I never really liked hot dogs, but every time I visit Ikea, I’m reminded of what hot dogs can really taste like.
When I go to the grocery store to pick up a pack of hot dogs I try to find the healthiest I can find. Most of the time I end up trying to decide between salt-ladened turkey hot dogs with “no nitrites or preservatives” or turkey hot dogs with low salt but chuck full of preservatives. I usually take the salt and leave the preservatives, but I always wonder if it is better to keep the preservatives and let the salt go…
Reading “ Secrets of the Vine for Women“* (by Darlene Marie Wilkinson) was kind of like being in the market again and trying to decide whether to take the salt or the preservatives. I could tell that Ms. Wilkinson’s heart was to glorify God and to encourage his people, and I fully admire that. I admire her courage with making herself so vulnerable. I admire her commitment to God’s word and God’s women in deciding to write this book especially for women, and there was so much that was good about the book, and so much that was not so good….
The good
She uses John 15 (Jesus’ talk with his disciples) to teach us about God and his love and how he helps us to be better – emphasizing 3 different seasons – “Discipline,” “Pruning,” and “Abiding.”
She focuses on the fact that everything God does for us is out of his love and is to make us better!
She emphasizes the importance of staying with God and trusting God through everything.
This is where things start to go north
The bad
She states that God will use suffering to get our attention (p.41)…
and then, some of her examples do not show God as a loving father:
- p.46 God disciplines by making the woman’s boyfriend betray her, and making the woman lose her job???
- p.62 God used personal tragedy (house burning down) as an opportunity for pruning
- p.63 God pruned the person through illness
- p. 65 God took the lady’s voice away as a way of pruning
etc. etc. etc.
So will I recommend this book – probably not. Some people may be able to take the good parts and move on, but too many people may read this book and believe that God is the one sending them tragedies to teach them something, instead of realizing that the
devil is the thief and the destroyer, and that they need to
resist him. Perhaps you are like me and would rather read the book anyway, just make sure you realize that you may be reading something chuck full of salt or preservatives that may be harmful for you…or you may choose to check out other books.
To understand what a loving father God is you can check out:
God really can fulfill all your desires
* Waterbrook Multnomah provided me with a free copy to review
