All That's Good by Hannah R Anderson

Discernment, seeing clearly and knowing what is good, seems to be missing today. I really value the enlightening teaching about discernment contained in this book. I appreciate Anderson exploring what discernment is and is not. I like her teaching that making good choices necessitates becoming good people, evidencing virtues. She spends some time exploring Philippians 4:8-9, helping us to understand the virtues and their expression in our lives. When we pursue the things listed there, she writes, we pursue the character of God. (Loc 563/2301)

I like that Anderson spends time teaching on right thinking. “You develop discernment by becoming a person who knows how, not simply what, to think.” (Loc 544/2301) We can develop habits helping us to become discerning people, people who know how think.

I like her teaching on “stuff.” God wants us to embrace and enjoy the good stuff. What surprised me was her insight that stuff is designed to lead us to God, to draw us closer to Him. Our enjoyment of stuff is not to be an end in itself, for our own pleasure. We are to see God as the source.

Those are just a few of the teachings in this book. There is a great deal of thought provoking and stimulating teaching included. I found a level of wisdom and insight from Anderson that is rare.

Her writing style took me a while to get used to. She tells a story or shares an experience and then draws lessons in discernment from it. I had to practice a little patience waiting for the teaching. I appreciated it more once I got the rhythm of her writing.

I think this is a very timely and necessary book. Discernment is a heart issue, Anderson says. Our hearts need some work done on them and this book is a good place to help stimulate that process.

An added feature in this book is at its end. Anderson provides a short review of the major points of the book and some Scripture references and then has questions for reflection. That would make this book a good one for personal or group study.

You can read an excerpt here.

Food for thought: “...cultivating discernment prepares us to face whatever life may bring.” (Loc 1627/2301)

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Hannah R. Anderson lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She spends her days working beside her husband in rural ministry, caring for three children and writing. She contributes to a variety of Christian publications and is the author of Made for More (Moody, 2014) and Humble Roots (Moody, 2016). You can connect with her at her blog www.sometimesalight.com and on Twitter @sometimesalight.

Moody Publishers, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.