth - REST! 

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into

a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening had come,

he was there alone." Matt 14:23 KJV

If Christ as a Supreme Being needed to rest, how much more do we as sinful creatures, saved by grace, need to step apart and find rest?

I encourage you to join us on this journey of finding spiritual whitespace, seeking rest!

Reviewed by 

One Light Still Shines by Marie Monville - Book Review

WITHIN A SOLITARY MOMENT, MARIE MONVILLE REALIZED THAT LIFE AS SHE KNEW IT WAS OVER. 

On October 2, 2006, Marie Monville's husband entered an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and shot ten young girls, killing five of them, before turning the gun on himself. The event shocked the nation and left many staggering under the weight of such tragedy and evil. Marie was overwhelmed. What she never anticipated was a tangible encounter with God reaching into her circumstances, rewriting all she believed about herself, her faith, and God's ability to forge beauty out of life's ashes.

One Light Still Shines reveals three love stories: the innocent love of a devoted wife for a husband in pain; the incomprehensible love of God in the aftermath of massacre and destruction; and the redemptive love of Christ, waiting to unfold in the life of every person who reads this book.

Marie's journey since that darkest of days has been invaded with light that shines through these pages into the darkest questions we all face - questions about our past, our value, our identity, and our powerlessness in this fallen world. Come face-to-face with the power behind every answer - a love that begs to be received.

What I Love About the Book: The first thing that caught my attention when I first heard of the book was the title "One Light Still Shines." As I read the book, the context of book's title was woven through her entire writing. Amidst her pain and questions, she recognized the Light that was still shining for her & all the individuals involved.

She has borne her heart through her book and shared her struggles as she began to pick up the pieces and move on after the tragedy. She reflected on God's love surrounding her and the support of her family & friends as each day passed.

As she spoke of her husband, she recognized the tragedy that had befallen the individuals at the hands of her husband, but she also recognized him for the husband & father he was to their family, realizing the turmoil that he had kept hidden within for many years.

She chose forgiveness and love amidst all that had happened and reflects the joy that follows the sorrow.

Why I Recommend the Book: I recommend the book for the message that it portrays. Amidst the tragedy of the situation & circumstances that may come, she has shown that there is a Light and hope for the persons involved. She has revealed the need of a growing relationship with God, no matter what circumstances surround you, as well the love God shows to his children each and every day.

About the Author: Marie Monville, a lifetime resident of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area, often sat alongside her father in his milk truck as he served his Amish and non-Amish neighbors. She married her high school sweetheart, then gave birth to three children. The first 28 years of her life were quiet, predictable, and full of regular day-to-day country living. That all changed on October 2, 2006, the day her husband barricaded the Amish schoolhouse at Nickel Mines. Today, Marie to Dan Monville, and she speaks nationwide as she and Dan raise their five children in the Lancaster, PA, area.