Rachel's Tears by Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott

God has been blessing me with incredible books over the past few weeks. Books that have challenged the way I live out my faith, and what faith in action truly looks like. I can only hope I model half of what I'm privileged to read about.

"Rachel's Tears" celebrates the tenth anniversary of one of our nation's most horrific days. Remember Columbine? Can you still see the images blistered to our minds and hearts on April 20, 1999?

More importantly, can you recall the tremendous faith shown by many of the victims that day? Rachel Joy Scott was a believer through and through. Sharing her journals and their own personal reflections, Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott breath life into the memory of their precious daughter.

It's no accident that I finished re-reading "Rachel's Tears" after finishing Lisa Samson's challenging novel, "The Passion of Mary-Margaret". Reading about such tremendous faith and eagerness to serve in a life so young and so brief has me wondering...

...will I leave my mark for God's Kingdom when my time to leave arrives?

...will my children be able to reach the unreachable and minister to the ones no one else cares for?

...does my faith truly make a difference in my life, enough that others may come to know Christ just as I have?

With all of the bad news being shoved at us today, reading "Rachel's Tears" restored my hope and my joy. Amidst tragedy and heartache, God is there, and He weeps with us. But His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not ours.

Rachel Joy Scott longed to be used to touch hearts world-wide. Through her death at the hands of two angry classmates, God is still moving mountains aside to reach the ones lost in the darkness.

Read "Rachel's Tears" and let her story inspire you to fully live out your story in Christ Jesus' power. She made a difference, not for herself, but so that others may know the Truth.

I'm giving "Rachel's Tears" five out of five bookmarks, with a bouquet of red roses as a charm...thirteen in all...with two yellow roses for Dylan and Eric and their families.

Think about accepting Rachel's challenge to reach those who desperately need to know of Jesus. Don't wait--live it out loud TODAY.

Happy Reading!