Book Review {Heaven Is For Real, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years}

Heaven Is For Real (Todd Burpo) is the story of four-year Colton Burpo's purported experience in heaven.  As retold by his father, Colton had a near-death experience after a ruptured appendix was mis-diagnosed.  This account is interesting in that the parents took great care not to impose their own biblical knowledge on Colton's narration of his experience.  It is amazing to read how the little boy's encounter verified and aligned with what Scripture says about heaven, many facts of which a preschooler would be utterly ignorant. While the book should certainly not be taken as gospel, this was a fun and faith-affirming book.













A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller is part-memoir, part-muse about life, faith, and our purpose here. Mr. Miller tells of his epiphany as movie makers try to craft a story line from his life.  With a lack of real substance, they fictionalize his life in an attempt to make it interesting.  This experience sends Mr. Miller on a quest to discover the secret behind a good story. The basic premise of the book is that each person, as they live their life, is making decisions based on what they believe and the story they want their life to tell.  Most people choose the path of least resistance to a selfish life of comfort and ultimately, boredom and lack of fulfillment and purpose.  Those who step out and pursue hard things and big goals are those who experience vulnerability, hardship, and pain, but also betterment, satisfaction, and peace. While traversing through Mr. Miller's personal life journey, he shares with the reader what he learned about the elements of  a good story.  A sensational wordsmith, Mr. Miller will make you laugh and cry, and draw you into his story and somehow make it yours.  He is brutally honest and at times, a bit crass; he also addresses a few adult topics that would be best suited for a mature audience.  He appears to be a sincere seeker of truth, a believer in God and the truth of his Word.  All in all, this was a great read; it held my attention and yet challenged me to re-consider how I'm writing my story.

Book Review {Power of a Praying Parent, Crazy Love}

Last month, I read the Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian.  What I liked about the book--Mrs. Omartian brings new depth and breadth to praying for your children.  Every chapter (I think there were over 20!) covers a topic or area in which you can pray for your children.  I love how she developed the point that if you begin to worry about something in your child's life, you should take that as a prompting to pray for your child in that area.  I also liked how she reminds us as parents that we know our children best and we are the guardian of our children's souls, and as such, we are responsible to bathe them in prayer.  If we believe God answers prayer, then we should practice it.  I loved how each chapter ended with Scripture verses supporting each area of prayer. What I didn't like--I didn't care for the tone of the book....almost as if we could bend God to do our bidding if we only say it often enough or specific enough. I felt as if this book on prayer was more about trying to control what happens in your child's life.  Certainly there is balance here, and we must trust our Heavenly Father that His way is best. Perhaps a bit nit-picky, but I didn't like how each chapter gave a sample prayer.  God seeks a relationship with us, and He is not just a genie to whom we make requests.  All in all, this book was just okay.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan is a powerful book about the astounding love of God and a Biblical synopsis of what our lives ought to look like in response to that passion.  If you have ever wondered if there was more to the Christian life than what you are currently living, this book will challenge you.  The first three chapters of the book are dedicated to describing the infinite and unimaginable scope of God's love for us.  The rest of the book is a examination of how most Christians live compared to what the Bible says.  He deals with hard issues, like challenging the existence of lukewarm Christians and offering a Biblical view of the American way of life. He finishes the book with a chapter of modern examples of those who have moved towards pursuing a passionate life for Christ.  I loved Mr. Chan's honesty and clarity, mostly because he used Scripture to lovingly call the church to a deeper love for Jesus.  I would highly recommend this book.

Book Review {The Prodigal God, Ten Habits of Happy Mothers, Shift}

The Prodigal God is the provocative title of Tim Keller's latest best-selling book.  To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of a "spiritual" book that made the best-seller list.  Within the first chapter, my skepticism faded into anticipation.  This book brings a fresh application of the parable of the prodigal son as the story of two types of wayward people.   His focus on God the Father's love and grace is reassuring.  Mr. Keller defines the word prodigal as extravagant and shows just how fitly it describes the Father's love for us.  Beginning with the younger son, he delves into the text, culture and time period to flesh out the gravity of the younger brother's initial decision and eventual return.  He compares him to the irreligious of today who seek out the lust of the flesh and eyes to fulfill their lack of fellowship with the Father. Mr. Keller then focuses on the older brother as the real castaway.  The nuances of mannerism and conversation are captured and expounded in an unmistakable description of  today's religious.  The religious are ardent and faithful in their duties and practices, but their motives are as skewed as the younger brother.  Through the elder brother's angry answers, he shows how his true purpose of service was not fellowship with the Father but manipulation and expectation of favor. The parable's abrupt end leaves the elder brother's fate in obvious question.  I would recommend this book.  It reminded me of God's amazing love for me and his desire for fellowship with me.  It convicted me of my motives in service and my judgments of others.

