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8 reviews for:
And It Was Beautiful: Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye
Kara Tippetts
4.77 AVERAGE
8 reviews for:
And It Was Beautiful: Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye
Kara Tippetts
4.77 AVERAGE
This is not an emotionally easy read, but I found it a rich, honest testimony of one woman’s struggles and faith in the midst of her fight against cancer. Small chapters, which I enjoyed as part of my morning reading time. This book is to be savored and slowly mulled over, not engulfed in one gulp. It was a powerful encouragement in my own walk of faith, and when my daughter nears womanhood I plan on having her read it as well.
This was such a beautifully arranged collection of Kara's writings! I love how her story inspires laughter and tears to flow simultaneously. Kara writes with such authenticity it feels like you're sitting down with a dear friend and doing real life together.
The chapters are so tiny that you can easily read them in the midst of your own chaotic, real life. They are the perfect snippets of encouragement from a friend that says, 'me too, you're not the only one.' Read this book!
The chapters are so tiny that you can easily read them in the midst of your own chaotic, real life. They are the perfect snippets of encouragement from a friend that says, 'me too, you're not the only one.' Read this book!
I became aware of Kara Tippetts' story and her blog, Mundane Faithfulness, shortly before her death last March. Like most people (I assume, anyway), I don't like thinking about death—especially death we would consider "untimely." I didn't read much of Kara's blog for that reason. But recently I learned about And It Was Beautiful, which is mainly a collection of writings from Kara's blog, and something told me to read it. I'm glad I did.
I picked up And It Was Beautiful with a bit of trepidation, fearing I was facing 250 pages that would make me want to cry. I couldn't have been more wrong. The subtitle, "Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye," so clearly communicates what Kara did through her writing—she struggled, she cried, she questioned ... but she also found humor in the pain, lived life to the fullest, and trusted in the One who knew the number of her days.
Yes, I did cry as I read the book's final pages, but I closed the book thankful for the gift of being able to see the grace, dignity, and hope that Kara left behind as her legacy.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I picked up And It Was Beautiful with a bit of trepidation, fearing I was facing 250 pages that would make me want to cry. I couldn't have been more wrong. The subtitle, "Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye," so clearly communicates what Kara did through her writing—she struggled, she cried, she questioned ... but she also found humor in the pain, lived life to the fullest, and trusted in the One who knew the number of her days.
Yes, I did cry as I read the book's final pages, but I closed the book thankful for the gift of being able to see the grace, dignity, and hope that Kara left behind as her legacy.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This book was hard. And beautiful. Having lost a young cousin to cancer that was terminal upon diagnosis and having my mom just finish her second round of chemo and radiation, I could understand so much of what Kara talked about in her story. Hearing the thought process for someone who is actively going through treatment and knowing they will not live was painful. It moved me to tears. Kara's writing is beautiful and she helps you understand the ugly with the beauty. Her story is full of courage and grace and peace.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.*
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.*
Kara's writings are grouped into three acts, following the storyline of her cancer journey from diagnosis to treatment to relapse to coming to terms with the fact that her cancer would ultimately be healed in Heaven, not on Earth. Throughout the book, though, cancer is not the standout theme. Instead, Kara wrote about loving and living well in the midst of a terribly difficult trial. Her grace-infused words are beautifully convicting and inspiring, encouraging her readers to live with love and kindness.
And It Was Beautiful is indeed a beautiful book. I highly recommend it to anyone desiring to live well in the midst of the life God has given.
And It Was Beautiful is indeed a beautiful book. I highly recommend it to anyone desiring to live well in the midst of the life God has given.
I’m not sure I can begin to express how deeply I was affected by this book. Many people reading it will likely be familiar with Kara Tippetts from either her blog or her previously published books, but I was not. But by the end of this book I felt as though I had lost a cherished friend, and I wept; I wept for both the heartache and the beauty that can be found amidst the heartache; I wept for the abundant love that carried this family through such a testing time – love for and of one another and their Saviour; and I wept because as a nearly-thirty-seven-year-old mother of five, it was all too easy to imagine myself in Kara’s situation.
Kara’s attitude towards life and faith as cancer ravaged her body is truly inspirational, but there are lessons here for all of us:
“Blessing the Lord is not clean, it’s not just when things are easy and good and healthy. It’s thanking Him at ALL times and in ALL circumstances, not for the painful things but for His presence. Jason [Kara’s husband] says that’s what peace is, and I believe him.”
“The truth is none of us know the length of our lives. So we pray for daily bread and say thank you when it comes...A bucket list? No, I don’t need one. I’m so rich. It’s relationships that matter. And for me, paying attention to the precious gift of today is the only thing on my list.”
“It takes all my will to choose to meet the joy of each moment and not linger in the fear of when these moments will end.”
“That’s one of the lessons cancer has taught me, that today is all I have, and I must keep my eyes focused on what’s in front of me, and do the next thing in love.”
How much richer would our own lives be if we lived this way? As Kara says, “Joy in the mundane feels so much more real when sadness has been walked through and tasted.”
What more can I say? Read this book. You will cry, but you will be blessed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from David C. Cook Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
Kara’s attitude towards life and faith as cancer ravaged her body is truly inspirational, but there are lessons here for all of us:
“Blessing the Lord is not clean, it’s not just when things are easy and good and healthy. It’s thanking Him at ALL times and in ALL circumstances, not for the painful things but for His presence. Jason [Kara’s husband] says that’s what peace is, and I believe him.”
“The truth is none of us know the length of our lives. So we pray for daily bread and say thank you when it comes...A bucket list? No, I don’t need one. I’m so rich. It’s relationships that matter. And for me, paying attention to the precious gift of today is the only thing on my list.”
“It takes all my will to choose to meet the joy of each moment and not linger in the fear of when these moments will end.”
“That’s one of the lessons cancer has taught me, that today is all I have, and I must keep my eyes focused on what’s in front of me, and do the next thing in love.”
How much richer would our own lives be if we lived this way? As Kara says, “Joy in the mundane feels so much more real when sadness has been walked through and tasted.”
What more can I say? Read this book. You will cry, but you will be blessed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from David C. Cook Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
I have a tough time with blogs, so the format of the book was hard to go through since it was archives of past blogs.
What a hard "story" God gave her and her family yet the grace for each day and the strength to walk through it. Her writing provides an honest look at the hard but a hope to lean towards. A challenge/encouragement for anyone walking in faith.
Given to me by Suz
What a hard "story" God gave her and her family yet the grace for each day and the strength to walk through it. Her writing provides an honest look at the hard but a hope to lean towards. A challenge/encouragement for anyone walking in faith.
Given to me by Suz
This a poignant but powerful collection of Kara Tippetts writing, which offers both insight into living well in the face of illness and a terminal diagnosis, and encouragement for all who share Kara's desire to pursue a life soaked in God's grace.
And it was Beautiful is not an easy read, but it is beautiful, and even though I disagree with some of Tippetts' theological emphases, I recommend this book to those who I feel would appreciate it.
I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
And it was Beautiful is not an easy read, but it is beautiful, and even though I disagree with some of Tippetts' theological emphases, I recommend this book to those who I feel would appreciate it.
I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.