The Baby-Catcher Gate Book Review

Posted on May 7, 2019May 6, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

My Thoughts:

The Baby-Catcher Gate by Wendy Jo Cerna was an absolute beautifully written Christian novel. The author has a lovely style of writing. It is engaging and drew me in immediately not wanting to let me go. Within the first few pages I was caught up in the story.

Author Cerna’s vivid descriptive writing took me to the time and place of her story. I felt like I was back in 1980 again. The conversations were authentic and flowed easily. Using two points of view she switches between them seamlessly. Her style is easy and pleasant to read. There were even recipes at the back of the book as an added treat.

All of the characters are well defined. I felt like I knew each one well and had some new friends. The main character, Pearl, was a typical twelve year old girl growing up in 1980s. Yet she was anything but typical it seems. It was easy to become invested in Pearl’s story. I connected with her mother, Lizzie, also, and enjoyed Fritz. The characters have unique characteristics and quirks. There are so many that stood out as likable.

Pearl’s mother and grandmother were both “baby catchers,” but Pearl does not want to be one. Her spirit is too gentle. She will assist her mother at times but unlike her sister, Susan, Pearl isn’t cut out for this type of work. I thought the book was going to be about midwifery but it was about so much more. Baby catching was just a small portion of the book.

This is the tale of Pearl, who ends up in the hospital and Heaven. In Heaven Pearl receives a gift and a task. Then she returns to earth to help people. Pearl shares her unique experience with family and friends. Reading this brought tears to my eyes and a warmth to my heart.

This story is filled with twists and turns to make it a page turning gem. A few parts drag a bit but overall it moves along at a nice pace. The surprises keep it interesting. I enjoyed the author’s idea of Heaven, God, and what eternal life will be. Gregory, the angel, was spot on for what an angel might be.

There are many life lessons and spiritual messages in this book. The foremost is life after death in Heaven. The author has stated in her notes that she prayed for and received God’s guidance when writing this unique book about the baby-catcher’s gate in Heaven. It is definitely a God glorifying tale.

Family, forgiveness, bullying, death, relationships, miscarriage, violence, and gossiping are all subjects approached in the captivating offering from author Cerna. It is an exceptionally well planned and well written book. I loved it. There was a phase she used that I had never heard: “we are in a thin place” meaning someone was between life and death there. It suited the story well.

I would highly recommend this book to mature readers because of some of the adult situations. It would have been nice if it had discussion questions. A book club would still be able to enjoy and examine this thought provoking offering from author Cerna easily. I rated it a 5 out of 5 stars. I won a copy of this book from Good Reads but was under no obligation to write a review. These are my honest words.

About the Book:

On a stormy summer night in 1982, twelve-year-old Pearl must accompany her midwife mother on a call to client in labor. Pressed into service as a birthing assistant, Pearl is called upon to swaddle the newborn boy and hold him in her arms. As she gazes into his face, she is drawn into what her mother likes to call a thin place – a place where the distance between heaven and earth becomes so small you can see into one from the other.

In this thin place, Pearl travels to The Baby-Catcher Gate. What she experiences there transforms her and she becomes a catalyst of change for her hometown in the north woods of Minnesota. Folks will never be the same.

The Baby-Catcher Gate is a story about the beautiful consequences of peeking into heaven. Follow Pearl’s adventure and catch a glimpse for yourself.

About the Author

Born and raised in a family of educators in Minnesota, Wendy Jo traveled to the University of Washington in Seattle to complete her bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts. In 1986, she married her college sweetheart. They settled in Bellevue, WA to run their contracting business and raise their three children. In 2009, she received a master’s degree in Psychology which she has used to educate and counsel hurting people in a variety of settings. In writing her first novel, she has found a way to combine her love of the arts and education with her passion for healing the brokenhearted.

St. Patrick’s Day Musings and Recipe

Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Well, top of the mornin’ to ya and Happy St. Patty’s Day! ‘‘Tis the day everyone claims to be at least a wee bit Irish, What about you? Are you really of Irish decent or just Irish today?

A sea of green will be flowing everywhere today because most everyone wears green clothes, Irish or not, on this day. It is the day many foods turn green on purpose. Even the river in Chicago turns green. This is also the one day of the year that we all put a “Mc” or “O” in front of our surname and become Irish. Yes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick was a soul saver. A soldier for the Lord. That is what we are really celebrating. He used a three leaf clover to teach people about the trinity. St. Patrick turned thousands of hearts, minds, and souls to the one true God. Now, doesn’t that sound like cause to celebrate! I think so, too.

It isn’t about having things green and being Irish. No fictional little leprechauns with rainbows and pots of gold were there. This is about celebrating the vast number of Druids, pagans that were saved and became Christians.

Irish are supposed to be lucky among a lot of other things. You’ve heard of the “luck of the Irish,” right? Hmm, I am not sure about that. Well, I guess you could say the ones that met St. Patrick were lucky, or could you? Was it luck that drew them to St. Patrick or something else? Perhaps the Holy Spirit.

