On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

If you're looking for the next #LessonsLearned article, you're in the right place. That article was supposed to be today. However, due to the back pain I've been in all last week, I am taking a break from the Lessons Learned blog series, as it requires more study time than my physical pain will allow me to pursue right now.

Instead, may I present my review for Suzanne Woods Fisher's new book, On a Summer Tide, which I recently enjoyed reading.

FTC Disclosure: Revell Reads gave me a complimentary copy of this book. A positive review was not required. These are my honest opinions.

What a lovely way to kick off the Three Sisters Island series! This book was a breath of fresh air that raised the stakes of the plot in every chapter. It’s definitely one to learn from, if you’re a writer.

The ensemble cast was superb. Some I hated, plenty I loved, and many surprised me. I loved the idea of sisters struggling to figure out how their lives fit together to make the puzzle of their family come out right. This was totally realistic, as I know from having a sister of my own. We may not always understand each other on every aspect of our lives, but we respect each other and love each other always. I think that same concept was well represented in this book and brought a unique specialness to the story.

Themes of family, forgiveness, faith, trust, and rebuilding a legacy were exquisitely displayed throughout. Each one was explored by multiple characters, in their own ways. That’s what made this story spectacular. Every character, including the island itself, were allowed space to breathe and be itself and react to the others. It was like watching the tide shift from low to high, how the waves crash into their neighbors until their stories become one. Very lovely indeed.

Lessons Learned from... the Garden

Scripture reference: Matthew 26:36-46

Further reading: Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

Easter, or Resurrection Day, as I like to call it, was yesterday, and that put me in mind of the Garden of Gethsemane. There is so much to learn from the time Jesus spent there just prior to his betrayal and arrest (which came just before his crucifixion, burial, and rising from the tomb). Our focus today will be specifically on the prayers of Jesus in the Garden, though there are a couple of other things I’ll be pointing out.

Once Jesus and his eleven disciples (by this time, Judas had already separated himself from the group in order to betray Jesus) came to Gethsemane, He left most of them there but pulled aside Peter, James, and John to go deeper with Him into the Garden.

“Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.

Stay here and watch with Me.’”

Matthew 26:38 NKJ

Mark says Jesus “began to be troubled and deeply distressed” (Mark 14:33 NKJ).

Exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Troubled and deeply distressed.

Lessons Learned From... Naomi (Part 1)

Scripture reference: Ruth 1

Ruth is one of my favorite books of the Bible, so I’m sure I’ll come back and write more articles about this book. For this article and the next one to appear on Stones on Fire, we’ll be focusing on only the first chapter of Ruth.

When Naomi went with her husband and two sons to live in a foreign land (Ruth 1:1), I’m certain she never thought all three of the people she loved most in the world would perish there in Moab, leaving her alone in a land that wasn’t her home (Ruth 1:2-5). Yet, that’s exactly the situation in which she eventually found herself. How devastating would it be to first lose her husband and then, ten years later, have to bury both of her sons as well? Her tender heart must have felt wrenched from her chest and filleted into a trillion pieces.

Lessons Learned From... Mourners and Flute Players

Hello, friends. I have some exciting news to share today. My friend Hannah Gridley has begun a new blog, and she’s invited me to contribute once a month. We’re thrilled at this fresh opportunity to share God’s Word and expound on truths we learn from our daily walks with Jesus.

For my part, I’ll be starting a blog series called “Lessons Learned From…” This series starts right here, right now (well, technically in a minute, after this introduction). My current plan is to write a pair of articles dealing with the same section of Bible verses, taking two different perspectives. The first of the pair will appear right here on Writing to Inspire on the next-to-last Monday of each month, while the second article will arrive on Stones on Fire—Hannah’s new blog—on the first Sunday of each month.

Another way to find a full list of this blog series’s articles will be the “Lessons Learned Blog Series” tab at the top of this blog. (This tab will be developed over the next week or so, as this weekend has zoomed beyond my reach.) Each article will be added to the list as they are prepared to go live, so check back monthly for the newest articles on both blogs.

One more thing about this blog series… the theme picture will be the same for each article. The picture of the campfire goes along with the theme of the new blog, of being stones on fire for Jesus. Also, campfires are welcoming, inviting. They provide an intimate setting for sharing the thoughts that are on our hearts. That’s what I want this blog series—and both blogs—to be: articles that share our hearts with each other and help us to better discover the heart of Jesus.

Without further ado, let’s begin this new journey!

To best appreciate this article, please first read these Scripture references. If you only have time to read one, please see the account in Mark’s Gospel.

Matthew 9:18-26

Mark 5:21-43

Luke 8:40-56

What do we do when a loved one dies?

We mourn. We hold funerals and wakes. We weep and wail. In ancient days, and perhaps in some modern-day cultures, professional mourners and musicians would be hired to make sure the loved one was mourned over properly.