Fr. Mike Schmitz
ISBN 9781593255992
eISBN 9781593255626
ASIN B08RG844X8 
Wow! Father Mike has hit it out of the park with this little volume. It is an amazing little read. I first purchased the paperback, and then the eBook once it was available. I have given the paperback away. And to be honest I wish I could buy cases of this book to give out to friends and family. It is an excellent little volume. A fantastic read that any Catholic, any Christian would benefit from reading! This was exactly what I needed to read. The physical book is listed as 52 pages and the eBook 50. But it is packed full. I highlighted 31 passages on my first read through. Normally when I read a book, I highlight in yellow the first time, then blue, then red. This time some passages hit me so much that I ended up using all three colors to provide emphasis.
Once I started reading this I could just not put it down. And I know I will be returning to it and reading it again at a slower pace. At the end of each chapter is a set of questions for reflection, a challenge, and a prayer. The challenges all begin This week … Thus indicating that Father Mike planned for the book to be read over a number of weeks. The chapters in this volume are:
Undone but Not Unloved
Good Enough?
God Shows Up
Give me a Heart Like Yours
To the Finish
Afterward: The One Thing That Changes Everything
Each chapter contains:
Title
Bible Verse
Teaching (Several Sections)
Reflection Questions
Challenge
Prayer
Seven of the passages I highlighted on my first read through are:
“Here is the great news about being a Catholic Christian: we know what to do with a world that has come undone. Our faith teaches us not only how our world was supposed to be in the beginning and what went wrong but also how to trust God to undo what has come undone. Because that’s what God is up to.”
“But sometimes I wonder if a deeper assumption lurks beneath all this. Perhaps deep down we think that “fine,” “OK,” and “getting by” are as much as anyone can hope for. This is as good as it gets.”
“Jesus has to bring up the wound so that we can realize we’re not fine.”
“This is one of the reasons why I love Confession. We can come face-to-face with Jesus and acknowledge, I’m not fine, and I don’t have to be. I’m not going to forget my past or ignore my present. Because Jesus comes into our wounds to undo the undoing.”
“It’s not what God says that is the answer to Job’s sufferings. God himself is the answer. God shows up.”
“Jesus wept, but he also waited.”
“In our Christian family, in our story, we have miracles—but we also have martyrs. Sometimes we get the miracle; sometimes we get martyred. Sometimes we get delivered; sometimes we get death.”
Having listened to many of Father Mike’s Ascension Presents videos and currently listening to his Bible in a Year Podcast I could not help but hear his voice as I read this book. I have yet to hear or read anything from Father Mike that I have not benefited from. But this book is one of the best resources from him. This is a book that anyone from high school student to retiree could benefit from. We can all grow and improve in our living out our call as Christians and this book helps us see that in a different light.
If you are a Catholic or a Christian and are only going to pick up one book outside your bible this year, I strongly recommend that you give this one a read. This is a book that will change your life. This is a book you should read and that we all would benefit from reading. Pick it up!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books By Father Mike Schmitz:
Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church
Quick Catholic Lessons with Fr. Mike
Quick Catholic Lessons with Fr. Mike Volume II
The Catechism in a Year Companion, Volume III
The Sunday Homilies:
Growing Through the Motions: Living Your Faith with Intention
Set Apart: Living for Heaven Here on Earth
…
Contributed to:
Pray, Decide, and Don't Worry: Five Steps to Discerning God's Will
Don't Be Afraid to Say Yes to God! Pope Francis Speaks to Young People
…
Audio Talks by Father Mike Schmitz:
Living Life by Design, Not by Default
Love - Sacrifice - Trust He Showed Us the Way
From Love, By Love, For Love
True Worship
The Four Last Things
Jesus Is …
Changed Forever - The Sacrament of Baptism
We Must Go Out - The Sacrament of Confirmation
…
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