God made a decision and He decided to give you to me!

Book Review: Just in Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado & Toni Goffe

When I first read “Just in Case You Wonder” I was tearing up from the moment I started. As a parent it struck a chord deep within my soul.  I have always known that God has given me my three wonderful children, but to hear it from someone else seemed to deeply resonate.  The part that hit home for me was actually reading it to my kids.  Having them sit with me as I read that "the same hands that made the stars made you" was a profound moment for me.

After the initial aww I love this book factor, I reread the book from a “would I buy this book for others” perspective.  A few things stood out that made me that made my decision a bit of a hard one.  It reminded me of the kids book Love You Forever, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I wasn’t sure if the kids would be able to identify between the two books.  It also didn’t help that the illustrations were a bit dated in my perspective. I again read the book and felt like something was missing then I realized that it was like two books in one so in the end felt unfinished. Not sure if that makes total sense. However, it does hit home on all levels, God's love and His decision to put us where we are on purpose and with purpose. As a parent I am always here, even when things go wrong and in the end we will be with Jesus forever. Again, I am saying this from a review perspective.  I probably wouldn't have noticed this things if I was just giving the book as a gift.

Now here are my kids review, they are 5 ½, 3 ½, and 2….and have been graciously chosen to be in our family. 

Micah: “It was good, I liked the part about God choosing you.”

Samantha: “I liked it, but didnt like the scary picture of the monster"

Isaac: Didn’t have much to say. 

Either way I would recommend this book to friends to read with their children.  I loved the element of God choosing them to be in their family.  It will be a great one to read every night.

Me


Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing &  BookSneeze® for providing me with a free copy of Just in Case You Ever Wonder

First Book Review: The Grace of God

Book Review:  The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

For those of you who know me know that I am not a reader.  But like most things in my life, I desire to read books endlessly.  Kind of ironic to me.

Anyways, along with the recent bookclub I have joined, I have become a part of a book review team (stop the laughing) and I am loving it. I had the enjoyable pleasure of reading “The Grace of God” by Andy Stanley.  I was for introduce to Andy at Catalyst 2009 (wow time has flown) and I have been intrigued ever since. 

This book was a very natural choice simply because it covered the one subject that my mind cannot fully comprehend, the grace of God.  Who doesn’t want a greater understanding of God’s grace? Andy Stanley does a fabulous job of gently guiding us and opening our eyes wide to see God’s grace in the lives of people before us, and the grace that is still available. For me it was a paradigm shift on some of my personal views towards God.  As any good Pastor, Andy Stanley, invites us on this journey of exploring the grace of God and I really didnt realize this until the end of the book.  He seamlessly opened my eyes to see how God's grace is manifesting in my own life.

As I read I often felt the deep of my gut wrench because I found myself identifying with the selfishness of humanity instead of facilitating God’s grace to others. “He wanted justice. God insisted on mercy. He wanted judgment. God opted for compassion. Jonah’s theology was impeccable, but his application was completely one-sided.”  Wow.  I could quote after quote noting how Andy captures the grace of God so intimately and personally, but you should just read it yourself.  

For me The Grace of God is a must read for all! I am actually encouraging students who attend Luma to grab it, borrow it (must give it back because I’ll read it again), and read it.  

I will leave you with this…..we have all been Chosen, Surprised, Redeemed, Ruled, Rescued, Sustained, PUZZLED, Accepted, Reborn, Filled, Saved and Commissioned by Grace.  

Me

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing &  BookSneeze® for providing me with a free copy of The Grace of God