Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
helpful, delightful and grace-filled, October 13, 2008
If along with most people you've ever wondered what God possibly could do to transform your pitiful attitudes and pathetic lack of alignment with the demands of the commands, this collection of stories from Chicago Sun-Times religion columnist Cathleen Falsani's recent peregrinations will give you hope and keep you keepin' on, since God lovingly reigns with showers of mercy-filled grace, no matter who, no matter what, no matter when.
On page 57 Cathleen cites a couple of "grace" examples that especially resonate with me: "Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow your nose and your heart rather than your head." "Sometimes grace is finding out that your preconceived notions are dead wrong." "And sometimes it's a bowl of watermelon gazpacho when you were expecting Taco Bell."
Discussing the possibility of following precise recipes for spiritual and religious experience and renewal (there aren't any), Cathleen described herself as "rhubarb pie with pistachio ice cream," making me wonder how to describe myself in food, and maybe how I'd describe some of the people I've met.
Cathleen's book chronicles God's "audacious" grace, as she sometimes styles it; and in its free, elusive, characteristically unanticipated and unexpectedness, Grace is audacious, bold and wild. But just as much, grace often is physically tastable, audible, visible, aromatic and touchable: incarnate and enfleshed; in that case, where can grace lead us? What is our response in the Spirit to the Divine Image in which we've been created?
I predict you'll enjoy this book, you'll recommend it and you'll probably want to read it again!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bold, Ironic, and brave, August 23, 2008
Whether reflecting on the urgency of morality or contemplating her own response to the death of (overly) moralizing televangelists, Cathleen Falsani is a rare creature who lives in the real world, struggles to reconcile herself with what's spiritually possible, celebrates moments of grace, and isn't afraid to tell the rest of us about it. My favorite essays in this book are "Oh, Henry" and "Annus Horribilus", which are wry, self-knowing, beautifully rooted in the real details of life (yes, a tree can be that important), and ultimately reflect Falsani feeling at peace in her own life and achingly aware of the lives around her. This is one ironic, hilarious, grouchy, red-wine-drinking-and-convertible-driving adventuress and this book is an unflinching look at her own life, a welcoming gesture to the rest of us, and great read.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A collection of stories, September 16, 2009
I wasn't crazy about this book. I was excited to read it, thinking all the wonderful things I would learn about grace. As a minister, I've heard a lot about grace, and agree strongly that it is everywhere, in everything. God covers us with grace, thanks be to God.
But I felt like that almost made this book too easy. Reading it felt like reading a loose collection of stories rather than a well put together book. I don't read many collections because I like books to have continuity. I didn't find that in this book. Each chapter was a new beginning.
It feels weird saying something bad about a book concerning grace, but I just felt like this book told a bunch of stories and then labeled the grace within them afterward. Maybe it's something we need to be doing in all of our lives, identifying the grace that covers us all, but I didn't think it made for compelling reading. It read more like a travelogue covering the authors journeys on safari in Africa, where seeing elephants is a gracious moment, than it did a book delving into a theology of grace.
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