Ten Habits of Happy Mothers by Meg Meeker is exactly what the title implies.  Dr. Meeker, a pediatrician, systematically shares ten habits that she has consistently seen in those mothers who find true fulfillment in their role. I love the order of this book.  She shares each habit, describes it, gives a real-life illustration, then provides practical suggestions for making the habit stick.  Dr. Meeker writes from a Christian perspective but attempts to appeal to a broad audience.  Two areas were especially helpful for me; the subject of hope--she reminds us that life is beyond our control, and when we release our efforts to take control, we can relax and trust the One who truly does control our life.  The other area that helped me was her description of anxiety and overcoming.  I realized I had succumbed to some of the mindset that leads to poor mental health, so I have been waging war on those thoughts.  To be honest, parts of the book dragged a little for me, but I think it was mostly due to the season of life that I'm currently experiencing.  I enjoyed this book, and I'm glad I read it.

Shift: How to Change Things When Change is Hard is the joint brainchild of brothers Chip and Dan Heath.  I LOVED this book.  This book was engaging, funny, and yet packed full of research studies to support their claims.  Their premise is that our minds are split by our rational thinking and our emotional feelings. Any changes that a person makes requires the cooperation of both of these forces in order for change to stick.  They describe this dichotomy of the mind as a elephant and its rider.  The rational side of the mind is the rider, who can see the direction that needs to be taken, but without the cooperation of the elephant, will have little success in getting there.  The elephant is the emotional part of our mind, which when motivated, has incredible strength, but lacks direction and fortitude. This book covers how to concisely direct the Rider and provide motivation for the Elephant.  They also discuss a third aspect of the puzzle, the Path.  They show how both Rider and Elephant are aided when the Path is clear and straight.  If you enjoy reading about how the mind works or amazing change successes, you will want to read this book.  I have second-guessed many of my prior conceptions about change.

Weekly Goals April 23 - 29

I just finished reading an inspiring book called, Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy. He begins the book by comparing those projects we procrastinate on to eating a frog.  No one wants to eat a frog, but if you must do it, don't stop and think about it, just step up and take the first bite. The book is an overview of what the author views as the 21 top tips to being more productive and tackling the big, hard projects. The gist of the 21 ideas is to find your priorities (what you alone can do and that will make the biggest impact on what you value most), write them down in order of importance, break those projects into bite-size chunks, and get busy on them. I am pretty excited to apply a few of the principles that he covers.  The book is written from a business perspective, but I think the ideas easily carry over to anyone's lifestyle, including my stay-at-home mommy career.  To be honest, overcoming procrastination and being productive really boils down to living a disciplined life, but I love the tips that he suggests to speed you towards that end.  The one I'm really going to work on right now is writing a daily list of most important tasks and tackling them first thing in the morning.

As I think about the things that I value most, they would be my faith and my family.  When I think about the things that I alone can do that will advance the values that I hold, my list becomes pretty simple.  Here's my practical list for this week:

As a mom:

• Have morning devotions with the girls every weekday.
• Have 15 minutes of school with Grace three times.
• Practice "Jesus Loves Me" with Grace and Leah every morning (for a nursing home special).
• Brush up on John 3:16 with Grace at least once a day.
• Sing/teach the girls "I May Never March in the Infantry" once a day.
• Teach Grace The Goops poem. Practice before/during lunch.

For me:

• Listen to 30 minutes of Crazy Love on four days.
• Read 1 chapter of Power of a Praying Parent each morning.
• Run twice.
• Do two weight workouts.
• Write 4 notes.
• Blog three times.
• List two items on Ebay.
• Have a date at home with Ben. (we'll probably hang out in the garage watching him work on something!)

