Saturday, May 2, 2015

The Heart of the Amish: Life Lessons on Peacemaking and the Power of Forgiveness by Suzanne Woods Fisher






Everyone has been hurt. Everyone experiences conflict, great and small. Everyone has someone to forgive. But sometimes we just can't bring ourselves to forgive someone who has wronged us or we don't take the need to forgive seriously--not like the Amish do. Forgiving others in order to live at peace is woven into the very fabric of their faith. To the Amish way of thinking, "You can't love the stream without knowing the source. " We must forgive others, they believe, because God forgave us.

The Heart of the Amish invites readers into the world of a people renowned for their ability to forgive. Through true stories gathered from a variety of Amish communities, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher illustrates how they are able to release their pain and desire for revenge, and live at peace with others. Her in-depth, personal research uncovers the astounding yet fundamental way the Amish can forgive anyone from the angry customer at the grocery store to the shooter at Nickel Mines. Readers will learn how to invite God into their stories, apply lessons from the Amish to their own circumstances, and find the freedom that comes with true forgiveness.


About The Author
SFisher



Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including "Amish Peace." She is also the coauthor of an Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California.

For more information, please visit suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Amazon


My Review

A book that can be read in one sitting, and very hard to put down, a nourishing and insightful read, and one that is based on Forgiveness, easy to say but most have a hard time doing.
There are some heart wrenching stories here, and we see how the Amish/Mennonite religion plays into the way they act when adversity strikes. The forgiveness works both ways, in forgiving those who have trespassed against them, and maybe the hardest one of forgiving themselves.
This book is non-fiction, and there are many examples here. Some horrific, and some we have seen in the news and were amazed at how these people love God, and live his word. Human nature does not make it easy to accept what God has commanded, but these examples help you understand, and maybe help to make your own spiritual life better.
One of the stories about a young girl catching her Mom on a busy day and asking for a ride, she is told to take the bus. The girl never arrives home, and the mother in the end has to forgive the killer, and hardest of all, herself.
This book will linger with me for a long time, and I will be rereading it, the chapters are short and can be read quickly, but the meaning will last.
I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I received this book through Revell Book Bloggers Tour, and was not required to give a positive review.




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