Review: Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy book cover on blue background

I'm grateful that I was able to listen to Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop, while also following along with the ebook. It provided an enriching experience as I could read through and listen to the Psalms in a way that brought them to life even more.

Book Synopsis

Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting God’s goodness. Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God―but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.

Exploring how the Bible―through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations―gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

The language of lament is one that Christians are familiar with through the Psalms and Lamentations; however, it is not often practiced on a personal or corporate level. In this book, the author paints a compelling picture of what it means to turn to God in lament while undergoing trials, hardships, and grief. I love that the focus of this book is on prayer, particularly through the analogy of using the minor key, which reflects how a third of the Psalms were written. Yet, today in our worship songs, fewer than five percent of the music being sung is lament-oriented, which does not always provide the space for reflecting on the pain and brokenness in this world.

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy offers a compassionate look at learning to, learning from, and living with lament, all in a way that honours God. The stories told are heartbreaking, yet they offer hope to those experiencing horrific circumstances. This incisive look at lament gives readers permission to feel all of the emotions God has allowed us to experience by giving them back to Him. Practically speaking, this book is a guidebook for those wanting to lament to God, but who may be uncertain as to how to give it full expression. By guiding readers away from bitterness, pride, and idolatry, Christians can come to the Man of Sorrows and trust that He is still at work.

Book Summary

Format of book: 🎧
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Christian vs. Clean

This is a theme that isn't new if you've been following some of my musings over the past several months. You could even say this is the natural progression of taking this line of thinking to its conclusion. In evaluating which books to read, the refrain of Christian vs. clean has become so ingrained in my thinking that it's practically been on repeat for me. To be honest, I've never really held a view on Christian vs. clean books until the end of last year. Most of my reading since becoming a Christian has been all over the place, where I believed that acquiring knowledge, almost any knowledge, was worth it for the sake of becoming more learned. Being a voracious reader meant that I would consume most anything—especially if it was free as I didn't have a lot of books growing up (my parents preferred to take me to the library on a weekly basis as I would have cost them too much in books 😂). However, God has definitely been impressing upon me the conviction that I ca...

Review: The Rekindled Heart

I acknowledge that it's easy for me to fall into a spiritual rut and treat walking with God like a checklist. I fall into these bouts knowingly and unknowingly, so I was quite keen to read The Rekindled Heart by Mark Y. Yarbrough as both a refresher and a reminder of how to energize my spiritual life again. This book was just what I needed and it's one that I will continue to reflect on in the coming days and weeks. Many thanks to Moody Publishers for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Sometimes our faith needs to be revived. You started your spiritual life with a burst of joy, feeling deep gratitude to Christ for saving you. You rejoiced with a sense of belonging in the family of God. And likely, you couldn’t wait to open your Bible, to worship, to share your faith with others. But somewhere along the way, your passion for the Lord faded. Your spiritual journey became a slog. The Rekindled Heart was ...

Review: Movie-Made Romance: Christmas in Garland Collection #4

For anyone who has played bingo along with Christmas Romance movies, it's clear that there are definite (and repeated) themes. Movie-Made Romance by A.M. Heath plays on that idea, bringing a story within a story to life. Book Synopsis He wants a second chance. She wants him to get lost. Carleigh St. John is tired of watching everyone else get their happily-ever-after, and her little sister’s engagement is the last straw. Stewing down the overused plot lines from Christmas Romance movies, Carleigh creates a dating playbook. With a marathon of Christmas dates ranging from picking out a tree with her first crush to volunteering with her grumpy co-worker, she’s bound to find her perfect movie-made ending. … If only her ex will stay out of the way. Joshua Price has spent the last four years trying to outrun his past and the ex-fiancé he had hurt, but now he is back home. As he strives to help his grandfather, he keeps bumping into Carleigh. The pull between them is undeniable, and Jos...