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The God Box

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 244 ratings · 93 reviews

When Mary Lou Quinlan’s beloved mother, Mary Finlayson, dies, her family is bereft—until Mary Lou searches for her mother’s “God Box,” her private cache of notes to God on behalf of family, friends and strangers. To Mary Lou’s amazement, she finds not one but ten boxes stuffed with hundreds of tiny petitions that spanned the last twenty years of her mother’s life.

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Hardcover, 112 pages

Published April 17th 2012 by Greenleaf Book Group Press

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Mar 22, 2012 Lisa B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books

This is a nice little book of 122 pages, with a big message. The author’s Mom would put notes in a box as a request to God to take care of her own or someone else’s troubles – an illness, a lost job, maybe a job interview or a sick loved one. The rule was that once in the box, the issue had to be “let go” and turned over to God. Still want to worry about it? Think you can handle this better than God? Out comes the note (or that was the threat).
I like the book for its strong message about having...more

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Jun 15, 2012 brandy oliver rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully written book that is going to be kept on my top shelf;)
The book itself is gorgeous and has stunning pictures, beautiful cover, and is just a treasure!
It was a tad bit awkward, reading such intimate memories of the author's mother who passed away, I felt so sad and yet so full of joy and still can't get over how very sweet, these little notes that her mother kept around were. Just a wonderful story and I admire this author for writing such a heartfelt book about her own per...more This is a beautifully written book that is going to be kept on my top shelf;)
The book itself is gorgeous and has stunning pictures, beautiful cover, and is just a treasure!
It was a tad bit awkward, reading such intimate memories of the author's mother who passed away, I felt so sad and yet so full of joy and still can't get over how very sweet, these little notes that her mother kept around were. Just a wonderful story and I admire this author for writing such a heartfelt book about her own personal difficulties.
I love the idea of a God Box and wish I would have started this years ago, but it is never to late to start one of your own! What better way to help others, keep your faith and share these special little notes for years to come.
I enjoyed this book entirely the whole way through, and although I have never lost anybody so terribly close, yet, I will be returning back to this book, because it is not only an intimate look into the author's life, and her mother's, but a book of healing, moving forward, and turning such a devastating event into a way to reaffirm your beliefs and to smile.
Her mother was a beautiful soul, inside and out, and this book will have you looking into your own heart and remembering that life is very short. I want very much to start a God Box of my own for my own children to see and read, rather then just wish and pray these hopes for others and our family, it would mean so much to our children if they could have something to read and look at when we are gone. I see how this has helped this family through such a rough time!!
Thank goodness for this book, as it is filled with wonderful ideas, inspiration, and takes you through the healing process.
You will not want to lend your copy of The God Box to anybody, unless you know for sure they will return it, I would suggest purchasing it as a gift for anybody who has or is going through such a tragic event in their lives. It makes an excellent gift and hopefully will spark their imagination and lead them to start keeping little notes for God. (Their families, children, will thank them)

** I received a copy of this book in return for my honest review**(less)

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Apr 23, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

My thoughts:
I knew I would relate well with the author since I had lost my mom to cancer in 2002. No matter what your age is or the age of your mother, losing my mom was the hardest thing I have ever endured. The reason this book grabbed my attention was simply relating to the lost feeling right after Mary Lou's mother passed away. It is such a fog and you hope to see the one you love walking down the stairs or see them where ever you remember them most. Mary Lou was in the midst of preparing fo...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

When we walk our spiritual path in life, we all find our different ways to communicate and get our thoughts and prayers out. We struggle with everyday stress and feelings of helplessness and anxiety. How do we find the strength inside ourselves to give it up to God and let go?

Mary Lou Quinlan's mother Mary Finlayson found the key inside herself. She found a way that helped her lift her burdens and prayers that she carried with her from day to day. She used her God box as a release of everything...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-life, christian-biography, from-publisher

How do you 'give all your problems to God?' I know I need to leave my problems, worries, anxieties, etc. at the foot of the cross, but what does that look like in real life and how does one accomplish it?

Well, The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan is a beautiful picture of her mom's faithful walk with God. She lived the last 20 years of her life, petitioning and praising God in small notes and gave them to God in her 'God Box.' "Her requests, penned on scraps of paper, were presented without expectati...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Jo at Jaffareadstoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Mary Finlayson dies, her legacy is discovered in mismatched boxes which, when opened reveal dozens of tiny messages, all hand written pleas to God. On handy scraps of paper, more often on the backs of other more mundane letters, Mary wrote down her wishes and worries. Never doubting that God would hear her petitions, Mary continued her correspondence with God, not just for herself, but more often for her family and friends who, when facing uncertainties in their lives would be conscious tha...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Glenajo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, non-fiction

Visible Act of Let Go, Let God.

