Tuesday, November 02, 2010



The Skin Map:
The Bright Empires Series - Book One
by
Stephen R Lawhead

Blog Tour - Day 2

Grow Where You Are Planted or
Things Happen Because of a Grand Plan





(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

The Skin Map - available from:
Author Webpage:
Stephen R Lawheadhttp://www.stephenlawhead.com/


I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Skin Map
for this blog tour


One of the spiritual themes I liked in the Skin Map is the concept that everything works according to a celestial plan. When Kit's former girlfriend, Wilhelmina, is dropped into a strange world and time she thinks everything is horrible thanks to Kit sending her to a such a cold, muddy place. In her time she was a baker's assistant and endured the work as best she could.
She meets Englebert Stifflebeam, or Etzel as he prefers, who is on his way to Prague in 1606 to open a bakery. When Etzel finds out she knows how to bake, he tells Mina - her nickname - that God's providence brought them together at that time. She scoffs at first, but finds in Etzel a strong faith in God and patience that she needs, and Etzel finds the business sense and baking skills he needs. Over time, Mina admits to herself that she is far happier than she ever was in London, even without modern conveniences.
Kit the Questor-in-training learns from his great-grandfather that all things work with a purpose toward a final goal. Through harrowing experiences Kit also gains a faith in God as he learns to trust in a higher power, rather than believe his life existed at the whim of fate. The Skin Map shows but a small portion of this great causeway though space and time, and the reader will gain a idea of Creation's vastness. Kit also learns that the choices we make can have far reaching consequences. A kind gift of bread by Cosmo, Kit's great-grandfather, to a poor lady may have averted the Great London Fire. But Kit is warned that Wilhelmina may inadvertently grave affect another time stream.


Our lives are like Kit's interactions with the past. Our choices and actions do ripple out like a stone cast into a quiet pond, influencing everything we come into contact with; directly or indirectly. When we chose to follow the right path, our influences can provide a long term positive effect for others.

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