“God, like no other, transforms cold, dark places and makes them beautiful. 
He mends the broken and refreshes the weary.
He restores the smoldering and dying and gives hope for new life.
He really does make all things new.”
Christa Hesselink

Guys. You HAVE to read this book. Order it from Amazon. I promise you won’t regret it!

I don’t really know how to begin this book review. I feel like I have to read the book three more times just to be able to absorb it all. What Christa has done is amazing. I am so excited to be able to say this book has come from someone in the Author Launch class. Someone whom I have met and spent a day with. I’m proud that our little writing community is beginning to produce books and I’m proud that I got to experience this one.

It is a refreshing read. Something that compels you, dares you, to actually believe that God loves you. In one of the first chapters she said; “He [God] finds us completely worthy just because we are, because he made us…when you create something out of deep love, you make it your business to do whatever you can to fix it when it breaks.” And I don’t know why but this hit me so hard. I can relate to this, but I don’t know why. It just really tugged my heart. I think it has something to do with creating art, and how you always want it to be perfect, so you will do whatever you can to make it better. And I never thought about God making me and then doing that exact thing.

Each chapter I read I thought, yes, she knows me, she’s been through the same things as me. She went through cancer and treatments and the afterwards, she called it a “new normal”. Guys I have a chapter in my book called “New Normal” and I know I didn’t go through cancer, but so many of her struggles were exactly struggles that I have felt since the bombing.

I will read this book again. I read the whole thing today, and I need to read it again slower and really process it. But I promise, you won’t regret reading this book. This definitely will have many copies on my shelf, ready to give away to people who need encouragement during tough times.

Thanks Christa for your openness and for sharing your story!