This is a good book. You should probably read it. If for some reason this doesn’t make my top 7 non-fiction list this year, then it will have been a really good year for non-fiction. The premise: we are all gold and shadow, i.e., we all are made in God’s image and all are affected by sin. Therefore, repentance is necessary, but not just a repentance that aligns with what our current culture tells us. Our actions do affect others. There are injustices that need righting. And we have all been given gifts and talents—the ability to create—by which to adorn this world with the image of God—whether we find ourselves in the limelight or behind scenes, on stage or behind a desk. And if we cannot see and appreciate that someone who grew up in a different culture than us necessarily will adorn culture differently than us, then we are not appreciating how beautiful our God actually is. And if we cannot see and appreciate differences, we truly can’t help our communities flourish. It’s a grand story that God is telling, and this book points us toward that beautiful narrative and our place in it.
One caveat: this book is PG-13—necessarily so because of what it is trying to communicate.
Lingering Over Leaves 