I’m Wonderstruck!

If you’re anything like me, you’re often looking for a great and challenging read that won’t waste your time, but encourages your walk with the Lord. I’m happy to share my latest treasure with you. It’s called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God by Margaret Feinberg. Margaret is a new friend that I met through an internet conference that she and my husband spoke at this Fall.

Her new book will be released on Christmas day, but since I was able to be a part of a group of folks who previewed this book, I thought I would share a bit of it today.

The goal of this book is to help us to “awaken to the nearness of God”: to see and experience Him in everything. I was particularly drawn to one chapter where Margaret beautifully describes the night sky while a passenger on a ferry-boat in Alaska. She artistically crafts a scene in which she wasn’t able to sleep, because of the exploding lights in the sky. What she was observing was the aurora borealis (Northern Lights).  My mind began painting pictures of the canvas God was painting in the sky and my bucket list began to grow. Margaret describes how she couldn’t go to sleep because she was so riveted by the ever-changing display of God’s majesty before her.  She couldn’t take her eyes off the “midnight delights”. Then she says, “It occurred to me that this is the posture that we’re supposed to take in our spiritual journeys. God delights for us to cup our hands in prayer and scrunch our faces against the vault of heaven in holy expectation that he will meet us in beautiful, mysterious ways. The Creator desires to captivate us not just with his handiwork but with himself-displaying facets of his character, igniting us with his fiery love, awakening us to the intensity of his holiness.”

Beautiful. True. Inviting.

As I read page after page of this descriptive tribute to the wonder of God, my heart swelled with joy. As I read my Bible, I yearn for more and more of my Maker, so I can’t tell you how fun it is for me to find others who feel the same! I would call Margaret a “kindred-spirit” with an absolutely amazing talent to story-tell.

In Wonderstruck, Margaret invites you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life.

She says:

“We all need a table, a place where we gather to be fully and truly ourselves. Without such a place, we may lose track of our souls, embracing a cheap, snap-together fiberboard image of ourselves instead of the uneven, rustic, knotty reality that, when unveiled, reveals the mystery and beauty of the imago dei—the image of God. We need a place where we pray for a replenished wonder of friendship and wait for God to answer in unexpected ways.”

I am wonderstruck. Over the years, as I’ve awoken to the nearness of God, I’ve begun to see Him in everything. His plan for our lives is so clearly presented through the scriptures. His ways, while not always easily understood are best and right and fitting for each of His image bearers. He is everywhere, and I love to point this out to others, because while I didn’t have this terminology before (thank you Margaret!!) I want you to be wonderstruck as well.

So where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?

Explore more:

MargaretFeinberg.com

**Margaret’s 7 session Bible Study is called, Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God. Her book, by the same name, releases on Christmas day, but can be pre-ordered now on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.