I recently had the joy of reading Atlas Girl by Emily T. Wierenga. It was a wonderful book, from the time I opened the front cover, till I closed the back cover. You can read my review here. You can buy no better book for a summer read than this one and all proceeds go to support The Lulu Tree, which you can read about here.

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Combine a good read with a link up I love to participate in (Thought Provoking Thursday) and you get this post. Atlas Girl made me laugh and cry {{a lot}} and mostly provoked me to think {{even more than I cried}}. So here are TEN quotes from Emily which made me close the book and think for a bit …..

• “Funny how wonder and grief go together.” (page 16)  … Having just lost my mother-in-law three months ago, it’s true. Grief has a way of causing you to wonder about God and the way in which He works in lives. Grief will bring you to a new level of appreciation for God and wondering how anyone survives life without Him.
• “I saw God for who he was. He was grace.” (page 48) … God will show up in unlikely places, sprinkled throughout your life. As I thought back, I began to see Him in the faces of special people throughout the course of my life. He has been there all along.
• “My doubts disappeared in light of a God who was bigger than all of my questions.” (page 57) … I closed the book here as I found myself humming Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, (Look Up) by Nicole Nordeman.
• “That’s life and faith too. Messy, blurred and beautiful.” (page 67) … Maybe it is meant to be this way by design. His design. Perhaps when the three converge, we see Him best.
• “Because don’t we always call our mothers when life throws us down?” (page 89) …. Absolutely!!! I still do. I have no idea what I will do when the day comes that I am unable to do this. No relationship on earth is more precious than the one I have with my mom.
• “I know who I am,” he said. “That’s all that matters. Do you know who you are?” (page 98) … Simple enough question. Sure made me think, long and deep, do I?
• “Sometimes, when we surrender our greatest longings – he gives them back.” (page 109) … Surrender. Why is it so hard?
• “The kitchen table is the heart of the home, the place where nourishment happens – both spiritual and physical.” (page 144) … I had to stop and think about what takes place in my kitchen, at my table. And Sunday, as we were all gathered for Sunday dinner, I had to ask one question and go around the table and listen to each ones’ response. Warning to my family ** this may become a common occurrence at our table **
• “It just takes one person, believing in you. It just takes one person, loving on you. That’s all it takes to change the world.” (page 203) … May we love one person. And change the world, one person at a time. We can each be game changers!
• “It’s not about dying and someday going to heaven, it’s about inviting heaven into our everyday existence.” (page 226) … I want to invite heaven into my every day. Now that would be really living. It would be eternal living which begins in this temporal, fleeting life.

There you have it – ten thoughts provoked by Emily. It was difficult to narrow it down to just ten.

So which thought most provoked you to think a little bit more? Let me know and maybe one of you will get a copy sent to you. Just saying … it may be a giveaway 🙂

Today I am linking with … Thought Provoking Thurs. and Tell His Story and Quitting Thurs. and Thurs. Favorite Things and Thrive at Home and Booknificent Thurs. and First Friday Book Faves .