Scouting the Divine

Three years ago Anita and I were on an Alaskan cruise. Anita had arranged for us to meet one of her Midday guests when we docked in Juneau, That's where I met Margaret Feinberg and her husband Leif Oines. They gave us an 'insiders' tour of Juneau and beyond. They took us to the Mendenhall Glacier, gave us the scoop on how one survives and thrives in Alaska and then brought us to their home where we ate fresh crab and steak and all the fixins'. We talked. Got to know each other. It beat anything the cruise line was offering.

After meeting Margaret I started to read her books. First, Organic God and then Sacred Echo. Loved them both. I know, for sure, I've give away over 25 copies of Organic God to people. So, I'm a fan. I think Margaret is an important voice in today's world.

One of the perks of being married to Anita is that we get advance copies of books. Recently, she threw me a copy of Margaret's newest called Scouting the Divine. As I recall she warned me not to lose it or give it away because she definitely wanted to read it.

I highly recommend this book. Here's why. Margaret loves God. She's real. She understands people. She writes really well. Her stuff helps grow a mature Christian and is accessible to those who are just 'looking around'. Scouting the Divine has Margaret and Leif traveling to visit people who do all those interesting things people in the Bible did. Margaret met a shepherdess in Oregon, walked the fields with a Nebraska farmer, picked grapes in the wine country of California, and hung up with a Colorado bee keeper. Margaret calls Scouting the Divine "an intentional search for spiritual things that can be touched, tasted, heard, seen, smelled and savored." She's hoping that we'll be inspired to 'scout for the divine' in our own lives.

Now here's what's cool about this book. After reading it the Bible comes alive in fresh ways. That's always good. But you also walk away with a deeper appreciation for the lives of those who do ordinary things well and with deep heart conviction. You end up with this intense appreciation for the people Margaret and Leif met and a sense of thankfulness for the work they do. There were some real 'God moments' for me in every chapter.

I'll read this book again. Probably use it with a small group.

Pick it up. Buy a few extra copies. You'll want to give them away to friends.

You can find Scouting the Divine at www.amazon.com or www.margaretfeinberg.com