Treasuring Grace Book Club Questions for Ch. 15 and 16

Hi Friends, 

We hope you are continuing to enjoy your summer read of Treasuring Grace. If you havent started, its not to late! Pick up a copy and catch up. The discussion questions for previous chapters can all be found on the Treasuring Grace Book Club tab at the top of the blog. 

Here are the discussion questions for Chapters 15 and 16.

We see some more of Jennifer again in Chapter 15.  Describe her and her relationship with Scott.

 

Jennifer calls herself the “Ice Queen”.  She’s demanding and focused on tasks.  She’s sensitive and already feeling the loss of her graduating daughter, but she tries to hide her feelings.  We know from further reading that she evolved into this person after her own abortion.  The graduation of her daughter is particularly poignant knowing that the aborted child could have helped fill the void.

 

Jennifer and Scott enjoy being enemies.  They enjoy trying to irritate each other.  Instead of simply not getting along with each other, they’ve found a way to make their occasional forced contact enjoyable.

SPOILER ALERT QUESTION:
 

Chapter 16 is the Swanson’s day on the lake.  Why is it so enjoyable for them?

 

Liz believes Grace is alive and with them.  Not only does this erase the burden of the abortion, but Liz immensely enjoys her imaginary Grace.   Liz laughs more and does more things.  Everybody enjoys the day more as a result.  Even Scott is willing to go to the party afterwards.

  

Read Chapters 17,18, 19

God Speaks:True Stories of God's Interactions with Real People: Treasuring Grace's Inspiration and The Story of St Francis

 The book "Treasuring Grace" was inspired by a dream in which co -author Tracy Roberts feels that God spoke to her and directed her hand in the writing of the story. Many people feel God's special influence in their lives in direct or indirect ways.  This recurring column seeks to bring you some of their inspirational stories.

by Tracy Roberts

I have to admit that Many times when I share a story about hearing "God Speak" I begin with, "Now don't think I'm crazy but..."  Why is that?  Maybe because not many people talk about it, or because what we hear doesn't always make sense logically.

Think of St. Francis of Assisi.  He was told to rebuild the church.  Thinking it to be the physical building he began to build.  Again he heard "repair my church".  Eventually he knew God was calling him to repair the church body, the people.

We want to make sense of the supernatural.  Ephesians 3:20  states, "Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us,..."

The power at work within us:
Luke 11:9 begins with "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 

It goes on in verse 13 to say, "If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

So why am I surprised to hear his voice?  I pray the prayer the Holy Spirit often.  Ask and we shall receive.

Believe,
Tracy

(Read more about Tracy's inspirational dream for the book Treasuring Grace on the updated About the Book tab)

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of us your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant, that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Story of St Francis

For those of you unfamiliar with the story of St. Francis of Assisi and his conversations with God, please enjoy the below excerpt from the story of his life from Catholic.org.

Francis grew up a wealthy and spoiled child in France. He spent his youth getting everything he wanted, enjoying all the finer things in life, wild parties, money, and was spoiled at every turn.
Eventually War came to the town of Assisi who took on a neighboring area of Peruga. As Francis was wealthy, he did not have to fight, but after a time he was kidnapped and taken for ransom by the opposing forces. He was held for a year, but never lost his happy attitude and returned to Assisi as carefree as he was before.

"The experience didn't change what he wanted from life either: Glory. Finally a call for knights for the Fourth Crusade gave him a chance for his dream. But before he left Francis had to have a suit of armor and a horse -- no problem for the son of a wealthy father. And not just any suit of armor would do but one decorated with gold with a magnificent cloak. Any relief we feel in hearing that Francis gave the cloak to a poor knight will be destroyed by the boasts that Francis left behind that he would return a prince. 

But Francis never got farther than one day's ride from Assisi. There he had a dream in which God told him he had it all wrong and told him to return home. And return home he did. What must it have been like to return without ever making it to battle -- the boy who wanted nothing more than to be liked was humiliated, laughed at, called a coward by the village and raged at by his father for the money wasted on armor. 

