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What Does God Really Promise?: 101 Questions and Answers about God’s Promises, the Church, and the Future

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God makes hundreds of promises to his children. Promises of protection, forgiveness, hope, eternal life . . .
Cheerful artwork with a modern whimsical style wraps around honest, easy-to-understand answers to your toughest questions about church, eternal life and the future, and what God really promises to his people. What Does God Really Promise? will inspire and offer comfort as you grow closer to God and gain a better understanding of who he is, why church is important, and what the future holds for those who believe. Also serves as a heartfelt gift of love and promise to those who are considering faith or are new believers.

112 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2016

8 people want to read

About the author

Carolyn Larsen

223 books41 followers
Carolyn Larsen has written more than 40 books for children and adults. She is best known as the author of the Little Girls Bible Storybook line of products, which have collectively sold more than one million units. In addition, Carolyn is a speaker who has taught and spoken extensively in the United States and overseas. She is the cofounder of the performing group Flashpoints, which is comprised of five women who share a God-ignited passion to encourage women and girls to know God better through drama, creative movement, signing, and humor. Carolyn is the mother of three and lives with her husband in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Janet Reeves.
Author 3 books27 followers
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October 4, 2017
If you know someone who has questions about the basics of Christianity - a new Christian or a curious friend, this new book, What Does God Really Promise? 101 Questions and Answers about God's Promises, the Church, and the Future, would be a helpful gift.

It's a cute, little book - hardcover with sweet, doodle-style artwork throughout, but the answers to these 101 questions are accurate and easy to understand. Author Carolyn Larsen has taken the time to consider what beliefs of and terms used in the Christian faith might not make sense to someone just discovering the church. She has grouped them into three categories: God's Promises, The Church, and The Future, and has provided concise biblical answers to help readers understand.
Profile Image for Nathan Albright.
4,488 reviews166 followers
August 29, 2016
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Tyndale Momentum in exchange for an honest review.]

This book is among those contemporary catechisms that do not have that particular name, likely because the word is overly unfamiliar and has particular unfriendly connotations. Still, because people have questions and other people presume themselves competent to answer questions, there are a lot of books released that are catechisms but are called by other names [1]. This is not a bad thing--in fact, the book is a very thoughtfully written one, with touching and gentle illustrations, and a very friendly book to the reader. Although it is not explicitly stated, the general lack of argumentative approach to the questions presented and the flowers and butterflies of the book's artwork suggests the book, like many that I happen to read, is directed to a female audience, as it is likely that many of these answers, if directed to men, would be answered more fiercely. It is intriguing to look at how different authors deal with the same question based on their intended audience.

The contents of this book are fairly straightforward, as the book has a very clear structure, being composed of 101 questions and answers, all of them on a single page, divided into three sections: God's promises, the church, and the future. Each of the pages has the same format, with the number of the question/page along with some kind of flower or butterfly, a main question in all caps with a follow-up question below it in smaller point size, an answer of one to three short paragraphs, and a verse or passage below that which deals with the area of concern of the question. The questions are answered with a great deal of politeness and the author refuses to make confrontational stances even as she answers pointed questions. From the answers to the book, the author is a Sunday-keeping Protestant, but one who is able to deal with thorny issues like the Sabbath and the primacy of Peter without doing so in a nasty manner.

Indeed, the combination of the author's willingness to devote several questions to the fourth commandment, none of which presuppose that Sabbath-keepers are legalists, as well as address the issue of there being so many "hypocrites" within the Church, and the author's graciousness in answering those questions, is striking and distinctive. It is rare when someone has a willingness to tackle hard questions honestly and openly without answering them in a rancorous fashion. Although the book would have been even better had it been a bit longer, as a short introductory guide to matters of interest for many readers, this book will likely be read approvingly and enjoyably by many. To be sure, the author engages in a lot of speculation about heaven and hell. The author, at times, gingerly dances around common misconceptions about heaven and hell, and shares a few of her own, but although the book is not a perfectly biblical answer, it does address many heresies like the prosperity gospel and it does it in a way that avoids namecalling and abuse. There is much to commend itself in these pages.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

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https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

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https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
Profile Image for Deana Dick.
3,120 reviews133 followers
December 20, 2016
Every time I read the bible I find myself having so many questions. I might have read a passage a million times and still didn't quite get the jest of what it was saying. I really like this book because it is easy to understand and answers a lot of questions I have had for many years . Have you ever promised someone something , only to break your promise? God doesn't break promises. There are stories throughout the bible that show us God's promises were always kept. One of the key things this book talks about is God does keep His promises, but He does it on his timing.

Looking for a place to start seeing when God kept His promise? Go to Exodus and be reminded how He "delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt." Also remind yourself of the times He kept His promises to you. It says "He will never leave us, nor forsake us." He has never broken that promise to me . I know he was there when I was going through tough times. He heard my cries and felt my pain. But He never left me. He stayed with me, protected me and wrapped His arms around me as I whimpered that I would never turn my back on Him. .

Do you remember the promise God made to Noah? He said He would never destroy the world by water again. I love the trust and faith that Noah had. He obeyed God, built an Ark and God promised him his family and the animals would be safe. I think faith has always been a big question for people. "Faith is believing and trusting in something without absolute proof that the object of your belief is real. " He will test us to see how strong our faith is. I remember a time when my youngest child was only eighteen months old. He became very ill and started having seizures. He had developed big welts on his body. The hospital staff thought he may have a contagious disease and had us wear masks. They informed us that he was being transported to Children ' Medical Hospital . I was terrified. As I looked as my child, he looked at a chair and started saying Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. I asked him why was he saying that name. He told me because Jesus was sitting in the room and told my child not to fear, he would be ok.

If only I had that faith. Once we got to the ICU unit in the hospital, he started having seizures again. but I learned through that experience that God was right there and kept His promise. We took out child home five days later. From that day forward, I knew God loves us, protects us, and always keeps His promises. I encourage everyone to get this book. If you have questions about Why is it important to go to church? What is the purpose of Sunday School or you want to know what communion is , this book will help you understand, give you scriptures to look up and help you grow spiritually. I love how the book is straight forward, answers questions in a direct manner with grace and follows up with stories and scriptures. This would be a great tool for bible study and also when teaching in Children's ministry. I highly recommend this book to anyone with questions that they have been searching answers for.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Blogger Program for an honest review.
Profile Image for The Book Girl.
780 reviews40 followers
November 25, 2016

I have always had a hard time reading the bible, mainly because I have so many questions about what the passages mean. I worry about if I am interpreting everything correctly. I could read the various verses over and over again, and still feel on shaky ground when it comes to meaning. What Does God Really Promise? really attempts to answer these questions and feelings. This book will help solidify your relationship with God.

I think we all have been there at some point in our lives, when we feel that God hasn't kept his promises to us. But, we know through the bible that God's promises were always kept. That is one of the main things that is talked about through out the book. Everything is in God's timing.

Please, don't think that this is just a pretty book, that would be a "cutesy" gift for a Christian friend. The author Carolyn Larsen has stayed completely true to scripture and created a wonderful book that will help you grow closer to God. This would make a fantastic gift for anyone that is seeking truth and answers.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Blogger Program for an honest review.
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