This is such a powerful book. I was drawn to it from the first time its content were described to me, but I initially had a hard time getting around to reading it because I was still in college when I first heard about it. Then, one day in my last semester in college, I opened my mailbox to find a copy of this book along with a beautiful note of encouragement from one of my friends written on one of the blank pages. My friend said that she thought Katie’s story would be encouraging and inspiring to me, and she was absolutely right. This young woman’s passion and reckless abandon to follow God’s calling on her life is nothing short of amazing. What inspired me the most is her heart for orphans, which is something we have in common. It’s been amazing to see how God has blessed her ministry, even beyond the pages of this book, as she is now married with her first biological child. It makes me so happy for her and it’s another sign that she was right in pursuing God’s call on her life toward moving to Uganda. This is an autobiography that every young Christian should read if you haven’t already ~ Bethel Most of us are afraid to respond to the callings that God places in front of us. We cling too hard to things within our comfort zone, fearful of what it will take to follow God’s calling. We also tend to stick to the plans we have always had for our future, never imagining that God’s calling could be our future. It seems that this is especially true of the millennial generation. Our technology and our comforts are so important to us, we can’t seem to imagine a life of service without them. So many people in our world are in need, yet we all tend to have an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude about it. We often don’t acknowledge it because it’s not right in front of our eyes. Even those that serve on mission trips are not usually compelled to return to the place where they served permanently, and we often ignore the needs that are right in our own country. It makes us ask the question: How can we learn to pursue God calling in this generation today? In the New York Times Bestseller, Kisses From Katie, you meet Katie Davis, a young woman who pursued God’s calling for her life with reckless abandon to the other side of the world. In high school, Katie had everything a Christian girl in America could want, but when she took a missions trip to Uganda her senior year, Jesus began to tuck on her heart and turn her life upside down. By the time she graduated, she made plans to go back to Uganda for a year, then to return to the States to give college a try for her parents’ sake. But in that year, the life that Katie once knew was being completely undone and remade into something more beautiful. She worked at a school, started her own non-profit ministry, and began to adopt several Ugandan girls without a home. When she did go back to the States for college, she realized after only one semester that college wasn’t for her, and that this time, she was going back to Uganda permanently. She gave up all of the comforts she had in her life in America, even her boyfriend, to follow God’s calling with reckless abandon. By the time this book ends, her ministry was thriving and she was in the process of adopting 14 Ugandan girls she had taken into her home. The story in this book is powerful and compelling. Katie’s transparency about her struggles through her journey and her obedient love for her Lord and Savior will inspire you to do the same. This isn’t a typical Christian autobiography - it’s a book every Christian should read, especially my generation. This book is available pretty much everywhere, so get your copy today! To find out more about Katie and her ministry, you can check out her website: https://amazima.org/
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When I was asked by the library ministry at my church to recommend and review some books, this was always at the top of my list. I found this book to be applicable to my life in so many ways. Like Jon, I too had powerful experiences that shaped my spiritual life and the course of my future at my home church camp. I spent two years as a counselor for a week of junior cabin camp, and one summer as an employee of the same camp. I am also currently working a few small jobs in which I work with preschoolers. I have discovered that I personally know a few of the kids Jon worked with at his camp. Finally, I also met Jon in person a few months back, and even heard him retell a few of these stories live. I enjoyed this book all the more when I realized all the connections I have to the stories in it. This book is an easy read and would be a great resource for anyone, if you take the time to read it ~ Bethel “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” – Matthew 19:14 The concept of becoming like a child for the kingdom of heaven is one that has confused Christians for centuries. I think this is because there is a tension between the immaturity of childhood and the maturity needed to be the complete person we are called to be in Christ. Many people fall into one of these two extremes, either assuming the mentality of an immature child (“I don’t want to grow up!”) or the overly mature adult (“I’m too grown up for that!”). All the while, they are missing the call of Christ to live somewhere in between, retaining the genuine qualities of a child-like faith, joy, and authenticity while still pursuing the maturity needed to attain completion in Him. One of the best ways to learn how to do this is to observe firsthand what it looks like when kids are able to live out these qualities, especially when it’s done with the intention of learning from them. That’s what happened to Jon Jorgenson over the course of eight summers he served as a camp counselor at a Christian theater camp, and it changed the way he saw everything. In his book, Authentic Love, Jorgenson tells the stories of how several of the kids he worked with impacted his understanding of faith and authenticity. You will enjoy stories of food in the cafeteria, mail time games, intense dodgeball, and a camp talent show. You will learn how he eventually managed to memorize every camper name each week every summer, or how he survived being the camp director on the last full day of camp after pulling an all-nighter (which was quite an impressive feat). You will hear the stories of some of the fun kids that he worked with, and reveals that they taught him more than he could have taught them. Although this was his first book, published when he was only 22, his entertaining stories reveal powerful truth in an applicable way. His passion and love for these kids, as well as the lessons they taught him, is evident on every page. Although Jon went on to be in a Broadway play, found a popular YouTube channel, and become a travelling speaker, he will tell you that he owns much of who he has become today to these kids and lessons they taught him. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to teens, young adults, and anyone that works with kids. The stories in this book will probably have something to teach you as well. This book is now available from more book distributors than before, so get your copy today! For more of Jon’s writings, both on his blog posts and his other books, check out his blog: www.jonjorgensonblog.com
You can also check out Jon’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnimaSeries (Note: He recently changed the name of the channel. It used to be The Anima Series, but it’s now just Jon Jorgenson) To read the story of how I met Jon, click here |
Lion's Eyes Reviews is a blog dedicated to reviews of Christian books, most of which are non-fiction, but may also occasionally review movies and musicals. It will also feature the work Bethel does to help launch and promote the works of Christian authors.
The name is derived from one of Bethel's favorite books, Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko. Through these reviews, Bethel hope to give Christians the tools they need to look at the world "through the eyes of a lion" so they can find the courage to "run toward the roar". To find the detailed archives of these reviews, you can check them out here: Books In Review Movies in Review Broadway In Review Quick Reviews To understand the rating used in these reviews, click here Categories
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Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and helping other Christian authors launch their books. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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