Thursday, May 25, 2017

Review: Start With Amen by:Beth Guckenberger

 Start with Amen: How I Learned to Surrender by Keeping the End in Mind
About the Book:
One power-packed word: amen.

Millions of Christians all over the world say this word every day. Yet few realize what richness, depth, truth, and connection are packed into this sacred phrase.

Throughout the centuries, Christian tradition has taught us to end prayers with amen. But the Bible is full of stories and passages where God’s people started their prayers with amen. Why? As Beth Guckenberger shows, amen is more than just a way to punctuate a conversation with the God of the Universe. Amen is a declaration of who God is and who we are in relation to him. It is a moment of submission and worship, saying “So be it” to a Sovereignty that holds all things, and acknowledging “It is as you say” to him who holds our lives.

In Amen, Beth unpacks all the Bible has to teach us about the moment we say amen to God. Using key scripture passages mixed with fresh teaching and personal stories, she invites readers to experience the richness they’ve been missing.

Amen is more than just a word. Amen is a full invitation from God packed with all that he requires from us and all he longs to bestow upon us as his beloved children. As Beth writes, “He is beckoning us all. Come to me. Learn my ways. You are my child, whom I dearly love and bought with a price. The God of Amen rescued you so you can echo amen back to him. God intended this word to be a moment of intimacy, drenched in reverence, replete with peace—the moment when you rest in him and are rejuvenated by him. There is so much more he wants to give. Amen.”

If Christians long to be truly connected to their Creator, they must begin with amen. For, as Isaiah 65:16 says, “Because he who is blessed in the earth will be blessed by the God of Amen.”


My Review:
 Amen, a word that for many can become part of the praying routine. I know for me it seems like such an insignificant word that doesn't hold much weight. But through the reading of this book, Start With Amen--I have learned that this one word that seems so small at the end of each prayer holds a lot of hope for each of us and its much more than we realize. So be it, is its meaning.

 So be it could mean healing for a child in the hospital with cancer. So be it could mean a family not destroyed, so be it could mean a relationship restored. So as you can see so be it holds a lot of hope for so many. After reading this book I will start my hope at the beginning of my prayers because the word Amen does hold a lot of weight. God created everything so precisely even the structure of our prayers. A fantastic Bible story and read!

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.

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