For over twenty years, Mary, Mary Lou Quinlin's mother, made a habit of jotting down her prayers and placing them in a box that she called her God Box. This was her way of physically acting out the habit of giving control to God over all the concerns that filled her prayers. After her death, the family went through the boxes discovering how Mary used her God Boxes to help her minister to her family and others through her prayers, and the gift of listening. In the b...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was pretty obvious that this volume was put together with layout help from a magazine employee (RealSmart), because it felt like a magazine--artsy photo layouts interspersed with the text, lines of emphasis brought out in larger font (which I really am not a fan of, by the by; if I've read the regular text, I don't want to read it again in excerpts on the same page), and gloss over the whole. It's a very quick read, an interesting idea, and very much like a Hallmark film to give you the warm...more

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May 04, 2012 Shauna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Won this on a GoodReads Giveaway. I read this book in one sitting, in about an hour. It is very well written, reminded me slightly of The Wednesday Letters.

I am not close to my mother. I don't think she was ready to be a mom when she had me. She and my dad divorced when I was young and my mom started dating and lived her "teen" years when I was living mine. I think this is one of the reasons we are not close. I am now grown and have 4 kids of my own. I think I am a pretty good mom, but this boo...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Stacie Cregg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

The God Box is the story of Mary Finlayson and her spirituality, as told by her daughter, Mary Lou Quinlan. After Mary's death, Mary Lou, along with her father and brother, recover Mary's God Box (or boxes, as it turns out to be several), her collection of written prayers that she'd kept for many years. As they go through them, Mary Lou recalls the kindness and thoughtfulness of her mother and their close relationship, and talks about moving on...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan touched me on so many levels I am not even sure where to begin. I requested this book to review several weeks ago. The thing that made me interested in reading this book was my own close relationship with my mother and her lengthy illness which had taken a turn for the worse in December of last year. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, but little did I know how soon I would lose her. Right about the time I had decided to read this book, my mother passed aw...more The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan touched me on so many levels I am not even sure where to begin. I requested this book to review several weeks ago. The thing that made me interested in reading this book was my own close relationship with my mother and her lengthy illness which had taken a turn for the worse in December of last year. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, but little did I know how soon I would lose her. Right about the time I had decided to read this book, my mother passed away. I believe in some strange way God chose this book for me to read at this particular time to offer me some form of comfort. Even if only to know that someone else had the privilege of having and loving a mother in a similar situation as mine.

While my mother didn’t have a box in which she put her prayer requests, I know she petitioned God for every little thing. We would “ask” for every situation because, as is quoted in the book, “it never hurts to ask”. Many little things over the years we have asked about, from pets being sick to major issues we dealt with. When she passed, like the author said in her book, she took a part of me with her. I was also left with a fear. Who would I go to when I needed someone to “ask” with me from now on? Who would I talk to and who would petition God for me in the way only a mother understands? The author dealt with this same issue, and came to the realization that she could pray for herself. Starting her own God box was her way. Ironically, I had a God box of my own when I was younger, and I did this exact same thing. I still have it to this day, never opened from the time I put in all those petitions. I don’t know that I will start the God box back—who knows I might. But I now realize that I can approach God myself. I have always known that, but with my mother’s death, that confidence escaped me.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who has ever loved their mother, and especially to those who have lost this irreplaceable jewel. In some way that I cannot explain, this book has offered me peace.
(less)

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Apr 09, 2012 Eustacia Tan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Ever feel like you have a problem so huge you don't know what to do? Well, give it up to God. To be specific, put in in your "God Box". The whole aim of this rather short book (around 120 pages in ebook format) is to explain about the God Box.

The God Box is simply the box that the author's mother uses to place her prayers for people in it. It sounds like a simple concept, but by exploring her mother's God Box, the author discovers how the box helps her to express things like Faith, Love, Compass...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a beautiful concept! This book is written by a daughter about her mom's God Box. She would write down prayers and thoughts about different people and different events and give it to God. It was her way of releasing her "overburdened heart", fears and hopes by giving to God for Him to take care of as He wishes. Like Mary, I know that I tend to internalize a lot of different things - it hurts me a lot to read stories about hurt children or adults around the world, but especially children, so...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Angieleigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bc11-12

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and I wasn't required to give a positive review if I didn't care for the book.

Having just finished The God Box, I want to jump in my truck and drive up to my mother's house to give her a big hug and share with her all of the emotions I felt while reading this memoir.

And to start my own God Box.

Mary Lou's proudest achievement wasn't her career, her marriage, or even being a friend. It...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Holly Weiss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, kindle, to-review, non-fiction, spirituality-christianity

This book is a heartfelt tribute to Ms. Quinlan’s mother. After her mother’s passing, the author found many boxes of prayers written on behalf of her children. Mother and daughter, alike in many ways, had a special closeness illustrated by their secret code “hands on,” symbolizing their bond whether physically together or apart.

