Rating: 
Summary: Occasionally President Carter strikes gold
Review: For those who have wanted to attend President Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class in Plains, Georgia, but couldn't make it, Sources of Strength sits you in the front row. Fifty-two Bible teachings make up this primer, and occasionally President Carter strikes gold and gives us insight into both scripture and his world view. Yet, most of the time, the lessons are basic Christianity 101, often pedantic and vanilla. His sections titled "Christians in the World" has five teachings that take him out of his Sunday School teacher role and place him on the stage as a statesman and Christian. It is in these sections when writing on "human rights and human needs" that he speaks "as one with authority". Conditionally Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Occasionally President Carter strikes gold
Review: For those who have wanted to attend President Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class in Plains, Georgia, but couldn't make it, Sources of Strength sits you in the front row. Fifty-two Bible teachings make up this primer, and occasionally President Carter strikes gold and gives us insight into both scripture and his world view. Yet, most of the time, the lessons are basic Christianity 101, often pedantic and vanilla. His sections titled "Christians in the World" has five teachings that take him out of his Sunday School teacher role and place him on the stage as a statesman and Christian. It is in these sections when writing on "human rights and human needs" that he speaks "as one with authority". Conditionally Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Jimmy Carter is a better human being than you are.
Review: Frankly, I was too preoccupied with college, family, and postgraduate work to pay much attention to politics during the Carter presidency, so I believed the conservative pundits who portrayed Mr. Carter as a "failed president" and an intellectual lightweight. This book proves me to be way off base, as Mr. Carter's honesty, wisdom,integrity, self-effacing good humor, and deeply abiding faith shine through each and every page. To Mr. Carter, Faith implies Action - and it is remarkably refreshing to realize that this ex-President is fully and actively engaged in real life, i.e., teaching Sunday school, mowing the church lawn, hammering nails for Habitat, etc. Lots of down-home, country Christianity here - and while this is not a theology text, I'd bet that there's more practical wisdom than you'd find in, say, 4 or 5 of those. This book works well as a daily devotional, at the bedside, or (as I used it) as a Sunday school text.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my most prized books
Review: I cannot express in words how important this book is to me. I started reading it during a very difficult time in my life and it really helped me. Many people look for spiritual guidance, but let's face it, the bible can be a difficult read. Jimmy Carter takes passages from the bible and explains what he thinks they mean. However, Carter does it in a very loving and objective way. Mr. Carter speaks of the compassionate and forgiving Christ. There is no finger pointing and moralizing here. Mr. Carter simply tries to relay what God's message is and how me might live it. Although I am not a Baptist like Jimmy Carter, I really felt in tune with what he had to say. If the bible by itself has not helped you to understand God's greater message, maybe this book will.
Rating:
Summary: I Highly Reccomend Sources of Strength
Review: I gained a respect for Jimmy Carter that until now was only a fair assessment of the man. I know he wrote this with the intention of being a once a week reading, but I have just about finished it in just under two weeks with intentions to reread it many many more times. His style of writing has left me with the desire to read many more of his works. One cannot help but to find ones faith taken to a higher level after reading his Bible Teachings.
Rating:
Summary: I Highly Reccomend Sources of Strength
Review: I gained a respect for Jimmy Carter that until now was only a fair assessment of the man. I know he wrote this with the intention of being a once a week reading, but I have just about finished it in just under two weeks with intentions to reread it many many more times. His style of writing has left me with the desire to read many more of his works. One cannot help but to find ones faith taken to a higher level after reading his Bible Teachings.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Apply Inspiration
Review: Jimmy Carter has the unique ability to quote Scripture and explain how those words still apply to our every day life today. I'm not the best student of the Bible, but this work is filled with "easy to apply inspiration" that I can take to heart and recreate in my own life. Makes an excellent gift.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Apply Inspiration
Review: Jimmy Carter has the unique ability to quote Scripture and explain how those words still apply to our every day life today. I'm not the best student of the Bible, but this work is filled with "easy to apply inspiration" that I can take to heart and recreate in my own life. Makes an excellent gift.
Rating:
Summary: A well-written, meaningful book
Review: Jimmy Carter's Sources of Strength is a beautifully written book of simple life lessons. By simple, I do not indicate that these passages are lightweight. In fact, there is great depth to these Biblical teachings. There are three specific aspects I admire about this book: First, Carter's skill is clarity. He approaches the Scripture with a humble respect, sharing clear explanations and interpretations. Second, I admire the fact that Carter selected some less familiar passages to extraplicate his lessons. And even when selecting the more familiar passages, Carter often looked at the lesson from a different angle. Yes, these are lessons that many Christians have heard throughout their lives, but Carter's unique perspective provides added insight. Third, this is a comforting and inspiring book. Carter's approach to Christian teachings brings the focus back on restoring faith, but also turns attention toward how our actions can help one another. In other words, the book has both internal and external effects. Some of the chapters were a little short, and some taught me more than others. But as a whole, this is a well-written book of helpful, often inspiring Christian teachings.
Rating:
Summary: Wise words from a great Christian man
Review: This is a great devotional that draws on a wide range of scripture and also on President Carter's long, interesting, diverse, and meaningful life. Not only is Carter a good exegete of scripture, but his genuine faith comes through in every page. He writes in a very personal style that makes you feel like you're studying the scriptures with a favorite uncle...who happened to be the leader of the free world some years back.
The book is divided into 52 short sermonettes, I suppose so you can read one a week for a year (though you will almost certainly want to read it faster than that). These sections are further subdivided into 9 sections: The Word Became Flesh, His Healing Touch, Who is my Neighbor?, What We Believe, Christians in the World, To Know and Worship, God's Riches at Christ's Expense, When the Road is Rough, and God's Call. The messages are broad enough that you can likely find a word of hope or encouragement or challenge somewhere in here, depending on what it is that you need to hear.
The meditations are intellectually stimulating, yet simple enough that I have used some of them as reading for my youth group.
In his life, Jimmy Carter has shown what is means to live out your faith. In this book, he reflects on what that can look like for us.
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