same kind of different As me February 27, 2009

Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver’s life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.

But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader or listener will ever forget it.

from Barnes and Noble

Denver Moore, page 80:

I slept in the doorway of that United Way over on Commerce Street for a whole lotta years. And every mornin for all that time, a lady who worked there brought me a sandwich. I never knowed her name and she never knowed mine. I wish I could thank her. Funny, though. That United Way buildin was right next door to a church, and for all them years, nobody at that church ever looked my way.

For starters, I don’t like sad books. This book broke my heart. I cried several times. But it’s been recommended many times by many good friends…I felt compelled to read it.

I am so glad I did. It is a precious book. Maybe I don’t mind sad books after all. I was strengthened by the way this couple faced disaster. They included people in their struggle and maintained their service to God through personal pain. It helped them cope with their heart break.

I hope I will handle life’s pains and struggles with similar fortitude and focus on eternity.

The story is told through the eyes of Denver, the poor homeless man, and the eyes of Deborah and her husband, the wealthy volunteers.  The reading is awkward when Denver tells the story because the spelling and grammar try to be authentic.  However, it was worth the time and energy to see the lives of these three who are striving to die to themselves.

Let me know what you think.

A Must Read January 9, 2009

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is a book that took me one evening to read.  I laughed and cried through the whole book.  It’s small and easy to read.  This man was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his 40′s.  He had 3 small children at the time and was married “to the woman of my dreams”.  He was asked to give a speech to the students at Carnegie Mellon as part of a lecture series.  This university has a series of lectures each year presented by faculty members.  They are asked to consider what they would want to impart to the students if this was their “last lecture”.   Randy was asked to be a part of this series of lectures.  He had already been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but was optimistic about the outcome.  Before he actually gave the lecture, he received news that he only had a few months left to live. He decided to go ahead and proceed with the lecture.  He knew everyone would understand if he canceled, but he said he wanted to put a message in a bottle for his three young children that would one day wash upon the shore.  They were too young at the time to understand all he wanted to teach them, but through this lecture, he could reach out to them as they grew older.  He lectured about the joy of life and how much he appreciated living, even though he had so little left of his own.  He says, “I talked about honesty, integrity, gratitude, and other things I hold dear.  And I tried very hard not to be boring.”

His cancer is not what made this book worth reading.  It would have been a great book without his illness shadowing every page.  His cancer is what made him write it.

It is inspiring to read about someone who enjoyed life to the very end.  I think I am a better person for having read this book.  I want to be more than I am now.  I want to live more in the moment and be absorbed by NOW.  I want to let go of worry and fear of the future.

Matthew 5:25-34 tells us not to worry.  Look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.  They don’t worry.  God clothes them in more splendor than he clothed Solomon.  So if God cares about the lilies that are here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, how much more does he care about you?  Don’t worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.  (Amy’s paraphrase.)

When I finished this book, I had an urge to run out, buy a case full of these books, and pass them out to everyone I knew.  However,  Hastings only had three left. I bought them all.  I gave 2 of them to friends who have January birthdays, and put one beside my bed for reference.  I gave Barrett his book back.

Amazon probably still has some or you can call me.  You can borrow mine.