Finding Grace by Donna VanLiere

Christian Book Review

The Bottom Line

Few of us make our way into adult life without at least one heartbreak. Most of us know all too well what it means to suffer painful losses of unanswered prayers and broken dreams. If you've ever questioned where God was or what he was doing in the most difficult moments of your life, you will relate to this true and inspiring story.

I just happened to pick up and begin reading Finding Grace by Donna VanLiere at a time when God knew I would a need an extra measure of his grace.

• Genre: Autobiography; Memoir
• Release Date: March 2009
• Author: Donna VanLiere
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• ISBN: 978-0-312-38051-9
• Format: Hardcover, 211 Pages

Book Review - Finding Grace by Donna VanLiere

I was just a few chapters into Finding Grace when my husband's niece delivered her first baby and then tragically died five days later. Getting married and having a baby had been her lifelong dream. In their early forties, but still newlyweds, my niece and her husband were excitedly awaiting their little bundle of joy. But an unexpected crisis hit our family and changed everything in a day.

Our niece was rushed to the hospital for an emergency Cesarean and never regained consciousness to see her precious baby. Though she was born two months premature, God had given our family a beautiful little girl to love and care for, while in the same process took our dear niece home to heaven. Along with every member of our family, my heart was broken. What I'm about to write may sound like one of those Christian clichés, but it's the truth. In the midst of our great sorrow and days of unimaginable pain, God tenderly poured out his grace to us like a soft soaking rain. One of the ways he did this for me personally was through reading this book, Finding Grace. Each time I'd open it up, it felt like I was taking strong medicine. It went down easy, though, flowing directly to the source of pain and heartache in need of healing.

VanLiere shares her own story like a gifted artist, painting with such creative strokes of humor and real life color, that I scarcely perceived the spiritual lessons working their way into the depths of my spirit. It was as though the words of grace she had written unfolded like God's gift of healing to my heart. I recommend this book especially to those who have known the shame and self-blaming trap of childhood sexual abuse. You won't want to miss this experience—a personal journey into forgiveness and wholeness in Christ.

If you haven't yet found peace with the painful parts of your past, this book will help you encounter the grace needed to live, laugh and love beyond the heartache.

Donna VanLiere is the author of the bestselling "Christmas Hope" series, a collection of Christmas gift books, as well as The Angels of Morgan Hill. Although Finding Grace is the first book by VanLiere that I've read, I'm certain it won't be the last. Next time, however, I'll be sure to pair it with a box of tissues.

There were many, so I narrowed it down to these three:

"Grace is subtle that way. It never knocks you over the head but caresses your soul. That's the tricky part in discerning it. We want storms and hurricanes to capture our attention but get silent breath, and like breath grace moves in and out, in and out, every moment of every day, always present, and always so easy to miss."

"... I didn't know what that was like, to enjoy doing something so much that it felt as if the Creator himself was smiling when I did it."

"Maybe I was beginning to recognize that tears are God's way of asking me to pay attention, not only to where I've been but to where I'm headed, reminding me of what is important and who I'm supposed to be."