Book #19: stumbling INTO grace - Lisa Harper

Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman

Lisa Harper is the kind of author whose honesty pulls you in and whose genuine heartfelt stories keeps you wanting more.

Upon reading this book I felt as though I had gained a friend in the author.

I felt as though there are women out there that we can be honest with who won't judge us for our shortcomings.

I felt peace and comfort in knowing that God will guide me to those women and that through him I will find peace in my own spiritual pitfalls.

Reading about Harper's relationships and encounters with others puts my own randomly daily rendezvous into perspective and enlightened me as to how I should be a better steward in each situation.

Her book is broken into three parts.

Part 1: Real Life covers topics such as fear, pride, desiring to know God, discernment, and recognizing all size blessings.  

Part 2: Real Gifts covers humility/judgement, 1-on-1 relationship with God, trust, friendship, and rest.

Part 3: Real Growth covers forgiveness, openness with emotion, our marriage to Christ, lightening our load, and finding peace.

Although I read this book straight through as an individual and found it to be enlightening and enjoyable the book is set up for a number of uses.  Harper designs a book that can be read as I did, read as a daily devotional, or studied as a group.  The end of each chapter provides you with a prayer, personal reflection and/or group discussion questions, and a journal entry prompting.  This book may not have taught me anything new, but it did teach me a new way to approach ordinary, everyday situations.

An excerpt from the books conclusion reads:

"The older I get, the more convinced I am that admittedly flawed sinners are the most credible witnesses of Jesus, because people with scars can't fake moral perfection.  It's glaringly apparent we can't save ourselves.  Wounded Christian warriors with scabby knees, bruised hearts, and even track-marked arms, who sometimes stumble yet always grab onto the arm of His Spirit in order to stand up again and again, exemplify the redemptive power of divine grace.  We prove how miraculous and restorative the love of God really is."

This excerpt really summarizes Lisa's overall point.  None of us is perfect.  Some of us do a better job of pretending we are, while others visual scars give them away more undeniably.  It is in our best interest to shed the veil of perfection and proclaim our inadequacies so as to bring ourselves closer to God the Father.  It is only through him that we will ever know what perfection looks like.

I highly encourage you to pick this book up, read it, and apply it to your daily life.

I received this book free from the publishers through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."