Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns
If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…
I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…
I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…
My first thought when I read the synopsis for Phil Callaway’s book To Be Perfectly Honest was, “Wasn’t Jim Carrey in that movie?”
In the book, Callaway chronicles a year in his life when he attempts to tell the truth. Every. Single. Day.
I wasn’t excited about this book initially, and I passed it over several times before deciding to read and review it. Although the idea caught my attention, I thought it might be the kind of book that makes me feel bad about not always telling the whole truth or would attempt to answer the “is it ever okay to lie?” kinds of questions with lots of Scripture.
I was so wrong.
Callaway is real. And honest. An average Joe who tells jokes, writes books and follows Jesus. In the midst of his humorous stories, there is capital “T” truth. Challenging. Thought-provoking. Inspiring.
Nuggets of wisdom like “Do you suppose we’d be forgiven more if we asked more often?” and humbling observations like “I’ve walked with Jesus all these years, but I’m so clumsy.”
FAVORITES: I can’t tell you the number of times I laughed out loud while reading this book. That’s rare. Humor doesn’t always translate well on paper, but Callaway does it brilliantly. I hadn’t heard of him before reading this book, but I’m likely to read and/or listen to more of his stuff. Like a spoonful of sugar with medicine, Callaway proves that humor helps us swallow the truth.
FAULTS: My only disappointment was that in the first pages of the book, Callaway reveals that this book was not his idea but his editor’s. That soured the experience slightly for me because it seemed more like a marketing ploy or a trick to make money. And maybe it was. But this is still a well-written book with a lot to offer.
IN A WORD: Surprising. I often got so caught up in the humor and the stories that I didn’t see the Truth coming. Welcome surprises.
Click here to read chapter one.
Or watch this video, which is like hearing parts of the book read to you.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxkA-no4CeY&w=640&h=360]
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In exchange for my review, I received a free digital copy of To Be Perfectly Honest from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group’s Blogging for Books program.
Click the link below to enter for a chance to win a copy of the book by rating this review.http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/15563
Sometimes, truth is so obvious, you wonder why you didn’t notice it before.
Our ladies’ Bible study is working through a series of lessons on spiritual gifts, and several weeks ago, we focused on ways we’ve stepped out in faith, felt God leading us, and when we’ve been most fulfilled in our walks with Him.
Powerful stuff. I wasn’t sure at first how this exercise would turn out, but I was amazed by what I discovered. We made a list of experiences and events in our lives, then looked for patterns and how that related to where God might be taking us next.
I’d never seen a pattern in my most meaningful experiences before, but what I noticed was that God often called me to do something that seemed impossible, impractical or insane to other people. And when I did those things, my faith deepened and I learned to trust God a little more.
But time can be a great eraser of memories, and I forget easily how much I’ve learned. Maybe it’s because I don’t exercise my faith enough.
So God reminded me.
In a big way.
When we had detected a pattern, we were to then write a word or phrase in marker on a rock that represented where God was taking us next.
I chose the word “impossible.”
And got this.
Sure, it’s a long word and I had a short rock and big handwriting. But I didn’t do this on purpose. When I’d finished, I felt like I’d been smacked in the head.
The future might seem impossible, but God says “I’m possible.”
The Bible even says that.
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
Days later, I heard one of my favorite songs on the radio: “I Will Lift My Eyes” by Bebo Norman.
The chorus goes like this.
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
© Sebastian Grecu | Dreamstime.com
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
© Iperl | Dreamstime.com
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
© Chris Galbraith | Dreamstime.com
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
© Jakub Cejpek | Dreamstime.com
What unclimbable mountains, raging oceans, or hidden hurts are you facing? What’s “impossible” about your life right now?