Just as We Were: A Nostalgic Look at Growing Up Born Again

My siblings and I grew up in the Pastor's house. We all got a huge kick out of this book. We laughed (more like snorted) our way through the lists and quizzes. If you "grew up Born Again" you will love this book. I take a very serious view of the Bible and church and wasn't offended in any way by the lighthearted tone of the book. Great fun.

I laughed and cried as I read this book. I could see myself and my family in so many of the stories and pictures. Eras long gone but some very happy meomories.

This book brought back such a flood of memories of my own born-again upbringing. The great gift of this book is that it made me laugh hard and out loud, after all these years of hiding out from the memories. It captures just about every oddball, earnest angle to the whole experience, from what a teenager should do to pass the time in church (do make important sermon notes in the margin of your Bible, don't clean out your purse) to what you're supposed to say when someone asks you to dance ("I don't dance, I'm a Christian.") to why you felt so smug when you won a Sword Drill. The book doesn't make me want to relive it (once was enough!) or inflict it on my own child (though I did make him memorize the books of the Bible, just so he wouldn't be Biblically illiterate). But it does make me think, well, okay, it was weird but it was also funny (in retrospect) and I'm mighty grateful someone else who lived it got it down on paper before we all forgot what happened to us. I've ordered copies for all my brothers and sisters, who will also see themselves on every page. Great job.

This is a very sweet book that will make you laugh if you grew up with only a few of these memories. Not irreverent or blasphemous, it is a true but humorous look at how we grew up in religious families and communities. So many things that I had forgotten from my childhood were brought to mind again while reading this scrap book of growing up spiritual. It was surprising that the authors left out Davey and Goliath as proper TV fare though, maybe because it usually aired on Sunday morning before we left for Church. And it is funny to remember what we thought about those "other Churches". I thank the authors for putting this memory album together for us. So buy, enjoy, and share this book with others who will relate, before this gentle way of life is forgotten altogether in some parts of this country.

I have NEVER before laughed OUT LOUD in a bookstore until I picked up this book. I HAD to rush to the checkstand and buy it before they labelled me certifiable and carried me away. I honestly don't think I've ever read anything funnier in my life. I suppose the reason it so appeals to my sense of humor is that it is ALL true! Who this book is for---anyone who remembers flannelgraphs of Jesus, Sunday School in the church basement and potlucks with lots of macaroni salad.Who this book is NOT for---Anyone who had no emotional response whatsoever upon reading "Who this book is for." It's also not for those who fit the bill "who this book is for" BUT who take themselves way too seriously and have no sense of humor. The genius of this group of "born again" authors is that they manage to poke fun ad infinitum at the "if you're saved and you know it" generation with complete hysterical...I mean historical accuracy while maintaining a spirit of absolute fun and not an ounce of disrespect or guile. They're not poking fun at God. Their humor is aimed at us, the people who in our sincere attempts to love God, tend to say and do things that are quite frankly fertile ground for laughter. Again a word of caution, do NOT buy this book if you are easily offended, especially by religious matters. On the other hand, BUY THIS BOOK NOW "if you're saved and you know it" and you want to grin about it until your mouth hurts.Lisa from California