The Struggle Bus (& More Oct. Reads)

October brought us some gorgeous weather this year. Our family spent a full week tent camping, much of which time I spent lounging by the campfire with a book in my lap. I finished both The Struggle Bus and Coronavirus and Christ that week, then completed three more books before the month was out. Read on for my impressions of each.

• The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian

  Anybody who has known me long knows I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer. And anyone who’s ever downloaded one of my free printable prayer guides knows I love lifting my prayers straight from the pages of Scripture.

  Imagine, then, how pleased I was to find The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children so infused with the Word of God. Stormie Omartian is a woman after my own heart. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thoughtfully written and thorough book. And, since I am myself the mother of many grown children, immediately put it into practice.

• Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper

  Piper reminds us that God’s ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And His purposes encompass far more than meets the eye.

  Such is undoubtedly the case with COVID 19. This coronavirus did not take our God by surprise. Nor is it beyond His power to use it for good.

  Piper details several positive developments that have come as a result of the unexpected hardships 2020 ushered in. Not the least of which is realigning our hearts with the incomparable worth and all-sufficiency of Christ and providing opportunities for us to serve as His hands and feet to a hurting world

  The Coronavirus and Christ is a reassuring and Biblical apologetic for God’s sovereignty over all — including global pandemics.

• The Struggle Bus by Josh Wood

  I spotted an e-blast ad for this book in a mailing I received from one of the homeschool support group’s I belong to. And did they ever target the right demographic for that bit of marketing!

  As a homeschooling mother of many who’s been driving a van full of children around for several decades now– and as one who’s owned her fair share of clunkers during the days my husband and I were both students — I found Joh Wood’s The Struggle Bus supremely relatable.

  The book is based on a hilariously candid Craig’s List ad that went when the Woods family tried to sell their van a few years back. In this clever expansion, the author uses his van as a metaphor for life, milking that concept for all its worth. He also shares a ton of interesting family anecdotes along the way. The results are laugh-out-loud funny.

• From Sea to Shining Sea by Peter Marshall and David Manuel

  The children’s versions of Marshall and Manuel’s books offer the perfect scope and scale for teaching younger children about important events in American history. This volume covers the first fifty year’s of US independence.

  From Sea to Shining Sea tracks the young nation’s expansion west and recounts God’s hand of providence in America’s growth.

  But it simultaneously examines how the blight of slavery threatened to destroy our country, setting the stage for the bloodiest war the US has ever known.

  Our family has read these books aloud together multiple times over the years. But this is the first time my grandchildren have listened in, as well. With this title now under our belt, I’ve already begun reading grandkids the next title in the series.
  
  

• The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

  This book was assigned reading for two of my boys’ literature class and co-op. So we ended up reading it all together. That way, by 10-year old daughter could enjoy it, too.

  Set in the first century AD, the book centers on an orphan named Daniel. Daniel lives for a single purpose: to avenge the death of his parents by driving the Romans out of his homeland. To that end, he has joined a band of zealots who live in the mountains, preying on unsuspecting travelers that happen their way.

  But when Daniel’s grandmother dies, he alone is left to care for a sister Leah. Leah, who has been tormented by demons for years. Leah, who will not survive without his help. But when he moves back to town, his perspective shifts. He hears the teaching of a carpenter who shows him the only way to conquer hate is with love. It is a powerful story and well-worth the read.

That finishes my reading list for October. To read my other book reviews, follow this link: Recent Flanders Family Reads In the meantime, if you’ve read a good book lately, I’d love for you to tell me about it in the comment section below.