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PUBLISHED REVIEWS
Roundtable Reviews (2/14/2008)
Sometimes while reading a book I ask myself, "Will I ever want to read this again?" It is an obvious question for me and one that speaks to the quality of the writing. This question received an easy "yes" while reading Deen Kemsley's TRUST IN THE LORD: REFLECTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST.
Kemsley uses stories from his own life to reflect upon the promises of Jesus Christ. Kemsley offers an honest look at how his own experiences have allowed him to look toward Jesus with faith and confidence.
Each of the eight chapters is filled with warmth and hope. The chapters can be read as a collection or you might choose the one that best speaks to your current needs. This makes a great choice for a personal devotional. I think it would make a lovely gift for a friend who needs some encouragement. Don't we all need it sometimes?
This was a beautiful read. As I place this book upon my shelf of keepers, I look forward to the next time I will find comfort in its pages.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wire
Publisher's Weekly (week of 1/14/2008)
Kemsley, an accounting professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, posits that "the journey to know Christ is the journey to know the deepest, best element of ourselves." In this brief book, Kemsley draws on personal experiences and anecdotes to demonstrate how he came to know Christ. His experiences are not miraculous or earth-shattering, but ordinary and real: seeing Christ reflected in a newborn, for example, or an act of service. As a father of nine children, many of these acts of service are unseen and unthanked late-night feedings or diaper changes; though they did not seem significant at the time, Kemsley now realizes that such simple deeds mean everything. Although Kemsley is a Mormon, and the book is from an LDS publisher, it has a deeply ecumenical tone. The focus throughout is on knowing and loving Christ, not emphasizing denominational differences. Although it lacks the poetic nature of some other memoirish devotional books of this type, such as The Quantity of a Hazelnut, there is a simple honesty to this volume that makes it refreshing and quietly lovely.
Midwest Book Review (3/16/2008)
"Trust in the Lord" is written for those hungry to contemplate and reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and His great love, to see fullness replace emptiness and harmony replace loneliness. Deen Kemsley captures the heart of Christ's own thoughts as he reflects and shares intimate experiences of his own spiritual journey.
Deen invites the reader to become familiar with the Savior at the cross to receive a new vision of who Jesus is, to know Him. He writes from his own personal experiences as well as from the experiences of others to illustrate the a walk with Christ to the Cross. He explains underlying truths and foundation of the Christian faith. He reminds the reader of the undeserved but limitless miracle of God's love demonstrated on the Cross of Calvary. He explains how this love produces joy in times of difficulty, affliction, and frustration. These moving illustrations draw the reader into an eager search for a fresh encounter with the Lord Jesus.
I recognized a need for personal to revival, and recognized my own helplessness, without the redemption provided through Christ's death on the cross. I am eager to experience an enrichment of God's presence in my life as he works to reestablish wholeness in my life.
Deen Kemsley's writing resonates with uplifting encouragement, inspiring challenge, and amazing insight. The book challenges the readers to a fresh genuineness in for their search to fulfill their deepest, truest potential.
As reviewed for Midwest Book Review, Richard R. Blake, Christian Education Consultant, Book Store Owner
Christian Review of Books (4/11/2008)
Trust in the Lord: Reflections of Jesus Christ - Deen Kemsley
Sweetwater Books (February 2008)
Topic: Ethics, Morality, & the Christian Life; Prayer and Devotion
Summary: Devotions on how Christ is reflected in our everyday lives
Rating: 5 STARS (out of 5)
One of the first things I noticed about Deen Kemsley’s Trust in the Lord is that I had initially misread the subtitle. Having mistakenly misread it as “Reflections on Jesus Christ”, I was startled to find it actually read “Reflections of Jesus Christ”. The distinction is not a minor one. In Kemsley’s own spiritual sojourn, Christ is not just an abstract idea to be reflected upon but an active force in our lives that is reflected in the wonder of everyday things. The beauty of nature, the laugh of a child, the kind act of a stranger, all in some way reflect the love of Christ to a fallen world and give light to lead us back to Him.