The Money Saving Mom's Budget {Audio Book Review}

I was super excited to listen to the audio version of Crystal Paine's new book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget. I have a weekend cleaning job, so I listened to it while scrubbing toilets and mopping floors; I actually looked forward to going to work!  The ideas in this book are not rocket science, but they can be life-changing with a little vision, hard work, and perseverance.  I enjoyed listening to the audio for all the reasons that I love reading Crystal's website--she's genuine, practical, and inspiring.

Crystal systematically cover the topics of goal setting, streamlining and decluttering, budgeting, getting rid of credit cards, couponing, saving without coupons, strategic splurging, and embracing today. Each chapter is dotted with plenty of tips and reader stories to demonstrate each point.  She offers web sources and her own personal tales to round out each discussion.  I found her story in the last chapter about their financial struggles while her husband was in law school to be so inspiring.  Considering their amazing journey from dirt-poor college students to mortgage-free homeowners in just five short years is encouraging.  The audio version includes an appendix with the PDF of all the worksheets and helps that she mentions in the book.

Before even addressing the financial aspect of life, Crystal gives a holistic approach to simplifying and saving your time and resources.  I would heartily endorse her premise that we need to pare both our schedules and our living space down to the essentials, and this will ease the strain of learning to live a disciplined spending lifestyle.  Having just decluttered our house and garage, I can attest to the freedom that comes from letting go of stuff.

Crystal presented in chapter three a method for introducing a budget for your money.  Our family has never been spend crazy, but one of Crystal's suggestion really got the ball rolling for Ben and me to make and (hopefully!) stick to a budget.  I'm super excited about this new development in our finances.  The suggestion from Crystal was to think about your debt in terms of a monthly payment, rather than an overwhelming total figure--while I'd heard it before, this time I got excited and went home and DID it.  The only debt that we have is our condo mortgage, which unfortunately is now more than the current value of the property due to the decline in the market and recent flooding issues.  We would love to sell, but we have very little wiggle room for negotiation.  Using this mortgage calculator, I calculated how long it would take us to pay down/off our mortgage if we throw our every bit of extra money after we take of the essentials.  Realistically, we could pay off our home in as little as 6 years!  This is amazing and motivating to both of us.  This is our first month with our new budget, and we are so pumped about the possibilities.

Crystal's final chapter on contentment is the heart of the book.  Living happily with what you have is the essence of contented living.  It makes frugal living a crusade of peace and blessing, rather than a vain pursuit of the latest and greatest for the least amount.

Celebrate with Crystal by entering her iPad2 Giveaway

RSVP to the Live Webcast Event on 4/5!

One winner will receive a brand new iPad 2 and The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine, audio edition.

Winner will be announced at The Money Saving Mom's Live Webcast Event on 4/5. 
Crystal will be hosting an evening of chat, laughter and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll share tips and advice and her husband will be joining her to share how the principles Crystal outlines in her book have dramatically impacted their family life.

She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of The Money Saving Mom®'s Budget and join Crystal 
and friends on the evening of April 5th for an evening of fun of learning, sharing and 
encouragement.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Money Saving Mom's Budget in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review {Organized Simplicity, Kisses From Katie, Outrageous Grace}

I finished Organized Simplicity with just a day to spare.  (I'm glad it was a leap year.)  This book was another extremely practical book.  Tsh Oxenreider defines simple living as living holistically with your family's purpose and goals in life.  In other words, everything that your family has and does should be intrinsically related to your family's life pursuits.  If something doesn't fit, you should not make room for it in your home, schedule, or life.  I love this definition.  It made so much sense.  Tsh helps you identify your family's goals and distill them into a mantra for your home.  Armed with this motto, she helps you sludge through all the emotional and  physical baggage that accompanies our materialistic culture. The last half of the book includes a 10 day home organization method, as well as a sizable appendix of simple cleaning recipes and resources. Tsh blogs at Simple Mom.

