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Summary: Read this book and awaken to amazing, accepting grace
Review: Bestselling author Charles R. Swindoll has updated his classic title THE GRACE AWAKENING for a new generation of readers waking up to the truth that God is good and grace is the message of the gospel. As he writes, "Having tasted the sweet delights of liberty in Christ, more and more in the Christian family are satisfied with nothing less."Renowned as a Christian communicator, Swindoll serves as senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary and host of the internationally syndicated radio program "Insight for Living." A prolific and award-winning author, he has written more than 30 bestselling books and received 11 Gold Medallion Awards, with this book qualifying as one of his best ever. Exhibiting candor and conviction, Swindoll contrasts liberty with legalism and warns readers to be wary of the three tools of legalism, or grace-killers, as he calls them: doctrinal heresy, ecclesiastical harassment and personal hypocrisy. As he explains it, legalists disturb and distort by twisting truth, spying and enslaving, and lying and deceiving others. In the chapter titled "The Grace to Let Others Be," Swindoll compares the two different dimensions of grace. "Vertical grace centers on our relationship to God. It is amazing. It frees us from the demands and condemnation of the Mosaic Law," he writes. "Horizontal grace centers on our human relationships. It is charming. It frees us from the tyranny of pleasing people and adjusting our lives to the demands and expectations of human opinion." To encourage readers as they awaken to grace, Swindoll reminds them that at least three things are involved in the process: it takes time, it requires pain and it means change. He also includes a helpful chart listing qualities of shame-based spirituality versus qualities of healthy spirituality, highlighting for readers the distinct differences between the two. For those seeking specific guidance on how to be more gracious, Swindoll identifies five characteristics of people who personify grace: generosity with personal possessions, encouragement in unusual settings, life beyond the letter of the law, liberty for creative expression and release from past failures. Readers will find the book an uplifting and liberating experience, as it gives them permission to be themselves in a healthy "live and let live" manner of speaking. While each one's pace may differ, Swindoll assures one and all that with God as the guide, the race to grace is a glorious one and well worth pursuing. THE GRACE AWAKENING was originally released in 1990, selling more than 500,000 copies to date, and this version should succeed in widening its circle of influence even further. Its rousing message serves as a wake up call for all those who slumber under the lullaby of legalism yet yearn to be free. Read it and awaken to amazing, accepting grace. --- Reviewed by Sean Fowlds
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Summary: Read it, and give a copy to everyone you care about
Review: Charles Swindoll has hit the nail on the head about what's wrong with religion today: Legalism. His refreashing look at God's grace is simple and yet so profound. I have read the book 3 times already and plan to read it many more. The language is simple, the parables enlightening, and the message so very important. I feel that Swindoll accurately brings to life Bible text and makes God's message of grace easy for us to understand. Beware: legalists wont like this book.
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Summary: The Book I Had Been Looking For
Review: I'll keep this very short. I had never written to the author of a book before but felt compelled to do so after reading this book. More than ANY book I had ever read, this book made a real change in my attitude and outlook toward life and my concept of who and what God is. I had gone to church most of my life and was very involved with all the busyness of church life and definitely knew I was a believer but during a time when I was questioning a lot of things this book fell into my hands. I read it practically without putting it down and wrote to Charles Swindoll to thank him for giving me first real glimmer of spiritual hope I'd had for many many years. I still have the book and keep my letter to Charles Swindoll and his reply to me inside it. I loan it to others from time to time when I see that same look of bewilderment on their faces that I felt in my heart after many years of trying so hard for I knew not what. READ THIS BOOK! I promise you'll never be the same again. It's just impossible.
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Summary: The whole of the Gospel summed up in one, easy-to-read book!
Review: It took me several years to finally grasp the concept of grace. Several men's retreats and a couple of books later, I think I finally got it! Thanks, in part, to Chuck Swindoll's "Grace Awakening." This book is a precious jewel. I would recommend it to everyone who is searching for purpose in life and even to those who think they've found it. It is a "must read" for anyone who claims to be a Christian. Swindoll builds a solid foundation for the Christian faith and the cornerstone is the grace of God, displayed to humankind through His Son, Jesus. If people could just begin to understand the simplicity of the gospel, they would jump for joy and tell everyone they know about how liberating it is. That's the message of this book. Swindoll attempts to convey the gospel's simplicity. He issues a call for all people to be awakened to this simple truth. That is, we are all sinners in need of a gracious and loving God. That kind of God is the One written about in the Bible. He is forgiving and desires to show us His mercy. In fact, He already has by sacrificing His own Son. Beyond that One sacrificial act, by a holy and just God, there is absolutely NOTHING we can do, but to accept His gracious offer! It's really that simple. What a liberating truth to finally have a firm hold of! I encourage you to purchase this book and to search the Scriptures, to see for yourself. My hope is that you will find freedom, just as I have, through the liberating truth of this simplistic message. Furthermore, I recommend a second book as a follow-up: "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado. Happy reading!
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Summary: Be the Person God Created You to Be!
Review: The purpose of Grace Awakening is clear: God's grace gives us the freedom to be ourselves and to not smother others so much that we get in God's way for their lives! Among the many excellent points Swindoll covers include: 1. Jesus focused on the heart instead of a list of requirements.
2. Strategies for resisting legalism.
3. Principles of disagreeing agreeably.
4. Working in the flesh is unacceptable to the Lord.
5. Characteristics of those who display grace to others.
6. Be careful of comparing yourself to others!
7. While other people may be impressed with us, God isn't!
8. Areas that can keep us from growing in grace. An excellent and highly recommended book, allow God to work through you to extend grace to others!
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Summary: Grace is free
Review: This book made me physically exhale. A must-read for Christians struggling to find ways to please God instead of accepting the free gift of His grace.
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