I’m delighted to take part in Kathi Macias’ virtual book blog tour for her inspirational title Beyond Me: Living a You-First Life in a Me First World.  Kathi is a mature Christian, having come to the Lord at the age of 26 in 1974.  She has been walking with Jesus for some time, and it is the delight of her heart to share some of the insights the Lord has shared with her in her walk with him in this title.  As a fairly ‘young’ Christian (two years this fall) I so appreciate hearing of her own experiences walking with Jesus.  She comes alongside believers, encouraging and challenging them to grow in their walk with the Lord.  I’ve read approximately 1/3rd of the book so far, and her warm, personal writing style and insights from her own life are wonderful to read.  What a lovely lady.

You can learn more about Kathi, sign up for her newsletter, and watch the Beyond Me video at her website - http://kathimacias.com.

Let me share the synopsis with you:

Beyond Me is an invitation to pursue true discipleship. Using sometimes humorous but always vulnerable and meaningful examples, Beyond Me ties together current, historical, and biblically documented insights and teachings to encourage you to aspire to the higher calling of true discipleship. Beyond Me is appropriate for individual or small-group settings.

Of course, once I’ve completed reading the book, you can expect a full length review here on my blog.

Here is a sample of Kathi’s writing style, excerpted directly from Beyond Me.

Our reunion with the Father is a moment frozen in time, etched in our memories as the turning point of our lives—more than that, of our birth into a new life, one that would never end. Who could forget such a monumental occurrence?

And yet we sometimes do—maybe not the event itself, but the implications of it. As a result, the unconditional love and grace of the Father who forgave us and welcomed us home ceases to amaze us. Hardness sets in, and we forget who we are, as well as the purpose to which we have been called. And that is a tragedy of such magnitude we scarcely can begin to comprehend it.

There is only one way to assure ourselves that we will never take for granted the love that enabled us to escape the pigpen and then welcomed us home from our rebellious journey—and that is never to lose sight of the pain that journey caused to the One who was left behind, waiting. Henri J. M. Nouwen, in The Return of the Prodigal Son, explained it this way:

The immense joy in welcoming back the lost son hides the immense sorrow that has gone before. The finding has the losing in the background, the returning has the leaving under its cloak. Looking at the tender and joy-filled return, I have to dare to taste the sorrowful events that preceded it. Only when I have the courage to explore in depth what it means to leave home, can I come to a true understanding of the return.

As I meditate on those words, I cannot help but relive my own moment of revelation when I realized that my hardened, wandering heart had the power to crush the very heart of God. It is at the point of understanding the immense depth of the Father’s love—and His sorrow at our not returning that love—that our hearts are sealed to His. But the moment we cease to listen to the beating of His heart, our own drifts off on another journey, back to the far country, away from the Father and into the pigsty. For the leaving comes so much easier to us than the returning….

Footnote: Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal (NY: Image Books, Doubleday, 1994), pp. 34-35.

I’m confident that the Lord will use this work to touch the lives of many, placing His finger on the hard places in their hearts, encouraging them to follow Him, to put themselves aside, to serve.

In addition to Beyond Me, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for more from this promising author.  Kathi has two more non-fiction works planned: How Can I Run a Tight Ship when I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons, Winter 2009 and Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers Today, Spring 2009.  Both look like valuable contributions to the body of Christ.

Thank you to Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours for including me as a tour stop in Kathi’s trip around the blogosphere.  Don’t forget to visit the other stops on Kathi’s tour, listed at Virtual Book Tours for a chance to win a free virtual book tour if you are a published author, or a $50.00 Amazon gift certificate.  Just leave a comment on the tour stops to enter. Winner announced August 31st.

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