Kisses From Katie is the narrative of Katie Davis, a single girl who moved to Uganda alone in 2007 at age 18 to bring the tangible love of Jesus to the unloved and fatherless.  Now 23 years old, Katie has adopted  and become the forever family and mommy to 13 orphan girls.  She also feeds, clothes, and educates hundreds of other children through her non-profit ministry, Amazima.  The beginning of the story is a little slow, but the second half of the book really captured my heart.  I was especially touched by Katie's very real dependence on her Heavenly Father for every day.  I am in awe of her heart to love, to give, to be an overflowing of the love of Christ in Third World conditions on a daily basis simply because God's Word commands us to care for the widow and fatherless.  Her relationship with Jesus was probably the single most compelling part of her story, for from this nearness springs her capacity to give when giving doesn't even seem possible, much less plausible.  As a mom of 2 little girls with every available comfort at my fingertips, I am often overwhelmed, lonely, discouraged, but I have so much available to help me with the wonderful but monumental task of motherhood--Katie doesn't have any of that, but she has Jesus.   This book challenged me to consider how much of the "essentials" with which I surround myself are really just material comforts.  It roused me to look beyond myself, to be willing to sacrifice my comfort that someone else might be able to live.  To be honest, I still can't express all that the book has awakened in my heart in terms of my responsbility before God for the truly unfortunate in this world. You can follow her current activities on her blog, Kisses from Katie.

On Sunday afternoon, I sat down to read Outrageous Grace. Three intense hours later, I finished the book.  It is the true account of Papau New Guinea missionary Bible translators Edmund and Grace Fabian. They were missionaries to the Nabak tribe, whose language was unwritten at the time of their arrival in 1967.  After 27 years of faithful service and nearing completion of their translation work of the New Testament, Grace found her husband in his translation office, an ax in the back of his head, his computer screen still open to the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13.  This story of redemption and forgiveness is simultaneously captivating and gut-wrenching.  The book would have benefited from better editing or perhaps there was just too much story to condense neatly; I struggled with unanswered questions and clarity.  However, the message of this book far outweighs whatever editorial issues it may have.  Once again, the power of Christ to enable ordinary people to accomplish incomprehensible acts of forgiveness is convicting and yet, spiritually stimulating.  You can read more about the book and author at GraceFabian.com

Book Reviews {Put More Money in Your Pocket, Honey for a Child's Heart}

I've been working away at my reading list, and here's a couple short reviews from the ones I've finished.

Put More Money In Your Pocket was a good read if you are serious about making $500-$1000 extra per month. Starting from the initial brainstorm to the first customer, this book systematically lays out a simple formula for making your money-making venture actually happen.  The author provides practical steps for any venture, including worksheets, as you progress towards making your additional monthly income a reality.

Honey For Your Child's Heart really encouraged me to take seriously how I nourish my girls' minds and hearts. As parents, we alone are responsible to develop the intellect and soul, as well as the body of our offspring. The author reminds us that our resources and time are finite, and must therefore be reserved, not just for the good, but for the best.  She contends that the best books, including the Bible and classic literature, will open the imaginative portals of your child's mind to the noble, the good, the possible in this world.  Good literature will help to establish landmarks of right and wrong, good and evil, true and false.  Furthermore, I love how she validates and supports this point: the beautiful bonds of family are built by shared moments and memories, and reading books aloud and as a family is one important way to communicate your values through your book choices.  The book is two parts: the first is Mrs. Hunt's philosophy about nourishing your children's heart; the second is her book recommendations for each age level. I have already gone to the library in pursuit of several of her book recommendations, and found them heartily satisfactory!

Reading Goals for 2012

Growing up, I was a reading fiend.  Like...stay up all night and go to school on 3 hours of sleep reading fiend.  I gorged on books at a ridiculous rate.  Becoming a mother put an immediate and unnecessary stop to that.  I just didn't know how to squeeze reading time in.  Here's a few tips to get you back to your bookworm days.

• Read in snippets -  I now try to read one chapter each morning after my quiet time in the Bible and prayer before the girls are awake.  One chapter only takes about 10 minutes or so.  The trouble is just to read one chapter and stop! 

• Multi-task -  Read when your body, hands or feet are occupied, but your mind is not. I hate working out on my stationary bike, but if my mind is occupied, I don't mind at all.  I've been reading while I work out, and now I look forward to getting on my bike.  I also throw my current book in my purse or bag when we are going to drive somewhere, as I may get a few minutes to read.

• Listen - Audio books are incredibly convenient.  I had a great time cleaning the kitchen and making Ben's lunch the other day while listening to The Five Love Languages.  Our local library system even has an digital audio book library, so I can check out, download, and listen to select titles right from home.

