Family Shaped by Grace

Great book for me! How I wish I had read this book many years ago. Love the personal story of the author and the simple yet insightful way he presents grace. The questions at the end of each chapter are appropriate for someone reading the book alone or for discipleship groups! I also appreciate that as I read I can see the application to the local church as a whole for we are a family. This book is changing me and thus my relationships with immediate and extended family and also how I interact with those in my church family.

Gary Morland starts his book out by imaging he and the reader are visiting over lunch at Panera. This was completely believable! Gary writes from the heart and in a conversational manner. His family story provides the foundation for the book. However, his family story is not the FOCUS of the book and I so appreciated that! Rather, Gary shared enough of his situation to lend credibility to the REAL MESSAGE of the book--how God can use any family member as a chosen instrument to extend grace within the family unit and to ultimately change family interactions from stressful to hopeful and positive. The goal is to draw family members closer to each other and to open the door to conversations and interactions that bring healing. These new ways of interacting form the framework for God to move in any family member's life. I recommend this resource to anyone who wants to be a positive influence in his or her family.

I was very excited about reading it, but I am having a difficult time getting through it. The writer doesn't write in anything but present tense. For instance, instead of using the proper verb tenses of "I was," "I am," and "I had been," the author uses "I am" for everything! He uses it for a story that happened 15 years ago, for something that is currently happening, and for something that happened when he was a teenager. To compound the confusion, he jumps from time period to time period with no warning. I literally started writing the proper verb tenses in my book to follow it better. But, it is just too annoying to do for very long. I will probably finish the book eventually, as the author appears to have some insight and wisdom to share. But, it will take me a long time, because I will have read it in short spurts.I don't know how this book got past the editor in this condition. It seems to be that either the editor should be fired or the author wouldn't listen to advice.

So. I just finished the book. And I have to say, this book will STAY in my library. I sometimes read books, gain the insight and wisdom found there, and then pass it along. Instead of doing that with Gary’s book, I’lll be keeping it on my shelf. I want to keep it because it is something I KNOW I will want to revisit. Thank you Gary, I could hear your voice come through loud and clear. After listening to your voice on the Hope*Writer's podcast - it really was like I was sitting across from you. Well-done for getting your "voice" to shine!! I can't wait to pass it along (only I'll be keeping my own copy). :) Thank you! Praying God's message reaches many hearts and FAMILIES are transformed through HIS power!

Those who have heard Gary speak in person or heard him on the radio will be thrilled to see his writing is as gentle as his voice. With a tenderness that seems effortless, he guides the reader to understand and implement what he calls The Timeless Tools of Family Peace. Gary’s expertise in family dynamics comes from his own broken-to-beautiful story. Thanks to a gracious mentor and his own desire for something better, Gary learned to be the husband and father he knew his wife and daughters deserved. He broke long-established generational patterns of dysfunction to give grace and new life to his family both now and for generations to come. If you want to know how to positively affect your family legacy, get this book TODAY.

Lots of wisdom here, for "cleaning up your own side of the street." That is, working on the things you CAN control (your own attitude and words), and letting go of the things you CAN'T (how other people act and react). I think I'll probably re-read this periodically, to remind myself how to have grace for those who try my patience the most! (Update: I do! Revisiting this book about once a year.)Also, Gary has such a unique writing voice! You should go find and watch one of the videos on his blog, so you'll hear his encouraging voice as you read the book. (Hopefully, if there's an audio version some day, he'll narrate it himself!)

A Family Shaped by Grace by Gary Morland is a breath of fresh air.  Morland writes of being raised in a dysfunctional family, pulled into alcoholism, and bringing these traits into his own marriage and family.  That's the first chapter.  In the remaining 14 chapters he tells us that if this is your "normal," how you can change it.  Morland's "Timeless Tools of Family Peace" (chapter 5) is well worth the price of the book but he doesn't stop there.  If you want to change the trajectory of your family and leave a different legacy for your children and grandchildren to pass down, then read this book!

This book is incredible in my opinion and already on my list of favorite reads for 2018. I love the author’s writing style and gentle, easy, and relatable voice.You won’t find this book preaching at you. The author knows what it is to live life life without offering or receiving grace and in the pull of stressful family situations. Gary Morland shares his story and how he learned to love Jesus, reject alcohol and pick up the right tools to use in shaping lasting and loving family relationships.