Sunday, August 12, 2012

A Book Review - Making Sense When Life Doesn't


It's not too often that I find a book that I just don't like. it's not fun to tell you that either, but this is one book that just didn't sit right with me. I love the premise of the book and i think there are some very good basic principles that can be applied to life. But for me, as a Believer I need more than just basic principles. I need a biblical foundation, a firm start to go from.

Author Cecil Murphey started out good. He drew my attention in in the first few chapters, but still at the end of each I felt like I was just missing something, like the whole story was not there. I wanted more. As the book continued the mention of God became fewer and less specific. For example why should I apply this principle to my life based on what God says not what you have just worked out in your life. By the time I was half way through the book I really didn't want to read it any more. The chapters are very short, extremely short! They reminded me of how Sesame Street is, little snip its of info flashed quickly to make a point without backing it up. I wanted more meat, something more to chew on and think about. I never found it.

I'm not gonna say that others would not find the book helpful. There are many who would appreciate what the author had to say. I just hope that those who do find a little more meat on the subject somewhere else to add to what they learned. I also am not going to say don't go buy it. This may be the very book you need. But for this reader, this is one book I will not be keeping in my library.

The following is from the publisher about the book and author.

More about the book:

Beloved author Cecil Murphey empowers readers to discover the good in every situation and to make life better because of adversities.

Sometimes life gets messy. It's cluttered with too many demands. Companies downsize. love relationships end. Trauma hits. When chaos erupts, every person has a choice to make - to decide whether it's the worst time of life, to find comfort in the way things used to be, to move on because change is forced, and then resent everything that happens, or to say, "This can be the best time of my life. I can try things I wanted to do but never did."

In Making Sense When Life Doesn't, Cecil Murphey' compelling stories, hope-filled insights, and gentle encouragement move readers with messy lives to stunning realization that life won't ever be perfect, but it can be good...even exciting!

Meet Cecil Murphey:

Cecil Murphey has written or co-written more than 125 books, including the bestsellers 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold in the millions and have brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world.

Murphey stays busy as a professional writer and travels extensively to speak on topic's such as writing, spiritual growth, caregiving, significant living, sexual abuse, and recovery.

Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and speaker, he served as pastor of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Metro Atlanta, as a volunteer hospital chaplain for ten years, and was a missionary in Kenya for six. For more information, visit www.cecilmurphey.com.

You can purchase a copy of the book at this link: http://ow.ly/cwY3P 

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only. I was not compensated for this post in any other way. All opinions here are my own where noted. i was not influenced in any way. 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for your honest assessment of the book. I like to know when others with a deep biblical base find books shallow. I compare all my reading to God's Word and find many lacking. Your opinion is valued.

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  2. Thank you Debi!! Sometimes it is very hard to post a negative review. But being honest is very important to me. I really appreciate your comments!

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