One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Stick with me okay?

I began reading this book about 5 months ago via the audio format from Audible downloaded to my Kindle. I listened to the first chapter and never touched the book again. I had heard rave reviews and chatter from bloggers and non-bloggers both about how this book changed their perspective and what a wonderful author Ann Voskamp is. However, I just could not get into it and the first few pages had me loosing focus and interest. It felt wordy and drawn out and frankly, I just couldn't see the point clearly enough.

However.

Yes, however, I picked it back up because I knew there had to be something good in there that I was missing. After all, not every book has an app to go along with it! So I once again plugged it in and this time confined myself to baking for a whole day while I listened to this book being read by the author.

I am not quite sure why this happens, but at times there is just "a right time" to read a certain book and until that time arrives one just never appreciates such a book. This was finally the "right time" because this time I found myself absorbed into the flowing words and vivid descriptions of ordinary moments in life that - seen through the lens of grace - were extraordinary, life altering moments.

While the book could be so much shorter, and the point a lot more clearer at the outset, it would be too easily read and forgotten - leaving no lasting impact and thoughts to ponder. It was a challenge to get into at first but quickly became pure enjoyment. The more I read the more I was encouraged, challenged, convicted, delighted, overwhelmed, and in awe. Ann Voskamp paints a beautiful picture of what it is like to live in every moment - what we deem good and bad - with a heart that seeks God's gifts to us. She strips us of our idea of "good gifts" and invites us and walks with us on a journey to see every moment as a gift from God.

I feel like no words I possibly write could do justice to describing this book. At first if felt like a hard read, but now I stand at the back cover realizing it was hard because sometimes life is hard and yet there is a deep beauty that comes from hard things.

One Thousand Gifts is a perfect read for anyone no matter what your stage or phase of life is. We all need to be dared to live life more fully right where we are.

Where Was God When…? by Mike Calhoun & Ric Garland

Where Was God When?

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Relevant. Straight-forward. Personal. Hands-on.

Ric Garland and Mike Calhoun join forces to give us a book that addresses 8 attributes of God - omniscience, immutability, faithfulness, sovereignty, love, wisdom, omnipresence, and mercy/justice - through the lens of hard questions like "Where was God when...?". Not only do they probe hard questions but do so in a teen-relevant approach that is easy to understand without being watered down and vague.

I appreciated this book for how relevant it is to the youth of today. Where Was God When...? doesn't just offer opinions but truth from the Word of God and hands-on application of how each attribute can and will change a person's life. I liked the straight-forward chapters that are short and filled with not just theory, but also with personal stories from the lives of the authors and others.

Not only will teens benefit from this book, but also adults looking how to answer the hard questions for teens or even for themselves. If you want to understand God's sovereignty, or faithfulness, or any of the other 6 attributes without reading a very long theology text, then this book is for you. I highly recommend this book to teens and adults both.

Without A Word by Jill Kelly

Without a Word by Jill Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

I grew up in NY and the Buffalo Bills were "my" team. I even went to got my Jim Kelly trading card autographed one time when I was about 12! So it was with great interest that I listened to this audio book.

First of all I really enjoyed the fact that Jill Kelly read her own book. The vocal expression was wonderful and it was easier to listen to knowing that how she said what she said, was how she meant it. I also enjoyed hearing the voices of Jim, Erin, and Cameron as well.

Jill - and the whole family, really - were so open and vulnerable in this book and their story is amazing! It's a testament to God's amazing love and goodness. I was touched by their honesty, inspired by their passion, and encouraged by their journey to the Savior.

If you want to more about the Kelly family or just simple want a good biography to listen to, this is a perfect one to select.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

“Your son has been diagnosed with a fatal genetic disease called Krabbe Leukodystrophy. There is no treatment and no cure. I will do everything I can to help your son. But the disease has already progressed so fast that I don’t think he will live to see his second birthday.” With these words, pro football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill, were catapulted from a seemingly fairy-tale life of celebrity into a world of private struggle and medical uncertainty. What the public didn’t know, however, was that behind the scenes lurked more than a family’s pain at the dire prognosis of their only son. Hunter’s illness exposed the troubled depths of a marriage that had long been shadowed by uncertainties of its own. For eight years the future was unwritten, with Hunter defying all medical odds and his parents pursuing every means to save his life. Meanwhile, Jim and Jill’s marriage continued to fail yet was held together only by their love for their kids and their determined hope for Hunter. Though Hunter’s illness prevented him from ever speaking a word, his will and unconditional love spoke volumes to his family and all who knew him. And in time, the light of Hunter’s silent, all-too-brief life shone into the darkened corners of Jim and Jill’s lives, leading them to authentic faith, a restored relationship, and the establishment of a foundation that is reaching other families with terminally ill children around the world. Without a Word transparently shares it all: The heartbreaking moments . . . and those Jill would love to relive. Moments that add up to a time filled with unimaginable pain . . . and indescribable joy. Moments that silently transformed the hearts of every member of her family . . . and changed their lives forever. Moments that may even change your heart and life, too.

BOOK DETAILS:

Published by: Oasis Audio
ISBN:9781598597943
Price: $25.99

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This review copy was provided courtesy of Oasis Audio but the opinion expressed is my own.

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Choosing To See, by Mary Beth Chapman {Giveaway}

(GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT BOTTOM OF POST)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Grab a box of tissues before you even crack open the cover of this book! You will need them from the first page to the last as you glimpse the heart of Mary Beth Chapman and the journey of tragedy she and the Chapman family have traveled.

Choosing To See is a raw look at the grief and pain of loosing a child in such a tragic way. It is also the honest look at the life and testimony of God's grace in Mary Beth's life as well as the family as a whole. I appreciated how honest she was with her readers. Most likely she will face some criticism for some of what she shares due to her openness, but I praise her for showing us that life is not perfect and that it's not of ourselves, but only of God's strength, mercy, and grace that our lives amount to anything. When I set this book down I felt like I knew Mary Beth as a friend rather than like I just had an inside look at the life of a celebrity.

The end of the book is a pouring out of posts from her blog since the accident. For the distanced reader it's a lot to wade through, but I must say that I am glad she was real. She didn't try to tie pretty bow and make it seem like a fairy-tale ending. Mary Beth instead shares how God meets us where we are even in the depth of grief.

For someone who wants to know more about the Chapmans, the life of Maria, or dealing with the death of a child, I would recommend you read this book. No matter why you read it you will end it with a large dose of encouragement. It's the story of winter moments in life and how spring does come again...

BOOK OVERVIEW:

From the beginning, Mary Beth Chapman's life was not how she planned. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life of stability and control. Instead, God gave her an award-winning singer/songwriter husband, crazy schedules, and a houseful of creatively rambunctious children. Most difficult of all, God's plans for her also included tragedy.

In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones. And as the story unfolds, she's been forced to wrestle with some of life's biggest questions: Where is God when things fall apart? Why does God allow terrible things to happen? How can I survive hard times?

No matter where you find yourself in your own life story, you will treasure the way Mary Beth shows that even in the hard times, there is hope if you choose to SEE.

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Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This book was provided for review courtesy of Revell.

 

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GIVEAWAY!

I am giving away 1 copy of this book.
Leave a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing.
A winner will be chosen on September 12, 2010.
Please click here to see entry rules.