There’s this line in the movie, While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is talking to Peter Gallagher about saving people (and squirrels) and when Gallagher says he has never had a chance to be a real hero, she comments that he gives up his seat on the train every day. Peter says, “Well… but that’s not heroic.”
Bullock says something totally beautiful right there. She says, “It is to the person who sits in it.”
Honestly, that’s the only time in the entire movie that I see something in Peter that I actually liked. He comes off as a self-centered, shallow person. But that one thing there showed me that there was more to him than he let on.
Sometimes I feel like God is like that—in our eyes, anyway. We put Him in this Sunday School box where all things like miracles are contained in the Bible only, and are big, tremendous things like parting the Red Sea or healing blind people—raising the dead.
But Delores Liesner has written a devotional of thirty-one little miracles that God has allowed her to be a part of, and when I saw that review copies were available, I asked for one.
Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Furthermore, I requested a review copy of this book and was provided with one. Opinions and book both are offered without expectation or compensation.
How to Recognize and Be One of Life’s Small Miracles
Delores Liesner tells her stories in Be the Miracle in a conversational style that makes you feel as if she’s in the room sharing them. You can almost feel her excitement bubbling off the page as she recounts how the Lord has used her to bless people over the years.
She asserts that this can and should be the norm for every Christian and explains how one is to be that small miracle for someone else. I recognized those small moments of blessing as I read story after story of how some small obedience on her part proved to bless someone—even herself sometimes.
So, how does one do that? Ms. Liesner insists it takes just three things:
- Pray
- Listen
- Obey
Sounds an awful like what Jesus taught, doesn’t it?
Be the Miracle! chapters each have a true story from the author’s life, verses to study, action plans, and reminders to pray, and journal space to write out what the Lord taught you that day.
Readers should be aware that Ms. Liesner does frequently mention God specifically telling her to do this or that. This cannot be explained as extrapolating and applying Scripture as God’s conversation. The commands are specific to people in her life. My only other quibble with the book was the use of The Message for some of the Bible verses. I am not comfortable with paraphrases in place of Bible translations (and I know some of my readers aren’t either), so I thought I’d mention it.
I rarely enjoy devotionals like I did this one—particularly ones heavily influenced by anecdotes instead of Scripture, but Ms. Liesner touched a spot in my spirit that needed to be reached with it. I suspect the Lord has a lesson for me in there. Meanwhile, I’m just glad I requested a review copy of the book. This won’t be the last time I read it.
Be the Miracle! is on tour with Celebrate Lit
About the Book
Book Title: Be the Miracle
Author: Delores Liesner
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian living, devotional
Release date: June 1, 2018
Whether we title these unexplainable happenings miracles, God-sightings, or some other name, people love to hear of such occurrences. Why? They increase our faith by providing evidence of the miraculous in our everyday lives and heighten awareness of God’s desire to minister personally to us and through us.
What Others Are Saying:
Delores Liesner is a prayer warrior with a track record of seeing Christ work in her life and the lives of others. Her articles, devotions, and columns reflect the excitement of seeing miracles transpire, and now her book chronicles many of these amazing experiences. You’ll enjoy it.—Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, author, Jesus in the 9 to 5
My time with God in the morning is the most precious part of my day. Be The Miracle is a devotional filled with wonderful personal stories that will build your faith and stir your heart to receive fresh grace from God and be on the lookout for new ways to serve Him each day.—Dan Walsh, bestselling author, The Unfinished Gift, Remembering Christmas, and The Dance
Miracles happen all around us, every single day if we’ll only be sensitive enough to recognize them and thank God for His divine intervention. Author Delores Liesner shows us that whether a miracle comes as the smallest kiss from heaven or a life-changing act of God, our Heavenly Father is still in the prayer answering business, and as the Word says: ‘We have not because we ask not.’ I love this book! It makes me want to shout about all of the times God has come through for me. It will encourage you, too! It’s a must read! —Michelle Medlock Adams, award-winning, best-selling author of more than 80 books including her latest Get Your Spirit On! Devotions for Cheerleaders and Love & Care For the One and Only You
About the Author
Delores is a storyteller. Her passion, whether writing or speaking about activating faith is to be the miracle for others.
