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It happened again…I sat curled up on the couch, reading page after page of Solomon’s Puzzle, until before I knew it, the clock struck midnight.  While I didn’t turn into a pumpkin, it did make waking up the next morning rather difficult… especially coupled with nursing a sick baby.  Yes, I hold Loris Nebbia, author of Solomon’s Puzzle, strictly responsible for the fact that my son was late for his tutorial twice last week. 

My favorite kind of books, are the ones in which the characters are so vivid and real that you find yourself believing that they are in fact your real life friends.  From the first chapter of Solomon’s Puzzle, I was instantly captivated by the character of young Ben Hunter.  He is so likeable and  yet there is this cloud of mystery surrounding him, as you question how he could be so completely different from his harsh and unloving father.

I love the way the author so beautifully portrays good and evil in this book.  The two main father figures in the book could not be more opposite from each other and Ben’s struggle to comprehend their differences is a compelling one.   You can’t help but route for him as he struggles with more than the typical teenage battles.

Nebbia does a great job of staying true to her characters.  This means that she sometimes uses language which I don’t generally appreciate in novels, as well as a few “PG” scenes, but they both serve to accurately depict the characters. She also portrays the negative ramifications these actions cause in the lives of all involved.  Sin is in no way glorified or glossed over in this novel.  At the same time, it isn’t one of those cheesy, “every one is a Christian, every thing works out perfectly all the time” type novels either.  And unlike most novels I’ve read, it is far, far from predictable.  As I read, I really had no idea how it was going to end up.  This kept me reading late into the night as I found myself engrossed in the lives of the characters, eager to see how it all would unfold. 

Prepare to stay up late and let some of your work slide as you find yourself sucked into the story, eager to find out more about the characters and solve the mystery behind Solomon’s Puzzle.   It is a delightful book, that begs you to sit down under a comfy quilt and read the night away.   You can order it here, and I highly recommend that you do.  It is the perfect way to spend your winter evenings! 

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Sometimes in the chaos of finding baseball gloves and missing cleats, in the midst of grocery shopping and read alouds, sometimes if your not careful, it is all too easy to miss the point.    In the midst of doing so many good and important things, you can neglect to focus on the main purpose of it all. 

I recently had a the opportunity to read and review the book One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda.  The book is based on the vision of a man named Dr. M.A. Thomas (Papa) whose vision for ministry is based on Psalm 127:4-5, “Children born to a young man, are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands.  How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them.”   Papa’s vision is that of “one million arrows for God—one million children gathered, sharpened, and launched to make an eternal difference in their communities, cultures, countries, and even the world at large.”

Julie encourages and challenges her readers to embrace the mission as parents.  She encourages us to raise our children to become arrows for Christ.  She challenges us to keep that vision at the forefront of our mind and as parents to be active and intentional in our parenting.  She says that the responsibility for raising our children to be spiritual champions, lies solely at the feet of the parents.  She also encourages parents to have a goal oriented approach to parenting rather than a survival based approach. 

She speaks with several parents who have successfully raised “arrows for Christ” and shares strategies and tips that worked well for them.

While the first half of the book focuses on raising our own arrows for Christ, the second half of the book talks about how we can support others raising arrows around the world, particularly orphans in other countries.  She encourages us to invest our time, money, and prayers in supporting ministries which focus on raising arrows for Christ in their own countries. 

One point she made that challenged me was when she spoke of the stark contrast between the extreme poverty in other nations and the extreme wealth and abundance in our own nation.  She found herself asking God, “How could he let this happen?”  She then realized that God could ask her the very same question, “How can we let it happen?”  God has blessed us with an abundance and what are we doing with that abundance to help those around the world in need?  I found this to be a challenging and sobering thought. 

If your interested in learning more about the book, you can check here or purchase it from Amazon here. 

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