We've all heard our share of "death" words. A comment about your weight, sends you bawling and binge eating. A jab about you being "weak" or "a sissy" or "not like the boys" sets you up for life to prove yourself but never able to convince yourself that you are "strong enough." A comment about "shooting like a girl" in basketball, leads you to give up and dispise the game forever. Everyone uses them - we do, our friends, family and lovers. We all jab jab one another.
Only God can always be counted on to speak life words. BUT God's way of speaking (or our not listening) is so foreign to us that it can feel harsh, cold and uncaring. Sometimes, it is because his words of life are meant to kill that thing inside us that is killing us. Sometimes we foolishly try to keep alive what God is trying to kill.
This author has taken 40 of his 66 passage from his book "66 Love Letters" and turned them into a devotional book with questions to go along with the passages. The hope is that the love of God will replace the "death" words of the world.
At first I loved this book - what a great idea. Then I hatcd it when I saw that THERE ARE NO ANSWERS IN THIS BOOK - ONLY QUESTIONS! I thought, how shallow and cliche. But now that I've had time to reflect, I do love this book. Because the questions make you think. And maybe your answers and my answeers and the author's answers will all be different. So this book is useful because it makes us search our OWN beliefs.
Example:
The author tells you to trust God because he loves you even though He doesn't take your sufferring away.
BUT how can we know he loves us? Just because someone or the Bible tells us?
So the author asks you a question - why do you think God does this and lets you suffer?
BUT there is no answer! What good is a book that asks but never answers? Well, if you CARE ENOUGH, go find the answer! Don't accept man's answer. Don't accept the author's answer or your pastor's answer. Truly SEEK the REAL answer. The question of evil and suffering. Does God really love us?
Now no one can make you seek the answers. You might just give up. But at least you know the questions are out there and you might just see that your pastor, church and friends don't even know the answers to some of these deep deep questions. The questions the author asks aren't that deep - it is the making you think that makes you see a deeper question behind the author's shallow question. It is the lack of answers in this book that makes you want to seek and search out REAL answers.
So, I would recommend this book.
Disclaimer: I gave my honest review. I received this book from the publisher but a positive review was not required.
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