Book Review // God is Just Not Fair

"if every need we have is met in god's grace, why are our burdens still so heavy at times?  if god's grace is really enough, why does it sometimes feel so inadequate?"

if you've ever felt the weight of a burden…an illness, an unanswered prayer, a worry or concern…then you may have asked god "why?".  in the past year, my family has done a ton of praying over the past year since my dad's cancer diagnosis.  and i'd be lying if i told you i never asked god why this was happening and declared to him that it was all just so unfair.  

life can feel really unfair sometimes.  for jennifer rothschild, unfair was losing her sight at age fifteen.  and i think that when someone goes through something like that, when they carry a burden, they have a choice to either believe in the grace and ultimate sovereignty of god, or to abandon belief in him.  

in her new book, god is just not fair, jennifer writes about what we do when things just don't make sense; about finding hope and grace and provision in those "why?" moments.  

one chapter that particularly hit home with me is the idea that god lends two kinds of grace that jennifer has named participant grace and spectator grace.  in my life, my dad is going through this battle, and god is lending him participant grace.  i'm the spectator, praying, trusting, and believing for his healing, and god lends me spectator grace to bear the burden as the spectator.  i, for one, am so thankful that god cares for all of his children…those going through the fire and those walking alongside the fire, spectating.

god is just not fair holds the truth that every "why" might not be answered, and sometimes, things just don't seem fair.  because sometimes, life tears a big hole in your blanket of faith.  but hope can be found in christ jesus.  and if anyone knows that, it's jennifer rothschild.  

i have felt so encouraged and cared for while reading this book.  jennifer writes from her heart, sharing personal anecdotes and encouraging those carrying a burden.  no matter where you are in life, chances are you've experience a time where you can related to life not feeling fair.  and whether you're in that place now, or god is leading you out of that place, there is truth to be found in god is just not fair.  

jennifer's writing has left me wanting for more.  preferably in the form of a good, long sit-down chat over a great cup of coffee where i can just listen to her share her wisdom.  

if you're looking for hope, wondering where god is in the midst of struggle, or walking alongside someone in the fight of their life, this book is for you.

want to know more about god is just not fair?

check out why jennifer wrote the book here and if you need more convincing, here are a few more reasons to by the book!

god is just not fair is available on amazon, barnes & noble, and christian book distributors. 

disclosure // while i did receive a free advance copy of god is just not fair, the views expressed in this review are completely my own.

Girl Talk // Tag, You're It!

One of my favorite things is giving someone a gift that I've put effort and time into.  I love Christmas morning for that reason.  I love even more when I can surprise someone with an unexpected gift.

When my dad was diagnosed with cancer back in May, we radically changed our diets.  My parents became avid juicers and smoothie drinkers, going for a very all-natural, vegan, mostly raw diet.  My mom would make smoothies for my dad in her little blender that she got as a wedding gift nearly twenty-eight years ago.  She mentioned wanting to save up some money and invest in a Vitamix blender, but kept saying things like "my little blender is fine!"

Knowing that she was trying to be a good steward of finances in a time of uncertainty, I decided to ask a few friends and family if they'd be willing to pitch in to surprise my parents with that Vitamix.  A few text messages later, I had more money than I even needed, and we were able to bless my mom and dad with something they now use on a daily basis.  Seeing the looks on their faces when I pulled that box out of the trunk was one of the best moments of my summer.

We're starting a new series at GT called "Others First in a Me-First World".  It's all about serving and all about putting others first.  As I've been interning with the Creative Planning team, I've been steeped in thoughts about service to others, how to encourage our church body to serve, and how I, personally, can serve others better.

Jesus provided us with the greatest example of service.  In John 13, he gets down on his knees, towel wrapped around his waste, basin in hand, and washes the feet of his dirty, travel-worn disciples.

My friend Courtney wrote this in her new book:

Do you know what I hear Jesus saying to the disciples in this scene's last words?  "Tag. You're it."  They sit down to dinner, Jesus performs an outlandish act of love, and then he says, "Tag. It's your turn now." Jesus knew that He was not going to be around much longer with skin on, so He made sure that they understood His vision and then said, "...you also should..."  Serving is the legacy that Jesus chooses to leave with His disciples.

When I was young, I hated playing tag.  I always felt foolish chasing aimlessly after others, trying with all my might to catch them just enough to tag them and pass the baton of being "it" onto someone else.

And in today's "me-first" world, it can often feel as if trying to appreciate and serve others is just like that game of tag.  We need to hurry up and get it over with and then we can sit back and relax; the pressure is off, we've paid our dues.