Over a thousand of those stories, devotionals, and teaching articles are published in print and online, including a compilation of 31 stories and life-changing challenges in her devotional, Be the Miracle! (Elk Lake Publishing). Delores is often spotted reading (3-5 books at a time), trying new recipes, or munching dark chocolate and orange peel. Her personal ministry is to benefit children with life-threatening illness via Fullness of Life Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ
Guest Post from the Delores
Would you believe a cow turned me into a miracle-believing lady? Though I’d always known about Jesus dying on the cross, and the Bible being God’s words, it took a couple of amazing and unexplainable events for me to understand miracles could happen to me!
We didn’t realize we were risk-taking when we hopped in the car and headed for Colorado. Youthful and ignorant˜ in the ways of the world, we were excited to learn that the organization who produced the memory verse cards and Bible studies our friend had given us were having a conference that began the next day, we packed up and went! A startled young man answered our phone call, made when we were already half-way across the country and got to thinking maybe we should have told them we were coming!
The conference was full, but separate rooms across campus were found for us.
Consequently, we only sat by each other during meetings and some meals, so we didn’t compare notes until on the way home. That was when we both started sharing the same message from God – to give a certain amount to a missionary for 6 months. We did not have the money and the only amount in our budget that matched was groceries. Would God ask us to give up groceries for 6 months? We felt He would, so that He could surprise us with the provisions in a most unexpected way – like sending a cow!
That is a bit of a teaser for Surprise Us for Dinner, God, the first story in my upcoming 31-day personal challenge devotional, Be The Miracle! You see, when God did that miracle-series at the beginning of our Christian life, we knew He was real, and that He dealt with people on a personal level. If God could do this, we figured, He could do anything, and we have many amazing stories that prove it!
Each of the stories is a true incident of God leading me to bless someone else (often a stranger, but sometimes someone we knew), or someone bringing us an unexpected answer to prayer.
When I began sharing stories like You’re the One, The Wrong Store?, Stranger No More, and Impossible Dreams, there were two main responses. Some women were excited to relate to stories of miracles in their own lives, and some women wondered if God would do miracles through them too.
I always share that I do not believe God is a giant get your prayers answered here vending machine, serving us just to make us ‘happy.’ The joy in these stories, and their life challenges, is that God wants all of his followers to be His hands and feet (and less often his voice) in the world. Just as we can represent our spouses with our children, and our supervisors with the public or with other employees because we know them so well, and understand how they would respond to a situation, we can know God in such a personal way that we can represent Him to others too.
That takes time. And that is why each story is followed with a verse, its teaching and a challenge you can follow to recognize and activate God’s command and gift to be “the miracle” – the messenger delivering an answer to prayer.
Blog Stops
Just the Write Escape, September 13
Mary Hake, September 14
Because I said so – adventures in parenting , September 15
proud to be an autism mom, September 16
Real World Bible Study, September 17
Bigreadersite, September 18
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 19
Captive Dreams Window, September 19
Texas Book-aholic, September 20
Bibliophile Reviews, September 21
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 22
Janices book reviews, September 23
Carpe Diem, September 24
A Baker’s Perspective, September 25
A Diva’s Heart, September 26
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Delores is giving away
Grand Prize: Vertical Be the Miracle plaque, miracle magnet, Be the Miracle stamped cuff bracelet, a eternity circle necklace and Ebook or paperback copy of Be the Miracle
First: Gold miracle plaque, choice of Ebook or paperback of Be the Miracle, and shoe bracelet (be hands and feet of Jesus)
Second: Pink miracle plaque, choice of Ebook or paperback of Be the Miracle, and cross ribbon bookmark
Third: Blue background – Bee the Miracle canvas and Bee pin – choice of Ebook or paperback of Be the Miracle!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d436/be-the-miracle-celebration-tour-giveaway
I love While You Were Sleeping (I think it was the first movie that actually belonged to me), and I totally agree about Peter. He seems so flat, until we get that little glimpse.
Pray, Listen, Obey…sounds so simple, but sometimes the execution is not so much! I have to remind myself that growth and that rich depth of prayer-warrior-ness takes time. My prayer: God, help me learn to recognize your voice and actually ask you what opportunities you have for me today!
Exactly. I really liked the reminder that what seems little to us can be huge for someone else.
This sounds like an encouraging and challenging devotional! Hearing about God’s faithfulness always reminds me that He is in control and He is good. Reading someone’s admonition that I need to pray, listen and obey to find out where God is ready to utilize me for His kingdom gives me a gentle nudge toward the practical application of what I’m learning. I’m excited to read Be The Miracle!
It really is very encouraging!:)