The Gospel in George MacDonald

The Gospel in George MacDonald is a beautiful collection of works from George MacDonald’s many novels, fairy tales, and spiritual writings, This compilation was edited by Marianne Wright. These specific selections were dedicated to Marianne’s grandfather. Marianne’s grandfather was a devoted fan of George MacDonald (but never met him or knew him).  Wright’s collection of MacDonald’s works brings together some of the most profound and lasting selections from his long career. Ms. Wright’s goal, in publishing this book, was to bring together passages from MacDonald’s writings “that best illuminate the good news of Jesus, which was the constant theme and the joy of his life.”

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of fantasy literature and had great influence on many of well known authors including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and G.K. Chesterton. Mr. MacDonald dedicated his life to spreading the gospel and used his love of writing to accomplish this goal. He once said, “People find great fault with me – that I turn my stories into sermons. They forget that I have a Master to serve before I can wait upon the public.”

Mr. MacDonald lived a life of suffering. He dealt with many lung problems most of his life. English winters were hard and several of his children died from tuberculosis. In order to provide a healthier environment for his family, George moved them to Italy where he lived for twenty years. During this time, he wrote over twenty two books. A short while later, MacDonald and his family moved to England. George and his wife, Louisa, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary and the following year, his wife died. After his wife’s death, MacDonald rarely spoke but spent his days longing for the next life.

George MacDonald had a beautiful and clear understanding of the gospel of Christ. It impacted him so profoundly he felt the need to share his faith daily. Besides his personal faith in God, frequent themes found in his writing include discipleship, and conscience. He firmly believed God uses events of each day to teach and lead his followers. He called it “the holy present.”

I found this collection of his works intriguing. Even though I attended seminary and have a degree in Christian ministry, I had not heard of George MacDonald before reading this book. G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis helped bring the works of MacDonald the recognition he so well deserved. Without their influence, perhaps his works would still be unknown to many today.

I particularly enjoyed reading an excerpt from his novel Lilith. George MacDonald’s brilliant use of imagery allowed me to feel as if I were standing in the midst of the dense forest searching my soul.

I would recommend this collection of works to anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of George MacDonald’s Christian worldview. Although he is not as well-known as C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien, his works paved the way for them and gave them freedom to delve into the same type of writing.

I would like to thank Plough Publishing for giving me an opportunity to review this book. I was not encouraged to give a positive review however it is my pleasure to do so.

Follow this link to purchase The Gospel in George MacDonald

A Treasure Concealed, by Tracie Peterson - a book review

I'm not usually one to read Christian romance novels, so I was hesitant about reading my very first one. I wouldn't normally have purchased a romance novel but I received the book, A Treasure Concealed, by Tracie Peterson, as a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers in exchanged for my written review.

This book is the first in a series of books called the Sapphire Brides. The author sets the story for A Treasure Concealed in beautiful Montana during the aftermath of the gold rush days. As the story opens, Emily Carver is checking in on her terminally sick mother. I liked the author's choice of dialogue because it immediately draws you into the story and makes it easy to relate to the characters. Ms. Peterson uses very descriptive language to help set each scene and to describe her characters. I was impressed at the development of the characters as the story progressed.

In the book, Ms. Peterson weaves her story around good Christian morals and values. I enjoyed seeing how she used Biblical wisdom in some of the conversations between characters. To give you an example, the geologist, Caeden Thibault, who comes to town to survey the area is in Emily's mother's bedroom having a heart to heart talk with her. Emily's mother, Mrs. Carver, begins speaking to Caeden and tells him "God never is the one who walks away, Caeden. Only we can do that. Jesus promised to never leave or forsake us. Unfortunately, we can leave and forsake Him. I think if you take a good hard look at the situation, you'll find it's an easy walk back. He's waiting there for you, and I know He'll give you the answers you need." The author used a conversation between characters to speak Biblical truth and I found that very appealing.

Since this was a romance novel, a love story was at the heart of the book, but there was nothing of a sexual nature or anything unclean. I would probably not buy this type of book again, just because I don't really enjoy romance novels, but I would recommend it to those who do. The book is well written and the author took the time to do a great deal of research on Montana and mining before writing the book. I was impressed with her attention to detail.

I would like to thank Bethany House Publishers for providing this complimentary copy for me to review. If you'd like to read the book, you may purchase a copy of it here.  I hope this review has been helpful for you and that you'll return again for more book reviews and information in the future.