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Christianbook.com"L.L. Barkat tells a painful story of abuse and loss. But it is not her story but God's story that takes center stage in this remarkable book. The beautiful and intelligent writing will pull you in, but the deep and uncommon insights will keep you reading. Here is a book full of the wisdom which can only come when real life meets God's grace through God's Word. It is a book meant to be read slowly."
—Steve Hayner, Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Columbia Theological Seminary
"With a storyteller's charm and a Bible teacher's grit, L. L. Barkat weaves memoir, humor and spiritual insight together into a satisfying read. She challenges us to open our eyes anew to the amazing graces God lavishes upon us every day, in ordinary and surprising ways."
—Edward Gilbreath, author of Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity
"You are holding an invitation to a table set for two--you and L. L. Barkat. At this table, near a river in my mind's imagination, she will tell you her story of faith. You may not even notice the river, for the storytelling will lift you into a life of faith that will not lead you to gaze at her but to enjoy the same life of faith. The only writer I know quite like Barkat is Eugene Peterson. That probably tells you all you need to know."
—Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed
"Stone Crossings walks the reader through the foggy landscapes of life, arriving at subtle moments of true grace. Barkat's courageous, unblinking honesty is a gift, a gift offered in gentle, delicate, literary prose."
—Don Everts, author of Jesus with Dirty Feet and God in the Flesh
"[O]ne of the best books I've read in a while. . . . This glorious book is thoughtful without being laborious, literate without being self-conscious. [Barkat] has a great eye for details, and a luminous style that revels in God's presence in the day-to-day."
—Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Booknotes Blog, March 24, 2008
A charming and inspirational story all the way through, Stone Crossings is a top pick for community library memoir collections and for anyone who also needs something to hold on to.
—James A. Cox The Midwest Book Review, July 2008
You'll need a hot pot of tea or coffee and a quiet hour for this. . .you'll not want to leave when it is over either. It is all wonderful, thoughtful, engaging. You don't leave the book feeling preached at - if anything you feel inspired to go deeper in your own walk of faith.
—Memoria Arts blog, July 28, 2008
This glorious book is thoughtful without being laborious, literate without being self-conscious. She has a great eye for details, and a luminous style that revels in God's presence in the day-to-day. It isn't too far off when Scot McKnight (on the back cover) likens her to Eugene Peterson. This is a perfect book for Eastertide; it is real, hard, and yet, gently triumphant. God is at work among His people, slowly, but surely. Stone Crossings chronicles this joyful, good, truth--graciously and helpfully.
—Byron Borger, Catapult Magazine (catapultmagazine.com), Vol. 8, Num. 8
Her writing is somber in tone, lyrical in places, and--to this reader--reminiscent of the prose of Annie Dillard. It is often laced with a quiet humor that itself seems like a kind of grace. An excellent subject for a small group study.
—Monica Tenney, Congregational Libraries Today, second issue 2009