A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada

A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada with Larry Libby ISBN-13: 9780310346777 Hardback: 400 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: Oct. 4, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Do you ever wonder why God created you? The Bible spells it out plainly: God created you to showcase His glory—to enjoy it, display it, and demonstrate it every day to all those you encounter.

After nearly 50 years of living as a quadriplegic, and dealing with chronic pain on a daily basis, Joni has learned firsthand the importance of glorifying God through the toughest of situations. Through this devotional, Joni will help you discover how to put God's glory on display—how to say no to complaining and say yes to daily following God down even the most difficult paths. Along the way, you will find great comfort and encouragement by focusing on the one who longs to lead and guide you every step of the way, every day.

Don't ever think your life is too ordinary, your world too small, or your work too insignificant. All of it is a stage set for you to glorify God.


My Review:
A Spectacle of Glory is a year-long devotional with a theme of glorifying God in every situation. Each day started with a verse reference followed by a short devotion that usually quoted that verse and ended with a prayer. The devotions generally focused on better understanding the verse and how it relates to our walk with God.

The devotions often contained the theme of how we respond to difficult situations (like health problems, financial worries, etc). Short devotions generally can't develop an idea very far, but these devotions were fairly good. They emphasized keeping our focus on Jesus, the gift of our salvation, and heaven rather than our problems.

I'm not sure I agree with some of the author's theology of suffering, but it's made me dig into the Bible to further study the topic. Perhaps people with chronic suffering (from disability or health issues) might find more comfort and encouragement in it as that's the author's perspective. Since it seemed to focus on what a suffering person should ideally be doing and feeling, it sometimes made me feel bad that I'm still confused and discouraged by my suffering and current limitations.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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