Tag Archives: Katie Davis Majors

Book Review: Daring to Hope

In the sequel to Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis Majors returns with the heartaches that drove her to relearn how to know God and shares the beauty that comes from vulnerability. In Daring to Hope, Katie views pain as a holy invitation and invites us to not avoid suffering, but to enter into it.

Who is Katie Davis Majors? She is the mom of 14 children, 13 of whom she adopted when she moved to Uganda. Her initiative, Amazima Ministries cares for women, children and families in Uganda with education, medical care and food.

Katie says she wants others to see her messy life, so that we can see Jesus there, and to know that He will enter into our messes, too. She shares about the questions that kept her awake at night and how prayer became a lifeline as she sat beside the deathbeds of loved ones. Katie says, “God didn’t take away my pain; He held me while I hurt.”

Indeed, Daring to Hope is not just about one woman’s sacrifice for God, but about the sacrifice of all of us, as we offer our hearts for His service, right where He has planted us. Katie reminds us that we don’t have to move to another continent to make a difference for the Lord, but to view every job we have, as an opportunity to work for the Lord, there.

Do you struggle with trusting God? Katie says, “In the wrestling, He makes us who we are meant to be.”

Do you wonder if you are making a difference? Katie reminds us that loving people brings us to the very end of ourselves, so that we can truly have the heart of God.

Do you feel stuck? Katie can relate to the barren season, and wants you to know your reaching out for God is not in vain. God is who He says He is and uses delay to grow your belief in Him.

Katie’s experience of pouring herself out for the Ugandan people isn’t as much about a radical lifestyle, as it is about the hidden life of seeking God and the immense responsibility of loving well.

Get this book and be reminded of the Lord’s vast love for you. It is about a love story with Jesus and a budding romance with Katie’s husband-to-be!

Now through November 7th, Amazima is celebrating the release of Daring to Hope with a gift from Ugandan artisans. Receive 15% off PLUS a free necklace when you purchase Kisses from Katie!

In the Foreward, Ann Voskamp says, “When you know the embrace of His love… daring to hope becomes the way you breathe.”

May you breathe in “the hard” and “the healing,” and find God there.

Sally

FTC disclaimer: “I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”

Book Review: Kisses from Katie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYJgDm2Gc4

 

This book is profoundly disturbing. And it shakes me to the core. Kisses from Katie is the story of a high school senior who travels to Uganda and subsequently invests her life in the people she meets there. Katie Davis says her life is not extraordinary, but she goes on to describe extraordinary ways the Lord shows up in desperate circumstances.

Katie Davis came with no formal training, no formal backing and no formal plan. She was compelled to get involved, and took the first step. She used her hands and feet to show God’s love in practical ways, and became known in an impoverished land as “Mommy.” Indeed, at age 18, she fed, schooled, applied medical help, housed and eventually adopted. Now, ten years later, Katie’s nonprofit has a Board of Directors, farming education to sustain life, food outreach, a self-sustaining vocational program and sponsors over 700 children.

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Katie says, “Jesus wrecked my life.”

I’ve run into that phrase before. It means she became uncomfortable with her comfortable life. And her words create discomfort with the way we’re doing things in Western society.

Katie found a paradox in Uganda: “amazing, breathtaking beauty juxtaposed against immense poverty and desolation.”

She says, “Materially speaking, the people who began to fill my life were the poorest I had ever met and yet they overflowed with the riches of the heart. They lived in houses of sticks or stones and mud; they slept on hard dirt floors. But they did not blame God for this or ask Him for more. They knew their circumstances were due to the brokenness of this world and they simply praised Jesus for keeping them alive through it all.”

Katie saw children dying from preventable diseases and knew she had to find help. She began to contact people in her hometown of Nashville, TN in search of those willing to come alongside her. She described the need, not as statistics, but as “people I know and love.”

Katie’s approach to her life and work in Uganda might be considered radical, even controversial. She gives to people who cannot repay. She helps those who should be able to help themselves. Yet, the message is an important one. We must get involved. When God’s people reach out to others, that love will transform people, one life at a time.

If you want to stay comfortable, don’t read this book. It gets under your skin. However, I challenge you to get your own copy and a pen. Highlight ideas, quotes and values. Let two worlds merge in your own heart as you seek how the Lord will lead you to be obedient, as a missionary, right where you are. And, in your imperfect, inadequate efforts to serve Him, you will find new release as you lean on Christ.

Sally