Francis' conversion did not happen over night. God had waited for him for twenty-five years and now it was Francis' turn to wait. Francis started to spend more time in prayer. He went off to a cave and wept for his sins. Sometimes God's grace overwhelmed him with joy. But life couldn't just stop for God. There was a business to run, customers to wait on. 

One day while riding through the countryside, Francis, the man who loved beauty, who was so picky about food, who hated deformity, came face to face with a leper. Repelled by the appearance and the smell of the leper, Francis nevertheless jumped down from his horse and kissed the hand of the leper. When his kiss of peace was returned, Francis was filled with joy. As he rode off, he turned around for a last wave, and saw that the leper had disappeared. He always looked upon it as a test from God...that he had passed. 

His search for conversion led him to the ancient church at San Damiano. While he was praying there, he heard Christ on the crucifix speak to him, "Francis, repair my church." Francis assumed this meant church with a small c -- the crumbling building he was in. Acting again in his impetuous way, he took fabric from his father's shop and sold it to get money to repair the church. His father saw this as an act of theft -- and put together with Francis' cowardice, waste of money, and his growing disinterest in money made Francis seem more like a madman than his son. Pietro dragged Francis before the bishop and in front of the whole town demanded that Francis return the money and renounce all rights as his heir. 

The bishop was very kind to Francis; he told him to return the money and said God would provide. That was all Francis needed to hear. He not only gave back the money but stripped off all his clothes -- the clothes his father had given him -- until he was wearing only a hair shirt. In front of the crowd that had gathered he said, "Pietro Bernardone is no longer my father. From now on I can say with complete freedom, 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" Wearing nothing but castoff rags, he went off into the freezing woods -- singing. And when robbers beat him later and took his clothes, he climbed out of the ditch and went off singing again. From then on Francis had nothing...and everything. 

Francis went back to what he considered God's call. He begged for stones and rebuilt the San Damiano church with his own hands, not realizing that it was the Church with a capital C that God wanted repaired. Scandal and avarice were working on the Church from the inside while outside heresies flourished by appealing to those longing for something different or adventurous. 

Soon Francis started to preach. (He was never a priest, though he was later ordained a deacon under his protest.) Francis was not a reformer; he preached about returning to God and obedience to the Church. Francis must have known about the decay in the Church, but he always showed the Church and its people his utmost respect. When someone told him of a priest living openly with a woman and asked him if that meant the Mass was polluted, Francis went to the priest, knelt before him, and kissed his hands -- because those hands had held God. 

Slowly companions came to Francis, people who wanted to follow his life of sleeping in the open, begging for garbage to eat...and loving God. With companions, Francis knew he now had to have some kind of direction to this life so he opened the Bible in three places. He read the command to the rich young man to sell all his good and give to the poor, the order to the apostles to take nothing on their journey, and the demand to take up the cross daily. "Here is our rule," Francis said -- as simple, and as seemingly impossible, as that. He was going to do what no one thought possible any more -- live by the Gospel. Francis took these commands so literally that he made one brother run after the thief who stole his hood and offer him his robe! 

Francis never wanted to found a religious order -- this former knight thought that sounded too military. He thought of what he was doing as expressing God's brotherhood. His companions came from all walks of life, from fields and towns, nobility and common people, universities, the Church, and the merchant class. Francis practiced true equality by showing honor, respect, and love to every person whether they were beggar or pope.

Read more at Catholic.org

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Treasuring Grace Book Club Questions Chapters 12 -14

Hey Book Clubbers!  We hope your summer is going great and that you are enjoying your summer read thus far. Here are your discussion questions for Chapters 12 through 14.

In Chapter 12, what does Alyssa think that a “picture with Grace” means?

