Scouting the Divine

By Margaret Feinberg

Zondervan; 221 pages; hardcover

A friend of Foursquare for a number of years, Margaret Feinberg most recently shared her faith, her gift of storytelling, and her desire for an authentic relationship with God during the 2009 Foursquare Women's National Gathering in Atlanta.

The author and speaker continues her journey of faith as she explores the richness of God's Word in Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey. In this introspective text with the feel of a devotional, Feinberg's word choices and transparency of feeling make readers feel like they are right alongside her as she interviews her subjects and, in turn, experiences Scripture through the lives of a modern shepherdess, a farmer, a beekeeper and a winemaker.

Ancient biblical professions set in modern society provide a colorful backdrop for Feinberg's introspection. The section featuring the shepherdess, Lynne, helps readers more fully understand how Jesus really is the Good Shepherd. Feinberg's dialogue with Joe, a Nebraskan farmer, reveals how Father God deserves the first fruits of everything—not only of produce and livestock, but also of human hearts. A beekeeper from Colorado imparts unwavering faith in God's miraculous design and supreme wisdom in even the smallest details of creation. Feinberg's time with Kristoff, a winemaker from California, serves as a strong metaphor for believers' lives being inseparably connected to and found in Christ.

Pastors will certainly find this book to be a personally inspirational resource with significant, Christ-centered devotional themes. The textual themes would lend themselves well to sermon preparation in conjunction with other scholarly resources. This book would also be useful for small group studies.

How to get this resource

This book is available at your local Christian bookstore, or at your favorite online book retailer.

Reviewed by: Callie Campbell, LifeGroup pastor and director of ministry operations at Living Way Foursquare Church, New Buffalo, Mich.