It actually took me two days to write a review for Lisa
Harper's latest book, Overextended... and
loving most of it! I'm not sure if it was my exhausted mind or my
disappointment, but I was appalled at my negativity in my initial reaction to
the book. I decided that before posting, I needed to reflect on why I felt that way
for a day or two, and I'm glad I made that decision.
First of all, I had read the back of the book for a synopsis
of what I'd be reading but I wish I would've read the "about the author"
section before choosing this book to review. Although I've never heard her
speak, I believe Harper would be a gifted speaker and one I might enjoy hearing
live. I was slightly irritated by the many pop-culture references Harper
used (In my perspective, it makes for an engaging talk, but an annoying read).
In addition, I personally feel the necessity for an unspoken
respect towards Scripture, and did not care for her modern day
translations of Biblical accounts (e.g- calling Moses "Moe" and
talking about Joshua texting the Israelites); I don't mind when it is found in
a Veggie Tales cartoon, but find it a bit offensive in the adult Christian
living genre. She mentions in her book having a 40,000 word deadline to
complete in two weeks, and at times I felt that she was just trying to fill up
pages (especially when she added multiple Facebook message status updates and a
17-page letter to her father). The book was a bit too long-winded, even for me,
to where I felt like I was flipping back and forth, or glancing once again at
the chapter's title in order to figure out her take home point.
Although I was frustrated with the aforementioned points, I
did appreciate the few gems she had tucked within the pages. Harper uses events
from her life to illustrate that it is possible to love others and glorify God
while living a chaotically busy life. I love hearing accounts of God working in
human lives in an incredibly visible way and she had many, ranging from an exuberant
octogenarian heading overseas for her 52nd missions trip, to a Taco Bell
employee just looking for confirmation of God's omnipresent love on her birthday.
I also appreciated the acronym BLAST she created to help us not only survive,
but thrive in our "Ca.Ray.Zee. seasons" of life. Finally, I think she
had a very good apologetic of the Christian faith against the secular
humanistic worldview of today, and loved that she included quotes, ranging from
Pascal and Schaeffer to Chesterton and Lewis.
In the end though, I did not feel like it was enough for me.
I was looking for more. The back of the book says that she "shows
us" how to find rest and glorify God, and Harper does that using her own
life as an example, but I was looking for a bit more substance and instruction for the size of the book
and didn't feel filled in that end. At first I thought she didn't even support
her thesis, but after much reflection, I feel like I was looking at it from a
different angle. People are always telling my husband and I that we need to
create margin in our lives, as we are consistently busy. I was reading this
book, with that in mind, seeing overextended
as being stretched thin with a busy schedule, and desiring to know how I could
glorify God more brightly through it. And to that end, I was disappointed. But what
I did learn though is that in the times of my life where I am overextended, pulled, not by my
calendar, but by God stretching me, I can still exhibit love, gratitude, and
joy while focusing on running into the arms of Jesus daily. And I'm thankful
for that reminder.
Disclosure
of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through
the BookSneeze® book review program. I was not required to write a
positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
