Customer Reviews

Me, Myself, and I AM: A Unique Question and Answer Book: The Story of You and God

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

While I have not yet written in the book, I have read it. I think it's a great little book. It's good for self-examination, self-discovery, spiritual growth, and it has the potential to be a great witnessing tool as well. As the other two reviews have said, some of the questions are fun. Some are serious. But all of them make you think about God, the great I AM. And that's the best part of the book.

Me, Myself and I Am is one of the most unique books I've ever seen. It's like a spiritual diary which will help you get to know God and assess your status spiritually.

This book is a journal, diary, personal history which will help you get to know God better, and will help you assess your spiritual maturity. The book is laid out similarly to a child's baby book. It asks funny questions (If your life had a soundtrack, what would it be?), serious questions (How would you assess your prayer life?) and either provides blanks or multiple choice answers.

The authors caution you to write your true feelings, not what you THINK you should write. This is great advice if you want an honest assessment of where you stand and if you want to provoke some thought provoking conversations with yourself and God. But for a Nervous Nellie like me, it's hard to put those really honest thoughts in writing. Quite frankly, I think people have a hard time being honest with themselves in general. But hard as it may be, I think it's a very worthwhile exercise. I can see where it would be helpful not just in the present, but to go back and re-read/re-assess yourself 5 years from now, 10 years from now, etc. Hopefully, you'll be surprised to see how far you've come.

Another use I can see for this book is to give it to an older family member -- it would provide a wonderful record of "who" mom or grandma was and is. For instance, this book also asks questions like, "What is the one mistake you made as a teenager you've always regretted?" and "Who was your meanest 'friend' in grade school?" These are exactly the types of questions you'd want to know if your parents, grandparents, favorite aunts/uncles passed away. Or you might want to get the book and comlete it for your kids to read someday.

In any case, I think Me, Myself and I Am is a good book and a great tool -- for spiritual assessment, growth, discussion, self-revelation, stimulating your prayer life, and keeping memories alive.

Me, Myself and I AM is an interactive book that will get your mind to thinking about your spiritual life and how it relates to your every day life. It's not just a self-help book where you're reading countless pages of text. You will be reading and writing. It's a book that you will want to share with everyone but you will not be letting your family and friends hold your copy. Topics in the book range from generic topics to very personal topics.

Be prepared to learn and grow on your spiritual journey with Me, Myself & I AM. ~ Shelia M Goss

I would recommend Matthew Peters and Elisa Standford's book titled Me, Myself, & I Am: The Story of You & God for any parent of a middle or high school student who is searching for identity (purpose) and independence (passion). I was fortunate enough to receive three copies in a special pre-release (I have already given a copy to two of my interns in hopes that they might consider using such a resource in mentoring someone). [...]

One of my favorite questions was found on page 74 (the headline reads, "Picture Me Then"). The authors asked me to imagine that "I am in my eighties, living in a retirement center. A great grandchild comes for a visit. I ask her to read the verse for the day on my calendar. It is 'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart' (Psalm 37:4). After reading it aloud, she turns to me and asks, 'Did he?'" How would I answer that question? With absolutely no hesitation . . . absolutely. I have come to be convinced that God loves to give us what we do not deserve and even what we would never ask for (because we feel so unworthy). I call it the "divine shock and awe factor." He delights in exceeding our expectations and abilities . . . out of his glory and goodness as our Heavenly Father. Despite disappointments, distractions, and disillusionment - dreams do become a reality in his Kingdom. Did I ever think that I would have the wife I have today? She is way too good for me! Did I ever believe that I would be a youth pastor at such a healthy church? Did I ever think that I could rewrite my family's legacy? There is not a doubt in my mind that my children will have greater integrity and influence than I ever did or ever will . . . but that I get a piece of building that amazing foundation. Jesus Christ is so faithful and forgiving . . . and he is in the business of re-creating the old into the new. His delight is our delight.