The faith of Ms. Quinlan’s mother is evident in the problems large and small written down and “given to God.” If anyone continued to worry about an issue that had been pl...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Nikole Hahn rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author of Eat, Pray, Love endorsed The God Box. That should have been my first clue. The God Box is a delightful mix of sentimentality and feel-good theology, but if you’re looking for a Salvation message, it’s missing.

The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan tells the story of her faithful mom. Her mom put her prayers in several boxes found after her death by Mary and her family. Mary Quinlan talks about how her mother’s faith was inspiring and what her mother meant to so many people. I had no objec...more The author of Eat, Pray, Love endorsed The God Box. That should have been my first clue. The God Box is a delightful mix of sentimentality and feel-good theology, but if you’re looking for a Salvation message, it’s missing.

The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan tells the story of her faithful mom. Her mom put her prayers in several boxes found after her death by Mary and her family. Mary Quinlan talks about how her mother’s faith was inspiring and what her mother meant to so many people. I had no objections to the method.

The God Box is something I would encourage. We all pray for different people and have our own methods. Some will list the prayers in their Bible or on a piece of paper. Some write their petitions and leave them behind in prayer rooms or keep them in private journals. The God Box is a wonderful record kept long after a person passes away to affirm love and answer questions. The prayers left in the God Box were footprints. Like an eavesdropper, Mary and her family read through hundreds of notes and learned more about their mother than their mother revealed while living.

The problem I had with it was how The God Box gets loose with theology. This quote written by Mary Quinlan at the end bothered me, illustrating my problem:

“I have heard stories of those who place their intentions in a book or in a drawer. What’s more important is that you choose what fits you, your beliefs, your life.” (emphasis mine)

I have reviewed books where the theology wasn’t something I could endorse, but because it was part of the background of the story, it was easily overlooked. While I enjoyed and learned much from Mary’s recollection of her mother, the quote above disturbed me as well as other superstitious rituals, like encouraging her father to say, ‘Namaste,’ which means, “to the DIVINE in all of us.” Mary spoke rather off the cuff about positive energy and used the word, “higher power” a few times. I am still not sure if she believes Christ died for her sins or if she has mashed together New Age and her religion to create something a bit more palatable to the soul. I can’t find anything online that gives me more of a clue about what she believes. One shouldn’t assume this is a Christian book. The book is marketed to women in the secular market. There are Christian aspects to it.

Mary’s mom was a strong prayer warrior and a people person. People meant a lot to this woman. Mary’s mom dropped everything to listen to someone even, “while her eggs grew cold.” I would encourage someone to read this book only if they were a strong believer, cemented in the Word. Mary’s mom illustrated what a relationship with God looks like because she wrote the notes as Mary said, “…like a pen pal to God.”

The God Box illustrates authentic community–the kind of love people are looking to trust. Mary’s mom loved well. God gave her that gift.

The God Box is a feel-good book encouraging people to start their own God Box, but because of the references to a “higher power,” “Namaste,” something about positive energy, and the quote above among other things, the question becomes who are people praying to when they create a God box? I gave this book three stars.

*book given by publisher to review.(less)

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Jul 04, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies

This book is an easy read from the perspective of large print/few pages, but a clear example of "don't judge a book by its cover". The book is about the faith of the author's mother and how it influenced her daughter, and yet this book is also about the powerful relationship between mothers and daughters and how it shapes who we become. I would say that very few women I've met have been blessed enough to have the kind of relationship with their mother that the author shared, yet the book causes...more

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May 01, 2012 Brent Soderstrum rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got this book for my mother for the upcoming mother's day and I was interested enough in it to read it myself. Quinlan sets out the relationship she had with her mother, her mother's death and how she dealt with it. The main focus of the book is all the boxes they found after her death that contained little scraps of paper with prayers on them covering many years. It gave her a deeper look at her mother then she would have had otherwise.

I am jealous of the relationship Quinlan had with her mot...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love this book.

I love this idea.

And I love, love, love it!

In fact, this is a great reason for me to buy those boxes that I adore from a far.

One of the things that made me feel better about my personal prayer life is that nothing was to small for Mary to jot down and place in her prayer box. Her notes weren't on special designer prayer paper. They were on whatever piece of paper she had around.

It is just a nice reminder that we can take everything to God in prayer, and that you don't have to...more

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May 05, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book free from goodreads first reads.

