4 out of 4 stars
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I love books that make me feel good about myself and encourage me to live better. Who doesn't, really? I also love religious books and books that inspire devotion to God. Unfortunately, in a Venn diagram made up of Christian books, motivational books and feel-good books there are very few books that fall in that small central intersecting area. This is why I was so happy with Good Morning Sunshine!: Finding Strength and Comfort in God by Terri L. Braun. Terri had a terribly unfortunate accident a few years ago in which an entire basketball goal fell on her head and gave her a traumatic brain injury. Over the following years things got dark for Terri, and eventually she realized she was the only one who could get herself back out. To return her to the light, she returned to God, and hence Good Morning Sunshine! was born. This is a collection of 40 of Terri's favorite Bible verses that "helped [her] through [her] daily struggles". All 40 are encouraging, inspirational and show the importance of turning to and trusting God.
I fell in love with this book within the first couple pages of the introduction. Here, Terri said that "I am not a morning person (I have mastered that "don't talk to me yet" glare)." This leads into the inspiration of the title of this book, as her father would come into her bedroom with a big smile saying, "good morning, sunshine!" As someone who is also absolutely NOT a morning person I could totally relate to this, both as a frustration as a child and reflecting back now that her father is no longer with her as a positive, sweet thing.
This super-sweet link to the title is lovely, but so is the more figurative use of "waking up" one is encouraged to do. Each verse begins with the verse(s) itself in a grey box to separate it from her text explaining what it's about and finishes with 3 discussion questions (aside from one exception that has 4 questions). These 3 questions are typically just as insightful as her description of the verse, a rather big shock considering this means there are over 100 questions overall! A couple of my own personal favorites include Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 11:1. Matthew 28:20 says "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Terri explains that this means we should "[l]et God flow through every part of your day not just when there are extraordinary moments but also in the everyday mundane moments." This is something that's very easy to forget as most of us pray to God when we need or want something, and maybe thank Him when something incredible happens or before dinner, but otherwise don't include Him in our lives in the in-between moments. My other favorite, Hebrews 11:1, reads "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." This time, Terri explains about faith a bit, but there's also an excellent quote from her - "it does not matter how strong you are but rather how strong God is". That nails the whole point of faith in a single line - if I truly have faith in God, it doesn't matter how strong I am at all; I could be the weakest human being on Earth and it wouldn't matter because God would be looking out for me.
This is a book that talks about God’s Love, not his judgement. It’s inspirational and encouraging, but at the same time constantly points out the importance of praying, turning to God, and that we should be without fear or anxiety because we should rely on God to take care of us. These and a few other themes are repeated throughout the verses. Due to the repetition of themes in the book and the fact that the verses all stand alone, this is a book that works perfectly reading one verse a day. Perhaps this is a third meaning behind the book, a much more literal one in which you're encouraged to start your day with one of Terri's favorite verses and reflect on it through the discussion questions. These verses would also work well whenever you're feeling down or struggling as a reminder to look to God.
I found only a few very minor errors, and I really enjoyed my time with the book. It's a wholesome, refreshing, positive, inspirational book that does an exceptional job listing various verses, discussing them and then posing questions to you that will make you reflect and reconsider your own life. For a while I considered giving the book 3 stars, but I truly believe this book is something any Christian should have to look back on in their day-to-day lives. As such, I'm giving Good Morning Sunshine!: Finding Strength and Comfort in God by Terri L. Braun a perfect 4 out of 4 star rating.
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Good Morning Sunshine!
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