But what if we flipped that thinking upside down?  What if we found complete joy in serving others?  What if we were constantly looking for ways to serve another, to anticipate a need, to appreciate someone who needs to know they're loved?

Serving isn't always a fruitful task.  It can be dirty, thankless, and even downright unpleasant.  Those we serve may never even know us to be the servant.  There is a woman at our church who cleans our nursery on a weekly basis.  For years, she's come in during the week and wiped down everything, sanitizing toys and changing tables, cribs and rocking chairs, prepping it for the next round of babies who will be cuddled and cared for while their parents attend service.  No one ever sees her do this, there's never a fanfare of applause for this great act of love, but she's done it faithfully for years.

Sometimes, serving silently brings more joy than if we were to do it in front of thousands.  Living a life of service means a shift in worldview.  It means taking putting down the mirror and picking up binoculars; it means looking away from your own needs and focusing in on the needs of others.

My challenge to you is this:
Look for the people in your life who serve you.  Appreciate them.  And then live as if they've said "tag, you're it!", for Jesus already said it two thousand years ago, and if we ignore that commission, then we're missing the heart of the gospel.

Tag, you're it.

GIRL TALK | TAG, YOU'RE IT!

One of my favorite things is giving someone a gift that I've put effort and time into.  I love Christmas morning for that reason.  I love even more when I can surprise someone with an unexpected gift.

When my dad was diagnosed with cancer back in May, we radically changed our diets.  My parents became avid juicers and smoothie drinkers, going for a very all-natural, vegan, mostly raw diet.  My mom would make smoothies for my dad in her little blender that she got as a wedding gift nearly twenty-eight years ago.  She mentioned wanting to save up some money and invest in a Vitamix blender, but kept saying things like "my little blender is fine!"

Knowing that she was trying to be a good steward of finances in a time of uncertainty, I decided to ask a few friends and family if they'd be willing to pitch in to surprise my parents with that Vitamix.  A few text messages later, I had more money than I even needed, and we were able to bless my mom and dad with something they now use on a daily basis.  Seeing the looks on their faces when I pulled that box out of the trunk was one of the best moments of my summer.

We're starting a new series at GT called "Others First in a Me-First World".  It's all about serving and all about putting others first.  As I've been interning with the Creative Planning team, I've been steeped in thoughts about service to others, how to encourage our church body to serve, and how I, personally, can serve others better.

Jesus provided us with the greatest example of service.  In John 13, he gets down on his knees, towel wrapped around his waste, basin in hand, and washes the feet of his dirty, travel-worn disciples.

My friend Courtney wrote this in her new book:

Do you know what I hear Jesus saying to the disciples in this scene's last words?  "Tag. You're it."  They sit down to dinner, Jesus performs an outlandish act of love, and then he says, "Tag. It's your turn now." Jesus knew that He was not going to be around much longer with skin on, so He made sure that they understood His vision and then said, "...you also should..."  Serving is the legacy that Jesus chooses to leave with His disciples.

When I was young, I hated playing tag.  I always felt foolish chasing aimlessly after others, trying with all my might to catch them just enough to tag them and pass the baton of being "it" onto someone else.

And in today's "me-first" world, it can often feel as if trying to appreciate and serve others is just like that game of tag.  We need to hurry up and get it over with and then we can sit back and relax; the pressure is off, we've paid our dues.

But what if we flipped that thinking upside down?  What if we found complete joy in serving others?  What if we were constantly looking for ways to serve another, to anticipate a need, to appreciate someone who needs to know they're loved?

Serving isn't always a fruitful task.  It can be dirty, thankless, and even downright unpleasant.  Those we serve may never even know us to be the servant.  There is a woman at our church who cleans our nursery on a weekly basis.  For years, she's come in during the week and wiped down everything, sanitizing toys and changing tables, cribs and rocking chairs, prepping it for the next round of babies who will be cuddled and cared for while their parents attend service.  No one ever sees her do this, there's never a fanfare of applause for this great act of love, but she's done it faithfully for years.

Sometimes, serving silently brings more joy than if we were to do it in front of thousands.  Living a life of service means a shift in worldview.  It means taking putting down the mirror and picking up binoculars; it means looking away from your own needs and focusing in on the needs of others.

My challenge to you is this:
Look for the people in your life who serve you.  Appreciate them.  And then live as if they've said "tag, you're it!", for Jesus already said it two thousand years ago, and if we ignore that commission, then we're missing the heart of the gospel.

Tag, you're it.