I enjoyed this book. I liked reading about how her mother to deal with the worries of things she would write down the requests and put them in her God box and that would ease her mind. Mary Lou Quinlan said that everyone would talk and make friends with her mother Mary because she was a very personable person. Mary would listen and put requests to God in her God Box for them. The family discovered about 20 God Boxes after she died. It was amaz...more

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Jun 26, 2012 laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-own

Love the concept and have been doing this for years. I was shocked because I do not know of another person who has ever done it or mentioned it to me. It initially started when I saw a jar that said "God Jar" and I figured putting notes to God in it would relieve the problem, would somehow hand the task, problem, illness, someones wellbeing over to Him and pray that all would be well in the end. (Althogh I tend to use my God Box for serious problems, people ill, etc.... not simple every day note...more

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May 12, 2012 Betty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-review-copy

My mother, just like the author's mother, prayed daily. Therefore, I was delighted to run across this sweet little book. So other mothers did the same thing.......

Mary Lou Quinlan had an extremely close relationship with her mom, Mary Finlayson. Her book shows assorted notes to God Mary F. wrote along with issues facing the family throughout the years. Any scrap piece of paper would do ... it didn't have to be fancy. It was her way to send pleas and gratitude to God, then letting go.

I felt sever...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Kathleen Huben rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Mary Quinlan's mother was, throughout her life, a strong believer in the power of prayer. She developed a system of writing her prayers as short notes, folding the notes, and putting them in her "God Box." Following her death her family found 11 God Boxes stuffed full of notes. As her family opened and read athe prayer-notes they relived their lives together and gained increased insight into how important various family events had been to her.
The book is a very quick read, covering Mary Finlay...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Ardo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, adult, non-fiction

This was a heartwarming story of a daughter and her relationship with her mother. By the end of the book, I felt like Mary Lou’s mother could be a friend or a mentor the way in which she’s described here. She’s most definitely someone to look up to and the idea of the God Box is a great one because it allows for people to not stress over things that are out of their control. You don’t need to necessarily be religious to have one (could probably put some form of a spin on it to reap the benefits)...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Tia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-ever, favorites, christian

A beautiful love letter from a daughter who lost her mother, but managed to find her again. How lucky Ms. Quinlan was to have a mother who cared so much about everyone around her. A great reminder that other's are thinking of us, and praying for us, even when we don't know about it. What a great legacy was left for everyone to discover! How gracious of Mary Lou to share her mother's legacy with the rest of us, who sadly never got to know her!

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Nov 02, 2012 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bolt-from-the-blue

This book is such a great "find" and one that I am sure the Lord led me to read.

My own mother passed away four years ago, nearly five, and what I wouldn't give to have something of this nature to read from her own penmanship and thoughts.

The author's mother passed away and she had left a "God Box" in which she had left notes of praises and requests/prayers for God. I actually have my own prayer journal, but I like the idea of a special box to leave behind for my own children and grandchildren t...more

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May 18, 2012 Amanda Long rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This was a beautiful book, it is very clear how important Mary Lou Quinlan's mother was not only to her family and friends. However, it just wasn't a book for me. I wanted more, more in depth stories about growing up with this woman as a mother, more stories about how they are taking what they learned from her and using it to better themselves. This book provides an excellent example of one woman's way to "give it to God" but there was just so little to it. The chapters were loosely tied togethe...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Nandi Crawford rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-nonfiction, devotional-meditative-works, empowering-stories, inspirational, how-to-make-some

What a great book. I found a God jar(until I get the box) and started putting in concerns and names. works for me. Anyhow, the book is about Quinlan's mother, who started a God box because she was always talking to folks and they brought her problems to her. So she came up with the God Box and put the concerns there. it inspired me to do likewise as well.

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Oct 07, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jen by: Kathryn Straple

Shelves: non-fiction

I think this book gave me a great idea.
This book discussed how a mother wrote down little letters to God over the course of many years.
The letters were sometimes in the form of prayers for her children. Other times it was just comments that she had to God.

I started my God Box while I was reading this book:)

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Jun 27, 2012 Chelsea Castner rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a powerful love story between a mother and daughter. This book taught me so much about creating a lasting, meaningful legacy, building beautiful relationships and of course learning to let go. A book for anyone who loves and cares for someone. A feel good read that leaves you feeling lighter every page you turn.

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About Mary Lou Quinlan

Mary Lou Quinlan has written inspirational features forReal Simple, O, the Oprah Magazine, andMORE, and other magazines and, is the author of the booksJust Ask a Woman, Time Off for Good Behavior, and What She’s Not Telling You. She is the nation’s leading expert on female consumer behavior.
As the founder and CEO of marketing consultancy Just Ask a Woman and Mary Lou Quinlan & Co., she has int...more

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Time Off for Good Behavior: How Hardworking Women Can Take a Break and Change Their Lives

Just Ask a Woman: Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy

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“She inhaled a worry. She exhaled a prayer.” — 4 people liked it

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