Neumark

so far i really like heidi neumark. her book reminds me a lot of the long loneliness and irresistible revolution. she has the calm and simple kindness of dorothy day, yet the intense passion of shane claiborne. neumark coming to the bronx reminded me of when claiborne goes to the leper colony; they both go to places where the people are neglected and in desperate need of help to care for them and show them that they are loved. but what sets heidi neumark's book apart from day's and claiborne's is how personal it is. she uses stories of people from the bible to tell the stories of these men and women that she meets, which not only helps describe the people but also makes the people in the bible seem more relatable. neumark talks about when they were discussing rahab, who was often perceived as a prostitute, in a bible study one time and a woman who was a prostitute herself, excitedly commented, "I never knew the bible was about us!" one of my favorite stories she tells is that of the widow and burnice. neumark sets the scene with the story of the widow that elijah encounters. her story completely amazed me because of how much trust and strength she had in her faith. "raising the dead required a single act of trust and prayer from elijah. raising a child requires countless acts of trust and constant prayer, especially for a single mother faced with famine." like this widow, burnice inspired me so much. this woman has had a series of men batter her heart and break her bones yet she never loses her faith and remains strong for her children. reading the stories of these people who have suffered so much really makes our lives look pretty good. it really put things in perspective for me. "There are ups and there are downs, but burnice has not closed her hands. she hasn't let go of her children. nor has she let go of her dreams."