Thursday, March 31, 2016

Not as Bright As I Expected

Be Light: Shining God's Beauty, Truth and Hope into a Darkened World (WaterBrook Press, 2016) by Stephen Rodriguez is a 30 day devotional focused on being the light of Christ in the world.  (This review is of the Advanced Reading Copy, expected release date May 3, 2106; page numbers/chapter titles may change in the final version.
The reader is reminded from day 1 that light wins, light triumphs over darkness, and just as light makes an impact in the physical world, Christians are expected to reflect Christ's light, and make an impact for a world that needs that light. A darkened world, that can turn into light.
Each chapter, one per day for 30 days starts with, for lack of a better way to put it, an article about a different kind of light: fire, oil lamps, fluorescent lights, laser beams, refraction, reflection, the milky way and a host of other types of light find in nature, in science, and in our Christian faith.
Each chapter ends with a short reflection, a scripture, and an example of how the different light or light source can be compared to a spiritual light, the light that Rodriguez expects the Christian faith community to carry into the world of non-believers.
There are definitely scraps of wisdom in this book, (things like, "Our righteousness must not end in the church parking lot; it has to be evident in all aspects of our lives." (from the chapter "SafeLight" )
The Light that is intended to shine in this book is not as bright as I had expected. I frequently felt lost in the scientific and missed out on much of the spiritual application that I'm sure is there.
3/5

Mandatory Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book in exchange for my review. I was not required to post a positive review. 

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