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Review: Seven-Mile Miracle by Steven Furtick

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Seven Mile Miracle by Steven Furtick

Seven-Mile Miracle by Steven Furtick: A Number 1 Best-Seller on Amazon!

To say that I have a “thing for books” would be a gross understatement. I’m entertained by them, moved by them, motivated by them, changed by them, and… make no mistake… fascinated by them.

I even collect certain types of books – with collections numbering in the obscene:

  • Agatha Christie Mysteries
  • Bible Study Books
  • Cookbooks (new and vintage)
  • American History Biographies
  • Books About Kentucky
  • Inspirational Books
  • Books About Tea
  • Books About Herbs
  • Books About Mental Health & Brain Fitness

There are others, but that’ll give you an idea of the kind of book fanatic you’re dealing with here.

Oftentimes, I’ll come across an author that I resonate so completely with that I set out on a mission – a new collection consisting of every book they’ve ever written. That’s what has happened with the book you see here, Seven-Mile Miracle. Steven Furtick has a gift for taking very informative, inspirational, moving, and compelling words and doing something few are able to pull off…. he has a lot of fun with them.

When you open the book, you completely expect the beauty of the story  – any story about Jesus is going to be beautiful after all, since He defined beauty. You even expect the story to be inspiring, motivating, and eye-opening – and this book is all of these things. You may not, however, expect it to be so much fun to read that you don’t want to put it down and you certainly don’t expect it to contain so much humor that you laugh out loud (I always get such stares from my cats when I do that).

Steven Furtick’s humor caught me delightfully off guard and that’s why I will soon have yet another book collection I’ll be working on – all books by Steven Furtick.

Seven-Mile Miracle is, not at all surprisingly, a number 1 best-seller on Amazon right now. Seems I’m not the only one who knows a great author when she reads one or a great book when she’s lucky enough to hold it in her hands.

His Final Words Are Your New Beginning

It’s Good Friday. The Son of God is giving up his life. What does he want to say to us in His final hours? What does He tell the people standing at the foot of the cross, to pass down to the ages? He speaks only seven short statements. Words of forgiveness, salvation, relationship, abandonment, distress, triumph, and reunion. Seven statements that mean everything.

In Seven-Mile Miracle, Pastor Steven Furtick shows us how Jesus’s last words offer mile markers for our journey in relationship with God. It’s a lifelong journey and it’s not always easy. But Jesus is both our guide and our destination as we travel.

Includes questions for reflection and a forty-day reading guide to Jesus’s death and resurrection.

A Proven Path for Spiritual Growth

From time to time we all feel stuck in our relationship with God and frustrated by life’s setbacks. Jesus faced what could have been the ultimate defeat on the cross. Yet he emerged triumphant through his relationship with his heavenly Father. And he showed us the way so that we could do the same.

In Seven-Mile Miracle, Steven Furtick explores how Jesus’s seven last statements on the cross offer a proven spiritual growth path for us. You will experience the Easter message more personally than ever before as you engage the words of forgiveness, salvation, relationship, abandonment, distress, triumph, reunion.

After all, we are not simply believers—people who have put our faith in Jesus. We are not simply disciples—pupils who learn from him. We are called to be followers of Christ. This is your opportunity to follow Jesus through his death, and move forward in his resurrection power, starting now.

Review Continued Below….

Seven Mile Miracle by Steven Furtick
Seven-Mile Miracle reads fast, yet you’ll find yourself slowing the process down, just so you’re certain to catch every nugget. I found myself taking notes along the way – a sure sign of a very special book.

I also loved the reflection questions and the Bible reading guide. Each were very thoughtful additions that help transcend a wonderful read into a wonderful source for Bible study.

I hope you’ll head over to Amazon and grab a copy of Seven-Mile Miracle today. You might just bump into me as I search out other books by Steven Furtick. His humor, love for Jesus, and excitement for the Bible resonate with me and I’m certain they will with you as well.


Review of an Inspirational Beauty: 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart

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31 Verses to Write on Your Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs
31 Verses to Write on Your Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs
I recently wrote a raving review for Liz Curtis Higgs’ Really Bad Girls of the Bible and today I’m here to do the same – similar raving and same wonderful author. Only the book has changed.