Summary: This uniquely designed book is unlike any book that Multnomah Books has published before. Open this book to any page and take a new look at you, where you've been on your spiritual journey, and where you're going. Out loud, in private, in order, or backwards all the way, this book of questions will have you laughing, praying, thinking, and maybe asking a question or two about yourself. It's a creative and revealing way to get to know God and you better than ever. So go ahead. Grab a pen and get ready to get real. A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Questions range from spiritually intriguing ones such as "If you overheard God talk about you - what do you hear him saying?" . . . to thought provoking ones such as "You are on a long car trip with a close friend, who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith - what is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?" . . . to challenging ones such as "Do you believe that all of Jesus' followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?" . . . to just plain fun ones such as "If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be . . . ." Use the journal as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later.

Life and our experience of it are in a continual state of flux. Coming to know God personally only seems to increase the speed with which our understandings and beliefs regarding the world around us, ourselves, and our relationship with God morph, shift and grow. If a series of concise snapshots could be taken -- time capsules assembled which represented our life at any specific point in time -- we'd be amazed at the continual changes that we experience in our walk together with Christ.

Me, Myself and I AM attempts to establish such a written time capsule. Taking the form of a workbook for adults, checklists, fill in the blanks, yes/no/maybe, rate on a scale and long answer sections are presented covering a wide array of questions concerning life, belief, past, present and future. Questions concerning your theology, history, goals, hypothetical situations, personal preferences and a hodgepodge of other questions make up the baseline for your own personal time capsule. The mood of the inquiries ranges from dead-serious to light-hearted fun.

One of my favourite questions follows, in a check-box format.

The fictional character(s) that fit my image of God when I was growing up:

[ ] The Abominable Snowman: huge, scary, and probably nonexistent - but you never knew

[ ] Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia: wise and good but untameable

[ ] The Big Bad Wolf: tricky, mean, and always showing up in places I thought were safe

[ ] Fairy Godmother: sweet, kind, and always looking out for me

[ ] Father Time: a distant but loving grandfather who kept the world moving

[ ] The Great Pumpkin from Peanuts: a hopeful figure I wanted to meet but who never whoed up

[ ] Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings: Kind, powerful, magical and mysterious

[ ] Mother Nature:life giving and good but didn't come inside much

[ ] The North Wind: cold, harsh, impersonal - and bad news when he showed up

[ ] Santa Claus: the person who would give me what I wanted if I was good enough

[ ] Winnie-the-Pooh: warm and comforting, a good buddy

[ ] The Wizard of Oz: big and powerful until you got to know him

[ ] Other:

[ ] None

The questions relating to childhood perceptions of God, relationships and forgiveness hit home for me as I was reading through the book. Even such lighthearted questions can trigger lengthy introspective ponderings if that is where God chooses to place His finger. Other areas will prompt your heartfelt prayers and examination as God leads.

Rather than being a straightforward, back to front, checkmark when you're done format,Me, Myself and I AM encourages a looser, free-flowing approach to working together with the book. You can start at the front, the back or flip through randomly. Likewise you can enter into prayer during your reflections, fill in just the basics or use the questions as prompts for in-depth journaling.

This title's value is not merely in filling in all of the blanks to establish a baseline for who you are at a specific point in time - rather there are riches to be found in the process itself. Me, Myself and I AM seems deceptively simple, but when read prayerfully you can expect God to speak to you through the gentle queries and prompts.

Pick up a copy and work through it. Fast or slow - depending upon God's leading you might sail through in a matter of days or spend several weeks in contemplation. What you won't want to do is shelf the book once you've completed it. Make a note in your long-term planner to pick it up again in one year, five years, ten. Better yet - purchase multiple copies so that you can re-examine yourself at these time posts as you grow in God.

This book is less than 100 pages and is a QUESTION and ANSWER ~ SELF-REFLECTIVE book. This is not the normal book we come across and start to read through.

In a nutshell, the author, Winston Rice, talks about God being I AM, and His call for us to be uniquely who He has created us to be, thus the title.

He explains, we should answer the questions according to how we feel, I might add, according to what your heart dictates. Don't write down what others expect or what you 'think' you should write down, go with your real inner feelings. When you do this, the book becomes much more magical.