Well, it certainly doesn’t mean a picture with her little sister who doesn’t exist.  She doesn’t really know, so she assumes that she’s supposed to look graceful or not fall off the swing or something.  Of course, given Alyssa’s habit of practical jokes, it probably wouldn’t strike her as too odd to be admonished to behave before the picture was even taken.

 

Scott doesn’t think he’s a good father.  Have you noticed any examples of this?  Do you agree with him?


SPOILER ALERT:

Questions with authors insights

In Chapter 12, what does Alyssa think that a “picture with Grace” means?

Well, it certainly doesn’t mean a picture with her little sister who doesn’t exist.  She doesn’t really know, so she assumes that she’s supposed to look graceful or not fall off the swing or something.  Of course, given Alyssa’s habit of practical jokes, it probably wouldn’t strike her as too odd to be admonished to behave before the picture was even taken.

 Scott doesn’t think he’s a good father.  Have you noticed any examples of this?  Do you agree with him?

Very early on he credits Liz with their success in raising the kids.  He mentions that if he travelled more they might benefit enough from his absence to earn scholarships.  He contrasts Jake’s Eagle Scout rank with his own failed attempt at Cub Scouts.  His father’s abandonment weighs on him, and he worries that it might be genetic.  His driving fantasy about an early Swanson explorer is telling.  He insists that Liz could do nothing unforgivable, but he could.

 

When reading a new book, especially one with any first person narration, the interesting thing for me is deciding who I can trust.  Is what they say or think supported by their actions or the actions of others?  Clearly Scott can’t be trusted when talking about himself.  He’s a good Dad.  He calls from the road.  He sacrifices for them.  He’s present with them in talking, joking, and playing.  He speaks highly of their mother to them which is a great example of love and gives them stability. It was also important to the story that Scott be a good father.  He couldn't be demonized, allowing readers to conclude that he drove Liz to the abortion.  No, they were a relatively happy couple who were good to each other but failed to address the issue with good communication and focus.  Through a mutual combination of avoidance and willful ignorance, Liz got the abortion, not fully realizing the implications or long term effects.

Start Reading Chapters 15 and 16

China's One Child Policy: How Can This Be True?

China is well-known for its offensive One-child policy and here is just another testimony of that fact from a speaker at the Victims of Communism Memorial event held in Washington DC earlier this June. Continue reading below to hear more about the forced abortions and other disgraceful policies in China.

The Most Violent Policy Against Women and Girls in the World

Posted on June 25, 2012 by EI

“The coercive enforcement of China’s one-child policy causes more violence against women and girls than any other official policy on earth and any other official policy in the history of the world, ” according to an expert speaking at a memorial for victims of communism.
Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, spoke at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. on June 12. She described a recent case — one of many reported cases — of forced abortion in China:

Feng Jianmei was beaten and dragged into a vehicle by a group of Family Planning Officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was out working.  The officials asked for RMB 40,000 in fines from Feng Jianmei’s family.  When they did not receive the money, they forcibly aborted Feng at seven months, laying the body of her aborted baby next to her in the bed.
Feng Jianmei is not alone.  The Chinese Communist Party estimates that it has “prevented” 400 million lives through its brutal One Child Policy.  Every one of these 400 million snuffed out lives is a victim of communism.

Read more by clicking here...

Making Whole: Line Drawing: Tree

by Diane Steinbach

"Making Whole" is a bi monthly column focusing on art therapy to help heal inner trauma or promote healing and personal growth.

The tree image is a profound symbol. We plant a tree to memorialize big events: births, deaths… We stand in awe at the roots of giant Sequoias trees or Redwoods and witness them as testimony to the very power of nature or God.

Trees are perfect in all their imperfections, just like us; in fact, it is their very imperfections that make them interesting and complex. The organic shape of the bark, the knotholes, the scars, the twists and turns of the branches, our eyes are transfixed.

Imagine yourself as a tree.  Using a pen, marker, crayon or pencil, draw your tree. 

Once done, look at your tree. Does it look full and thriving or dying off? Is it scarred or smooth? Does the tree represent how you feel about yourself?

