What is the most fundamental fact of human existence?
The 60 essays in this book cover a wide variety of topics-including joy, faith, unity, love, wisdom, suffering, death, grief, peace, and gratitude-but the overarching theme is that every human being is created by God in His image and has great worth. The implications of this truth in every facet of life are absolutely staggering. These essays begin to explore what this fact means in terms of how we view ourselves, how we perceive God, and how we treat others. Some of the pieces tell the unique stories of different individuals. Some talk about the character of this God who created us in His image-what He is like and what He is doing in the world. Others deal with how we should interact with other people, given that every person we meet has a profound God-given value.
Maybe you want no part of Christianity because of the behavior of Christians. Don't throw it out; read this book to see how Christians ought to treat people. Maybe you are a believer who has given up on the church or given up on the Bible or even given up on God. Deep down you know there is nowhere else to go, but what once may have been a vibrant faith has become unsatisfying or unsettling. This book will give you hope that God is real, that His principles really do give a foundation for a life worth living, and that His church can be a place of genuine love and healing. And if you are a complacent Christian, be prepared to come under conviction; unless you lack ears to hear, you will find areas where you are falling short of fully living according to the truth that God created you and every human being in His image.
All of the ideas in the book are supported by Scripture and backed by rigorous exegesis, but the stories are readable and engaging. The principles are biblically and theologically sound, but there is no theology-in-a-vacuum; there is a clear connection between the deep truths of life and their practical outworkings in daily life. The book speaks of relationships of many kinds-with spouses, children, siblings, friends, fellow believers, ministry partners, colleagues, classmates, rivals, and enemies. It will strike a chord with people from the various communities mentioned in it, including persons with disabilities, marathon runners, obstacle racers, veterans, women, victims, refugees, pro-life advocates, the suffering, and the bereaved. In keeping with the theme that every person has great worth, many individuals-both well-known and unknown-are mentioned by name.
If you never read this book, at least give some deep thought to the fact that every human being who has ever lived on this planet is created by God in His image and has immeasurable worth.
About the Author: As a girl, Diane Perkins was not the domestic type; she preferred sports, adventure, and mischief to those activities that were considered more appropriate for a girl of that era. By high school she had outgrown the trouble-making and managed to graduate as valedictorian, then headed to Cornell University. During her freshman year, she committed her life to Christ through a campus ministry and also met her future husband, a graduate student in physics named Juan Antonio Castro.
Tony and Diane spent the first year of their married life in his native Peru and then returned to the States so she could finish her education at a Christian college and he could attend seminary. Their first daughter was born during that time, followed by two more girls and three boys. Diane spent the better part of eighteen years as a stay-at-home mom and then the last twenty-five years as a writer and editor of educational materials, while Tony has worked as a college professor, software engineer, and high school physics teacher.
Diane has been involved in women's Bible studies for more than three decades. She enjoys hiking, biking, snowboarding, playing volleyball and Ping-Pong, and more recently, doing obstacle races. Most of all, she likes to spend time with her growing family, which now includes eight grandchildren.
Reflections of a Tomboy Grandma represents ten years of intensely examining her faith and writing about what she has learned on her journey from initial delight through a long slog of confusion, uneasiness, and discouragement to a place of deep convictions, genuine joy, and full assurance of God's great purposes for His creation.
