A Window to the World - Megan Diamond, an introverted seven-year-old, has decided that being “invisible” is all she can ever hope to be. That is, until Jen Lovett walks into her life. Her new, uninhibited friend brings Megan out of her shell and into a new—and sometimes dangerous—way of viewing the world. Soon, Megan’s shyness is replaced with self-confidence. When sudden tragedy strikes, the world is turned upside down for both Jen’s and Megan’s families, and as the years pass, the effects of that one horrible day continue to cause heartache. And then an unexpected phone call changes everything and becomes an invitation to have restored what has been lost. But with the invitation comes the painful reopening of old wounds. Megan must ask herself what part a troubled past plays in shaping who we become, how we view the world, and—more importantly—how we view the God who is in control of our destiny. Is the risk of staying in the bud worth the pain, or were roses—and people—made to blossom?
Miracle At The Higher Grounds Cafe - Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle. Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea’s door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Cafe, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They’ve come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the cafe has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions. When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way.
Life is full of unexpected circumstances that help us grow. Just like us in our everyday lives, the main characters in the two novels that I chose to tell you about this week, discover that for themselves. At the beginning of A Window to the World we are shown the origin of a very special friendship. First we are introduced to a young Megan Diamond who is struggling as a shy 1st grader. In her young age, Megan had a lot of trouble making friends. But that was about to change when the new girl in her class, Jennifer Lovett, starts treating Megan like she is visible. On that first day of school alone, Megan and Jen become instant friends. You know, a very similar thing happened to me, but instead of the first grade, I met one of my best friends in the eighth grade. For most of my school years, I was really bad at making friends and I always felt invisible like Megan did in this novel. But then everything changed for me that fall of 2016 when I met my very own Jennifer Lovett. I actually thought it was kinda crazy when I started reading chapter one, cause the personalities of the two girls as of the first two pages reminded me of me and my friend Aubrey right away. The two of us couldn’t have been more different. I’m an extreme Introvert, while she’s an active Extrovert. Nevertheless, we made sure to lift each other up everyday as junior high and high school tried its hardest to bring us down. The other interesting thing that I seem to have in common with Megan, is how her newfound friend seemed to gradually bring her out of her shell. But unfortunately, that is where our similarities diverge. My friendship with Aubrey had blessed me in several ways. She’s a part of a great Christian family, which introduced me to the church I go to today. And if she hadn’t encouraged me to step out of my shell a little bit, I wouldn’t be able to do my job that I have today. For Megan though, in A Window to the World, her friend Jen begins to have a bad influence on her as they grow older, and what’s worse is that Jen’s family doesn’t believe in God. As an adult, Megan starts asking hard questions, and as you read this novel by Susan Meissner, you’ll discover the answer she receives.
As I looked through our library for a novel for this week’s blog post, I found Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado. His main character Chelsea Chambers is also asking questions that she hopes will be answered soon. Her cafe has been in her family for years and has become her passion as well. But income is barely coming in, and Chelsea faces the threat of getting closed down. In Lucado's unique way of storytelling, he brings about a special answer to her prayers. So I guess the point that I wanted to make in today's post was that when your pastor says that the Lord does answer prayer and that He works in mysterious ways, He does. He loves each and every one of us, and wants to help us grow through the trials and confusion. And I loved how these two novels reminded us of that. So come on into the Cross Reference Library and check out what we have in store!