Same Kind of Different as Me - Book Review

Good day everybody! How are you all doing? I am sorry it's taking me a bit longer to answer comments and visit blogs back! I will get there! Don't worry! These will just be a few wonderfully busy days because my mom and sister are here from Mexico... so I am sure you can understand I want to take advantage of the time I get to spend with them as much as I can... Remember to join us tomorrow for our Coffee Party!!!

Now ... the Book Review...

 Well... I really loved this book! I enjoyed it very, very much! It is a very easy read, it's the true story of two men whose lives, being very different collide due to divine intervention and end up realizing their differences aren't as big as they thought or as appearances might make it seem.

I highly recommend you to read this book. It's entertaining and convicting at the same time, at times the events in the book make it all sound like a novel and like it "can't be true" but it is... I also invite you to visit the website of the two men who are the protagonists of the story AFTER you read the book (or you'll spoil it) samekindofdifferentasme.com 

Here ends my "vague review" for those who haven't read the book... so now:

**** SPOILER ALERT!!! Please do not continue to read the rest of this post since I'll disclose important/relevant information that will spoil the book for you ****

And now... for those who have read the book! WOW! Right? LOL! ... I was shocked when I read Ron Hall was behind JFK's car in that last "drive" he took! and shocked also to see how he made his fortune! interesting how he had such talent with art... without being an artist himself and coming from such humble beginnings...

I loved the honest description of Ron's marriage with Debbie... and the struggles they went through and how the were triumphant over the very thing that seems one of the hardest moments of a marriage! WOW!

I was also amazed to read Denver's stories... Racism is a horrible thing! And the results and consequences from slavery are still felt through the victims and descendants of those victims. I've heard "good Christian people" to this day say that "letting slaves go" wasn't right for them... because they didn't know "what to do on their own" ... amazing!

I loved to see the love of those women who didn't care about the external appearance of the people at the Mission and read how God (it had to be Him) moved them to "hang out with them", love them, care for them and just dedicate their time and lives to serve them with passion!

The only thing I didn't entire like of the book was when talking about cancer... I mean... I loved how honest Ron Hall describes his feelings towards God in such times... but I don't like it when it seems most Christians say "cancer, death, miscarriage, tragedies in general" all come from God for a bigger purpose! I feel like bad things happen in this world... to Christian and non-Christian... it doesn't mean God is "putting us there" or "testing us" I feel like the fact that God "allows it" to happen doesn't mean that "He is happy about it" or "He caused it in the first place" .... it seems that everybody in churches nowadays has adopted the "He gives and takes away mentality" when... of course... if that was the case... well... Yes... Blessed Be His Name! But... The fact that that happened specifically to Job doesn't mean that "every bad thing that happens to us" comes from the Lord! I feel ... if anything... that God doesn't waste any trial we go through... but it doesn't mean "he caused the trial in the first place" ... I've gone through things in life and I've been amazed to see God's hand in my life REGARDLESS of it... I've been divorced and made mistakes... and it might seem that BECAUSE of that divorce and mistakes I ended up being blessed beyond measure... and it would even be easy to say "God took me through those things to bless me like I am blessed now" but how could He cause the very thing He hates? You know? Maybe I am not making much sense... I just feel like we often jump into the conclusion of "God's testing you" or "she died from cancer so many could be saved" when we just "don't know exactly what happened! ... God in His mercy does bless us even when we go through bad things and yes... He forms our character even during the tribulation that he almost for sure didn't cause... it's like Zadrak, Mezak and Abednego in the time of Daniel in the Bible... they were thrown into the furnace of fire and God protected them! It doesn't mean God put them there... it was Nebuchadnezzar!!! ... We live in a sinful, corrupted world where bad things happen! God never promised he'd stop all pain from our lives! He is faithful and Good and He still gets something out of the pain His children go through! But... it doesn't mean He is behind the pain! That song "He gives and takes away" (with a very happy tune) really bothers me! but I guess I would have to go through  a lot more explaining and I don't have the time to write that much more right now! yes... Blessed Be the Name of the Lord... whatever our circumstance! That is for sure!!! and yes... One day He will end all pain and all sin and erase it from the world! It's because of His mercy that He doesn't end it now! ... Talking with my husband many times I've told him "I wish God would just end all sin and evil right now" and he reminds me of those who don't know The Lord yet... and how in God's mercy He provides a new day for them to have an opportunity to know him ... and I remember I once was lost... and my mom too.. what if the Lord had decided to end it all before them... before I was saved? right? .... interesting! 

Something else I loved was the friendship, the strong bond that was formed between Denver and Ron....

*** SPOILER ALERT ENDS **** You may continue reading! 

 

Still... very good read! that's overall my point of view of the book... there are some tiny things I could get on detail ... but not now... I'd love to hear your opinion on the book if you've read it! and I'd love to know if you haven't read it and you will as a result of this review!

© Paloma K