31 Verses to Write on Your Heart is a beautiful collection of favorite Bible verses – collected from over 1,000 women. Accompanying the collection of inspiring and uplifting verses are Liz Curtis Higg’s beautiful (and deliciously witty) stories, words and thoughts.  The reader is given perfect illustrations of each Bible verse as it jumps out of the Bible and into your life.

I think that’s the heart of having favorite Bible verses. They are almost always words that spoke to us when we needed them most.  One of my personal favorite verses is Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” (KJV) When my three girls were very young, my dad was in extremely bad health. We knew it wasn’t a matter of “if” he was dying, but “when.”  My girls and I packed up our homeschooling books and made the long drive each day from Madisonville to Owensboro (KY), where he was in the hospital.

If you’ve never watched someone you love greatly slowly die, I hope you never do. It’s… well, there doesn’t seem to be a word strong enough for what it is. Even “agonizing” doesn’t seem to cover it.

One night as I was stacking up the books the girls would need to carry with them the next morning, I just laid across the bed and let the tears fall where they may. Since the last thing I wanted my daughters or husband, for that matter, to see was me having a “moment and a half,” I dried my eyes, grabbed my Bible and flung it open – figuring I’d just begin reading wherever my red eyes happened to land.

I “landed” here in Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”  Here’s the thing about Bible verses – often, one verse speaks to one person differently than it does the next person. Why? Because God often has something different to say to each of us!

When I read that verse, it was as though God was meeting me right where I was and telling me to be strong… happier days are ahead and my dad’s suffering and our heartbreak would not last forever. When I closed my Bible (after highlighting the verse and writing it both on the calendar I carried in my purse AND on my heart), I realized something that I have never forgotten – when you keep your eyes on God (“Call unto me”), He will always be there for you (“I WILL answer thee”). What’s more, He will lead, teach, and instruct you (“shew thee great and mighty things”), even if you can’t, for the life of you, see them yourself (“which though knowest not.”)

From the Back Cover:

Let His Truth Find a Home in Your Heart
Here are the words of hope you’re looking for when your faith needs a boost or a friend needs encouragement. Chosen by more than a thousand women as their favorite verses in the Bible, each one is worth learning, worth sharing, worth remembering,

You’ll find verses you already know and love: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Others may be less familiar but are no less powerful: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). All of them capture the truth of God’s goodness, mercy, and love for His own.

Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs invites you to experience—
* a deeper, richer understanding of thirty-one treasured verses.
* a fresh look at how these timeless truths can impact your life.
* a new passion for memorizing Scripture, verse by verse.
* thirty-one creative ways to keep them in your heart forever.

With a study guide included, 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart is a daily devotional and a small-group Bible study, wrapped in a lovely gift book overflowing with joy!

“Consider 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart your new spiritual strategy for deepening your daily walk with God. ”
—Karen Ehman, author of Keep It Shut

Each Bible verse comes with “His Word, Your Heart” at the end – a page that includes a tip for memorizing the verse and a space to write your own favorite version (KJV, NKJV, or NIV) of the verse.

I love what Liz Curtis Higgs has to say about Scripture Memorization:

“If you’re ready to give Scripture memorization a go, you’ll see lots of practical ideas and fun tips scattered throughout the book, then collected in the final pages for easy reference…. I know, I know. You don’t have the time. Your memory isn’t what it used to be. You tried before and gave up. You think it’s too hard. I get it. Totally.

Still, here’s what the Bible says: ‘Keep my words and store up my commands within you.’ This isn’t simply the wisdom of King Solomon written to his son. This is the Word of God written for all of us. Keep and store. That’s memorizing Scripture in a nutshell.”

When it comes to memorizing Bible verses, the more you do it, the easier it is. It’s as though you’re exercising a part of your brain and with steady “exercise,” it’ll amaze you with how strong it becomes!

31 Verses to Write on Your Heart is available on Amazon and would make a BEYOND wonderful Mother’s Day or Graduation gift. Actually it’d make a perfect gift for any special lady in your life. You’ll also want your own copy, however.

This beautiful book sits proudly on a shelf on my Inspirational Books bookshelf  (keeping company with its sisters – other Liz Curtis Higgs books). However, it doesn’t sit there for long stretches at a time. When I got the book, I used it, daily, as a devotional – memorizing the verses and reading the corresponding words. Today, I often refer back to it to challenge myself with the verses and re-read the chapters for inspiration.

This is simply a beautiful, inspiring, uplifting, and perfect book. See 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart for your own copy.

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.

31 Verses to Write on Your Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs