Review: God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea
By Rose Chandler Johnson
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2013

NOTE:  Currently available for Kindle readers at only 99¢!! Click here for its Amazon page.


Summary

In the South, nothing is more refreshing than a glass of sweet iced tea. Nothing, that is, except experiencing God in those small, everyday moments.

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a deeply personal collection of spiritual treasures designed to help readers experience new mercies each morning. Seasoned with insight and grace, this tender devotional points to the divine presence of God in everyday moments. God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea will help readers develop a daily habit of turning to God in those quiet moments of reflection.


My thoughts

First of all, there's a lot of excellent devotionals out there, several of which I've used, but there's something about God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea by Rose Chandler Johnson that just clicks with me. These meditative thoughts have blossomed out of her personal walk over the years, and Rose writes with honesty from a depth of experience and maturity.

The subtitle, Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments, couldn't be more descriptive. Rose states in the introduction that she likes to focus on God showing Himself in everyday things - and since we live in the "ordinary," I think it's when we're able to see God in the everyday things around us that life's most eternal lessons are learned.

The purpose of a devotional is to temporarily move our focus from all that demands our time and attention in the world so that we can draw closer to the heart of God, and that is exactly what this collection does. This is not a deep book, nor does it need to be. It's actually a simple book, and therein lies its beauty and effectiveness.

The daily format is basically Rose's thoughts, Scripture readings, journaling prompts, and prayer focus. In spite of my best efforts over the years, I struggle with journaling, yet this is something I long to do. Rose makes this the easiest I've ever seen and both her journal prompts and prayer focus are my favorite parts.

Now, I'm a southern girl - in fact, I live in the same state as Rose - so I have to say how much I enjoy this southern connection. I share her affinity for sweet iced tea and love the way she brings it into intimacy with God. Rose writes that our quiet time is "a time for intimate conversation, like chatting with a friend as you sip a glass of tea or a cup of coffee." I'd like to end with this thought that especially spoke to me, from the "Be Still and Know" meditation . . .

In the early evenings, I sat on the deck with a glass of iced tea, watching the clouds float by and listening to the birds. During these times, my soul became quiet and still. I communed with God in my heart and mind. Like the sun bursting from behind the clouds, joy burst into my heart. . . . I experienced a renewed appreciation for who He is, the Creator of the universe and the lover of my soul. I believe God is truly pleased when I practice this Scripture. Be still and know Him.

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a wonderful devotional resource that would be appreciated not only by new believers, but seasoned Christians as well. I personally look forward to slowly working my way through this collection, probably spending more than one day on each.  God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is indeed drawing me closer to God - and for that, I give it 5 stars.

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Rose Chandler Johnson's devotions, poems, and articles have appeared in numerous Christian publications. She enjoys writing for her popular blog, Write Moments with God, and engaging with her readers. Rose is from a tiny Georgia town, and has lived near Augusta, Georgia, for the last twenty-eight years. For the last twenty years, Rose has been a French and English teacher. She's also worked as a counselor, librarian, and ESOL teacher. Rose enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her six children and their families.

Meet Rose online at writemomentswithgod.blogspot.com

Litfuse Landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/rjohnson

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.