ONLY LOVE TODAY

Monday, April 24, 2017

ONLY LOVE TODAY
Reminders to Breathe More,
Stress Less, and Choose Love
By Rachel Macy Stafford

OVERVIEW: Stafford's inspiring words fill this beautiful book of short pieces constructed around the seasons of life. This flexible, non-dated, moment-to-moment resource of encouragement can be picked up whenever you need to find meaning in the meaningless...when your soul is weary...when your heart is heavy...when your connections are weak.

AUTHOR: Rachel Macy Stafford is the New York times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama and Hands Free Life. Rachel provides readers with practical, motivating methods to let go of worldly distractions and live authentic, fulfilling lives. Rachel has been featured in USA Today, Reader's Digest, and on CNN, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. Rachel lives in the South with her husband and two daughters who inspire her daily.

MY REVIEW: When you purchase this book—and I want to encourage you to do so, be sure to read the introduction. After reading it you will be eager to jump into reading the opening page. It begins with, "Today matters more than yesterday. Who you are becoming matters more than who you were." This is good stuff.

Rachel "equips readers to breathe life into what really matters: the ordinary moments in our routine lives and the people in them." I agree with these words from the back of the book: "Only Love Today's life-giving words remind you of the tools you already possess and the insights you already have to guide you back to what matters most. Regardless of what you're experiencing or what season you're in, you'll find wisdom and encouragement to move each day in a positive direction."

The book is divided into four parts: I. Spring: Opening Up...Renewal, New Habits, and Growth; II. Summer: Shining Through...Authenticity, Connection, and Acceptance; III. Fall: Wrapping In...Gratitude, Grace, and Awareness; IV. Winter: Holding On...Hope, Encouragement, and Introspection. There is also a conclusion and an epilogue.

I recommend this book. After reading it you will feel more aligned with your heart so love can move you forward.

( I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

AS KINGFISHERS CATCH FIRE

AS KINGFISHERS CATCH FIRE
A Conversation On The Ways Of God
Formed By The Words Of God
By Eugene H. Peterson

OVERVIEW: As Kingfishers Catch Fire offers a never before published collection of Eugene Peterson's teachings over his twenty-nine years as a pastor. This is one man's compelling quest to discover not only how to be a pastor but how to be a human being. Peterson felt these messages were needed because he discovered a chasm had developed between the way he was preaching from the pulpit and his deepest convictions on what it meant to be a pastor. His strikingly beautiful prose and deeply grounded insights usher us into a new understanding of how to live out the good news of the Word made flesh.

AUTHOR: Eugene H. Peterson, translator of The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, is professor emeritus of spiritual theology at Regent college, British Columbia, and the author of more than thirty books. he earned his master's degree in Semitic languages from John Hopkins University. He also holds several honorary doctoral degrees. In 1962, Peterson was the founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he served for twenty-nine years before retiring in 1991. He and his wife, Jan, live in Montana.

MY REVIEW: For years I have been reading books written by Eugene H. Peterson. I have appreciated each one of them. As Kingfishers Catch Fire is a collection of his sermons. I haven't read them all yet—but I will. One or two of the ones I have read were outstanding. One or two good. None were bad.

I loved the preface. In the preface Peterson shares the thinking behind these messages. He writes about his relationship with his congregation and tells about bringing these sermons together in one place. Very interesting.

I may be the only one, but I had difficulty understanding the title, As Kingfishers Catch Fire which was taken from The Poems of Gerard Manly Hopkins. He writes that the sonnet gave him metaphors to identify the distinctive heart of pastoral work. Sometimes Peterson's writing is too deep for me to understand.

This is a book of sermons that will educate, uplift and inspire every serious, Christian reader, some that are not so serious—and maybe even some non-Christians. I recommend it.

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)