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Wednesday, October 13, 2004

A DEVOTIONAL FOR SUCH TIMES AS THESE

By Ron Brackin

Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

DALLAS, TEXAS  (ANS) -- When I received a copy of Nancy Stafford’s first devotional, I was eager to dive into it, my expectations high after her previous Beauty by the Book. And I’ve no doubt that everyone who has heard her speak at their church, college, association or corporation will feel the same.

But The Wonder of His Love should be read one day at a time, rather than gulped down in a sitting or two. It is meant to be sipped and savored, rolled around on the tongue and in the heart and spirit. (Pictured: Nancy Stafford).

Unlike the recent spate of self-help literature, the eyes of this little book are fixed upon the face of our Father. And every day, when it tears itself away, it anxiously gathers together the best images it can find so it can share with the reader what it has seen.

The original experiences, of course, belong exclusively to Nancy. The best we can hope for is an echo or reflection. But they are more than enough to urge our eyes heavenward to find a vision of our own.

That’s the power of The Wonder of His Love. It makes us wonderfully jealous to know Him much much better.

In order to love, states Nancy’s theme, you must be able to receive love. Or, as my old gaffer used to say, “Loved people love people.”

Ours has become a dry and shallow culture. And love, over the past half century or so, has been reduced to little more than plastic and chrome. As a result, we read that “God is love” and we don’t understand. We try to comfort one another by reassuring them of God’s love and often fail because we’ve never learned how to receive it. And we sin against the two greatest commandments, simply because we don’t know how to love. (Pictured: Nancy Stafford (as Michelle Thomas) and Andy Griffith (as Ben Matlock) starred together for five seasons.

The Wonder of His Love humbly and gently instructs anyone who is hungry for more of God. Page by page, Nancy Stafford graciously invites us into and leads us through her own quiet place. Day by day, she presents us to the One she so dearly loves and who desperately loves her.

We dare to believe that He loves us the same way. And we hanker after an opportunity to let some of our newfound love spill out on someone else.

My only criticism is that the book ends after only 31 days.

The Wonder of His Love: A Journey into the Heart of God
by Nancy Stafford
Multnomah Publishers
U.S. $12.99
Hardback, 208 pp.
ISBN 1-59052-325-3
A former Miss Florida, author, speaker and actress Nancy Stafford is familiar to many as Andy Griffith’s law partner, Michelle, on TV’s “Matlock.” An actress for twenty years, she has starred in numerous TV series and movies including “St. Elsewhere,” “Deadly Invasion,” and “Moment of Truth,” most recently co-starring on “Judging Amy,” “Frasier,” and “ER.” For the past ten years, Nancy has served as host of TV’s “Main Floor,” a syndicated lifestyle series that airs in more than 40 countries.
Ron Brackin is a freelance writer in Little Elm, Texas. He has more than a quarter of a century of experience ranging from journalist and congressional press secretary to marketing and public relations. He is the author of half a dozen nonfiction and fiction books, including “Sweet Persecution” (Bethany House 1999) and "Between Two Fires" (Banner Communications 2002). He has just completed his most recent book, working title: "Iraq My Handiwork," about the Church in Iraq. Ron is currently available for freelance projects. Resume and writing samples available upon request. Contact him directly at ronbrackin@aol.com.
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