Daring to Hope -- book review

Daring to Hope is the second book from Katie Davis Majors. Her first book was Kisses from Katie. I listened to her first book as an audio book. It was so good. Kisses from Katie is basically her story or moving to Uganda and following God's calling for her. If you haven't read that book then I would recommend it. It isn't necessary to read it before reading Daring to Hope, but it will give you more of an understanding of her story and how she ended up where she is. As much as I like Katie's first book, I do think this one even better. 

Daring to Hope is more of Katie's story and also the stories of those that have come into her like. It is stories and love, hope, and faith. It is also stories of pain, heartbreak, and deep hurt. Daring to Hope is open and honest. Katie has allowed herself to raw and deep in such a beautiful way. While reading you get a sense of her deep faith and devotion to God and where her hope comes from in the midst of her everyday life, no matter what that day brings. 

This book could be enjoyed by a wide range of audience. I think both men and women would enjoy 

it. I also think that a wide range of age groups would enjoy this book. This is something that I would have enjoyed reading in my later teens and I also think my Grandma, who is 93, would enjoy reading it. Over and over while reading Katie's words I would think, "This is perfect for someone who has or is going through deep hurt or loss." For myself, I lost a good family friend very suddenly and unexpectedly recently. I was reading this book during that time and there were so many words and lines that brought me comfort. So, for myself, thank you to Katie for sharing her hope. 

Lastly, this is my final book review for Blogging for Books. They have chosen to shut down the program. I have enjoyed writing these reviews for them, it was fun while it lasted. 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. 

He Calls You Beautiful -- book review

Let's be honest, the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is not my go to book of the Bible to read very often. In fact the only time I usually read the SOS is when I am reading through the whole Bible. So, a book that is based on the SOS intrigued me from the start; just cause I wanted to know how the author would interprets the SOS. The SOS is one of those books in the Bible that we don't often hear preached or taught on. When it is talked about, it often either focuses on being a representation of Christ and the church or as a love story with the focus on marriage. There is nothing wrong with those applications, but it can cause some confusion when you hear both sides and don't know which is right. I appreciate Dee Brestin, the author of He Calls You Beautiful, because she takes the approach that it is both. The SOS is a book of poetry, and just like all poetry it can have multiple applications.

It is obvious that Brestin has done her research and studied the SOS. With that said, this book doesn't come across as just facts and information, i.e. textbook style. Brestin does a descent job intertwining information and personal story. I will say, at times I felt there could have been more written on the explanation or information side of things. There were definitely points where I thought this was lacking. Although, she does recommend reading the SOS along with the book. I did not do that and it may have helped some things make more sense. If you are wanting a deep theological study of the SOS then this is probably not the book for that. If you are wanting a book directed toward women with a focus on the SOS then this book is a good choice.

A benefit of this book is that it is designed to have a study and reflection part built into the book. There is a Q&A section at the end o each chapter. You can certainly do this on your own for a personal study, or you could use it in a small group setting. There are some additional guides at the back of the book for someone to use to facilitate a small group setting. Brestin also has some additional resources available on her website to use along with the study portions. There are video clips to correspond with each chapter in the book.

The Very Good Gospel -- book review

Let me begin this review by saying that when I chose this book I thought that is was written by a different Lisa Harper. The Lisa Harper that I assumed was the author of this book is a well known speaker at mostly Christian women’s events and an author as well. The Lisa Sharon Harper who is the actual author of this book is also an author and a speaker, but with a much different focus. I thought I was getting a book about God’s Word that may be somewhat light and an easy read. What I got instead, with The Very Good Gospel, was something much deeper and focused on justice through the light of God’s Word and works. With that said, this book was still an interesting read.

Lisa focuses on a few main things all wrapped up together; the brokenness of the world that we live in, what God intended for us and what He can do for us in this brokenness, and shalom. This isn’t a book of light, fluffy, feel good topics. Lisa addresses such issues as equality, race, brokenness, shame, hurt, hate, war, and more. Lisa addresses these topics from a very personal place with stories from her own life and real life examples. All of this helps to bring a tone of gentleness to what in reality are hard things. She also intertwines Scripture and deep theological studies of God’s Word that relate to whatever topic is being discussed.

We cannot deny that we live in a broken and hurting world. It is easy to see this, just read a newspaper, turn on the TV, look at social media, the brokenness is everywhere. The heart of The Very Good Gospel points us toward the fact that in the midst of all this junk, God wants to heal, restore, and be in relation. That right there is the gospel message; a God who wants to work in and through us to have shalom.

This book was not my typical read. I will say though that for the most part I got a lot out of it. There were parts where I had “ah-ha” moments. There were other parts that I just read through. There were parts where I thought, “Hmm, I’m not sure I agree with that.” An interesting part of this book, that adds to it, at the end of most chapters there are questions and activities for self reflection. In my opinion this book would be a great read for someone who wants to know more about social justice in the light of God’s Word. Although, many others could get a lot out of this book.

    

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Heart Wide Open -- book review

I first heard of this book when Shellie was doing a give-away for the release of the book. When I was checking out the give-away, I discovered the book trailer for Heart Wide Open. It is posted below for you to watch as well.

After watching the book trailer, I wanted to read the book. The book did not disappoint. It isn’t very often that I read a book in the Christian Living genre that I don’t want to put down or take a break from. Heart Wide Open is one of those books that did just that though. Shellie Rushing Tomlinson does a great job of winding antidotes from her own life, other stories, humor, quotes, and most importantly Scripture together to make a great read. This book does a good job at encouraging you in your faith and walk with God no matter what stage of your Christian life you are in. The things in this book could be applicable to a new believer just as much as a seasoned veteran of the faith.

Shellie is a southern girl from Louisiana. The southern in her comes through in her writing. In saying that I mean it feels like you could sit out on the porch with her, drink some sweet tea, and chat for hours even though you have never met her. This southern warmth comes through in her writing in a way that makes the book not seem too preachy or harsh. Instead it is encouraging and full of grace and love. One minute you may find yourself and laughing out loud at one of her stories and the next page over be brought to tears by the truth of God’s Word. All the while the purpose of the book, to encourage you to open your heart up to a life fully lived with God as a part of all of it, shines through.   

Heart Wide Open was a fantastic book to read on my own. It would make an excellent read for a Bible Study or small group setting as well. There is actually a short Bible study or discussion guide in the back of the book. I love books that come with a discussion guide included. Shellie has also put together a DVD that you can purchase to go along with the book if you are using it for a Bible study or small group.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.