CityView Magazine

48 April 2021 GOOD READS FAITH, HOPE & BOOKS BY DIANE PARFITT T here are all kinds of faith – faith in our parents, our country, our religion or an ideology. Faith can provide us with the support and comfort we need to get through the day-to-day experiences of life and the various turmoils we all face. Faith centers on the feeling, conviction or belief that something is true or real, without having physical evidence. We oen seek affirmation that our faith in something is real. We can do this by immersing ourselves in the study of our own and other beliefs, then seeking out others who are of like mind. When our faith in something is questioned, we may feel threatened or challenged to our core. In such cases, it is reassuring to know that there are numerous books that can help us re-center our beliefs. For some, this re- centering may involve religious beliefs, while for others it addresses a need to sort out conflicting thoughts about life and our place in the universe. 1. "WHEN FAITH FAILS: FINDING GOD IN THE SHADOW OF DOUBT" BY DOMINIC DONE Many of us struggle with doubts that can leave us feeling lonely. We may think we cannot talk about it without being judged or criticized. Pastor Dominic Done provides us with a safe way of wrestling with questions about our faith. Utilizing his own journey and incorporating scripture, literature, and stories from others who have doubted, he argues that questioning one's own beliefs is normal and can oen help us realize a richer and more vibrant faith. No subject is off-limits, and Pastor Done guides us through a journey of questioning while growing closer to our faith. 2. "HAVE A LITTLE FAITH" BY MITCH ALBOM Mitch Albom, author of "Tuesdays with Morrie," offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight- year journey between two worlds – two men, two faiths, two communities – that will inspire readers everywhere. is journey begins when Albom's childhood rabbi reaches out to him to deliver the eulogy when the time comes for the rabbi's funeral. To do this, Albom sets about getting to know the 82-year old rabbi better. During this quest, he meets a pastor who is a reformed drug dealer and ex-convict who preaches to the poor and homeless. Between these two worlds, Christian and Jewish, African- American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom learns how these two very different men of faith are able to use this faith to help others in their own personal journey. 3. "MOTHERS IN ISR AEL EARLY ENGLISH METHODIST - WOMEN PR EACHERS/LEADERS" BY R EV. DR. DONNA FOWLER-MARCHANT We oen learn more about ourselves by reading about others who have set themselves on a journey of faith. e Methodist Church has a history of women preachers and leaders who have done that, but many have been forgotten over time. Fayetteville's own Rev. Dr. Donna Fowler-Marchant has brought together stories of some of these "Mothers in Israel," a term referring to Deborah, the judge in the Old Testament. Eighteenth-century women like Susanna Annesley Wesley, Sarah Ryan, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Frances Mortimer Pawson, and Sarah Crosby played an important role in Methodism from the beginning. From these women's stories, we can see how they grew in their own faith as they shared it through their roles as class leaders, visitors to the sick, devotional writers, teachers and even preachers. 4. "ALL OUT OF FAITH" BY WENDY R EED (EDITOR) Most people have heard the South referred to as the "Bible Belt," a term first attributed to H. L. Mencken in the 1920s. Even those Southerners "FAITH IS THE STRENGTH BY WHICH A SHATTERED WORLD SHALL EMERGE INTO THE LIGHT." – Helen Keller 1 2 3 4 5 6

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