June 29, 2010
Foursquare Missions Press; 48 pages; softcover gift book; $1 suggested donation
You know The Gift From Heaven is going to be a poignant account as soon as you turn to the very first page, the dedication.
“Thank you for leading me to the only ONE who could heal all the broken pieces of my life,” writes Mauricio A. Rodriguez, who serves at Foursquare’s Pacific Administrative Resource Center (ARC). “I would not have a story to tell if it wasn’t for your love and encouragement. You are and will always be my hero. Mom, you’re my gift from heaven and I love you with all my heart.”
Thus begins the story of Mauricio’s life, told in a series of affecting flashbacks that are unflinchingly honest—and heart wrenching. To say the author has risen from the depths of despair is an understatement, and, in his case, quite literal—after his birth in a small Nicaraguan village, his biological mother immediately threw the newborn down an outhouse and tried to cover up her crime.
What follows is an inspirational narrative of betrayal and forgiveness; of hurt and healing; of destruction and deliverance. Through it all, along with the author, we discover hope, love and God’s ultimate redemptive purpose.
Mauricio’s adoptive mother often tells her son, “You are a gift from heaven.” The author’s life, in fact, is a gift to all of us. As we peer through the private door he opens into his past, we realize that our lives, too, are a gift from God, and that we can overcome any obstacle and achieve our God-ordained potential.
The author closes his book with a personal message to the reader, describing how to experience the greatest gift of all, the gift that set him free—eternal life through Jesus Christ. Because he has so honestly shared his own journey, the message rings with a compelling authenticity that will connect with any reader, making this gift book a powerful tool for sharing the gospel with friends and loved ones.
For a free preview in PDF format of The Gift From Heaven, log on to www.foursquaremissionspress.org and click on the resources link. Copies may be ordered at a suggested donation of $1 each, and are perfect for giving to friends, distributing to a congregation or using in an evangelistic outreach.
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Reviewed by: Bill Shepson, a Foursquare credentialed minister and freelance writer in Los Angeles
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