A thoughtful consideration of the spiritual benefits of gratitude.
Boneberg emphasizes the magnitude of God’s daily gifts in this Christian-themed nonfiction work.
“By understanding God’s gifts and accepting God’s gifts,” the author writes in the book’s opening chapter, “we can better understand and accept God.” These gifts, Boneberg observes, “are simple yet profound” and offered to us daily. The book’s chapters each center around a specific gift. The first three gifts from God are “Today,” “Everything,” and “Everyone.” By adopting a spirit of gratitude for each day, person, and thing that we encounter, we can better understand how God cares for us daily in a myriad of ways, per the author. The penultimate gift discussed in the book is the act of giving itself; Boneberg highlights how we experience love and fulfillment through our own sacrificial giving. The final chapter addresses the Christian concept of the “kingdom of God,” arguing that it’s not necessarily a heavenly utopia but something “within us and among us [that] makes all the gifts of each today complete.” A former lawyer who’s long been active in Presbyterian ministries, the author is now legally blind after years of vision loss—he initially wrote this book as “a kind of mental focusing, an attempt to see more clearly that which should be a focal point of my life.” This considered, almost meditative approach to life informs the book’s underlying philosophy—Boneberg urges readers to carefully “weigh every word” of the Bible verses found on nearly every page. The author’s sagacity is conveyed in an engaging writing style. While the brief text (with fewer than 40 total pages) is simple and accessible (the book includes commentary on social media, comic books, and Fred Rogers, among other pop-culture references), this is not a book designed to be read in a single reading; instead, it’s meant to be meditated upon as readers apply its principles to find their own paths toward “happier, more fulfilled lives.”
A thoughtful consideration of the spiritual benefits of gratitude.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798350990515
Page Count: 39
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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