Inspired

"Once upon a time,

there lived a girl with a magic book...

...May you always know without a doubt

that you are loved, and

may you always be surrounded

by great stories."

~ Rachel Held Evans from Inspired

What a great way to start this book.

What a great way to finish this book.

This week, I finished reading Inspired

A beautiful look at the Bible.

What Rob Bell calls, an

"Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories

(that) Can Transform the Way You

Think and Feel About Everything."

I was engrossed in this book from the moment I read that first sentence,

"Once upon a time,

there lived a girl with a magic book...

Until I read the last,

...May you always know without a doubt

that you are loved, and

may you always be surrounded

by great stories."

It is fitting that such a wonderful storyteller took aim at shedding new light and breathing new life into these treasured ancient poems, letters, and stories. Rachel Held Evans (who sadly passed away at far to early an age) was a lover of the Bible. She loved this "Ancient Library" and spent most of her life wrestling with the text to make sense and find meaning. There is a lot of mystery that surrounds this Inspired collection of writings, and like other great books, there is a lot of interpretation left to the readers. Also like other great books, the readers reach differing and continually evolving meanings. It is a great story that we all continue to share in. And I'm grateful for writers like Rachel who continue to shed light and breathe life into this great anthology.

Reading and writing are two of my favorite activities. Like any other activity, there are varying levels of participation and mastery. I like to think of ALL writers, past, present, great (e.g., Rachel) and small (e.g., Thom) are in this global club. We all have ideas we wish to wrestle with and share. I am certainly no wordsmith, but I enjoy participation in this sport and reading the works of experts who perform at such an elite level. Rachel is one of these experts I admire. I also have great respect for anyone who takes on a topic that triggers great emotion and can do so with courage, love, and humility.

As I neared the end of the book, I did so with joy and sorrow. I was so grateful for the journey and time I spent with Rachel and her thoughts, but I was sad that it was coming to an end. As I finished off the final few pages, I was drawn deeper and deeper into the her story about this greater story we all find ourselves in. And as I read that last line, "May you always know without a doubt that you are loved, and may you always be surrounded by great stories." I smiled and sat back satisfied from such a beautiful experience. Before I placed the book back on the shelf, I took a glance back at the first line, "Once upon a time, there lived a girl with a magic book..." I read those words again, "Once upon a time..." What a beautiful way to begin a book. And what a beautiful way to end it. I sat there a moment and held the book, staring at it, thinking of the time and effort this skilled writer spent researching, writing, collaborating, editing, and weaving together this masterpiece. What a gift it was and continues to be.

Thank you, Rachel.

I am inspired by you

and by the Inspired "magic book"

you so loved and that so inspired you.

Thanks to writers like you, we will

"always be surrounded by great stories."