Courageous Living {Dare to take a Stand}~ Book Review

First of all , I have to preface this review by saying that I have NOT watched the Courageous Movie yet. I plan on seeing it by the end of this month but I have no knowledge of it other than one view of the trailer.  Having said that, I am SO GLAD I read this book first!  Michael Catt may be a pastor first but his communication skills in the written word are truly inspiring!

My first inclination was to “speed read” this book as I have a stack to get through this month.

 Upon reading the first 3 or 4 pages, I felt myself leaning in.

I was struck by the power in each word.  Like a sermon that you may not think you’re interested in hearing, this book opens up and draws you in. Suddenly, children are quieting in their pews, people are sitting up straight and distractions don’t exist.  This book is powerful and for me, missing a line or a page was not an option.  My spirit gobbled it up. I ate up every word from the first page to the last.

This book is timely, convicting and motivating.   Some of the pages are hard to read because we, my generation, have failed in too many areas. We are weak minded and wimping out on so many important issues.  We are not standing for what we have been called to stand for.   This is a call to action.  And it isn’t preachy as you might expect but it is challenging.  I loved that the author wove stories of current day courageous folks into the stories of Biblical heroes.  The section about Ruth particularly touched me in a way that I had not thought of before: the courage she had to be redeemed. That , along with Elijah, Moses, Paul and Timothy…great stories and wonderful commentaries.

Be prepared to be motivated out of your                                       comfort zones and into action.

One more thing~ anyone can read this book. Whether you are a new Christian, a seasoned Christian or even a non-Christian trying to figure out why this whole world seems to be going to Hell.  You can read this~ and you should. Everyone should. It’s time for all of us to be courageous.

Book has been provided courtesy of David C Cook and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from B&H Publishing Group