Here's my reading list for the year:

January - The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
                   Put More Cash In Your Pocket by Loral Langemeier


February - Honey for Your Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt
                      Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider
                    
March - The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
                 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

April - The Ten Habits of Happy Mothers by Margaret Meeker
              Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy


May - Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
             Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath
       
June - Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo
            A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller


July - Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
           Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt


August - Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelley
                   Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Margaret Meeker


September - Practical Herbalism by Philip Fritchey
                       Crazy Love by Francis Chan


October - Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
                   The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace


November - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
                        Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value by William Poundstone


December - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
                      Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

The Five Languages {Book Review}

I've always been a bit intrigued when someone mentioned the five languages of love.  I knew that the idea stemmed from a book, and I am an avid reader of books on marriage.  I really want to be "heirs of the grace of life" with Ben, and I know that I have much room for improvement.

The Five Love Languages was a pleasure to read  listen to.  I checked it out from my library as an audio book.  I loved this format!  I listened to it while doing dishes, working out, grocery shopping--anytime my body was busy, but my mind was not.

Anyways, back to the book.  It wasn't convicting like Love and Respect, but it did clarify on a practical level such bedeviling problems, such as why I ask Ben to tell me he loves me when I know he does.  Ya wanna know why?

Go read (or listen to) the book.

No, I won't be that heartless.  Well, I might be a meanie, but that would make this post a teaser, not a review.

Anyways, the five love languages are as follows:

• words of affirmation
• quality time
• gifts
• acts of service
• physical touch

Dr. Chapman begins the book with an introduction into marriage and explains the phenomena of "falling in love", the decision to love, and the difference between the two.  He then delves into the emotional psyche of people and how we perceive love. He shows how these perceptions can be viewed as languages; he then explains each love language, illustrates it with a real-life example from his many years of counseling, and then explains how to recognize what is your or your spouse's language.  He gives great tips at the end of each chapter about how to learn to "speak" your spouse's love language. 

I read it and shared some of the information with Ben.  He could easily identify that I perceive love through  words of affirmation and quality time.  The jury is still out on his love language, but I'm thinking quality time may be his.

I would recommend this book to any married person.  In an extremely practical way, this book will show you how to truly help your spouse have a "love tank" that overflows.  The benefit of filling your spouse's love tank is that they will likely reciprocate!

What's for Dinner? {Book Review}

I just finished a great book, The Hour that Matters Most, about the value of the family dinner hour.  Really, it's about much more than sitting down as a family to eat a meal.  Through clinical studies and personal anecdotes, they present the value of making home an emotional and mental safe haven for your family.  They also provide valuable advice and tips to help your home become a place of refuge.

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrot, award-winning relationship authors, wrote this book along with the co-founders of Dream Dinners. They offer a lot of expert advice on relevant family issues, such as dealing with conflict and instilling good manners and core values in our children.  Practical advice, like meal planning and preparation and conversation starters, is also included.

Our children are still young, so eating together at home is not an effort, but it is something we want to be important even when it isn't convenient. Of course, eating a family meal is outward manifestation of a inner resolve to make the home a sanctuary from the world. While the authors only briefly discuss the topic of having a relationship with God, we believe He is the foundation of a good home.  Teaching our girls about Him and a relationship with Him is the central value that we wish to instill in them.  Outside of this book, I have come to understand that you can train your children to be obedient and disciplined, but if you don't have their heart and trust, you've missed the more important aspect of imparting your core values.

I found good, sound advice for reaching my girls' hearts and developing and keeping trust with them.    The tidbits of wisdom generously sprinkled throughout the book gave me many "A-ha!" moments.  Having a relationship where communication is open, honest, and trusting between each member of the family is the gateway to developing a home atmosphere of peace, love, laughter, and gratitude.  There is a practical chapter at the end of the book on starting your own fix-and-freeze club for busy moms that meet and cook up make-ahead meals that I found helpful, as well as some really great recipes that I look forward to trying. I couldn't help but read portions of it aloud to my husband while we were driving, which is usually a good indication to me of an excellent resource.

You can find the book on Amazon for $10.87 or check your local library to see if they carry it.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Hour that Matters Most in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are purely my own.

