Someone (Dianne, maybe) left this book at our Republican Headquarters for Cooke County. There is a pretty good collection there in the take-one/leave-one bookshelf.

"Miracle of Miracles" (2004) by Mina Nevisa with Jim Croft is the story of Mina's conversion to Christianity while residing in Iran. Several of her other friends who had converted were "disappeared" (as they say these days), and she slipped out the back door of her parent's house as the authorities showed up at the front door. Her successful escape was definitely a miracle, but several other miracles are described in the book. Sometimes it is difficult to find the modern-day miracles. This book is a good reminder that they do exist.

Oh, Iran... what to do with such a dark, lost place? Bomb them?? That is not my first choice. Wars can only be really won when unconditional surrender happens, and we are never going to get there with no boots on the ground. I fear that we are just serving to increase our enemy's hatred of us. But what about the spiritual part of the warfare? This book claims that Muslims are converting to Christianity faster in Iran than in any other place. Maybe it is true. Christianity here... well, we take it for granted.

I have been back at the Catholic church for about a year and a half now. I started going because I knew that mom wanted to go, and she was only going to get up there if someone dragged her to it. Church is just 1 block away from my parents' house, so no excuses! Anyways, I am not Catholic because I do not recognize the authority of the pope. And because I do not believe that confession to a priest is necessary. And because the whole Eucharist/Mass thing does not seem to be what Jesus intended for us to take from the Last Supper. I can respect, to some degree, that the Catholic church - at least the one in my town - seems to be going backwards. By that I mean that only boys are allowed to be altar servers again, there is more Latin, the songs are older, the processions at feasts are more elaborate. In the '80s and '90s, I think we were just mostly going through the motions, but people are really trying these days to embrace the traditions and origins. Would it be going too far to call them Fundamentalists? Yes, yes it would, because they are still just Catholics, praying a rosary that didn't get started until sometime after 1214 AD, repeating the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer that was only composed in 1884 AD, and continuing the practice of indulgences that should have ended in 1517 AD when Martin Luther did his thing.

Oh, but I don't say these things out loud lest I offend. And also, my very position as a Christian believer is in a questionable state. I am not smarter than these Catholic folks I pray with every week. My faith is not stronger, and I would surmise that it is actually weaker than the average Catholic. Ah, well.

But back to the book. I was very impressed, and it is definitely worth reading. Peace.