As I read through and answered some questions, I was led to chuckle and even cry about how I would answer some of the questions. The book ranges from categories regarding our childhood to teen years to good times and bad, to beliefs, fears, thankfulness, confessions and ends with our ending, your funeral (who should speak, what people should remember about you, etc.). Try writing your thoughts about how you want to be remembered, it's not easy, and it is reason for self reflection and deeper thought.

You can even use the book at a party or small group gathering because of some of the sillier types of questions. Don't buy the book if you think it is a another self-help book or novel. Yet, it is a self-help book in the sense it will help you discover or rediscover the gift of your unique self God created you to be. It was fun, it was unique, and this book forced me to think more about who I am over and against who I believe God is calling me to be. This is what makes the book special.

Perfect for : Personal growth/thoughtfulness

In a nutshell: I found reading this journal/workbook to be a very thought-provoking experience. The authors have presented many thoughts or questions to help the reader take a closer look at themselves and their spirituality/faith. There are some very fun pages . . . . The Friend Most Likely . . . To think the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about: ______ (pg. 56) . . . . . and some very serious thoughts . . . Oops! One thing I do that I only recently realized is not right: ______ (pg. 64). I took this opportunity to learn about myself, and let me say that at times I had a hard time being honest with myself. In all, I really love this book. It has easily (it was really easy to work in this book!) helped me to smile, and has shown me some areas that I'd like to improve in my life. I recommend this book for personal growth, and a good gift for friends who are spiritual or are exploring their spiritual beliefs. Please take a moment and scroll through the first chapter below - it will give you a good idea of how the book is written.

My Review:
In this instance, I'm going to keep it short and simple. The book is very good, well, it is as good as you allow it to be. If you agree to be honest with yourself, you will get a lot out of this book, both in quality memories, and areas for improvement.

Characters: You! This book is really about looking at yourself spiritually.

Story-Line: N/A

Readability: Very easy to read. Also very easy to move around without worries. If you want to simply open it up to a random page, go ahead! Is there a particular section you want to start with - go for it!

Overall: A wonderful book/journal that helps the reader take a closer look at themselves spiritually. I was able to feel good about some areas of my spirituality and see some areas I need to work on. :) This was a very enjoyable book! Give it a try - you might be amazed at what you learn about yourself.

Me, Myself and I Am is a book requiring much from the reader. Besides the clever title and some soul-searching questions and sentence starters, the book is an empty slate.

I'm not great at following through with the meme's that head around the world via the internet. If I was I'd probably love this book. It's a spiritual and personal diary digging deep into the personal journey that has shaped reader beliefs and, by default, the reader.

My 17-year-old daughter fills out every meme she runs across and would really eat this up but my 22-year-old daughter saw the book laying on the kitchen table asked for it and hid it away before her sister discovered it had entered the house.

Some of the areas and topics covered include church, formative beliefs and the history of those, likes and dislikes, personality strengths and weaknesses and prayer personality. Many pages are quick check-lists and multiple choice, others require essay answers. All require thinking.

Introspective readers should find much to like.

Me, Myself, and I Am is not your normal book. It is not meant to be read. It is organized to be a question and answer book to help someone begin the process of self-reflection. The questions take on a whole range of subjects, and I found that most of them are set up for someone that is younger.

The questions come in range from the simplistic like "What are you wearing today?" to the spiritual, "When is the last time you felt God speaking to you?"

The book is short at only 96 pages, and unless you like the type of book that is nothing but questions, this isn't for you.

I would not have bought it if I saw it in the store. I think there are better ways for a Christian to go through the self-reflection process, but it might be a great resource for a young Christian or those fresh on the faith walk.

I was disappointed with the content and format, and felt that it was a cheap attempt at a serious spiritual discipline.

Save your money on this one. It's not worth the purchase.

I bought this book as a gift, and a week later, bought it for myself. It is best if you take one page at a time and don't read ahead or try to anticipate the next question. It's fun to read and think about it, but the power is in actually putting pen to paper. If you are not afraid to really know who you are... so you can better grow into the person you hope to become, this is the way to spend a day or a weekend.