Living Under God: Discovering Your Part in God's Plan

This is a great book that ties American history with Biblical history. If you are a fan of American history, it's a great devotional!!!

When I first laid eyes on the cover for Living Under God I was immediately apprehensive. I will be honest, overt displays of hyper-patriotism make me nervous. It is one thing to enjoy where one lives and support our nation and quite another to commit idolatry, which is how it comes across to me when one starts mixing patriotism and faith. But, we have all heard the old adage to not judge a book by it's cover so I said a little prayer and sat down to read. The meat of this book matches it's cover. It's all about America and it's heroes. Fortunately for the reader, it makes for an interesting read. That holds true even more so if you enjoy history, which I do. Each chapter focuses on a biblical principal, features a historical figure of faith in American history, includes scripture to compare the principal and story to, and then explains how you can live that principal in your own life and why you should from a biblical standpoint. In the back of the book you will find some closing thoughts, a statement of faith, a theme and scripture index, and a brief bio of the authors. The only thing that I found lacking was there are no sources listed for the stories of our heroes. Each devotional is presented in a compelling manner. They draw you into the story of each historical figure and their faith. The stories themselves are quite touching as well. I actually cried reading the story of Harriet Tubman. And, I loved how they included such a diverse group of historical figures. It is also very interactive as it makes you think about your own life and the changes you may need to make to fully live under God. This book is definitely worth the read.

Musicians Toby Mac and Michael Tait of dc Talk have written Living Under God: Discovering Your Part in God's Plan; a compelling devotional based on the faith of American historical figures and then followed up with Biblical truths. Today's culture is chaotic at best. At the worst we see our beliefs and values crumbling at an astounding speed. Mac and Tait ask how people of faith can take a stand for God and serve their community in the midst of the deteriorating culture. Through the stories, the reader is encouraged to live a life under God. Each chapter tells a story of famous and lesser-known Americans and is followed by a Biblical comparison and thoughtful questions to help the reader consider their own walk with God. Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman and Daniel Webster are some of the well-known personalities whose stories are examined. While I enjoyed these, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of the lesser-known people. The chapter on The Underground Church in America was fascinating. I enjoyed learning about Angelina Grimke, a woman I knew nothing about. But in our divided nation, it was the story of the Pledge of Allegiance that fully garnered my attention. The stories of heroes and their actions are guidelines for today's people of faith. The authors state, "Right and wrong are no longer clearly outlined by the standards of God's Word in the minds of most Americans, yet truth is still truth. It is no longer enough just to proclaim that truth. The world today must see a generation living that truth before they will believe it. We need a generation willing to live God's Word, to love, and to live in servanthood and humility before all." Are we willing, is the ultimate question. Armchair Interviews says: A book for teens and adults alike. It is a powerful directive for living under God.