Honestly – Really Living What We Say We Believe – Book Review

Jan 17, 2012
Donald Reinhardt

Honestly...Book Cover Front Page - Harvest House Publishers

Honesty and living an honest life are very important issues in a world that often strays far and wide from the truth. Moore's book reads honestly and well.

If you looking for a clear and interesting look at making good life decisions, then you will want to read this book by Johnnie Moore – Honestly, Really Living What We say We Believe published by Harvest House, Eugene Oregon (ISBN 978-07369-3946-1).

The book is enlightening and instructive as it shines light on real, important issues related to life's disasters, sufferings, doubts, fears, faith and hope. Honestly deals with the presence and the absence of God, a walk from or to God and the author challenges himself and everyone to get to the heart and substance of life's critical issues.

Honestly and Johnnie Moore's Life Insights and Views in This Book

This book has 5 parts and 17 concise chapters. The book is neither simplistic nor ordinary – it is thoughtful, insightful and in many ways extraordinary, for it asks everyone to begin thinking about the necessary and honest processing involved. The author shows in five sections or parts of this book how to connect and make sense of many of life's issues.

Introduction

After experiencing and recovering from the swine flu, the author recounts how, in a similar way, there is often a need for a spiritual recovery and a "soul checkup."

Johnnie Moore asks: "What if we lived what we say we believe? When all is said and done, I have a simple hope – that your soul will feel alive and that you and the world will be better for it."

That quote is a clear, open, strong and worthy goal for any opening statement.

Part 1: From Doubt to Relief

The five chapters here set the stage for focusing and directing the reader's thinking: There Has to Be More to This, Right? Using Disillusionment to Lead You to Faith. Here the author describes a fragile and failed childhood family with parental divorce and spiritually-dead, hypocritical people in church. We soon find that the author is open and honest by what he says and where he stands and he invites others to do the same as he steps forward. In Chapter Two, Proudly Doubting Thomas – Why Thomas Should Be Celebrated, Moore says his parent’s early life and divorce caused a season of Christian doubt and he reflects on Thomas, the Jesus disciple and doubter, with whom the author identified. Thomas became refocused soon after his doubt and his mission led him to devote his life to Christ in India. The Liberation Of Belief. Why Belief In God Makes Sense. Moore uses Auschwitz survivor, Elie Wiesel, who says that he does not know why God permitted the catastrophe of the Holocaust, but despite losing a mother, sister and father in this human tragedy, he still has not lost faith in God. Moore indicates that one argument convinces him of God's existence is that of St. Thomas Aquinas defining God as the logical and necessary uncaused first cause who was responsible for all known creation. That one important philosophical thought alone suffices for the author. He searched and researched for God by examination of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism and many other religious formats. He reached the conclusion that belief in Jesus for him was the most compelling of all he studied and investigated. And when he made that choice then his only other choice was to follow the truths conveyed to humanity by that Maker and Creator called God. Chapter 4 deals with Moore's trip to Rwanda and Bosnia and the massacres and inhumanity that visited those lands. In a compelling review, Moore explains how even in these dire and evil situations that good can be seen and known – for if evil exists we must know it by contrast with good, otherwise there would be no distinction. Over 1,117,000 Rwandans were killed and in a homily delivered by Moore at the Bishop's invitation there in Rwanda, Tutsis and Hutus sang together "It Is Well with My Soul." This Christian hymn speaks deeply to the issues at hand for Moore and many Christian who walk deeply with Jesus.

Part 2 is entitled From Belief To A Healthy Soul and here in Chapter 6 the author discusses the emaciated soul and the need for real soul food. Moore asks, “Is your soul groaning?”

Chapter 7 is titled “Tuning Your Ears To The Voice of God” and it is a plan for overcoming the information age cacophony and onslaught that tends to inundate modern lives and drive out quieter voices and quiet times. A plan is presented in five steps for a spiritual workout plan: Pray, Read, Think, Write and Do. Those defined, consecrated actions will evoke and create positive spiritual changes – that is the author’s belief.

Giving In To The Will Of God in Chapter 8 is the challenge for all non-believers and believers. Why? Because many of us are very strong-willed humans who want everything our way almost all the time. Moore believes that submitting to God is difficult because he says “this individualism runs deep and pervasive. It is almost indistinguishable from idolatry…Idolaters prioritize other things, other persons, other preferences, or even themselves above God.” And Moore says just as Israel worshipped a golden calf and wandered through the desert for a long time all of this idolatry and wandering “lands us in a wasteland where we die of spiritual dehydration. Even worse, it’s completely unnecessary – the living water we need for life is always available to us.”

Determining what idols in a person’s life is important, but removing them is the difficult step. The author here is asking everyone to consider what they value most and to determine whether they are seekers of the truth or just simple worshippers of self. Moore reminds us of the 1st Commandment of the Ten Commandments to have no other gods before God and he reminds of the temptation and choice in the garden of Eden was simply to become like God by knowing good and evil and violate God’s command. That choice was made then by humankind and continues to be made to this day in more ways than one.

Part 3 of "Honestly" is entitled From a Healthy Soul to Perseverance and this part moves in a lively search for "soul food" and reveals ways to find the spiritual time and food by reading, meditating and listening. For the person who finds God, there is always the need to know God's will and to remove false idols, distractions and other impediments for spiritual progress including setbacks, failures and suffering. Parts 4 and 5 are the mission and the vision of honest living.

This is a book of value to people who are seekers of honesty, truth and religious relevance. It is written by a Christian for audiences of all beliefs. The author presents an interesting question at the end of Chapter 16: "What would do if you knew you wouldn't fail? Maybe now is the time to harness your imagination and start envisioning what could be."

This is a very good, thoughtful, challenging and enjoyable book.