I think I meant to post a review once a month when I originally posted the review on Omnivore’s Dilemma, but alas, that has not happened! (Recipes and menus will probably reappear, too – we just haven’t been home much this summer) I have enjoyed several books this year, though, and wanted to share them with you!
My friend Karla gave me this book, by Ron Hall, Denver Moore with Lynne Vincent in January and said it was “profound.” She was right. In a back and forth style, the chapters alternatively tell the life stories of two very different men – one a privileged Texas frat boy turned high end art dealer and his sorority wife; the other a modern day slave on a cotton farm in Louisiana – “enslaved” because he is never able to work off his debt to the owner. One can’t not wear Armani suits, the other can’t read. Their paths cross at a homeless shelter in Ft. Worth, TX. Ron Hall has only arrived there at the urging of his recently faith- filled wife, Debbie, who wants to do something besides shop with Dallas socialites. Debbie’s life has been completely transformed by Christ, even though, at first, she was more reluctant about conversion than her husband. They meet Denver Moore at their weekly appointment to serve meals at the downtown homeless shelter. As Denver is the most distant and seemingly bitter of all the homeless, Debbie is especially drawn to him and urges her husband to be his friend. Though Ron remains somewhat reluctant regarding this new passion of his wife, what follows is true friendship – not the “catch and release” kind that Denver has so often witnessed through the years at the shelter. Sadly, part of their bond is through watching Debbie’s life end after a painful battle with cancer. This book will make you rethink your feelings toward the homeless, inspire you to the transforming power of authentic relationships, and encourage you to not only glorify Christ in life, but also in death.