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Book Review Archives
Title: Fireflies
Author: W.L. Hughen
Publisher: W.L. Hughen
Genre: Inspirational
ISBN: 1-59872-234-4
Reviewer: Linda Germain
Available Through: The Author. For details, please visit the FaithWriters' Marketplace http://www.faithwriters.com/Marketplace
/books.php
In all honesty, when I first saw this little book of over 400 sayings, I settled down to what I figured was going to be a quiet evening of reading all the admonitions and inspirational encouragements we have seen most of our lives. Just goes to show that we should "never judge a book by its cover!"
Mr. Hughen recalled happy, firefly-catching memories in the summers at his grandparents' home. These tiny, bio-luminescent bugs held a great fascination for him. He likened them to moments of light and inspiration, thus the title for this precious book.
Fireflies almost reads like Proverbs in its gentle reminders--in fact, some would be right at home in a frame on the wall. However, on further inspection, these sayings also hold deep and powerful truths.
Page 58 shifts gears in a big and surprising way, as the author shares his testimony in an effort to bring hope to others. First, his beloved wife of many years was stricken with a rare and fatal illness. A few years later, Mr. Hughen was diagnosed with an incurable disease. As a result, he suffered pain, multiple hospitalizations, and the loss of most of his possessions--including his house, for which he had worked so hard. Then his daughter passed away suddenly with a brain aneurysm at the age of 44.
Later, the author married a woman from Russia. During that time, his other daughter died of a lung embolism. She was 42. Three months later, his stepdaughter died with hepatitis. The final blow came after all his assets were gone and his lovely second wife and her son moved out. It was at this point that Mr. Hughen quite frankly admits that he wanted to die.
At this lowest of points, his wonderful sister and brother-in-law, retired missionaries, came to his rescue. Mr. Hughen now resides across the street from this couple, and says that he is happy, content, and at peace with God. He has discovered the computer, which has connected him to cyber-friends--not to mention being a great asset as a writing tool.
After reading the author's heart-wrenching testimony, which caused this reviewer to weep copious amounts, I turned the page to find another nugget of wisdom under the title, "A Clear and Present Danger," in which Mr. Hughen reminds us of life's uncertainty in these end times of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. He wrote:
"With all these things being paraded before us daily, where can we go? Is there peace and refuge to be found anywhere? YES! The answer is a reverberating YES!"
That encouraging pronouncement was followed by:
"It is in God, and Him alone that we can find peace, hope and comfort. It is available to all."
Having had my socks blessed off by Mr. Hughen, I couldn't imagine there would be more, but I read on…
He then very succinctly threw in three pages about the Ten Commandments not just being a bunch of rules, but rather a serious guideline to help us know how to live. He contends that he has heard of no one whose life has been damaged by them. I have to agree. On page 71 he suggests that most of us know how many vitamins we need for a healthy body, but would have no clue what a minimum daily requirement of spiritual food would be. The whole premise is: Put God first and the rest will follow.
He ends this wonderful little book with a page entitled I'm Coming Home. He declares there are no sweeter words, and exhorts all who read this book to consider the invitation Jesus gives with outstretched arms as He waits for us to sincerely and simply accept what He has done for us. After all, we may not have tomorrow.
This obviously wise, mature, and intelligent man of God has a lot to say that is worth reading. "The truth," he writes, "is like a light in the darkness. When it is gone, all that's left is darkness." I challenge you to think on that the next time you see a firefly. I know I will.
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