Review of Mended By The Master

[Manang Muyang]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mended By The Master" by Priscella Lewis.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Mended by the Master is a collection of 86 reflections by Priscella Lewis, many of them introduced by appropriate Bible verses. Through the author’s musings, we get to know bits and pieces of her life, including the traumatic events of her childhood. She doesn’t dwell much on those sad times, though. The book mainly focuses on the salvation that Jesus offered to her on a silver platter, with multiple servings of miracles. She tells us that miracles happen every day; we only need to see them with enlightened eyes.

Partakers of the Our Daily Bread daily devotional booklet will likely find this book to their taste. I believe the author designed the pieces to be read one each day, either as an inspiration to start the day or a relaxing ritual before bedtime. Take these morsels any way you please, and I am sure your day will be fuller. I am talking to the Christian reader here. Those who espouse other beliefs are welcome to take a bite, too, but they may need to read the pieces with a grain of salt. The stars of this book are the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Lewis adroitly used ordinary items we encounter daily to weave her profound reflections. Do you drink Coke or Pepsi? Have you ever used a vacuum cleaner? Do you like M&M’s? All of these man-made products imparted godly lessons. Even the author’s car’s empty fuel tank and fogged-up windshield spoke volumes. Movies and songs didn’t escape her watchful eye, too. Her “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” carried potent messages for the soul. She used both poetry and prose, and both were delivered to great effect.

My favorite piece is that on Day 75, entitled “Crucified.” It is a powerful retelling of the passion and death of Jesus from his agony in Gethsemane to the closing of his tomb. The reader is urged to listen to the sounds that accompanied those events. I have to share at least one line of that piece: “Listen… To the chains, the crunch of gravel, the swing of a fist as it meets sacred flesh.” You bet I had goosebumps.

The author also included nice-to-know trivia about everyday stuff. For instance, I was happy to learn about the origin of dynamite and that it is named after the Greek word dunamis. Did you know that the Bible uses dunamis to “distinctly describe the power of God”? (I got this from a source on the web.)

While I had a fruitful experience with the book, I am unable to give it the perfect rating mainly because there were too many errors. These included miscapitalizations, misnamed people (both biblical and otherwise), misspellings, and wrong punctuation. I hope the author can mend the pages with these problems. In the meantime, I give the book 3 out of 4 stars.

This book will be most appreciated by Christians, both the devout ones and those who are struggling in their spiritual lives. I was touched by this book. It made me laugh. It made me cry. I hope the author will write more of these nuggets of wisdom. Truly, she reminded me that I can rely on the Master to mend me every day. In “Broken But Whole,” she assures me: “You too can be whole.”

******
Mended By The Master
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[MsH2k]

She tells us that miracles happen every day; we only need to see them with enlightened eyes.

Indeed, with enlightened eyes we can see the precious miracles, big and small, every day. I am constantly amazed at how the Father cares about the slightest happenings in our lives. I would love to hear the author's take on ordinary items (I prefer Coke, BTW), and I too hope she has the opportunity to mend the issues in this read.

Thank you for your meticulous and charming review. Here's to a safe and healthy new year full of fruitful experiences!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

I was just searching for a book to read that could be my daily devotional for this year. This one sounds like it might work. I like that the author uses daily items in her book, and I don’t mind if Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the stars of this book. I hope the author takes the time to correct the mistakes, though.

Thanks for the lovely review!