What could you do to nourish or improve your tree? What does the tree need? Over time, do more tree drawings and strive to nourish and care for the tree that you create. Feed the roots and protect them. Allow the tree to have foliage and provide shade. Add more things to the surrounds of the tree, a sun, grass, and animals… provide a glorious environment for your tree – you- to thrive and heal.  

Diane is the author of: Art As Therapy: Innovations, Inspiration and Ideas:, Art Activities for Groups: Providing Therapy, Fun and Function and A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups

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Treasuring Grace Book Club: Discussion Questions for Ch. 10 and 11

Hello again book club members! We hope you are ever -more engrossed in Treasuring Grace and enjoying your summer read. Below are the discussion questions for Chapters 10 and 11, with the authors insights in the Spoiler Alerts below.  

In Chapter 10, how is Liz ’s subconscious trying to shake her from her delusion?

 

In her dream, her grandfather is telling her to go back to reality and that Grace is gone. She’s also hurting herself by squeezing the pin which should be drawing her attention to the pin and what it represents.

 

 

In Chapter 11, after Jake jumps back in the car, Alyssa says that he should become a doctor.  Can you think of a reason why he is objecting to this?

SPOILER ALERT

In Chapter 11, after Jake jumps back in the car, Alyssa says that he should become a doctor.  Can you think of a reason why he is objecting to this?

He says that there are things a doctor has to do that he couldn’t do.  He’s referring to abortions.

 

There are other very subtle references to abortion that could easily be missed.  Did you notice any in the book so far?

Well, these are subtle, and I would strenuously object if I was reading the book and being graded on it.  However, earlier in Chapter 11, Alyssa concludes that Jake is adopted and Scott agrees.   Liz asks, “Scott how could you deny your own son?”  Before that, at the end of Chapter 6, Scott decides to direct Alyssa’s jokes toward Jake with the narrator concluding: “Paternal instincts sometimes lost to the drive for self-preservation, even when it was just to avoid a little difficulty.”  That is unfair on a number of levels.  It is very subtle to recognize, but it’s also, in many cases, an unfair characterization of a father’s reason to pursue an abortion.  However, at times in addition to the ignorance that it’s a life and the enormity of that implication, there can be an element of selfishness. 

Read Chapters 12 -14

5 Life Affirming Things My Mother Taught Me

by Diane Steinbach

My mother was a joy. She was funny, creative, loving and giving. We didnt always get along, especially as I entered those teenage years, and then again, when I went from one bad boyfriend-choice to another, but she always had an affable way about her that meant I could always come back no matter what was said.

I was crushed... beyond words when she died after a 2 year battle with cancer.

Even during her battle she had a sense of humor. She loved life, and although she only had 2 children, my sister and I, she also had a foster son for a short while, and wished she could have had more.
It was not to be.

However...her light shone brightly and even before I looked around that crowded church when we all said our final goodbyes I knew her life touched many.

She had hoped to share her special ways... her sense of humor, her joy of life, with others, and so it is with that thought that I share with you all some bits of wisdom she taught me.

1. Always have fun with what you are doing. If you are smiling and having fun, that fun will be contagious. People who see you, will begin to feel better and happier even if they are blue.  Share your happiness.
2. Reach out to others.  If you see someone who looks lost or confused, try to help. Even if you don't know the answer, two confused people feel stronger and less afraid than one confused person. You will make a friend for life, or at the very least help alleviate the stress from someone in that very scary moment.
3. Don't try to be the center of attention. Step back and let others sparkle. The satisfaction you get when you support your friends and watch them succeed ...well, that is better than being the center of attention yourself.
4. Be a caretaker to living things. Always stop to help out an injured animal or stop someone from hurting any living thing. Life is energy, and energy is all around us. We are all caretakers of nature and should treat all life with respect.
5. Love freely. Always return love given to you, and give love to those who need it. Love is free and heals our souls. It is the light within you...let it shine.