Oceans

One of the perks of dating a worship leader is that I tend to be pretty in-tune with new worship music.  And a few weeks ago, Hillsong United released their newest album, Zion.  The fourth track on the album is entitled "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" and boy, it's amazing.  It's the type of song that makes me want to do a better job of loving Jesus and I've listened to it on repeat for quite a few car rides this week.

There is just so much lyrical gold in this song, but here are a few of my favorite lines:

I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

....

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet would ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

AJ just led this song at our youth service this week and as he and I were talking about it afterward, he said something that got me thinking.  The song is based off of the story of Peter walking on water, which can be found in Matthew 14.  You probably know the story...Jesus walks on water and calls out to Peter to join him, so Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking until he gets scared, and he starts to sink.  But here's the little detail that I think packs a big punch.  In verse 30, it says "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid..."  Here's the thing.  If I'm Peter, I think the least of my worries would be the wind.  I mean, I'm used to being on a boat, a sailboat, no less.  Wind is a part of my everyday.  But that's what makes this so important...it was the little thing, the thing that he faced day in and day out, that ended up leading to him sinking.  

It just so happens that I'm also reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson right now.  He writes all about having big dreams that lead to big prayers, and his philosophy is that the bigger our prayer is, the bigger the glory to God is when He answers it.  And here's the connection with Oceans.  I think that big dreams and big prayers also require big trust.  It's so easy to pray the little everyday prayers, and often, those are stepping stones on the way to the big dream.  Batterson's claim is that we need to start defining the dreams that God has given us and circling them in prayer, believing God to fulfill His promises.  And I think there's a fear that goes along with praying circles around your biggest dreams.  Because not only is it a leap of faith to hope for the fulfillment of those dreams, but what happens when they come true?  It's easy to dream the dreams, but it's a lot scarier to actually have them fulfilled.  And praying big prayers around promises that God has given you means that they will be fulfilled, in His steadfast provision.

And that, my friends is why I love this song.  Because it holds the promise that God has made, that He hasn't abandoned us yet and He won't start now.  And it reminds of the hope we have in Christ, that if we abandon our lives to Him and follow wherever He calls, we will find rest in His presence and He will constantly challenge and stretch and mold us to greater faith and trust.

And of course, I couldn't talk about this song without sharing it with you guys.  It's long, yes, but SO worth listening to the whole thing.

OCEANS

One of the perks of dating a worship leader is that I tend to be pretty in-tune with new worship music.  And a few weeks ago, Hillsong United released their newest album, Zion.  The fourth track on the album is entitled "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" and boy, it's amazing.  It's the type of song that makes me want to do a better job of loving Jesus and I've listened to it on repeat for quite a few car rides this week.

There is just so much lyrical gold in this song, but here are a few of my favorite lines:

I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

....

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet would ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

AJ just led this song at our youth service this week and as he and I were talking about it afterward, he said something that got me thinking.  The song is based off of the story of Peter walking on water, which can be found in Matthew 14.  You probably know the story...Jesus walks on water and calls out to Peter to join him, so Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking until he gets scared, and he starts to sink.  But here's the little detail that I think packs a big punch.  In verse 30, it says "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid..."  Here's the thing.  If I'm Peter, I think the least of my worries would be the wind.  I mean, I'm used to being on a boat, a sailboat, no less.  Wind is a part of my everyday.  But that's what makes this so important...it was the little thing, the thing that he faced day in and day out, that ended up leading to him sinking.  

It just so happens that I'm also reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson right now.  He writes all about having big dreams that lead to big prayers, and his philosophy is that the bigger our prayer is, the bigger the glory to God is when He answers it.  And here's the connection with Oceans.  I think that big dreams and big prayers also require big trust.  It's so easy to pray the little everyday prayers, and often, those are stepping stones on the way to the big dream.  Batterson's claim is that we need to start defining the dreams that God has given us and circling them in prayer, believing God to fulfill His promises.  And I think there's a fear that goes along with praying circles around your biggest dreams.  Because not only is it a leap of faith to hope for the fulfillment of those dreams, but what happens when they come true?  It's easy to dream the dreams, but it's a lot scarier to actually have them fulfilled.  And praying big prayers around promises that God has given you means that they will be fulfilled, in His steadfast provision.

And that, my friends is why I love this song.  Because it holds the promise that God has made, that He hasn't abandoned us yet and He won't start now.  And it reminds of the hope we have in Christ, that if we abandon our lives to Him and follow wherever He calls, we will find rest in His presence and He will constantly challenge and stretch and mold us to greater faith and trust.

And of course, I couldn't talk about this song without sharing it with you guys.  It's long, yes, but SO worth listening to the whole thing.