Stuck in a monotonous existence, Emma Jameson wonders why she has ended up settling. More than that, she wonders why God doesn’t seem to be around and what is missing from her Christian life. When a card with a simple invitation arrives, she finds the answer in David Gregory’s Open.

Using the gospel accounts as a start, Open creates a kind of “what if” story that does a great job of bringing Christ’s words home. Seeing the parables and miracles of Jesus this way, as actual words and events, is how we should be seeing them, but sometimes we just see them as ink and paper. Gregory helps bring depth to them Though I have heard the stories many times, I saw them from a new perspective in the book. One thought that really stood out was, “You have to decide if your God is big enough to trust with every adversity in your life.”

Open is easy to read, and each chapter flows into the next one. Gregory’s writing lets you imagine being there with Emma and learning along with her. It made me look at myself and realize that I, too, keep trying to be a Christian on my own instead of relying on Jesus to do what I cannot.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for this honest review.

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Read the 1st chapter of Open