Overextended... and loving most of it!

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