When I Lay My Isaac Down

This book is so many things! I actually bought it 2x's because the first one I gave away and felt compelled to read it again...a true story written by a mother who literally had her heart broken by what at first seemed to be a dream family, broken up by circumstances that were emotionally driven! You'll look at the Isaac's in your own life!

This book will turn you inside out. It is the core of the power of faith. You will be challenged. Tested. That reveals a gift from God - a gift of one mother pouring out her heart, revealing the gift from God, that is ultimately for all of our hearts - in reminding us that faith is ACTION, not passive. Out of the pew and into the battle for souls.

Carol Kent has a deep, honest walk with the Lord that does not settle for cliches or easy answers. Her years of study and work as a teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship probably explains why her book rings true beyond the typical mush that the Christian Booksellers Ass'n churns out. I don't know Carol personally but I do know a couple of her friends and they know what it means to suffer, to question, and come to the point where what matters isn't the "answers" but Him and only Him. I grieve over what Carol's family and her son's family have had to endure, but I am so profoundly grateful that Carol journaled through the tragedy and put the raw truth and the magnificent insights into a book. This book will be a classic and should go into multiple printings. It will be read for decades to come.

I bought this book on a Thursday morning and finished it within a handful of days. It is the story of the author's son murdering another man and God's work throughout this life shattering tragedy. God's timing for having me read it was incredible. Perhaps it is your time to read this book. Carol Kent's writing of her family's true life tragedy manages to express both gutwrenching raw honesty with promises of hope and God's true love conquering all. Conquering ALL- rarely can we speak in absolutes and yet she reminds us that God's love conquers ALL. Like me, you will be grateful for the gift of her writing and the courage she displays in sharing her family's story.

This is for those who are on a journey that they did not choose.It's also for those who love someone in the midst of horrific circumstances...it will help you know how to be a support and remain supportive for the long haul.A practical, gripping, personal, honest and sobering story of Gods presence in a fallen world.No matter why you read it, you will be challenged to be willing to release what you love to the One who loves you more.It's a pretty quick read. You will not regret reading this book.

Carol Kent not only shares her inexpressible pain over the sudden change/loss in her life due to her only child's arrest for murder, she also takes time to encourage her readers to look into their own lives for the Isaac they may need to lay down--or to reflect on the one they already have. I was brought to tears as I read about her suffering--always shared in a noble and authentic way--so like the Carol I have heard speak and teach. I was able to ponder my own loss, the Isaac that I was called to lay down 25 years ago. A new level of inner healing occurred. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone who is ready for God's mercy and comfort in the midst of sorrow.