Parking Lot Rules--A Book Review

Last week I finished Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children by Tom Sturges.  While his worldview differs from mine in many areas, I gleaned some good reminders and several new approaches to try with my girls.  I'm just going to list the ideas that I thought were a sensible fit for our family, as you may find some nuggets for yours as well.

1. Say, "Fingers, fingers" to indicate that your children need to watch their fingers to avoid getting them squashed in a door or similar situation.
2. Teach children to tap you or other family members gently when they would like an activity to stop.  (rough housing, book reading...)
3. Smile at your children when you see them.  This is one thing that I already try to do, because I think it makes you more approachable and visually reminds children that you love them and delight in their company.
4. Anything once seen cannot be "unseen."  Do what you can to avoid your child seeing images/activities that cannot be erased from their minds.  (TV/video images, billboards, accidents)
5. Recognize and acknowledge moments of happiness.
6. When your children call you, answer them with "Yes?" not "What?"  "What" can be interpreted as harsh and/or rude.
7. When you get upset, whisper.
8. Show your children how to properly shake hands. First impressions can be invaluable.
9. Involve children in writing thank-you notes.  Make it a habit.
10. Practice what you want your child to do if they become separated from you in a public place. (stay where you are, stop a person in uniform)
11. Tell your little one to squeeze your finger as much as it hurts when they get a "boo-boo."  
12. Do a slow-motion replay with play-by-play commentary when your children falls or gets hurt.  It will make them laugh or forget the possible public embarrassment they may have felt as they crack up watching you.
13. Teach and exemplify 3 essential table manners.
1. Chew with your mouth closed.
2. Talk with your mouth empty.
3. Hold silverware correctly, not like a shovel.

Book Review - Hinds' Feet on High Places

My entire life I have been plagued with fear--fear of the future, of death, of hurt, of loss, of suffering, of the unknown.  Even as a child, I remember making sure that I fell asleep on my back with both hands crossed on top of my heart.  In my child-like reasoning, I figured if somebody tried to stab me in the middle of the night, the knife would have to pass through my hands first before reaching my heart, and my life might be spared.   I silently cried myself to sleep at times, unsure that I was really saved.  As a young person, I was afraid that I would never get married, have a car accident; as an adult, those fears have matured to include my husband's safety and my children's protection and salvation.

I recently read a book that encouraged me to banish this personal specter that daily haunts me. Hinds' Feet on High Places is an allegory written by Hannah Hurnard; the main character, Much Afraid, is one with whom I can strongly identify.  The book details Much Afraid's journey from the Valley of Fear to the High Places of Love.  In a beautifully descriptive and yet clear manner, Miss Hurnard depicts the Savior's love and desire for fellowship with his redeemed while addressing the reality and hardships of Christian growth.  In my opinion, she addresses the two main desires of a woman--to be loved and to be secure (free from fear). Equally as edifying to me was the appendix that included the circumstances surrounding the inspiration for this book and Miss Hurnard's personal testimony.  If you still wait for a spouse or fear has a stronghold in your life, I would highly recommend Hinds' Feet on High Places.

Book Review - One Thousand Gifts

After reading numerous comments and posts about Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, I jumped on the bandwagon. I ordered the book from Amazon.  I read the book in about 4 days, but I've been processing it for about 2 weeks now.  I would say it definitely stretched me...a good kind of stretch.

I was challenged to re-consider how I viewed every circumstance in my life: the good, the bad, and everything in between.  The book is really about Ann's personal journey from bitterness and resentment to thankfulness, joy and surrender.  The book details briefly her early encounter with unthinkable circumstances that molded what she thought about God and his goodness.  It continues with her initial challenge to name one thousand gifts of God.  She shares her development into a new-found grace and understanding of God and his sovereign love for mankind.  Further, she elaborates with Scripture and experience how God expects us to live daily towards Him and others in light of her discovery.

To be honest, I found the message of the book riveting, but the writing style is poetically vague.  There were many times that I wished she would have just come out and SAID it instead of vaguely describing it in flowery language.  I had to re-read many passages to wrap my head around her meaning.  It's just my opinion, so if you love her style, please don't be offended. It wasn't so awful that it buried the book's intent, but I felt that it detracted from the message.  I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles to understand why God allows painful circumstances in our life, as well as anyone who seeks contentment and joy.