Hi friends! Today I’m posting something different, a long-overdue book review. I’m reviewing a religious book today, and I know this blog isn’t “religious” per se, so I definitely understand if you want to wait for the normal crochet posts! I also have some craft-related posts in the works, as well as a new amigurumi pattern, so stay tuned for those. 🙂
“Whisper” by Mark Batterson
Saints and prophets…sure. But does God really speak to me?
Most people would say they’re unsure. But His voice is all around us, all the time! His ability to speak is not limited by our human range of hearing. So if you want to hear His voice, you just need to learn some new ways to listen.
Nothing will change your life’s trajectory or determine your destiny like a whisper from God. That’s how we discern the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God and seize divine appointments. It’s also the way bold visions are birthed and unprecedented miracles are ushered in.
Through powerful stories and practical advice, New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson shows how natural it is for believers to hear the voice of God. He reveals the obstacles to hearing the seven creative ways God speaks to His children and the value of having a “whispering spot” where you listen for His voice.
The question isn’t whether God speaks. The question is, what does He have to say to you?
Goodreads | 207 pages | Where I got it: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a review.
My Thoughts
Today I’m reviewing a religious book that I originally planned to read and review during Lent, but life got crazy and I didn’t get a chance. So I apologize to Blogging For Books that this review is late. However, I’m really glad I chose this book, because it ended up being really thought-provoking. I’d like to read it again more slowly, maybe over a period of time like Lent, so I can absorb it more. I found myself taking notes as I went because there’s so much to take in.
The book is about learning to hear the voice of God, and is divided into a few different sections. Part 1 is called “The Power of a Whisper” and acts as an introduction to the book. Part 2 is “The 7 Love Languages” and discusses the 7 love languages of God. I found the second part a lot more interesting. I took a pretty long break from the book in between the two sections because of this. I really liked how the author broke it down into seven categories, explaining each of them in their own chapter. For those curious, the 7 languages are, according to this book: Scripture, Desires, Doors, Dreams, People, Promptings, and Pain. My favorite ones to read about were probably Scripture and Doors, although they were all interesting and relevant.
The writing style was conversational and easy to read. The author is the pastor of a church, and I’d really like to hear one of his sermons now. Whisper is definitely a Christian book, but I couldn’t tell exactly what denomination it was written for – I’m Catholic, and I could tell it wasn’t for Catholicism, but there were only a few moments I noticed that. For instance, one time the author talked about confessing your sins, and Catholics actually have the Sacrament of Confession, which wasn’t mentioned in the book. So I’m not sure exactly which branch of Christianity this was written for. But it didn’t take away from the reading experience. Mark Batterson shares a lot of his own experiences, and he shares wisdom and tips while still sounding humble. He admits a lot that he still struggles with certain things, which is encouraging for a reader. The only thing I would change is the fact there were a lot of exclamation marks in the book…which got a little old after a while.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn about listening to God. I’ll be reading it again and will be happily adding it to my ever-growing shelf of religious books. I’ll check out more books from this author, too!
Rating: 4/5 stars ****
Have you read any good books lately? I’m always looking for new recommendations! 🙂
I’m glad you found it interesting, I’m not really one for non-fiction but I still enjoyed your review. I just finished The Archived by Victoria Schwab and it was really good! I’m reading the second one, The Unbound, at the moment and the suspense and frustration of the manic character is killing me. 😊
Ooh I’ve heard good things about The Archived, I’ll have to check it out! I’m not usually one for nonfiction either, which is probably why it took me so long to read, haha. Fiction is much more interesting to me, but I’m trying to branch out a little, in between my rereads of Throne of Glass. ^__^