Friday, January 11, 2013

Book Review: Miraculous: A Fascinating History of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles by Kevin Belmonte

I believe in miracles--and I do believe that we are surrounding by signs and unexplained wonders that we sometimes fail to perceive. When I discovered the book Miraculous by Kevin Belmonte, I was excited to read and review it. I thought that it would be inspiring to learn more about history's miracles from his perspective. What did I think of Miraculous?

I received a complimentary ebook copy of this book in 2013 as part of the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program for use in my review. All opinions are my own.
 We were not paid for this post--but, may receive affiliate compensation if you make a purchase from links within our posts.

 About the Book

“For thousands of years, the hope of heaven has called to people through miracles. When we stop to consider their stories, God’s voice calls to us as well.”

In our age of constant innovation, technological achievement, and the sad tendency to see ourselves as the captains of our fate, we may be tempted to make little time for miracles, or give little credence to them. But to live our lives without a sense of the miraculous is to live impoverished lives. Our word for miracle comes from the Latin word mirari, “to wonder.” And well might we wonder when we consider the nature of miracles and their purpose.

It is here that a grand conversation beckons. God has been our help in ages past. He is our hope for years to come. To learn of holy events and people—supremely, to look upon the Savior—is to see the power of God, and how He has always sought to draw us to Himself. He is our eternal home. Miracles point the way there.

Look at a night sky, studded with numberless constellations of stars. Each is a celestial shard of glory—bestowing glimpses of the eternal. Miracles in Scripture are like the stars. They, like the heavens, declare the glory of God.

In these pages are scenes and lives touched by eternity, settings of almighty declaration, moments marked by deliverance, by mercy, or visionary unfoldings of God’s divine intent.

Kevin Belmonte provides learned insight into the profoundly important history of miracles.

Miraculous is a richly researched text of wondrous things that have taken place from ancient times to the present.

My Review

Miraculous is an informative, but sometimes difficult read. Miraculous is extremely well written--but, reads more as a history/theology textbook than "everyday" reading. I found my short attention span facing difficulties staying focused through long citations, quotes and passages. The book covers a lot of material and certainly does offer significant support for the presence of miracles and wonders during significant historical events. I learned a lot of information--and Miraculous put a number of points into a different light for me--but, it was a difficult book to digest.

Would I recommend Miraculous? Yes and No. I rarely read a book that I dislike--because I take so much care in choosing the books that I devote time to reading. I learned a lot from Miraculous--and it certainly made me consider a number of ideas and discover new authors and resources--but, I cannot say I enjoyed the book. I found much of the book extremely dry--but, enjoyed passages in which the author allowed personality to dot the pages. If you are looking for a well written, in-depth text detailing history’s wonders--then Miraculous may be the book for you. The author includes pages of noted references and does a wonderful job supporting the book’s ideals with references. I do think this would be an excellent book to dissect and discuss as part of a club or group--it just wasn’t the inspirational book that I had envisioned.


Buy the Book



1 comment:

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