A pastor’s wife, Val McCray offers readers a compilation of her many years of study and Christian service in her 52-week devotional A Proven Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
Each of the short, but powerful “parables” offered here draws on biblical scripture and the author’s own experiences and insights to bring encouragement, enlightenment, and occasionally a bit of admonishment to her audience. “Whether you are currently in the middle of a midnight-hour experience, enjoying a gumbo life, or living life responsibly, this book is for you,”
she writes in the introduction.
McCray covers a gamut of topics for Christians, ranging from authenticity and stewardship to forgiveness, gratitude, and jubilance in praising God. The titles of her entries are clever, even comical at times, and invoke a desire to find out what she has to say on each topic. Examples are: “The Church Ain’t No Library,” in which she reminds believers that if they have been “snatched from Satan’s grip,” they should make some noise over it, and that their praise should be “powerful enough to shake the shingles!; “Weapon of Mass Destruction,” in which McCray encourages readers to use their faith against fear; and “Who Stopped the Music?” where she advises that during seasons of change, we have a Heavenly Father who is always willing to listen to our pleas.
The author’s style is open and conversational, often peppered with anecdotes from her southern, African-American heritage. The book is well edited and organized in such a way that it can be picked up and enjoyed in just a few minutes. In sum, readers seeking spiritual inspiration and refreshment will undoubtedly find it in the pages of A Proven Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
Also available as an ebook.
