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Notes from the Margins: Healing Conversations with God
Written by Alane Pearce, Notes from the Margins is a heartfelt account of the author's journey through sorrow, pain and suffering. She takes the reader through every emotion that she felt; as she dealt with the deep emotional reality of losing her newborn son, nearly losing her life three times, and losing seven early pregnancies. Alane Pearce weaves meaning into each trial that she faced, embracing the reality of her experiences and letting God get the glory for the work that He did in her through the times of sorrow. Her message is one of encouragement, inspiration, humility and joy. Anyone struggling with life's tough Why me? Where is God? Is there hope? How can I move on? will find hope in this book. This book will touch those who have ever experienced loss, suffered from grief or wondered where God was in the midst of trial.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2009
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 12, 2022
As another parent who has lost a child, and written a book about it, I found Notes from the Margin a moving and inspirational gift.
Alane Pearce bared her soul sharing her suffering, and God’s lessons in a heartfelt story to benefit us.
Notes from the Margin will help anyone facing one of life’s challenges. It is bolstered with extensive and comforting Scripture, and a study section for deeper impact.
I highly recommend this valuable read and wonderful gift for others.
- Richard V. Battle, author of Surviving Grief by God’s Grace
Alane Pearce bared her soul sharing her suffering, and God’s lessons in a heartfelt story to benefit us.
Notes from the Margin will help anyone facing one of life’s challenges. It is bolstered with extensive and comforting Scripture, and a study section for deeper impact.
I highly recommend this valuable read and wonderful gift for others.
- Richard V. Battle, author of Surviving Grief by God’s Grace
February 13, 2012
When I mentioned to Alane Pearce that I was going to be reading her book Notes from the Margins: Healing Conversations with God during a layover in an airport, she told me to bring Kleenex. I read a lot of touching stories and I felt like I could probably handle reading a book without crying. But let me tell you, I soaked those tiny travel Kleenexes. You could have wrung tears from them.
“Why on earth would I want to read a book that makes me cry?” some of you may be asking right about now. I’ll tell you why. You have to understand that while I cried from deep sorrow for Alane at the beginning of the book (in the airport), the next time I cried, they were the tears that come from witnessing an amazing, supernatural rebirth and hope that goes beyond human capabilities.
Let me explain: Alane Pearce, a military wife, endured five years of incredible loss and unfathomable (at least to me) grief. She lost her babies, and almost lost her life more than once. Notes from the Margins explores her counseling sessions between herself and God, using the ingenius method of writing and revisiting notes she had jotted down in the margins of her Bible.
And though Alane went through a very dark period of time and had a crisis of faith, she came out on the other side of it with a faith stronger than it had ever been before. Her story of loss and grief is raw and palpable. When you read it, your heart just might ache with the weight of sorrow, like mine did. But Alane doesn’t leave you there. Using a healthy dose of Scripture, she brings you with her on the journey to the other side.
For just a taste, here is an excerpt from p. 59:
"My faith was sripped down to nothing . . . I couldn’t base it on what God was doing for me because I didn’t like what he was doing. So why did I believe in God? Was it because I was raised in church? Maybe, but that is not a strong enough reason to choose God in a crisis. Was it because he called me to faith? Yes–God calls us and equips us through the Holy Spirit. Was it because he always gives me good things? No, he hadn’t always given me good things, but he did send us the best thing 2000 years ago. Finally, I came to my conclusion; I love God because he sent his son Jesus to be a sacrifice for my sins so I might have a repaired relationship with him and live eternally with him in heaven. Isn’t that enough?"
Yes, that’s enough. But that’s not all God did for Alane. By the end of the book, you will find yourself reading the most hope-filled words from a woman convinced that God does indeed create beauty from ashes. Alane’s time of grief has been redeemed. And what’s even greater about this book: it’s not all about Alane! It could be, but she speaks to you, the reader, and helps you through your own time in the desert.
Notes from the Margins is hands-down one of the most moving, powerful and personal accounts of pain and healing I have ever read. It is a life-changing, life-giving book.
“Why on earth would I want to read a book that makes me cry?” some of you may be asking right about now. I’ll tell you why. You have to understand that while I cried from deep sorrow for Alane at the beginning of the book (in the airport), the next time I cried, they were the tears that come from witnessing an amazing, supernatural rebirth and hope that goes beyond human capabilities.
Let me explain: Alane Pearce, a military wife, endured five years of incredible loss and unfathomable (at least to me) grief. She lost her babies, and almost lost her life more than once. Notes from the Margins explores her counseling sessions between herself and God, using the ingenius method of writing and revisiting notes she had jotted down in the margins of her Bible.
And though Alane went through a very dark period of time and had a crisis of faith, she came out on the other side of it with a faith stronger than it had ever been before. Her story of loss and grief is raw and palpable. When you read it, your heart just might ache with the weight of sorrow, like mine did. But Alane doesn’t leave you there. Using a healthy dose of Scripture, she brings you with her on the journey to the other side.
For just a taste, here is an excerpt from p. 59:
"My faith was sripped down to nothing . . . I couldn’t base it on what God was doing for me because I didn’t like what he was doing. So why did I believe in God? Was it because I was raised in church? Maybe, but that is not a strong enough reason to choose God in a crisis. Was it because he called me to faith? Yes–God calls us and equips us through the Holy Spirit. Was it because he always gives me good things? No, he hadn’t always given me good things, but he did send us the best thing 2000 years ago. Finally, I came to my conclusion; I love God because he sent his son Jesus to be a sacrifice for my sins so I might have a repaired relationship with him and live eternally with him in heaven. Isn’t that enough?"
Yes, that’s enough. But that’s not all God did for Alane. By the end of the book, you will find yourself reading the most hope-filled words from a woman convinced that God does indeed create beauty from ashes. Alane’s time of grief has been redeemed. And what’s even greater about this book: it’s not all about Alane! It could be, but she speaks to you, the reader, and helps you through your own time in the desert.
Notes from the Margins is hands-down one of the most moving, powerful and personal accounts of pain and healing I have ever read. It is a life-changing, life-giving book.
November 28, 2014
Beautifully written book of the hardest times in life followed by hope and healing. Alane is an amazing author and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews