The book I reviewed for August was A Confident Heart by Renee Swope. It's a breath taking book where Renee in the beginning of the book is searching for meaning in her life as she struggles with depression, she turns to alcohol as a way to numb herself from all her nagging self doubts. Like many of us she has always 'believed' in God, but didn't necessarily let God actively live in her actions all of the time. There's a section in the book where on her road of 'spiritual discovery', she describes how we all have spiritual gifts that can guide us into the kind of service God would loves us to be part of as a life choice, not just a career goal.One of my favorite things in the book is how the author makes us part of her awakening. She makes God more real with the way she says things. One of her messages that really struck me is that God doesn't expect us to be perfect. He wants to be needed. If we were all perfect how could he come to work within us? God knows we are all works in progress, and in that we can turn to him all of the time, he's never going to turn you away or say he's on a lunch break. He knows what we need even before we do. It's a powerful thought.
Another wonderful aspect of this book is that through Renee's sharing we come to see that God does not want us to fear him, he wants us to know and live in him. Certainly, she gave me lots to think about when she says in the book that we can back over our old hurts in the past and process the pain with Jesus. I love this in that, we don't have to continually keep hurting ourselves and keep ourselves stuck in the past. We can't change what was, but we can 'own' in the here and now the understanding God and Jesus give us by asking questions and reading the bible in a practical manner, the answers will come and in ways you'll never expect. I used to struggle with understanding why my own Dad didn't have it in him to show me affection or to have the Father/Daughter relationship I saw all around me. It took me years to understand it and not to punish myself and to grow with God in it. Here's what I found out: that I have to give my Dad love in the way he would understand it the most. And I have ever since, not in the biggest of ways, but I will sometimes get him a doughnut, or a coffee or something small I know he will like. He knows I love him and I can't ask for more than that. When the answer does finally come it's in a whisper and something really big opens up in your soul. It's like your heart gets just a little bit bigger, so I have my Dad in my heart now in exactly the way that God longed to have him there.
This book is a real road map to knowing God, Renee offers up another great idea is that she has a 'Jesus' chair that she sets up when she wants to have a conversation with him. It's an excellent idea if you have trouble visualizing you can certainly use a real chair. I've done that, as well as I've had a round table discussion sometimes where God and Jesus and me will sit and discuss some of my challenges. A kind of brain-storming session, and it really helps not only to have God hear you need to set your spirit up to listen.
Each chapter has discussion questions you can ask yourself or share with others. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to everyone. It's more like a road map that Renee Swope has set up for a life long walk with God and Jesus. And the beauty of it is we can stop as many times as we need to along the way and talk to God. He wants to know us and us to know him. Once you read this book, you're certain to be changed, there will be a deepening in your understanding of God, he's waiting there with his big hand wanting for you to hold his too.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
By Candace Duiker,
September 5, 2011
