Refresh Your Faith-Lori Hatcher

More often than not, when conversations drift over to religion/spirituality (what have you), and friends openly scorn Christianity, then ask what my faith is centered on, and I respond with a wry smile "Christianity", it is always followed up with either a half-hearted or condescending apology. I get it though. In a world that has embraced the fragile newspeak wrappings of being hyper-offended or fraudulent empathy for the feelings of others, it leaves very few ports of safety in getting a laugh at the expense of people who are different than you without the risk of getting canceled. And Christians, next to Republicans, make for very ripe targets. The world embraces and encourages it and, thanks to our pacifistic nature, there is virtually no risk of retaliation—both from the source itself nor from the imaginary digitalverse. *Which testifies volumes to the thick coat of paint the world has painted itself into a corner of: if it becomes unfounded that you question why a man goes into a woman's bathroom, you're liable to get punched in the face and threatened with disembowelment online. Make fun of Christians on a mission trip, and there is total immunity for your chuckles.* So suffice it to say, being a Christian in modern times isn't easy and requires a thick coat of skin and solid mental fortifications. But through diligent study of scripture, these tools grow to become sharper and stronger with time. Your rebuttals are well-grounded and automatic and you become less inclined to rock defensive armor. And through this consistent devotion to scripture, I noticed, that when I turn the table and provide them with an open forum and ask what faith they adhere to, the answer is very scatter-brained, and (without trying), I find that it is rather easy for addled spiritualists/agnostics, to cut the ground out from underneath themselves. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, I believe in God, yeah, I guess. But I just don't think he's the one written about in the Bible." "OK. Well, if you believe in God, but don't see him through The Bible, what is the medium that speaks to you most intimately?" "Huh?" "Where do you find God?" "Oh…ummm. I don't know. I never really thought about it. I guess in nature." "So you worship trees, dirt, and the wind and the seas?" "Well. Maybe not, like worship. But, I mean, we're all, like, literally, stardust. So it makes sense to like, literally, respect the elements and find God through nature…" This example isn't meant to brandish some mental sword of spiritual superiority but is written as a sample of what it seems as if a majority of the world is drifting towards: addled spirituality. Addled spirituality is a very vulnerable—and potentially dangerous—state of being. If you profess to believe in God but leave your faith in a malleable form, it isn't difficult for those who are wishing to mold you into something twisted and deranged, to succeed. It's akin to walking down the street counting a stack of hundred-dollar bills bereft of awareness to your surroundings. This haphazard condition is an area of life I wish to avoid by investing upon the weight of my faith anchor on a daily basis in Scripture reading followed up by devotionals. The latest devotional I read was called Refresh Your Faith by Lori Hatcher. Lori's unique approach is a little similar to how I write these reviews: take something from your personal life, be it an experience or something you had seen happen to someone else, and correlate it with the subject/work of art. For me, it is movies and books, with Lori it is one organic devotional (uncommon) from every book of The Holy Bible. From Genesis to Revelations, Lori picks out a verse that spoke loudest to her heart and applies a lesson that can be utilized going forward. Truth be told, it is about two months since I finished this book, and a lot of memory from each chapter has faded. But I do remember enjoying it very much, and my favorite application was from Timothy 1, in which charity is the emphasis, and how we need to be more aware of how wealthy we really are in this world. If I were to thumb through this book again I am sure that the memory banks would stir to life. But the point of recommending a work such as this is to remember how important it is to invest in your spiritual strength. It begets true harmony and enhances your relationship with God. And with Lori's book, each Chapter being only two to three pages, it only takes about ten minutes out of your day to do. Don't you think God deserves at least that much of your time?

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read