Blogging With Carol: Unwrapping Wonder by Carol O'Casey

Unwrapping Wonder is so much more than you can tell from this cover, or these descriptions below! Frankly, this book is an amazing devotional in disguise. I too have always been very involved with things God made, and like this author Carol, I too had pet crickets! Oh, not because I didn't have other pets, I did, but because I was working on my own cricket breeding program. Imagine my joy in reading the first few chapters about this woman who is a Pastor's wife, but who didn't loose her joy of the little things.

My degrees are different than Carol O'Casey's, but at the same time what I have done with some of my critters, my love for the ocean things, and more made this book a PERFECT fit for me! However, you need to understand that this book isn't one to race through. It is meant to be read and "savored". It is a pleasure to read, and I am so glad I have a copy to enjoy frequently as time permits.

You are really going to enjoy this book!

Carol :)

Categories: Nature Studies/ God & Creation/ Spiritual Growth
Price: $17.99

Heeding technology's cry to "get connected" can result in overloaded circuits of the mind. Frenetic connections can cause frazzled lives.

Step outside to cultivate a connection with creation and deepen your relationship with the Creator.

Unwrapping Wonder offers a delightful mix of natural history, human story, and God's glory. Each chapter "unwraps" one object of nature such as the barnacle, the honey bee, the tiniest seed. As readers peer within these gifts, they discover more of nature, God, and themselves.

This book is for individuals, families and groups who enjoy learning about creation and getting to know the Creator better through the wonders he has made, and those looking for hope in a hectic world. It will help restore the reader's soul.

Each chapter includes:

The Wonder Introduced - through anecdote, natural history, or life story.
The Wonder Unwrapped - minute hidden details revealed and explained in everyday terms.
The Wonder Applied - Practical, spiritual lessons for daily living.
Promise of Hope: Relevant Scripture to inspire hope.
"Wondercise": A short, hands-on nature activity designed to awaken heart, mind and soul to the wonder of creation and give praise to the Creator.

AUTHOR BIO:

Carol O'Casey has spent years in the field - literally - from cataloging plants high in the mountains of Southern California to mucking through mud monitoring shorebirds on the coast of Washington state. She has taught science to college students and also to sixth graders. She and her husband, a pastor and Christian college professor, live in Oregon. They are the parents of three grown children. Carol's passion is expounding the wonders tucked in the cathedrals of God's wilds. She teaches "Wonder Workshops" and speaks at retreats. Learn more at http://thedivinenatureproject.com/

AUTHOR PHOTO:

Q/A WITH THE AUTHOR:

Good morning, Carol. Thanks for meeting with us. We'd love to get a glimpse into the personal passions that motivated you to write this delightful book, Unwrapping Wonder. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a field biologist. I love being outdoors. I feel most alive in God's natural cathedral52;the wilds. And I'm a bit of a field guide addict. I collect guide books because I love to read about nature 51;from birds, bugs and butterflies to trees, leaves, flowers and fish. I want to know what makes these things tick. I want to unwrap the wonder of each and learn how they live. Field guides help me to do that. But many of them lack an element that's important to me.

Let me explain. My aunt is a tour guide to art at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. As a guide, my aunt not only talks about the painting, but she discusses the artist. I consider nature to be God's living museum of sorts, filled with His artworks. I want to discuss both the art and the artist. I wrote Unwrapping Wonder so the reader can explore the natural science of the bird, the butterfly, the leaf, the tree, as well as connect with the Master craftsman and learn a hope-filled lesson for everyday life.

You use this phrase as your tag line: Discover More about God, Nature and Self ~ One Wonder at a time. Can you explain how Unwrapping Wonder will help the reader discover more about God?

Each chapter of the book explores one object from nature. By studying these wonders as we peer inside the layers of a leaf, unwrap the wonder of a seed, or investigate the bee and its abilities we discover that God is able ... He's able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine.

What will a reader discover about nature from Unwrapping Wonder?

For starters:

How a butterfly wing gets its color.
Where a dragonfly spends it's "childhood."
What cell of a plant has no nucleus and why that's important.
What a leaf scar is and why it is critical to the life of the plant.
How a sand dollar moves--and why?
How a barnacle is able to withstand crashing waves.
What exactly goes on under the bark of a tree.
I could go on, but I'll let you discover the rest70;
Finally, what can a reader expect to discover about herself (or himself) from nature?

Nature has taught me many lessons. One is that I don't have to have life all figured out. I only need to follow the One who does. Too often, I try to depend on myself to solve life's problems, instead of looking to the birds and lilies of the field52;as Jesus advises in Matthew 6:26-30. When I do, I discover that God takes care of their needs. Because of that, I can trust Him with all of my cares and concerns.

And to my readers I'll say this: I'd love to hear about your own discoveries! After reading Unwrapping Wonder, please visit my website: www.divinenatureproject.com to contact me and share your discoveries.

Thanks again, Carol, for joining us today.

Thank you. Now, go wonder!

UNWRAPPING WONDER: Finding Hope in the Gift of Nature

by Carol O'Casey

Trade Paperback

224 pgs / 6" x 9"

Illustrated: original drawings by Matthew Kondratieff

ISBN 9780981892986

"A gem of a book.... Carol O'Casey's use of metaphors that link the nuances of nature to our spiritual growth makes this a self-enriching treasure and a wonderful book for meaningful group studies." ~ Kim Patten, Ph.D, professor, Washington State University

"Carol O'Casey beckons us to consider the wonders of God's creation. To savor, to relish, to partake, to revel in: in this hurried life do we make the time to do such things? Take up the challenge. Each chapter is an event well worth it." ~Dennis Ellingson, author of God's Healing Herbs and God's Wild Herbs

"From the perspective of a person who has always been fascinated by the details of nature (God's design and workmanship are astounding), I recommend this book to anyone who needs to slow down and be reminded of this amazing planet we get to live on." ~ Michele R. Myers, photographer, hiker, nature enthusiast, BA in Environmental Studies