Meditating upon the joys and disappointments of his own life, Kemsley points to the subtle ways in which God moves in all our lives that are often only noticed in retrospect. While there may not be an empirical demonstration of God’s existence that would satisfy the doubts of skeptics, this is less a reason to abandon God than a reason to understand the limitations of our methodologies. God may not answer prayer in a loud roar nor the way we want but He does hear and He does answer. Moreover, He does love us.
The meditations contained in Trust in the Lord are rich and one may find wisdom in repeated readings that did not seem apparent at first glance. In this beautifully written and faith-filled little book we do indeed see the love of Christ reflected.
RebeccasReads (4/28/2008)
Trust in the Lord: Reflections of Jesus Christ
Deen Kemsley
Sweetwater Books (2008)
ISBN 9781599551142
Reviewed by Elizabeth E. Gibson-Evans for RebeccasReads (5/08)
The theme of this book, “Trust in the Lord,” by Deen Kemsley, is the journey to know Christ; it is the journey to know the deepest, best element of ourselves. If we embrace this divine element within us by genuinely believing in Christ, we experience the wonder of being born of God, and we discover that Christ’s power to heal is deeper than our deepest pain.
As Christ transforms us, He instills in us the genuine concern for others and the desire to serve and sacrifice without regard for worldly praise or reward. If Christ were merely an effective teacher, He couldn’t evoke such enduring praise -- this is a witness of the literal Son of God.
We may not always receive specific answers to the questions we pose, but if we listen carefully we will receive a deeper answer -- Christ is in the Eternity overhead; Christ is in the eyes and faces of our young children; Christ is in the tears and joy of these whom He transforms; and Christ is deep within our hearts. “God is there, He hears our prayers, and He loves us.”
Often it’s in the common bond of Christ that we most clearly perceive our common eternal inheritance. “As we step out of the mire and temptations of this world and begin to ascend the mount of the Lord unto the tabernacle of Eternity that is within our hearts, we will find the true Holy of Holies -- Jesus Christ Himself. No matter how far we may have strayed from Him over time. We will learn He has always been there on the look out waiting for us to return.
“Trust in the Lord” takes you through a true spiritual journey of what it means to truly depend on the Lord our Savior as He Himself trusted in His own Holy Father during His walk as one of us. You learn the way to handle loneliness. Discover answers to the many tough questions we all have or have had. But, most importantly you learn true faith and that no matter what “He hears us and He loves us!”
Tristi Pinkston of Families.com (5/21/2008)
In a world that is fraught with messages designed to make us forget our Savior and His mission on this earth, it can be hard to keep things in perspective. We get caught up in our worries, living from moment to moment trying to bring our lives into balance, and only occasionally remembering that we aren't really in control anyway. "Trust in the Lord" by Deen Kemsley is a new nonfiction book that will help us accept Christ as a partner in our lives and to turn our concerns over to Him.
Written in a manner that is appropriate for all Christian denominations, we read of Deen's struggle to feel validated as a person of worth when his colleagues vote not to grant him tenure at Columbia. He feels as though all his work has been in vain, and he wonders if he is even a person of worth. Lost in a fog of despair, he turns to the Lord, and realizes that this is only a bump in the road. God has much, much more in store for him.
The world would have us believe that we have no need of God, that we are capable of taking care of ourselves and shaping our own destinies. We need God today more than ever, and Deen takes us on a journey of remembering all the reasons why. God loves us infinitely. He is the Captain of Peace. He brings us solace in our tribulations. He walks beside us when we sorrow. He magnifies our efforts, however humble they might be. He brings us joy when otherwise we might feel sorrow. He blesses us every minute of every day, and then blesses us even more as we receive His gifts with gratitude. He makes the darkness into light on our behalf. He is the only way in which we can truly make it down this perilous path.
This book is not very long, but it packs a punch. I came away from it feeling a closer relationship with my Savior and a deeper gratitude for all He has done for me.
