Story: Our Journey of Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore by Steven James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Blend of poetry, journal like entries, a reflective story telling tone, “Story: Our Journey of Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore” by Steven James is a personal look through the whole Bible; Blending familiar tales with writing that brings the reader in, as if reading the personal journal of Steven James, I was captivated how Steven was able to blend the modern with the ever-lasting, bringing to life, the Bible.
Not a usual commentary of the Bible,”Story: Our Journey of Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore” is a 203 page, softcover personal insight, that for me, really just brought out the poetry that is life and that is of the Bible.
There is just a sense of longing in Steven James book, a sense of humanity that creates a rich and emotionally charged book that had me looking at the Bible in a whole new life, in the backdrop of modern day experiences, reaching into the past and looking toward the future.
“Story: Our Journey of Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore” reminds us in one part of the book, “The story I see woven all throughout Scripture is a tale of passion and sacrifice-not a deal brokered between a lawyer and a judge. It was a gift given from a lover to his beloved in one final act of sacrificial love, he offers his life so that she might live.” (from “Story: Our Journey of Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore” )
I felt this book was very deep in how it really just reaches into the Bible and pulling examples of familiar stories while weaving those tales with not just personal anecdotes of experience, but challenging the reader to look at those stories, against the backdrop of contemporary society and with poetry that this thrown throughout the book, really just making this a personal journey for not just the writer, but to the readers, that he invites to read through this story of “Heartache and Grace from Eden to Evermore”.
The writing style is very free flowing yet structure, that sounds impossible, but it reminded me so much of a journal that is written, with all the personal emotions, and thoughts that reflects the author’s own thoughts of reading the Bible and just a real feel of wanting the reader to understand, grasp and experience those very same feelings and insights that he, himself experienced while reading the Bible.
This is not a simple, over the night, read or a book, just for vacation, but for those who really want to see the human, living, and just emotional richness that the Bible has to offer. If you are meeting Jesus for the first time, or have known Him for a while, this is a book that just re-opens, brings a new look at the Bible and takes the extraordinary to a whole new level
***Thank you to Revell and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions expressed, are entirely my own and in exchange for my own opinions, a complimentary copy of the book was sent.***
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