Official Review: All In Divine Order

[MsH2k]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "All In Divine Order" by Dr Monica Young Andrews.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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“I want you to understand how important it is to live life to the fullest.”

Monica Young Andrews wrote All in Divine Order after her healthy 20-year-old cousin died unexpectedly in his sleep. Her goal is to help others understand their purpose and learn from their experiences in life.

Pleasing God is the author’s motivation. The result is a positive outlook that is contagious. It is not superficial or forced; it is a conscious decision to believe everything happens as part of a divine order for your life, and there is something to learn from every situation.

The book starts with an overview of The Divine Order Foundation, a private family foundation the author formed to help people fulfill their purpose through training, mentoring, and scholarships. In each of the seven ensuing chapters, the author shares a brief story from her life. A Bible verse precedes each story, and reflection questions and activities follow at the end.

The chapters cover ways to identify and shape healthy relationships in all areas of your life. Andrews references these areas using the divinely coined term spirnancial, which means spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, social, and financial (in that order, she adds). The stories involve relationships with family members, friends, spouses, and pets. The scenarios seem random at first, but she ends by drawing the reader’s attention to thoughtful insights embedded in the story.

An example is chapter three, “Grandma Helen,” which is about the author’s paternal grandmother. Andrews shares the sacrifices her grandmother made as a single mother raising her son in the 1940s. The brief story was engaging, but I was not expecting the enlightening exercise that followed. It was to list things in your life that you can and cannot control. Although I was aware of everything in both groups on my list, I realized I had been missing opportunities by dwelling on what was out of my control. I could also see how her grandmother’s decisions based on those two categories influenced the lives of her family members. After reading that chapter, I resolved to redirect my focus.

What I like most about this book is its adaptability. Based on the needs of the reader, it can be inspirational, instructional, or motivational. I especially enjoyed the reflection questions at the end of each chapter. There would always be one that made me revisit events in my life, giving me a new perspective on an experience.

At the end of the seven chapters, this 58-page book wraps up with a section, “Call to Action,” that includes more information about The Divine Order Foundation and invites the reader to participate as either a patron, a participant, or a recipient of their scholarships. There was nothing I disliked about this book, but initially, I was surprised at the inclusion of this invitation. After further reflection, I realized this was another way of giving the reader flexibility in applying what they had learned. It was not forced on the reader, but it offered an opportunity to go deeper into an area if one was interested.

I rate All in Divine Order 4 out of 4 stars. It is impeccably edited; I found only one minor error. I recommend this book to anyone interested in an encouraging read that has many educational nuggets and thoughtful questions to help you along your path. It contains no profanity or erotic content, but the information and exercises will be more meaningful to adults. As previously mentioned, the author includes Bible verses and references to God in her stories, so those who would prefer a read without this content may want to pass on this book.

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All In Divine Order
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[The_Vivian]

I like your very deatailed and well explained review. I also like religious books as I am a bit religious myself. I would love to give this book a try.

[Ada Ling]

I am very sorry for the author's loss. Thank you for bringing this book to our attention.

[AvidBibliophile]

Living life to the fullest is no easy task, and sometimes it takes a life-altering moment to fully trigger that sense of purposeful living. I like the thought of the end-of-chapter reflection questions, and it sounds like this book has been thoughtfully organized and compiled! Thanks for sharing your helpful critique of this one.

[MsH2k]

I like your very deatailed and well explained review. I also like religious books as I am a bit religious myself. I would love to give this book a try.

I hope you enjoy it! The questions at the end of each chapter are insightful. Thank you for your comment.

[MsH2k]

I am very sorry for the author's loss. Thank you for bringing this book to our attention.

I appreciated the author’s perspective on the losses she endured. She seemed to learn something from every experience.
Thank you for your comment.

[MsH2k]

Living life to the fullest is no easy task

So true. I like how the author balances being responsible for what you can control and letting go of the rest.
Thanks for stopping by!

[RHD]

As they say, life is too short. No one knows tomorrow, all we can do is plan. Kudos on the review!

[Magnify3]

Understanding ones purpose in life is very important. May we have the Grace to learn from our experiences no matter how hard. Thanks for this review.

[MsH2k]

As they say, life is too short. No one knows tomorrow, all we can do is plan.

There is an art to living each day fully. This book was a good reminder.
Thank you for your comment.

[MsH2k]

Understanding ones purpose in life is very important. May we have the Grace to learn from our experiences no matter how hard. Thanks for this review.

It seems like we learn the most from the hard experiences. Thankfully, we can learn from the hard experiences of others too.

Thank you for your visit and your comment.

[Nedbrian]

Bible based books are my first go to and this sure draws my attention with your elaborate review painstakingly written. Everyone needs motivation in these end times and surely one would draw a lot from this book. Great review

[Saint Bruno]

This is a very engaging and insightful review. I wish for the opportunity to read it. Thanks for the recommendation.

[MsH2k]

Bible based books are my first go to and this sure draws my attention with your elaborate review painstakingly written. Everyone needs motivation in these end times and surely one would draw a lot from this book. Great review

Certainly one would want to be attentive when reading books like this, but honestly, it would be hard not to learn something from this engaging read.

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.

[MsH2k]

This is a very engaging and insightful review. I wish for the opportunity to read it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Thank your for stopping by, Saint Bruno. I appreciate your comment.