Review: Encouragement for those needing hope
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2013
Disclaimer: I have been following the author on Twitter, and occasionally through his blog site, and received a copy of his book for free to review. .As noted in the book description above, this book is not for everyone.  However, if life has left you battered & bruised a bit - or a lot - and you believe that God holds the key to hope, or are willing to consider that He does, then the few dollars you spend on this devotional book will certainly yield a far greater reward than the initial investment."Selah" is not a deep book, at least in the sense of requiring lengthy times of reading or exhausting amounts of mental energy to understand.  In fact, it is quite simple.  Each of the 90 devotionals, complete with a quotation, brief commentary, and a verse to ponder, takes only a minute or two to read.  But the hope that it speaks of is deep for it is rooted in the only one able offer real hope - God himself.  And it is meaningful because it comes from a man who has experienced true hardship and speaks from experience without glossing over the fact that life can be really hard.I am not personally experiencing a loss of hope right now, but I've been there, and in reading through many of the entries already, I already find myself encouraged.  As someone who is accustomed to reading lengthier, more intellectually challenging content, I find myself wanting more from each of the entries.  But that's OK, because what I really want more of is intimacy with God, my Hope, and every devotional in the book points the reader to Him.  While this is not a book for every season of life, it is one that you'll be glad to go to when the circumstances of life seem to be getting the best of you.A few final thoughts....  The author does not reveal much of his personal story until the final devotional (Day 90) and the "About the Author" blurb that follows.  I think it is helpful to read this first because it gives greater weight to the devotional messages knowing that the author speaks from experience.  While he does not seek to draw attention to himself by sharing too much, I think his messages would carry even greater weight if he were to elaborate a bit further - and even to do so within the context of the daily devotionals.  I'd also like to see a future edition include a prayer or a question that helps move the reader more toward application. Regardless of these things, you'll have a difficult time not being encouraged and more hopeful by spending just minutes each day in this book.