Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: lava rock, Song of Songs, Really Rich, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"L.L. Barkat tells a painful story of abuse and loss. But it is not her story but God's story that takes center stage in this remarkable book. The beautiful and intelligent writing will pull you in, but the deep and uncommon insights will keep you reading. Here is a book full of the wisdom which can only come when real life meets God's grace through God's Word. It is a book meant to be read slowly." -- --Steve Hayner, Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Columbia Theological Seminary

"Stone Crossings walks the reader through the foggy landscapes of life, arriving at subtle moments of true grace. Barkat's courageous, unblinking honesty is a gift, a gift offered in gentle, delicate, literary prose." -- --Don Everts, author of Jesus with Dirty Feet and God in the Flesh

"With a storyteller's charm and a Bible teacher's grit, L. L. Barkat weaves memoir, humor and spiritual insight together into a satisfying read. She challenges us to open our eyes anew to the amazing graces God lavishes upon us every day, in ordinary and surprising ways." -- --Edward Gilbreath, author of Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity

"You are holding an invitation to a table set for two--you and L. L. Barkat. At this table, near a river in my mind's imagination, she will tell you her story of faith. You may not even notice the river, for the storytelling will lift you into a life of faith that will not lead you to gaze at her but to enjoy the same life of faith. The only writer I know quite like Barkat is Eugene Peterson. That probably tells you all you need to know." -- --Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed

"[O]ne of the best books I've read in a while. . . . This glorious book is thoughtful without being laborious, literate without being self-conscious. [Barkat] has a great eye for details, and a luminous style that revels in God's presence in the day-to-day." -- --Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Booknotes Blog, March 24, 2008

Barkat's writing is lyrical in places, and-- to this reader-- reminiscent of the prose of Annie Dillard. It is often laced with a quiet humor that itself is a kind of grace. Barkat is attuned to both the natural world and the poignancy of everyday domestic scenes. Her book would make an excellent subject for a small group study. --Monica Tenney, Congregational Libraries Today, 2009

Product Description

Sometimes it's hard to see grace. And even harder to receive. When you're hurt or angry or confused or doubtful, grace can seem as hard tograsp as the sky.

But actually, it's as real and solid as stones: tangible, weighty, something to hold on to, a way through streams of pain, shame, abuse.

In these pages L.L. Barkat shares her own painful, powerful story with us. Weaving in truth from Scripture, words from other writers and stories of people who've come alongside her in her journey, she shows us the unexpected ways and places she's discovered grace: grace that has helped her open her heart to love, discover a way past fear, find freedom from shame.

Her story will help you find the rock of God's grace in the midst of your own broken, hard places. And his grace will give you a new story to tell.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (April 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830834958
• ISBN-13: 978-0830834952
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #332,191 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seasoned Reflections, April 28, 2008

By	Greg Jao (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Stone Crossings shimmers with grace: experienced, reflected, and expressed. Writing with great self-awareness (but without self-absorbtion), L. L. Barkat confronts pain and evil with truth-telling and grace-extending realism and hope. She weaves life's threads -- abandonment and abuse, poetry and panic, family and fear -- into a tapestry shaped by faith (without losing the texture of reality.)

Most books of this type fail either (a) because they sugar coat reality or (b) because they gloss over Scripture's ambiguities and tensions. L. L. Barkat engages life and Scripture with fearless (and sometimes fearsome) honesty.

If you enjoyed L'Engle's Crosswicks Journals, Lamott's Travelling Mercies, or Robert Benson's Living Prayer, you'll enjoy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty from Pain, April 23, 2008

By	Eugene Pratt (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

L. L. Barkat is a revelation. She possesses an eye for striking detail and a refreshing honesty that draws you in. In "Stone Crossings," she shares a journey marked by early pain and abuse, but one ultimately redeemed by the discovery of irresistible grace.

She is a poet whose words both shock and heal. She is a teacher whose grasp of the Scriptures and personal acquaintance with God's love make her story resonate. At 176 pages, "Stone Crossings" is a fairly quick read; yet it's one that will prompt readers to pause often for long moments of reflection and to savor Barkat's poetic gift.

For anyone who has felt the hurt and rejection of a troubled upbringing, for anyone who now lives with the enduring shame and guilt of abuse, for anyone who longs for healing, Barkat's story is for you. This is a deep and transforming book that manages to be literary, therapeutic, and theological all at the same time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend, May 27, 2008

By	Alease Brown (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If L.L. Barkat wrote fiction, surely a Pulitzer would be awarded. Not only will you find Grace abounding in these pages, connecting her/our hard memories to larger spiritual truths, but you'll find writing that soars far above anything you've read lately, maybe ever. A very excellent read.