Do you believe in luck? Do you think there is gold at the end of the rainbow? Personally, I don’t really believe much in luck or leprechauns. Maybe if I keep losing when playing a game I say I have bad luck, but outside of that I don’t put belief in luck. My faith and trust are in Jesus. He is the one that guides and directs me just like He did St. Patrick.

My saved loved ones will be there. There will be no more sickness, no more death, no more tears. My Savior, Jesus, is there. Our Almighty God, my Maker, is there. Talk about hitting the jackpot or pot of gold! That is everything I could ever want. Wow, no riches can compare to that. None. So what about you? Where is your pot of gold?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:19-21.

Traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day Dish

Irish Colcannon, an Irish Treasured Dish

1 lb. potatoes peeled white or unpeeled red potatoes
½ lb. bacon (cut into small 1-inch squares)
1 T. Kosher salt
6 cups thinly sliced cabbage (approximately a head)
6 T. butter (four for the cabbage and two for the potatoes)
½ cup whipping cream (or milk)
Fresh parsley chopped finely-a few sprigs will do
A large onion, chopped
5 or 6 scallions or a clump (handful) of chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Wash potatoes and peel if you’re using thick skinned.
Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a large pot of boiling water.
Add the Kosher salt. Boil for approximately 25 minutes.
Stick one of the potatoes with a fork to see if they’re cooked. They should be tender and easy to penetrate with the prongs.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat.
When they’re finished cooking, add 4 T. butter.
Add the cabbage and onions.
Sauté the cabbage mixture until almost done, with the onions translucent and cabbage a bit crispy. Some people prefer to cook the mixture until everything is soft. It just depends on whether you like a bit of crunch or not. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and add the butter and cream or milk, mashing it to silky smoothness—unless you left the skins on, then almost silky smoothness.

Add the onion, cabbage mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot. Enjoy this Irish classic dish.

Vacations are Nice, but I Yearn for Home

Posted on August 2, 2018August 1, 2018 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Have you been on vacation this year? Most people take an annual vacation and often more than one. Some people have a favorite spot to visit each year while others enjoy seeing new places. Me, I like both. Seeing new places is great. The sights, experiences, and tastes of somewhere I have never before been is an exciting adventure. A new treasure could be awaiting me there.

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My favorite getaway is a cabin high in the Smokey Mountains with my family for the week. I could handle that vacation at least once a year and probably more. The majesty of God’s beautiful mountains take my breath away each time we drive to Gatlinburg. Like a child I become excited when I see a chipmunk, raccoon, or bear off of the cabin’s deck while having coffee in the morning.

After vacation, there’s no place like home

Vacation, an extended period of recreation spent away from home or in traveling, is nice for a time, but after it is over it is nice to be home. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz emotionally repeats “there’s no place like home” and I agree. No matter how good vacation has been, we are always happy to be home when it is over.

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My maternal grandmother often would tell me “you know, this old world is not our home.” That was confusing to a child, but the older I got the more she explained. Finally I understood. Mammaw was talking about Heaven. She would tell me her soul longed for “home” and to be with loved ones there. When she spoke of Heaven it was beautiful and biblical.

“In Heaven there will be no sickness or pain, no tears, and affliction. We will be whole with perfect bodies.” She would laugh when I asked what we would do all day for eternity. “Probably the same things we do now only better” she would brightly say and break out in song “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue….”

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What about you? Do you ever feel like you are waiting to go home? This world, like a vacation, is nice for a while, but your heart is yearning for someplace better. It is homesick. I know I am. Vacations are wonderful. This world is a nice place, too, but Heaven is our home. Our Father is there. Jesus is there. Our family should be, too. We have a home there.

Gather your treasures and pack for your trip home. What will you take? There aren’t a lot of things allowed. The main thing on your list should be loved ones. Make sure you have shared Jesus and His salvation with your family and friends. You will want to see them after your vacation or theirs.

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“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” Hebrews 13:14

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2-3

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Let’s Talk About it. . .

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Well, top of the mornin’ to ya and Happy St. Patty’s Day! ‘‘Tis the day everyone claims to be at least a wee bit Irish, What about you? Are you really of Irish decent or just Irish today?

When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, He was the Way or rainbow to my riches. I followed Him. My gold happens to be where Jesus prepared a place for me at the end of my earthly life – in Heaven. That is where my heart is, too. In Heaven the Bible says there will be beautiful streets of gold. My saved loved ones will be there. There will be no more sickness, no more death, no more tears. My Savior, Jesus, is there. Our Almighty God, my Maker, is there. Talk about hitting the jackpot or pot of gold! That is everything I could ever want. Wow, no riches can compare to that. None. So what about you? Where is your pot of gold?

Traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day Dish

Irish Colcannon, an Irish Treasured Dish

Drain the potatoes and add the butter and cream or milk, mashing it to silky smoothness—unless you left the skins on, then almost silky smoothness.

Add the onion, cabbage mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot. Enjoy this Irish classic dish.