YBC Book Review - The Miracle In The Middle, Finding God's Voice In The Void by Carlotte Gambill

I've "discovered" another good book to help you get through the tough times.

"The Miracle In The Middle" by Charlotte Gambill

We have ALL had times in our lives when it feels like we are getting nowhere...fast.  When we first make that choice to follow Christ, we are all excited and ready to move out and do anything God asks us to do.  And God lets us know where to go and when because as babies, we need that moment by moment guidance.  But then the growing pains start.  All of a sudden the road looks long, and hard, and lonely.  And then you begin to doubt, and question, and whine.  Yes, whine.

But with lots of scripture and stories, Charlotte helps us to look around us, and in us, during these times in our lives, and to see that we are not as lost as we feel.

I turned my life over to God waaaaay back in 1982, and during the past 33 years, I have spent too much of my time lost and whining...all because I jumped ahead of God, or totally chose a detour from what He told me in the beginning.  So I had plenty of growing time, learning to trust my faith, my God, and myself.  And it's during these "God, why aren't you talking to me" times that our faith grows.

Charlotte is the pastor (with her husband Steve) of the Life Church in England, and has written this book with not just stories, but also with study helps at the end of each chapter.  I enjoyed this book, and will be keeping (or sharing) it.

Here's part of the description from the back cover...

"Where most beginnings start with energy and expectation for all that is ahead, and endings bring the joy of completion as you arrive at your desired destination, the middle is very different. This midpoint can too quickly become a low point, as energy is lacking and enthusiasm wanes. Yet how well you handle the middle reveals what is in the middle of you.

The disciples found-in the middle of a lake-a revelation of Jesus that they had never seen on the shore. In the middle is where new navigational skills are found. It's also where some of the most significant lessons are learned."

I give this book 4 stars.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Book Review - Framing Faith by Matt Knisely

Today I would like to share with you my review of the book "Framing Faith" by Matt Knisely published by Thomas Nelson.

 

 

Matt is an award winning photojournalists with a heart for God.  And in this book he shares with us the importance of slowing down and taking time to see God in the every day moments surrounding us.  My highlighter got a lot of use with this book, so many great nuggets of wisdom.

Let me share a few...

 

"Our lives are not lived in a vacuum, but rather they are interconnected, woven together, and inseparable.  For me to withhold my story would be to rip out a thread from the tapestry of humanity.  God has woven me in just as he has woven her in, and him in, and them in...and you in."

 

"At times we find ourselves in a spiritual crisis, and in those moments
God is speaking to us amid all the confusion of our lives, against all our comprehension and controlling...but we don't hear him.  Christ is making an appeal that disrupts the way we think and know and believe...but it disturbs us, so we tune him out.  God want s us to be story listeners.  He wants us to listen to our story and to his story."

 

"We've become so accustomed to God's Word and his story that at times we let it have little value in our lives.  When is the last time you celebrated the incredible gift of your salvation? So often we are bored by it - uninterested and apathetic toward the story that changed the destiny of all of mankind."

 

Man, talk about stepping on my toes.  There is so much truth and encouragement in this book that I plan to read it again, and again.  And I happily recommend this book to anyone that wants to enjoy life more, to slow down and hear from God on a daily basis.

 

Be blessed,

Debbi

 

**I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLookbloggers.com® book review program.  The review is totally my own opinion.**