Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50407 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 284 pages

Customer Reviews

During Difficulties, Turn to God . . . Rather than Away from God

Most Christmas stories don't hit the reader very hard. This one does.

If you ever did something that you regret and haven't repented, The Christmas Sweater will make you realize that you need to repent and ask His forgiveness.

I was particularly impressed by how Mr. Beck drew on his own painful childhood experiences to help us realize that we need to be responsible for our own lives and our relationships with God, Jesus, and other people. The pain from his life is intense and real. Although it's a fictional story, the emotions portrayed aren't.

I appreciated Mr. Beck explaining the factual foundation beneath the story and sharing some of his personal testimony about losing faith.

I recommend this book to those who think they cannot be forgiven and gain new hope and faith. The Christmas Sweater is not just for Christmas!

If you haven't read the book, don't look at the next paragraph. It could be a spoiler for you.

I had one disappointment about the story: giving Eddie a "do over" diluted the message. Although it relieves the tension a lot for readers, I think that it would be better for readers to get their relief from Eddie coming to terms with his life through a relationship with Jesus rather than having the bad news just go away.

A Great Story
This book contains a great story; one that took me back to my teenage years. Although I may not have lost a parent or anything as severe as that, I did have my ups and downs. A teenager's judgment may not be rational to an adult, but for a teen it is perfectly fine. Although a teen may know what they're doing may not be correct, they still choose to do it, and this story did a great job of explaining that. For parents this is a great story because it allows you to see just what happens inside the head of these teens. Once you start this book you won't want to put it down. And for a great book of philosophy I would highly recommend Understanding: Train of Thought.